Margaret Court is a legend in the tennis world, at least in Australia. In the 1960s and 1970s, Court won 24 Grand Slam singles titles. Fourteen years ago, Australian Open officials decided to honor Margaret Court by naming one of their premiere stadiums after her: Margaret Court Arena.
That is, until Court decided to take a stand against same-sex marriage. Current and retired tennis stars (such as Martina Navratilova and Andy Murray) tried to pressure the Australian Open to rename the court. Same-sex marriage became legal in Australia in 2017 but Court began speaking against it as far back as 2012. During the hullabaloo, Court announced that she would boycott Australia’s airline company, Qantas, because they support same-sex marriage.
Our own big-mouthed tennis star, John McEnroe, wanted to rub salt in the womb, so to speak. He offered that, once Australia legalizes same-sex marriage, he and Elton John will stage, in the Margaret Court Arena, the “biggest same-sex mass wedding ceremony ever seen” (World Magazine, July 1, 2017).
It is unfortunate (probably inevitable) that same-sex marriage has become broadly acceptable. It is also unfortunate that the issue is causing intense culture battles around the world. We cannot help that. “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19-20). But even if “evil hates the Light,” the Light cannot respond in kind. The Light must respond with love (Matt. 5:44), gentleness (2 Tim. 2:25), and truth (Eph. 4:15).
Homosexuality is not the worst of all possible sins. I think we ought to be careful not to portray it as such. Yet, the repercussions of this sin, and the culturally-accepted same-sex marriage that follows, have not been felt in the modern era. How will it play out? Too bad we can’t ask the folks of Sodom and Gomorrah.
However, even if/when homosexual marriage becomes as acceptable in our society as godly marriage, it will not mean the end of the church. It will not mean the end of the Gospel. It will not mean the end of Christianity. It will not mean the end of God’s prohibition. In fact, perhaps humans need to see and feel the repercussions of such a sinful lifestyle (at least in this life) before they finally realize they need God’s way; they need God’s pattern.
When Rome fell, Christianity was left standing. I do not know what might happen to America but I’m confident Christianity will still stand and must stand to point the way back to the Light.
Jesus tells us that He came to give us “life abundantly” (John 10:10). That abundant life is a life that is characterized, among many things, by courage.
Be faithful and be courageous. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Rev. 21:8).
It is easy to tell people that God loves them. It is easy to tell people that Jesus died for them. Nobody finds those messages offensive. Not even Muslims would really find those statements offensive. It does not take courage to talk to people about love. It does take courage to talk to people about sin. When you define sin, the way the Bible defines sin, it is exclusive. It means some behavior is wrong and must be stopped. It means some beliefs are wrong and must be stopped.
Sydney Smith once said, “A great deal of talent is lost to the world for the want of a little courage.”
Frederic Knowles said, “I find no foeman in the road but fear; To doubt is failure and to dare, success.”
We all have hopes that are crushed. We all have placed trust in someone that has been broken. We all have disappointments that could have made our hearts bitter. If cowardice motivates our hearts then when things get tough, we run. We cave. We give in. We sanitize the gospel because its message has offended and, like the Pharisees, we love the praise of men more than the praise of God. But if courage motivates our hearts, we keep on keeping on.
There is an old German proverb: “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is.” My dad use to tell me, “Son, why be afraid of the boogeyman behind the bush. You don’t even know if there is a boogeyman behind the bush!”
GOD WANTS US TO BE COURAGEOUS:
Listen to the words of Scripture…
Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.”
The phrase: “Be strong and courageous” is found ten times in the OT.
The phrase: “do not be afraid” is found 30 times in the OT.
Why is Moses encouraging the Israelis to be strong and courageous? Because God is with them. God goes with them. God will not fail them nor forsake them.
John 14:27, Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” The NT uses the word “peace” 97 times; John uses “peace” 10 times. John uses the word “fear” 20 times; 101 times in the whole NT. So, God recognizes that we will feel fear. But God always assures us that if we walk with Him and we stay dedicated to His truth, we will have peace of mind. We either trust God and stay with His truth or we do not trust God and we become fearful.
2 Timothy 1:7 – Paul writes that “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
For all of Peter’s faults, he was ready to fit to the death in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:51). He had courage then but his courage ran out when he stood outside the high priest’s home in Matt 26:69-75. It takes more courage to fight without a sword than to fight with it. You can have courage in the military and run into battle, knowing that if you get killed, you will die a hero. But if you have the courage to tell a friend or family member they are in sin, you might die lonely. That’s a choice that we have to make.
The one-talent man was afraid of losing what he had (Matt 25:25). In the first Harry Potter movie, Nelville Longbottom gets points at the end of the movie for standing up to his friends.
Nehemiah stood against his fellow-countrymen when they mocked him, but he refused to give in to fear (Neh 4:3). We’ll study more about Nehemiah building the walls of Jerusalem the Sunday before our VBS in July.
What about our daily lives? Courage is filling the role God has given you, even if it is not the most glamorous role you wanted. Courage is going on cheerfully, making your rounds of little duties. Courage is accepting without grumbling or complaining of low position. Courage is smiling at the joys of others when your heart wants to break. If you do that for a lifetime, you are a bigger hero than one who gives his life on the battlefield. That is so, because there is no drum-beat urging you on; no crowds shouting a welcome, mo medals to be received in this life. It is simply staying faithful to God and His message and patiently waiting for that unseen crown of reward that we expect in heaven.
HOW TO DEVELOP COURAGE:
First, we need to recognize that most of our fears are imaginary. The psalmist writes in 53:5: “There they were in great fear where no fear had been; For God scattered the bones of him who encamped against you; You put them to shame, because God had rejected them.” My dad said something in a sermon that I have remember ever since: Fear if False Events Appearing Real.
Second, many of the things we fear turn out to be blessings in disguise. Take Joseph as an example. He might have been fearful when his brothers threw him into the cistern and then sold him to the Ishmaelites and then he was sold to the Egyptians and then blackmailed by Potiphar’s wife. But, he stayed faithful to God; God was with him through it all, just like God promised. And Joseph’s trials and struggles turned out to be stepping stones to bigger and better things.
Third, we need to remember that what is right and best will always win out. God will bring things together for our good when we courageously stand with Him and His word.
Fourth, when we live with a clear conscience, it helps us live in courage. In Proverbs 28:1, the wise man says, “The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” Sin is what makes us fearful so if we live a holy life, a life that is based on God’s words, not our feelings and emotions, then we can be courageous.
Fifth, we must trust that God will help us maintain courage. In Proverbs 1:33, we read that God says: “he who listens to me shall live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Finally, we grow in courage when we face what we fear and we overcome it. That’s Paul’s thoughts at the end of his life when we face getting beheaded because he was teaching the truth of God: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Tim 4:7-8).
Take home message: Let us courageously share God’s message with others and live God’s message in our lives.
Paul Holland