Heroes

I want to start this series today on broken unbroken and talk about how God uses broken people for his glory in Hebrews chapter 11 and verses 1 through 6 the Bible says now Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of Things Not Seen for by it the elders obtained a good report through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God so the things which are seen were not made by things which to appear by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain by which he obtained witness that he was righteous God testifying of his gifts and by it is he being dead yet speaketh by faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found

because God had translated him for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God but without faith is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and as rewarder of them that diligently seek him now Hebrews chapter 11 is what is often called God's Hall of Fame it's all the great Heroes of The Faith from the Old Testament people like Noah Moses Abraham David many names that you would recognize from your Bible study from your stories that you learned as a child and then there's also heroes from the New Testament people like Paul or Mary or or Peter now what makes someone a hero you know when you look at this passage and you look at these people

they're they're the heroes of the faith they're the ones God says these are the ones that that did it right these are the ones that that accomplish something in their life these are the ones that I was able to use yet as you look at their lives they were not perfect people by any means you know what makes someone a hero um I've known some heroes in my life perhaps you have as well and uh one hero I got to know very very well here's was a man named Woody Williams some of you remember him he was he received the Medal of Honor for his actions on Iwo Jima when he took out six pillboxes with a flamethrower just amazing story we had him preach here a couple times at Ohana Baptist Church he didn't

get saved until the 60s well after World War II but God saved him and he used his life as a testimony for the Lord he was clearly a hero there was another hero another Medal of Honor recipient and that was Gary bykirk Gary by Kirk was in Vietnam he was a medic in a tribal Village up in up in the northern side of South Vietnam and and he won the Medal of Honor for his actions there in that Village I got to meet him got to know him what a great man of God he didn't get saved until after he left Vietnam he got he lived in a cave for a while trying to get away from all the burdens that he carried with him and yet God brought him to knowing Christ and God changed his life and he was able to work

with many others and helping them through PTSD as well Another Hero in my life that I've gotten to know is a man named kalika Kalama some of you may remember a few years back we had two police officers that were shot and killed he was one of them he was trying to go in to drag his partner out after she had been shot and he was killed kalika and his wife grew up his wife grew up here in Ohana we got to know then their Sherry tapu is if she searched for his daughter yesterday I was at the memorial service for his wife kalika she died about a year after he did left their son all by himself this man was a hero and then I think of other Heroes my personal Heroes Somebody Like A Man Named Dalton

Heath missionary and Micronesia gave his life for the Lord he's now back on the mainland he became a spiritual father to me he was my hero Andy is one of my heroes here's a man that left his home in the Philippines came here to Hawaii and said I want to reach my people for Christ and is never backed down from that and not only does he want to reach his own people here in Hawaii for Christ but he wants to go back to the islands as often as he can to reach the islands in the Philippine islands for Christ as well I think a tufu he's one of my heroes here's a man that was in jail his life was a mess but his brother Jesse brought him to church and two for got saved and God turned his life around

Another Hero is Kaleo Kaleo is kawi's brother when her husband died he stepped up and took responsibility when Cowie died he took their son as his own son he's my hero then there's also people like Caleb my son when I got sick he stepped in and did what needed to be done let me rest and recuperate Another Hero of mine is Chris after being on my back for three or four weeks there Chris I I begin to understand how tough your life has been for the last few years and Chris is so faithful to church and wants to be here every chance he can despite his physical impairments and the troubles he's facing he's become my hero what makes somebody a hero one thing is when they died we often say somebody's

a hero because they died in Hebrews chapter 11 and verse number 37 the Bible says they were stoned they were Saun asunder were tempted were slain with a sword they wandered about in sheepskins and gold skins being destitute Afflicted tormented many of these Heroes of the faith gave their lives in service to the Lord in Galatians Chapter 2 and verse number 20 says I'm crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and a life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me you know many times we count somebody as a hero because they gave their life and sacrifice for somebody else I read a story about a little

boy in a church they had a plaque in the Welcome Center that listed all the people that had died in the service the little boy was standing there reading the names on the plaque and looking at the plaque and just kind of you could see he was contemplating he was thinking and the pastor came up to and says son what are you thinking about he said I'm just wondering which service they died in the early service of the later service he didn't quite understand the concept of what they had done how they had died in service to their country the Bible says in Romans chapter 12 verses 1 and 2 I beseech you therefore Brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a Living Sacrifice wholly

acceptable unto him which is irreasable service and be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God some people are heroes because they died others are heroes because they died to self you don't have to physically die in order to be a hero but you do need to be willing to die to yourself you know many people are heroes because they chose to die in Romans chapter 5 verses 7 and 8 which since I read earlier for scarcely for a righteous men will one die yet prevention prevention for a good man some would even dare to die but God commendeth his love towards us now why are we as sinners

