Life’s Pit Stops
Hebrews 4:12; Matthew 6:5-13; Proverbs 7:1-3
Sermon Outline:
A Little Review from “Being Part of a Good Team”
1. God intends for us to “run this race” together.
2. We must enthusiastically and generously support those who are “running in the lead.”
3. We must all do good works and be productive, contributing members of the team.
4. Don’t get so caught up in running the race of faith that you forget the people around you.
Bible Truths and LIFE Applications
The problem that most of us face as we run this race of life and faith is that we so often try to run on “empty.” We try to make it on our own power, and we forget … or sometimes ignore … the heavenly power that is available for us.
Every believer, every day, should take time for a “pit stop.” This is a quiet, devotional, alone-time with God, when He can teach us, energize us, and prepare us for the day. But what does it take to have a quality quiet time with God?
1. Read … spend some time in God’s Word. (Hebrews 4:12)
• You need the nourishment of this “bead of life.”
• God has revealed Himself in the Word. The way to get to know Him better is by studying it!
• There are many tools available to help you. You can always follow a link on our web site!
2. Pray … talk to God about what is on your heart. And listen to what is on the heart of God. (Matthew 6:5-13)
• Worship – Loving and praising God.
• Confession – Owning up to the sin in your life and seeking God’s cleansing.
• Thanksgiving – Being sure to thank God for what He has already done in your life.
• Asking – Specifically requesting that God meet your specific needs and the needs of others in your life.
• Listening – Truly getting quiet before the Lord.
3. Write … keep a journal of your daily journey with God. (Proverbs 7:1-3)
Why should you keep a faith journal?
• You will be able to see your prayers answered.
• You will be reminded of the faithfulness of God.
• You will be specific in your prayer life.
One Last ACTION STEP
Stop making excuses! Make time for a “Pit Stop” with God … every day!
Sermon Transcript:
Life’s Pit Stops
Hebrews 4:12; Matthew 6:5-13; Proverbs 7:1-3
Opening Comments
This week we return to our ongoing series, “It all comes down to the finish line…” Now, I realize it’s been a couple of weeks since our last “finish line” study … so I want us to review a little bit first. I hope you will recall a little bit of our last message, which focused upon teamwork … how we must work as a team to run this race of life and faith.
(Go over these review statements to reinforce previous learning. Fill in with appropriate reinforcement comments.)
A Little Review from “Being Part of a Good Team”
1. God intends for us to “run this race” together.
2. We must enthusiastically and generously support those who are “running in the lead.”
3. We must all do good works and be productive, contributing members of the team.
4. Don’t get so caught up in running the race of faith that you forget the people around you.
Transition
Now, today we shift to a new topic. I want to talk to you about Life’s Pit Stops. To get you thinking about the race of faith and the “pit stops,” I want you watch a few scenes from Days of Thunder.
Opening Illustration
Begin with a brief montage of funny clips from Days of Thunder. These clips are from early in the career of Cole Trickle … times when he wasn’t doing very well. Include clips from his “pit stops.”
Transition
Running this race of life and faith is often times not an easy thing to do. Life gets tough, doesn’t it? Sometimes it seems to get out of control. And sometimes we get so caught up in running the race that we don’t make any time for “down time.”
We all need a little bit of that, don’t we? After all, our bodies need sleep. Our minds need rest. Sometimes we have to just sit and do nothing. Just to give our brains a break. The older I get, the more I enjoy doing absolutely nothing. Amen? One of the greatest joys in my life these days is sitting on my deck and listening to the birds, the cows, the crickets, and the frogs. I love to just sit and watch the sun go down, and see the fireflies come out. It just energizes me … it recharges my batteries.
The problem is that most of us don’t take much time to recharge our spiritual batteries. We just get caught up in a faith race … we get so busy doing stuff … going to church, serving, doing ministry. And yet, so often, we do it on an “empty tank.” Then, before we know it, we have one of those moments when we crash and burn. And, tragically, some people just fall out of the race altogether. They just quit on their faith, on their church, and on their God.
