“Do You Wanna Be a Hero?”
September 11, 2011
1 Chronicles 11:11-14; 22-23
“this is the list of David’s mighty warriors:
Jashobeam, a Hakmonite, was chief of the officers; he raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite, one of the three mighty warriors. He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At a place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines. But they took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory.”
“Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. And he struck down an Egyptian who was five cubits tall (7”6”). Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s rod in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.”
This morning America is having a memorial of sorts. It has been ten years since the twin towers went down when two planes flew into them. Where were you on 9-11-01? The event was so significant that many people remember exactly what they were doing on that terrible day. I remember watching those planes fly into the buildings again and again. I remember watching the news coverage of the first plane and then as we are watching that – another plane comes zooming in and we watch it live as it crashes into the other building. As we are trying to process it all – suddenly the first building begins to collapse!
What a tragic day! It has forever changed our culture. But a certain pride of being an American came out of that terrible event. There were many heroes that day. Firefighters, cops, average citizens compelled to do heroic things. Often crisis brings out the best in people. Undoubtedly there were those who failed the test and lost their moment for heroic action – perhaps cowering in fear – but isn’t that normal? Don’t we call those ‘hero’ who overcome their fear and feelings to act in extraordinary ways?
So what exactly is a hero? Is it killing a giant with a club or slaying a lion in a pit or standing tall and fighting off the enemy? What makes a hero?
Wikipedia says, “a hero came to refer to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.”
I have known a few hero’s in my day – some in my own family. My Dad, in World War II, killed a Japanese soldier with his knife when he jumped into his foxhole when their positions were over run. My son carried a wounded buddy on his shoulders in a hot LV with lead spraying all around, his friends blood running down his back. Some of my brothers did some pretty heroic things as well.
I don’t want to take anything away from our great American heroes. They deserve all the praise and glory they get – and so often heroes remain anonymous. They do some great heroic deed – and fade into time never having anyone know what they did. I’m sure such is the case on 911. We see and hear about a few heroes – but I’m sure there were many more than only God knows about. They won’t receive honor and glory until Judgment Day. But this morning I want to talk about a different kind of hero. God’s ways are not our ways. He looks at things a little differently. There were some incidents in Jesus’ life that impressed Jesus. He let it be known that these people were the real heroes. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
“When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith… “
“Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.” Matthew 8:5-13
WOW! What an honor from Jesus! Jesus said that this soldier had greater faith than anyone in Israel! Jesus HONORED this man! Jesus PRAISED this man! Why? This man was extraordinary is God’s sight. Why? What made this centurion so special? It was because he had an extraordinary faith in Jesus.
Make a note of this. Great faith moves the heart and hand of God. You can be smart; you can be talented; you can be fearless; you can be bigger, better, and braver than anyone else – but if you don’t have faith – it doesn’t count for very much. The Word of God says,
“without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6
Faith is an essential quality in God’s hero. But what does that mean? Simply put – God reveals His will to you, you believe; you trust; and you act. When you put those things all together – you have faith. Somehow it was revealed to this Roman soldier that Jesus could heal. He believed that revelation. He so trusted Jesus; so believed in Him – he said it wasn’t necessary for Jesus to come to his house – just say the word and he believed it would be done. The action was ‘no action’. Seeing wasn’t necessary for believing.
What does that say to us? It says that God’s heroes are men and women of faith. Grow in faith. How do you do that? By exercising it. Believe God’s promises. Trust God. Act on His Word. You can be a hero, too.
Here’s another one of Jesus’ heroes.
“Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”
Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”
The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.
He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”
“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.” Matthew 15:21-28
Can you put yourself in this woman’s place? Her daughter was suffering. Imagine your daughter suffering. How terrible. What was even worse was it was a demon that was causing the suffering. Can you imagine how you would feel if a loved one was possessed by a demon and you could only watch her being tormented? I would do anything I could to help. This woman went to Jesus and begged Him to help her. Can you see her weeping and begging Jesus? And what was the Master’s response? He ignored her – at least that is what it must have seemed like to her. He didn’t say a word. I think He wanted to teach his disciples something here. When they coldly told Him to send her away – she was a bother and an interruption – Jesus called her a ‘dog’ is so many words.
