Joshua HitchcockMount Moriah Baptist Church
The Avengers is a film that movie lovers have been waiting for. Ever since Iron Man and Hulk came out, people have been waiting for The Avengers. I went to see the movie with some church members and they suggested I do a sermon series on the avengers. Well, I hate to disappoint them, but I am not going to do that. I mean, I could. I could preach a sermon on anger, talking about the anger problem of the hulk. I could talk about the Pride problem with Iron Man. Black Widow apparently is still living in her past and is trying on her own to wipe out the “red.” Hawkeye traded teams and became a bad guy for part of the movie. Dr. Fury has a problem with obeying authority. Thor thinks he’s “a god.”
Maybe someone can do a sermon series, but I am not. Why are people fascinated with superheros. I think it is because the idea of a superhero resonates with every one of us. Think about the plot of any superhero movie.
There is a threat to human life as we know it. A villain rises on the scene and seeks to destroy humanity. A superhero or group of superheros in this case rises to the occasion, puts themselves in danger, to be the savior of the world, offering the world a life of peace from the disaster wrought by the villain.
They all follow that theme. Whether it’s Spiderman fighting Dr. Octopus. The Hulk saving the world from Abomination, Captain America putting his life in danger to destroy “Red Skull.” Iron Man getting rid of whiplash. You name it. They all follow the same pattern.
Every person likes when the superhero wins. But it’s fiction isn’t it?
Yes and No. There is no guy out there that gets angry and turns into a big green monster that fights bad guys. There’s no overly prideful dude out there with a flying iron suit. That is all fiction.
But the world is threatened by an enemy who seeks to devour humanity, and he is more powerful and poses a greater threat to humanity than any villain in the superhero movies. His name: Satan. His strategy: Blind the world from the truth of the gospel. Deceive the world in thinking that everything is ok, when there is a serious toxic problem eroding the world and causing universal decay. The problem: Sin. Sin is pervasive. It extends to every person to the deepest parts of their soul and heart.
What’s the answer? The world needs a hero to save the day. The Avengers all together wouldn’t be able to win this fight. The world needs a greater superhero. The good news? There is one! He doesn’t wear a cape. He doesn’t have a cave or a cool car. He doesn’t have a sidekick. He hasn’t been affected by gamma radiation. He’s not “a” god, He is “THE” God who entered the world, took on human flesh. He didn’t come to defeat the enemy in a knock down drag out demonstrating his omnipotent powers. Satan tried to get him to do that. Where did this superhero have his victory: Calvary, hanging on a cross. The Superhero: Jesus. When Jesus seemed to be most helpless, that’s when he was most victorious. When Jesus seemed to be defeated, that’s when he put sin to death. On the cross, Jesus actually experienced the worst enemy of those affected by sin. God himself. God would destroy everyone affected by sin. On the cross, Jesus took sin upon the cross and absorbed in entirety the wrath of God of all those who would repent and believe. That’s a superhero.
The world cries out for a superhero. The world has gone terribly bad ever since Satan’s first strike in the garden of Eden. A Superhero has came to the scene and gave Satan and sin a deathblow on the cross. The victory has been one, It is finished.
How are we to respond? Turn from sin, and trust in Jesus. Who would not want the new life Christ can offer? Who doesn’t want to be freed from sin’s firm grasp? Trust in Jesus today.
It’s interesting that we have in our minds a superhero who is a caped or masked warrior who will fight and avenge the threatening powers. In fact, that’s the kind of superhero/savior the world was seeking in Jesus’ day. Jesus was triumphant at the cross. The people then missed it because they were looking for the caped warrior or the masked man to bring a revolution. In stead, it was a seemingly helpless carpenter hanging on a roman cross who saved the world.
Jesus is a hero unlike any the world has ever seen. Will you trust in Him?
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