What is the Prize of Your Heart?

Intro - During my sabbatical I meditated on a number of passages but chief among them was this one that we’ll examine today.

The Pursuit

The pursuit has two aspects, bodily activity and directional sensitivity, first the bodily activity

The Pursuit has Bodily Activity

“exercises self control in all things”…

The Greek term for “competes”, which some of your translations will have, is where we get the term “agony” or “agonizing” from because without question it can be agonizing.

During the Isthmian games an athlete could be disqualified and not even race if he didn’t meet the requirements of the training regimen.

They voluntary put themselves through months and sometimes years of preparation, all for a single goal.

There are people who have started this walk with us and are no longer with us. The training was too great and they have thereby disqualified themselves from the race.

The training regimen was two fold. It involved participation and self-deprivation.

Participation

On one hand the athlete had to participate in the work, the labor, the training, the skill based training, the conditioning, etc. The consistent diet to get into optimal shape to perform.

I remember thinking I should prepare for basketball season by running on the cross country team. That was until that first bus ride home I paid attention to how far they ran.

There may have even been mental training, prayer and meditation to develop a mindset that could withstand the pressure. They had to participate in what was required!

The “race” referenced in this passage is dealing with other people. I realized while on sabbatical how much I had withdrew from dealing with ppl. While physically present I was mentally away. Some of us go through life that way.

The issue here for Paul was that there was the constant demand from those around him to do something, be something. Always the pull, the incessant need. The challenge to forebear, be patient, go where they are to show them Christ.

Jesus participated in our lives. He did the heavy lifting with people. He didn’t lecture them from a distance but brought them alongside himself. Go into that person’s wheelhouse.

“I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some”

Our race is a journey with other people, many of whom not like you. Is it worth enduring with them to be found faithful by God? You must participate with them. See where Jesus is already working in their lives and join in.

Part of the “prize” without question is the joy of seeing Jesus being victorious in people’s lives. Do you share the Gospel with others???

Do you love those in this building and desire to see Jesus conquer the lives outside this building? When is the last time you shared the Gospel with someone?

What are your conversations composed of? Shooting the breeze or investing in people’s lives? Participate in the race!!!

Deprivation

On the other hand the athletes had to deny themselves some forms of rest opting to get up early, deny themselves pleasures that were permissible but not helpful.

I have to deprive myself of wanting to sleep in all the time because I need to be praying, refreshing my soul, renewing my mind.

There were relationships, celebrations, delights that they would deprive themselves of in an effort to give themselves the best possible chance of winning.

What are you denying yourself of so that you can be found faithful. One of the main things I fight to deprive myself of is the need to be right and to always be treated rightly.

What will you deprive yourself of for the sake of your brother or sister?

The Pursuit has Directional Sensitivity

How will you determine what to participate in or what deprive yourself of? The race determines it!

What determined their self-control? The race did!!! Whatever the race demanded, they did it.

There must be a level of sensitivity to what is required to win. What does your brother or sister need you to be? Be that for them and lead them to Christ! That’s literally what Paul is saying here.

Why? So that he can delight in sharing in the blessings of the Gospel with them.

The pursuit of the heavenly race was one of directional sensitivity which required great situational discernment.

The race can’t be haphazard

Some of us are running aimlessly with all of our energy. We are spending so much time either running for wrong prizes or haphazardly running for the right prize.

We run without a goal, we pray, read, attend worship, without a real thought out agenda. I pray we can be more intentional.

I remember when I used to box we would drill technique by shadowing boxing. Just getting the movements down. I knocked out everyone that I ever shadow boxed. It was different when you actually determined what was needed in the ring.

The race can be hindered by our desires. Our desires wrestle for control and desire to be heard.

I learned about the spiritual discipline of fasting and how you flesh is like a spoiled child that always gets what it wants.

However, in this race you can’t get what you want all of the time. Otherwise you’ll be a great shadow boxer but poor fighter when it actually matters.

TR: But why pursue? Why deprive yourself? Why participate in the struggle? Because of the prize!!!

The Prize

What is the passion of my heart? This is what I hounded myself with during my sabbatical.