Christ died for us folks that's the headline you know when somebody dies I remember when uh those two officers were shot and killed that was the headline in the newspaper every day for weeks that was the headline of the news every day for weeks and and that's the headline when somebody gives their life and sacrifice it becomes the headline then the headline today is Jesus died for you turn over to First Corinthians chapter 15. and look at verses one through four First Corinthians chapter 15. and verses one through four First Corinthians 15 verse 1 says moreover brother I declare unto the gospel which I preached unto you which also you received wherein you stand by which also you're saved to

keep in memory what I preached unto you unless you believed in vain for I delivered on you first of all that which also receives how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures and that it was buried and that it rose again the third day according to the scriptures that's the headline that's the good news Jesus Christ is the greatest hero of all time because he sacrificed himself For All Mankind he sacrificed himself that you could have life he gave himself for you and for me and you and I we need to call out to him for help you know often heroes are heroes because they hear a cry for help and instead of running away they run towards the cry and God says listen if you call unto

me I will answer you and show the Great and Mighty things God said in Romans chapter 10 and verses 9 and 10 that it's also confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and Shall Believe in thine heart that God is raising the dead thou shall be saved for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation in Romans chapter 10 and verse number 13 it says for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and when you call out to Jesus Christ for help he will give it to you he died for you he gave his life for you he already sacrifice him before you ever cried out to him he sought you while you are yet a sinner and he gave his life as a

sacrifice for you and I heroes are those who are willing to die for others and Jesus said I am willing to give my life for you and when he died on the cross he didn't die to pay his own sins he died as a sacrifice for your sins in order to give you eternal life and you need to put your faith and trust in him and call him as your savior if you're going to die you want to die for a cause for a reason and first Samuel chapter 12 and verse 29 David said is there not a Cause you know we all remember back or at least many of us remember back to when the World Trade Center was was attacked and collapsed and we often call the people who died in the World Trade Center Heroes now that's tragic thing

that people died in those Office Buildings but not all of them were Heroes the heroes were the ones that were going in the office building to rescue others the heroes were the firefighters and the policemen and the other First Responders who were going into the building to save lives and they died because of that see the true heroes are the ones that are willing to die for a cause or one's willing to give themselves for a reason it's not just how you die but it's how you live most of us will never be asked to die for our faith but God asked us to live for our faith to give our lives as a Living Sacrifice in Galatians Chapter 2 and verse 20 Paul said I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I

live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me often people will say well I would die for Christ but those same people are not willing to live for Christ you see living for Christ is is living for him every day it's going to church it's reading our Bible it's witnessing to others taking our stand for the lord it's easy to say I would die for Christ but the real heroes are those who live for Christ as well we need to live for him we need to give ourselves for him the Jew chapter 1 verses 22 and 23 it says and some have compassion making a difference and others saved with fear pulling

them out of the fire hating even the garments spotted by the flesh you know you'll often watch the news you'll hear a story about somebody who ran into the building was on fire because there was a a child or or some other person that was caught in that building they they would run inside to rescue that person they were willing to go in there and and to save those are that they're threatened by the fire and you and I need to be willing to do the same thing there are many that are threatened by the fire of hell today and they need us to run after them to find them and tell them about Jesus Christ go to Second Timothy chapter 2.

