Press On

Verse: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Location/ Event: Blessed Christian Bible Baptist Church (Dasmarinas), Sunday Morning

Date preached: 21 December 2025

Introduction

During the 1968 Olympics, John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania had encountered an obstacle he had never faced before: the altitude, which caused his legs to cramp severely. Still, he kept running. Then, about halfway through the race, he tangled with some other runners and fell. He dislocated his knee, scraped up his leg, and hurt his shoulder as he fell. But he didn’t stop. With terrible injuries and cramped muscles slowing him, he labored on and finished the race. He finished dead last, more than an hour behind the winner.

When he finally entered the arena for the final lap, only a couple thousand people were there to see him complete the race. But they all cheered for this brave runner as he circled the now darkened track. Although it seemed that John had lost the race, everyone who saw him finish knew he was a winner.

In an interview later on, a reporter asked, “Why didn’t you quit when you were hurt and bruised, bloody, discouraged?” His answer: “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”

The race

V24: Paul often uses the illustration of a race as an analogy of the Christian life.

If you watched any race (100m, 200m, marathon, F1, swimming), often only the winner is celebrated and remembered. You would have heard of names like Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps – because they were winners. They were not known for being 2nd. My coach used to joke that the 2nd place is really just the first loser, and there’s some truth to that.

You see, it’s easy to start a race. Anyone of you can sign up for a marathon today. In fact, all of you can probably get to the starting line. And most of you would be able to run for the first 1 or 2km. That’s what Paul says – “they which run in a race run all”.

There are lots of people who profess Christianity. They have it in the identification card. When they fill up a form or a survey, they are happy to tick the box that says “Christian”. They are even happy to attend church during the festive seasons and sing a few Christmas carols.

It’s even easy to get baptised – you just have to put up an act for about 1 or 2 years at the most and you can get baptised.

Life is a sprint, not a marathon

“But one receiveth the prize” – You see the “but”. There is a change in the audience. You see, Paul is not concerned with the first group of people – those who start the race, because most of them – they are not the real deal. Even Christ Himself said “many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.” (Luke 13:24)

Previously, it’s ALL who run, but now it’s ONE who receives the prize. – This is what sets you apart from the rest

Sometimes we have this misconception that life is a marathon, as if to imply that we need to pace ourselves and take time to slow down and enjoy the things of this world so as not to burn ourselves out. That’s purely a wrong view of Scripture.

Scripture speaks of our life as being short, a vapour that comes and goes, just an handbreadth, comes today and vanishes tomorrow. Nowhere does it even remotely imply that we have a long life ahead of us to slowly pace ourselves like a marathon. Reality check: LIFE IS A SPRINT.

This is the real deal

Think with me - Paul is saying: That race that you watch on TV, that’s not the real deal. This life that we now life in the flesh - THIS IS THE REAL DEAL. Their crown is corruptible, ours is an infinitely more glorious and eternal crown that fadeth not away. You may be an 80 year old woman - it may not look like it, but you’re in the race - Are you running the race with all your might? Do you put every ounce of strength, strain every fibre and muscle, use every breath, use every means you have even to strengthen that inner man so that you may run that race just that little bit faster? Or are you contended with just going at your own pace.

You must note that this is merely an analogy, and you should not spiritualise or over-analyse everything he says here. Obviously, he does not mean that only one person will make it to heaven.

But what he means is that in the journey of life, you ought to run it like a race where only one person will win. In other words, life is a competition – against yourself, the world, the devil, and even against others.

God is assessing us

Listen to how God speaks:

There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. (Job 1:1)

There were many men in the land of Uz, but only one person is singled out here.

And he is singled out by name – God knows him by name: Job.

Do you see what God is doing? The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth (2 Chr 16:9) and He’s making spiritual evaluations about each one of us.

He did that in Job’s days. He singled out Job as that one man who was perfect, upright, and feared God more than anyone else who lived on the earth.

He did that in Noah’s days: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. (Gen 6:9)

Brethren, this is God’s assessment of Job and Noah. This was not Job or Noah writing their own resume and promoting themselves.

Do you realise that there is one person on the earth right now who is the most godly, most spiritual, most heavenly minded…? He’s running the race the fastest. You ever thought that could be you?

Link: And so Paul is thinking “What could motivate us?” Paul knows – it’s the prospect of a glorious eternity.

An incorruptible crown

V25:

First, he talks about how the Olympic runners run for a corruptible crown.

Imagine you were from outer space and had no influence from the world: What is the appeal of gold? It is just a piece of shiny metal. It’s only worth its price because the whole world is chasing after what they think is precious metal. But the reality is that there is nothing really precious about it.

