How To Live Like A Christian - 9:24-25
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Introduction
Introduction
I want you to consider our topic and then open your bulletin and look at our song selection for today.
Our sermon title is: How To Live Like A Christian.
So.
How do you live like a Christian?
Look at the song list.
First, you stand amazed in the presence of the one Who is the King of love.
We stand amazed in His presence trusting Jesus, knowing that He will hold us fast.
Because He is worthy of our trust, because He will hold us fast, we trust and obey.
Brothers and sisters, that is how you live like a Christian.
As we have noted, Paul began a new section in chapter 8. He is dealing with our freedom in Christ and necessity to sometimes limit that freedom for the sake of the gospel.
He has given an illustration of his own voluntary limitation of freedom.
Now Paul is going to exhort the Corinthian believers to always keep the bigger picture in mind.
Principle:
A successful Christian life requires consistent effort and discipline.
Guidance:
To give consistent effort and discipline there are two warnings we must give heed to.
Outcome:
As we give effort and live with discipline we earn eternal rewards.
Two warnings.
Warning #1…
1. Know What The Goal Is vv. 24-25
1. Know What The Goal Is vv. 24-25
If I were to give you a pair of scissors and a cardboard box, would you automatically know what to make with it?
No.
What if I gave you a container of play-doh and a spoon?
No.
Why not?
You need direction and instruction to know what the goal is.
You could give a crew of workman a collection of tools and supplies, but until they have plans or blueprints they will not know what to make!
Here’s the idea.
We cannot be effective servants of Christ if we do not know the goal.
Paul gives us a personal goal in these verses.
2 requirements to achieve the goal.
Requirement #1…
a. The goal requires strategy v. 24
a. The goal requires strategy v. 24
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
When Paul says “do you not know” it has the force of a reminder.
He is not telling them something new.
He is reminding them.
What is the reminder?
An illustration.
In a race there are multiple runners, but only one gets the prize.
Which one gets the prize?
The one who runs the best.
The same word for prize is found in Philippians 3:14.
Philippians 3:14
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul is reminding the Corinthians of the bigger picture.
We get so caught up in the affairs of this life that we forget about the life to come!
That is part of his whole point in dealing with our freedom in Christ.
Yes, we have freedom, but when we pursue that freedom at the cost of others, we display our failure to see the bigger picture.
What is the bigger picture?
This life is a race. The prize comes at the end.
This life is not about temporary pleasure.
It is not about what feels good in the moment.
This life is about eternal rewards in heaven with Jesus Christ our Savior!
That’s why Paul says we need to run the right way.
“In such a way” is an adverb of manner.
There is a specific way in which we need to run if we want the prize.
When Paul says to run in this way it is an imperative. It is a command.
We are to run in a way that enables us to obtain the prize.
This is the hina clause. So that.
We run so that we can obtain the prize.
Run to obtain the prize. This requires that we think through how that is!
Picture a race.
In any race you have several different kinds of racers.
Some show up but never end up racing.
Some take a very half-hearted approach and don’t push themselves.
Some are complainers. Shoes are too tight, track is uneven, other racers get in their way. Wrong clothes. etc.
Maybe there are people out there tripping others, making fun of them, and trying to get ahead by cheating.
These are not racers who will get the prize!
The racer who gets the prize is disciplined.
More on that in a minute.
Let’s make the Spiritual connections here.
Some people call themselves Christians, but never put Christianity into practice. They never actually run the race.
Some show up for church, but that’s it. They don’t actually get involved much. They are there, but they are half-hearted in their running.
Then there are the Christians who spend all their time complaining. They never heard a sermon they liked, never had a Bible study that was relevant, never had a service where the songs were good enough. Their pastor does nothing right, the church board makes wrong decisions, and there are never enough programs or outreach.
Then, brothers and sisters, we have Christians who are tripping their fellow racers. Whether intentionally or not, they make it harder for everyone else to run the race.