second Timothy chapter two and look at verses 24 through 26 second Timothy Chapter 2 and verses 24 through 26. it says the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves so uh if God prevents you will give them repentance to acknowledge of the truth and they may receive themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will if you've ever read stories about people that have gone to rescue somebody else often they have to fight the very person they're trying to rescue sometimes somebody gets caught here in Hawaii and they're Riptide and and they're out in the ocean they're

drowning and someone goes out to try to save them and the person that they're trying to save starts start grabbing at them and and they have to get that person to realize I'm here to help you and they they sometimes they don't realize that they're there to help and sometimes we have to realize that maybe our neighbors or our friends or our family don't seem to want the Lord Jesus Christ but we still need to reach out to them to save them from the fire in first John chapter 5 and verse 16 it says if amen see his brother's sin and sin which is not unto death he shall ask he shall give him life for him that sin not unto death there's a sin unto death I do not say that you should pray for it

there's some people that will not trust Christ there are some people some Christians that will not get right with God but we don't know who they are but we ought to make it our goal our desire to be that person that is there to rescue Every Soul to reach out to every person to do our best to snatch them from that fire Heroes are those that are willing to give their life some give the ultimate sacrifice of death others it's the sacrifice of life of living for others and living for God go over to James chapter 5 and look at verse number 16. James chapter 5 and verse number 16. the Bible says confess your false one to another and pray one from this you will be healed the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man Avail of much then skip down to verse number 19.

Brethren if any of you do err from the truth and one convert him let him know that he which converteth The Sinner from the air of his way shall save us soul from death and shall hide a multitude of his sins you see you and I have the opportunity to save somebody's life to do it through prayer to do it through love to do it through our actions but in order to do that we have to overcome our fear in Romans chapter 1 and verse number 16 it says for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for as the power of God unto salvation to the Jew first and also to the Greek you see it's not that heroes are not afraid it's that they don't let their fears control them and so many of us as Christians we're

afraid we're afraid to step out we're afraid to step out by faith we're afraid to reach out to others we're afraid of what somebody might say or what somebody might think and we let those fears control us and keep us from being the heroes that God wants us to be we have to overcome that fear in First Peter chapter 3 verses 15 and 16 says but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear having a good conscience that whereas they speak evil as you as of evil doers they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ you know you never know when you're going to

come across an accident you don't wake up one day and say I'm going to go out and save somebody from an accident I'm gonna go out and save somebody from fire nobody on that fateful day back in 2011 a thought that there was going to be this big catastrophe of the World Trade Centers nobody expected that so you have to wake up every day ready to take the opportunity ready to reach out to somebody else ready to be that person that is going to to to to be the person that cares and and gives of yourself to others around you in second Corinthians 5 11 it says knowing therefore the terror of the lord we persuade men but we made manifest unto God and I trust also are made manifest in your conscience

you see when you see the terror of a fire or the terror of an accident when you see how bad it can be and you hear those screams you can't ignore them and we can't ignore the fact that there are people that are dying and going to Hell Without Jesus Christ and we cannot ignore the fact that there are people that are hurting in this world today that need what Christ has to offer them and we need to knowing the terror of the Lord knowing the Judgment of God knowing what's coming we need to do all we can to reach out to others around us to make a difference in Acts chapter 17 and verse number 6 it says these that have turned the world upside down or come hither also you ever wish you could make

a difference in the world today you ever wish you could do something that would truly make an impact in the world around you when you bring a soul to Christ you make a difference when you reach out to somebody that's hurting you make a difference when you give of yourself to others around you you make a difference in Romans 15 verses 1 and 2 it says we then that are strong ought to Bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please ourselves let every one of us please his neighbor for his good edification too often in the middle of that disaster we're more concerned with ourselves than we are with others around us and those of us are strong in the Lord we need to be willing to reach out to

those around us that are suffering and hurting we need to make a difference in their lives it's not always when we save them out of a burning building it's not only always when we pull their body out of a crushed building after a tornado it's not always we come out an accident and you you drag somebody out of the car before it explodes ometimes the real differences we can make are not headlines there's a lady named Tabitha in the book of Acts chapter 9. and she had died and they called for the disciples to come and to heal her when she was still sick and they didn't when they got there she was already passed away and and the women of that Village all surround the disciples and they were

saying look at she made this for me and she did this for me and she did that and all the things that she did for others around her had made a difference in her Village and made a difference in people's lives and I want to challenge you be that hero that makes a difference be that person you may never have the opportunity to snatch someone out of the fire you may never have an opportunity to run into a burning building you may never have an opportunity to save somebody from a car crash but you do have an opportunity every day to make a difference in somebody's life and that's what God calls us to do those are the everyday Heroes and those are the people that God uses so what makes somebody