The prize is two things, it is precious and it is permanent

The Prize is Precious

“do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize?”

The prize is rare...

There are many people that pursue the prize. They stated a desire for it to some degree.

Yet for all of their running only one of them gets to win. While we don’t compete against each other, the prize is nonetheless rare and thereby precious.

Literally in the Greek it is the word for “take”, only one runner “takes” the prize”

Their motivation to endure the training that is going to come, will all be dependent on how valuable they think the prize is.

Everyone has a prize! To not have a goal is not an option for mankind. We love our prizes. Whether it be a certain job, status, relationship, experience, etc. we will do all in our power to chase that prize.

Being an entrepreneur. Thought I could control my own schedule, make more money, leave something for my kids and invest in something else. After a couple years I realized I didn’t control my time, I wasn’t making enough money, thereby couldn’t invest and I would rather leave my kids my dirty socks than this business. I realized that my ultimate prize wasn’t any of those things....it was purely time with my family and the Body. Do I still want those things? Yes, but a superior prize of family and church has put them in the background.

When the boy ceases, at length, to be the slave of his appetite, it is because a manlier taste has now brought it into subordination - the youth ceases to idolize pleasure, because the idol of wealth has become the stronger and gotten the aseendancy and that even the love of money ceases to have the mastery over the heart of many a thriving citizen, it is because drawn into, the whirl of city polities, another affection has been wrought into his moral system, and he is now lorded over by the love of power. There is not one of these transformations in which the heart is left without an object. Its desire for one particular object may be conquered; but as to its desire for having some one object or other, this is unconquerable.

Folks everyone has a prize and that prize is precious. What the Lord is commanding us is not to necessarily let go of desires but that the desire for His prize be chief among them.

Only when the prize of Jesus and His people are supreme will you align your life to His word. Is He not worthy? Is He delightful?

You discipline yourself because the prize is precious…it’s more than worth the cost of admission. The prizes of this world are only valuable in as much as they are desired by others. When others don’t consider them valuable, they cease in value.

The prize to Paul isn’t just his individual faithfulness being rewarded but SHARING in the blessings with others! He wants a Thanksgiving gathering for blessings cf. v. 23.

Imagine if you wanted to fellowship in the blessings as much as you wanted them for yourself!!! How would that change what you do? Christianity is a TEAM SPORT!!

The prize is precious due to its rarity. There is only one athlete that is going to receive it in the case of a race even though everyone competes

One of the most discouraging things as a pastor is seeing a church full of individuals.

The Prize is Permanent

The prize that is rewarded from the physical race is perisable and yet the level of discipline to take it is considerable

These people during the Isthmian games competed consistently and yet in a matter of some years there would be another winner. There would be another champion

Just as there is going to be a better house, a better job, a more attractive person, a more comfortable situation, etc. There is always another prize. The glory from the prize you have doesn’t last in this world!

The wreath that they received not only faded in glory but itself faded. What the wreath was literally made of would wither, fade, and turn to dust eventually. Can anyone name one of the champions from the Isthmian games?

And yet they devoted a decent portion of their lives to winning that crown, that pize!!!

The prize that is rewarded from the heavenly race is an imperishable crown. What I hate to see is people chasing ultimate goals that are perishable.

That’s why Paul warns in the section right after this about idolatry! False prizes!

Sabbatical Thoughts

The race that is before Christians is winning souls of those around us and denying our

What I realized while on sabbatical was that my prize had become this church being successful or being the best pastor, and when I failed at those goals, however they were defined, I became like most athletes do…I became apathetic.

Why do people chase any prize though? When someone wins the championship what do they become? (A champion)

What’s interesting is how the prize is pursued and when you obtain it, it is associated with your identity. Did you change in body composition all of a sudden? Did you become something different? No!

You delight in that identity or the prospect of it. What I’m asking is will we delight in the identity of being a child of God more than anything else, more than a husband, father, pastor, employee, friend, son, etc.

Yet to acheive a prize that is valuable ironically only matters in as much as it brings you value. Now imagine the danger in that when that prize is common and perishable. What is your REAL net worth?

