Supermodels Series

OPEN: On the screen you’ll see the pictures of various famous attractive women (Twiggy, Christie Brinkley, Cheryl Tiegs, Lauren Hutton, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum). They’re models. But they’re more than models… they are “SUPERMODELS”.

Over the years, supermodels such as these have become very wealthy women, because of their national and international fame. But what makes a supermodel a supermodel?

ILLUS: According to one source: “The term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often has a background in high fashion and commercial modeling. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and famous clothing brands. They have multi-million dollar contracts, endorsements and campaigns. They have branded themselves as household names and have worldwide recognition is associated with their modeling careers. And they have been on the covers of various magazines. (taken with some modifications from from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermodel)

These women are so famous that anytime you’ve walked into a supermarket, you’ve undoubtedly seen their faces.

So let’s sum that up:

A Supermodel is an attractive woman who wears clothing well.

And this woman is well known enough in the fashion world that her face is on the covers of numerous magazines.

ILLUS: The term supermodel (as we know it today) seems to have been coined by a Model named Janice Dickinson during an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

Dickinson stated that her agent asked her, "Janice, who do you think you are, Superman?"

She replied, "No... I'm a supermodel, honey, and you will refer to me as a supermodel and you will start a supermodel division."

Now notice what Dickinson was saying:

She was saying “I’m the modeling equivalent of Superman.”

She was comparing herself - and many in the modeling trade - to a comic book superhero!

Now if you’re going to be a superhero of the modeling world, it’s worth asking “What do you do that qualifies you? What makes you so “super?”

So, let’s go back to our original definition of what a supermodel is:

She’s an attractive woman who wears her clothing well, and appears on the covers of numerous magazines.

And that’s pretty much it.

She doesn’t have to be able to sing, or act.

She doesn’t have to be strong, or smart, or virtuous or even likable.

She just has to look good, dress good, and walk good.

But those are the “super” models of the fashion world.

Now contrast those supermodels to the ones God shows you in Hebrews 11.

God tells us in that chapter about

Abel, Enoch, Noah,

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

Joseph, Moses and Rahab

These folks aren’t just pretty faces… they’re heroes.

They’re not known for the clothes they wear… known for the things they’ve done.

The writer of Hebrews sums up how the heroes of Scripture lived their lives:

“I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.” Hebrews 11:32-34

This is a whole list of heroes.

And they’re not just heroes… these are superheroes.

They are literally the super models of what our faith is all about.

They model for us how faith is lived out in the lives of real people.

A model is someone that is the standard of the best that can be found.

They are heighth of what we should strive to be in our lives.

ILLUS: For example: This weekend is Memorial Day weekend.

Memorial Day is a day to remember the price others have paid for our freedom. And those who have died in the service of our country are held up as being models in our nation of what American citizenship is all about.

These were people who were willing to sacrifice for a higher ideal.

And that’s what God has done in Hebrews 11. He has set before us heroes – examples/models of what Christian citizens should be like. In Hebrews 11:39 “These (the heroes of chapter 11) were all commended for their faith…”

These were people who were willing to sacrifice for a higher ideal.

· Noah built an ark in spite of the criticisms of his neighbors

· Abraham obeyed God and took his family where he was told even though he didn’t know where he was going.

· Moses gave up his inheritance as a prince of Egypt to lead God’s people out of slavery

These were people willing to face uncertainty, ridicule, punishment… and sometimes even death to be the super-models God wanted to use to shape our lives.

The Bible could have told us thousands of stories of these people’s lives. But instead, God chose specific stories that illustrated the struggles and successes of their faith in Him. Oftentimes these Old Testament heroes only did one thing in their lifetime that merited mention in Scripture… but that one things was a decision on their part that was meant to serve as a challenge to us who serve Him today.