The Not So Incredibles Sermon Series

 

The Incredibles

I’m starting a new sermons series in late August (30th) that I’m calling, The Not So Incredibles and the Real Hero of the Bible. My goal is to focus on those superstar hero-like people in the Bible who are also known for messing up big-time. I’m not sure how long I’ll go, probably somewhere between 7-10 weeks looking at people like David, Esther, Abraham, Noah, Peter, Rahab, Sampson, and others. The message I want to convey is that ultimately Jesus is the real hero of every story. I have a testimony for sure and as much as I try to give God all the glory sometimes I feel a bit self-conscious about it, even a bit narcissistic. I’m probably just being paranoid, but the truth is I don’t want people to miss Jesus because that would be tragic.

Another major point in these messages that I hope to get across is that we’re all broken, messed up, and in a pit (Psalm 40:1-3), but thankfully Jesus heard our cry for help and in His strength rescues us (Matthew). We’ve all failed in some way and blown it. Sometimes we think the guys and gals in the Bible were exceptions and that they didn’t struggle and fail. But those stories are there for a reason. Not so much to glamorize the sin, but to see just how magnificent the savior is!

So much is made about us, you and me, and how we have gotten better, recovered, even gained sobriety. And that is all something to celebrate, but I have to ask the question, is the Bible primarily about us, or is it about Jesus and His triumph over sin and death? Let me suggest that the latter is true. So with this series I want to profile the Bible hero, but let Jesus be the real star. Through out this series I hope we can see that our failure, our sin, required more than we could do for ourselves. It required a divine “hero” to rescue us.

I’m hoping that we can relate to the stories of sin and failure in the Bible and see ourselves in the story. Obviously every man in my church can relate to King David, and his sexual temptation and ultimate fall. But as we see ourselves in each of the stories I’m praying that we’ll see that our failures are not final, and that Jesus doesn’t give up on us when we blow it. I’m praying that we’ll see that often Jesus has a plan to rescue us that seems a little crazy, and yet if we trust Him He will indeed save us and set us free.

The last message in this series will be about me (you) as the “Not So Incredible” and how desperately dependant upon Jesus I am (we are) for life, strength, and peace. Some of my thoughts for this sermon series come from what I wrote in Breaking the Silence here’s an excerpt that ties in:

 “After I shared my story publicly, some people expressed that they were totally embarrassed by my revelation. In many cases, their problem wasn’t the pornography so much, but that I chose to be so public about it. I’ve even lost friends over my public confession, and others won’t return my phone calls or e-mails. I received one letter from a lady who expressed her exasperation by saying, “Didn’t you realize that Newsweek goes all over the world!” I immediately wrote back and expressed my sincere appreciation that she would take the time to write. 

After considering what she said regarding her embarrassment and what others have said about being turned off by my story, the thought occurred to me: Shouldn’t the Bible embarrass them too? A not-so-careful reading of the Bible will reveal many “embarrassing” stories: David and Bathsheba, Abraham, Lot and his own daughters, Sampson. All these famous Bible heroes were once villains and failures—and they failed while they were in relationship with God. Why aren’t we embarrassed by their stories? What has happened that they no longer make us blush? Why don’t we just ignore those parts of the Bible and concentrate on the good stuff?”

I would absolutely welcome your thoughts comments, and suggestions on how to go with this series!  Thanks