SEVEN CARDINAL VIRTUES
COURAGE
DR. JIM DIXON
JUNE 24, 1990
PHILIPPIANS 1:20-30
Meltdown. That’s what happened in 1951 at an atomic reactor site near, Chalk River, Canada. Thirty-nine years ago when this emergency took place, reactor technology was in its infancy, particularly breeder reactors. Radiation was leaking out and someone would have to go down to disassemble the reactor core. This person would need to be one with knowledge, skill, great courage and willing to risk their very life.
A 26-year-old Lieutenant in the United States Navy was flown to the site of the meltdown. This man was knowledgeable in reactor technology and nuclear physics. He served with the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington D.C. and had high security clearance status. He was brought to the site of the meltdown at the nuclear reactor and was shown a model of the reactor core. He practiced dissembling the reactor core piece by piece because there was no margin for error. He was given a special suit that would protect him from radiation. He was told frankly that the danger was great and that he would receive the maximum amount of radiation allowable to a human being in one year’s time, in just a few seconds.
He was told that he might become sterile and develop cancer. He was told that he might die, but he went anyway. Somebody had to go. He had knowledge, courage and so he descended into the mouth of hell. He disassembled the reactor core and the mission was a success and meltdown averted. The 26-year-old lieutenant didn’t become sterile, nor develop cancer or die. He went on to become the governor of the state of Georgia and then president of the United States of America. The name of that 26-year-old lieutenant was Jimmy Carter. And whatever you thought of the Carter administration, you have to admit on that day in 1951, at Chalk River, Canada, Jimmy Carter had incredible courage.
We live in a nation that exalts courage. We give the medal of honor as a reward for courage. We give the silver star and the bronze star to those who have demonstrated and exemplified courage. In Britain, they give the Victoria Cross and, the Iron Cross in Germany. We live in a world that exalts courage. The Bible tells us that God also exalts courage. And that’s why in the early church Christians considered courage to be one of the seven cardinal virtues. Courage is precious to God and it’s precious to God for two reasons.
First of all, if you’re a Christian and you have courage, Jesus Christ can use you to transform the world. If his people have courage, he can use them to transform the earth. That’s why courage is so important to God.
One of the most tragic periods in earth history was the era of Roman gladiator combat. Gladiators were of course men trained by the Roman Empire to fight to the death for the entertainment of the Roman masses. Each gladiator was given a shield, sword, helmet and trident. They were taught in the art of fighting. Gladiator combat began in the year 264 BC and it continued for more than 600 years unabated. Some people tried to stop it.
You might remember Spartacus the gladiator who in 73 BC gathered with other gladiators and were joined by 70,000 slaves. They revolted and it failed. Gladiator combat continued. In the year 404 AD, Emperor Honorius banished gladiator combat forever. He made it illegal disallowing it throughout the empire. Why did he do that? After more than 600 years of gladiator combat, why did the Roman Emperor suddenly say, “No more!” He said “No more” because of a Christian – with courage, a Syrian monk whose name was Telemachus.
It was in the year 404 that Telemachus went out on the arena floor of a colosseum in Rome. Every morning the animals fought in Coliseum. In the afternoon the gladiators fought. People gathered to watch because the blood thirst of the Roman masses was beyond satiation. Telemachus, with courage, in the midst of gladiator combat, went out onto the field and he cried out to the people. “No more! No more blood! No more inhumanity to man! No more death! Human life is precious! God grieves in heaven.” The Roman crowds begin to mock him and threw things at him. The gladiators on the arena floor were caught up in the moment and attacked Telemachus. They ran the sword through him and he fell dead. In that moment there was silence in the coliseum and for the first time, the eyes of the people were opened. For the first time they saw what they had done in the name of entertainment. For that reason the Roman Empire banished gladiator combat forever. One Christian’s courage was able to transform some measure of this world. God wants to use you. If you have courage… If you choose courage, God wants to use you to transform the world.
A few weeks ago when we were in Washington DC with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Vice President of the United States, Dan Quayle spoke to us. He told us that what this nation needs in this hour more than anything else are Christians who are willing to stand, and Christians who are willing to fight. Now whatever you think of the Vice President, you have to agree he’s right on this.
We need Christians who are willing to stand against abortion because there are more than 1,400,000 abortions in the United States every year. 25 million babies have been killed since the Wade/Roe decision in 1973 and it is a national tragedy. We need Christians who are willing to stand against pornography, a growing multi-billion-dollar business right here in the United States of America with obscenities and photographs of children in sexual acts of violence, all allegedly protected by the United States Constitution. We need Christians willing to stand up and say no. We need Christians who are willing to stand against the growing anti-Christian attitude that is so prevalent in the media and entertainment industries. We need Christians who are willing to stand against the growing apostacy, in mainline Protestant denominations. We need Christians with courage. One Christian can make a great difference.