What is the prize of your heart? Is it seeing people won to Christ…truly what is it? If I were to examine what we participate in, deny ourselves of, what race would it identify with?

TR: Once you have your eyes set on the prize and deem it worthy than you start the Pursuit

The pursuit has two aspects, bodily acitivty and directional sensitivity, first the bodily activity

The Pursuit has Bodily Activity

“exercises self control in all things”…

If they needed strength, they built muscle, if it needed endurance they trained cardio, etc.

During the Isthmian games an athlete could be disqualified and not even race if he didn’t meet the requirements of the training regimen.

There are people who have started this walk with us and are no longer with us. The training was too great and they have thereby disqualified themselves from the race.

The training wasn’t a joke. If you value yourself more than the person next to you, you are not running this race as you should.

The training regimen was two fold. It involved participation and self-deprivation.

Participation

On one hand the athlete had to participate in the work, the labor, the training, the skill based training, the conditioning, etc. The consistent diet to get into optimal shape to perform.

There may have even been mental training, prayer and meditation to develop a mindset that could withstand the pressure.

The “race” referenced in this passage is dealing with other people. I realized while on sabbatical how much I had withdrew from the Body of Christ. While physically present I was mentally away. Some of us go through life that way.

The issue here for Paul was that there was the constant demand from those around him to do something, be something. Always the pull, the incessant need. The challenge to forebear, be patient, go where they are to show them Christ.

Jesus participated in our lives. He did the heavy lifting with people. He didn’t lecture them from a distance but brought them alongside himself. Go into that person’s wheelhouse.

“I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some”

Our race is a journey with other people, many of whom not like you. Is it worth enduring with them to be found faithful by God? You must participate with them. See where Jesus is already working in their lives and join in.

Part of the “prize” without question is the joy of seeing Jesus being victorious in people’s lives.

Do you love those in this building and desire to see Jesus conquer the lives outside this building? When is the last time you shared the Gospel with someone?

What are your conversations composed of? Shooting the breeze or investing in people’s lives? Participate in the race!!!

Deprivation

On the other hand the athletes had to deny themselves some forms of rest opting to get up early, deny themselves pleasures that were permissible but not helpful.

I have to deprive myself of wanting to sleep in all the time because I need to be praying, refreshing my soul, renewing my mind.

There were relationships, celebrations, delights that they would deprive themselves of in an effort to give themselves the best possible chance of winning.

What are you denying yourself of so that you can be found faithful. One of the main things I fight to deprive myself of is the need to be right and to always be treated rightly.

What will you deprive yourself of for the sake of your brother or sister?

The Pursuit has Directional Sensitivity

How will you determine what to participate in or what deprive yourself of? The race determines it!

What determined their self-control? The race did!!! Whatever the race demanded, they did it.

There must be a level of sensitivity to what is required to win. What does your brother or sister need you to be? Be that for them and lead them to Christ! That’s literally what Paul is saying here.

Why? So that he can delight in sharing in the blessings of the Gospel with them.

The pursuit of the heavenly race was one of spiritual sensitivity which required great situational discernment.

The pursuit of the heavenly race was one of directional sensitivity which required great situational discernment.

The race can be haphazard

Some of us are running aimlessly with all of our energy. We are spending so much time either running for wrong prizes or haphazardly running for the right prize.

We run without a goal, we pray, read, attend worship, without a real thought out agenda. I pray we can be more intentional.

I remember when I used to box we would drill technique by shadowing boxing. Just getting the movements down. I knocked out everyone that I ever shadow boxed. It was different when you actually determined what was needed in the ring.

I was the greatest shadow boxer that ever lived. I knocked out

The race can be hindered by our desires. Our desires wrestle for control and desire to be heard.

I learned about the spiritual discipline of fasting and how you flesh is like a spoiled child that always gets what it wants.

However, in this race you can’t get what you want all of the time. Otherwise you’ll be a great shadow boxer but poor fighter when it actually matters.

When all of the “prizes” of this world are stripped away and you look at what you’re pursuing…what does it say about you?

A race of selfish ambitions, of just kicking it with people you’re familiar with? Or of becoming all things to all people in hopes that some might be saved!