Why We Want And Need Heroes - Genesis 6-7 Series

We all love and need heroes in our lives. Because what heroes do is they emulate something that we want, something that we need, something that we’re looking forward to. Just think about heroes that you have in your life. What heroes are you attracted to. You see I think we’re attracted to heroes for four different reasons. Heroes have four things that we need. Those same four things exist inside of the human heart in the form of the conscience that God created in us. According to the Bible, the conscience prompts us in four areas and in those four areas those are the same things that heroes do. So when we see a hero in one way or another, whether it’s a sports hero or we see a hero who has done some champion thing in life, we look at that and we go “yes!”, and it touches us in our hearts. Because in our hearts we need these four things. In your heart you have a conscience that prompts you to do what’s right, to deal with wrongs, to be honest, and to care about others. God has built that inside of you, given you a conscience in your heart. And so when we think about heroes, we think about people who do that. So when we hear about a hero who has failed, we go “oh.” It grips our heart.

Now in every one of us there’s a hero vacuum or a hero space I should call it. That’s the space between where I am right now and where the hero is. I’m attracted to that hero because I want to fill in the space. I want to be like that person. Today we’re going to look at heroes, at one hero in God’s word. We’re going to look at Genesis 6 and we’re going to look at Noah, Noah’s response to God, and how God worked in his life. As we do, we’re going to see what made him a hero and how we can apply that in our own lives.

But I don’t want to take you to Genesis 6 first. I want to take you to Hebrews 11. Because God in His word in the New Testament reminds us of heroes so that we’ll be motivated to go back to the Old Testament and learn from them. They’re not just a history story from the past, but they are an inspiration for the future. Because when there’s that space between you and the hero, you’re inspired to do better. You’re excited to do more. There's something that takes place in our lives that we need. So let’s look at Hebrews.

Hebrews 11:7 says these words: By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

Notice the first two words of that verse – by faith. And the last two words of that verse – by faith. There’s something about Noah that made him different than anyone else. It's going to have to do with his faith. But how is that faith worked out for him? See there’s something being said in the book of Hebrews that says go back and look. Go back and check out that story of Noah because something important is there for your life and for my life. Let’s go back now and let’s see what God has to say in Genesis 6. Let’s pick it up in verse 8. Because we’re told who this guy Noah really is.

It says – But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. These are the generations of Noah. Three things. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.

First of all, he was a righteous man. He did what was right. Remember I mentioned that part of the conscience is this motivation to do the right thing. Sometimes it’s just turn off the light when you leave the bathroom kind of things. But many times it’s do the right thing to overcome the challenges that we face in life. Do what’s right. Noah was that kind of guy. He did the right thing. He made choices to do what was right when the wrong was very present for him and available. But he chose to do what’s right (that’s the first thing).

Second thing says that he was blameless. In his relationships with people he had integrity. That when he told somebody he was going to do it, he did it. When he said he was going to be there at a certain time, he was there. When he was given a task, he was reliable. He had integrity. He was blameless before others.