If any of these attitudes are true of us, we will not get the prize.
Paul’s command is to run in such a way that you get the prize.
How are we running?
There is a right way and a wrong way to run this race.
How are we running?
The way we run, matters.
2 Timothy 2:5 puts it this way.
2 Timothy 2:5
5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
To get the prize we must run correctly.
This means we must know the rules and know how to run.
Where do we find that?
Scripture.
Are we men and women of the Word?
When we stand before Christ there will be no excuses.
I cannot stand there and blame others for my failure to run well.
I need to have a strategy for my running.
I need to train.
That’s where we are headed next.
Here’s our lesson:
The Christian life demands focus.
This is not something to get into on a whim!
We must focus on the prize!
We must focus on eternity!
We are going to be called to our eternal home!
We are going to stand before the creator of the universe!
There will be no excuses, no do overs. We only have this life to live for Christ.
How will we run?
Requirement #1: The goal requires strategy.
Requirement #2…
b. The goal requires sacrifice v. 25
b. The goal requires sacrifice v. 25
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
Here is where Paul applies his illustration.
Competes – ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnizomai)
Competes – ἀγωνίζομαι (agōnizomai) struggle; fight; strive. to fight v. — to be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight. Verb, present, either middle or passive, attributive participle, singular, nominative, masculine.
Paul makes an important point here that can be easily overlooked.
The Christian life is hard.
How do we know that?
This word that Paul uses indicates a struggle, a fight, an agonizing battle.
That is what we are engaged in.
That level of struggle involves sacrifice.
We are doing battle.
Go with me to Ephesians 6:11-18.
Ephesians 6:11-18
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
The whole purpose of the armor of God is so that we can do battle with the spiritual forces that oppose us.
The Christian life was never meant to be easy.
We are doing battle.
We are doing battle for a prize.
Here in this verse Paul calls it a crown.
We’ll get to that.
First, we need to look at this word “temperate.”
Temperate – ἐγκρατεύομαι (enkrateuomai)
Temperate – ἐγκρατεύομαι (enkrateuomai) control oneself. to exercise self-control v. — to resolutely control one’s own desires (which would produce actions); especially sensual desires. Finite verb, present, either middle or passive, indicative, third person, singular.
When secular athletes compete, they have to practice self-control.
There is sacrifice and self-denial involved in competing at a high level.
Paul says here that self-control is a must.
If a runner competing for a temporary perishable prize exercises self-control, how much more should we who compete for an eternal prize?
Let’s put this into the larger context of what Paul has been talking about.
We have freedom in Christ.
There are activities we can engage in, things we have freedom in Christ to do.
However, if we are competing for the prize, there may be some things we choose not to do.
Using Paul’s illustration, a runner has the freedom to eat donuts and drink soda every day, however, if they want to win the prize, if they want to stand before the judge and get the crown, they have to exercise self-control.
The same is true Spiritually. We have the freedom to ignore church, to never read our Bible, to pray only when we want something. But living like that will never win us the crown.
I did a little bit of research into the training schedule for professional athletes and Olympic competitors.
Most of them practice 5-6 hours per day, 6 days a week.
Over 30 hours a week.
That is the time investment necessary to excel in athletics.
By the way, this same amount of time is recommended for professional musicians as well.
Here’s what I am getting at.
If we want to excel in our service for Christ, time and effort are required.
That means sacrifice.
What makes the sacrifice worth it?
The crown.
Crown – στέφανος (stephanos)
Crown – στέφανος (stephanos) crown. wreath (Hellenistic) n. — a wreath (or diadem) worn on the head to signify victory, glory, or prestige (and sometimes sovereignty). Noun (direct object), accusative, singular, masculine.
Paul says here that the competitors in the Greek games received a corruptible crown.
Their crown was a wreath or garland usually of some sort of greenery.
It would fade and wither within days of winning it.
The crown, the prize we compete for will not whither away!
There are 5 crowns listed for us in Scripture.
