Champions Never Quit: The Courage Every Man of God Needs

Sermon outline

Because God is with you and loves you, you can find the courage as a man to forgive, choose right, serve faithfully, stand with others and never quit.

1. Be strong and of good courage: God is with you

   Men face stress in marriage, with children, in business and at work, and sometimes buckle under it, but circumstances do not decide whether God is with you. Even when you make a mistake or a wrong turn, God does not leave you because He is angry; He is there to guide you. A godly man's life is a silent testimony that the world reads, and the love of God fills the vacuum that drives other men to look for love elsewhere.

   Illustration: Colleagues call you a stick in the mud when you leave the party, ask for a cold drink at the bar or refuse a one night stand, yet your wife admires you for coming home sober, providing, and going to your knees when things go wrong.

   “Circumstances don't determine whether God's with you or not.”

   • Joshua 1:9
   • Matthew 5:13-14
   • 2 Corinthians 3:2
   • 2 Timothy 1:7
   • Romans 5:5

2. Have the courage to serve God and hear His word

   It is the spirit of a man, not his brain or his mind, that sustains him in sickness and weakness, so men need the word of God to wash them, fortify them and put resources within. Have the courage not to miss church, and to do the right thing in private as well as in public.

   Illustration: Driving alone in his car, he thinks of God looking at him and saying He loves this man, because in the limelight or in the dark he is still doing the right thing.

   “It's amazing how many of us can do the right thing in the right place in front of people. But when we're alone, it's very easy to do the wrong thing.”

   • Proverbs 18:14
   • Matthew 4:4

3. Have the courage to forgive

   The longer you hold things against people, the less God can release you. God told him that the more he blesses those who hate him, the more God will bless him, and that his source is God, not men.

   Illustration: In prayer the Lord told him to phone five people who had hurt him and say 'I love you, I forgive you, and I bless you', and then to offer to help them whenever they needed it. The first part was easy; the second felt unfair, but he made the calls.

   “The more you will bless those that hate you, the more I'll bless you.”

   • 2 Corinthians 4:7

4. Have the courage to make the right choices

   Decide what is evil and what is good and choose right; it pays dividends and lets you sing even in the dark. Freedom is the freedom to choose, but once you choose you serve your choice.

   “The only true freedom we have in life is the freedom to choose but once we choose we become the servants of our choice.”

   • Proverbs 25:11

5. Have the courage to rebuild and never quit

   Everyone makes mistakes and wrong turns, but a champion stays in the fight. When the doctor's report is bad or the marriage is struggling, come to church, praise, give and believe God.

   Illustration: Mike Tyson's bulldog persistence in the ring. And Steve, the man in the conference video, who left his son fighting for his life in hospital to have lunch with him in the United States and persuade him to bring the Knights programme to his church; he went home ashamed of how easily flu stops us.

   “Champions are not men that never fail but men that never quit.”

6. Have the courage to stand together and to honour

   He tells the men he has their back, believes in them whatever they have done, and asks them to give him the same promise and stand with the church, because it is not the pastor's vision but theirs. As he honours their gifts, he asks them to honour the leadership of the church.

   Illustration: Earl, who has driven and served him for ten years, told him that the first Aston Martin he hopes to own will be for his pastor. Whether it ever happens or not, he says, 'I got his heart.'

   “Don't look for a way out. Look for a way in.”

7. Have the courage to change and to let go

   The older we get, the more set in our ways we become. Have the courage to consider other opinions and make adjustments, to let go of hurts, pain and failures, and to embrace the future God has for you by following God and your inner convictions instead of the flesh.

   “Have the courage to let go of the past. Have the courage to embrace the future because God has a great future for you.”

8. Have the courage to be faithful and to serve

   Being faithful in what belongs to another qualifies you for what is your own, so develop a servant's heart and do not despise small beginnings. Something is growing inside you even while the work seems menial.

   Illustration: While he was a major in the police and Pastor Zubeda a manager, they picked chewing gum from under the church seats after services; he set out water for his pastor and drove him everywhere, and some called him 'Waterboy'. Then at a meeting in Johannesburg his pastor asked him to help pray, and when he lifted his hands a couple were thrown back by the power of God. He also tells of a man who began picking up nails in a timber yard and rose to own the company.

   “You might be just collecting the offering or you might be just serving the water, but God's anointing is growing in you.”

   • Luke 16:12
   • Zechariah 4:10

9. Have the courage to persevere and to confront yourself

   Persevere when the odds are against you. Stop blaming others, a habit as old as the Garden of Eden, and take responsibility for what goes wrong, because then you can look to God to help you overcome it.

   Illustration: He used to blame his wife, his children, his brother or someone at church until God told him to stop. From that day he took responsibility, even telling his staff that if there is no toilet paper in the toilet it is his issue, and his life changed for the better.

   “There is a difference between churchianity and Christianity. In the former, you grow up in the church. In the latter, you grow up in Christ.”

10. Have the courage to do the little thing and to dream big

    God is not asking for a big thing, only the next little thing, and what is in your hand. Overcome the negativity around you, because others will always make your world too small; dare to dream the dream God has given you.

    Illustration: God asked Moses what he had in his hand.

    “Don't let others create your world, because when they do, they'll make it too small.”

    • Exodus 4:2
    • Proverbs 22:29

11. Have the courage to father, to have faith and to have identity

    Become a father to other men and to your family, and a leader in your sphere of influence. Put your faith to work, and be proud of who you are: made in the image of God, the seed of Abraham, a man whom God loves and believes in.

    “Faith puts no limits on God. God puts no limits on faith.”

    • Genesis 1:26
    • Galatians 3:29

12. Have the courage to set priorities, take risks and destroy an image

    If you risk nothing you gain nothing. Tear down the image the world has painted of you and live by the picture God has put in you, no longer ruled by what people think or say.

    “The most powerful thing you can do in life is to create an image. The next most powerful thing you can do is destroy that image.”

13. Have the courage to give and to keep a promise

    God gave, so give your love, talents, abilities and resources. Let your word be your bond, so that people say they can trust and depend on you.

    “You gain by giving what you cannot buy with money.”

    • John 15:13