“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be

not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithsoever thou goest.”

Joshua 1: 9

The Virtue of Courage

Courage Defined

The ability to face physical pain, hardship, death, or threat of death.

To act righteously in the face of popular opposition, shame or

discouragement.

Christ Is Our Example

His works & sacrifice on earth exemplify courage

Christ faced opposition while teaching & healing

The Pharisees & leaders sought to take his life

He stood up for the truth no matter the hardship

Ultimately Christ did die for his people & the truth

Examples of Christ’s Courage

Standing Up for the Truth Against Man

“My house shall be called the house of prayer…”

Matthew 21: 12-13

The House of God is used exclusively to worship God

We must defend the House of God to ensure that only his will is done

By defending God’s house offenses & separation will occur

Standing Up for the Truth Against Man

“Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition”

Matthew 15: 1-14

The Pharisees placed their traditions above the laws of God

Christ advocated the keeping of God’s laws above all else

Standing Up for the Truth Against Man

Today the sons of men place their own traditions above the laws of God • Christmas and other pagan holidays

• Worshipping on Sunday

Despite the trends & traditions of this world we must always obey and stand up for God’s law

By doing this we will face persecution and trials

Matthew 10: 28

“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and

body in hell.”

Standing Up for the Truth Against Satan

Matthew 4: 1-11

Christ was tempted 3 times by Satan

He was fasting & physically in a weakened state

He did not use his power to defeat Satan

Instead he used his spiritual strength and the word of God to stand up against Satan

Standing Up for the Truth Against Satan

Christ showed his children that we can use the word of God as a weapon

We need courage & will power to stand against the forces of Satan

Satan is more powerful than us & uses intimidation tactics to persuade us to transgress the law

The word of God is our armor (Ephesians 6: 12-17)

Christ Sacrificed His Life

The most courageous act Christ performed was sacrificing his life

Being in the flesh he too experienced fear & sorrow before his death (Matthew 26: 38-39)

He did not let his emotions prevent him from obeying his Father

He was scorned, mocked & suffered a horrible death

Christ Sacrificed His Life

There are many people who have and will sacrifice their lives for the word of God

These individuals drink of the same cup of Christ

We might not all have to die but we have our cups & they are bitter to taste

We must maintain courage to drink of our cups willingly to gain salvation

Closing Remarks & Scriptures

“Enter ye in at the strait gate…”

Matthew 7: 13-14

Strait: a condition of narrowness or restriction; doubt; distress; difficulty; poverty; perplexity

Looking at this term we see we have a difficult path to walk & require the virtue of courage to continue our journey

Presentation by: Elisabeth C. Pointer

For questions regarding this presentation please contact us via email at

info@householdofisrael.org or by phone at 219.949.9308