Heroes Of The Bible: Jesus Christ Series

NOTE: This sermon was adapted from my book, Holy Heroes of the Bible. If it's a blessing to you, please consider buying the book which includes chapters/sermons on 17 additional Bible heroes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SBNJTSZ

Heroes of the Bible: Jesus

Scott Bayles, pastor

Blooming Grove Christian Church: 9/12/2021

The world needs heroes—champions of truth and justice who fight for what’s right and save the day. I think there is an inner yearning for heroes woven into the fabric of the human heart, which is why superhero movies and TV shows have reached unparalleled levels of popularity. The only drawback is, of course—superheroes aren’t’ real. As real people with real hardships, we need real heroes to inspire us, encourage us, and to model true heroism from a biblical perspective.

Lucky for us, the Bible is full of heroes.

For the last nine weeks, we’ve been inspired by the stories of some of the Bible’s greatest heroes: Noah—the hero who built an ark, Abraham—the hero whose faith founded a nation, Jacob—the hero who wrestled with God, Moses—the hero who led a nation out of slavery, Samson—the anti-hero with super-strength, Ruth—the heroine who left everything to follow God, David—the hero who slew a giant and became king, Elijah—the prophet-hero who performed mighty miracles, and finally Esther—the burdened, beautiful, and brave heroine who saved her people from extermination.

Through obedience and faith in their all-powerful Creator, these heroes of the Bible performed jaw-dropping miracles, ruled kingdoms, and rescued entire nations from certain destruction. They defeated giants, toppled pagan temples, and stood up for what was right even in the face of death. These were some pretty super heroes! As we bring this series to a close, we’re going to shine the spotlight on the greatest hero of all—Jesus!

• Next Slide: Jesus

At the beginning of this series, I referenced an interview with Ben Affleck, the actor who played both Marvel’s Daredevil and DC’s Batman. In an interview with USA Today, Ben Affleck made a compelling observation about the popularity of superhero movies. He said, “Part of the appeal of this genre is wish fulfillment: Wouldn’t it be nice if there was somebody who can save us from all this, save us from ourselves, save us from the consequences of our actions and save us from people who are evil?” I don’t know if Ben realized it, but such a hero does exist! And that’s not just wishful thinking.

God knew that our world was imperiled by wickedness and wrongdoing and destined for destruction. So, at just the right time, “God sent his Son into the world… to save the world through him” (John 3:17 NLT). As the Son of God, Jesus came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. He turned water into wine, healed all sorts of diseases and disabilities, commanded the wind and the waves, fed thousands by miraculously multiplying loaves and fish, cast out demons, occasionally teleported from place to place, and even defied gravity by walking on water. But Jesus’s heroism goes far beyond his mighty miracles.

While we couldn’t possibly summarize the entire story of Jesus in a single sermon, I’d like to spotlight three ways in which Jesus is the world’s greatest hero. First, Jesus is a righteous hero.

• A RIGHTEOUS HERO

All the other heroes of the Bible had flaws of Biblical proportions. Following the flood, Noah drank until he passed out. Abraham lied about his marriage and slept with the maid. Jacob started off as a con-man. Moses was a murderer. Samson slept with prostitutes. David committed adultery. Esther hid her faith from her husband. The list goes on and on. Even these great heroes of God were sinners just like you and me. Despite their heroic accomplishments, they still fell short. In fact, the Bible assures us, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV). When we’re honest with ourselves, we know this to be true. If you have any doubts, just compare your life to these three little laws from the Ten Commandments, God’s most basic rules of right and wrong:

1. “Thou shalt not steal.” Have you taken something that didn’t belong to you? A pen? A paper clip? A peanut? That makes you a thief.

2. “Thou shalt not lie.” Anyone who says they haven’t just did.

3. “Honor thy father and mother.” There’s not a teenager alive that never dishonored or disrespected their father or mother.

If you’re like me, you didn’t score so well. And that’s just three out of ten. We could keep going, but we’ve already fallen short. The Apostle Paul was right when he wrote, “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10 NIV).

This places all of humanity in mortal danger because, as the Bible says, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” (Romans 5:12 NLT). Just as God told Adam and Eve in Garden, the price and penalty for sin is death. Since all of us sin, we are all doomed to die.