Courage | Part 1 · Rewind

Courage | Part 1 · Rewind

Pastor Daniel Goulding · Jul 16, 2018

Big Idea

The first condition of a courageous heart is a dislocated heart — letting your heart go to where God is calling you, even while your body stays comfortable.

Courage isn't the absence of fear; it's stepping out despite it. God uses ordinary, scared people who let their hearts dislocate from comfort toward what He cares about — and that dislocation, seen in Nehemiah weeping and praying over Jerusalem's broken walls, is the first step toward the difference-making life God built us for.

Key points

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1Courage is not the absence of fear but stepping out despite it
Pastor Daniel tells the story of cliff diving as a teenager, frozen at the top while his friend Jimmy jumped, calling him a coward, until he finally leapt himself. He ties this to his dad's teaching that if you're not scared, it's not courage — quoting John Wayne's line about saddling up scared to death anyway.
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2God uses ordinary people, not fearless superheroes
Because courage requires fear, the people God supports and uses are ordinary people who feel afraid but go anyway. Pastor Daniel notes that someone who feels no fear in a genuinely dangerous moment isn't courageous, just reckless or naive.
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3Courage is a condition of the heart, not the circumstances
He explains that waiting for the right timing or for fear to disappear is not courage; the word courage comes from the Latin cor and Greek cardio, meaning heart. He introduces the six-week Nehemiah series and the church's need for courage to build new walls, i.e., buildings.
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4Nehemiah's story sets up the pattern of a dislocated heart
Pastor Daniel retells Israel's history — chosen, blessed, comfortable, exiled to Babylon, and partially returned under Persian rule — and introduces Nehemiah as an ordinary cupbearer, a trusted royal advisor living a comfortable, prestigious life in Susa.
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5Nehemiah heard of Jerusalem's disgrace and his heart dislocated
Working through Nehemiah 1:1-4, he shows how Nehemiah asked his brother about Jerusalem, learned the walls were torn down and gates burned leaving the people in danger and disgrace, and responded by sitting down, weeping, fasting, and praying for days — his body stayed in Susa but his heart moved to Jerusalem.
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6A dislocated heart begins by stopping to see and listen
Pastor Daniel says Nehemiah, despite a busy, important job, stopped his routine to see what God was doing and to hear God speak. He warns that busyness, including treating church as just another routine stop, keeps people from ever hearing God.
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7A dislocated heart requires honestly asking, do I really care, and accepting the discomfort that follows
He challenges listeners to ask why they don't care rather than shaming themselves, warning against a consumer, spiritual-restaurant view of church. He points to Jesus leaving heaven's comfort for the cross, praying not my will but Thy will, as the ultimate example of letting God's agenda supersede personal comfort.

Application

Pastor Daniel frames the charge as developing a dislocated heart — letting your heart go where God's heart already is, even before your feet follow.

Stop and get out of your busyness
Set aside the routine, including treating church as just another item on your schedule, so you can actually see what God is doing and listen for Him to speak.
Ask yourself honestly, do I really care
Whether or not you feel connected to what God cares about, take time to examine it honestly rather than assume the answer or feel shamed by it.
If you don't care, ask why
Rather than forcing yourself to care, dig into the tragedy, hurt, habit, or lie that may be blocking you, since understanding it can unlock the rest of your life.
Accept the discomfort of a dislocated heart
Recognize that following where God's heart leads will be uncomfortable, and choose it anyway rather than waiting to feel ready or safe.
Jump in and give courageously to the church's mission
As the church prepares to build new buildings, Pastor Daniel asks everyone to get uncomfortable and scared enough to trust God and give, rather than treating giving as a leftover tip.

Take it into your week

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7-day devotional

A personal reading plan from this message — scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day.

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Day 1

Nehemiah was not a prophet or a priest. He was a cupbearer — a man with a good job, a stable routine, and no obvious reason to upend his life. Yet the story begins not with a dramatic vision but with a simple encounter: his brother Hananiah shows up with news from home. Nothing about that moment looks like the start of something historic. It looks like an ordinary conversation. That is worth sitting with. God rarely announces His invitations with fanfare. More often He works through the ordinary rhythms of life — a conversation, a piece of news, a nagging question that won't go away. Nehemiah was in a place of personal comfort and relative security when the moment arrived. He did not go looking for a mission. The mission came to him through an open door and an honest report. Pastor Daniel reminded us that God looks for ordinary people whose hearts are available. Not perfect people, not fearless people — available ones. The question is not whether God is speaking. The question is whether we have slowed down enough to notice when He does. Nehemiah's story starts in an ordinary hallway, and so might yours. The first act of courage is simply being present enough to hear the knock.

For reflection

When was the last time you slowed down long enough to notice what God might be placing in front of you — through a conversation, a need, or a moment that wouldn't leave your mind?

Pray

Pray for eyes to notice what God is putting in your path this week, even in ordinary moments.

Small-group discussion guide

For leading a group conversation about this message.

Open

Nehemiah was safe, employed, and far from the rubble of Jerusalem — and yet something shifted in him when he heard the news. This message explores what that shift looks like and why it matters.

Discussion questions

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In Nehemiah 1:1-3, Nehemiah is living in comfort and security when his brother arrives with news about Jerusalem. What do you notice about the way Nehemiah receives that news — and what does his response in verse 4 tell us about what was happening inside him?
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Pastor Daniel described a 'dislocated heart' as one where your body may be in a place of comfort but your heart has moved toward where God is calling you. What do you think makes that kind of dislocation hard for people to step into?
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Pastor Daniel said that dislocations begin with stopping — stepping out of the busyness of routine, even the routine of attending church, to honestly see where God is at work. What might get in the way of that kind of honest seeing in everyday life?
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Pastor Daniel suggested that if we ask ourselves 'Do I really care about the things God cares about?' and the answer is unclear or no, the next question is why — because that answer may reveal fears, hurts, or lies holding us back. What do you think that process of honest self-examination might open up for someone?
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Pastor Daniel pointed to Jesus as the ultimate example of a dislocated heart — leaving the comfort of heaven, running to the cross, and praying 'not my will but Thy will.' How does that picture of Jesus shape the way we understand the invitation to move toward discomfort ourselves?
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Pastor Daniel described courage not as waiting until you feel ready, but as jumping while you are still afraid. How might that idea change the way we as a community think about stepping into the things God seems to be asking of us?

Pray together

Hearts willing to stop, see, and move toward what God cares about — even when it is uncomfortable

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Topics

Acting Despite Fear A Dislocated Heart Courage God's Agenda Surrendering Comfort

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