Be Strong And Courageous? How Can I As A Natural Born Coward?

4.30.22 Joshua 1:9 - Confirmation Sermon

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

These words were spoken to Joshua after Moses had died. Be strong and courageous. He repeated them three times in four verses. Be strong and courageous. Against what? Well, Joshua was leading the Israelites into the Promised Land that was inhabited by strong and powerful people in fortified cities. The Canaanites weren’t just going to roll over and say, “Here, come on in!” The Israelites had already chickened out once, and God didn’t want it to happen again. Joshua also had to lead the Israelites who tended to be very stubborn and rebellious. They didn’t want to be told what to do. Years ago some of their fathers had gathered against Moses and tried to kill him. Joshua needed courage to stand up against them as well.

So you chose this as your confirmation verse. I’m glad you did. One of the biggest temptations and problems people have with their faith is when they think that God should make things EASY for them. They end up losing their faith because of false expectations. God NEVER said it would be easy. So I’m glad you chose this verse, because you too recognize that this isn’t going to be an easy thing, being strong. Why?

The devil is cunning. He hates you. As time goes on and we grow closer to Judgment Day, he is gaining more and more freedom. He is looking for ways to drag you into hell. He knows your weaknesses. He knows what appeals to your sinful nature. He loves to intimidate you and make you scared. He thrives on fear. You’re going to need strength and courage to fight against him.

You will also need strength because your own sinful nature is weak. You know how easy it is to fall into temptation, and there’s a part of you that wants to be weak and likes to be lazy. Life seems easier if you just go with the flow and do whatever your sinful nature wants you to do and your classmates will want you to do. The temptations are similar in every age, they are just easier to get to now.

I’m sure that alcohol and marijuana will be appealing to some of you. They will loosen your inhibitions and promise you fun times. They will give you stories to tell. Someone wants YOU at the party, and you won’t want to miss out. It will take courage to say “no.”

It will be easy to find temporary sexual gratification online or without commitment. It takes strength to fight the temptation and rather establish a relationship through communication and trust, not giving yourself over to your desires before God’s time.

It will take no work at all for you to sleep in on a Sunday morning and stop coming to worship. You’ll think, “I’m fine.” It will take strength to say to yourself, “God deserves my praise. I need His word and sacrament. I’m going to make this a priority.” This is going to be hard for some of you, because your own parents haven’t been coming regularly.

I could go on and on. Life doesn’t get any easier no matter how old you are. But yes, it is going to take STRENGTH for you to fight against your own laziness and sin. This is a good verse. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.

But here’s the thing, telling someone to be strong and courageous doesn’t make them strong. Joining a gym doesn’t just give you strength. When you do strength training, you have to repetitively lift weights day after day, increasing a little bit at a time. It helps to have a trainer and a regimen, but you also have to follow the trainer’s advice. Courage also doesn’t always come naturally. I don’t like confrontation. Most of us don’t.

You might see a similarity in your spiritual growth. I can tell you to be strong and courageous. Sometimes it helps to surround yourself with strong and courageous people. It can help you when you are afraid to see their strength and courage. It can encourage you. But that doesn’t guarantee that you will be strong and courageous.

Think about this confirmation day, vowing to be faithful for the rest of your life. Taking a vow doesn’t give you the ability to keep it. Wanting it or joining a church doesn’t achieve it either. It is good that you want it. It is good that you are vowing to be faithful. God has given you that desire, but that is only the beginning of the battle. He is going to have to give you the strength and courage as well. But He doesn’t just magically pour it into your soul. He doesn’t say, “Oh, they made the vow? Let’s give them courage and strength. Here you go!”