hero what makes him a hero is when they were willing to die to give their life for others not just in death but in life to be a Living Sacrifice heroes are those that are willing that are going to save others lives that make a difference but Heroes also are those who overcome in first John chapter 5 and Verses 4 through 5 it says for whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world and this is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith who is he that overcometh world but he that believeth that Jesus is the son of God heroes are those that overcome great hardship heroes are those that overcome things like disease or a handicap or problems or circumstances instead of letting these

things control them they are Overcomers in Romans chapter 12 verse 21 it says be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good heroes are those that don't give in to the problems of life there are people that say listen I don't like what's happened to me but I'm not going to let that control me I don't like what's happened to me but God is in control in this situation and I'm going to continue to serve him and love him go over to First Corinthians chapter 12. First Corinthians chapter 12. and verse number First Corinthians 12 verses 8 through 10. First Corinthians chapter 12 beginning with verse number 8.

I'm sorry second Corinthians chapter 12 second Corinthians chapter 12 begin with verse 8. second Corinthians chapter 12 begin in verse 8 says for this thing I besought the Lord Thrice that it might not depart for me and he said unto me my grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ May rest upon me therefore I take pleasure in infirmities and reproaches and necessities and persecutions and distresses for Christ's sake for when I am weak then am I strong see Paul wanted God to take away this infirmative flesh we don't know exactly what it was it was some kind of a physical problem

we think it was probably involved his eyes and and maybe he was going blind I don't know what it was for sure and he said God I I want you to take this away I want you to heal me I want you to make me better but God said no he said I want you to trust in me and folks there are times in our lives where we need to realize that no matter what your circumstances if God chooses not to take those circumstances away that you can still trust in him and you could still be an overcomer despite whatever is you're facing whether it's physical ailments or whether it's emotional problems or whether it's problems with your family or problems at work or wherever else it might be don't let your circumstances control you the heroes are the ones that overcome those circumstances through the power of Christ go over to Romans chapter 6.

Romans chapter 6. and look at verses 11 through 14 Romans chapter 6 and beginning with verse number 11. the Bible says likewise reckon you're you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ Our Lord let not sin therefore reign in your Immortal body that you should obey it in the lust thereof neither yields you your members as instruments of unrighteousness and on sin but yield yourselves unto God as those are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God for sin shall not have dominion over you but you are for you are not under the law but under grace too many of us we allow sin to control us and we need to overcome that

sin and the only way to overcome that sin is not through our own strength not through our own discipline but it's through the power of God it's the power of God that will overcome your circumstances the grace of God it's the power and the grace of God that will overcome sin in your life and it's also the power and grace of God that can overcome the world in first John chapter 4 and verse 4 it says you are of God little children and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world and that's what allows us to be the heroes of the faith it's not because we're so strong it's not because we're so great when you go through Hebrews chapter 11 you will find that

every one of those people in there they had their failures they had their weaknesses they messed up bad and the encouraging thing about Hebrews chapter 11 to me is this is if God could take imperfect people people that failed in so many ways if God could take those people and you call them Heroes of Faith then there's hope for me and there's hope for you because it's not what I can do that makes me a hero but it's what God does in my life and we can overcome the circumstances of life we can overcome sin in our lives we can overcome the world in our lives and we become everyday Heroes in Luke chapter 9 and verse 23 it says said them all if any man will come after me let him take up his cross

daily and follow me what God is looking for is everyday Heroes people that will get up every day and say today I'm going to live by the grace of God today I'm going to live by the power of God today I'm going to overcome whatever my circumstances today I'm gonna overcome that sin today I'm going to be a hero of God see these were Ordinary People go to First Corinthians chapter 1. if there's nothing else you get out of this series get this is that the people that God calls the heroes they were sinners David murdered a man he committed adultery Rahab was a harlot a prostitute Abraham and I and his wife Sarah laughed at God and yet God calls them Heroes and if there's hope for us it's that God

