Grant Me Courage – Philippians 1:20
Pastor Tan Thai · Apr 14, 2012
This sermon explores the necessity of courage in the Christian life, using the apostle Paul as the primary example. Drawing from Philippians 1:19-21, the pastor teaches that true courage comes from an intimate relationship with God, is sustained through prayer, and is directed toward God's glory rather than personal honor.
The sermon opens with the observation that courage is a virtue admired across every culture and era. No one wishes to be called a coward. In a world filled with natural disasters, social injustice, and human sin, everyone needs courage to live. Christians in particular need courage because the journey of faith is full of invisible battles, temptations, and falls that require the believer to rise and press on.
The heart of the sermon is the example of the apostle Paul, who after nearly thirty years of ministry—enduring beatings, imprisonments, shipwrecks, stonings, and countless dangers as catalogued in 2 Corinthians 11:23-29—still prayed for more courage from God. Writing from a Roman prison in Philippians 1:19-21, Paul expressed his earnest hope never to be ashamed but always to have courage so that Christ would be glorified in his body, whether by life or by death. This demonstrates that true courage is not the absence of fear but the moral and spiritual strength to persevere in spite of it.
The sermon draws three lessons from Paul's example. First, his courage came from a deep, reverent relationship with God, not from natural temperament. Luke 12:4-5 reminds believers that the fear of God liberates them from every other fear. The promises of Christ in John 14:27 and 16:33 provide a peace that transcends circumstances.
Second, Paul prayed for courage because he understood that past victories and past experiences do not guarantee future success. Every new situation demands a fresh dependence on God. Third and most importantly, Paul requested courage not to protect his personal honor but so that Christ might be glorified—whether he lived or died—reflecting his governing philosophy: 'to live is Christ and to die is gain.'
The sermon closes with practical illustrations of Christian courage: Blasé Gaude, paralyzed from the neck down for twenty-five years yet earning a graduate degree, working for nearly two decades, marrying, and raising a child with Down syndrome—all by faith; and Tim Tebow, born because his missionary mother courageously refused abortion. The practical takeaway is that every believer must continually ask God for courage to live faithfully, confess sin, change, and serve God for His glory alone.