Defining A Hero
Hebrews 11:1-10
Intro: In Cooperstown New York there is a place called the baseball hall of fame. AS you walk through the hall you will find 35,000 bats, balls and gloves that have been used by the greats of the game. Ruth and DiMaggio and Robinson, just to name a few. 130,000 baseball cards including the most valuable baseball card in the world. The T206 Honus Wagner card that is worth 2.8 million dollars. You walk around the hall and see all of these things. The centerpiece of the hall though is the Plaque Gallery. In here you will find a plaque with all 300 members as of this sermon. As you walk through the room you see plaques with the pictures of Lou Gehrig and Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle and some plaques that have recently been added like Barry Larkin and Ron Santo and Goose Gossage the pitcher.
. While we look up to these men and some even call them Heroes, the only thing that they are really noted for is being able to hit run and catch a little ball.
. Are these really the people we should be looking at as Heroes. The people that we want to emulate.
. The Pro Football hall of fame has just taken down a photo of New England Patriot player Aaron Hernandez.
. He is the player accused of murder.
. Is this man someone you want your children to look up to.
. Just exactly what should be looking for in a hero or hall of fame person that we should be looking up to.
. Perhaps we should be looking at their Character and Faith instead of how they play a sport or perform in movies or sing a song.
. The 11th chapter is a fascinating chapter in Hebrews and the Bible.
. In this chapter we see what many have described as the Biblical Hall of Fame or the Hebrew Heroes of our faith.
. Each one is introduced by the phrase “By Faith”
. We’re going to look at the first 10 verses and define what a hero should really should be known for. Their Faith in God.
. Hebrews 11:1-10
. 1Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.
2Through their faith, the people in days of old earned a good reputation.
3By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
4It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
5It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.
6And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
7It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.
8It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
9And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.
10Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
. These four men that are mentioned here were defined by who they were and the characteristics they showed while practicing their faith.
. First we will see that Abel was defined as a man of Worship.
. Look at verse 4 with me again.
. 4It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
. Abel was a man of worship. One who recognized who God was and brought God the best and the first that he had and came before God with the right attitude and reverence.
. If we need a hero folks, Abel fits the bill.
. Abel didn’t come before God and look at his watch to make sure he only spent a hour before God.
. Abel’s faith and worship extended itself to the best that he had.
. Abel was a man that wanted to give God the best that he had.
. Someone once called a preacher to say he wanted to become a church member.
But, he went on to explain that he did not want to:
worship every week, study the Bible, visit the sick,
or serve as a leader or teacher.
The minister commended him for his desire to be a church member, but told him the church he was looking for was located in another part of town.
The man wrote down the address and hung up.
When he arrived at that address, the man came face to face with the result of his own attitude of wanting to a church member but not truly worship God.
There stood an abandoned church building boarded up
and ready for demolition.
. Folks we need to be like Abel and be a person who truly wants to worship God.
. If you’re looking for a Hero, maybe we need to look no farther than Abel.
. Next in our look at the biblical heroes we see Noah.
. Noah showed his faith as a man who Worked for God.
. Look with me at verse 7 again.
. 7It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.
. Noah worked for God. He used his time and talents to build the Ark that carried him and his family and animals to safety during the great flood.
. The scripture says that God told him about things that had never happened before and that he needed to work to prepare for these things.
. What God was talking about was rain. Until that time there had been no rain fall on the earth.
. Noah could have said Lord, I don’t know about this. Water falling from the sky. It’s never happened like this before.
. That’s not the way things are done here on earth.
. He didn’t though. He said God I don’t really understand what’s going on and all of this is new to me but I will work and do what you want me to do because you are my God.
. An elderly grandmother was listening to her grandson pray as he was getting ready for bed one night. He attended a Christian school and evidently they had been studying about Noah and the Ark. After he had prayed for everybody he said “ and Lord if you need someone to build an Ark, I’ll do it.
