Courage on SermonAudio

In this sermon on Psalm 46, Pastor Brandon Charbonneau walks through one of the great songs of the sons of Korah — written in the shadow of Sennacherib's siege of Jerusalem. When the Assyrian armies had Jerusalem "like a bird in a cage," God broke the siege in a single night. The psalm that came out of that deliverance is not a warrior's chant. It is the high, exposed cry of a people who had nothing left but the Lord. As winter settles over the Keweenaw and seasonal darkness presses in, this sermon speaks directly to anxiety, discouragement, and the temptation to run to every refuge except God. Drawing on the structure of the psalm (refuge → river → God in the midst → cease striving), Pastor Brandon shows how the Lord of hosts is not a distant idea but a very present help. He calls the church to dwell with God — training the mind on truth, taking courage in the heart because God has never failed, and putting it into practice by running to the Word and prayer first. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble… The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold." If you are weary, anxious, or simply need to be reminded that God is in the midst of His people and will not be moved, this sermon is for you. Subscribe for more expository preaching from Christ the King Church in the Upper Peninsula.

Courage comes from contentment in Christ's Constant Presence. Keep Courageous by Christian Contentment.

This sermon examines the religious trial of Jesus in Matthew 26, contrasting the 'faithful and true witness' of Christ with the false, twisted, self-righteous, and compliant witnesses present in the Sanhedrin. The exposition highlights the corruption of the judicial process, noting how legal requirements were violated to condemn an innocent man, while Jesus maintained a silence of confidence and purpose. By analyzing the actions of Caiaphas and the crowd, the message underscores the cost of genuine discipleship, urging believers to reject safe observation and instead embrace a courageous testimony for Christ, even in the face of suffering or death. The tone is both convicting and encouraging, calling the audience to identify with the faithful witness rather than the condemning crowd, grounded in the promise of eternal reward for those who maintain their witness.

God gives a definite promise to His children of what we must have if we are to remain steadfast in His ways and not fall. It requires great diligence and decided effort, but He has promised through His power to accomplish it.

How to be courageous when time runs out.

This sermon examines the martyrdom of John the Baptist to illustrate the high cost of faithfully proclaiming the message of repentance and the severe consequences of ignoring it. The central argument contrasts John's moral courage and integrity with King Herod's pride and unrepentant sin, demonstrating that a convicted conscience is insufficient without genuine turning to God. The exposition highlights how Herod's hesitation and eventual failure to repent hardened his heart, leading to the unjust execution of a righteous man. Furthermore, the passage is presented as a foreshadowing of the crucifixion, where Jesus, unlike John, is the message itself and conquers death through resurrection. The sermon concludes with a pastoral exhortation for believers to count the cost of discipleship and to repent immediately rather than delaying their response to the gospel.