Run to Win!

Text: 1 Corinthians 9:24–27 Theme: The Christian life is not a casual jog, but a disciplined race where victory is promised to those who run with focus, faith, and fortitude.

Introduction

Church, have you ever watched a race? Runners at the starting line—eyes focused, bodies leaning forward, adrenaline pumping. Everybody looks like they’re ready, but Paul reminds us that in this Christian race, not everybody runs to win.

He says in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”

Paul isn’t talking about track and field. He’s talking about the race of life, the journey of faith, and the crown of glory waiting at the finish line.

Turn to your neighbor and say: “Neighbor, I’m not just running… I’m running to win!

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No one plays a game to lose!  I know sometimes, playing games for the sport of it can be good.  However, there is something about playing a game or participating in a sporting event and being victorious in the end! I love watching basketball, and there is a thrill in seeing my beloved Knicks play hard and make that game winning basket!  I know many who are Venus and Serena fans, feel like they are actual  tennis stars themselves when the last swing of the match, grants either sister the victory and another accolade as the winner of the ‘Grand Slam’ or U.S. Open! We love seeing our favorite teams win!  I feel like even though the Giants didn't make it to the Super Bowl, they played to win! However, how  messed up would it be, if your team  played with the intention of losing?  Does anyone wake up and say, ‘Today's a good day to lose? Or, I'm going to do my best to fail?’ 

What about our spiritual journey? We were saved by grace, and we try our best to live like Christ and to do what Jesus would do and often find ourselves missing the mark.  You may feel that you have truly turned yourself around from your previous life, or perhaps you want to reach a higher  level in your spiritual maturity and that old self of yours catches you off guard and pulls you back into the sin that so easily besets:  are you looking to be defeated or do you want to win? 

Whatever the case may be, no one can hold judgment against you—EXCEPT THE LORD! No one has attained the perfection in Christ that we should all be hoping for! However, if we are truly in Christ, we should want –to strive to become more spiritually mature, we have to have a renewed mind, we have to have the mindset that we want to be on Jesus’ team, we must desire to be in the number and realize that the spiritual journey in Christ is one that has a happy ending!!!  SO YOU OUGHT TO HAVE THE DESIRE TO WIN!  We already know the end of the story and the book of Revelations tells us that those who are in Christ win and we get to share in the happy ending!  But first we have to get there!  No one straddling the fence is going to make it to the finish line!  In this race for your soul, Winning in Christ ought to be your primary objective!  

 Paul got word about the Corinthian church which required his immediate attention! He heard  that there were members of the church who were still tied to paganism and were not fully living a life in Christ as they should.  There were divisions in the church, members were attaching themselves to the names of the disciples of Christ instead of Christ himself, there was incest and sensuality; pretty much all sorts of things that shouldn’t be happening among believers in Christ, was happening!!  

 No wonder the congregation was reaching out for help!!  It is nearly impossible to thrive and grow spiritually in a church, if the church is filled with so much chaos!!  If you cannot count on a church and its leadership to be examples of holiness and righteousness, or at least striving to attain this, then who can you count on as you run the race of your Christian journey? 

 This was the problem in the Corinthian church and if you read 1 Corinthians, you’ll realize that their problems are not so different from the type of problems people and churches are facing today!! 

One of the great things about Paul is that no matter where he went to evangelize, he always took the time to try to learn about the people and the culture of where he was so that his presentation of the gospel would be effective. And because Paul did this, this church felt comfortable in receiving his  help! 

 If we look back in 1 Corinthian 9, verses 1-23, Paul still felt that he had to give his resume of sorts to this church; he had to remind them that he was first and foremost sent by Jesus Himself as an apostle.  And in verses 22 and 23, he declared that all he did, he did so that he might win those whose faith was weak and to share the good news of Christ! 

You have to know that Paul went thru a lot to accomplish this goal.  He went through beatings, was ridiculed, was imprisoned, and he went from being a well respected Jewish scholar to a lowly evangelist for Christ!  And because he went through what he went through, Paul wanted to help those who were discouraged with the struggles in the church and in their faith!  This is the encouragement we need as well!  When we fight spiritual battles daily in the world and when discord and divisions sometimes find their way into the church, we need the encouragement Paul offers in our text, we need to learn how to Win in Christ!!, the text gives us 3 things we should do: 

 In order to win in Christ, we need to: 

Point 1: Run with Focus

(v. 24 – “Run in such a way that you may obtain it”)

Paul says don’t just run—run with purpose. In other words, don’t live distracted, don’t live scattered, don’t live chasing every little thing. Stay focused on Jesus.

