Heroes #8: The World's Greatest Superhero: Jesus! Series

HEROES #8: THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPERHERO: JESUS!

INTRO TO SPEAKER: Discuss holidays, new dog & time visiting my mom in Saskatchewan. Discuss today’s Labour Day Classic – Saskatchewan Riders versus Winnipeg Bombers.

WHAT MAKES A HERO SUPER? How many of you watched the Olympics?

Michael Phelps Eight Gold Medals: American swimmer Michael Phelps swam to his record eighth gold medal of the Beijing Olympic Games. Phelps’s eighth win in as many events bumped fellow American Mark Spitz off the pedestal he had occupied since the 1972 Olympics.

Eric Lamaze Equestrian Victory: A former cocaine user twice booted from the Canadian Olympic team for failing drug tests, Eric Lamaze completed his long quest for redemption by winning gold in individual show jumping. Riding his superb horse Hickstead, he earned Canada’s third gold medal of the Beijing Games. Lamaze said, “When you give people chances and allow them to come back from their mistakes, great things happen and I’m a perfect example that you shouldn’t give up on people.” SOURCE: http://www.cbc.ca/olympics

HERO DEFINED: A person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for their brave deeds and noble qualities; a person who has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal.

KEY TEXT:

“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38).

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.” (1 Peter 2:21).

• The Bible definition of a hero is someone who does good and loves people.

• Peter’s teaching reminds us of the contemporary saying, “What Would Jesus Do?”

THE BIG IDEA: Jesus is the world’s greatest superhero, and God wants us to be heroes, too – to follow in Jesus’ steps and go about doing good and loving people.

BIBLE EXAMPLE OF JESUS THE HERO:

“Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:35-38).

• Note the example of Jesus the superhero here – doing good, and healing people’s lives.

• Then look at the very next verse:

“The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives.” (Matthew 10:1, The Message).

• God wants us to be heroes, too – to follow in Jesus’ steps and go about doing good and loving people.

A STORY FROM THE LIFE OF JESUS: BACKGROUND:

“1 Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick. 3 Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, "Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick." 4 When Jesus heard that, He said, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it." 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was. 7 Then after this He said to the disciples, "Let us go to Judea again.” (John 11:1-7).

A STORY FROM THE LIFE OF JESUS: DRAMATIZED & PARAPHRASED

• THE CAST: Jesus, three disciples – Jimmy, Johnny & Tommy; Mary, Martha, Lazarus

• Have Jesus stand by the three disciples, with Mary, Martha and Lazarus on the other side of the stage.

“11 And after that Jesus said to his disciples, "Our friend Lazarus sleeps, but I go that I may wake him up." 12 Then His disciples said the first of the many dumb things they would say in this story, "Lord, if he sleeps he will get well." 13 However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep. 14 Then Jesus said to them plainly, "Lazarus is dead.

• Have Lazarus fall down dead, then go behind a divider to get toilet paper wrappings on.

15 And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him." 16 Then Thomas (or Tommy), said to his fellow disciples another really dumb thing, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him."