What Is A Hero?

“What is a Hero?”

Ephesians 5:25

Every summer, Hollywood tries to top its previous year’s revenues by producing a new set of “must-see” movies.

The most popular of these are often from the superhero genre. Characters like Superman, Batman and Spiderman have captured generations of imaginations and often produce a rather large following both in print and in film.

Children and adults alike love the idea of a hero swooping in from the air and saving the day; moreover, many of them like to dream of being such a hero themselves.

However, as almost every child realizes from a very early age, superheroes are characters of fantasy.

There are no flying men who can stop bullets and bend steel with their bare hands.

There are no millionaires who dress up as bats or don iron suits and catch bad guys.

There are no radioactive spiders just waiting to endow us with super powers.

This is not to say, though, that heroes do not exist.

Just because there is no incredible hulk does not mean there are no incredible people in the world.

Just because a person may not possess extraordinary powers, does not mean that he cannot be an extraordinary person.

This morning, we are going to look at one of the most important roles in the world - the role of the husband and father.

We are going to examine some of the responsibilities of this role, and the blessings which come with it.

We are going to see that the most important hero a wife and children can have does not wear a cape, or special costume, or even super powers.

The best hero a family can have is a husband and father who stands for the Gospel of Christ… who manages his home with the principles of Scripture… who understands His duties to his wife and his children.

… in short, the best hero a family can have is a godly man in the home.

READ: Ephesians 5:25

Ephesians chapter 5:22 begins a lengthy section of scripture which runs through the beginning of chapter 6.

This section spells out for us how the Christian family is supposed to be set up.

It tells us that the:

Wife is to submit to the husband.

The husband is to love the wife.

The children are to obey their parents.

The father is to discipline and instruct his children in love.

And just in case someone were to think for a moment that this is an isolated section of text, almost the exact same things is said in Colossians.

Colossians 3:18-21 “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged”

This is the simple model for the Christian family, repeated twice in holy Scripture so that we would not miss its importance.

Every year on Father’s day, I try to remind us of these passages and especially of the role of the father in the home.

The reason for this is that there is a movement in our nation to change this biblical order, circumvent God’s plan, and to reinvent what the family is supposed to look like.

Just watch any modern television program which depicts the family.

Rarely is the family depicted as father, mother and children - with the father in a leadership role.

If the father is even in the picture, he is often shown to be a bumbling buffoon or prone to misbehavior.

He is always in trouble, he is always acting foolish, he can never make sound decisions.

In fact, the only wise one ever depicted on television is either the mother or the children… it is almost never the father!

But the Bible paints a much more encouraging picture of what manhood should look like.

The Biblical man is not a fool who cannot manage his family.

The Biblical man is a man who loves his wife, who trains his children, and who through these qualities encourages both their respect and admiration.

The Biblical man is not a family punchline… he is his family’s hero.

QUESTION:

What qualities does the Biblical Man possess? How does the bible describe the Biblical husband and father?

ANSWER:

The Biblical man seeks to emulate Christ in management of his family.

Let’s look first at our passage:

Ephesians 5:25 ESV “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her”

Note how this passage tells us that the husband is to relate to his wife - “as Christ”

His love towards her is supposed to be “as Christ loved the church”

Every time I read this, I think about the three “ps” of biblical manhood.