Illustration: Think about track runners. They don’t run looking to the left or right; if they do, they’ll stumble or fall. Some of us keep tripping because we’re too busy watching what somebody else has. But if you want to win, you’ve got to keep your eyes straight ahead.

Application: Young people, focus means you don’t have to fit in with the crowd—you’ve got a race that God set for you. Seniors, focus means you don’t stop running just because your pace has changed—God still has purpose for your steps.

Call-and-response:

Preacher: “What are we running for?”

People: “The prize!”

Preacher: “Who is the prize?”

People: “Jesus!”

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We need to enter the race 

In verse 24, Paul appeals to what the Corinthians were familiar with and what even we are familiar with today.  In Paul’s day, athletic games similar to our modern day Olympic Games were common place.  And so he used the analogy of runners in a race.  You’ve heard the expression, “you’ve got to be in it to win it!” That’s what everyone was saying around that big Powerball lottery last month.  If you are outside of Christ or straddling the fence, then you’ve got to take action to enter into the race!  You are going to have to decide to live for Jesus or die to sin!  We must be active participants in this race!  In our athletic games, there can be only one winner, so the runners must make every effort to win!  How do they do that?  They lower their chances of being unsuccessful!  They practice; they train, they pace themselves and attempt to run in a way where they improve their speed, so they can get the victory in the race.     

In our spiritual journey, winning is more than starting the race, while all who accept Jesus as their Savior are saved, the follower of Jesus Christ must make every effort to be successful in his or her Christian life!  We have to learn how to practice the spiritual disciplines, so that we can be made strong.  We have to engage in prayer, reading of scriptures, meditation, and fasting! So we need to take action to let go of the sin that so easily besets us!  We must be careful to change our old sinful habits and ask God to create new habits in line with His Will!  We must resist the devil, and he will flee!  If overeating is an issue for you, close your mouth, stay out of the kitchen, and read the Word!  If you know you have problems with alcohol, then stay out of the bars and liquor stores, if you know you have problems with drugs stay away from the dealers!, if you know you are prone to get involved in extramarital affairs, then stay clear of compromising positions, stop flirting, stay home and work on your marriage!  Whatever your situation, Don’t allow yourself to get in a position, where you’ll get tempted to sin! Winning in Christ requires that we need to enter the race, to stay on course! 

Once we have entered the race, we now need to:

Point 2: Run with Discipline

(v. 25 – “Everyone who competes… is temperate in all things”)

Winners don’t stumble into victory. They train for it. Paul says athletes are disciplined for a crown that fades, but we do it for an eternal crown.

Illustration: Muhammad Ali once said, “I hated every minute of training. But I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” The training may not feel good, but it’s preparing you for greatness.

Application: Child of God, discipline means saying no to some things so you can say yes to God. It means praying when you don’t feel like it, forgiving when it’s hard, giving when it’s tight, and praising when it hurts.

Call-and-response:

Preacher: “No cross…”

People: “…no crown!”

Preacher: “No pain…”

People: “…no gain!”

3) Run with Endurance

-We have to run with a purpose 

 Paul tells us that he doesn’t run aimlessly; he doesn’t do none of that shadowboxing into the air.  And when I meditated on this part of the text, my  mind came to the movie Forest Gump.  So many remember the scenes of Forest just running! But if you paid attention to the movie, Forest always ran with a purpose!  As a child, Forest ran from bullies to keep from getting beaten by his enemies!  Before he left for Vietnam, his childhood friend told him, if he ever finds himself in trouble over there, he should run!  And when he was upset after his childhood sweetheart left him, Forest left and ran across the country!   As simple as Forest was mentally, he didn’t just run for running’s sake!   

