A Line In The Sand - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 - May 1, 2011
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, is the name he was given at his birth in 1840. In our tongue his name translates as, “Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain.” At his baptism he took upon himself the name of, “Joseph” and he succeeded his father as chief of his people in 1871. Until they were forced from it he, and his people, made their home in the Wallowa Valley of north eastern Oregon. But faced with ever increasing demands by, and threats from, the U.S. government of the time, Chief Joseph and his 800 followers of the Walllowa Nez Perce packed up all that they owned, left the land of their fathers, and began to head towards Canada where they hoped to find sanctuary.
In just over 3 months time the men, women and children of the Nez Perce, walked some 2600 kms as they travelled across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana. They were pursued by some 2000 U.S. soldiers who brought them to battle several times during their journey. And yet, time and time again, Joseph, and his people, managed to escape as they fought to protect their families and their very way of life. (www.en.wikipedia.org)
Thinking that they had finally reached Canada, and therefore sanctuary, they gratefully made camp so that they might tend to the sick, the wounded, and the dying. It was while they were at rest, believing themselves to be safe, that the U.S. Calvary caught up with them one final time. In the slaughter that followed, scores of Nez Perce were killed.
Chief Joseph, in an effort to save the remnant of his people, spoke the words that captivated me as a youth, “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more, forever.” (www.thegoldweb.com) To use something of a contemporary expression we might say that that day, as Joseph spoke those words, he drew a line in the sand – a line that he would refuse to cross in all the days yet to come.
Now in many ways the story of his people, and their journey, might be considered heroic. For three months they overcame what seemed to be insurmountable odds, fighting what many might call, the ‘good fight.’ But we need to consider their story a tragedy as well because they stopped too soon. When they made camp that fateful day, thinking themselves to be safe, they were, in reality, just 60 km short of another line in the sand – the safety of the Canadian border. I can’t help but wonder how life might have turned out differently for them if they had just crossed that invisible line to freedom?
Well I want you to keep those thoughts in mind this morning as we turn, once again, to the word of God. Open your Bibles with me please, to the book of 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians, chapter 9, and I’ll begin reading in verse 24.
Now Paul visited the city of Corinth during the course of his second missionary journey. As he usually did when he arrived in a new place, he began to speak the word of God in the synagogues – speaking it to the Jews and telling them about Jesus. But when the Jews kicked him out of the synagogue he began to preach to the Gentiles. The 18th chapter of the book of Acts tells us that many of the Gentiles came to believe in Jesus through Paul’s preaching. Paul writes this letter to them some time later as he tries to encourage them in their faith and what it means to be a follower of Jesus. This is what he writes beginning in verse 24 …
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. 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. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 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)
Now in trying to teach these new Christians what it really meant to follow God, Paul had his work cut out for him because the Gentiles did not have the same background in the Word of God as did the Jews. The Jews grew up hearing about the great men and women of the faith who had gone before but the Gentiles knew none of these things. So Paul needed to find some way to help them understand what it meant to live for God, to be a disciple of Jesus, in their own day.
And so what he did was to choose some imagery that would be familiar to them – something they could relate to - and the imagery that he chose was that of the games. You see, the Greeks hosted two great sporting events on a regular basis. These were the Olympic games and the Isthmian games. The Isthmian games were held in Corinth and so the people Paul wrote to would have been very familiar with them. They took the games pretty seriously. In our Bible study the other night the video we watched showed us one of the arenas where the games were held. It would have seated something like 40,000 people. Now the people are long gone, but the arena still stands today, a testament if you will, to the importance of the games in the eyes of the people.
Resurrection Sunday was just a few weeks ago and at that time we celebrated the fact that Jesus died for our sins, that God accepted His sacrifice, declared it sufficient and us righteous in Christ, and raised Jesus to new life as proof of these things. Scripture tells us that Jesus was the first fruits of the resurrection that awaits those who are in Christ by faith. This is our salvation, our hope and our joy. But unfortunately, for some people, this is where their faith begins and ends. Paul says there’s much more to it.
Remember earlier when _________________ read to us from Philippians 2? In one of the verses that was read, Paul wrote this: “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12) The “Greek verb rendered ‘work out’ means to ‘continually work to bring something to fulfillment or completion.’” (The MacArthur Bible Commentary, pg. 1717) We need to continually work to bring our salvation to fulfillment.