And those people going into the Olympics are “temperate in all things” – they exercise strict self-control: Diet, calories intake, training schedule, sleep cycle… just so that they can be at their peak on competition day.

You know it – they are not munching on Jollibee or Mang Inasal. And they are willing to sacrifice not because they dislike those things, but for the hope of something far more valuable in their estimation– the possibility of an Olympic medal.

But even that is corruptible – 2024 Olympics medal tarnished/ rusted within a few weeks of the Olympics ending.

Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

Incorruptible does not just mean that it will not be destroyed. It also means that its glories will shine – and its glories will shine brighter as the days go by.

Its glories are unparalleled far above anything this world can offer.

Sometimes we get so caught up with the riches on earth that we forget that heaven is infinitely better.

Once upon a time, there was a man who spent his whole life getting rich. When he heard that he could take none of it to heaven, he was greatly distressed. So, he prayed that God would make an exception. Finally

Finally, God said “Whatever you can fit into a black garbage bag, you can bring into heaven”.

So the man found the largest bag he could find, and put all the gold he could accumulate into the bag.

When he reached the pearly gates, the angels stopped him and said “Sir, you cannot bring anything into heaven”, to which the man proudly replied “I have gotten special permission from God to do so.”

The angels checked, and sure enough, God allowed him one bag of his treasures.

Curious, the angels requested to see what could be so precious to the man. And the man nodded and proudly opened his bag, showing them a full bag of gold.

The angels looked at each other in bewilderment, and then one of them said “PAVEMENT! He brought the pavement of heaven!”

Heaven

Do you think about heaven? How much does the glories of heaven occupy your mind?

There is no better way to expound on the glories of heaven than to do so from God’s Word – Rev 21:21-22:5

Revelation 21:21–22:5 KJV 1900

21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. 22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. 25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. 26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. 27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. 1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. 5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

But even then, all of these visionary images are imperfect representations of heaven. They are visionary ideas put in humanistic terms so we may grasp something of the wonder of God.

But the glories of heaven go far beyond the pearly gates or streets of gold – think of how there will be no more tears, no more death, no sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain… there will be no more sin, no more suffering.

We will receive a perfect, radiant glory that is far better than the glory Adam and Eve knew in the Garden of Eden before they sinned.

We need not ask like Moses “Show me thy glory” (Exo 33:18) because the Lamb is all the glory Of Immanuel's land. One day we will see our precious Saviour face to face – what bliss, what glory, what delight!

Jesus Christ said something in Luke, that if you’ll let it grip you, it will change your life. He said Luke 6:23 - “Rejoice ye in that day, and LEAP! LEAP for joy.” Why? “for, behold, your reward is great in heaven”. What He is saying is, “Listen, if you realized what weight of glory is awaiting you, what hope there is in heaven for you, you would leap, you would come out of your shoes, jumping, exceedingly, gladly, bouncing around.”

Brethren I don’t think we really get it, what’s waiting for us. There is such a remarkable hope that is able to turn the night into day, and the tears into laughter. Brethren, the believer has a glorious hope! We have a hope that is not built on the Solid Rock – On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand:all other ground is sinking

We have a hope to be saved by Christ. To be with Christ. To enjoy Christ forever, and ever, and ever.

Isn’t that glorious? Doesn’t this make you go “I want to live for Christ! Away with this world’s charms and delights! Christ is enough!”

Run with certainty

V26-27:

That’s why Paul says in V26 – “I therefore so run, not as uncertainly” – You know how Paul can run with certainty? You want to know how you can run with certainty? It’s by knowing the certainty of heaven and the glories to come.

Paul is not spending his life thinking whether there is a reward for his labour. He’s convinced of it; he’s certain about it.

And so instead of spending his time worrying about the future, he says “The future is certain, it’s reserved in heaven for me – therefore I need to spend my today for the glory of God.”

Life is a fight

But that does not mean it will be easy. Brethren, no one said it would be easy. Paul himself said in Acts 14:22 “that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”

That’s why he says that this life is a fight (v26). But I want you to observe where the battle is: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection (V27)

Did you see that? Paul doesn’t say the battle is with the devil. Oh yes, the devil can kill, steal, and destroy. But I’ll tell you this – far more people fall out of the race because of their own failures than the devil. And they like to blame the devil for everything even when they were the ones at fault.

Do you remember Eve? He blamed the serpent when she was the one who decided to eat the fruit! No one forced her.

The real fight often starts within ourselves. Didn’t Paul say in Romans 7:19, 24 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do… O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

He didn’t blame the devil. He saw that it was his old sin nature at work.

And he says here in 1 Cor 9 that it is a fight to bring his body under subjection. It is a battle.

