Thaddeus Barnum emphasizes the theme of real courage in his sermon, drawing parallels between the biblical story of David and Goliath and the personal struggles with fear and anxiety that many face today. He highlights that true courage does not come from within, as the world often teaches, but rather from God, who strengthens the weak and calms the anxious heart. Barnum encourages believers to acknowledge their fears and seek support from the community of faith, reminding them that Jesus came to liberate us from the bondage of fear. He illustrates this through the story of Jacob, who, despite his fears, found strength in surrendering to God. Ultimately, the message is one of hope and reassurance that God is with us in our struggles, providing the courage we need.

Your servant David courage and faith to stand in front of Goliath give us courage give us faith pour down from on high all that we need in these days through your servant your son our Lord Jesus Christ who we need today in Jesus name we pray it amen good morning to you I would like to take up just a verse here in Isaiah chapter 35 where we see the promise here before Christmastime of the coming of Messiah that when he comes he will strengthen the weak hands he will make firm the feeble knees he will say to those who have an anxious heart be strong take courage fear not behold your God will come with vengeance with the recompense of God he will come and save I thank the Lord for this I thank the Lord that on Christmas the Savior would come to deal with the anxious heart I would like your patience with me this morning I would like to talk about something that cripples us all a condition of the soul so many of us that deal with fear and anxiety that monster comes and roars that Goliath there he is smelly fat and ugly breathing down us and teaching us showing us scaring us nobody had to teach me about him I found out about him all by myself just growing up the moment the lights went out that monster the goblins the goblins of ghosts and all the others just came out give me a light in the room that I can see it so I don't have to be afraid all of us know this all of us know what it's like to be afraid the heart begins to race the breathing becomes labored the kind of a cold sweat comes over you the mouth goes dry almost a metallic taste in the back of your mouth the light-headedness the weakness that the knees that starts to knock the the sense of panic in the mind as you dart here and there to figure out how to take control what to do how to behave what to and God help us if we can sleep so many of us deal with this because at some point we face something bigger than us something stronger taking control from us so that we cannot manage our story and it frightens it scares it doesn't take much when I was advanced in education up to the elementary school I was told to beware of strangers that they would drive up that they would come and they would say your mama has said for you to come into the car she's wants me to take you home and we trust the stranger that was my fear growing up I'd be taken from my family no safety no security no home lost and trapped by something else just that same feeling as that as the Egyptians came rushing down upon Israel trapped by the sea trapped by the Egyptians and all the Bible says in Exodus 14 is they were scared they were they were trembling and then Moses stands up and says fear not and it's like so doesn't work it just doesn't it just so doesn't work stand firm fear not how many mothers have taken you up your daughter your son into your arms when the thunders roll and the child is scared and you say oh don't be afraid boom no no no no no heart is racing the mind oh I love this and I love it for men especially because we're in control of all things and then at 3 o'clock in the morning there you are out of control it can happen so easily money finances debt job insecurity unemployment what we call a health scare what happens when those trust in relationship betray us turn against us break with us slander us the feeling of open shame all of us know this and so we go about our life and we do our best to control the world that we're in and a crisis happens and we try to control the crisis when another crisis happens and we try to control this crisis and this crisis and then a third crisis and then this happens you know and all of a sudden you can feel it out of control afraid my dear friends there are people who live all their days like this born in homes with an alcoholic mother or father you cannot trust safety in the home child is not cared for a boss who just simply torments you tyrannizes there have always been the dominations those who have taken the vulnerable and and come down upon them scaring us all over the world today India Africa children are waking up without food some without parents some in times of war children just simply grown and born in a world of fear oh I've known that monster known what it's like to feel afraid nobody taught me these things nobody taught me and then actually my fears all came into being and I stood at 16 years old in front of my mother's casket my dad gone to Europe on business and living abroad my sister my brother grown and I was tossed into to boarding school by myself alone no security no happy no no place I could find that's trusted yeah we know these things I used to call and I still do he's just a monster scares us I saw it in my grandfather's eyes when my family moved away from home and my dad took another job I was all of five years old and my grandfather a mighty man strong man successful man the man that never cries the man in control but he was losing his family and he he embraced us as if he knew this would be the last time and my grandfather wept and I knew I had no hope you don't outgrow these things you don't come to a place for something you wake up and go ah it's all over I don't have to fear anymore I'm in control I'm a man now I'm a man of power now but you see that is what the world teaches it's exactly what the world teaches always always has it's always the same message if you're afraid what you need is courage and they're exactly right when you're afraid what we need is courage but the world's message isn't our message the world's message is that courage is found within it's found inside of you you can handle your fear you can take back control you can win victoriously oh no there is no battle too strong there is no enemy too big there is no mountain too tall that you cannot overcome all it takes is hard work fierce determination clear focus perseverance you make you that's what the world says don't believe me there's a book bestseller right now New York Times list by a TV anchor famous woman anchor woman and you read her book and she's done it she's accomplished all thing and she tells us I made myself I made myself all I need is determination strong hard work that book sells the book that I were kind of grew up on I might have told you was a an ancient philosopher I have always loved the ancient philosophy I was four o'clock and four years old I was nurtured nurtured on the great philosophies of the little engine that could the little engine that could this is the great message of the world hard work optimism doesn't matter the mountain in front of you I think I can I think I can I think I can and Goliath sits back and waits for his moment snickering to himself because all he has to do is stand and look at me and that's all it takes my message has always been the same message I've always had I can't it is that fear it is that that moment of being so paralyzed and so alone without home without security without anything that led me to Jesus Christ this is the great message of Christmas the Son of God has appeared to destroy the works of the devil he has come to herald the news strengthen the feeble hands and the weak knees say to the anxious heart take courage fear not that's Christmas oh that's the cross he came to deal with our fears by taking our fears our shame our sin the darkness the evil all of it he came the last Adam he says what he came to do because the very first Adam tells us the whole story does it not Adam hiding behind a tree in the Garden of Eden Adam what are you doing hiding behind a tree do you remember what Adam said there in the garden after he had sinned against God he had rebelled against his commands he stood behind that tree and what does he say he says I am afraid that's the world we were thrust into out of Eden and into a world of dark and sin a world of evil and death a world of torment with the new captain of our life the tormentor himself the devil himself who always keeps us in the bondage of the fear of death T Bruce 2 14 and 15 he's the one that renders us powerless to the power of death the fear of death leaving us subject to slavery all our lives here in the valley at the shadow of death and if it's not just outside us this is the worst part it's inside us it's inside us we were born for Eden born for home born for peace and security born with a breath of God the Spirit of God poured into us and when sin came into the world and death through sin out went the Spirit of God and in went the spirit of fear you'll find that in Romans 8 and 2nd Timothy 1 this definition of us the spirit of fear upon us the world's treatment is simply wrong there's nothing that we can do to defeat it but when Jesus Christ comes into your life it isn't just a message it is power why do I say that because his first word to us when you become a Christian is this peace be to you he breathed upon us the Holy Spirit of God says peace be to you why does he say peace he says peace because he knows our fears he knows our warfare he knows our struggles he knows us and now it's over he's done with it he's dealt with the monster straight on full force that's what he came to do and when he breathed the Spirit of God upon us freedom comes the breath of God back into us and I cannot tell you the liberation I felt old Goliath would get up from his seat snicker smelly old fat Goliath right into my face and I felt a strength I'd never known before and I thought oh thank you Lord I'm in my 20s all things are now possible not as the world said that all things are possible to us no no all things are possible through Christ who strengthens us and I rose up victorious I was the man of the hour I could do anything all things oh I was wonderful until the monster roared again I was on a plane ride from hell that little plane was was bopping and and all of a sudden it all happened again the heart beating the breath the cold sweat the fear that I looked over at the flight attendants I said we're gonna die she said we all do I found that quite encouraging the monster whispering in my ear I thought you were a Christian you're not a Christian if you're a Christian you have faith not fear so I went and attended the church and I got counsel from the Church of Job's friends because there's a section of the church today that teaches us that if you do have fear and are afraid you're not really a Christian or you're a weak Christian you've not stood on his promises you don't have the armor of God you don't have the Spirit of God look at you you've allowed fear to overwhelm faith this is your fault and I felt goosebumps all over now that I was dealing with fear now I could deal with guilt too it was my fault it's my fault this is happening it was completely condemning and I would walk out and I made the resolve from now on I'm going to be a Christian always with a mask of the victory of Christ all over me I'm not telling anybody I'm afraid no more because it's gonna make people think I'm not really a Christian I'm here to tell you this if you take nothing else from this message be a strong Christian be a mature Christian but I promise this it is all right to be afraid Christian absolutely there's nothing wrong with it why because the monster still is the monster still roars oh he knows his time is short he knows he doesn't have long but I'm telling you in my own world in my own life I still can't handle him there are these days that it just takes my breath away something happens an event happens and there I am at three o'clock in the morning my heart's racing I can't sleep my mind going I'm not in control the enemy is bigger than me this is why I run to the Bible this is why I run to the family of God the church because I can't do this on my own oh look at Joshua standing in front of the Giants the Lord having to tell him don't be afraid look at Paul telling young Timothy you've not received the spirit of fear but a spirit of power Timothy why this fear for me I ran to the River Jabbok and spent 18 months as I wrote this book simply because I wanted to go to Jacob I wanted to have Jacob teach me what it's like to be a man of God full of faith yet full of fear because that's his story what a wonderful man he is this is a man that when when you see him in Genesis 32 this man is facing his brother his twin brother and that's always the way the devil always knows how to get us from the things of the past but the last time he heard Esau's voice Esau said I'm going to kill you and now Esau is coming Esau's coming with an army of 400 and all Jacob has is 11 sons under the age of 14 and farmhands and he knows he cannot win the battle you'll find in Genesis 32 verses 9 to 11 the most extraordinary prayer a prayer of a man of God a prayer of a man of faith he knows the Lord he knows the God of Abraham and what the Lord did with Abraham he knows the faith of the God of Isaac his father he knows the God of Jacob and what he has done with Jacob all these years the Lord has been faithful the same Lord who appeared to him at the top of the ladder and gave him promises what a beautiful prayer but in the midst of the prayer he says these words I'm afraid of my brother Esau I love the story of Jacob because Jacob does so much what I do and by the way Eugene Peterson from 32 7 Genesis 32 7 he says this is Jacob's reaction Jacob was scared very scared panicked I kind of like that but what Jacob does is so traditional of me I pray I surrender I take back control I pray I surrender I take back control and that's what Jacob did after saying his prayers he still was trying to control the story send his brother gifts waves and waves of extravagant gifts just to see if he still in his strength could deal with his brother and the Lord answered his prayer the Lord answered his prayer uniquely in the dark of night God became man and wrestled all night long when you're scared and when you're afraid it is so hard to let go control and that's the story of the wrestling match even at one point in the night the great wrestler takes his finger and touches the socket of Jacob's thigh he breaks his hip don't you think when the Lord comes to to break us in some way to discipline us in some way we say okay give up no Jacob still fights on still Jacob says that roar of control inside of us I will not let you go until you bless me it makes no sense because he knows the one he's wrestling with is greater than he is he cannot yet see his face but he knows he's got power to bless him and yet he's still in control he will not surrender have you found this true in your life always in control always trying to manage surrender is so hard time does not allow me today to to walk through the story of how the Lord gave Jacob his name Israel time does not allow the infusion of faith and courage that the Lord would give Jacob there on that night of wrestling when Jacob would come to know he is no longer the one to control but to surrender all things to him who is the one who controls Elohim or the word L in the singular he's now going to be called Israel the one who rules is L he's not Israel Jacob he's not Israel he's not Israel you he's put a name inside of us that is Israel the L the Lord strengthens us the Lord is the one the one who makes all things we can do all things but only through the power the strength the wisdom the courage that comes from above I'm here to tell you so simply the world does not have the message if you believe for one moment that determination and control will take care of fear death that's the world message and that message sells it's selling everywhere it's always sold you can do it you can make something of yourself but it's not the message that saves the message that saves is that courage does not come from within courage comes from above there are times I don't have it and all I can do is turn to my brothers and my sisters and say I'm afraid I don't have control of this I need your help this is the whole pulse behind celebrate recovery hurts and habits and hang-ups for a for addictions it's always the same message I've come to the place I can't I'm powerless I'm dependent upon the Lord I am surrendered to his will but I'm afraid I'm afraid and I need help and that's when we roar that's when we come together because my friends if you're afraid listen to me don't go alone if you don't have faith today it's okay we've got the face for you all the can supply if you feel like you're not really a good Christian that's fine too everything is good come into the family of the Lord and we shall pray with you we shall wait with you and if you're stubborn as I know some of you are as I know that person in the mirror is sometimes it comes with the break in the hip sometimes it comes with pain I know weeping may last the night but there's a shout of joy that comes in the the Lord shall reign over you we will stand with you until the monster sits back down because he cannot have you soon enough no matter what you're facing no matter how big your Goliath no matter how strong he thinks he is no matter what he whispers into your ear no matter even if it's death itself coming to your door if you're scared it's okay we'll be with you we'll watch the Spirit of God come upon you and you will know what it's like to see fear gone courage come because the Lord wants that for us Oh be strong fear not for the Lord will save us he's the one that will rescue us we always do it together and what a beautiful picture it is I love this image here he comes Jacob here he comes the mighty man of faith here he comes he's been with Jesus he's been with the Lord hit broken and now he's gonna go he's tired he's fought all night he's now gonna go face his twin brother with a limp powerless helpless but it doesn't matter no matter what happens he has been with Jesus and if he saw ravages him and kills him yet shall he live again weeping lasts for the night but take heart take courage don't be afraid the Lord is with you he will not leave you he will not forsake his love will come upon you and perfect love will cast out fear and you will know the peace of the Lord that passes understand be anxious for nothing together with with the body of Christ we pray let the Lord take us hold us move his power come upon us and the peace of God drives the fear away glory to the Lord who has saved us thanks be to God for Christmas who came to deal with a monster himself and did so on Calvary's Hill he wants you to know freedom from fear today in Jesus name let's stand we believe in one God the Father the Almighty