Now that cannot refer to salvation by works. It’s Paul who has also written that it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) So we’re not talking about salvation by works here. But Paul is telling us that the Christian life doesn’t end with the resurrection. The point of you being saved and made a new creation in Christ is not simply so that you can go to heaven when you die. Scripture tells us that God has prepared good works for us to do and that we are to live in such a way that we glorify the name of God and point others towards Him that they too may be brought from darkness to light, from despair to hope, and from death to life.
James puts it this way, saying, In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:17) If our faith is genuine it will result in a transformed life. The reality of that transformation will be evidenced in the way we do life on a day to day basis. That’s why Paul writes that we are to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” (Philippians 2:12) And that’s why my heart is so burdened when someone tells me that they accepted Christ as a child but that they haven’t darkened the door of a church for decades, they have not opened the Word of God for years, they do not hunger for the kingdom of God nor seek the righteousness of God. They take no joy in the presence of God’s people, are offended by the very Word of God, and do not desire to have fellowship with the Spirit. As far as I can understand the word of God, such a faith is not a saving faith! It is dead and it is worthless.
And so Paul is saying, “Make sure you live out what you say you believe! Don’t think it will happen by chance. Make it a priority to live your life for God.” When we read those words, “work out your salvation,” it speaks of an active obedience on our part as we pursue the life God has called us to. We are, in Paul’s words, running a race! And not only are we to run it well but we are to do so with fear and trembling. John MacArthur states that such a life “involves a healthy fear of offending God and a righteous awe and respect for Him.” (The MacArthur Bible Commentary, pg. 1718) So take a moment and consider these two questions: What life are you pursuing? What manner are you pursuing it in? Paul uses the imagery of the games to answer these questions for the Corinthians, and therefore for us, as well. How ought we to be living out this Christian life day by day?
#1: Know that you’re not a spectator. A lot of you like to go to the King’s games. You enjoy sitting in the stands watching the action down below. And that’s fine … but Christianity is not a spectator event for those who are, by faith, in Christ. You are not meant to be sitting on the side lines. You are meant to be where the action is – not watching it pass you by. Paul reminds us that in a race, all the runners run. Why? Because you can’t expect to cross the finish line if you never get into the race.
And crossing the finish line, and crossing it first, was the goal of everyone of those athletes who participated in the games. They ran, not just to win, but to bring their gods glory. They ran the races in the name of their gods. It was the same in the fighting that they did. When they fought – or boxed – you weren’t trying to win just so the other guy would stop pummelling you into the ground, you fought because you wanted your god to be proven the strongest. Those who competed in the games were those who wanted to prove to the world that their god reigned!
Paul says we’re running a race; we’re fighting a fight. And it begins right where you are. So here we are in church – the race is being run, the fight is being fought. When you come to church you come to worship – not to be entertained. If you’re here to be entertained you’re going to be disappointed. If you want to be entertained you’re nothing more than a spectator. We live in a “me world” and in an “entertainment culture.” But Church isn’t really about you and me – first and foremost it’s about God.
But if you’re here to worship, rather than to be entertained – well that’s a response to God! It’s your response to God! You come, week after week, and you present yourself as a living sacrifice to God. “God, here I am again. It’s me, Tim. God I’m here because I want to be all yours. I want to be all in for you, God. I’m here because I want to say “Thank You,” Jesus! Thank you for giving your everything for me … now I want to give my everything to You. I’m here God because I know I need You; I know Your work in me is not done. I’m here because I’m weak and I’m needy. I’m here because I seek your face and your kingdom and your righteousness. I’m here because there is no other name under heaven by which men may be saved other than that of Jesus.”
And during the days of each week you can’t be sitting on the sidelines either. You need to be in the game, you need to be running the race. Faith oughtn’t to be something we try to put on, on Sunday mornings. Life, in each day, ought to flow from the faith we have. The world shouldn’t be the framework for our faith and the way we live … rather our faith should be the framework on which our world is shaped and our life is built.
Which leads us to our second point this morning which is this: #2: If you’re going to run the race, run to win. I don’t think they’re a lot of people in the Christian Church who are running this race to win. Too many of us are too busy looking at everyone on the sidelines, or sitting in the bleachers ourselves, to run the race as though to win. If you’ve ever watched a marathon you know that the runners pace themselves. They’re in it for the long haul and so they need to be careful not to burn themselves out right at the beginning. But they’re also in it to win and so they want to give it their all so that when they cross the finish line, when their race is run, they have nothing left to give.