Friends … we must take time in our lives for God to have His way in preparing us to run this race of faith. We must make time for spiritual “pit stops,” times when we can get quiet before the Lord and let Him fill us up with all that we need for living a faithful life and having an effective ministry. That is what I want us to learn together today. So, let’s get started!
Bible Truths and LIFE Applications
The problem that most of us face as we run this race of life and faith is that we so often try to run on “empty.” We try to make it on our own power, and we forget … or sometimes ignore … the heavenly power that is available for us.
Every believer, every day, should take time for a “pit stop.” This is a quiet, devotional, alone-time with God, when He can teach us, energize us, and prepare us for the day. But what does it take to have a quality quiet time with God?
1. Read … spend some time in God’s Word. (Hebrews 4:12)
Illustration: A Young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. “That depends,” replied the foreman. “let’s see you fell this tree.” The young man stepped forward and skillfully felled a great ree. Impressed, the foreman said, “Start Monday.”
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by, and by Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today.”
Startled the young man replied, “I though you paid on Friday.” “Normally we do,” answered the foreman, “but we’re letting you go today because you have fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you dropped from first place on Monday to last on Wednesday.”
“But I’m a hard worker,” the young man objected. “ I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee breaks!”
The foreman, sensing the boy’s integrity thought for a minute and then asked, “Have you been sharpening you axe?”
The young man replied, “I’ve been working too hard to take the time.”
Contributed by: GUY GLASS to sermoncentral.com
You see, friends, we cannot become so busy chopping away at life that we forget to sharpen our axe. Now, the way you must sharpen your spiritual axe … the way you stay sharp in this race of life … is to spend time in the Word of God.
But why should we spend time in the Word? I’m sure you’ve heard way too many preacher wear this one out. Especially since it seems to be the biggest cure-all that some have to offer. I’ve dealt with preachers who offered Bible reading as their only method of counseling. If you’re having problems in life, then you need to “Read the Bible, go to church, and pray more…” As if going through these religious motions will heap up enough heavenly credits to tip God’s balance in your favor.
Folks, that’s not what Bible study is about. It’s not about what you get just for reading it. It’s about the life that God gives in it. Growth does not come just through eating. Real growth comes from digesting and processing the word. There is nothing that will sharpen you and prepare you for life better than this book. Look at what is says about itself in Hebrews 4:12. Remember these important LIFE Applications about the Word of God.
• You need the nourishment of this “bead of life.”
We should crave God’s Word in the same way that we crave food and water. For really, and truly, we cannot live without it if our hearts are in the Lord Jesus.
• God has revealed Himself in the Word. The way to get to know Him better is by studying it!
There’s no need to guess what God is like, what God feels, or how God thinks. I get absolutely sick of this one phrase, “Well, I believe … such and such.” Und usually what follows is something that is fm somewhere out there, some personal way that they want God to be … so that God will fit them. Folks, we don’t have to guess. We don’t have to listen to a million crazy, “This is what I believe about God …” We have this book. God has revealed Himself in it. Do you want to know the heart of God? Then read His spiritual journal!
• There are many tools available to help you. You can always follow a link on our web site!
Sometimes people are frustrated because they don’t know where to start. There are plenty of tools available. If you need help on a daily “pit stop” with God, just go to our web site and hit the link that looks like this (show Soul Journey) link. It will give you a Scripture passage and a thought to begin with. Then see where God takes it.
But, always, begin your daily “pit stop” by reading, spending some time in, the Word of God.
Transition Illustration
A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer when all of a sudden he said aloud, "Lord grant me one wish". The sky clouded and a booming voice said, "Because you have tried to be faithful I will grant you one wish." The man said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can drive over anytime I want to."
The Lord answered, "Your request is very materialistic. Think of the logistics of that kind of undertaking; the supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific; the concrete and steel it would take. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time to think of another wish, a wish you think would honor and glorify me".
