Restored

In the week leading up to His death, the crowds greeted Jesus as the coming King to overthrow Roman oppression. But, He had taught previously about His kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven, as we see in Matthew 10:
7 And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Jesus, and John the Baptist before Him, proclaimed the coming of a spiritual kingdom - Jesus was not coming to rule through political governments, but through spiritual power and principles. Now, we could stand to see more of His Kingdom principles injected into our political system, for sure, but the advancement of His Kingdom is predicated on changed hearts, bringing an awareness and proclamation of His presence, and expressing His authority over spiritual forces. 

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The apostle Paul shared a piece of his testimony in the first chapter of the book of 1st Timothy, writing:
12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,
13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.
17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Typically, there are numerous sports offerings on a Sunday afternoon, and on Easter Sunday, if one chose not to watch the Masters on CBS or a game from the fledgling XFL, you may have come across something unique on the FS1 network.  It was the Bristol Motor Speedway Easter Celebration, which preceded the latest NASCAR race, the dirt race at Bristol.

I tuned in shortly before drivers Aric Almirola and Ricky Stenhouse, along with his wife, appeared on the outdoor stage.  Then, it was Phil Wickham leading worship, followed by a message from Tim Tebow.

I have always liked Tim Tebow, but admittedly, had never heard him speak. The last time he was in Montgomery, it was a Q&A format with Jeff Shearer, then of WSFA.  Tebow instantly made the NASCAR connection, telling the story of his interaction with Richard Petty.  The Johnson City Press shared this description:

Tebow, the sports icon and evangelist, opened with a personal story of how seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty heard the story of how Tebow, as a college student at the University of Florida, had an old beat-up Ford Thunderbird. Unbeknownst to Tebow, the NASCAR legend had the car picked up and brought back to the race shops in North Carolina.

He brought Tebow to the shop where Petty surprised him with a car that had not only been restored, but was in better shape than ever before. He compared it to when a person accepts Christ into to their life.

The article quotes Tebow as saying, “The King of NASCAR did something for me that I couldn’t do myself,” Tebow said. “That car was on its way to destruction. We’re also on the way to destruction because of sin, but the gift of life is eternal through Jesus. God did something for us that we couldn’t do for ourselves.”

Following the service, Tebow said, “I’ve been telling that story about Mr. Petty many times, how his kindness impacted me,” adding, “He was just so awesome and to be share that here with a fan base that loves him so much. It was such a unique perspective of what he did.” And, regarding the event itself, the former Heisman Trophy winner and television host said, “It’s exciting to celebrate Easter in a way that so many people are involved...Sports have always been so big in my life, but we have to remember the greatest thing we get to do is not win or score. It’s to celebrate Jesus and to be able to do it with some of these amazing friends we have.”

There's actually more to the story - the Tim Tebow Foundation planned to auction the car off in order to raise money.  A Christian Post article from 2013 reported:

The '95 Thunderbird was brought into Petty's car restoration shop rusty and covered in cat prints, according to Tim Tebow Foundation Executive Director Erik Dellenback, as reported by Sporting News.

"We're excited because obviously the legendary status of Richard Petty is a great tie to us," Dellenback said. "Originally our goal was just to auction it off and as we started seeing what this was going to look like and the interest of people wanting to see it, we decided to use it for a year on promotional tour. … The dollars we can raise off that could literally affect thousands of children."

Richard Petty's charity, Petty's Garage, also used the car in some of its fundraising events, according to the article, which said:

When the car was given to the foundation and Petty's crew it had "lots of notes – from phone numbers of scouts to notes likely just left on Tebow's car while on the Florida campus."

"It was not your typical college football player's car by no means," Petty's Garage CEO Jeff Whaley said. "We found a list (of numbers) of when he was being courted to go to school, but there were no beer can lids, no cigarette ashes."

Sure enough!  I would not have expected anything different.  What a tremendous model of faith in Christ.  And, Tim Tebow was bold enough to go on national television on Easter Sunday and boldly proclaim who he is in Christ.  We can examine our own "boldness meter" and ask the Holy Spirit to give us the willingness to share and the words to speak.

Tim Tebow was given a gift - a refurbished car.  It's been reported that he paid $500 for it in college. That car was transformed by Richard Petty and his team.  Rather than keep it, Tim Tebow decided to sell it and use the proceeds for his charity.  Petty also used the car in his charity.  That's a pretty good investment for a comparative mustard seed of money to buy a car for a college student.  God will use what we surrender to Him for His glory. 

And, we recognize who the true King is and what he's done for us.  Tim Tebow used the analogy to encourage attendees at and viewers of the Bristol event to talk about the King who has transformed our lives. We can be saved through a relationship with Jesus Christ, the One who did for us what we could not do for ourselves.