Spiritual Olympics at Epiphany on July 20, 2008
1 Corinthians 9:24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?
Run in such a way as to get the prize.
This
morning is the Spirit of Racine Triathlon. 1500 participants are expected to
swim the
In
the 2008 Summer Olympics, 10,500 athletes are expected to compete in 302 events
in 28 sports. That means there will be at least 302 gold medallists – many more
when you give out medals for team sports. Each of these events will also give
out silver and bronze medals for second and third place. So even if an Olympian
finishes second or third, he or she still receives a prize, some recognition, a
share of the glory.
In
Monday’s night Home Run Dery, Josh Hamilton crushed the ball time and again into
the upper deck of Yankee Stadium. He set a new first round record hitting 28
home runs, while the best the other seven batters could hit was 8. Even jaded
This
is not the way it will be for those who cross the finish line of heaven. There
is no glory in second place. You are either the winner or the first loser.
Golden crowns will be placed on the heads of only the winners. There are no
silver or bronze crowns. Only winners have their names remembered and written in
the Book of Life. You either win or you lose. You are either in heaven or in
hell. It is all or nothing.
The
ancient Olympic games were held in
The writer to the Hebrews used athletic imagery to describe winning and losing: “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, …” (Hebrews 12:1-2) Most of us are spectators when it comes to athletics. But all of us are called to the race of faith in Jesus Christ. In this race, there is only one way to win, through Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. However, there are lots of ways to lose – to be easily entangled by sin and be hindered by the weight of our own transgressions.
Athletes face the problem of pain. In fact, one of the Greek words for race is “agon.” This is where we get the word “agony.” Runners in the race of faith are also going to know pain of many different kinds. One of the worst kinds of agony for the Christian is rejection, ridicule, and persecution. Satan will try to use these agonies to force you away from your goal. But we are encouraged: “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Followers of Jesus can look to Him who endured the fanatical rage of unbelief – taking it with Him to the cross in order that He might overcome it. Jesus died in persecution, but then He rose from the dead to show that all attacks against God and His people are only temporary. They cannot outlast or overcome the enduring love of God.
In
the race of faith we are bound to run into resistance and ridicule. There are a
lot of losers out there. People who don't want to be saved – those who are
satisfied with a life of sin. These unbelieving losers resent anyone or anything
that challenges their way of life. Our nation is growing more and more
unchristian. You cannot mention Jesus in public (unless as part of a swear
word.) Abstract spirituality is good, but concrete Christianity is appalling.
Day cares in our public high schools appear modern, while sexual abstinence is
frowned upon as impractical and outdated. As frustrating and agonizing as this
might be, it shouldn't come to us as a surprise. Again and again God's servants
run into this problem. But we look to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our
faith and focus on the prize at the finish line. We continue running despite
these obstacles and frustrations.
Are
you faced with challenges to your faith in your junior high or high school?
Classmates may be trying to involve you in immorality or alcohol abuse or some
other sin. When you resist, you're put down. Are you a college student? Have you
heard a professor ridicule Bible-believing Christians, accusing them of less
than average intelligence? Are you being challenged with unethical practices in
the workplace, such as lying to customers or stockholders? When you question
these practices, do your superiors question your loyalty to the company and the
future of your career? These are all serious challenges to the faith God has
given us in Jesus Christ. Yet the Bible reminds us that we are surrounded by
fellow saints who are running the race with us.
There
is another competitor that makes the race of faith difficult – this competitor
is the burden of our own personal sin. We may have every intention of running
the race, but our apathy to our pet sins is a serious problem. We know as
Christians that God forgives sins. So, sadly, we use God’s forgiveness as an
excuse to willingly disobey God. This apathy to our sin can slow us down with
unnecessary burdens and make the race of faith very difficult. This apathy can
also erode our faith until we lose it completely.
When
our own sin or the sin of the world is hindering us, that is when our Head
Coach, the Lord God, uses discipline to train us. The Bible is very clear that
God disciplines those He loves. As a soccer coach, the kids on my team know that
I train them hard. There’s a lot of running and sprinting. Quite a bit of
yelling. I’m not as nice to them as I am to you. When those kids misbehave,
don’t listen or refuse to hustle, they know that I’ll discipline them with
running hills. Enough to get their attention. I don’t do this because I like to
make them feel pain. (Well, a little bit.) I do it to help them avoid much more
serious pain and failure when they are in the real game.
In
the same way, God allows us to feel the temporary consequences of our own sin or
even the consequences of living in a fallen world. We have to deal with all of
the problems, torments, and temptations that come from unbelieving losers. God
does this so we might be disciplined, trained and exercised in our Christian
faith. We trust in God’s discipline knowing that He will work all things out for
the good of those who love Him.
God
doesn’t want us to end up as losers. He has called us to be winners.
Personally, I have had medals and awards on my bookshelves – Grand Champion from the County Fair, All-Conference awards in soccer, and believe it or not, an arm wrestling trophy. I worked hard to win them and displayed them proudly. Now they seem merely a fleeting memory of a triumphant hour.
How avidly we collect trophies, not just those that stand on bookshelves but houses, cars, jewelry, and club memberships. We work hard, look for opportunities, take risks, and savor the victories.
Paul writes about athletes training rigorously to win a coveted garland crown. "They do it," he says, "to get a crown that will not last." How futile the pursuit of fading crowns or trophies that will gather dust.
Paul goes on to describe a more worthwhile pursuit: “They do it to get a crown
that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.” (1 Cor
In the ancient Olympics, athletes displayed their skill and competitive spirit. They competed for the glory of achievement. Winners received olive branches and were hailed as heroes. Any athlete caught cheating was condemned as a disgrace and had to pay heavy fines. The money was then used to make bronze statues inscribed with their names and their offenses. This was an impressive reminder as athletes walked by the statues on their way to the stadium.
We are called upon to run the race of faith to gain the prize. “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” Christ is the path and Christ is the prize. He is the source of all we need to live. We run the straight race through God’s good grace. We lift up our eyes to seek His face.
Athletes compete against one another but Christians compete with one another. We Christians have been equipped with spiritual gifts to strengthen and encourage others in the race. Just as the ancient athletes ran their races naked, we must lay aside every weight and sin which so easily ensnares us. Athletes focus their attention on the marker at the end of the race. We must fasten our eyes on Jesus.
Faith is not easy in this sin-filled road, but we can hang our faith on the reality of an awesome God who is good and powerful. The more we believe and trust, the easier we will discount doubts and overcome temptations. Be a champion - run the race of faith with endurance.
Christ made us champions even though we were dead in our sins when Jesus died for us. When we ask, He forgives our sins and washes us clean. He forgets them and removes them as far as the east is from the west. The enemy would have us resurrect statues of shame and guilt inscribed with our names to remind us daily of our past sins, failures and weaknesses. Christ has crushed those statues with His cross. The cross has now become a monument of praise and glory.
When it comes to the prize of eternity,
it is either all or nothing. There is no second place. Either by God’s grace you
are a winner or by sin-filled indulgence you are a loser. Unbelievers are
losers. They are left only with sin, guilt, shame and eventually the “prize” of
an eternity in hell.
Christians are winners. We aren’t competing in this race for the glory of achievement but for the glory of God. Our prize is not an olive branch or gold medal. Our prize is an imperishable crown. It is a white robe of Christ’s righteousness. It is our name in the Book of Life. It is an eternal home in the mansions of heaven. It is a seat at the feast of victory. It is all or nothing. Amen.