**Sermon Outline**
Start Your Engines …
Galatians 1:11-2:2
A Little Review (From Week 1 - Who Is Your Sponsor?)
1. This race of life has a finish line.
2. Sometimes you need a little help to run the race.
3. You are already on the winning team!
4. Does the world know who your “sponsor” is?
Bible Truths
As you get ready to run life’s race with Jesus, certain preparations need to be made:
1. You must first have a personal encounter with Jesus. (vv. 11-12)
2. You must change some of your behaviors. (vv. 13-14)
3. You must seek a unique ministry of service that God is calling you to. (vv. 15-17a)
4. You must spend personal, quiet, devotional time in preparation for this race. (vv. 17b-18a)
5. You must seek the counsel of other experienced “racers.” (vv. 18b-19)
6. You must start your engines, and RUN THE RACE! (vv. 21-24)
**Message Plan and Transcript**
Start Your Engines …
Galatians 1:11-2:2
“Igniter” Video
Show video clip from “Days of Thunder,” when the car designer seeks to build the “perfect” car.
Transition
There’s a bit more to racing than I really ever thought about. It’s not like you can run down to the corner car lot and pick you up a competitive stock car. A racing stock car has to be envisioned, designed, and built. It has to be assembled and maintained properly. Without hours and hours of work and preparation, done by dozens of people you really never see, a race car will never even hear these words, “Start your engines...,” much less cross the starting line.
And that’s what we’re going to learn about today … preparation. Getting to the point in our lives, in our walks with Christ, and in our personal ministries where we are ready to “start our engines.”
But before we get too far along, let’s have a little review from last week…
A Little Review
1. This race of life has a finish line.
2. Sometimes you need a little help to run the race.
3. You are already on the winning team!
4. Does the world know who your “sponsor” is?
Now, as we get ready to learn more about running this race called life, we’re going to look at the life of a man named Paul. Now, in his younger days, the Apostle Paul was known as Saul. He was a very educated and very dedicated Jew. He was also born a Roman citizen. As a young man, he fought hard against the growing movement that was known as “The Way,” what we call today Christianity. He worked under the guidance of the Jewish leadership to travel throughout the Roman world, hunting down Jewish Christians and hauling them into Jewish courts. He was vvery thorough in his work, and was surely feared by all Jews who had converted to the Christian faith.
Then, one day, Paul had what is known as the “Damascus Road” experience. Listen to these events in Acts 9:1-19. You see, Jesus intervened in the life of Saul, in an incredible, supernatural way. He blinded him along that road t Damascus. And the man who was once the great Christian hunter became the greatest apostle, theologian, church planter, and hero of the faith that we have ever known.
What’s interesting, though is that Paul didn’t just wake up the next day and get right to work as a faithful Christian leader. He took some time, first. He made some preparations.
You see, before he jumped right into the race of the Christian life, he had to take care of a few things first. He could not just jump right into the front seat of a new Christian life and take off into the race of faith. He had to get ready first.
Friends, I believe there are some important life-lessons that we can learn from his example as we seek to faithfully run this race that we know as the Christian life. Look with me at these words of Paul in Galatians 1:11 – 2:2.
Bible Truths
As you get ready to run life’s race with Jesus, certain preparations need to be made:
1. You must first have a personal encounter with Jesus. (vv. 11-12)
Illustration: Salvation testimony of a believer at Crossroads Fellowship.
Name__________________________________
You see, what happened to ______________ is similar to what happened to Paul. He had a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. And that changed everything! That was his real beginning in running this race that we call life.
You see, friends, one of the biggest mistakes that so many people make is that they try to run a lifetime race without Jesus. Oh. They might have some religion. They went to Sunday School or Vacation Bible School when they were nine years old and got what they thought was their “Jesus shot” to inoculate them for the rest of their lives. But our churches are full of people who have never had a personal, life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.
Maybe you’re one of those people … right here in this room today. Friend, before you take another step into the future, you need to make sure that you are taking it with Jesus Christ.
Present Gospel – prayer of salvation.
Now, once you have made a personal commitment to Christ, there are still more steps of preparation that you need to take. In fact, this is the spot where a lot of people who try to follow Jesus get caught up.
