Run To Win

Pastor Esther Tham
19 & 20 August 2023

In the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul deals with a wide range of issues and problems that are faced by the young church in Corinth. Paul was at Ephesus when he wrote this letter to the Corinthians church. This is during his two- to three-year stay in Ephesus when he writes this letter.

Apostle Paul started by saying that he wished the Corinthian churches were more mature and growing spiritually, but they were not. He called them spiritual babies. He wished that they had spiritual growth.

In the few chapters of the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul talked about the role of the Holy Spirit then he continued talking about their quarrelling and their fighting.

Instead of being obedient to the Word of God, the church is banging heads with each other. To the extent that they are suing each other. Then Paul goes into personal life, talking about what we should eat and what we should not. Paul continues to talk about our sexual lives, what they should do in marriage and divorce and singleness.

He talks about the sin issues. Paul deals with very detailed things in our lives. He was talking about how the Corinthian church was struggling in these areas.

Here, Apostle Paul wants to remind us, how difficult and discouraging it can be to be a follower of Jesus. Just how hard it is to remain obedient, especially in the world today.

We understand that in the world we are today, it is difficult to remain obedient to the Word and the will of God. Starting well is easy, but finishing well is hard.

Today’s text is taken from 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, I will be reading the text from the New Living Translation Bible,

1 Corinthians 9:24-27,
²⁴ Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! ²⁵ All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. ²⁶ So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. ²⁷ I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

Paul says, do you not know that in a race, all the runners give it their all. In other words, Paul is saying, run in such a way that you give it all that, you will also get the prize. Run to win! Run the race. Run in the way to get the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

Starting well is easy, but finishing well is hard.

Starting a new exercise program, or a diet plan is kind of fun, but hanging in over and over the long haul is a real test.

When a couple decides to get married, getting married is exciting and relatively easy. However, staying married through adjustments, trials, and struggles is not always an easy matter. Hence, the same is true of the Christian life.

Becoming Christian is easy: acknowledge that we are sinners and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. We cannot work for salvation or do anything to qualify for it. God gives it freely to all who recognise their need and trust in Christ alone. But when the world constantly dangles in front of us that offers in opposition to the things of God. Will we be able to endure? Run the race of faith in such a way that you are running to get the prize.

Apostle Paul uses the word race, it is a word of action, a word of forward motion, and it suggests a finish line with a prize.

There is a goal at the end of the race. Genuine faith in Christ preserves to the finish line. Apostle Paul uses many analogies about sport in our Christian faith. He is relating a Christian life to a race.

Paul uses an illustration that we all easily grasp and understand: competing in a race. As Christ’s followers, we are in a race.

We can see the analogy of a race, we can see it repeatedly in the scriptures.

Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

Each one of us has a race. In 1 Timothy 4:7-8, tells us

1 Timothy 4:7-8, “⁷ Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. ⁸ Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.”

Talking about training, preparing to run. In Philippians 3:13-14,

Philippians 3:13-14, “¹³ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

We are running toward a goal, toward a finish line.

2 Timothy 4:7, where Apostle Paul at the end of his ministry, says,

2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.”

Again, and again we this picture of Christians, of believers running the race. Hence, this morning, the most important question that I would like to ask is “Are you in the race?”

Are we all on the path, but are we all moving in the right direction?

In Jesus’ sermon on the Mount, Matthew chapter 7, Jesus talks about the broad way and the narrow way. The broad way leads to destruction without Christ, while the narrow way leads to life and entering eternal life with Jesus Christ.

That was made possible by the saving work of Jesus as He came, He loved us, and He died for our sins.

So, we must repent and turn away from our sins, we must trust in Christ alone as our saviour. As we now receive Christ as our Lord and our Saviour, we love Jesus, we are on the road, on the path that leads to life, but it is not a leisurely walk, we are all runners.

When it comes to this race, it is not about our physical ability. It does not matter our physical ability; all of us have the potential to run for Christ.

So, we see Paul’s analogy that will apply to our walk, our relationship with Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 9:24, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!

A) Run with determination

There are a bunch of runners, but only one winner. Paul says, don’t you know this? Of course, the Corinth church knows this.

Paul was fond of athlete images, and he used them often in his letters. The Corinthian would have been familiar with the Greek Olympic Games as well as their own local Isthmian Games. Corinth was the site of the Isthmian games, which occurred every two years. Thousands would gather in Corinth to watch the games.

