We Believe Series

INTRODUCTION

• TEAM HOYT VIDEO CLIP

• SLIDE #1

• Team Hoyt consists of a father-son squad: Dick and Rick. They race. They race a lot. Sixty-four marathons. Two hundred and six triathlons. Six triathlons at Ironman distance. Two hundred and four 10K runs. Since 1975, they’ve crossed nearly a thousand finish lines. They’ve even crossed the USA. It took them forty-five days to run and pedal 3,735 miles, but they did it.

• The Hoyt’s love to race, but as you could see, only the father Dick is able to run, swim, and bike. Dick’s son Rick’s legs do not work and he is not able to speak.

• Rick was born in 1962 a victim of CP resulting from the umbilical cord being wrapped around his neck cutting off the oxygen to his brain for too long a time.

• Doctors gave no hope for Rick’s development, but his parents refused to believe it.

• They knew Rick could think even though he could not walk or talk.

• Rick graduated both High School and College!

• Rick wanted to run and at age 15 he asked his father if they could enter a 5-mile benefit race.

• Dick was not a runner, but he was a father, so he loaded his son in a three-wheeled wheelchair, and off they went. They haven’t stopped since.

• It seems obvious to all that young Rick Hoyt relies on his dad to do it all: lift him, push him, pedal him, and tow him. Other than a willing heart, he makes no contribution to the effort. Rick depends entirely on the strength of his dad.

• Do you know that is exactly what God wants you to do?

• In our next step of deciphering the Rosetta Stone of the Bible, we see that God tells us:

• John 3:16 ( ESV ) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

• Rick wanted to run, but he could not, he needed someone to run for him.

• Rick was willing but unable; he needed someone who was willing and ABLE.

• SLIDE #2

• If we want to go to heaven, we need to realize that we cannot do it alone, we need someone to carry us over the finish line. Rick has to believe in and trust his father to get him to the finish line.

• Our job is to believe. God loves, God Gave, We believe!

• We are to believe in HIM!

• The phrase “believes in him” doesn’t digest well in our day of self-sufficient spiritual food. “Believe in yourself” is the common menu selection of our day. Try harder. Work longer. Dig deeper. Self-reliance is our goal.

• This is difficult for many today because we want to show tolerance to all roads to God. Don’t all paths lead to heaven?

• Let’s begin by first understanding that you cannot save you.

• SLIDE #3

SERMON

I. YOU CAN’T SAVE YOU.

• This goes back to trying to earn God’s love by doing things. Rick Hoyt wants to run, swim and bike, but he is and never will be able to do that, we are in the same boat when it comes to trying to get to heaven on our own, or trying to save ourselves.

• Can you imagine what would happen if Rick’s father said he was not going to participate any longer and then took Rick and dropped him off at the starting block?

• Rick would not get too far because he cannot race by himself.

• Too many of us try to save ourselves and we fail to realize we are never able to do that, NEVER!

• Rick cannot carry himself across the finish line but his father can.

• You cannot cross the finish line with by your good deeds, by being smart enough, good looking enough or slick enough.

• SLIDE #4

• Romans 4:5 ( ESV ) And to the one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

• Paul is telling us that we cannot do it ourselves, but IF we trust the one who justifies, our faith will be counted as righteous!

• If we could justify or declare ourselves righteous, then Jesus would not have had to die on the cross.

• Rick has to trust in his father in order to be able to race, Dick does all the work, as a matter of fact, Rick causes his father MORE work.

• Our sin caused Jesus to have to go to the cross so we could be saved. Without Jesus, we never even get into the race.