Keeping My Eyes on the Prize
Romans 6:15-23
* Some of the most famous words that the Apostle Paul ever penned are found in his letter to the church at Philippi. In chapter 3:13-14 he writes, “ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul knew he possessed eternal life because of his Damascus Road experience. Anytime his faith was called into question, he was ready to “give an answer for the hope” he had by describing the time he personally met Christ. Even in his security, Paul continually attempted to convey the need to “go on” for Christ, to mature in the Lord, walk in the Spirit, and press on.
* Please open your copy of God’s word to Romans 6. Last week we began this Chapter with Paul teaching about “Walking in a new Way of Life.” He exposed to us the flaws in some of our thinking, he enlightened us as to the truth of God’s word, he explained to us the implications, and he emphasized the actions of having this new life. Verse 14 ends with the implied, “IN CHRIST” we are not under law but under grace.
* Today we begin in verse 14 and immediately I get the impression that wants to make sure everyone understand what not under law but grace really means. Even a cursory reading these verses gives one the impression that Paul felt that the concept of “grace” was apt to be abused by those who didn’t understand or didn’t care to understand. You see, almost every time grace is extended, some will abuse it. (Let’s read)
* The year Pete Rose was about to break Ty Cobb’s all time hits record in spring training he was being interviewed. One reporter blurted out, “Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats do you think you’ll need to get the 78 hits?” Without hesitation, Pete just stared at the reporter and very matter-of- factly said, “78.” The reporter yelled back, “Ah, come on Pete, you don’t expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats do you?” Mr. Rose calmly shared his philosophy with the throngs of reporters who were anxiously awaiting his reply to this seemingly boastful claim. “Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit! If I don’t expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter’s box in the first place!” “If I go up hoping to get a hit,” he continued, “then I probably don’t have a prayer to get a hit. It is a positive expectation that has gotten me all of the hits in the first place.”
* Pete, for all his faults and failure, made a choice to hustle, hit, and win. History records that, even with his shortcoming, he accomplished his goal because he kept his eyes on the prize. That is exactly what Paul is telling us, what Jesus showed us, and what our God expects of us. But let’s break down this thought and ask, “If I am to keep my eyes on the prize and press on, what does it mean for me?” I suggest from the text, four things.
Keeping My Eyes on the Prize – Pg 2
1. THE CHOICE I FACE. The fact that we make choices every day shouldn’t come as a surprise for anyone. Every day, we decide what to eat, where to go, what to say, what to buy, and the list goes on. But the choices we make daily are NOT what Paul has in mind for here. Look in verses 15 & 16 and let Paul direct our thinking in a way which forces us to respond.
a. These verses begin with “what then?” Since in Christ we are under grace and not the law, what now? What does it mean? He then asks “should we” and “don’t we know?” Paul’s desire is to engage us with thought provoking questions which forces us to respond. And with our response comes a choice, a huge choice.
b. It is a choice which can be communicated in the simple question, “Whose slave are you?” Now, we don’t care to think of ourselves as “slaves” to anything or anyone, yet for some reason Paul uses this word 6 times in this passage. Additionally, Paul repeatedly uses this concept to identify his own position in Christ. The letters to Rome, Philippi, and Titus all begin with this “doulos” or slave, servant type of bond to Christ.
c. Having run around the truth that we are all slaves to something, the question becomes, “to whom or to what am I a slave?” According to verse 16, we are either slaves to sin or slaves to God. Please hear this, every person who has ever lived falls in one of these two categories. The choice we must make is whose we are. Some say, “I refuse to choose.” Yet, the Bible says, “Choose today, whom you will serve.” Others respond, “Two choices aren’t enough.” The Bible counters, “There are only two gates, one is wide and the other is narrow.” Still others protest, “It seems to me that I’ve found another way.” The divine response is, “There is a way which seems right to a man.”
d. Theologians don’t really understand it, you don’t understand it, and for sure, I don’t understand why God would do so much for us and then allow us a choice in the matter, but He did. By the way, to NOT choose is to make a choice. In the world of computers, there exists a choice for your software which is called “default”. For instance, if you have your default fonts set to the COLOR RED, every time you type you’ll get red lettering. This color will only change when you manually modify it. The default setting for every one of us is to be slaves of sin. It is hard-wired into our makeup. Sin, self, and Satan will remain your master until you choose to keep your eyes on a different “prize.”
Keeping My Eyes on the Prize – Pg 3
2. THE COURSE I TAKE. The choice you face charts the course you take. Look at verse 17 & 18. When I read those two verses the thought comes to my mind that “Since I’ve got to be a slave to something, personally I’d prefer being a slave to righteousness.”
a. Think about this; as someone’s slave I am controlled by that master. It is his rules, His wishes, His desires, and His expectations, which control me and what I do. If the life’s course I choose is to be a slave to sin, not only will my prize be undesirable, but the journey is rugged. Even if we only review this single Pauline letter to get an idea about the journey of the one who has sin as a master, it is frightening. In Chapter one, we are told that people on this course of life become fools, have senseless minds, they are ungracious, they have unnatural cravings, full of envy, greedy, wicked, and the list goes on. None of the qualities are complimentary, but the worst one is this; “they are without excuse.” Why are they without excuse? Because God, in His love and grace, has revealed Himself through His creation, His son, and His word, so that every person know the course of life they should take. What is that?
