Race for the Champion Athlete

(A Gist of the message by Pastor Philip Joseph – January 17, 2010 at NLF, Vashi. Here’s hoping I haven’t missed much. Happy reading!)

We are seeing some illustrations from the Bible of who we are in Christ and what is Christian life all about. If we turn to 2 Tim 2:5, we read

“And also, if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules”

We, in the Christian life, are like ‘athletes’ competing in athletics. I do not know if you have been part of competitive sports at any level. But I was in a boarding school where participation in sport was compulsory. There was a lot of preparation involved; and fierce competition for some place in the school team. And it was a matter of honor to represent the school in some athletic event. Whenever I read this passage from the Bible, memories of such time in school come to my mind.

Each of us, after we have come to know Jesus Christ, is like being selected for some athletic event. We have been short-listed; we have been ‘chosen’. We are now like athletes representing their school or college or country. Do you recall the selection trials for the Olympics? How many athletes take part in those trials to become one of the few to represent their country! Once they are selected, rather than simply resting on that achievement, they practice all the more to win the prize in Olympics. That’s what we are called to be-A ‘winner’ athlete! A Champion Athlete. The Bible urges us, to think of the ‘crown’; to ‘GO for the GOLD’. That’s how an athlete trains himself. Don’t settle for anything less!

The verse continues, that the athlete ‘competes according to the rules’. You see, there are rules to follow even in an athletic race. There are lanes to run, there are controls on ‘drug’ foods, and there are rules on start-time…The athletes are supposed to know and follow these rules, else they will be disqualified. And in much the same way, we the Christian 'athletes' too must KNOW the rules and ABIDE by the rules.
In Gal. 5:7, Paul warns the Galatians, “You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?” Here was the case of false teaching abounding in the church in those times about circumcision. Let the truth of God’s word be ingrained in our hearts; else we will be led astray by false teaching. Psalm 119:32 says, “I will run the course of Your commandments, for you shall enlarge my heart”. Let us start the race, knowing the rules. Let us run the race, obeying the rules.

In Hebrews 12:1, it goes “…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance…”

Imagine an athlete, well-trained to compete in an event, but arriving at the start-line with a heavy back-pack on his shoulders! Or in a sporting shoes whose lace is all entangled with each other! How can he compete in the race? Such is also the Christian race…where we lay aside every weight, every burden that weigh us down; Casting all our care-our burden upon Him who cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). We do not get entangled in any sin, but discipline ourselves to run the race.

Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 9:24, 25 – “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown”

The above verse sort of sums up what we have been talking about till now. There is a crown – an imperishable crown for those who run the Christian race. We must go for the prize – run in such a way as to obtain the ‘crown’. The verse adds, that the athletes are temperate in ALL things; they exercise self-control over what they eat, when they eat, what they do, how they train and when and how they rest. They lead a disciplined life. Their exercise is to obtain a perishable crown. But ours – for an imperishable crown!

Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Tim.4: 7, 8, “…exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come”.
And in v12, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity”.

We have to train ourselves in Godliness! We must train ourselves to be godly in our word-in what we speak; we cannot afford to say just anything! In our conduct-in our relationship to one another, in love, in spirit, in faith even in the midst of trials, in purity. My beloved, all these do not come automatically once you come to Jesus. We need to exercise our ‘spiritual’ muscles and have to train ourselves in these ‘godly’ qualities.

How do we do that?
a) Spend your time consiously
1 Corinthians 10:23 says, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify”. In the freedom that God has given us, we can start doing things that are profitable, that are for edification. There are many ways to spend our time…lawfully, but not all may be profitable. We must choose how to spend our time here on earth.

b) Be certain, be alert, be focussed
Yes, certainly, there is an imperishable crown waiting for us! 1 Cor. 9:26 says, “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty…”- This is our goal - to obtain the crown. Just like any athlete who is focused on going for the gold in Olympics, we too must be alert, focussed and not allow ourselves to be distracted in any way. It is easy to get distracted and entangled. But Hebrews 12:2 talks about running the race, “looking unto Jesus…” We fix our eyes on Jesus Christ, “the author and finisher of our faith”. It also means that we consciously take our eyes away from the things that distract us!

If we do that, we will not be ensnared in any sin. Now coming back to Hebrews 12:1, we see, “…let us run with endurance…”

Beloved, the race is not a short 100m dash. It’s more likely a marathon! A special requirement of such long-distance runners is ‘endurance’. The race has started on our knowing Jesus Christ and it continues till the end of our life here on earth. It may be years and decades of ‘race’ on the Christian track. Therefore we must have an enduring heart. We must persevere and pursue the goal set before us. Therefore we must never give up in this Christian race. Remember Jesus saying, ‘He who endures to the end will be saved’ (Matt. 10:22).

When the sunlight saps the energy, and the head seems to burst; when the legs feel like lead and the body says ‘Give up’, the champion athletes carry on in the race with determined endurance. We too must have this winning mind-set. Don’t run the Christian race thinking what you do and how you do will never make a difference here on earth.

There are many before us, who have successfully finished the race. Hebrews 6:20 says, Jesus is our forerunner. We are to follow His example. For the joy that was set before Him, Jesus too endured the cross…Remember the champions who have gone before us; Hebrews 11 gives a list of heroes of faith-the honor roll of the faithful. Go for the gold…your name too is potentially fit for that roll call of the faithful. Do your best, don’t settle for the mediocre-the silver and bronze. May God help us to have this ‘champion’ mind-set.

Let me close with a familiar verse from Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”

He who has called us is faithful. Trust in the Lord. The Bible says, ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes’ (Psalm 118:8, 9). If you are disappointed and weary at this time of your life, it is time to wait on the Lord! He will renew your strength like the eagles. We will run after Him. We will run and not be weary. Hebrews 12:1 says that we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses who cheers us on in our running.

Therefore, let us run the race according to the rules; run with discipline and self-control, run without weights and burdens that bog us down, run with an aim and focus without distraction, run with endurance, training ourselves in godliness-love and faith! If we have these qualities, we are ‘champion’ athletes certain to have the ‘crown’. In eternity is our reward. Death here is the end of the race. I pray what we learnt today will help all of us run with such qualities here on earth and of holding the prize someday.

Shall we pray?

Thank You, O Lord, for short-listing us in the race that is set before us. Give us an understanding of Your will in our lives, that we may run the race with endurance. Bless each one of us here that we may obtain the crown of life. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.