Heroes Message - The Ultimate Hero

Here is the outline of our first message in our Heroes Series.

Message Title – “The Ultimate Hero”
Big Idea – Be powered up to do it through Christ.
Scripture – Philippians 2:5-8
Application – Think like Christ
Message Synopsis – Jesus is our ultimate example of a hero. Even though He was God He came as a man and did extraordinary feats through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8 He said, “You”. This was telling us that it is now our time to go and be
Heroes. We can be powered up to do it through Christ as we begin to “Think like Him” as Philippians 2:5-8 says.


Me - Introduction


A couple of months ago the President was giving a speech to congress and as he was doing it he started highlighting some people he had purposely invited there for the speech.

One of them was a young man from New York who had performed an incredible act of heroism.

Wesley Autrey (dubbed by the media as the "Subway Superman" and "The Hero of Harlem," and by himself as the "Subway Hero") is a New York construction worker and Navy veteran who achieved international recognition after he saved Cameron Hollopeter, a 19-year-old film student who had suffered a seizure and fallen onto the tracks, from being struck by a New York City subway train.

On January 2, 2007, Autrey was waiting for a train at the 137th Street and Broadway station in Manhattan with his two young daughters. At around 12:45 PM, he and two women noticed a young man, Cameron Hollopeter, having a seizure. Autrey borrowed a pen from someone and used it to keep Hollopeter's jaws open. Following the seizure, Hollopeter stumbled from the platform, falling onto the tracks.

As Hollopeter lay on the tracks, Autrey saw the lights of an incoming train. As one of the women held Autrey's daughters back away from the edge of the platform, Autrey dove onto the tracks. He thought he would be able to take Hollopeter off the tracks, but he realized there was not enough time to drag Hollopeter away. Instead, he protected Hollopeter by throwing himself over Hollopeter's body in a drainage trench between the tracks, where he held him down. The operator of the train applied the brakes, but two cars still passed over them, close enough to leave grease on his cap.

Autrey told The New York Times “I don’t feel like I did something spectacular; I just saw someone who needed help. I did what I felt was right.”

He was an everyday ordinary guy.

Almost a picture of today’s ultimate hero.

Which is why we have titled the message tonight “The Ultimate Hero”

I think that is why I love the show HEROES so much.

The show tells the story of several people who "thought they were like everyone else... until they woke with incredible abilities"

They were Ordinary People with Extraordinary Power.


This show resonates with me because I like heroes. I have read comic books and watched cartoons all my life. My favorite movies are shows that have been made from the comics.

I think we all like heroes.

I think Aunt May puts it best for us in Spiderman.

Video Clip – Spiderman 2 – 1:22:39 to 1:25:00


Everyone loves a hero…we all have our favorites.

My favorite hero of all time is “Iceman” once part of the X-Men…and of course I have always like Superman and Spiderman.


Over the past two weeks we have been asking teens some questions for a new segment called Elevate’s Teen on the Street. Let’s see what they had to say.

Video Clip – Teen On The Street


You - Connection


How many of you have a favorite hero?

Why do you like them so much?

Is it because the inspire you to more, is it their courage, the strength they possess.

What is it about heroes that inspire us so much?


The real question is:

Do you realize heroes come in ordinary packages?

Real life heroes are just ordinary people. Everyday average people just like you and I.

Except they act.

Definition of a hero:

1. a man or woman distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
2. someone who fights for a cause

They are ordinary people with an extraordinary power that sets them apart.

For us to be heroes we have to rely on something else outside ourselves to give us this extra strength.

Which brings us to our big Idea tonight.

Big Idea
Be Powered Up To Do It Through Christ


God – Biblical Foundation


Open up your bibles tonight to Acts 1:8 and lets look at a scripture we are going to be using this whole series.

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (NIV)

Over the this whole series this month we are going to be breaking this down and talking about HEROES…Next Week in fact we will be talking about our EXTRAORDINARY POWER…then our NEW IDENTITY…and finally our POWERFUL MISSION.

Let’s back this scripture up a minute and let’s see what what Jesus.

Jesus had already died. He already had risen from the dead.

And now he comes back to talk with the disciples to give them one last instruction.

Acts 1:4-8 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

And then he makes this statement which is our series verse.

8 But you

I like to think of Jesus having a conversation that goes a little like this:

Hey guys…you know we were together for a couple of years and you saw everything that I did. You also heard all that I said. And now you are going to have to power to go out and do it. I am going to infuse you with a power to go and be a hero.

Here is the thing you have to understand about Jesus.

When he came…he came as a man…He didn’t come as God.

He came as an ordinary person just like you and I.

Everything He did He did as an ordinary person…but an ordinary person with an Extraordinary Power.

And that is why He said “YOU”

Jesus’ first miracles happened after He was baptized.

Mark 1:9 -10 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. (NIV)

Later in that chapter we see Jesus performing miracles through this power.

In all of the gospels we see that Jesus’ miracles happened after He was infused with the power of the Holy Spirit.

And now he says “YOU”

John 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Think about that…Jesus said “YOU” will do greater things…

Here was his mission:

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." (NIV)

His life was a lot like the words of this song…WATCH THIS.

DVD CLIP – HOLD FAST


I think that everything we need has been given to us…all God is waiting for is someone to go after it.

Application

Here is how you do it:

Here is the application for this message.

You need to:

Think Like Christ


Phillipians 2:5 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. (The Message)

It is your time to be a Hero…it is your time to think about what “you” can do for God.

You need to think like Jesus. You need to look out and realize there are many teens in your generation that are hurting and need someone to help them.

Someone to say “HOLD FAST” Help is on the way.

We - Vision

Imagine what would happen if we all grasped this.

If we grasp the power we have at our disposal.

What would this world be like if a group of teens would rise up and be the people God needs them to be.


We need to be powered up to do it through Christ.