In business, school, athletics, you name it – those who succeed are those who discipline themselves to perform the tasks that are necessary for success. And the same is true in our spiritual lives. Although we celebrate the fact that our salvation is not something we can earn – it’s important for us to realize that maturity in Christ ONLY comes through the same route that success comes in any other area – and that’s through discipline!
With this idea in mind, Paul writes the following words to his friends in the church in Corinth. As I read, try and identify the things Paul instructs us to do if we are to be successful in the most important aspect of our lives – the spiritual.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)
24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
What is the prize anyway? When Paul was talking he was most likely referring to the Ishthmian Games, which happened every 2 years in Corinth. The prizes for winning the games was a coveted crown of fir branches. As Paul says, this crown is only temporary – but followers of Christ are promised rewards that are eternal IF you run the race of your life the proper way.
Just to make sure we’re on the same page – there are two judgements coming at the end of time. 1 is called the Great White Throne judgment (Rev. 20). It is the time when all people whose names are not written in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire. Following that judgment is a 2nd judgment for all who survived the first. It’s known as the Judgment Seat of Christ or the Bema Judgment (referred to in 1 Cor 3 and 2 Cor 5). This judgment is a rewards judgment, where those who have honored God and whose lives have borne spiritual fruit will be rewarded, and those who squandered their time on earth after their conversion will suffer loss. Again – this does not affect one’s salvation – wer’re talking about the rewards that you’ll receive from Christ for the way you ran the race laid out for you in this life.
TRANS: So Paul tells us to be sure and run the race we’re given in such a way as to win the prize. The question is, how can we run the race God has given each of us in such a way as to win the prize?
1. Train yourself through discipline. (1 Cor 9:25-27)
“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.”
Remember “Rocky” – I know it’s an old movie, but can’t you just hear the music…. Can’t you see the images of Rocky doing situps, pushups, hitting the punching bag, and best of all, racing to the top of the steps of the library?
Training is hard work. It takes sweat. It takes effort. It takes determination to do what you know it will take to get you to your goal.
I love it when I hear testimonies of people who were miraculously delivered of a sinful habit such as alcohol addiction or drugs or pornography or gambling. But you know what? That’s not the norm. The normal way to defeat sinful habits is by BREAKING THOSE HABITS one decision at a time, one moment at a time, by choosing to plug into the power of the Holy Spirit.
If you want to run in such a way as to win the prize that God has for you – you need to take a look at your life and identify those areas that need some “shaping up” and bring them under spiritual discipline. Just like you look in the mirror and notice the areas of your physical body that are needing a bit of work, each of us needs to identify those areas in our spiritual lives where we need to exercise more discipline.
Notice that in verse 27 Paul says “I beat my body and make it my slave…”
This is no easy miraculous one time answer to the problems of being tempted to live for himself. What he’s talking about is a moment by moment, day to day decision to live your life according to God’s commands. To love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. To love your neighbor just like you love yourself.
Before I move on, take a moment to ask yourself “where does my spiritual life need some discipline?” What disciplines do you need to implement in your life in order to be able to run to win? Sharing Christ’s love with others, getting into a small group, reading God’s word daily, seeking and operating in the power of the Holy Spirit each day? No one will do these things for you. Paul said he beat his own body and forced it into submission so that he would not be disqualified for the prize. How much effort are you willing to put into your own spiritual development as a follower of Christ?
TRANS: But in addition to putting ourselves under self-discipline, there is more we can do to ensure that we are running to win. If we turn to the 12th chapter of Hebrews, we’ll hear some more great advice on how to run the race we’ve been put in. Again, listen for what it says about how to run the race to win!
Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
2. Get rid of hindrances. (Heb. 12:1-3)
ILLUS: One of our favorite shows is the CBS reality show “The Amazing Race”. ON this show teams of two race around the world, doing incredible feats along the way, for a shot at a million dollar prize. The teams carry backpacks for most of the race and in the packs they carry everything they need for the 3 weeks of the Amazing Race. But when it’s down to the final leg of the race and there are only 3 teams remaining they all do something very strategic. They leave their bags and go on without them.
Why? It’s obvious – that extra weight might slow them down so they don’t win the prize.
Here in Hebrews we’re told to do the same thing in the race marked out for us. “throw off everything that hinders – and the sin that so easily entangles”
What is it that so easily entangles you? Get rid of it!
ILLUS: In the year 1519 – the Spanish explorer Cortez hit the shores of the “New World” in what is now Eastern Mexico. With a total of 600 men and less than 20 horses, they began the work of settling a colony for Spain. Shortly after their arrival, however, Cortez did something very interesting. He issued an order to burn the ships. Fearing his men might be tempted to turn back, he ordered that their only way back to the life they once knew be permanently destroyed. And that’s exactly what happened.
Maybe you’re a young Christian who is still entangled in sin from your old life. If so – maybe some drastic action is called for. Maybe you need to burn the ships of relationships that drag you down, or activities which lead you into sinful behavior.
3. Keep your eyes on the goal. (Heb. 12:1-3)
As Paul said in 1 Cor 9: “I do not run like a man running aimlessly, I do not fight like a man beating the air”.
We need to stay focused on where we want to end up.
ILLUS: The best selling book “Seven Habits of Highly Successful People” by Stephen Covey tells that people who are highly successful begin with the end in mind.
As Christians, running our race of faith and trying to please God, we constantly get our way blocked with distractions – lots of “good” causes and busy activities with which to fill our lives. But we need to follow the advice we’re given in Hebrews 12:2-3. “Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
CONCLUSION:
Last winter I spent a good amount of time watching the Winter Olympics in Torino. One of the more memorable moments of the games came in the gold medal race of a brand new event called “Snowboard Cross”. It’s like a motocross event with multiple racers going at one time over a treacherous course filled with obstacles – only the racers are on snowboards.
In the Gold Medal race, American Lindsey Jacobellis started out with 3 other racers. By the midpoint of the race, Jacobellis was alone, far in front, having escaped a crash that took out 2 of the 4 racers and delayed a third.
As she had the finish line in sight, she reached the 2nd to last jump. She was so far in front you couldn’t even see the 2nd place racer. So, she did something she’ll regret for a long time. She decided to do a little showboating, and grabbed her board in mid air and did a little squiggle in midair. Unfortunately, this little act of showmanship caused her to lose her balance. She crashed on her landing, and as she was struggling to get back up, Switzerland’s Tanja Frieden raced past her to claim to gold medal.
Jacobellis later gave this simple explanation for her behavior, "I was caught up in the moment."
That is the problem, isn’t it? When we get caught up in the moment and quit focusing on Christ and the rewards he has for us that will last for eternity – we lose our place in life. We settle for 2nd place. We fall into mediocre living.
That’s not what I want, for myself, or for any of you. I want us to all run the race marked out for us with a single minded focus on pleasing our savior. I want you to live a life that is free from those things that would hold you back in your spiritual development. I want you to learn the joy that comes from disciplining yourself to grow in your spiritual life.
It will happen when we run to win.
