Hammers of Justice

We’re onto our second superhero already. And let me tell you, tonight’s superhero is a good one. But first, you guys were talking today about this guy named Caleb. Caleb and some other people went to go scout out the promised land, the land that God had given them to live in. Have any of you guys ever gone exploring outside? Maybe you’ve gone exploring in the woods before. I know that when I was a kid, I loved to explore and find cool stuff outside. It was awesome to get to go into the woods and find something new, someplace where no one lived. I could build a little fort, discover creeks and streams and get my feet wet, create a new trail, find a walking stick, find wild berries to eat, and the best part: I could pee wherever I wanted to. Any tree I could see was my urinal. Maybe you guys have gone exploring before like this. This campground has some cool trails to explore, but don’t go down them without Ms. Laura’s approval, otherwise I’ll get in a lot of trouble and you might never see me again.

Anyway, Caleb and some other scouts go out to explore some new land, the land that God promised them. But there was one problem. Do you guys remember what the issue was with the promised land? Right, there were giants living in the land! It was like exploring in the woods, and then you realize that you made it to someone else’s property or like trying to explore through your neighbor’s yard. What would your parents do if they saw you going onto someone else’s property? They would definitely not be happy! The other 10 spies were afraid and came back and told all Israel how they could never overpower those people in the land. But Caleb and his friend Joshua told the people how God could and would help them defeat the giants. God was not happy that Israel was afraid to enter the promised land and that they were angry at Caleb and Joshua, so he made them wander in the desert for another 40 years. But Caleb and Joshua were told that they would enter the promised land as old men.

Let’s think about what happened here with Caleb. Caleb knew the truth. He was determined and nothing would get him to believe that God would not help them. You know, I know of an awesome superhero just like Caleb who never lets other people change his beliefs. He is one of my all-time favorite superheroes. He’s dark. He’s brooding. Some people call him the caped crusader. Some people call him the dark knight. Of course, I’m talking about none other than the Batman. Batman is one of the most awesome heroes ever and I’ll tell you why. To really understand Batman, though, we need to understand his origin story and what makes him Batman. Can anyone give me a QUICK version of Batman’s origin story? Right, so Bruce Wayne was 8 years old and he was the son of Thomas and Martha Wayne. He was rich. And by rich, I mean SUPER rich, like a billionaire. One night, Bruce and his parents went to the movies to see the newest superhero movie. As the family was walking out that night, they were walking back to their car, when suddenly, a man appeared from the shadows demanding Thomas’ wallet. Thomas gave him the money, but the man also went to take Martha’s beautiful pearl necklace. Suddenly, the man shot both Thomas and Martha, leaving young Bruce an orphan. 8-year-old Bruce Wayne now had no parents, but he was left with something else. He became determined that no matter what, his parents would be avenged and that no 8-year-old would lose their parents like he did. Bruce spent years training his mind and his body. He became incredibly smart, strong, and agile. He made sure his body and mind were at their prime. He spent years training with the best martial arts teachers alive, mastering virtually all forms of hand-to-hand combat. Bruce Wayne could defeat any criminal, but he was just missing one thing. He needed to be able to strike fear into the criminals. If they were afraid of him, then they would be less likely to do evil. A bat flew through Bruce Wayne’s window, and suddenly he knew. He would become the Batman to terrify the criminals, stalking them in the night and making them think that he was always watching them through the shadows. Actually, while I was writing this sermon, a bat flew into the room I was working in and I knew that Batman was the perfect choice for today. But through everything, Batman would never kill them. There was always another way besides killing. Through the years, many villains have tried to terrorize Gotham city, like the Joker, Bane, the Riddler, and the Penguin. But Batman always found a way to prevail.

