Enjoy this video as Pastor Kar shows two shoes — a big shoe and a red sneaker — discussing how beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News!
Featured Verses: Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:14-16; Deuteronomy 8:6; 1 Kings 2:3
THE POINT: Joseph hung on during the tough times he went through, and it paid off! As we’ll see today, his faithfulness to God was rewarded, and in turn, he was able to be forgiving toward his brothers as well.

The Hero’s Legacy
The biggest and most successful movies feature a hero we can cheer for. If you pay close attention to these epic movies, you’ll begin to notice a pattern to them. The hero doesn’t just show up and “save the day.” There is usually a journey that the hero must go on before they are ready to be the hero we long for in the story. While each story is different, there are some aspects of this journey that appear in almost every hero story.
Let review for the last time the stages of the Hero’s Journey and how they are reflected in so many of the blockbuster movies and animated films that we love. Look for these stages when you watch movies and films.

Review the Stages in the Hero’s Journey:

• The Hero’s Calling – Some event or person that calls them to some higher purpose for their life.
• The Hero’s Plight – Before our hero can save the day, they always have a setback. It can be a villain, but often it is something within them that holds them back that they need to overcome.
• The Hero’s Test – Next, our hero usually must face some kind of test to determine whether he or she is worthy of being the hero we hope they will be. They must decide if they will be honorable and noble, or if they will cheat or lie or take a short-cut. We cheer when they make the right decision. It makes them worthy of rooting for.
• The Hero’s Trial – After our hero passes the test, there is always a trial that causes them to second-guess whether they made the right choice. They have a chance to cheat up, turn around, or quit. If they are to be a hero, they must pass the trial.
• The Hero’s Hope – Finally, things start to look up for the hero. They meet a mentor, or find a map, or make some friends who join them – something happens that shows them that they are on the right path. There may still be a battle ahead, but they know they will
  win if they press on!
• The Hero’s Triumph – We jump out of our seats and cheer when the hero finally wins! Evil is defeated and the hero saves the day. The victory is sweet because of the tests and trials the hero has been through. Without the hard times, the victory wouldn’t be as enjoyable. It is because of the difficulty that we celebrate the triumph.
• The Hero’s Return – Often, there were those who doubted the hero at the beginning. They spoke words of doubt or disbelief. We love when they are proven wrong. We want them to see what the hero accomplished, and we want the hero vindicated!
• The Hero’s Legacy – The true mark of the hero is when they are remembered. When a hero’s story is told long after they are gone, then they truly were a hero. There are books telling their story, statues erected in their honor, songs sung about them, and little kids dressing up and pretending to be them. They leave a legacy behind them for future generations to be inspired by.

On this FINAL WEEK, we met a new character – also a Prince of Egypt, but not someone you expected! But he was someone that never would have even gotten to play a role in God’s Master Plan if it hadn’t been for Joseph being faithful to God through his Hero’s Journey.

Moses’  was another HERO FOR GOD! He also went through the same stages as Joseph! He was Called as a baby when his mom hid him, and he faced his Plight very early when he went down the Nile and survived alligators (or was it crocodiles?!). He was rescued and raised as a prince but faced his own Test when he saw a Hebrew being attacked, stuck up for his fellow Hebrew, and had to flee! His Trial was in the wilderness for many years until he encountered Hope when God visited him in the burning bush. God then sent him back to Egypt, his Return, to free His people! That whole encounter contained trial after trial, but he was faithful and it resulted in his Triumph and, of course, Moses also has an incredible Legacy. You can see, his Hero Stages are in a slightly different order – but they are there, just like they are in every great Hero Story.

What will YOUR HERO STORY BE?

How can YOU have a HERO STORY?

How can YOU HAVE A LEGACY?

You might be thinking, “But I’m just a kid!” Did you know Jesus was a kid too?

READ: Luke 2:52 (Below)

You can work on growing up just like Jesus had to. Jesus was the ULTIMATE FORMULA for The Hero’s Journey!

He had a Calling! Angels announced his birth! He went through Trials and Tests – tempted by Satan! He was betrayed and killed and even died! But he rose again! How is THAT for a Hero’s Triumph! But here is the best part: Jesus’ RETURN is still coming! And His LEGACY is not only NOW – it will be for all of ETERNITY!

So, what was young Jesus’ “formula” for growing up to be a hero? (READ LUKE 2:52 again)
1) Grow in WISDOM - How do we do that? Read your Bible. Go to church. Learn all you can while you are young about how to live for God. Get smart and wise and practice doing the right thing!
2) Grow in STATURE - Be healthy! Eat well and exercise. Develop good habits. Learn skills. Be the best person you can be so that you are a ‘sharp tool’ in God’s toolbox.
3) Grow in FAVOR with: GOD - Work on your relationship with God. and MAN
Work on your relationships with others. Get along with people. Everyone. Parents, siblings, friends, teachers, classmates, everyone.

READ: Proverbs 22:1 (Below)

Joseph rose in position as a slave and later as a prisoner because he had a good name. He grew in favor with God and with Man, and it led to being a hero for an entire nation. If you want to be a hero, it starts with WHO YOU ARE, not WHAT YOU DO.
Nothing is more valuable than your name and reputation.
But what about the bad things that happened to him? Remember the bad things Joseph’s brothers did?
READ: Proverbs 16:4 (Below)

Remember, Joseph’s brothers intended to hurt him, but God had a plan, and even their bad intentions were part of God’s plan. God didn’t make them do that. Had they been good brothers, God would have still gotten him there somehow, but God worked with the bad for His good.
READ: Psalm 33:11 (Below)

Have you ever used a GPS? You enter a destination, and it tells you the best way to get to where you want to go. It might even suggest a few ways to get there. What happens if you make a wrong turn or an accident blocks the way you need to go? You can exit the highway or make a turn, and what will the GPS say? (Allow kids to respond.) “Rerouting.” That’s right. The GPS will get you there, even if the route has to change. It will reroute as many times as it needs to in order to get you to the destination. It will never say, “Sorry, you keep making wrong turns, I give up. I refuse to give you any more directions. Go home!”
GPS stands for “Global Positioning System” There are a zillion satellites up in space that are keeping track of your location in order to help guide you. God is like a GPS – consider Him a GOD POSITIONING SYSTEM. He always knows where you are. Sometimes you make wrong turns in life. It could result from a sin you commit. It could be a sin someone else commits that changes your plans. It could just be a mistake you make, or a change in plans, or something else unforeseen. But God will “reroute” your Journey as many times as it takes to get you where He wants to get you! But we have a part in it – we need to be trusting and obeying his directions if we are ever to get to the destination!

GOD’S PART:
READ: Philippians 1:6 (Below)

OUR PART:
READ: Hebrews 10:36 (Below)

You are on a Hero’s Journey!
You have a Calling! You will have Plights, and Tests and Trials! Will you persevere? If so, you will Triumph! You will experience the reward of a Return and you will leave a Legacy that will last an eternity too!

 

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