1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - Jesus shall lead us

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 ESV

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Our goal is simply to be made holy in Christ.

there really is nothing that we can do on our own to accomplish this.

For example, no matter how much we look successful in life if Jesus is not living in us we really have not done anything.

So we know that if we are saved today he is coming back for us.

Not only do we know that he is coming back for us we know that he is purify us.

When we think of Gold, when they dig Gold from the ground it is dirty and it has all kinds of other metals in it.

It doesn’t come out of the ground this beautiful Gold that we see on jewelry.

It comes out dirty

And a metal refiner has to take the Gold and get it super hot.

Melt it down and get all the bad metal out of it.

This is how it becomes the kind of Gold that we see.

You see when God takes you he cleans you and he makes you perfect.

He get’s all of the impurities out and purifies us.

Now, the only way he can do that is if we choose to follow him in faith and repentance.

When we do that God begins to purify us.

His goal is to make us Holy.

But here is the thing, we cannot run in our flesh if we are going to allow Christ to perfect us.

If we are trying to do it on our own, if we are running in our own energy God cannot truly make us Holy.

If we are trying to everything on our own we may accomplish some of our goals, people may think we did a good job.

But if we aren’t allowing God to work in and through us we really have done nothing.

It may look like we are accomplished but without him we as Paul has said have run aimlessly.

(allow one of the kids to punch at nothing as an example of Paul “boxing the air”

Paul said I do not box as one who is boxing the air.

In other words, could you imagine a fighter aimlessly punching at nothing.

It would look silly and it would be a waist of energy for us to punch at nothing.

That is why Paul said that he didn’t do that.

He was saying I do not waist my energy on the world unless God is in it.

In order for us to run the good race that is set before us we have to be prepared to fight not with the energy within us.

Here is what happens if we constantly run the race without God’s guidance on our life.

We begin to get tired.

We begin to get grouchy.

And we begin to develop a strong pressure on us that feels as though it never goes away.

Running without in our own energy is like not having God be a part of our race.

Many times in my life i have tried to run in the energy of my own flesh and it has gotten me no where.

When I try to do that i get tired and frustrated.

I really get nowhere.

Today, maybe you feel like you run without God.

You don’t ask for his guidance therefor he isn’t there.

If we fail to be in prayer

If we fail to talk to God.

He cannot lead us.

Meaning as a preacher, if i was up here without God’s guidance i could look like a preacher, I could act like a preacher, but running in my own flesh I could do nothing.

How can we be made Holy in Christ?

Simply by allowing him to dwell within us.

After we are saved we have to trust him to guide us and direct us.

We have to trust him to lead us.

We have to get out of the habit of not letting him be a part of our life.

We have to let him have all of us.

The real question is are you willing to let him have all of you?