Her response moved the hand of God. She even disagreed with Jesus! She said, “Even the dogs eat a few crumbs that fall on the ground.” What powerful faith! She believed in Jesus. She put all her trust in Him. And she acted by coming to Him. And she was not disappointed.
Perhaps there is a lesson for us here. Maybe persistence is a quality that God values. When the doors of heaven seem closed and God seems to be ignoring our feeble prayers – maybe – just maybe God is teaching us persistence and faith. Jesus said,
“And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Matt 7:5-10
Persistence in prayer. Someone said,
“"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
I think another word for persistence for the Christian is “FAITHFULNESS”. Jesus taught us that the ‘first’ will be ‘last’ and the ‘last’ will be ‘first’ when the battle is over. I’m thinking that God places more value on that Christian who FAITHFULLY walks day by day with the Lord – than those spectacular miracles we love so much. I think the nameless insignificant Christian who nobody looks at twice – but who continues to faithfully do what God has called him to do, will receive the greater honor come Judgment Day. The one who values God’s opinion more than the world’s opinion will – in the end, shine more brightly.
God’s Heroes always have faith – and they are always faithful. They never quit; they never give up; they never quit knocking, asking or seeking. Be persistent.
One of my favorite of God’s heroes is this woman.
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Mark 12:41-44
Isn’t this a wonderful story? There are so many things to learn from this event – but what I want to focus on is how Jesus made this woman to be a hero. He gave her praise and honor and glory. And how did this woman respond to it? Well – she never heard it. She never knew almighty God incarnate said these things about her – at least until she got to Glory. I can’t help wondering how God came to her rescue – you KNOW He did! You know He values that kind of trust. He values that kind of faith. That kind of faith moves the hand of God.
Here’s a little lesson for us. Do we trust God with our money? We say we love God with ALL our heart and soul and strength. We say and think He has ALL of us. But then why is it so hard for us to give just a tenth of our income to Him? Are we not saying, “I don’t trust you, God, to keep your promises?” When we pay the bills instead of tithing – are we not acting out our lack of faith? This woman so trusted God, in this day of no welfare, no social security, no workman’s comp, no unemployment – she gave every penny she had! She was trusting God to the extent that if He did not come to her rescue – she would die. She would starve. That’s faith! May our faith cause us to be generous with our money. May we trust God so completely with our finances – that if He asks – we would give it all. Because when we give it ALL – we still have HIM! And HE is all we need.
One last hero of Jesus’.
“Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.
But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” John 12:1-8
Picture this scene with me. Jesus was in the home of Lazarus. Jesus had raised him from the dead a few days or a few weeks before this. His sisters, Mary and Martha were there. Can you imagine the joy; the love; the gratefulness in this home? In a seemly spontaneous express of love, Mary gets a jar of perfume worth about $45,000 dollars in our money, according to the average yearly wage in America, and pours it on Jesus’ feet. Neither Martha nor Lazarus objects to this lavish expression of love – only Judas. Jesus’ response to Judas is “leave her alone”. And maybe with a little bit of a damper on the mood – the house is filled, still, with love and joy and laughter. Sweet perfume spreads it’s fragrance through out the home and onto every person in the house and even into the street. And, perhaps for days, when some asked, “What is that beautiful smell?” The story would be retold of this great act of love and how Jesus was gently engrossed in passionate communion in this home.
What this says to me is that God values great expressions of love. He values our worship. Our acts of self-sacrifice means something to Him. And if we want to be one of Jesus’ Mighty Men – if we want to be Jesus’ hero – we will need to love Him more passionately. David’s men risked their lives for Him – because of their love and loyalty for Him. Can we do anything less for Jesus?
A hero for Jesus has great faith; a hero for Jesus is faithful; a hero for Jesus is generous; a hero for Jesus is passionately in love with Him. May God grant that we be great heroes for Him.
“Think About His Love”
