Text: Philippians 1:12-30
Topic: What happens when we have courage in the face of fear.

• The 20th century has been variously called the Age of Anxiety, the Age of Unbelief, and the Age of Depravity. Because of this, some have ultimately named this century the Age of Fear.
• Fear increasingly defines our world on all fronts about all things—fear about the economy, climate change, the environment, violence, the food supply, militant Islam, terrorism, the threat of a worldwide and untreatable contagion. The list goes on.
• "Be afraid," the world says. "Be very afraid."
• Illustration: Buchanan shares the headlines from just one day of news.
• Be afraid. Be very afraid. That is, unless you know and trust God.
• Paul and the Philippians, even more than we, had abundant reasons to be afraid.
• They chose courage, and we'll see why.

• In Philippians 1:12-30, God says be strong and courageous.
• Later in this letter, Paul tells the Philippians, "If anyone else thinks he has reasons to boast, I have more."
• Then he lists all his bragging rights—born this, done that, been here, gone there—before saying all that now is rubbish to him.
• Paul might well have begun this section, "If anyone else thinks he has reasons to be afraid, I have more: stuck in prison, sometimes half starving, not knowing whether I'll live or die … "
• If anyone had quaking-in-their boots rights, it would be Paul, and next to him the economically impoverished and sociologically beset Philippians.
• But Paul is downright cheerful, and what he says, mostly, is: be strong and courageous.
• How do we achieve that?
• Let's glean this passage to discover what courage is and does and where it comes from.
• There are, according to this section of Philippians, three things courage does.

• Paul says that "because of my chains"—because of, not in spite of—"most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly."
• My courage, he says, has given others courage to be courageous.
• A single act of courage can do that: create a firestorm of bravery.
• Illustration: Tiananmen Square in 1989.
• Illustration: Napoleon built an artillery post named "Battery for Men Without Fear," and not once did he have to go looking for soldiers to man it.
• Courage encourages courage.
• This is why cowardice is so universally scorned. Soldiers are court-martialed for it.
• According to Revelation 21:8, the cowardly don't get into heaven.
• Just as courage inspires courage, so cowardice breeds cowardice.
• Illustration: Yiannis Avranas, captain of the cruise ship Oceanos, abandoned ship when it sank off the coast of Africa in August of 1991.
• In the story of Gideon in Judges 6-8, Gideon defeats an oppressive enemy of 135,000 seasoned warriors with an unarmed band of 300.
• Gideon first recruits 35,000. But God tells him that's toomany.
• So God begins to pare them down. His first criteria: no cowards allowed.
• And then God sifts out those who are unprepared.
• That leaves Gideon with 300: 300 unarmed farmers against 135,000 seasoned warriors.
• 300 who are prepared and courageous are better than 35,000 who are unprepared and terrified.
• Because courage encourages courage.

• Paul writes, "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ might be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death."
• Courage is worship.
• It elevates who Christ is. It holds him in high esteem, because courage reflects Christ's character.
• Last week, I said our entire lives should be lived to the glory and praise of God.
• Glory results when what shines from you reflects God's character. And praise results when your life prompts others to thank God.
• Courage does all that. It reflects Christ's character and so exalts Christ's reputation. And it leads others to thank God.
• Illustration: Bishop Kiril of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, faced the SS and saved the lives of nearly 50,000 Jews during WWII.
• Illustration: Jack Groppel's training center in Florida videoed NFL linebackers and CIA operatives responding to the threat of a wild boar.

• Philippians 1:27-28.
• Paul isn't being bloodthirsty here. He's not saying we should relish the thought of anyone being destroyed. That would be counter to everything else he says everywhere else.
• But Paul's not flinching from facing ultimate reality. Life has an ultimate destiny, and that ultimate destiny depends on this: Whose king is really King? Who rules history and eternity?
• Paul is using a military metaphor here.
• In the Roman world Rome often won converts to the empire when it became clear that Rome's king was really king. No use following a losing king. Better change than perish.
• Paul takes that well-attested historical fact and turns it on its head. He's saying, courage is a testimony of an ultimate reality: that King Jesus is King of Kings, Lord of Lords.
• Philippians 3:18-21; 4:1.
• Courage says to a world that is easily frightened and quickly scattered: it may not look like it now, but we serve the king who is really King. He holds the future. Want to join?

• Illustration: Polycarp was Bishop in Smyrna in the early part of the second century. At 86 years of age, the Romans killed him for his faith.
• Polycarp's courage encouraged courage, exalted Christ, and announced to the whole world whose king is really King.