b. Although you USED to be slaves of sin, you made a course correction. Disobedience was replaced with obedience. Head knowledge of God was replaced with heart knowledge. You responded to His teachings & charted a new course of life pointing toward God & His righteousness. The course you take is determined by what is in your heart. Scripture says, “You obeyed from your heart.” The heart is a big deal. In the first part of this letter Paul speaks of the corrupt heart which is filled with craving and unrepentance. He then speaks of the heart being circumcised or operated on. He draws the picture of God’s love being poured OUT into our hearts. Now, with a heart full of His love, we obey His teachings. What are those teachings? They are life-changing. IN Acts 2, “Repent of your sin and be baptize.” In Acts 16, “Believe on Jesus.” In the act of faith, the entire direction of your life changes.
c. You were a slave to sin with an eye on self, driven by selfish motives, and the end would have been---well, we’ll get to that.
d. A common and prevailing attitude is this; “It doesn’t matter how you get there because we are all going the same place.” Please consider not just the Biblical problems but the logic of this argument. It is not true in geography or chemistry, and it is not true in the spiritual realm either.
Keeping My Eyes on the Prize – Pg 4
* The course you are on is vitally important.
3. THE CHANGE I MAKE. – When we make the right choice of faith and trust there are significant changes waiting in life. The text says, you USED to offer parts of yourselves to moral impurity and lawlessness. Consider with me some of the things Paul is teaching.
a. The HCBS calls this “lawlessness” which can understood in light of the fact that we are under grace not law. Lawlessness speaks of sin. KJV translates this as iniquity unto iniquity and the NIV rightly calls it “ever-increasing wickedness”. It takes no imagination to understand that this is speaking of the “progressive nature” of sin. And to think we might offer, present, stand beside, be close at hand or ready to sin is almost unimaginable. But it doesn’t stop there. You also offer yourself to moral impurity or uncleanness. This is why John Newton wrote, “to save a wretched like me.” Our life before Christ is unthinkable, unimaginable, and certainly unsalvageable. Yet, this is the natural life. This is the life of one who has refused to face his choice and change his course by coming to faith in Christ.
b. The change comes when, as we make a decision to follow Christ, that we are able to change our master. Through the divine work of Christ no longer do impurity, uncleanness, immorality, and wickedness have their hooks in us and control us. We follow Christ and become slaves to righteousness. But listen, to become a follower of Christ, a slave to righteousness, and enslaved by God means we are liberated from sin. Liberated! Freed! The result is that you no longer have to be controlled by sin and passion. No longer do the forces of evil have rule in your life. No longer are you held in bondage by Satan. Now, you are a new creation, OLD THINGS pass away, and all things are new. In His letter to the church at Ephesus Paul tells us that the change comes because we are putting things off, away, and to death. This results in a change, a change in speech, relationships, heart, forgiveness, and attitude.
c. No unwholesome or mean spirited, negative, hurtful, or hateful talk will come for your mouth. It means you will go the extra mile to heal a broken relationship. It means your heart will have a different outlook on the world. It means forgiveness will be offered from you because you realize how much forgiveness has been offered to you. The change ends the negative, hurtful, & hateful tale which damages churches & people.
Keeping My Eyes on the Prize – Pg 5
4. THE CONCLUSION I AWAIT. One thing is certain about every person here. It is that our physical lives will come ultimately end. Either we will die a physical death or we will be changed by the 2nd coming of Christ. When we consider the many who have, in recent days, left this earthly life and stepped out into eternity, we are forced to consider where lies ahead.
a. Verse 23 is a well known verse. It is the heart of the Roman Road to faith. Perhaps it is ‘so’ well known that we are numbed to the full implications of this verse. Consider what this verse says.
b. The first part of this verse is sobering. The wages of sin is death. The Greek word for wages is the word used for the rations, stipend or pay of a soldier. It is something which is earned, not given. If a soldier serves a King or a country, they are due compensation. Checking translations and paraphrases of this word you’ll discover that wages is the main word used here. However, listen to these words; earnings, pension, reward, and payment. The truth is, death is what a person earns when he sin. The Greek word “thanatos” seems to carry the idea of death to the level of misery in hell. This is the payment, earning, pension, and payment for sin. The Bible says, “All have sinned.” Someone once asked, “Where is hell?” The answer is, “Hell is at the end of a Christ-rejecting life.” For the individual who lives in, latches onto, and even loves their sinful life outside of Christ, the payoff is death in a place called hell. Whatever good times they will have, it will be here on earth.
c. The last part of this verse reminds us of the love, compassion, and grace of God. Eternal life is a gift from God which only comes through Jesus Christ. These are not MY words, they are HIS. Only in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ can be receive God’s gift of eternal life.
d. On what prize do you have your eyes? Is it the prize of great things on earth? Is it your thought that you don’t to worry too much about the “life to come” because it will take care of itself? Are you attempting to make your OWN way?
* I began today with a story of Pete Rose, now let’s consider as Paul Harvey says, “the rest of the story.” Just after baseball’s investigation began, Pete Rose was asked if his troubles would affect his election to the Hall of Fame. "4,256 hits. 2,200 runs. That’s all I did," Rose said on that sunny March morning. "I’m a Hall of Famer." Not in the eyes of the Hall of Fame. The doors of Cooperstown slammed shut on Rose when the Hall’s directors voted 12-0 to bar the banned baseball star from its ballot. He can only be eligible if he is reinstated to baseball in 15 years; no one has been reinstated before. "The directors felt that it would be incongruous to have a person who has been declared ineligible by baseball to be eligible for baseball’s highest honor," President Ed Stack said.