The Incorruptible Crown
This is the one we are looking at.
1 Corinthians 9:25
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.
This is given as a reward for living the Christian life in a self controlled way.
The Crown of Rejoicing
1 Thessalonians 2:19
19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?
This crown has to do with those we have discipled or lead to Christ in our Christian lives.
The Crown of Righteousness
2 Timothy 4:6-8
6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
This crown seems to be given as a reward for fighting the good fight all the way to the end. Longevity in faithfulness.
The Crown of Life
James 1:12
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
This crown has to do with enduring temptation, not giving in but bearing through trials and tests.
The Crown of Glory
1 Peter 5:1-4
1 The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
This is a crown specifically for those who serve the Lord in leadership positions.
Receiving these crowns depends on how we live.
That is what Paul’s point is here.
We only receive the prize if we run in a certain way.
We are running for a crown!
That reality changes how we live.
What do I mean by that?
We have a choice, to live selfishly or to live for eternity.
Our society is preaching a “be true to yourself” message.
Scripture calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus.
This doesn’t mean that we never engage in self-care. We do.
What it means is that our number 1 priority is not our own comfort.
Our number 1 priority is Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Behind Paul’s command here is another idea.
We can live for things that are temporary, things that perish.
OR.
We can live for things that are eternal, things that never perish.
The choice is ours.
Here’s our lesson:
The Christian life demands purpose.
We are motivated to sacrifice when we are sold on a purpose.
Paul’s purpose was the gospel.
He was willing to sacrifice anything to further the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Are we?
Conclusion
Conclusion
Here’s where we stop for today.
As we close I want to give us two things to focus on.
First, a strategy.
If we are going to run this race and win the prize, here is our training schedule.
Training Schedule:
Daily time in the word.
This doesn’t have to be extensive. It can be one verse that you chew on all day. The important thing is that it happens regularly and consistently.
Teach kids to do this. Be an example. Have a time of reading/studying with your spouse.
We have a plan for this in the bulletin.
Bible study.
We have several that happen here. We have theology classes, and Sunday school.
We have a Scripture Worksheet.
We study Scripture in our morning service.
Daily time in prayer.
We have an outline for this in the bulletin.
Weekly church attendance.
Come to Sunday school. Come to church.
Service.
There are many areas of service here at the church.
There are some ministries we would like to start, we need people to make that happen.
There is your training schedule.
You may look at that and think, “I don’t have time!”
That brings us to the second thing.
The sacrifice:
Establish Priorities
All of us are busy.
We need to schedule our time or our time will fly away.
We all need to figure out what our priorities are.
Once we know, we structure our lives around those priorities.
Want to be at church? Make it happen.
Want to come to Sunday School? Start your planning on Saturday night.
In light of all we have looked at, what commitment would God have you make?
COMMITMENT:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Follow the strategy.
Be willing to sacrifice.
Bottom line:
We earn the crown through diligent work and unwavering commitment.
Therefore,
Do the work necessary to live like a Christian.
2. Know What The Danger Is vv. 26-27
2. Know What The Danger Is vv. 26-27
This deals with how the award is won.
We must have purpose and we must practice.
a. The danger is personal v. 26
a. The danger is personal v. 26
The biggest issue I will have to overcome is myself.
My desire for ease. My desire for comfort.
Make the choice to run.
Paul fights and runs with purpose. He is not wasting his time, wasting his movements. He knows his destination, knows his opponent. He contends for the prize.
b. The danger can be overcome v. 27
b. The danger can be overcome v. 27
It is possible to live a consistent Christian life.
It requires discipline.
POSS - ill. not showering at the coast. Blemishes. Failure to be consistent in our time with the Lord leads to blemishes.
It requires self-control.
It requires consistency. (preach to others but don’t do it)
It requires awareness of the consequences of failure.
Paul brings his body under control through careful discipline. He understand the danger of disqualification.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Are you going to run?