An Unexpected Hero
Slide
Watch movie trailer…U-tube World Trade Towers (Nicholas Cage 2min…)
Ten years ago today I think we would all agree that the events that happened on Sept. 11 marked us as a nation and individuals for a lifetime.
Every American alive that day will forever remember the sadness, suspense and fear that reigned after the attack on America.
Each of us will also remember the sense of unity and solidarity we felt as a nation.
But none of us will ever forget the lessons we saw so vividly played out on our television screens that day and in the days to follow.
The lessons we remember are…
*That life changing events can bring out the best in people.
*That when America is put in a crises situation…many people step up to the challenge.
*And we also learned that heroism is a gift that each person holds deep in their hearts.
Heroism is a decision that is made by ordinary people when they find themselves placed in unexpected situations.
One of the unexpected heroes of 911 was a 32 year old salesman named Todd Beamer, the determined Christian on flight 93.
Todd was the man who called up the GTE operator to find out what was happening.
After realizing the importance of the situation… he prayed the Lord’s Prayer with the operator over the phone, then he said three more words, “Jesus, help me,”
Then he and dozens of other heroes went to their deaths while stopping terrorists from harming our nation’s capital by downing their plane in a Pennsylvania cornfield.
Todd Beamer left behind two children, a pregnant wife, and a nation full of grateful admirers.
Miles away in New York City scores of fire and policemen were becoming voluntary heroes in an effort to save people inside the World Trade Center buildings.
Among thousands of others…Twelve firemen from the Park Slope fire station in Brooklyn were lost that day.
One of them was named David Fontana, a 10 year veteran of the department. His 8th wedding anniversary fell on Sept. 11.
Dave had worked all night at the station and just phoned his wife to let her know he’d be home in a few minutes when the five alarm fire call came in.
After the twin towers came down that morning…A colleague of his, Sean Cummins, dug at the Ground Zero site for three straight weeks, “hoping to find Dave’s body, his helmet or scrap of his uniform…Anything so Marian Fontana (his wife) would have something to remember her husband by.”
I think most of us would agree that Dave Fontana is a hero, and that Sean Cummins the colleague is a hero in his own right as well.
Since 9-11… I have found myself wondering from time to time, “What is it that makes someone become a hero?”
And, “If I was put a similar situation, how would I respond?”
As I thought about this it occurred to me that we all are sitting on top of a treasure chest of heroic stories available to us every time we open up God’s word.
Maybe one of the most interesting discoveries I made early in my relationship with Christ was that not one of the people I read about in the Bible ever really expected to become a hero.
None of them woke up one day and said, “I think I’ll do something amazing today so I can become a hero...”
They were just ordinary people facing the circumstances life dealt to them.
Due to this…I have come to the conclusion that it is God that qualifies a person to become a hero.
The only difference between a hero and a common person is the choice they make with the circumstances that are placed in front of them.
Open your Bibles with me today to Isaiah Chapter 6 and well learn a little about an unexpected hero…
Prayer
Read Isaiah 6:1-13
Isaiah was a young man who grew up in downtown Jerusalem.
From the time of his birth to his teenage years there had only been one ruler in his country… one king… who was known throughout the land as a good ruler.
This king that Isaiah grew up under was named, “Uzziah,” and history records that he reigned in Israel for 51 years.
By the time Isaiah became a teenager, Uzziah realized that his life would soon be coming to an end.
As with any change of leadership…the talk had begun circulating around the land that Uzziah might not be around too much longer.
So rumors quickly began to spread about Uzziah’s failing health, and …the people started to become nervous.
So the peoples worry wheel begins to spin…what were they going to do when Uzziah died and a younger…less experienced king named Isaiah was placed on the throne?
In ancient times, whenever a king died… one of the main topics everyone talked about inside and outside the kingdom was the concern of war.(lack of experience…or over aggressive)
So…That’s the situation young Isaiah finds himself in here in chapter 6.
Isaiah falls directly into the hot-seat…
With the pressure of being the new King and the rumors of war…what do we find this young leader doing during this time…
Well I read that Isaiah did what millions of Americans did for weeks following 9-11.
He sought out direction from the only one with the correct answers…God.
Remember what happened all over our country following the 9/11 attacks? *The churches filled up. *World news was speaking about the importance of God. *God’s name was being respected by the world again. *This country again united as a nation.
All kinds of people showed up in church… who weren’t used to admitting they needed God’s help and guidance.
Well, Isaiah wasn’t above admitting his need for Godly direction either, so he headed over to the church.
