I don’t know about you,
but I really enjoy watching the Olympics. I am in awe of the incredible
physical ability, stamina, and commitment to training exhibited by those
world-class athletes. And thanks to the marvels of modern technology,
nearly every event in every sport is available around the clock on TV
or on the Internet. Since I’m too much out of shape to compete
in the Olympics, I’m going to try to introduce a new event, called
the Couch Potato Marathon. Just in case I can get the IOC to include
this event at the next Olympics, I’m going to start training now.
So for the next 4 years, I’m going to start to watch TV 12 hours
a day, just so I can have the stamina to compete in the Couch Potato
Marathon!
Paul also enjoyed watching the Olympics. For he used sports illustrations
more than any other biblical writer to bring to life the truths of God
he was trying to teach. Illustrations are not the means by which you
get to tell a funny story to break the boredom of a bad sermon. Rather,
illustrations are the means by which you crystallize in the minds of
your audience the instructions that they’ve just heard. The test
of a good illustration is if the point it is trying to make connects
with the people.
So when Paul talked about running so as to win the prize, nobody would
have wondered what Paul was talking about. In those days men would go
to work in the morning, but at night, they watched sports. Some things
just don’t ever change.
Chances are Paul was in Greece during at least one of the great Olympiads.
Almost certainly he was in Corinth when their sporting events, the Isthmian
games, were held, as they were held every 2 years. And these games were
second only to the Olympics. So when Paul talked about running and winning,
he immediately would have gotten the attention of the people. Paul’s
first purpose in using an Olympic illustration is to show us that we
are to run for the sole purpose of winning--v. 24.
The Greek word that Paul uses for race here is the word we use for a
stadium. In those days, the word meant an arena or a measure of length.
And since the track on which the athletes ran was about 200 yards, which
is the length of a stadium, it was called a stadium.
In Paul’s day, the premier races run at the Olympic & the Isthmian
games were the 200, the 400, and the 600 yard dash. In those days, the
only long distance race was the Marathon. That race was named in honor
of a Greek soldier, who after the battle of Marathon, ran 26 miles to
Athens to announce the victory of the Greeks over the Persians. After
he delivered the news, he collapsed dead from over exertion. That’s
the way I feel if I have to run from the car to the house during a rain
storm.
What Paul wants us to see by using this word, is that we are to run
as hard and as fast as we can because we don’t have any extra laps
to make up any lost distance, like you can in long distance running.
The fastest race in the world is the 100 meter dash. Those in the Olympics
run this distance in just under 10 seconds.
In this race, ever step is crucial, every second is precious. One simple
mistake can mean the difference between first and last place. That’s
why, one of the first things taught before competing in this event is
to never, ever look to the right or the left of you, and most importantly,
never look to see who is behind you. If you do so, you will slow down
just a little bit, which might allow your nearest competitor to pass
you by.
In a long distance race, like the Marathon, seconds aren’t as crucial
as in the shorter races. You can slow down from the rest of the pack
if you start to get tired. In fact, you don’t have to be the leader
from the start of the race in order to win. That’s because many
Marathon runners quit when the hit what is called the wall. And if you
make it over the wall, you can make up lost time when you get what runners
call a second wind. But that doesn’t happen in short distance races.
Now obviously our life is like a long distance race. Paul, near the
end of his life said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished
the race, I have kept the faith.” (1
Timothy 4:7) The word for race he uses there has the idea of the
Marathon race.
But Paul didn’t use that word in 1 Corinthians because he knows
that the only way to win the overall race of life is win the daily race
against our competitors of the flesh, the devil, and the world. And
the only way we can beat them is to never slow down to their temptations.
Paul has only one goal in mind, and that is to finish the race of life
well. He didn’t want to lose to Satan.
He didn’t want to become another person who ended poorly. In the
Bible, there are nearly 100 detailed biographies of people who started
off running in first place for the Lord. Of them only 1/3 of the people
ended well. The other 2/3 ended in immorality, or they drifted away
from the faith, or they died in a backslidden position.
Paul wanted to be numbered among the winners, not the losers. He knew
that if he didn’t stay in the zone, if he didn’t run with
all his heart, that it would be easy for him to lose ground to Satan
by stopping just for a second to indulge in some kind of sin. To run
in the race of life, and come out as a champion, means we can’t
stop to give into any of the temptations of the lust of the flesh, the
lust of the eyes, or the pride of life. For the second you do, you take
your eyes off of Jesus. And as we see with what happened to Peter, when
he walked on the water, that the second he took his eyes off of Jesus,
he started to drown.
