How I used it…
Main Point – God paid a price for our freedom

The Story:  There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England
town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty,
bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit.
Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak…

“I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward
me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild
birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, “What
you got there, son?”
“Just some old birds,” came the reply.

“What are you gonna do with them?” I asked.
“Take ‘em home and have fun with ‘em,” he answered. “I’m gonna tease ‘em and
pull out their feathers to make ‘em fight. I’m gonna have a real good time.”

“But you’ll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?”
“Oh, I got some cats,” said the little boy. “They like birds. I’ll take ‘em
to them.”

The pastor was silent for a moment.
“How much do you want for those birds, son?”

“Huh?? !!! Why, you don’t want them birds, mister. They’re just plain old
field birds. They don’t sing. They ain’t even pretty!”
“How much?” the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, “$10?”
The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed
it in the boy’s hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the
cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree
and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly
tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that
explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to
tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from
the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. “Yes, sir, I just
caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew
they couldn’t resist. Got ‘em all!”
“What are you going to do with them?” Jesus asked.

Satan replied, “Oh, I’m gonna have fun! I’m gonna teach them how to marry
and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and
smoke and curse. I’m gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill
each other. I’m really gonna have fun!”
“And what will you do when you get done with them?” Jesus asked.

“Oh, I’ll kill ‘em,” Satan glared proudly.
“How much do you want for them?” Jesus asked.
“Oh, you don’t want those people. They ain’t no good. Why, you’ll take them
and they’ll just hate you. They’ll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You
don’t want those people!!”
“How much? He asked again.
Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, “All your blood, tears and your life.”
Jesus said, “DONE!” Then He paid the price.

©2010 Become A Hero. All Rights Reserved.

Supplies: Candy Bar

How I used it…

Main Point: We need to remove things from our lives in order to get to God’s plan

Illustration: Have a candy bar that a child wants in your hands.  Ask the kids if they like it and who wants it.  Really push it to get the kids on the verge of crazy.  Talk about how awesome the candy bar is.  Then place the candy bar on a table behind you and pick one student (one that you can stop) to try and get by you and grab the candy bar.  Don’t let the student by you at first and explain that you are between the child and the prize.  Obviously, be gentle.  Don’t let it get out of hand.  This object lesson can get out of hand if you pick wrong student.  There are things in our lives that stop us from hearing God and worshiping God.  Eventually let the child get around you and grab the candy bar.  The child’s goal was to get that candy.  In our lives the goal is to worship God, and find out His plan for our lives.  In order to achieve that we need to give some things up.  Examples: tv, anger, friends, video games, hobbies, what ever is blocking us!  Sometimes it isn’t bad things we need to surrender, just things that are stopping us from being with God!

©2010 Become A Hero. All Rights Reserved.

All around us is a world that is hurting.  There are so many people that need saving.  The problem is that so many of us see ourselves as just another person.  How can I save someone?  How can I, one person, make a difference?  That’s where our child like longings kick in, and we think of what a hero is to us – super strong, flying, super powers – Captain America, Mr. Perfect.  This is where our inner child is wrong.  A hero doesn’t need to have any kind of super powers.  A hero is simple one thing – sacrificial.

When we give up our time to help someone, when we give up that coffee to buy someone lunch, when we are there for those in need – these are all heroic acts.  Sacrifice is the one key component to every hero.  It’s one of the reasons one of my favorite shows right now is NBC’s Chuck.  Chuck is just a normal guy, with a normal job, thrown into extraordinary circumstances.  He sacrifices relationships, time, and much more just to help those in need.  It is a character that makes you think you could very easily be put in the same place.  In fact, we are everyday.  If we can just open our eyes, and see those around us that need help, and be willing to make a sacrifice of our time, money, and give of ourselves, each and every one of us can be a hero to some extent.  Let your inner child unleash the hero in you!

The greatest hero of all time isn’t Superman, or the Flash, but Jesus, God’s son.  He loved us so much that he gave his very life – the ultimate sacrifice.  He gave his life to redeem a lost world.  To become a hero we need to be willing to give something up in order to help those in need.  The greatest heroes are willing to dedicate and sometimes even give their lives for others.

©2010 Become A Hero. All Rights Reserved.