We cannot run around aimlessly!  It is when we aren’t aware of our purpose, that we often lose our way!  You have to know why you do what you do!  It’s common for new believers to question what more seasoned believers do-and they should!  We all should take a first and second look at what we do in the name of the Lord, to make sure that our motivations are to lift God and not ourselves! WE ARE CALLED TO FAITH-AND NOT TO STUPIDITY! -We want to make sure our motivations and our actions are matching the mandates that God has already given us in His Word! Your  purpose and your destiny are  all tied up in God and His Word, and so, we do have to be strategic about how we go about living if we are planning to win in Christ!  We don't have to run without direction, We have to run with a purpose! 

-Keep your eyes on the prize 

Finally, verses 26 and 27 tell us that Paul did not run without a goal!  Paul had a clear goal in mind!  He already mentioned in verse 22 that he went through all he did to win others for Christ

(v. 27 – “I discipline my body… lest after preaching I myself should be disqualified”)

This race is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. Paul reminds us that it’s not about how you start, but how you finish.

Illustration: In the 1992 Olympics, runner Derek Redmond tore his hamstring halfway through his race. He could barely walk, but his father came down from the stands, put his arm around him, and together they crossed the finish line. That’s endurance—finishing the race with help from the Father!

Application: Somebody here has stumbled, fallen, or grown weary, but God says you can still finish. The Father will carry you when you can’t carry yourself.

Call-and-response:

Preacher: “Is the race easy?”

People: “No!”

Preacher: “Is the prize worth it?”

People: “Yes!”

Celebratory Close

So, saints, run with focus, run with discipline, and run with endurance. Because when you cross that finish line, there’s a prize waiting that no one can take from you.

Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7–8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness…”

And that’s good news! Because one day, when this race is over, when I’ve crossed the finish line of life, I want to hear the Lord say: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

When you’re tired, keep on running!

When you’re weary, keep on running!

When the road gets rough, keep on running!

Because one day, we’ll trade in our running shoes for a crown of glory!

Final Call-and-response:

Preacher: “I don’t know about you…”

People: “…but I’m running to win!”

Preacher: “Eyes on the prize!”

People: “Jesus!”

Preacher: “Crown at the finish line!”

People: “Hallelujah!”

Close in Celebration: Give God praise, because the race is not given to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to the one that endures to the end. And if you keep running, you will win!

Point 2: Run with Discipline

(v. 25 – “Everyone who competes… is temperate in all things”)

Winners don’t stumble into victory. They train for it. Paul says athletes are disciplined for a crown that fades, but we do it for an eternal crown.

Illustration: Muhammad Ali once said, “I hated every minute of training. But I said, don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” The training may not feel good, but it’s preparing you for greatness.

Application: Child of God, discipline means saying no to some things so you can say yes to God. It means praying when you don’t feel like it, forgiving when it’s hard, giving when it’s tight, and praising when it hurts.

Call-and-response:

Preacher: “No cross…”

People: “…no crown!”

Preacher: “No pain…”

People: “…no gain!”

Point 3: Run with Endurance

(v. 27 – “I discipline my body… lest after preaching I myself should be disqualified”)

This race is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. Paul reminds us that it’s not about how you start, but how you finish.

Illustration: In the 1992 Olympics, runner Derek Redmond tore his hamstring halfway through his race. He could barely walk, but his father came down from the stands, put his arm around him, and together they crossed the finish line. That’s endurance—finishing the race with help from the Father!

Application: Somebody here has stumbled, fallen, or grown weary, but God says you can still finish. The Father will carry you when you can’t carry yourself.

Call-and-response:

Preacher: “Is the race easy?”

People: “No!”

Preacher: “Is the prize worth it?”

People: “Yes!”

Celebratory Close

So, saints, run with focus, run with discipline, and run with endurance. Because when you cross that finish line, there’s a prize waiting that no one can take from you.

Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:7–8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness…”

And that’s good news! Because one day, when this race is over, when I’ve crossed the finish line of life, I want to hear the Lord say: “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

When you’re tired, keep on running!

When you’re weary, keep on running!

When the road gets rough, keep on running!

Because one day, we’ll trade in our running shoes for a crown of glory!

Final Call-and-response:

Preacher: “I don’t know about you…”

People: “…but I’m running to win!”

Preacher: “Eyes on the prize!”

People: “Jesus!”

Preacher: “Crown at the finish line!”

People: “Hallelujah!”

Close in Celebration: Give God praise, because the race is not given to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to the one that endures to the end. And if you keep running, you will win!