It is second to the Olympics in popularity and fame. So, when Paul uses this analogy, they know that there is a winner, in fact, the winner is the one who gets the glory, the winner gets the crown, and the winner gets famous, and everyone will know who they are.

Paul used a metaphor that is very close to their experience. Paul stayed at Corinth for over eighteen months, thus it is very possible that Paul was at Corinth when these games took place, it is possible that he saw them firsthand, and so Paul uses this illustration and says, don’t you know?

Paul takes something that is all familiar to the Corinthians. He is using this athletic illustration and says that the way that the winner of the race runs, the way that the winner of the race train, the way they prepare to run, that is the way that they need to run your race as followers of Christ.

However, this does not mean that we are all in the Christian race, and only one is going to win. No. No. That is not what Paul is saying here.

We are not competing and racing against one another, we all have a race, and we all are to run, but what Paul simply says is that the winner of the race trained hard, he prepared hard.

We can see how athletes trained right. They trained hard and prepared hard. An athlete needs to be disciplined if he or she wants to win the prize. The whole point of this passage is that we have freedom in Christ, but are we willing to set aside our right, our freedom for the sake of the gospel. Paul is saying run this race, run to win. This is the title of the message today, Run to Win.

The primary command here is run. We need to approach our walk with Christ as a race that we run and keep on running. We need to keep running with endurance.

The race that is set before you, Paul here, is saying run—don’t walk, don’t stop—keep going. Run to achieve, run to win. We are asked to run the race of life in such a way that our eyes have been lifted and we catch the vision of Jesus that there is more to life than what our eyes currently see. Our eyes are lifted up, and see what Jesus is calling us to do.

Run with determination – it emphasises concentration and discipline, where the effort is necessary to win. Just like a runner stretches every muscle to reach the goal.

For example, every marathon runner runs the race giving all they have, stretching to reach the finishing line, and when they just reach the finish line, they stretch out with everything they have to reach the goal, to finish the race, to win the race, and to win the prize.

We are going to run this race because we are determined to follow Christ. To run hard after Him.

Paul says in verse 25, 1 Corinthians 9:25, “All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

We sometimes get distracted very easily, we lose focus and lose sight of the goal. Thus, we need to approach our race in Christ with a determined focus. This is what matters; this is what is important to us.

We need to run with discipline. We may sometimes lose focus – we may want to ask ourselves where we spend all of our time and what are investing in.

The author of Hebrews writes in Hebrews 12:2 which tells us,

“We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.

Running to win the race needs discipline.

B) Run with discipline

Every athlete trains self-control in all things. Self-control is something we normally do not like. Taking athletes as an example, they need to have discipline and self-control. In their training, in their diet, in their lifestyle, and so on. They have strict training. It takes strict training. It takes discipline. When their friends offer them fattening desserts or invite them to late-night parties, they will need to smile and say no, thank you. There is nothing wrong with dessert or fun, but they have higher goals, and they must not be distracted.

I think we would like self-indulgence, right? We will be like, whatever I feel good about, I do it. Whatever I want, I should have it. But, here, we are reminded again by Paul, who says to deny yourself, discipline yourself, and control yourself.

Don’t give in to every desire, every freedom, and every right that we have – is not necessarily good, helpful, or profitable for us in this race. Taking professional athletes to a tournament or maybe the Olympics, they probably need to train every single day. They must be disciplined; they must have self-control. They have the freedom to do whatever they like and to eat whatever they wish.

They have freedom, but they don’t. They need to follow training rules; they need to run when they feel like resting.

Why? Because they are training, they are preparing for a goal. They have the freedom to do what they wish, but at the same time, they have a purpose for the greater goal. So, these athletes are disciplined in their preparation; they are willing to be trained for this purpose.

In the midst of us, some are marathon runners. Once we register ourselves to run—either a full marathon, half marathon, or even a 10km run—we have to train and prepare ourselves. It takes preparation, and it takes discipline. In this passage, Paul uses this illustration, an easy illustration for the Corinthian church and also for each one of us. He is telling us that this is the way we must live our lives as Christ’s disciples: discipline, preparation, and training. Unlike physical training, where others can often see that you are kind of going through some exercise, maybe you are getting slimmer, maybe you are getting toned, or maybe you are improving in your stamina. These are the physical markers that show you are getting stronger.

However, in our spiritual lives, it is not always so evident. People won’t know that you are struggling; people won’t be able to see that you are struggling with doubt, that you have such an issue in your life, and that you are still going through the same sin that you went through 5 years ago.

