1. I Corinthians 9:24-27
24Do 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.

2. I Corinthians 9:24-27
25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

3. I Corinthians 9:24-27
26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

4. Running the Race
A few weeks ago I spoke on the resurrection and how the resurrection changes our outlook and focus in life. The realization and experience of the love and sacrifice of Jesus’ death and the power of the resurrection makes us want to devote4 ourselves to the one who so selflessly devoted himself for us. There is an eager anticipation we experience day by day as we wait for the final fulfillment of Jesus’ promise when He returns on the clouds of heaven with a host of angels, and the earth is dissolved with intense heat, and we rise to meet Jesus at the judgment seat of God.
But between the resurrection and today has been about 2000 years. And for each of us, it has been a lifetime waiting for Jesus’ return. Sometimes the wait seems long and we get tired in our struggle to be like Jesus. Often our devotion flags and our spirit sags when it seems the whole world has conspired to try to make us quit. Paul has compared our life experience to a long distance race where the chief competition we face is our own ability to endure.
The Christian life is a lot like a race, where preparation, performance and perseverance are crucial for winning the crown when we stand before Christ and tell him how we conducted ourselves. 4

5. Preparing to Run Learn the rules of the game Exercise (whole body)
Get the right amount of sleep
Eat the right food
Practice running
Push endurance beyond comfort into pain
Practice running faster
Practice running farther
Practice running longer
Who has run a race of some kind - either on a school team or a 5K or half Marathon or Marathon? Did you go through any kind of preparation for running that race? What did you do?
Learn the rules for the race: learn the course for cross country. Learn where to start and finish on a track. Learn what streets to run down for the 5K or Marathon.
Exercise – not just the legs, but the upper body as well. My coach had me lift weights as part of cross country training. Why do you suppose that was? You move your arms when you run. Need to build lung capacity and upper body strength for the endurance that will be needed.
Get the right amount of sleep – perform better when well rested
Eat the right food – food that builds muscle and provides long term strength rather than empty calories that add fat without giving the body lasting benefit.
Practice running – There is a technique for running over rough terrain, running efficiently on a track, running up a hill, running down a hill. You get better at running as you practice running with proper technique.
Push endurance beyond comfort into pain – You can play at running, or you can be serious about your goals of what you intend to accomplish. The players stop when it starts to hurt. Those that are serious not only push themselves until it hurts, but keep pushing the limits of pain and will run through the pain until it recedes into the background.
Run faster, farther, longer – keep pushing the limits of what you can do and ultimately accomplish 5

6. Preparing to Run God’s Race
Learn the rules of the game
Know what God expects by reading His Word - the Bible
Not following the rules can lead to disqualification
Exercise (whole body)
Become disciplined in a daily routine of having God talk to you and speaking to Him in return (Bible reading and prayer)
Practice different qualities that God expects (love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control)
It is amazing the similarities between running a physical race and running God’s race.
God’s race also has rules. In order to know what God expects of us, we need to read His Word – the Bible. We need to not only read what is expected, but need to follow what we learn. The Bible is full of examples of people who were disqualified because they did not believe God when he told them what was expected., and thought their way was better.
Exercising the whole body – Become disciplined in a daily routine of having God talk to you and speaking to him in return (Bible reading and prayer). Fasting, meditation, and other spiritual disciplines can provide a framework in which our discussions with God can become more focused and personal.
Beyond learning what to do is the practical side of trying it out in real circumstances. Actually finding out what its like to bench press love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Learning how to be faithful to God by being faithful to your spouse. Learning what it means to love your enemies when a relative is killed in Iraq. Showing the joy and peace that only God can cause to bloom when crisis and disaster comes to you. Having the people around you alter their behavior because of the goodness they see in you. Demonstrating patience when you are cut off in traffic or you are explaining to the clerk for the 15th time that you can do what they think their rules say you can’t. 6

7. Get right amount of sleep
Take time away from the hurry of work and family obligations to rest and reflect on God’s activity in the world and in your life.
Eat the right food
Fill your mind with words and images that will cause you to focus on being the best person you can be and to become stronger in Christian character.
Get Right amount of sleep – Take time away from the hurry of work and family obligations to rest and reflect on God’s activity in the world and in your life.
How many have two seconds to call their own – like ever. We live in a world that demands all of our time, and seems to excel in ways of sucking the last seconds out of our day. I am convinced that Satan does this on purpose so that in the noise and fragmentation of life, we never have time to stop and just think about God and what He is doing daily in the world. We are so used to doing and going and filling our life with stuff all the time that we feel guilty when we have a free moment – so we try to fill it with something. Take time to rest. Let there be silence and don’t try to fill the void.
Eat the right food – Fill your mind with words and images that will cause you to focus on being the best person you can be and to become stronger in Christian character. Let me go so far as to say avoid those things that cause you to be a weaker Christian and absorb the world’s viewpoint on life. 7

8. Push Endurance beyond comfort into pain
Practice running
Practice helping other people
Practice showing compassion
Practice telling the truth
Practice showing courage and honor
Practice with someone to share the load
Push Endurance beyond comfort into pain
Do the right things even if it means personal pain, grief and loss
Practice running – practice helping other people, practice showing compassion, practice telling the truth, practice showing courage and honor, practice with someone to share the load. Having a companion to help you , to race with you, to hone your running skills with is priceless. This may be someone to pray with , someone to hold you accountable, someone to discuss goals and failings. It can be a spouse or a good friend, or a small group – but get a partner to help you in the race. If you try to do it all by yourself, you will have a much harder time and may end up failing.
Push endurance beyond comfort into pain – That means doing the right things even if it means personal pain, grief and loss. Jesus went to the cross when that was what it took. As followers of Jesus, we should also do what it takes to keep our word and our promises even if it means personal loss or hardship. Too many marriages end when life gets hard because it wasn’t what they bargained for. And suddenly the words richer, poorer, sickness, health isn’t what I meant.
It means practicing tough love when it is needed to stop enabling bad behavior in others - even if it tears our hearts out.
It means accepting financial loss - even to the loss of everything rather than to lie or cheat or steal in order to keep our standard of living. 8

9. Practice Running Faster, Farther, Longer
Practice thinking about and doing things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy often so they become the natural pattern and first inclination of thought and action
Practice running faster, farther, longer – Practice thinking about and doing things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy often – so often in fact that they become the natural pattern and first inclination of our thought and action. These traits just become who we are. In Philippians, when Paul spoke about standing firm in the Lord and receiving God’s peace – he said… 9

10. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you Philippians 4:8
Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 10

11. But the Obstacles are so Hard
Every runner knows that keeping a practice regimen is difficult at best and impossible if it is not part of a daily routine.
If the body and mind are not in shape, are not toned by daily practice, when you “hit the wall” you will not have the perseverance to continue, or the strength and will to finish.
There is a conflict between body and mind where we must make out bodies perform the way we want them to perform. But no one succeeds entirely.
But the Obstacles are so Hard
Every runner knows that keeping a practice regimen is difficult at best and impossible if it is not part of a daily routine.
If the body and mind are not in shape, are not toned by daily practice, when you “hit the wall” you will not have the perseverance to continue, or the strength and will to finish.
There is a conflict between body and mind where we must make out bodies perform the way we want then to perform. But no one succeeds entirely.
John says in I John 1:8 “If we claim to have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
Paul tells of his own experiences in Romans 7: 7-25 He sums up in v21-25 with “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave of God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. 11

12. Olympic Runners Were Focused
Olympic runners in Greek and Roman times would wear weights on their arms and legs when they practiced, so that when the race came, they could remove the weights and run faster.
Olympic runners would remove every garment that would impede their movement.
They were focused toward one goal. No distractions or encumbrances were allowed to interfere.
Olympic runners in Greek and Roman times would wear weights on their arms and legs when they practiced, so that when the race came, they could remove the weights and run faster. Have you runners ever done that? Practiced with weight so that when you ran the race you felt like you were running on air?
Olympic runners would remove every garment that would impede their movement. In fact women were not allowed to attend the early Olympic games because the men would compete with no clothing encumbrances at all
They were focused toward one goal. No distractions or encumbrances were allowed to interfere.
There are a lot of distractions in this world that would hinder us from focusing on God’s race. There are a lot of circumstances that would trip us up into sin.
The Hebrew writer said… 12

13. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 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, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart 13

