Determination Of A Champion Series

Gold Medal Living

Determination of a Champion

August 1, 2004

Intro: Olympics are coming up- Always love the excitement, the competition, and the personal stories.

*PP- Jesse Owens- Berlin 1936

Cassius Clay- Rome 1960

Nadia Comaneci- Montreal 1976

Bruce Jenner- Montreal 1976

Dream Team- Barcelona 1992

It is amazing to see all of these champions and to think about what it took for them to get to that point. Over the next few weeks we are going to look at qualities of great athletes, but also the qualities it takes to be a great follower of Christ.

We are going to use the life of apostle Paul as a backdrop for our study and see what lessons can be learned from the scripture to help us live Gold Medal lives.

*PP- “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:10-14

There are some great lessons to be found in the text on how to live a world-class spiritual life.

The Finish Line

Paul begins this section by describing what it is he is going after. He is focused on the end result, not merely the beginning of the race.

“I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11

Paul makes it clear that the goal of his life is to know Jesus.

He wants to be a model of who Jesus was and is. Paul’s ultimate destination is to end up looking like Jesus and his life.

Paul understood that in understanding Christ and his death we can model him in life.

Gold Medal lessons from the death of Jesus.

Submission

“ My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.” Matthew 26:39(NLT)

Sacrifice

“No one takes my life away from me. I give it up of my own free will.” John 10:18 (Today’s English Version)

Humility

“He (Christ) had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and worst kind of that: a crucifixion.”

Philippians 2:6-8(Message)

Gold Medal Living is made up of a life that models Jesus.

Submit to God’s desire, sacrifice for the sake of others, humble yourself to serve as you can.

That make up the ultimate destination for Paul. He is determined to get there and so we must look at the principles that will get us across the finish line.

Running the race

*PP-“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

1) Press on no matter the cost. v.12

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Philippians 3:12

You cannot reach the prize if you quit the race.

*Derek Redmond

Even more heart-rending was the 400 meter semifinal in which British runner Derek Redmond tore a hamstring and fell to the track. He struggle to his feet and began to hobble, determined to complete the race. His father ran from the stands to help him off the track, but the athlete refused to quit. He leaned on his father, and the two limped to the finish line together, to deafening applause.