But you know that you have been struggling. And, today, God wants you to bring it here. That is why Paul says how difficult it is to walk daily with God. Our mind needs strict training because our mind will lead our feet. We need to allow this goal to control, what we should do and what we should not do. Running the Christian race takes discipline, and it needs preparation.

So, for us to grow in the Lord, we need discipline and preparation. When we say we are not growing, we can’t feel God. Then we have to cross-check ourselves: are we in the Word? We need to spend time in His Word because that is where God speaks to us. I didn’t say here that we need to have devotion with God for 5 hours daily, for example, but we can start small and slowly grow. Be faithful and diligent to train every single day. Christian life needs discipline.

There might be areas in our lives where we need to exercise self-control, areas that are hindering our race. Let us today say no to that something.

There might be something that has dominated our time and our thoughts, and we lose sight of what is important. We lose sight of what matters. If we fail to take care of ourselves physically, do not exercise, and have no control over our diet – we are going to be out of shape.

The same is true: if we fail spiritually, we are going to get out of shape spiritually.

So, Paul is saying, don’t allow ourselves—each one of us—to spiritually get out of shape. If we want to run in such a way to win the prize that God has for us, we need to take a look at our lives and identify those areas that need some shaping up.

Areas of our spiritual lives where we need to exercise more discipline. Spiritual exercise helps us become godly people, growing in spiritual maturity and Christlikeness.

When an athlete wants to get strong, grow muscles, and produce tone, he or she must have the right exercise and food. So must we if we are going to become strong Christians. What then, is spiritual exercise?

First, by reading the Word of God. Bible readings help us to know God, equip us to live in this world, and change us to be more like Jesus.

The Word of God ended with the power of life and the power of transformation. Bible reading is a spiritual discipline that should be practised every day. Practising the spiritual exercise of Bible reading every day may be difficult at first. But we can do it.

Through the Holy Spirit, God will guide us as we study and communicate the truth about God. Just as Jesus promised in John 14:17. Run to win the race.

Secondly, by entering the secret place of prayer. Exercise to be alone in the presence of the Lord. Prayer is as essential to our Christian lives as breathing. We can practise prayer at any time, anywhere.

Prayer is the medium through which we communicate and commune with God. The practise of prayer is also learning to set aside dedicated time to intentionally be with God. Our goal here is not to get good at prayer.

But to create a daily way of being that opens us to God’s presence and peace in a more profound way. Spiritual exercises need to be practised through daily worship of the Lord. We worship God in spirit and in truth. Instead, we focus on the message and the truth of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 3:16, “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

Romans 12:1-2 portrays all life as worship.

“¹ And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. ² Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

As followers of Christ, it demands discipline. A healthy relationship with God requires effort. So as Christ’s followers, we need to be open to learning and growing, because if we don’t, we will not be able to run to win.

We need to have a teachable heart, humility and willingness to relearn. Thus, we need to continue unlearning and relearning. We must be willing to do what we don’t prefer. Whether we have been Christ’s followers for 2 months, 2 years or 20 years, we will need to continue growing in our relationship with God. But spiritual growth is not automatic – if we want to grow in Him, we must choose to change

Here, in verse 25, Paul says that all athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.

Here, Paul says that the prize, the fame of being the champion of the race, these are all will fade away. The memory of what they have accomplished will also fade. Do you still remember who was the winner of the recent Olympic games? Some of you might remember, but I believe most of us don’t. What we accomplish in this world will fade, but what is done for Christ will last for eternity.

So, here, it shows us that if these athletes can be disciplined to win something so temporary, how much more should we discipline ourselves for what is eternal?

We run the race the receive an eternal prize, that does not fade away. We run to receive a crown that does not fade away.

1 Corinthians 3:14, “If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.”

So, we are running for a reward. A crown. What might this crown be?

In 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. ⁸ And now the prize awaits me – the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.”

A crown of righteousness. This is what we need. This is what we hunger and thirst for. We are running, we are chasing that one day we might be righteous and be like Jesus Christ. We will be crowned with righteousness.

Then Paul continues in verse 26, 1 Corinthians 9:26, “So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing.”

Paul here is saying, doing everything with a purpose. He is not wasting his energy, not wasting his focus. Here in this verse, he shows a picture of boxing and beating in the air, where it is like swinging and swinging and never hitting the target.  We sometimes waste our time, wasting our energy and we are missing what matters the most. This is what Paul means here. We accomplish nothing.