Christ said it this way “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matt 16:24)

The author of Hebrews tells us to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Heb 12:1)

People are running with all sorts weights in their race, and they love it. They build their life on all sorts of things, especially wealth:

Think of how the world conditions you to accumulate wealth. From a young age, we are taught to play Monopoly, and in many ways, Monopoly reflects the mindset of this world. The goal is simple: Store up as much treasures as you can on earth; monopolize and control everything on the board – that’s why it is called MONOPOLY.

Monopoly totally runs against the teachings of Jesus. Jesus said: "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth.” (Matt 6:19) But Monopoly says build as many houses and hotels as you can, earn as much as you can.

Illustration: Brother and me would put Monopoly aside and take it out again to play another day for weeks. We played till the bank ran out of money and we started drawing our own loan cards and IOUs. But one day, the game has to stop, and you have to begin putting all of your money and houses back in the box. You’d find a very empty feeling coming over you. Everything that you had accumulated was gone. The excitement over riches was just an illusion. And that thrill that you found in the game has suddenly all dissipated. And then you’ll realise that for so many people, this is the game of life. You sweat and strain to get ahead, but then one day, after a little chest pain or a wrong change of lanes on the highway, or a “freak accident”, the game ends. It all goes back in the box. You leave this world just as naked as the day you came into it.

This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through

An American tourist visited the nineteenth-century Polish rabbi, Hofetz Chaim. Astonished to see that the rabbi’s home was only a simple room field with books, a table, and a bench, the tourist asked “Rabbi, where is your furniture?”

“Where is yours?” replied the rabbi.

“Mine? I’m only a visitor here. I’m only passing through.”

“So am I”, said Hofetz Chaim

You don’t see us bringing an 88 inch TV or flowers to decorate our hotel room when we come to Dasmarinas – why? Because we’re only here for a short while. In a few days, we will leave to go back to Singapore.

But most people treat this earth as their final dwelling place, and they build up their house and decorate it – expecting to stay for a long time.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with having nice things and a nice house, but this body and life of ours – it’s really just the shell. No one decorates the shell of an egg because what is really valuable is the inside. Yet some of us would spend a much longer time in the morning on the outer man when the real thing that needs fixing is the inner man.

Of course, none of these are inherently bad, God gives us richly all things to enjoy. And there may be a season in life where it is good and appropriate to enjoy these things. It is ok to buy nice things or an 85-inch TV;

But at the end of the day, it boils down to this - what are your true desires? What do you find joy in? Where does your heart lie?

This world is like a shadow that declines - pleasing to look at but empty to hold… We expect from that what they cannot give, and place in them what should be placed in God alone – Thomas Watson

Oh brethren, go light. Drop your weights. Don’t be bogged down by all these stuff on earth – they are not the real stuff.

The army of Alexander the Great was advancing on Persia. At one critical point, it appeared that his troops might be defeated. The soldiers had taken so much plunder from their previous campaigns that they had become weighted down and were losing their effectiveness in combat. Alexander commanded that all the spoils be thrown into a heap and burned. The men complained bitterly but soon saw the wisdom of the order. Someone wrote, "It was as if wings had been given to them—they walked lightly again." Victory was assured.

You don’t see the sprinters running with his car keys in their pocket, and a buko juice in one hand, and a Jollibee in the other. Why?! Because those are weights! They will slow you down.

Yet, Paul says in 1 Cor 9 – they are running for the corruptible crown; and we are running for the incorruptible! In other words, ours is the real deal. We are the ones that are really running for something valuable, they are not.

Did not Paul say in Colossians 3:1–2 “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”

People run with all kinds of weights and all kind of baggage. There are people, even Christians, who do not mind being slowed down if they can cling on to more of this world’s goods but continue being a Christian. Brethren, this race is yours to run. At the end of the day, the rewards are yours alone.

We need to ask “Lord, what is hindering me from going faster? Reveal the weights in my life. Give me the grace to lay them aside.”

Closing

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Gal 6:9)

Brethren, there is a day of reckoning. There is a day of reaping.

Life is an investment – the seeds you sow in this life will determine the fruits you reap in the next.

Heaven will pay for any loss we may suffer to gain it; but nothing can pay for the loss of heaven.

No one said the denying yourself and taking up the Cross would be easy. Giving up the weights is not easy.

But did the apostle Paul not say “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Rom 8:18) or…

Is it not true that “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Just a few more rolling suns… just a few more uphill and downhills, just a few more years of light affliction, and we’d be basking in that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And we can sing:

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,

Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;

One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,

So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

At the end of your life, you have to be able to say it like Paul “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Tim 4:6-8)

Brethren, press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:14)