But Batman is not just some guy who decides to dress up like a bat and beat up criminals. What makes Batman so cool is how determined he is to do good. He never stops trying. Batman takes a lot of beatings, but the defining characteristic of Batman is that he always gets back up. There is an awesome scene in the Dark Knight Rises where one of Batman’s greatest villains, Bane, traps Batman and has a fistfight with Batman. Bane is a supervillain who is dangerous because he has super-strength, but he’s also really fats and he has martial arts training. Anyway, Batman and Bane fight and Batman loses. Bane breaks his cowl, lifts him up, and slams him onto his knee, breaking Batman’s back. Bane sends Batman to his old prison and forces Batman to watch as Bane takes over Gotham city. Batman’s back is broken, and for most people, that would be the end for them. Most people wouldn’t recover from that. But not for Batman. He was determined to not let his city fall into the hands of Bane, so he got his back fixed and trained and trained to be able to escape the prison. Batman came back to Gotham with a vengeance, determined to stop Bane at all costs. Batman gathered the police in the city and took on Bane and his army. Batman saved the city once again, giving up his life to stop Bane and the bomb he planned to use. Batman hasn’t let anything stop him from protecting the city he loves. Batman is a unique hero that we are talking about this week. Of all the superheroes we will talk about this week, Batman is the only one without super powers. He doesn’t have super strength, super speed, or invulnerability. He can’t breathe underwater or create things with his head. He doesn’t have heat vision or freeze breath. He’s just a guy who is really rich and hates bad guys. But Batman doesn’t let that stop him. Because no matter how many times he gets knocked down, he always finds a way to get back up again. Batman’s defining trait is how determined he is to his mission to protect his city. I have this pickle jar here. The lid is on super tight though so I don’t know if I’ll be able to open it. Let me see… got it, got it, nope.

There’s another really cool Bible hero who I think we should talk about. He is Caleb’s friend Joshua, the other good spy. After those 40 years wandering in the dessert, the people of Israel finally came into the promised land. Everyone else has died except Joshua and Caleb. Now the children of the Israelites are coming into the promised land, and they need a leader because Moses had died. Well, before Moses died, he made Joshua the leader of the people of Israel. He would have to go and fight against those giants we heard about earlier and he would have to make sure that the people stayed faithful to God. It was a lot for one person to bear. For anyone in a situation like this, it would be normal to be afraid. To lead a people into battle and to be their main leader before God was something that not even Moses had to do. You know what, Joshua was afraid too. But God was there to help Joshua. He tells Joshua exactly what he needed to do to lead the people and he also told him that God would help him lead the people. And three times, God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous and to not be afraid. You see, Joshua had a big task ahead of him. God knew that, and he encouraged Joshua to not be afraid, but to be courageous, bold, and brave. Joshua would have to fight the evil giants that Caleb saw and to defeat all the other people in the promised land. Joshua probably was afraid. That’s why God told him to not be afraid because he’s got Joshua’s back. God had Joshua’s back, but God needed Joshua to be committed to being the leader that Israel needed. Like how committed Batman is to protecting Gotham city, Joshua had to be committed to lead the people of Israel.

It’s like taking this pickle jar and being determined to persevere to get this lid off. You’ve gotta keep trying to get the lid off or you’ll never get the pickles inside!

So we’ve looked at Caleb, We’ve looked at Batman, and we’ve looked at Joshua. So how determined are you? Do you really want to do what God wants you to? Even when you get knocked down – at school, at home, wherever you’re at – will you get back up? The same words that God said to Joshua he is now saying to each one of you today: do not be afraid, I’ve got you. Be strong and courageous and be not just willing to do what I want you to do but do it with all your heart. Paul writes elsewhere that whatever you do, whether with your words or with action, do it all for the glory of God. In other words, everything you do, do it for God. Like Batman, we need to be completely committed to our mission. Batman’s mission is justice, to stop evil and protect the little guy. Our mission is not too different, to love God with all we’ve got and to love other people with all we’ve got. It’s like that pickle jar that is sometimes really hard to get off. You can’t quit on trying to get it open just because it gets hard. You need to keep trying. And sometimes, the pickle jar is too hard to get open. When it’s too hard though, you can count on your mom or dad to get it open. Likewise, when life gets too hard and you just feel like giving up, keep on persevering and let God help you get your pickle jar open. God’s got you.