Maybe we are like this, swing our hand left and right, and we accomplish nothing. We expend all kinds of energy, but we accomplish little, to nothing. So Paul is saying, do not run aimlessly. We are running the race because we have been saved through faith in Jesus Christ. As we run and keep our eyes on Jesus, God works on us, making us more and more like Jesus – Christlikeness. Run the race that is set before us. Also, run it with the hope that God wants us to have in Christ.

C) Run with Purpose

Paul here reminds us that we run with direction. Do not run aimlessly. We are heading for a prize. In a run race, everyone is running towards that one goal, the finish line. But in the midst of our race, we sometimes get off course, we lose sight, we lose focus. We need to know where we want to go. Let us not run aimlessly. Let us stay focused.

We need to stay focused on where we want to end up. Paul tells us to press toward the finish mark, toward the goals. Toward the eternal prize.

Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

This scripture reminds us that we are to strip off anything that might get in our way or tangle us up. The weight that slows us down – our treasure, our career, our leisure the hindrances, the obstacles that hinder us from fulfilling our God-given purpose, we are to strip it off.

Here also states that sin, unrepented sin- adultery, sexual immorality, addictions, hinders our intimacy with God. The race that is set before us is the goal, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.

There is the goal, the is the prize – keep our eyes focused on Christ. We must keep our eyes carefully focused on Jesus. We look to Him, we follow Him.

This is what Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”

Run with direction, run with purpose.

Paul continues in verse 27 (1 Corinthians 9:27), “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.”

In this race, when Paul says I discipline my body, Paul means that he disciplined himself strictly, like an athlete. This is a reminder to us, in this race that we are running – there is a struggle, there is a battle, there is a trial, there is a storm, our self-control, our self-discipline.

In our own flesh, we are continually trying to get off course, but we must continue to keep it on focused the race we are running.

Sometimes we do things that we don’t want to do, we do things even when we don’t feel like it.

We are doing it so because we do not lead away from Christ. Do you know what is the number one challenges and obstacles in our lives?

Ourselves. It is us! It is me. I am the number one obstacle in my life. The thing that always going to keep me from being the person God wants me to be is me. The greatest temptation we face is ourselves – our desire, our ego, and our pride – are always us.

It is not our circumstances, it is not the people around us, not what others have done to us. And today, from this passage, Paul reminds us that this is what we need to lay down our sinful desire for the flesh. So, if we want to be like Christ, to live like Jesus, we must walk with Jesus. To follow Jesus.

Let us today run to win so that we may receive the full reward. We are going to train ourselves, discipline ourselves, and deny ourselves if necessary so that we may grow in the gospel and we might reach others with the gospel. If we decide to do nothing and enjoy our comfortable casual Christianity, we are missing the point. We are created for more than that so let’s run and chase hard after that imperishable crown.

The Christian life is like a marathon. And finishing a marathon well is not easy. There is joy, but at the same time there are many trials that require endurance, so keep your eyes on the goal. Run to win. One day, when I stepped into eternity Jesus asked me,

Esther, what do you do with the race that I gave you? What do you do with the time that I gave you? What do you do with the time, talent and treasure that I gave to you?

I wish I am able to say to Jesus, I have used it well.

Paul says to run the race in such a way as to get the prize in eternity.

Today, before I end my sharing, allow me to ask you this question. Are you in the race? You are in the race, are you running to win?

Jesus has won the victory for us, yes! He won the victory, but now he is waiting for us to cross the finish line. We are in the race, running the right race and are we running to win.

The race we are in is testifying about the Gospel, about Jesus Christ. We serve a living Saviour, He is alive today! He is waiting for the church to rise and run the race he has called us to do. The darker the world gets, the brighter our light can shine.

Let us be encouraged that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can transform us, can transform the world. Let us shine brighter and brighter for Him. We are called to testify the Gospel. The church is about Jesus. Let us have our eyes on Jesus. We are part of the race. Run the race to win it.

Philippians 3:14, “I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Let us run the race that is set before us and press on towards the goal of the upward call of God – looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Psalm 16:8 tells us “I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.”

Turn our focus to God, God is with us, and we should stand firm. Run as the winner runs. We do not do it on our own strength but the Lord’s. It is not how we start matters; it is how we finish. The finish line of the race is Christlikeness.

He is growing us and maturing us on the course to look like Jesus Christ. And certainly, the ultimate finish line is eternity. Jesus leads us to victory. The Lord is with us, and we shall not be shaken.

Amen.