Likewise, when we take our eyes off of Jesus to give into sin, we too
will go down. And some of the most heart-breaking pictures of this year’s
Olympics are of those who tripped up and fell down. You can see the
agony of defeat on their faces.
To win this race against the enemies of your soul, you have to run full
speed from the moment you leave the starting block until the moment
you cross the finish line. Unlike a marathon runner, you can’t
wait unit the rest of the pack hits the wall, or pray for a second wind.
Instead, you have to run like a sprinter.
A sprinter runs all out because he knows that he only has a few seconds
to win the gold. And the gold is what he has trained so hard, and so
long for. Likewise, Paul says that the prize is the only reason we run--vv.
24-25.
In those days, they didn’t have the silver or bronze medals. They
only had one prize: a victor’s crown. The crown they won had no
worth, it was made of laurel, just like the laurel crowns we see them
wearing at this year’s Olympics. But this laurel crown was so important,
that the athletics were willing to strain every muscle & sinew,
they were willing to transform their lifestyle, in hopes they could
go home wearing the victor’s crown.
We too must be willing to transform our lives in hopes of wearing the
victor’s crown when we finally get to heaven. We must be willing
to strain every muscle & sinew just to hear Jesus say, “Well
done good and faithful servant!” For one of the crowns that we
will get is for faithfulness.
In this illustration, Paul also talks about the agony that athletes
experience while they are preparing to run a race--v. 25. The Greek
word for “compete” is the word we get our English word “agony”
from. Paul uses it to indicate, not only something of the pain that
runners experience while they are exerting every ounce of energy to
win, but also the pain that occurs from the rigid denial of worldly
pleasures they experience while training for the race. You’ve heard
the phrase, “No pain–no gain.” Every great athlete knows
what that means.
No one ever ran a race, much less won one, by getting up one morning
and saying, “I think I’ll compete in a one of the Olympics
races today.” Months and years of grueling training precede every
victory, or even merely to compete in the races. Only those who had
gone through a formal 10 month training period were allowed to run in
the races during Paul’s day. During that period the runners ran
over 100 miles each week, getting up at 4:30 every morning, eating a
special diet, and foregoing many of the pleasures most people take for
granted.
The same holds true for those who compete in today’s Olympic games.
We know that they didn’t get to be the top in their field by sitting
around watching television. They became world class athletes by rigorous
training.
The point that Paul is making is that if these athletes practiced such
self-control, merely to obtain a laurel crown that will one day fall
apart, are we going to do any less for a victor’s crown that will
last forever? The application to the Christian life is that just as
it takes rigorous training, self-discipline and self-denial to be a
good physical athlete, so it takes the same sort of dedication to be
a spiritual athlete. Just as an Olympic runner denies himself many lawful
pleasures, so the Christian must avoid anything that hinders his complete
effectiveness. In fact, that’s the point Paul has been trying to
make throughout this whole chapter.
Paul next shows us how he applied the training of the athletes to his
own personal life. First, when Paul ran, he didn’t run to come
in second or third. Paul ran for one purpose: To Win--v. 26(a).
Paul knew that lessons are more easily caught rather than taught, therefore,
he practiced what he preached. If he expected the Corinthians to run
so as to win, he first had to run in the same way. In the race of life,
you won’t find Paul walking around the infield, dressed in a runner’s
suit, with a number on the back, while the rest of the runners are lining
up getting ready to run. Instead, you’ll find him at the starting
blocks, eagerly awaiting the starter’s pistol to go off. And when
he ran, you wouldn’t find him somewhere in the pack. You’d
find him leading the race from start to finish.
In today’s Olympics, you’ll often hear the athletes being
asked about what strategy they used to win. Paul’s strategy was
simple: lead the race from start to finish. Which is an excellent strategy
for someone who wants to be a role model. It is a proven fact that if
the leader is setting a quick pace, the rest of the pack run faster
as well. Paul ran is such a way because he wants us to run as hard as
he did.
While we are not out to beat each other, because unlike the Olympics,
a victor’s crown is giving to all who finish well. But at the same
time there sure is nothing wrong with a healthy competition while we
are running towards heaven. I want y’all to try to out do each
other in the area of love. For if you are a very loving person, you
will cause the people in your life to be more loving. I want y’all
to try to out do each other in the area of Bible memorization. For if
you walk around quoting Bible verses, you will cause the people in your
life to read their Bibles more. But most importantly, I want y’all
to try to out do each other in the area of holy living. For if you live
a holy life, you will cause those around you to want to live holy as
well.
