Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27

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Lorena Leonard
6 years ago
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1 1 Corinthians 9: 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. 25 Everyone 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. 26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27 No, 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. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27) Introduction When you think of Paul s life, do you think of a marathon. For us that s 26 miles of pavement in the heat of the day. Why would anyone put himself through it he didn t think he could win?

2 2 There is no other way to run! Have you heard the story about the two guys out on a camping trip. They got to a scenic overlook, and on the other side of the valley they saw a big bear. At the same time, the bear noticed the two campers, and in an ominous fashion the bear started walking toward their position. The first man was horrified. He said, Did you see that? The bear is coming this way! The second man wasn t worried. In complete calmness, he took off his backpack, pulled out a pair of running shoes and started putting them on.

3 3 The first man said, What s the matter with you? You can t outrun a bear! The second man replied. I don t have to outrun the bear. I just need to run faster than you. Paul wrote: Run in such a way as to get the prize. You re running for your life! That s my message for you today. It s pretty simple. And yet, it is profoundly important. Living for Jesus is not a cakewalk. It s challenging. God intends for us to hustle. God intends for us to break a sweat.

4 4 God intends for us to be completely, and utterly committed to the job of being and making disciples. We don t play church around here. We actually believe that the God the Holy Spirit calls us to strive to succeed to be victorious. That s why Paul writes to the church of the living God, Run to win! The apostle Paul is not the only New Testament author who wrote about this. Listen to the apostle James,

5 5 12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12) Listen to the apostle Peter, 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (1 Peter 5:4) Listen to the author of the book of Hebrews, 1 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. 2 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. (Hebrews 12:1-2) Listen to the apostle John who quotes Jesus: 10 Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. (Revelation 2:10)

6 6 11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. (Revelation 3:11) Paul isn t the only one to say it. Run to win! But we have an adversary. Oh, do we have a big one! The devil doesn t want you to succeed at being a Christian. Jesus does. The devil gives you excuses. Jesus gives you power. The devil lies to you. Jesus tells you the truth.

7 7 I have been bombarded like you with things that try to convince us that we are not worthy of being called saints and we are not worthy of being here today. All I can say is nonsense. So I would like to point out three excuses, or three lies, the devil wants you to believe so that you do not run the race to win. 1) You can t win because of who you are. Some people actually believe they inherit failure like blue eyes, or red hair. They blame DNA. They say, I don t have what it takes. I m not smart enough. I m not good looking enough. Nonsense!

8 8 You have what God gave you. You have a heart and a mind shaped by the power of God to live up to this calling. Do you think God would put you here and not build you to succeed? You ve been fully equipped to live by faith. Just think of what you have you have God the Holy Spirit living in you, teaching you what is true, giving you courage to accomplish the impossible, protecting you from evil, going before you to prepare the way, showing you how to pray, making you more effective than you thought possible, healing your illnesses, reconciling your relationships, guiding every step you take, and filling you with the peace that passes all understanding.

9 9 The secular view of DNA is that you are designed to fail. The sacred view is that you were born to succeed. God made deoxy-ribo-nucleic acid. Therefore, God is in control of your abilities, not chemistry. Don t accept the secular excuse of DNA! We now say to ourselves, because of Jesus, that DNA now means: Divine Noble Attributes given to us by the power of God! We have been destined therefore to do Different New Achievements. When we are facing something that we think we cannot overcome, we think of DNA, which means

10 10 Do the Next Accomplishment. Don t take No for an Answer when Jesus says YES. Yes, let s run but let s run to win! Are you ready for excuse number two? The first excuse was: You can t win because of who you are. The second excuse is: 2) You can t win because of how you were raised. Mom & Dad did this to me. I had a terrible childhood. I can t be a success because my character was formed a long time ago and now I can t change. All my role models were negative.