2. You must change some of your behaviors. (vv. 13-14)
Illustration: Let me ask you a personal question. How man of you are wearing diapers right now? Don’t answer that! How many of you still go to bed with a bottle at night? How many of you still have a bit of potty training to do?
Picture Illustration: You see, the natural progression of growth involves changed behaviors. (Show baby pictures of self…) This was Geoff Baggett. This was Geoff Baggett. And this was Geoff Baggett. But Geoff Baggett is not like any of these anymore. I have changed. I have grown. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t grown quite so much in some areas (pat belly), but I have grown over time.
This same type of progression and growth occurs in your mental life, in your emotional life, and in your spiritual life … or at least it should.
You see, Paul changed his behaviors in a major sort of way, didn’t he? He quit his Christian-hunting on the weekends! He changed his zealousness for the law into a zealousness for Jesus, and God used him to change the world!
Now, let’s make it personal. Some of us in this room have some behaviors that we need to change. We have habits that harm the temple of God. We have problems controlling our tongues. Or maybe we just have bad attitudes. Whatever behavior you need to change, I’m sure that god has already revealed it to you. It’s that thing that you feel ashamed of, or carry around that guilt over. Stop pretending like your old self. You are an new creature in Christ Jesus, so act like it! Change what needs changing!
3. You must seek a unique ministry of service that God is calling you to. (vv. 15-17a)
Paul did that. He looked back over the tapestry of his life, at all of his experiences, his desires, and his giftedness … and he saw one thing. God was calling him out to be His missionary to the Gentiles. He didn’t have to get any authorization for it. He didn’t have to be recognized and authorized by any committee. God had called him to serve, and he sought out that service.
And that’s how we operate here at Crossroads Fellowship. We want to enable and equip you to recognize and discover your place of ministry in this church … then we release you to do it! I don’t try to micromanage everything going on. In fact, I’m often times the last to know.
Illustration: Scott and Christy Hill just joined our church about two months ago. Then one Sunday I didn’t see them. And after three Sundays of not seeing them, I thought I’d better give them a call. I got Scott on the phone and I said, “Scott, man, are you guys okay? Everything all right? I haven’t seen you for a while.” And Scott goes, “Geoff, we’re serving in the Crossroads Critters Preschool now … we have the t-shirts and everything!” All I could say was “Thank you,” and “Praise the Lord!”
Man, that’s what I like to hear. People coming on board with our fellowship and seeking out a place to serve. And that’s what we expect from every one of our members.
So, people of Crossroads … what about you? Have you found the ministry that God is calling you to? Or are you just occupying space? We’ve got too much to do in this Kingdom. Let me encourage you, find your place to serve.
Transition Illustration: Race car drivers, like most athletes, have their routines. They have their ways to get ready for a race. There is physical conditioning. And there is mental conditioning. Most of them have their routines. They eat a certain meal. And I’ve heard that some of them have to find a quiet spot and just get ready … get psyched up and prepared to drive. I guess you can’t just run in from the parking lot, throw on some overalls, and jump behind the wheel of a NASCAR stock car. You have to prepare.
The same goes for us. People, serving Jesus is a vitally important task. It’s not one to be taken lightly. You see, when we serve the Lord, we are doing spiritual battle. There are eternal life, heaven and hell, decisions in the balance. And so, to do spiritual battle, we must prepare spiritually.
4. You must spend personal, quiet, devotional time in preparation for this race. (vv. 17b-18a)
That’s what Paul did after he met Jesus. And most people don’t realize that. Most of us think that Saul, now Paul, just jumped right into the work. He went from Christian hunter to faithful apostle in twenty-four hours. The next week he started writing the letters of the New Testament. But did it really happen that way? No!
Paul didn’t go running off to Jerusalem and fall into service alongside the apostles like Peter and John. First he went off to Arabia (like Saudi Arabia and that area). We don’t really know how long he stayed there. But after that time he returned to Damascus. Then, after three years he went up to Jerusalem to hook up with Peter and the others.
So, for at least three years, and probably more, Paul was “off of the Christian radar.” Why? What was going on all of that time? What was he doing for all of those years?
He was getting to know his Savior … that’s what he was doing. He was learning about his Lord. He was being discipled in the faith and trained for the ministry. But it took years of personal, devotional, quiet preparation with Jesus.
