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."
17 So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days.
• v.18-24 = Martha comes out to see Jesus.
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" 27 She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world."
• v.28-33 = a similar encounter with Mary and Jesus
34 And He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord, come and see."
• And then, we have the most famous, shortest verse in the Bible: 35 Jesus wept.
• This tells us that Jesus cares about our sufferings, and knows what we’re going through!
36 Then the Jews said, "See how He loved him!"
• Remember – a hero is someone who does good and loves people!
37 And some of them said, "Could not this Man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?" 38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days."
• I like the KJV translation of this verse: “Lord, by this time he stinketh!”
40 Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" 41 Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, "Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42 And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me." 43 Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come forth!" 44 And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:11-44).
REVIEW 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.
THE EZEKIEL PROPHECY:
“1 The hand of the Lord came upon me and brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley; and it was full of bones. 2 Then He caused me to pass by them all around, and behold, there were very many in the open valley; and indeed they were very dry. 3 And He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" So I answered, "O Lord God, You know." (then he prophesied to the bones and they came together)
9 Also He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, ’Thus says the Lord God: "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceedingly great army.” (Ezekiel 37:1-10).
• God wants us to be heroes who speak life to this dead generation of dry bones!
CLOSING TEXT:
“13 Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. 14 "Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. 15 If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. 16 Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand - shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16, The Message Bible).
CHALLENGE: Let’s be heroes to bring glory to God by doing good and loving people!
Beausejour Community Church Website: www.beausejourchurch.ca
Pastor Chris Jordan’s Blog: http://thelandofpromise.blogspot.com/