11 11 My emotional scripts are ugly and distorted. I come from a dysfunctional family and you just don t understand. Somebody did a number on me, and now I m not able to be a healthy person. I m not going to say that nurture is unimportant. It is very important. But it is only important up to a point. Where is the point where excuses stop? Think about that just for a moment The throne of Jesus Christ is the point. You can t blame your parents in front of the throne of Jesus Christ. Before Jesus Christ you have to take responsibility for yourself.

12 12 Taking responsibility for yourself opens the flood gates of grace. When you stand before Jesus, you discover: no one ever stops learning no one ever stops changing no matter how many unhealthy problems you have, Jesus Christ has the power and authority to make you right. If you ve got baggage from your childhood, I ve got news for you. Everyone has baggage. More than we want to admit. God has a baggage exchange program. One day at a time, we bring our luggage to the cross.

13 13 One day at a time, Jesus sets us free. One day at a time Jesus said, 28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30) You know what Jesus is telling us today? The emotional baggage from your youth, the emotional baggage from failed relationships, the emotional baggage from being deeply wounded, is in the final analysis just baggage. It isn t you; it doesn t have to define you. Now listen to Hebrews 12:1-2 once again in this context:

14 14 1 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. 2 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. (Hebrews 12:1-2) Jesus says run church run but run to win! Excuse number one: You can t win because of who you are. Excuse number two: You can t win because of how you were raised. Excuse number three: 3) You can t win because other people won t let you. Listen to these excuses:

15 15 It s hard to fly with the eagles when you are surrounded by a bunch of turkeys. I try to do what is right but powerful people in my life make it impossible for me to succeed. If I just worked with at least one person who knew what they were doing? I know it s hard for us not to believe this excuse This is one of the most power excuses of all time. We point our finger at someone else and blame them for our problems. Humanity has a long history of this Adam did this in the garden.

16 16 He blamed Eve. What makes this so easy is that we want to blame others for our failure. But Jesus does the exact opposite. Before the creation of the world God took responsibility for our sins. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21) When He was hanging on the cross dying he said, Father, forgive them Don t blame them. When you and I walk with Jesus we learn something about character and responsibility. Jesus says about us: 13 You are the salt of the earth. 14 You are the light of the world.

17 17 A city on a hill cannot be hidden. (Matthew 5:13a,14a) In other words, Jesus looks right at us and says. our environment doesn t have to determine our behavior. God can if we ll let Him. Character is knowing what s right and having the courage to follow through. Even if it means losing what we want. Even if it means giving up our dream. So like in Jesus case, God makes us agents of change in a rotten environment. That s why Jesus teaches us how to break through the blame game. He allows us to see ourselves and others as we really are:

18 18 human, frail, needy, noble, growing, capable, hurting, healing, hoping, anxious to please, bitter, confused, sometimes twisted up inside, other times capable of true heroism. We are sinners saved by grace. We are loved. We are truly loved. Once you realize how deep the Almighty s love for you is, then you can run to get a crown that will last forever! 26 not run like a man running aimlessly; not like a man beating the air. No, we run the race by faith! That s why Paul toward the end of his life wrote,

19 19 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day--and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. Amen. (2 Timothy 4:7-8) Church, I long for his appearing to give us what we are waiting for. Conclusion 1. God made you to succeed. a. You re a child of God made in his image. b. If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, God will move mountain for you. 2. God made you to take responsibility for yourself. a. One day at a time bring your luggage to the cross. b. One day at a time Jesus sets you free.

20 20 3. God made you to be a person of character. Prayer a. God made you to have the courage to live on the basis of faith. b. I know the unknowable fills our hearts with fear but we have one who goes before us, the author and perfecter of our faith. c. Remember, for he who believes, all things are possible! It is good to run, Lord. You designed us for speed and agility. We take our mark, get set, and run for you. Help us run to win. Give us stamina, and help us keep our eye on the prize. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

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What s on your list? Run with the Bulls Swim with the Dolphins Live with Lions Running before God Naked & Unashamed 1Corinthians 9:24-27 Genesis 2:25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt