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♪ In the triumph song ♪ ♪ Lo, he, Lord and Father ♪ ♪ Under Christ the King ♪ ♪ With truth and wisdom ♪

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♪ And heaven and earth sing ♪ ♪ Of Christ, rich and slow ♪ ♪ Marching as to war ♪ ♪ We're the cross of Jesus ♪

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♪ Glory, glory, glory ♪ ♪ On the Christian shoulder ♪ ♪ Marching out to the Lord ♪ ♪ We're the cross of Jesus ♪

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♪ Glory, glory, glory ♪ - Amen. And we went toward Rome. And from there

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when the brethren heard about us they came to meet us as far as the Epiphorum and Three Inns And when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. The subject of the message, thank God and take courage.

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A man was walking down the street. A truck came by and the driver stopped and said to him that it's raining and it is predicted that there will be a flood. You need to be sure that you are on high ground. He listened and continued walking. The rain continued, the water began to rise, till

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the water was up to his waistline and there came a man in a boat who offered to let him get in the boat with him and be free from the rising waters. He refused and continued walk on walking and finally the water came up to his neck and a helicopter passed over him and the man let down a rope but he

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refused and so he was drowned. He got up to the pearly gates and he said to St. Peter why is it that the Lord didn't come and rescue me? And St. Peter said to him the Lord and I were just talking about you say we sent a truck by there we sent a man in a canoe by there to help you and we sent a helicopter and we

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were just wondering what's wrong with you. There are those who expect the Lord to do everything for them while they do nothing for themselves. Others try to do everything and leave God out of their plans and actions. The first thinks of God as the sovereign with absolute power where servants are more like puppets,

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void of freedom to choose and do. Then there are those in the other group who expressions of glorified humanism. They really spell God with a small g and man with the capital M because they think that everything that gets done must get done without the help of the Lord. This word that describes Paul's arrival in

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Rome says that he thanked God and took courage. This word reflects a marvelous union of the divine and the human. It's not either/or, all God, no human participation, but a marvelous union of the human and the divine. The person who leaves everything to God and does absolutely nothing, submits to passivity and resignation.

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On the other hand, the person who trusts in mere human energy and intellect does not, and does not seek divine help is courting disaster and defeat. So this is a good word, thank God and take courage. It's applicable to our lives,

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whatever may be the condition or circumstance. Paul is a prisoner, arrested while worshiping God in the temple in Jerusalem. He's carried to Caesarea for a Roman trial

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before the governor. He's falsely accused. And he appeals to Caesar in Rome. After many days the ship is wrecked. He lands on an island cold and wet and while putting kindling on the fire Paul is

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bitten by a poisonous serpent hidden in the kindling. Later they get on another ship and arrive in Rome and when they get there Paul thanks God and takes courage. When we arrived in Israel the other day first thing that the tour guide said that greeted us we are glad you arrived safely and there was a

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ripple of laughter. With all that Paul had been through, it is said here that he thanked God and took courage. He thanked God for what was behind him. Those things were over. He thanked God for the distasteful and painful circumstances. All of these things are behind. And now he looks to that which is before. Paul is

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met by the brethren, his countrymen. He must explain to them why he is on trial. He must tell them why Israel has brought charges against him. He must confront some who will understand and others who will not understand his position are his predicament. Nevertheless, Paul thanks God. It's a wonderful thing for us today

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to thank God for Martin Luther King Jr. The work that he has done is a part of the heritage not only of our race but of this nation and the world. Thank God. Paul thanked God. He thanked God and took courage for now he must face a Roman tribunal, he must be judged by the Emperor, and he doesn't really know what

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the decision will be. The situation is fraught with danger and opportunity. Nevertheless, he thanks God and takes courage. He thanks God no matter what the situation may bring. He's grateful for the goodness and mercy of God which is always present. We need to thank God for life's journey. Sure we have our ups and

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downs, we have our struggle, and the struggle goes on and on and on. We have our calm days, we have our stormy weather, we have smooth sailing with gentle breezes, and we also have stormy weather with violent winds and raging waters. And And then there are times when we experience shipwreck,

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but through it all, to thank God and take courage. You see, that's the language that describes person of faith, to thank God for the pleasures of life as well as for the pain of life.

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For the blessings that we receive and for everything to thank God and take courage. Paul thanked God and accepted the challenge. And courage is the will to endure.

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It's the will to suffer and endure pain. Courage is a virtue. A person is courageous who remains at his post of duty. When the going gets rough,

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the courageous person thanks God and remains at his or her post of duty. Courage is armor a blind man wears, the callous scar of outlived despairs.

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Courage is fear that has said its prayers. He thanked God and took courage. Courage, you see, is the art of using weapons. Courage is facing danger in war,

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perils by sea, cavalry. You see, a good soldier must be courageous. And courage is shown in the fight against disease, courage is shown in the fight against poverty,

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courage is shown in the fight for justice. John F. Kennedy has given us a significant contribution on this discussion of courage in his book Profiles of Courage.

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Napoleon Bonaparte speaks of courage and he speaks of it in this manner. He says that that what is needed in the struggle is two o'clock in the morning courage. Two o'clock in the morning. Every one of us needs that kind of courage. Thank God and take courage. You see courage is a willingness to face the guns. For us in the struggle it has been

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symbolized and actualized in the life of Martin Luther King, courage to face police dogs, courage to go to jail, to face fire hoses, courage to face opposition, that was most bitter, courage. Mary Ambry is remembered as courageous but her courage was that of loud, boisterous, ill-tempered, scornful woman. When captains

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courageous whom death could not knock did march to the seas of the city of Gaunt, they mustered their soldiers by two and by three and the foremost in battle was Mary Ambry." There was that kind of courage. Boisterous, loud, ill-tempered, But this is not the kind of courage that Paul exemplifies here.

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Paul's courage is not of a loud braggart. It's courageous meekness. And you know, we don't think very much about putting the two together.

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Usually when we think about humility, we think of some person who's a miltose kind of individual, you know, weak and anything is all right. but to somehow put the two together, these two virtues, and to think of courageous meekness. That's the kind of life we honor in celebrating the

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birthday of Martin Luther King. Kind of courage that stands up to life. The kind of courage that faces whatever faces you. Whatever life may bring. You see Paul thanked God and took courage because he goes to meet brethren and that was some of the brethren who understood when he told him why he was there and there was

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some who didn't understand but he confronted the situation. Martin Luther King's life is one where he confronted, he engaged in confrontation whatever demands were made no matter what the threats were he faced it. I remember he came to our convention in Detroit during those years and we were out side the

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convention before he went in talking a group of us preachers and I was introduced to him and we chatted briefly the group did and then he went inside and he spoke and I said to Reverend Claude Black of San Antonio I said you know for him to be as outstanding as he is to be as open and available as he is

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I said he takes a great risk. It was only a year so after that that a lady came up to him and asked him are you Martin Luther King Jr. and he said yes and she stabbed him in the chest. Not only was he courageous but he was calm because had he been hysterical he possibly would not have lived over that experience and in

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describing it he says that the doctors said that if he had sneezed that the blood would have caused his death if he had just sneezed he would have been drowned so to speak in his own blood and one little girl wrote him and said thank you Dr. King that you didn't sneeze. That's courage. Even in facing death to

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be calm so calm because there is a certain peace of mind a certain peace with God. So courage you see is not only being rightly related to oneself, it's being rightly related to God. It's a blending of the divine and the human. So really what we are talking about, thank God and take courage, is do everything

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you can and leave the rest to God. Thank God and take courage. Life shrinks or expands in proportion to our courage. This recent movie, Color Purple, Seeley faces almost, well in human circumstances And she shows courage in the struggle.

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And the wonderful thing about it is that through all of that, she remains at her post of duty, so to speak. She suffers, she sacrifices. And in the midst of it, she manifests queenly grace.

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And that's the faith that makes for strength of character. Because you see, we can't make it by ourselves. We need help from above. Thank God, no matter what may be the situation, thank God and take courage.

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But you see, courage, courageous meekness is the kind of stuff that the martyrs are made of. is it that causes Socrates to drink the Himla? Because he would not surrender his convictions. He had the courage of his convictions and no matter

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what the cost, even though it means that he must drink this poison, he chooses to hold on to his convictions and be courageous to the end, even if it means giving up his life. Joan of Arc is burned at the stake because of the courage stand that she takes. So the heroes and herons of history are those who hold on

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to that which is eternal no matter what may be the cost. That's who they are. They are unseduced by the prize that the world holds high. They somehow struggle and in the midst of the struggle they are willing to resist and fight for the right and if need be die in order to do the will of God.

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So I say to those of us today who are permitted to continue in this struggle to thank God and take courage. Don't be afraid. Whatever life brings, thank God and take courage.

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Face the uncertainties, face the difficult and dangerous, but thank God. God that somehow you have the opportunity to participate with him in the struggle, to thank God that in the midst of it all that he provides the the kind of resources that we need, the spiritual resources. Well sure we have

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human strength and God has spiritual resources so with our human strength and his spiritual resources blended together we are prepared for the struggle. understood this. Martin Luther King understood it and every courageous servant of God understands that. So we need the armor for the struggle. You need the

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spiritual armor. Stand firm, have your loins girt about, put on the breastplate of righteousness, have your feet shod with the gospel of peace, and take the shield of faith and the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit and go with prayer and thank God. Ask the Savior to help you, comfort, strengthen

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and keep you. He is willing to aid you. He will carry you through. Thank God and and take courage. As we come now to the invitation, we invite you to come to give your life. [MUSIC]

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[MUSIC] ♪ Stand ♪ ♪ Lead me on ♪ ♪ Let me stand ♪

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♪ I am tired ♪ ♪ I am weak ♪ ♪ I am worn ♪ ♪ Through the storm ♪

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♪ Through the night ♪ ♪ Lead me on ♪ ♪ To the light ♪ ♪ Take my hand ♪

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♪ Precious Lord ♪ ♪ And lead me home ♪ ♪ When the darkness appears ♪ ♪ And goodnight draws near ♪

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♪ Calls me ♪ ♪ And the day ♪ ♪ Is past ♪ ♪ And gone ♪

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♪ At the river ♪ ♪ I stand ♪ ♪ Find my feet ♪ ♪ And hold my hand ♪

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♪ Take my hand ♪ ♪ Precious Lord ♪ ♪ And lead me home ♪ (slow jazz music)

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