01 Apr Heroes…why not you? (Hebrews 12:1-3) Part 5
A few weeks ago, we discussed that in everyday language, these verses give us three things to consider:
- Consider them (the Hebrews 11 heroes of the Old Testament)!
- Consider Him (our ultimate Hero…Jesus Christ)!
- Consider yourself (incorporate heroic qualities from their lives into ours)!
Over the last couple of weeks, we also looked at the differences between celebrities and heroes:
1. Celebrities are visible…Heroes are usable.
2. Celebrities are characters…Heroes have character.
3. Celebrities are popular…Heroes are powerful.
4. Celebrities speak of change…Heroes usher in change.
We also began to look at a true Bible hero…Joseph. We then began to “mine”
Some “Jewels from Joseph”:
Jewel #1…The greater the dream, the greater the opposition (Gen. 37:5).
Jewel #2…Those who don’t have your dream won’t have your reaction (Gen. 37:5).
Jewel #3…Learn to recognize the hand of God on people (Gen. 39:3-4).
This week, let’s continue:
Jewel #4…Fight to keep yourself morally pure (Gen. 39:7-9).
Here the Bible tells us, “And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and she said, “Lie with me”, but he refused and said unto his master’s wife, “Behold, my master wotteth not what is with me and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand. There is none greater in this house than I, neither hath he kept back anything from me, but thee, because thou art his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”
Day after day Joseph was tempted (some say for months), but Joseph fought to keep himself morally pure. Let me make something very clear. I am not talking about your “yesterday”…you can’t change your past! You can’t live your life out of a rearview mirror and expect to get where you are supposed to go! God has given you two gifts to change your “tomorrow”…your “today” and your choices. Forget your past and choose wisely today! However, if we are ever to be considered heroic…at some point we must be consistently morally pure!
Approximately 25 years ago I was on my way to Tulsa from Knoxville to ask Anne to marry me. I had a lovely engagement ring in my right pocket (do you know how many crackerjack boxes I had to go through to find her ring…needless to say, my hands were sticky!). This was it…I was going to ask for Anne’s hand in marriage! On the flight over, I sat down next to a young lady who was initially quite friendly. The more we talked, the friendlier she got. She became increasingly suggestive until finally she let me clearly know (in a manner in which I would be embarrassed to share publicly) that should I desire, I could “have my way with her”. Needless to say, I was quite taken aback as I was not used to this type of forward invitation. Those of you who know what I look like can attest…when you look like me, you don’t get many of those types of invitations!
Now I wish I could tell you that with a clarion voice I spouted out a powerful scripture or some profound verbiage like, “Thou foul hussie, I rebuke thee!” or “Thou foul offspring of Britney Spears, get thee behind me!” However, all that came out of my mouth at the time was, “Oh look, a terrorist!” Now remember, this was 24 years ago before terrorism was “fashionable”. As a result, this completely changed the conversation and by the end of the flight I was holding hands with her…praying for her husband!
I am convinced that this was the devil’s last ditch attempt to sabotage Anne’s and my relationship and future ministry, and had I succumbed to the temptation I don’t believe I would be a pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in the Nashville area! Remember this…holiness is simply living outwardly who you already are inwardly!
Next week we will continue our series, “Heroes…Why Not You!”