Alba 7-6-2025
RUN TO WIN
I Corinthians 9:24-27
Herm Edwards, former coach of the New York Jets, was best known for his leadership and motivational abilities, which helped shape not just the teams he coached, but also the players who respected him. His most memorable moment with the Jets came in 2002, when, against all odds, the team made the playoffs after a turbulent season. Edwards became famous for his fiery speeches and the way he held his players accountable, emphasizing discipline, respect, and a never-quit attitude. In October of 2002, he got a little heated in a press conference. A reporter asked him a question about the game, and Edwards responded by saying that you PLAY TO WIN THE GAME. YOU DO NOT PLAY TO JUST PLAY THE GAME. YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME.
The apostle Paul would agree with that because he says in the race of life we need to run with the intention to win. In First Corinthians 9:24 he asks this question, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize?” And then he says to us, “Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”
Paul uses the illustration of an athletic contest -- a race. That was a familiar thing to these Christians in Corinth. The Greeks had two great athletic festivals, the Olympic games (every 4 years) and the Isthmian games (every 2 years). The Isthmian games were held at Corinth, and were therefore intimately familiar to those to whom Paul was writing. Athletes competing in the Isthmian Games were required to train at least 10 months while living in tents. Because so many tents were needed, it is possible that Paul got to know a lot of these athletes since he built tents for a living. Well we are not in the Olympics or the Isthmian games. Still, we’re all running and we’re all busy. But are we running toward the right thing? What race are you running right now? Are you running the rat race of a hectic life, or are you running the race for heaven? I can assure you that if you run the race for heaven, the rat race becomes much easier and more tolerable. And Jesus wants all of us to cross the finish line! So how do we run to win that better race? First...
Be Disciplined
When you think about the word "discipline", there are probably several different things that come to mind. To a child, it probably means getting a spanking for doing something he shouldn’t have done. To a soldier, discipline means conforming to the regulations, obedience to orders, K.P. duty, and reveille on cold mornings. To a student, discipline means a class with a lot of work and exams. To a Christian, discipline usually brings to mind dis-fellowshiping someone who has been unfaithful.
And all of these are correct. All of these are aspects of discipline. The Army disciplines the soldier to teach strict obedience. A school disciplines by making students do the work. And the church disciplines in order to encourage members to remain faithful. That is called imposed discipline. But imposed discipline has only limited value. There’s another kind of discipline that’s much more important to us as Christians, and that is self-discipline. As Max Anders, minister and general editor of the Holman Bible Commentary, has said, “Only the disciplined ever get really good at anything.” Everything in life requires some sort of discipline. Whether it’s hitting a baseball, climbing a mountain, playing a musical instrument, or making good grades, it all comes down to a matter of discipline. Many people have ambitions that will never be realized, goals that will never be reached, visions that will never materialize simply because they have no discipline.
Verse 25 says, “And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things” (NKJV). The NIV says, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.” And the NLT says, “All athletes are disciplined in their training.” Discipline is the unshakable commitment to do what must be done, no matter how you feel.
The Bible uses the words "self-control" and "temperance" to describe this quality. It is one of the fruits of the Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23). It is one of the Christian graces that we are to grow in. “Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control....” (II Peter 1:5-6). Proverbs 25:28 says, “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit (in other words, no self-control) Is like a city broken down, without walls.” If we paid more attention to discipline or self-control, we would experience more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness.
The problem is that we tend to be like water. Water will generally flow in the path of least resistance. That means we often don't do what we need to do to be ready for the race of life. Physically and spiritually we need to prepare for the challenges that are ahead. A man was discussing his tennis technique with a friend. He said, “My brain immediately barks out a command to my body: ‘Run forward, and fast.’ It says, ‘Start right now. Drop the ball gracefully over the net and then race back to position.’” His friend replied, “And then what happens?” He said, “And then my body asks, ‘Who, me?’”
How good would you be at anything if you did not practice or train? How good could you be if you spent at least a little time practicing or training? What if you decided to play softball, and then you practiced basketball instead of softball? One of the great lessons of life is that you only get out of something what you put into it. If you do something with minimal effort and energy, you will not get much out of it.
It takes a lot of hard work to do well in anything; wrestling, baseball, or the Christian life. How is your training going? Or are you training at all? Are you doing any spiritual workouts? By this, I mean Bible study, prayer time, Christian service, etc. All these are matters of spiritual training. But it takes discipline. It takes self-control. There is a quote that says that many good plans die in the land of good intentions. So true!
If we want to run well, if we are running to win, then we need to train properly. It takes discipline. Good athletes would avoid anything that would hurt their performance. On the other hand they would devote themselves to everything that would help them to win the prize. They would never let up.
Today's churches are filled with people who would love to be mature Christians with a tremendous knowledge of God’s Word. But many are not willing to pay the price to achieve it. The late Gus Nichols, well-known Church of Christ minister, was talking with a Christian who said to him, “I’d give my life to know the Bible like you do.” To which Gus Nichols replied, “That’s what it took.” A lifetime of study and dedication.
