A Lesson in Auto Mechanics and a Sin Illustration

[Tim Speaks]

I'm not good at decorating cakes...but I like to work on cars.

Recently while working on a friend's car, I was reminded of God's faithfulness.

But first, a lesson on brakes. Generally, this is how the brakes on your car work.

When you press the brake pedal, you are squeezing two pads against a metal disc (rotor) that is connected to each wheel of your car. You slow the rotor, the rotor slows the wheel. The harder you press the brake pedal, the tighter the pads squeeze against the rotors, and the faster you stop.

Here is a picture of what new brake rotors are brake pads look like. The brake pads have a thick pad of material that does the work against the rotor.

Each time you use your brakes, a little bit of the pad is worn away. Eventually, the pads need to be changed. Here is a picture of a set of completely spent brake pads next to a set of new brake pads.

When everything is working correctly, you hear nothing and your car stops. By design, most brake pads have a built in warning device. There is a small piece of metal built into the pads that rubs against the rotor when the pads get thin. This usually makes a terrible metal screeching sound. When you hear the warning sound, it is time to get new brake pads. At this point, the cost is relatively small. New pads are cheap compared to the alternative.

If you do not respond to the warning sound, the pads will begin to damage the rotors. Metal grinds on metal, the noise gets worse, and the rotors get eaten away. The repair bill increases as the warning signs are ignored.

If still left unattended, the rotors will fail, and eventually, your car will not stop when you need it to. Here is a picture of a badly damaged rotor, and the completely spent set of brake pads. Notice that the disc is completely separated from the rotor. The pads actually cut the disc off the rotor. The brakes in this case were stopping the disc but it was no longer connected to the wheel.

Now for the sin illustration.

These brakes for me are an allegory to what happens to us with sin. At the beginning, when we are temped in sin, our conscience gives us warning that there is something wrong (the screeching metal). We know the wrong because the Law has been written on our hearts [Rom 2:15] (warning device built in).

If we do not heed the warning and repent (change our brake pads), sin will do its damage and lead to certain death (disc falling off the rotor).

Now, this allegory can be taken to its extreme where Jesus (the great mechanic) restores us from sin (does a complete brake job), but it starts to break down on several levels, so I will not take it that far.

My challenge to you:

Is sin screeching in your life? The time for repentance is now. Jesus has already paid your repair bill... (sorry, I had to throw in one last allegory example)

And if by chance, if it's the brakes on your car that are really screeching, give me a call. I can help.