So it ought to be for us. I know I don’t want to stand before the Lord one day and say, “Look at all I’ve got left!” I would rather say, “I’ve given it all I had! I didn’t waste a thing!” To the Philippians Paul said, I am “being poured out like a drink offering.” (Philippians 2:17) “My life is being given for you, that God might be glorified, and that you might have hope and life in Christ!” Those are the words of a man running the race to win and that’s why he can go on to say …
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) Which leads us to point number 3 …
#3: If you’re going to run to win you need to get serious about the race. Paul says everyone who runs goes into strict training. Professional level athletes, those running to win, train for hours a day pretty much every day of the year. Why? Because they’re serious about it! How serious are you about living out your faith and running your race so as to bring glory to God?
If you’re serious about it you’re going to have to get discipline! You’re going to have to discipline your mind. In Scripture we’re told to take captive every thought to the glory of God and to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We need to discipline our morals putting to death the things of the sinful nature. We need to discipline our desires seeking godliness in all things and the glory of God above all else. We need to discipline the words we speak, speaking only those things that are true, and right, and helpful rather than using our words to tear down, hurt, and destroy. We will need to be disciplined in our priorities putting God first above all things; seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. And on and on it goes. If you’re going to get serious about running the race you’re going to have to get serious about living for God right across the board. You can’t hold back certain areas of your life and say, “you can’t have this part of my life, God.” No! You have to give it all to Him.
Why ought we to be disciplined in these ways? Because if we are not, Paul says we run a very good chance of being disqualified for the prize. We are confronted with examples of this on a regular basis. Men, disqualified from service as elders or deacons in our churches because of they have not disciplined themselves in such a way that their life is glorifying to God. Pastors who are disqualified from ministry because they have given in to lust. They might not be missing out on salvation but they are missing out on the prize and the glory of God. So number 4 …
#4: Remember what you’re running for. Don’t run aimlessly, don’t beat the air futilely, but remember what it is you are running for. The Greeks ran for a crown of greenery. But that which we run for is so much more! If people are willing to give their all for a temporary reward here on earth, how much more ought we, who have the eternal to look forward to, be running for that which will last? Nearing the end of his life, Paul writes to Timothy, saying, For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day. (2 Timothy 4:6-8) Folks, we are running for a prize that is imperishable – a prize that will never spoil, nor fade, nor pass away – a prize that honours the very God who has made it all possible and to whom we owe our all! So when you run your race, run with the goal in mind. Run with the finish line in sight. Don’t stop short!
Now I began this morning with the story of Chief Joseph and his ‘line in the sand.’ I want to end this morning by challenging you to draw your own line in the sand. Two lines actually. The first is a line, like Joseph’s, that you will not cross back over. It’s a line that declares, “I have new life in Jesus Christ and from this moment forward I am going to run this race to win. I will not back down from this line! No matter what I will stand firm!” If need be, consider it the starting line in the race you’re running. It’s your commitment to live for God in all areas of your life. If you’re dating someone it’s your commitment to honour God with your body and not give into to sexual temptation. If you’re married it’s your commitment to pray with your wife regularly, husbands to love your wives and wives to respect your husbands. If you have children it’s your dedication to seeing that you’re teaching them what it means to follow Jesus Christ with all your heart, soul, mind and body. In your workplace it’s your commitment to work with integrity, to make sure that what you say you believe is what you’re living out in your workplace. In all your life it’s your commitment to make your stand and not go back to the old ways of doing life – that time before your sins were forgiven and you were made a new creation in Jesus.
The second line I want you to draw this morning is the finish line. This is the goal you’re running towards. It’s that commitment to constantly grow in, and to live for God, to be continuously surrendering everything you are and have and ever hope to be to the one who is calling you to Himself. It’s your commitment to fix your eyes upon Jesus and to never deviate from the path you have set your feet upon. It’s Paul crying out … 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 3:13-14)
For like Joseph, we too, are in a fight for survival, a fight for our marriages, and our children and our families and our way of life. It is not a battle against flesh and blood as much as it is a battle against the spiritual forces of evil who hold sway over so many in this world. It is a battle that is being waged in our homes, our schools, our neighbourhoods and our places of work.
Therefore, [in the words of Peter] prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.
For, “All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was preached to you. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Peter 1:13-2:3)
Friends, let us run the race and let us run it to win that the name of our God might be lifted high in our land! Amen? Amen!
Let’s pray …