can use people like them and people like you and me in First Corinthians chapter 1 and verse number 26 the Bible says for you see your calling Brethren how that not many wise men after flesh not many mighty not many noble are called but God had chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are Mighty and bastings the world and things which are despised as God shows in yea and things which are not to bring to not things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence but of him are you in Christ Jesus who of God has made unto his wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and Redemption that a

court is written he that gloryth let him glory in the Lord I mentioned earlier Woody Williams the World War II Men of Honor recipient from Iwo Jima he was such a humble man he'd been given our nation's highest honor wherever he went on whatever base he was on everybody from the General on down had to salute him because that Medal of Honor he was often uh you know put up in the front and put out there to speak and and he could have become very proud of what he did but what he would tell you I'm here because of the ones who's protected me he had two soldiers that were assigned to him Riflemen that were assigned to him to keep him safe while he went from pill box to pillbox to with the

flamethrower and he says that those soldiers and they died on that day that are true heroes he said the people that did not come back from Iwo Jima those were the true heroes he was a humble man he wasn't looking for Honor he wasn't looking for Glory he understood that that it was not what he had done he gave the honor and glory to God and you and I need to realize that the glory belongs to God and God uses Ordinary People Like You and I in second Timothy Chapter 2 verses 20 and 21 this is what a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver but also wood and of Earth and some to honor and some to dishonor of a man therefore Purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto

honor Sanctified meat for the Master's use and prepare not every good work what makes a vessel a vessel of Honor it's not what it was made of now if you're like my wife and if you're like my home every home has the good dishes you know what I'm talking about fellas those are the dishes that are not good enough for you this is the dishes that are held back for company and and they're they're special dishes and they're only for special occasions for special company they're the dishes of Honor but those are not the dishes that we eat off of every day we eat off of Regular dishes and those are dishes of Honor because those are the dishes that feed us and provide for us and when God reaches into

the cabinet he doesn't always reach for the fancy dishes he wants to use those you and I that are ordinary every day years ago when I was about eight years old I think it was my mom we had dishes we were very poor and all the dishes we had were kind of a collection the hodgepodge none of them matched most of them were chipped or cracked in some way or another but that's what we used but then one day somebody gave my mom a brand new set of fancy dishes and so my mom decided we're going to have a disc breaking party and so we got a big trash can in the backyard and we got that big trash can and watch you guys move over here just be safe all right Ricky you guys move over there all right you

got a big trash can and we all got to go out there and break all the dishes and it was a lot of fun I mean we got to go out there and I got to go out there as an eight-year-old boy and just take that dish and go slam and break it up it was a great time I had fun with that I thought that was really neat to be able to do that until two weeks later it was my turn to wash the dishes and now we have these nice pretty fancy dishes and I remember that day I was washing the dishes and somehow it slipped out of my hand can you imagine the Panic that was going through my heart at that moment these are the good dishes these are the special dishes my mom's gonna kill me my mom heard the noise and she

came into the room and she said it's okay son and she hugged me I'm thankful for God that still uses broken people aren't you glad you don't have to worry about God rejecting you because you broke something every one of us in this room is broken cracked shipped there's something that happened to you as a child that stayed with you for years or something you did that you know you shouldn't have and you feel guilty over it there's something going on in your heart and your mind and even your body you struggle with on a constant basis but God's not waiting for us to drop and break something to say I can't use you anymore now because my mom forgave me does that mean it's okay for me to drop

another dish no the next time I watched this is I was more careful in fact if I remember right I didn't get to watch dishes for a while after that might be a thought in there man no don't don't get that idea but you don't do it on purpose but I'm so thankful for God that even when I break it he still loves me and he can still use me as a vessel of Honor despite what I've gone through Acts chapter 4 and verse number 13 says now when they saw the boldness in Peter and John and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men they marveled and to acknowledge them they had been with Jesus when you're with Jesus that's when you become special in this series we're going to look at the lives of

each of these people that are mentioned in Hebrews chapter 11 starting next Sunday with Cain and Abel look at how they were broken people but how God used them and how God forgave them and how they became Heroes of the faith and folks as you read Hebrews chapter 11 it ought to encourage you that if God could use people like this adulterers murderers prostitutes unbelieving if God could use them maybe just maybe There's Hope for you and there's hope for me