Now in order to be a winner, Paul was willing to completely change his
whole lifestyle to ensure that he would receive a victor’s crown.
We need to be so committed to the goal of winning that everything we
do in life ensures that on the day we stand before the judgment seat
of Christ, that we too will receive a victor’s crown. We need to
make receiving this crown so important that we are willing to order
all aspects of our lives to ensure that we get the prize when we cross
the finish line.
And this shouldn’t be such a foreign concept to us because we have
had the concept of winning beaten into our brains throughout all our
lives. We know that only those who make the best grades in school get
put on the honor roll. We know that only the prettiest & most talented
girl wins the beauty contests. We know that only the best athletes gets
to play in the games. How many of us suffered the embarrassment of getting
picked last?
We have been taught that everybody loves a winner, and nobody likes
a loser. This concept has birthed a whole new genre of television shows
based on being the best. Some of the top rated TV shows are “The
Ultimate Survivor,” “American Idol,” and “Fear Factor,”
all which show people competing against each other for the sole purpose
of being the winner.
Jesus himself embraced the concept of being a winner. But unlike the
notion of today’s reality TV shows, where you have to cut the other’s
person throat in order to win, Jesus said, "Whoever desires to
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will
find it.” (Matthew
16:25) In other words, the ultimate survivor is the one who is willing
to voted off the island first for the sake of Jesus Christ.
The second way Paul trained was by beating his old man into submission--vv.
26(b)-27(a). The word buffet literally means to give oneself a black
eye. This very graphic statement comes from the boxing world of Paul’s
day where the bouts were very bloody. They didn’t use gloves to
soften the blows. The opponents hit each other as hard as they could,
in the hopes of landing a punch that would cause the other person to
raise up his hands in defeat. And the most powerful punch you could
throw was the one the connected right under the eye, because it would
cause the eye to swell so much that the person couldn’t see anymore.
Once that happened, the person was a goner.
Paul says that is what he does to his body of sin. He beats the sinful
desires so badly that they throw up their hands in defeat. Paul recognizes
that Paul has a problem. And the problem is not his parents, nor is
it the society in which he was raised. The problem is himself. The only
person that could prevent Paul from obtaining the victor’s crown
was Paul.
So the only way for Paul to win the race was to put self under the control
of the Holy Spirit. The reason I say you have to rely on the strength
of the Spirit, rather than a set of rules, is because no set of external
rules will give us the ability to overcome our sinful desires. Paul
put it this way, “Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic
principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you
subject yourselves to regulations, ‘Do not touch, do not taste,
do not handle,’ according to the commandments and doctrines of
men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed
religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value
against the indulgence of the flesh.” (Colossians
2:20-23)
So while we are not to follow a set of rules, but rather rely on the
power of the Holy Spirit, we still have a part to play by saying no
to the things of this world. But that’s not an easy task because
our body has within it the propensity towards sin. Our natural bent
is to do things that are displeasing to God. And there is no way you
are going to defeat your old sinful nature by shadow boxing. You literally
have to get into the ring with it, and fight with it, using the power
of the Holy Spirit, until you bring your desires under control, to the
point that your life is in line with what the Bible says about how you
are to live.
Now there is no suggestion in Paul’s language to a shortcut to
holy living. And yet we live in a world where shortcuts are being held
out to us all the time, in all areas of life. We are bombarded constantly
by people who say, “Memorize these verses, and put these 7 steps
into practice, and in no time you will conquer your sins.”
The writer of Hebrews puts it this way: “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.” (Hebrews
12:1) Imagine running a race with weights around your ankles, or
carrying a backpack loaded with books that tell you how to win a race?
It would be next to impossible.
And finally, Paul gives us the reason why he trained so hard: To avoid
being disqualified--v. 27(b) Paul is not just being humble, he is showing
us his real concern for constantly living a holy life. He is not concerned
about losing his salvation, but about not obeying the rules that might
prevent him from getting his crown when the race is over. Some of the
headlines about this year’s Olympic games center not only on those
who won, but on those who were disqualified for doping.
Paul elaborates on this principle of obedience when he says, “If
anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s
crown unless he competes according to the rules.” (2
Timothy 2:5) A man can run faster than all the others and reach
the finish line first, but he will still lose the race if he violates
the rules. Our Rule Book is the principles and instructions laid down
in the Bible. These are our guides & guardrails designed exclusively
to help us stay on course while running the race. They were designed
not to slow us down, but rather to help us achieve maximum enjoyment
as we run the race of life.