Now if you feel defeated at times, you are not alone. Even the apostle Paul could feel that way. In Romans 7:18 he said, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.” But please let me encourage you! Your failures are not final! Your sins are not unforgivable! You will stumble, you will fall, you will blow it at times. But you need to keep on running the race the best you can, because there is a prize at the end.
In verses 26 and 27 Paul, to overcome any temptation or reason for not being prepared, says, “Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
An athlete who failed to meet the training requirements in the Corinthian games was disqualified. He could not even run, much less win. Paul did not want to spend his life preaching the requirements to others and then be disqualified for not meeting the requirements himself. And neither should we.
We need to discipline our body to make it our slaves. I realize that in some translations Paul says “I buffet my body.” This is not a “buffet,” although I am not opposed to that every now and again. The idea here is to discipline ourselves so that we will avoid the hypocrisy that the world uses as an excuse to not follow Christ.
When Paul says he doesn't “beat the air” it is a reference to shadowboxing when a boxer is all by himself, throwing punches against an imaginary opponent. But once he gets in the ring, he must stop imagining how he’s going to fight and actually start throwing some punches. Because if all he does in that ring is beat the air (shadow box), they’re going to carry him out of that ring on a stretcher.
To be disciplined means that we make ourselves ready so that when the call comes to fight the fight, we're not beating our fist in the air, but are seeking a knock out blow for Christ. And to be disciplined means that when we run the race, we don't do so half heartily, but we run to win. Paul said in Philippians 3:13-14, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Disciplined people always need to ask two questions:
1. What am I doing right now that I should stop doing?
2. What am I not doing right now that I should start doing?
And then ask yourself why are you doing what you are doing. Do you do it because you were told to do it, or because you have an honest desire to deepen your relationship with God? It will help you to be disciplined when you...
Focus on the Prize
Verse 25 says those who discipline themselves so they can run to win, “They do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” Do you notice that when you are focused, you do things better? Paul said as he ran the race of faith, he did it with focus and purpose. He was not boxing without aim. He focused on the prize, an imperishable crown.
There are four kinds of crowns mentioned in the New Testament: the crown of life, the crown of glory, the crown of righteousness, and the crown of rejoicing. All four of these crowns are bestowed on followers of Christ for service they have done while here on the earth.
The Bible contains two words for crown, and they represent different kinds of crowns: The word “diadem” (“diadema” in Greek) refers to the kind of crown a king would wear. On the other hand is the victors crown, (“stephanos” in the Greek). In the Corinthian races, the winner received a crown made out of olive branches. It was a corruptible crown that would start to whither the moment it was placed on the champion's head. But we are encouraged to seek an incorruptible crown -- A crown that will never wither, a crown that will never, ever fade away. How much better to know that the crowns of heaven do not fade, tarnish, rot, go out of style, or in any way lose their glory. They are incorruptible and everlasting.
We need to keep looking toward to the end of the game, because in Christ, we are going to win! We need to set our sights on heaven more than we do! And keep our eyes focused on Jesus. Stayed on Jesus -- the redeemer. Focused on Jesus -- the Good Shepherd, the One who seeks and saves the lost.
What Jesus did for us was not easy. Matthew 26:39 tells us that, “He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.'” He didn’t feel like going to the cross, but He did.
Jesus was disciplined, willing to suffer, so that we might have life. During His time of pain and suffering He prayed not for Himself, but for those responsible for His crucifixion when He said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Jesus kept His eyes on His Father in Heaven Our Savior kept His eyes on the finish line. And we need to keep our eyes on Jesus.
We dare not be like Peter who took His focus off of Jesus and began to sink. Thankfully Jesus was there to rescue him. And Jesus is here to rescue us. Don’t be like Peter, caught up in the moment, caught up in your circumstances, but run the race, and run to win. Keep your eyes on the prize, salvation in Jesus Christ. In a game or in a race there is just one winner. But the great thing about the amazing race we are a part of, is that we can ALL win!
There are the sprinters who run the 100 meters, 200, or 400 meters. There are the milers, the 5k runners, the 10k runners and there are the marathoners who run 26:2 miles. We could wish that the Christian life was just a short sprint. It would be a lot easier to finish if it was, but it’s not. The Christian life is more like the marathon race. It’s a long race.
What Paul says in II Timothy 4:7-8, is what we also should want to be able to say at the end of our race, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
So remember, it's not so much about how fast we run or how many people we outpace. It's about finishing the race. It's about remaining faithful to the One who called us, the One who loves us with an everlasting love, the One who gave His life for us.
CLOSE:
Brian La Croix, a minister in South Dakota, said there was a day he had volunteered to help with a Special Olympics, and said it is something to behold. Here is what he said about it:
“One time I was asked to help out during a practice session for our local Olympians. All I had to do was stand at the finish line and cheer for my runner, and give them a hug when they finished the race.
“Let me tell you, that was a great time, and I pulled something away from that experience. While they were running, guess where they kept their eyes? On the track? No. On the other runners? No. They kept their eyes on the one who was ready to love them at the end of the race.
“And folks, we have someone ready to embrace us at the end of our race. And it’s not just a volunteer who has a few minutes. It will be the Lord Jesus Himself, and that is something to look forward to!”