Isaiah enters into the temple… very sad and very concerned about the state of his nation.
This is when Isaiah was visited by God in a vision…today we see four stages that Isaiah experienced with God in the temple that night.
SLIDE #2
In the first stage Isaiah experienced: Sight
He saw the Lord (6:1-4)
You see for young Isaiah, the outlook was bleak. Much like many Christian leaders today…Isaiah was given a very difficult mission.
Seraphim directly came to him and explained that he was to be the spokesman who must share with the very people who believed they were to be blessed by God…that very soon they were to be destroyed because of their lack of obedience towards God.
Adding to this shocking news from the seraphim…Isaiah’s beloved mentor…his King had just died…his nation was left in confusion and ciaos…and as a man Isaiah understood directly he could do very little about it.
But we also need to realize that even though this young Kings outlook was bleak…the future wasn’t in his Hands... It was in Gods hands.
This is just like America today…When a Nation and its leaders become proud… and its people become lovers of their pleasures rather than lovers of God.
It becomes like a tree whose branches wither and whose core becomes riddled with insect caused decay.
Finally the boughs break…the kingdom will fall…and down-will come the nation…its leaders and all.
SLIDE #3
The second stage that Isaiah experienced was: Insight…
He saw his own sin (vs.5-7)
The sight of a holy God brought great conviction to Isaiah’s heart…resulting in him confessing that he was a sinner.
Isaiah cried out to God to be cleansed inwardly…and God meet his need.
Re-Read Verses 6-7…(Iniquity/sin has been forgiven)
Before we can minister to others…we must permit God to minister to us.(we must be personally cleansed)
Before we can begin to judge others…we too must ask God to judge us and cleanse us from our sin.
Isaiah’s conviction lead to confession…and confession always leads to cleansing.
Just like Isaiah…many of the great heroes of the faith found themselves first as sinner’s humbling themselves before God.
Men like Abraham, Jacob, Job, David, Paul &Peter.
We have got to get past the number one God killer in our lives. Our Pride…
SLIDE#4
The third stage that Isaiah experienced was: Vision
He saw the need (6:8)
The nation needed the Lord, and the Lord wanted a servant to minister to the people.
And Isaiah was the one called to be the servant.
We can never underestimate what God can do with one willing worker. God has called each one of us here at VP…to do just that.
Read Letter from Nate & Margaret Englund
It’s always when we feel were not making a difference that God shows up in the picture assuring us that we are!
We cannot forget why Vista Pointe is making a difference not only in people’s lives…but the community as well.
Its because we are willing to…Go…Win…and Build
SLIDE# 5
And the fourth and final stage that Isaiah experienced was: Blindness
The Nation could not see. (6:9-13)
The Lord had not given His servant much encouragement…he was set up to fail.
Isaiah’s ministry would actually make the peoples eyes more blind…their ears more deaf…and their hearts more callused.
This message that God told Isaiah to share went kinda like this:
Isaiah No matter what you tell them…they’ll never get it. Even if they try…they’ll never catch on.
It’s like my people are walking around with their fingers in your ears…and they have blindfolds on.
Isaiah…no matter what you do they’ll never accept what you tell them. But I still want you to go!
Then Isaiah asked God how long this would go on…And God answered until all the cities are found empty…every Home is found vacant…and no one is left in the land.
Until I God…get rid of everyone. (Encouraging huh!!!!!)
What God shared with Isaiah that day was not only true but scary as well.
Still here today in Hobbs we are dealing with the same kind of people.
People who are living lives that dishonor God and not willing to admit their wrong.
Adding their own interpretations to what they feel the Bible says.
The truth is the truth and it can’t be changed!
And the message stays the same…Until He come and calls His people home…the message will never change.
God does not deliberately make sinners blind, deaf, and hard-hearted…but the more that people resist the truth…He also knows…the less likely they are too listen.
Important:
The servant (us) is to proclaim the word no matter how the people respond…for the test of ministry is not our outward success…rather our faithfulness to the Lord.
God told Isaiah that his ministry would end in seeming failure…with the land ruined and most of the people taken off to exile.
In my opinion…Isaiah was a hero…even though the future seemed bleak…he remained faithful to his God.
Thinking back again to Sept.11th 2001… Every one of the 2996 victims’ lost that day along with those who spend endless hours searching for survivors.
They are all heroes in America’s eyes.
Slide
More than ever today…people need to see that there are still leaders and Heroes who are willing to stand up for what is right in a world that only wants to do wrong.
Stand
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