The man thought for a long time and finally said, "Lord, I wish that I could understand women. I want to know what they feel inside, what they are thinking when they give me the silent treatment, why they cry, what they mean when they say ’nothing’, and how I can make a woman truly happy?"
After a few minutes God said, "How many lanes do you want on that bridge?"
Contributed by: Jason Cole to sermoncentral.com
You know, of us do not truly understand or properly utilize the privilege and power of prayer. But it is step number two that you need to take in your daily “pit stop.” You need to …
2. Pray … talk to God about what is on your heart. And listen to what is on the heart of God. (Matthew 6:5-13)
Do you want to know how to pray? Take a good look at the model prayer that Jesus used during his prayer lesson for his disciples. Many people don’t know that the “Lord’s Prayer” is not something that is supposed to be quoted word for word. It’s not! It is an outline … a good model … for how your daily prayer life should be. Just look at these prayer pointers from Jesus. Read Matthew 6:5-13.
Read and comment briefly on each of these specific LIFE Applications.
• Worship – Loving and praising God.
• Confession – Owning up to the sin in your life and seeking God’s cleansing.
• Thanksgiving – Being sure to thank God for what He has already done in your life.
• Asking – Specifically requesting that God meet your specific needs and the needs of others in your life.
• Listening – Truly getting quiet before the Lord.
Let me encourage you to take one more step in your daily “pit stop.” Here is another step that will encourage you in your spiritual growth.
3. Write … keep a journal of your daily journey with God. (Proverbs 7:1-3)
I have found that one of the most effective ways to insure that God’s Word is being written on my heart is by writing what is on my heart down on paper. And it helps me tremendously. I write about the passage that I have studied and the lessons I have learned. I write about the struggles I am having. I write about my victories, about the church. Some of you even have entries in my spiritual journal. But it gives me a simple, practical tool to write down the things that God is teaching me in my life. So …
Why should you keep a faith journal?
• You will be able to see your prayers answered.
As you record your prayer requests, you can reflect back and see where God is answering. But remember … sometimes His answer is not the one you are looking for. I read this week about a teenager who had a very strong conviction about God’s answers to prayers. She said, “God answers prayers in four ways: Yes, no, wait, and you’ve got to be kidding!”
• You will be reminded of the faithfulness of God.
• You will be specific in your prayer life.
Closing Illustration
A gentleman named John Stafford tells about an old well that stood outside the front door of their family farm house in New Hampshire. The water from the well was remarkably pure and cold. No matter how hot the summer or how severe the drought, the well was always a source of refreshment and joy. The faithful old well was a big part of his memories of summer vacations at the farmhouse.
The years passed and eventually the farmhouse was modernized. Wiring brought electric lights, and indoor plumbing brought hot and cold running water. The old well was no longer needed, so it was sealed for use in possible future emergencies.
One summer day, years later, John Stafford had a desire for cold, pure water. He unsealed the well and lowered a bucket for a nostalgic taste of the delightful refreshment he remembered. He was shocked to discover that the well that once had survived the severest droughts was bone dry! He asked local residents why their well had gone dry. He learned that wells of that sort were fed by hundreds of tiny underground rivulets which seep a steady flow of water. As long as the water is drawn out of the well, new water will flow in through the rivulets, keeping them open for more to flow. But when the water stops flowing, the rivulets clog with mud and close up. The well dried up not because it was used too much, but because it wasn’t used enough!
Contributed by: Ray Ellis
Friends, unless we keep the daily flow from God coming, we will dry up. Don’t get so caught up in the race of life that you forget to take a “pit stop” with God each day. Make the time … and God will be faithful.
Challenge and Commitment
1. Quiet Time
2. Salvation
3. Debrief Card and Steps to Take
Worship Through Giving
Missions Video
Review of Announcements and Ministry Opportunities
One Last ACTION STEP
Stop making excuses! Make time for a “Pit Stop” with God … every day!
