What would you consider to be the ULTIMATE RESTORATION?  A 1965 Z/16 Chevelle?  How about a 1962 bubble top Bel Air with a dual quad 409 hp 409 backed by a four speed and a 4.11:1 posi? Maybe a 1969 ZL1 Camaro?  What’s your dream car?  Can’t decide?  Wouldn’t it be great to own a big shop and fill it up with all of your favorite muscle cars? 

          

           Do you really think it’s true that the guy who dies with the most toys wins?  The reality is - You enter this world with nothing and you leave with nothing and the only thing that really matters is the quality of the relationships that you have with people along the way.  The fact is, when you die, somebody else gets your stuff, period.  You know the stories.  Somebody buys a collector car from an estate sale and all he cares about is the deal he got, not the guy who died and left it behind.  Then there’s the person that won’t even consider selling that old car in the garage because, “it was my dad’s car.”  Either way, you can’t take it with you when you go.

          

           Can anyone honestly deny that life is all about relationships and all the stuff we collect just seems to complicate whatever we do along the way?  When we place more value on things than on  people, everything gets messed up.  Doesn’t that ring true when we reflect on the things that clutter up our lives on a daily basis?  What if all the damage to the most important relationship in our life could be restored?  Wouldn’t that be the ULTIMATE RESTORATION? 

          

           Have you ever looked at an old car and thought about its potential?  Have you pictured it in your mind and thought about what you could do with it if it was yours?  Have you ever restored a car into what you perceived it was meant to be?  Have you stripped away the years of decay, replaced the broken parts, and given it new life?  When you climb inside, fire it up, and steer it in the direction that you want it to go, don’t you feel good when people acknowledge what you’ve accomplished?  Isn’t it satisfying to be complemented on the work of your hands?

          

           The truth is – we enjoy what we create because we were made to.  Do you think our creativity is a byproduct of evolution or a reflection of the one who gave us life in HIS own image?   It’s gotta be “fingerprints”.  Just like us – He dreams about our potential and wants us to experience the ULTIMATE RESTORATION that He has planned for us.  He wants to restore our relationship with Him and He is the master craftsman of the perfect plan to do just that. All it takes is faith in His grace and believing the truth about what He accomplished through the life and death and resurrection of a man named Jesus. It’s not about what we have to do (that’s religion), it’s all about what He’s done for us. It’s all about the ULTIMATE RESTORATION - a restored relationship with the one who created us. It’s a free gift from God that we don’t deserve but He offers it to us because He loves us. History can’t deny the reality of the impact Jesus’ life has had on the human race. Who was that guy? A great teacher, liar and lunatic? - Or was he God’s only Son, the living Word of God - in the flesh? Doesn’t it take a lot of faith to believe everything He claimed about himself? Aren’t the odds of everything about Him being true just way too improbable to believe? After all, aren’t we really here just by random chance?

 

           If you put all of the individual elements that are used to create all of the pieces of a 1965 GTO in a parking lot for a million years would you expect it to ever be assembled by nature, by chance, without any creative assistance? Absurd, isn’t it? Yet we are expected to believe that the combination of elements that make up the intricately complex systems in our bodies evolved by chance over time (a long, long, long, long time - of course - to increase the chance from impossible to absolutely improbable) to make up who we are without any consideration of the absolutely staggering odds against the possibility. You’ve literally got a better chance of rolling a Yahtzee with a billion dice and your whole life to roll them. Think about it, how much faith does it take to believe in the THEORY of evolution? How many new things have been created in your lifetime? Take away the creative influence  responsible for the changes you’ve witnessed and where is the evidence for evolution?  How do you express yourself with your creativity?  Isn’t what you create a reflection of who you are?

 

           When you smooth out all the rough spots on a beautiful paint job and buff it to a mirror finish – you can see yourself in your work.  It’s evidence of a job well done. Doesn’t it make sense that God wants to see Himself reflected in you?  Like any restoration, the ULTIMATE RESTORATION is no cheap fix.  The price to restore an old car can get pretty high but we can’t even begin to comprehend the price of restoring our lives or the fact that it was paid in advance, in full, and with  complete understanding of every hidden repair needed.

 

           A proper restoration can’t even begin until it is placed in the hands of someone who is capable of completing the job.  Someone who can see past the surface, beyond the imperfections. Someone who not only recognizes a diamond in the rough but actively transforms every detail to ultimately  turn a dream into reality. The ULTIMATE RESTORATION is reality surpassing the dream. Unbelievable, awesome, priceless, perfection! The only hands qualified when it comes to completing the ULTIMATE RESTORATION are the hands of JESUS, HE alone is worthy enough to say, “It is finished.”

 

           The authenticity of a restoration is unquestioned when compared to the build sheet, hidden within the car when it was created. The build sheet can only be completely understood by comparing it to the information written and preserved by the manufacturer - the creator of the car and the author of all truth pertaining to it. Think about it, the authenticity of the truth that is hidden in our hearts is just as unquestionable when compared to the information that has been preserved by our Creator in the one book  with greater circulation than any other book on the planet - The Bible.  The Bible is unique in the fact that it isn’t really a book at all but a collection of writings, authored by at least 40 different people from all walks of life over a period of time spanning about 1,500 years! The truth within it’s pages bears witness to our hearts - IF WE READ IT!! Don’t put your life in the hands of somebody else’s opinions or experiences. Please be reasonable, question the truth and carefully sift through all of the evidence before you come to a conclusion. Read your owner’s manual and ask your Creator to reveal the truth about who you are and why you’re here and what will happen to you when you die. Your life depends on the one relationship that you CAN take with you when you go.  The fact is, the truth is the truth whether you believe it or not.  Who Jesus is to you will determine who you are to Him. What is the ULTIMATE RESTORATION? You decide.