Have you ever noticed how no one smiles when they run? This shouldn’t
be true for a Christian. We should have the biggest smiles on our faces
as we run, because we know that as long as we run according to the rules,
we will be blessed by God for our obedience. King David tells us that
“Happy are the people whose God is the LORD!” (Psalm
144:15)
I can’t help but think of Eric Liddell, the subject of the great
movie, “Chariots of Fire.” Although I disagree with his interpretation
of the Sabbath Commandment, I stand in awe of his courage to obey what
he believed were the rules. To Eric, it was God first, and his desires,
and the desires of his country, second. So instead of running in the
premier event, the 100 meter dash, which he was a shoe-in to win, he
ran the 400 yard dash. He refused to run the 100 meter dash because
it was going to be held on Sunday. A day he believed was set aside exclusively
for the worship of God.
When Paul wrote “If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer
loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire,” (1
Corinthians 3:15) it was not to give us an excuse to sin, but as
an exhortation not to sin by reminding us that there is a payday coming
for the way we live here on earth. He doesn’t want to enter heaven
with the seat of his pants on fire from playing around with sin. Instead
his goal was to run the race according to God’s rules, so that
he would receive a rich welcome when he entered into heaven. Paul was
looking forward to Jesus handing him the victor’s crown when he
finally crossed life’s finishing line. This is how Peter put it,
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and
election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for
so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting
kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2
Peter 1:10-11)
The great tragedy Paul wanted to avoid was disqualification for not
practicing what he preached. That is a legitimate fear to all of us,
because the pulpit is not the only place preaching is done. Your life
is a living sermon to all who know you. God calls all of us to proclaim
the Gospel, through the witness of our lives & our lips. Therefore,
the danger of disqualification is as great for the parishioner as it
is for the pastor.
If that is a realistic concern of Paul, is it not a concern that we
too should have? Let me ask your how you are doing in your Christian
race? Are you training vigorously to endure the pain of running? And
more importantly, are you running the race according to the rules? When
you finally get to heaven, will you get a victor’s crown, or will
you be disqualified because you broke one of the rules of the race?
The main question you have to answer right now is what is waiting for
you when you stand face-to-face with Jesus Christ. Paul was so concerned
about this issue that he showed great control over all areas of his
life.
Let me wrap this all up for you by once again using the example of Eric
Liddle. Eric’s highest ambition was not just to win a gold medal
in the Olympics, rather it was to bring glory to God. His life verse
was “Those who honor Me I will honor.” (1
Samuel 2:30) If you’ve seen the movie “Chariots of Fire,”
those were the words that were written on the note he was given right
before he ran the race.
As Eric ran the 400 meter race, he ran the first 200 meters in just
a second off of the world’s record for the 200 meter race that
had been set the day before. No one thought he could keep up the pace
for the next 200 meters, but he did. When asked years later how it was
possible for him to keep such a pace, he said, “The secret of my
success over the 400 meters is that I ran the first 200 meters as hard
as I could. Then for the second 200 meters, with God’s help, I
ran it harder.”
Brothers & sisters, that’s the attitude we have to have. Everyday
as you go to work, to shop, or to school, you are going to be faced
with temptations & sins. We will be victorious as long as we willfully
refuse to let our eyes wonder, our minds settle, and our affections
to run after the things that would draw us away from the Lord.
To walk in constant victory, we have to immediately reject any sinful
thoughts the moment we become conscious of their existence. And when
the temptations are too powerful, and as we find ourselves about to
be seduced by their powers, at the moment, we will remain victorious,
if we will cry out to God for his help. To walk in victory means to
constantly do all in our power to weaken the grip of sin in general,
and when we see its manifestation in our lives in particular, we cry
out to God for help.
It’s great to be able to say that we’ve run this race so far
without falling. But there is still the rest of the race to finish.
So let me challenge you to keep running for the tape. Don’t settle
for second or third place. Don’t be content to merely be able to
say that you ran in the race. Run to win! Please be willing to give
up everything for the sake of crossing the finish line in first place.
I’m not going to ask anyone to stand up, but if you want to finish
well, if you want to finish as a champion, then right now, silently
tell God that with his help you will win this race called life. And
then tell yourself that you are going to run in this race as one who
intends to win the first place prize.
Let’s
pray
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