14. The Christian Race is about living by the Spirit and competing against the sinful desires we all have.
“So I say live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other so you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” Galatians 5:16-18
The Christian Race is about living by the Spirit and competing against the sinful desires we all have.
“So I say live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other so you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.” 14

15. These are the kinds of things against which our race is trying to win.
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Galatians 5:19-21
These are the kinds of things against which our race is trying to win.
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” 15

16. When we persevere at running the race, these are the things God’s Spirit will grow in our lives.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Galatians 5:22-26
When we persevere at running the race, these are the things God’s Spirit will grow in our lives.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” 16

17. Finish the Race
In the Olympics as in all races, only the winner gets the gold. In the first Olympics, the winner won a laurel wreath crown.
In the race of life, the stakes are nothing less than eternal life.
In the Olympics as in all races, only the winner gets the gold. In the first Olympics, the winner won a laurel wreath crown.
In the race of life, the stakes are nothing less than eternal life. 17

18. God looks at the heart. So live life as if only one will get the prize
No one is immune from being disqualified, even those who appear on the outside to be champions. God does not look at our success in academics, business, fame or physical appearance.
God looks at the heart.
So live life as if only one will get the prize
No one is immune from being disqualified, even those who appear on the outside to be champions. God does not look at our success in academics, business, fame or physical appearance.
God looks at the heart. 18

19. The LORD Judges the Heart
When Samuel was looking at David’s brother as a potential candidate for king:
“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” I Samuel 16:7
The LORD Judges the Heart
When Samuel was looking at David’s brother as a potential candidate for king:
“But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’” 19

20. The Apostle Paul said:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified.”
I Corinthians 9:24-27
The Apostle Paul said:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others, I myself should be disqualified.” 20

21. Winners Persevere in Running the Race and Believing God’s Promise
“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay.” “But my righteous one will live by faith.” “And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” Hebrews 10:35-39
Winners Persevere in Running the Race and Believing God’s Promise
The Hebrew writer tells us:
“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a little while, “He who is coming will come and will not delay.” “But my righteous one will live by faith.” “And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” 21

22. Receiving the Prize Jesus said: Jesus said:
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
“He who overcomes will be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5
“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21
Receiving the Prize
Jesus said:
“Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
“He who overcomes will be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5
“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Revelation 3:21 22

23. In Summary
Prepare for the race of life by emulating the character traits of Jesus
Run the race with determination and perseverance so that you do not give up
Win the race through faith in Jesus and following in the way of life He has shown us
Receive the promised prize, a crown of life eternal and a home with God in heaven
In Summary
Prepare for the race of life by emulating the character traits of Jesus
Run the race with determination and perseverance so that you do not give up
Win the race through faith in Jesus and following in the way of life He has shown us
Receive the promised prize, a crown of life eternal and a home with God in heaven
You know, sometimes people don’t expect us to win. The opposition is just too tough.
How many have been on a team where you were not expected to win, but you won anyway because you played with all your heart? Sometimes life is that way too. Running the race was our theme at the camp in Ukraine this year. I taught teen boys and one of the classes we had was sex education. The nurse who taught it told them she did not expect them to refrain from having sex outside marriage like she would expect girls to because they were boys. That made me mad. What about you guys. Some people just don’t expect us to win. But we are running a race; and we are running to win - no matter what anybody says. 23

24. Run to win. Run as if only one will win. – and that’s you
Run to win. Run as if only one will win. – and that’s you. Run as if your life depended on it. Run when it hurts. Run when others have given up on you being able to make it. When you stumble and fall get up and start running again. In God’s race, we are all one legged runners tripping over our shoe laces. Run where you see Jesus has cut the trail. Run because there is nowhere you would rather be than with Jesus. Run because you can see the prize – Jesus holding the crown of eternal life and cheering you on to the finish so he can give it to you.
Have you been having trouble running your race? Would you like help? We would be honored to pray with you, help pick you up and get you started again, or be a companion so you don’t have to run alone.
The promised prize for those who are faithful to the end is only made to those who have faith. If you have not yet begun the race by declaring your faith in Jesus by being baptized into him, there is no finish – no crown at the end – no eternal life.
If you need help in running the race, or you would like to begin the journey that is a race of a lifetime you have the opportunity to make your request known as we stand and sing. 24