How much time do you give to your Lord? How many of you have ever given Him a week, much less three years? Friends, we are part of a spiritual task … a spiritual race. And we cannot run it unprepared. We must take the time, in advance, to get ready by spending time with Jesus.
Transition Illustration: I remember those days when I sensed that God was calling me out of my life and into a life of ministry. He wanted me to get into this race full-time. But I fought it. I always said, “I will never trust a church to take care of my family. I have seen what churches do to their pastors.” And the tragic part of that was that I was, for the most part, right. It is a travesty before a holy God what most churches in these United States of America do to their pastors and their families. I just praise God that this church is radically different, and I know it always will be.
But, anyway, as I struggled with the decision, I didn’t know what to do. I had a great job, even though I hated it. I had a big, expensive house in the suburbs. I had new cars and cable TV. But I knew that God was calling me to something different. So I went and talked to my pastor. I laid my struggle out for him, and he told me this. He said, “Geoff, you will never be complete, you will never be fulfilled, and you will always be miserable until you answer the call of God. You need to follow God in faith, and He will take care of your family.” And he was right. And I answered that call. And life has been crazy, wild, and wonderful ever since. That action I took when I talked to my pastor reveals another important Bible truth that is illustrated in the life of Paul. To run this race of faith wisely …
5. You must seek the counsel of other experienced “racers.” (vv. 18b-19)
Paul met Jesus on that road, face to face. But he knew that he didn’t have all of the answers. He was not about to be a lone ranger Christian. He went to Jerusalem and met Peter, and stayed with him for fifteen days. Can you imagine what that must have been like? In my mind I see this as fellowship between two of the most singularly focused, strong-willed, outspoken men who have ever walked on this planet. And they were brothers in Christ Jesus!
Then Paul made a very special visit to James, the brother of Jesus. Just imagine what that meeting must have been like. Can’t you just hear it? Paul saying, “James, I have changed. I am now a follower of your brother. I am a changed believer.” And then James might have said, “Oh, yes, that is so wonderful … I wish you could have met my brother.” Then Paul would have said, “Oh, but I did … I ran into him on my way to Damascus a few years ago!”
Before starting his personal ministry, Paul first went and sat down with other experienced believers. He sought their wisdom and their counsel. And his ministry was, undoubtedly, more effective because of it.
Closing Illustration:
Finally, friends, after you’ve had this personal encounter with Jesus, after you have changed some of your behaviors, after you have discerned a place of personal ministry, after you have learned to invest in personal time with Jesus, and after you have sought the wise counsel of other believers, there is one more important step to take …
6. You must start your engines, and RUN THE RACE! (vv. 21-24, 2:1-2a)
Paul was anything but a secret Christian. The word was out! “He was once the one who persecuted believers, but now he is one of us!” And the people praised God because of the one who had once hunted them! Now, that’s a testimony, isn’t it? That’s the power of a changed life. That’s the power of a life of ministry.
Where are you in this race … today? Are you even in it? The sad fact around the church today is that most Christians still have their cars parked in a shed somewhere. They’re not even in the race of faith. They just show up on Sundays to sit and cheer in the stands.
Well, that’s not going to work around here. Every member of this church is going to be mobilized to ministry. If you refuse, then you are walking outside the will of God and you are outside of the covenant of the church. I’m not going to beg you … I’m going to challenge you. I’m going to tell you. One day I am going to have to stand before God and personally account for each and every one of you who are members of this church. And I don’t plan on making excuses for any slackers. Amen!?
It’s time for every one of us to get to work. It’s time for you to get your race care out of the shed, polish up that Jesus sponsorship, and start your engines…
Prayer and Challenge
“Discovering My Ministry” – Commitment and Explanation
Ministry “Resume”
LIFE APPLICATIONS
Short-Term Applications:
1. Who is your “sponsor?” Are you really serving God, or are you still serving yourself?
2. Search your life and identify the behaviors that do not bring glory to God.
3. Eliminate those behaviors.
4. How’s your quiet time? Do you spend personal time with God? Try making a daily “appointment” with Him.
Long-Term Applications
1. Are you in the race? Have you identified your place of ministry?
2. You have to start somewhere … you must find your own starting line. If you’re not sure where God is calling you to serve, try serving somewhere!
3. Get in the race! We need every team member to run this race of faith with success!
