In Search Of Ordinary Heroes

Tuesday Evening Revival Service April 11, 2000 Bel Aire Baptist Church Hobbs, NM

IN SEARCH OF ORDINARY HEROES

1 CHRONICLES 11:10

Introduction:

1. There will come a day when faith becomes sight, and then- only then- will our

seeking of the Lord be finished at last.

a. We will find ourselves in Heaven, standing face-to-face with the One we

have trusted and followed for so long.

b. Jesus will be what makes it truly Heaven- not streets of gold or walls of

jasper, but God alone in all His splendor.

c. We will know Him as He as known us from the beginning.

2. In addition, what a delight it will be to meet those heroes of the faith, who fill the

pages of the Bible.

a. I can’t wait to greet Paul the apostle, Moses, Abraham, Deborah, Joshua,

Ruth, David, Helez, Sibbecai, Ahiam, Hezro, Zabad... Who?

b. Did I wander off track a bit?

c. You say you don’t recognize those last few names?

3. They are all carefully listed in 1 Chronicles 11, an amazing group of warriors

known as David’s "mighty men".

a. The Holy Spirit thought they were impressive enough to have every last

one written down, because "they, together with all Israel, gave [David’s]

kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the LORD had

promised"(vs.10).

b. These individuals are role models for us today- even if we cannot

pronounce their names.

4. These are people who applied their strength and courageous action toward what

God had promised.

a. It was not enough for them that the prophet Samuel had anointed David

king-in-waiting back when he was a teenager.

b. Much more recently the elders of Israel had gathered in Hebron to declare

David the new monarch.

c. But out in the villages, and especially on the borders of the land, not

everyone was convinced.

d. The picture was still unclear.

e. The rule of God’s king was yet to be established.

f. Foreign enemies were still living inside the land promised to God’s people.

5. These heroes did not just sit back, as many do today, saying, "Well, God

promised, and I’m sure He will fulfill His word."

a. They stepped up and took action to make the promise become reality.

b. They understood that God’s work in the world is usually a joint project; He

works with us as we yield ourselves to work with Him.

6. So these men risked their lives.

a. They left their families and headed for dangerous territory.

b. The Bible uses a special word three times to describe what they did:

"exploits".

7. Similarly, the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be planted today in hostile cities and

territories and nations only by mighty men and women who dare to take risks.

a. Apathetic churches across the land will be revived only by people of deep

spirituality who refuse to accept the status quo.

b. Wayward children and broken marriages will be touched by the hand of

God only as someone stands in the gap and fights valiantly in the power of

the Spirit.

c. You and I have had the opportunity to knows some mighty warriors of the

faith.

8. Their determination is like the kind we see in 1 Chronicles 12:18, where it says,

"The Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: ’We are yours, O

David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Success, success [or "peace and

prosperity"] to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help

you."

a. Once again, the merging of divine and human effort is clearly shown.

b. Oddly, two people on David’s list weren’t even Jewish.

c. They would never have been allowed to worship at the holy tabernacle.

d. Zelek the Ammonite and Ithmah the Moabite were definitely from the

"wrong" nationalities.

e. Their countrymen harassed the Israelites continually and tempted them

toward idolatry.

f. Yet Zelek and Ithmah ended up being honored because they fought and

risked their lives for God’s king.

9. All these were common people who did uncommon things for God.

a. In that sense, they remind us of those "unschooled, ordinary" people of

Acts 4:13.

b. David’s thirty mighty warriors were not royalty.

c. They were not graduates of a military academy.

d. They were just regular people from small places who set their hearts to do

exploits for God’s anointed one.

10. What we desperately need in our own time are not Christians full of posturing.

a. We need men and women who will step out to turn back today’s slide

toward godlessness, prayerless churches, family breakup, and a

"hap-hazard" heart for evangelism.

I. The Telling Moment

A. The first person on David’s list, Jashobeam, "raised his spear against three