Five years ago at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska, there was a Christian student named Bridget Murgens. She wanted to gather with other Christian students on campus for a time of Bible study and prayer after school. They wanted to use one of the school classrooms. Other groups were meeting in classrooms on a voluntary basis, but the school administration said no. They said it violates the separation of church and state and violates the United States Constitution. But, you see, Bridget Murgens didn’t acquiesce. She stood. She had courage. She resolved to fight it. The issue went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. And it was only a few weeks ago, just a few weeks ago, that the Supreme Court of the United States of America, an eight to one decision, sided with Bridget Murgens, making it law that, “In all public schools across this nation, if Christians want to assemble freely, they should have that right if the school is also allowing other groups to assemble freely.” A great landmark decision.
When we were in Washington, D.C., the Solicitor General told us it was because of one Christian’s courage, that decision happened. You don’t know how Christ might use you if you’re willing to stand for His kingdom’s sake. If you have courage by the power of the Holy Spirit, he can use you to transform the world. We need courage to share the gospel. Nothing will transform this world like the gospel of Jesus Christ and nothing can transform a human life, but the gospel of Jesus Christ. It takes courage to share the gospel to take the gospel to the nations, to your neighborhood, the market place and workplace. Sometimes we just hope that our silence will somehow be golden, That Our muteness won’t prove mute. But the reality is at some point, you need to be willing to speak and tell another human being, how much you love Jesus Christ and how much He’s done for you. That takes courage.
When I look at the early church, I marvel at it’s courage. Sometimes I just stand in awe when I look at the courage the men and women of God had in the first century of the Christian Church. According to Christian tradition, most of the disciples and apostles were martyred. Matthew was killed with a sword in Ethiopia, in Africa where he was serving as a missionary for Jesus Christ. Mark was killed in Alexandria, Egypt. He was dragged through the streets because of his testimony to Jesus Christ. Luke, the beloved physician, was strung from an olive tree in Greece. He loved Jesus Christ more than he loved his earthly life. Peter was crucified upside down in the city of Rome by the emperor Nero. The apostle Paul was beheaded at Three Fountains in Rome by the same emperor. Philip was strung from a pillar in the city of Hierapolis in the Province of Phrygia in Asia Minor, in modern day Turkey. Barbara and I saw his burial place, where he died by strangulation because of his testimony for Jesus Christ.
James, the Greater was beheaded in the city of Jerusalem. James the lesser was stoned to death. James, the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the Jerusalem church, was pushed off the pinnacle of the temple. He survived the fall, but was stoned to death. Jude, the brother of our Lord who wrote the book of the Bible that bears his name, was shot with arrows because of his testimony for Jesus Christ. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother was crucified. Those who saw it said that he preached the grace, the love and the mercy of Jesus Christ to his tormenters until the very moment he drew his last breath.
Bartholomew was flayed, beaten to death. Barnabas, son of Consolation, called an apostle by the New Testament writers, was stoned to death by a Jewish mob in the city of Salamis because Barnabas said Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Mathias who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot was stoned to death and beheaded. Thomas the Doubter, “Doubting Thomas,” was run through with the lance in the distant land of Coromandel, where he was serving as a missionary for our Lord Jesus Christ. Out of all the disciples, only the Apostle John died a natural death. He suffered much as he was imprisoned on the island of Patmos by the emperor Domitian.
I think it’s safe to say that the foundation of the early church was literally poured into by the blood of the saints. The world was transformed by men and women of courage. The Bible says they turned the world upside down. And ultimately Christianity conquered even the Roman Empire because men and women had courage. They wanted to serve Jesus Christ head to toe.
I marvel today as we look around, here in our culture and in our time. We see Christians who basically live for health and wealth. Prosperity teaching has found fertile soil in this country. What’s in it for me? That’s what most of us want to know. Jesus Christ said, “He who would come after me, let him deny himself, let him take up his cross, let him follow me. He who would save his life, shall lose it, but he would lose his life. For my sake and for the gospel’s sake, will find it.” He’s looking for men and women of courage through which he wants to transform the earth.
Secondly and finally, courage is precious to God. If as a Christian you have courage, Christ can keep you from being transformed by the world. This is the other side of the coin. If you have courage and only if you have courage, can Christ use you to transform the world. You see, it takes courage to say no. It takes courage to resist the transforming power of the world.
