Heroes - Memorial Day

Heroes

Ephesians 3:20-21

http://gbcdecatur.org/sermons/Heroes.html

What is a Hero? Say amen when you see a picture of a hero, and ‘boo’ when you don’t. [one-by-one slides of Britney Spears, 9/11 firefighters, American Idol judges, our military, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, President Bush, Jerry Falwell, Barry Bonds, Spiderman, and Wesley Autry who is the recent NYC Subway hero.]

Mr. Autry was honored by the President during his state of the union speech recently, and was an honorary contestant on “Deal or No Deal” last Monday, turning down over $300k to go home with $25 [and a new Jeep!] Right after that was the season finale of NBC’s “Heroes”, one of their only successful dramas this year, which is spinning off “Heroes: Origins.” NBC also announced their plans to bring back the bionic woman! But are these real heroes? What is a true hero in God’s eyes?

Read Hebrews chapter 11 on your own for starters…it’s the “Hall of Faith”--what a great cloud of heroic witnesses have gone before us! And truly, anyone who gives their life to God is a hero. The same thing goes for serving your country. Many have died that we might live. May we never forget!

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. It is a time in which we honor many of our nation’s heroes.

Everyone here can be a hero…one of God’s heroes. This morning I would like to share with you what it takes to be a true hero, a Christian hero. You see, a Christian hero is not some superman, endowed with a myriad of abilities and talents.

I. Belief in God’s Word

A. Today, many looked up to sport stars and athletes, movie stars and musicians as heroes. They are seen, as heroes because in many ways they do things that most of us can’t. But God’s heroes, the heroes of the Bible, were not men and women of extraordinary ability or talent but men and women of extraordinary faith. God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called!

B. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence."

C. The heroes of the Bible all took God at His Word. Look at what it says about Abraham in Romans 4:18-20 "Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;

D. Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

E. Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God."

F. Certainly God can use a person of great intellect, but only as long as his faith is even greater.

Most would say, of course I believe in God’s Word…but how about those commands you aren’t obeying, how about that passage you have rationalized away to not conflict with your lifestyle, and how has your daily Bible reading habit been going? Broke the habit? So, are you really a person of the Word? Are you truly one of God’s heroes? You should be…you can be…now will you be?

II. Commitment to God’s Will

A. Hebrews 11:13-14 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

B. Someone said, "A hero is someone who is sincere and does his duty. He is a man who really stands up and is counted."

C. Joshua 24:15 "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."