. Most of us won’t be asked to build an ark but God has something for us to do.
. Our prayer can be Lord if you need someone to do this, I will.
. We can look around and say lord this has never happened like this before around here. I don’t know about all this or we can be like Noah and say Lord I may not understand exactly everything that is going on but I am willing to work for you.
. Have you ever met a Noah. If you have you will never forget them.
. They are the one that work tirelessly at whatever God has for them.
. They don’t let discouragement pull them away from what God wants them to do.
. It’s not about what they want, its all about God’s kingdom.
. Can you imagine how long it took Noah and his sons to build the Ark? It had to take a long time. I’m sure that people were walking by and laughing at him and talking about him behind his back.
. Noah stayed the course though. He knew that he was working for God and that’s all that mattered.
. If we are defining a Hero, maybe it should be one who works for God.
. A man like Noah.
. Next in the list of biblical heroes is Abraham.
. Abraham was a man who knew how to Wait on God.
. Look with me again at verses 8,9,10:
. 8It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going.
9And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.
10Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.
. By faith Abraham obeyed God by picking up and leaving his homeland. Not knowing where he was going the scripture says.
. When he got there he didn’t get to build a city or palace, he had to live in tents because God was not ready for his descendants to secure the land.
. Abraham was looking for a city that God would build for him.
. Abraham was promised a son yet had to wait 25years for that to happen.
. God promised him that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and Abraham believed God.
. He had to wait on God though.
. He and Sarah did finally have a son when Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90 years old.
. What Faith. To wait and trust in God for so many years.
. Folks sometimes our faith will require us to wait.
. Wait for an answer to prayer.
. Wait for God to Speak.
. I’m sure Abraham poured out his heart to God crying out Lord you made this promise to me.
. Lord I want to hear from you.
. God are you there?
. Abraham was patient though and waited on God’s Promises.
. When you have prayed all you can pray and done all you can do, sometimes we must just wait on God.
. Perhaps if we are looking for a hero, someone to emulate, we should look to Abraham for our inspiration.
. Lastly in these 10 verses we see Enoch.
. When defining a Hero, Enoch should be our greatest inspiration.
.You see Enoch was defined by his Walk with God.
. Look with me at verse 5:
. 5It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—“he disappeared, because God took him.” For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God.
. Look with me in Genesis 5:22,23,24 In the KJV:
. 22 And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
23 And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
. In his life, Enoch walked with God.
. What a person to look up to. Someone whose claim to fame was and is that they walked with God.
. Our heroes are defined by what they do aren’t they. We don’t look up to or aspire to be a baseball player who bats 150 and makes three errors a game and always gets picked off first base.
. We don’t look up to the running back who gains no yards or the basketball player who never scores a point or gets on the court. We admire them because of what they accomplish.
. I submit to you this morning that Enoch is the greatest hero short of Jesus that ever walked the earth.
. He Walked With God, all the days of his life after Methuselah was born. I don’t know what happened at this birth to account for Enoch’s conversion but the scripture tells us that after his son was born that he walked with God the rest of his life.
. Do you recognize how difficult that is.
. If you are looking for a hero, there is no better example of heroic action than Enoch.
. A man who walked with God.
. We should define our heroes by how they Worship, Work, Wait and Walk with God.
. Are you walking with God this morning?
. Is this what you aspire to do?
. In order to walk with someone you must know them don’t you?
. We don’t walk very long with strangers do we?
. In order to walk with God this morning, we must know Him.
. You must know Him personally.
. If you are here this morning and can’t walk with God because you don’t know him personally, you can know him this morning.
. Christian, in order to walk with God you must be in step with him. You must be near him and keep in step with him.
. Are you running away from him or lagging behind.
. He will wait on you to get back in step with him this morning so that you can walk with Him again.
. Invitation
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources: The Holy Bible, NLT
God Pleasing Faith, K. Edward “ed” Skidmore, (main outline), sermon central