In the year 1924, Eric Liddell won the gold medal in the 400 meters Olympic Games in Paris. His story was told by the Academy Award-winning movie, Chariots of Fire. If you know the story of Eric Liddell, you know that he was not supposed to run the 400 meters in the 1924 Olympics. When he arrived in Paris, he noticed that the hundred meters, which he was supposed to run, was scheduled for Sunday. He had trained for years to run the hundred meters. He was fast like the wind. In fact, he was favored to win the race, but he was a committed Christian. And in his conscience, he didn’t believe that he should run on the Lord’s day. So he said no. And the world called him a fool. I mean, all over the world, people couldn’t believe it. They said, how could he give up so much for so little? Someone dropped out of the 400 meters and that’s why Eric Liddell ran the 400. And he wasn’t favored to win that. In fact, he wasn’t even favored to place. But he ran and he won and he set a new Olympic record. It was run on a different day of the week. And then Eric Liddell went to China where he served as a missionary for Jesus Christ. He died in 1945 in a war camp, faithful to Christ till the end.
You might not agree, you might not agree with the stand that Eric Liddell took concerning athletic competition on Sunday. But you have to agree with this. Eric Liddell was a man of courage, willing to say no to the world, no matter what the cost, wanting only to be molded by Jesus Christ, wanting only to be transformed by Jesus Christ. And the world couldn’t mold him. The world couldn’t transform him because he had courage to say no. It’s the kind of people Christ is looking for today.
You know, in the center of the city of San Antonio, Texas, there’s a structure called the Alamo. I’m sure many of you have seen it, the Alamo was a mission built as a church and a monastery. Of course, the Alamo has become famous for the battle that took place there in 1836, the Battle for Independence, the battle for separation, when General Santa Anna and 5,000 Mexican soldiers besieged that mission where Colonel Travis and 187 Texans were making their last stand, standing for independence, standing for separation.
There were a lot of heroes at the Alamo. Davey Crockett, the ex-congressman and frontiersmen, and there was Jim Bowie whose adventures were legendary. Perhaps the greatest hero at the Alamo was a man named James Bonham, who had been asked by Colonel Travis to escape by night, work his way through Santa Anna’s troops and bring help back. James Bonham left the Alamo in the middle of the night and he crawled through the enemy lines and he walked 90 miles to goad where there was an army. Garris seeking help was there that he found there was no help to be given. Now he could have fled, he could have saved his own life. But James Bonham decided, no, I’m going back to the Alamo. He knew he would die, but he went back anyway because he wanted to stand for separation and independence. And he stood unto death.
God wants you to know if you’re really a Christian, you’ve been called to separation from this world. No matter the cost, you’ve been called to separation from sin. You are going to have to take a stand or the enemy is going to besiege you. The enemy is going to assault you with every temptation known to man. The Bible says, “We do not battle against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and the powers, the world rulers of this present darkness, the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenlies.”
There’s a lot of temptation out there and it takes a lot of courage to stand. It takes a lot of courage to say no to this world. We say to our high schoolers, our teenagers, “Just say no,” say, “no to drugs,” say “no to premarital sex.” That’s what we tell them. We acknowledge that this is a crazy world to be growing up in today, a fallen world. It takes a lot of courage to say no because the peer pressure is great. The attacks of the enemy are strong but Christ says, “Say no.” What’s true of our teenagers is true of us. As adults, we need to say no – no to drugs, no to premarital sex, no to extramarital sex. We need to say no to the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. We need to say no to lives that are centered on materialism and hedonism and self-glorification. It’s not easy. You really need to be committed and it takes a lot of courage.
It’s never been easy for Christians since Christ died and rose again and ascended into heaven. It’s never been easy. At the conclusion of the first century AD, a man named Domitian came to power in Rome. It was in the year 81 AD that he became the Roman emperor. He ruled for 15 years until 96 AD. It was Domitian who persecuted Christians throughout the Roman world. Wherever there were Roman temples, all people, men and women alike had to come to burn incense to Caesar. They were forced to say three words. “Caesar is Lord,” under penalty of death for noncompliance.
There were Christians living throughout the Roman world, how hard for them. Can you imagine the courage it took to refuse to say those words when you knew the penalty might be death. And yet by and large historians tell us, throughout the Roman world Christians refused. They stood. They refused to say, “Caesar is Lord.” In fact they said, “Jesus is Lord.” Many of them were whipped, beaten and flogged. Some were thrown into prison and countless Christians were executed. But they would not deny Jesus Christ. That’s the kind of courage Christ is looking for today. Every day every one of us is tempted to say, “Caesar is Lord.” Every time we’re tempted to sin. Every time we’re tempted to leave the path, we’re tempted to say “Caesar is Lord.” And, you see, every day, every hour, morning, noon and night, God wants us to say, “Jesus is Lord,” and commit our lives anew. He’s looking for people of courage who will serve Him, head to toe. If you have courage He can use you to transform the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. If you have courage, He can keep the world from transforming you. You’ll be molded by Him and by Him alone. Let’s close with a word of prayer.