WEEK 1 SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR GROUPS

What makes a hero

Introduction:

Who has made such a lasting impact on your life that you consider them your hero? Maybe it’s a parent, a professor, a mentor, or even a public figure you haven’t actually met yet. When we reflect on the ways we’ve been shaped by their influence, we can’t help but feel admiration and gratitude for the sacrifice they’ve made—not for themselves but for us. In this message, we talk about the qualities that make a hero.

Bottom-Line:

Something To Talk About:

Real heroes stand alone: They go against the crowd. They buck the majority. They’re willing to swim upstream. That’s what makes them a hero. They buck tradition, they buck the majority, they’re willing to stand alone for what’s right. Would you have the courage to point out what’s wrong? The Bible is full of heroes like this who stood alone. Abraham stood alone, against the entire culture of Sodom and Gomorrah—one man. Noah stood alone for 120 years in obedience, building an ark while everybody ridiculed him as a nut case, a head case, a fanatic, and the Bible says he was the only guy on earth who pleased God. Daniel who took on the most powerful dictator of the world at that time – Nebuchadnezzar – and said, “I’m not going to worship you.” They said, “Then you’re going to be killed by lions,” and they threw him in the lions’ den. He faced the lions one on one. I think of Esther, that beautiful queen, who could have kept quiet and said, “It’s none of my business.” But she risked her life to save all her people. She put her neck on the line, and she stood alone. I think of Moses, who single-handedly went before the most powerful leader of the world – Pharaoh – and said, You’ve got to let God’s people go. Those are the marks of a hero. What about you? God wants to use you. It’s a choice. God is looking for heroes that He can use, and there’s a hero in every one of us. It’s a choice that you can make.
Real Heroes make sacrifices: A lot of people make sacrifices for themselves. There are a lot of entrepreneurs who make sacrifices. They get up early, they stay up late. But they sacrifice because they want to get rich. They’re doing it for themselves. I know some actors who sacrifice to constantly craft their profession and improve at acting because they want to be famous. Do you see the difference between a celebrity and a hero? Heroes do it for other people. They make sacrifices for others, not for their glorification, personal fulfillment, personal happiness, or personal wealth. Heroes put the needs of others – many times even total strangers – ahead of their own. Jesus, in Matthew 20:26, said, “But among you, it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.” God’s values are the exact opposite of the world. The world says, “You owe it to yourself. You’ve got to do what’s best for you. You’ve got to look out for number one. You’ve got to think of numero uno, live for yourself. You deserve it.” God says, “No, you want to be great? You learn to be the servant of all. If you are a stay-at-home mom who sacrificed your career or a higher standard of living in order to have more time to raise your kids, you are a hero. If you put your life on the line for other people as a fireman, a law enforcement officer, on a battlefield for our country, you are a hero. The Bible says in Hebrews 7:27 “Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered to sacrifice for the people’s sins.” He gave Himself. The ultimate hero is Jesus because He sacrificed to save the world. Is there anything in your life regularly where you are sacrificially serving somebody else without any reward? Can you name any area of your life where you are sacrificially serving somebody else? That’s one of the things God put you on earth to do. That’s what makes a hero. Heroes make sacrifices for other people.
Real Heroes take risks for God: They defy the odds. They’re not afraid to go out on a limb. They risk failure. They risk rejection. They risk criticism. Real heroes take risks for God. If you never open yourself to the possibility of being uncomfortable, you will never know your full God-given potential. Because what God’s plan for your life involves it does involve some discomfort and some hurt, so you can enjoy the blessings of all He had in mind for you. The Bible says this in Luke 19:26 (MSG): “Risk your life and get more than you ever dreamed of. Play it safe and you’ll end up holding the bag.” The Apostle Paul is a hero. This guy almost single-handedly spread Christianity over the entire known world – the Roman Empire – almost by himself. Nothing could stop this guy. He went through all kinds of problems and pain, and yet he would not give up. Christianity is not for wimps. It’s for people who are willing to take risks for God and say, God, I’m not living for the here and now. What motivated Paul to do this kind of stuff? What kept him going? He tells us. The next verse is, “Why do you think I keep risking my neck in this dangerous work? I look death in the face practically every day I live. Do you think I’d do this if I wasn’t convinced of your resurrection and mine as guaranteed by the resurrected Jesus? Do you think I was trying to act heroic?… Not on your life. It’s the resurrection that undergirds what I do and say, and the way that I live…” (1 Corinthians 15:30-34 MSG). Paul says, I know that there’s more to life than here and now. Make your life count. Do something with the talent God’s given you. Take a risk for God.

Discussion Questions:

Does this week change your opinion of what a hero is or is not? Explain.
Think of a moment in a movie or book you love when the hero is called to give up everything for the sake of what he or she most wants. What kinds of things might God call us to sacrifice?
Christian behavior is living as our identity as people resurrected by Christ and living in Him. It’s being people who have been changed as a result of our journey. Does that make us heroes?
Without Jesus, you are not what you were made to be; only He can help you become that. Do you feel like you were made to be a hero? Why or why not?
What is your first memory of witnessing a true act of self-sacrifice?
What can we do this week to make sacrifice a more practical part of our lives?
If we want something more or better or different for our life, we need to try harder or________?
Should Christians take risks, and if so, how do we know how far to go?
Why does God ask us to take risks? What role does risk-taking play in the Christian life?
What do we learn about ourselves, and how do we grow by taking risks?
What are some of God’s promises we can trust as we take risks?
Are we prepared to take risks for God when he asks us to?
What particularly stood out to you from this sermon? Was anything significantly reassuring or challenging?

Take One Thing Home with You:

The Bible is full of heroes. And when you read the stories of these heroes you find some similarities. Most had humble beginnings and did not seem like the hero type. Abraham was an old man who had no children that God promised to make a great nation out of. Moses was an introvert with a fear of public speaking and, on top of that, was wanted in Egypt for murder. Rahab was a prostitute. David was the youngest of eight sons of a nobody from a nowhere town. Matthew was a failed levite who became a hated tax collector for the occupying Roman government and stole from his own people. Paul was a persecutor of Christians and killed many of the first Christians.

There was nothing special about them. Nothing at all. Flaws and faults. Hang-ups and issues. Yep, they were normally abnormal. Just like us today. They were the opposite of what one would expect. Why would God choose an introvert who fears public speaking to be his mouthpiece? Why would God take the youngest son of a lowly man from a tiny town to be the King of Israel? Why would God choose a man who made a living trying to squash out the church to become the church’s biggest builder and write a great deal of the New Testament? This shows you that the most unlikely people make the most likely heroes.