Today’s message is entitled "Running The Race." This morning, we’re going to see from the Scriptures that all of life is a race to be run. Now, I realize that you may not feel much like running, at eleven o’clock on a Sunday morning in July. In fact, you may not ever feel much like running. But this kind of running doesn’t involve a cardiovascular workout, nor does it give you blisters. Instead, it gets us from where we are spiritually to where we need to be. And so today, we’re going to look at five principles on how to run that race well. The illustrations I’ll be using come from cycling, and specifically from the Tour De France, which is actually going on right now. In fact, even as we speak, the riders are competing in the eighth stage of the race, which is 136 miles from the town of Sallanches to L’Alpe d’Huez. And hopefully, if anyone here actually speaks French, you will forgive my pronunciation of those names.
But I digress. If you’re not familiar with the Tour De France, it is a 2,126 mile bicycle race through the country of France, conducted in twenty stages over a period of three weeks, an average of over a hundred miles a day. Just for comparison, that’s about the same as riding a bicycle from Richwood, Ohio, all the way to Orlando, Florida, and then back again. The race includes a bit of everything: all-out sprints; long days traveling through the French countryside; agonizing climbs over the Pyrenees mountains; and then terrifying descents from those same mountains, in which the cyclists reach speeds of over seventy miles an hour. The athletes have to contend with all kinds of hazards: narrow streets, blown tires – even small children darting out into the road. And they ride in all kinds of conditions: heat, wind, rain, even hail. In short, it is one of the most grueling athletic contests ever devised by man. And that’s why I chose it as an illustration, because the Tour De France is a lot like our lives. At times our days feel like a sprint, and at others they seem more like a long, slow, painful climb up a mountain. At various times, they can be exhausting or exhilarating; tedious or full of surprises. They can be full of hope and joy, and also discouragement and suffering.
But there is one important difference. In the Tour De France, there will be only one winner, only one man who can stand at the finish wearing the yellow jersey. But in life, every one of us has the potential to win the race; every one of us can receive the victor’s crown and hear the words of our Lord, "Well done, good and faithful servant." And that’s what we all want, isn’t it? To please God and receive His praise? Listen to the apostle Paul:
"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
Here, then is the first principle of running well. Training. In every other area of life, we accept the fact that we must train in order to do something well. If you want to become skilled in medicine, or law, or computer programming, or carpentry, or preaching, or anything else, you have to prepare yourself through discipline and study, perhaps years of it. And the same is true when it comes to the practice of Christianity. Becoming spiritually mature; gaining wisdom; discovering and developing our gifts for ministry – these things all require sustained, intentional effort. That’s just the way it works. If we want to grow in Christ, we have to discipline ourselves. We have to pray, and read, and study, and labor to put our faith into practice. Paul, in this passage, uses the example of an athlete in training for the Olympics, because of the intense commitment that athletes need in order to win. They give themselves completely to their sport, training their minds and bodies for excellence. And his point is this: If they are so dedicated and determined; if they are so willing to sacrifice and suffer, when all they are striving after is a little tin trophy, or a yellow jersey, or a few moments of glory – things that last for only a moment – shouldn’t we be just as dedicated and determined in seeking after Christ? Isn’t an eternal weight of glory worth far more than a gold medal or a Super Bowl ring?
Last year, I read Lance Armstrong’s autobiography, entitled "It’s Not About the Bike". Lance is a phenomenal cyclist who has won the Tour De France for the last four years running. He’s expected to win again this year. One of the things that comes across very clearly in the book is Lance’s single-minded devotion to training; his willingness to suffer physically, to push his mind and body to their absolute limit, in the pursuit of athletic victory. That’s really been the key to his success. Listen to this passage, which describes his preparations for the 1999 Tour De France:
"I went back to training. I rode, and I rode, and I rode. I rode like I had never ridden, punishing my body up and down every hill I could find. . . . I remember one day in particular, May 3, a raw European spring day, biting cold. I steered my bike into the Alps, with Johan following in a car. By now it was sleeting and 32 degrees. I didn’t care. We stood at the roadside and looked at the view and the weather, and Johan suggested that we skip it. I said, "No. Let’s do it." I rode for seven straight hours, alone. To win the Tour I had to be willing to ride when no one else would ride." – It’s Not About the Bike, pp. 221-222
Riding a bicycle up a mountain, alone, in the freezing rain, for seven straight hours, is commitment. Lance was willing to undergo any amount of suffering, any amount of physical and mental punishment, in order to win a bike race. And he succeeded. He has received all the fame, and wealth, and honor due a great champion. Yet everything he has worked so long and hard for will ultimately perish. All of his accomplishments will someday pass away. On the day of judgement, all of his medals, and trophies, and awards will crumble into dust. Yet we labor for a crown and for a reward which are imperishable. They will last forever. Shouldn’t we, then, be as committed to growing in faith, and hope, and love as Lance Armstrong is to growing in physical strength and endurance? Isn’t what we are seeking worth immeasurably more than a victory in the Tour De France?
Second, running the race well requires perseverance. We have to keep going, no matter what. As we look at the life of Lance Armstrong, we see that perseverance has been critical to his success as an athlete, and even more than that, to his very survival. In 1996, Lance found that he had cancer. By the time it was diagnosed, it had already spread to his brain and his lungs. The doctors told him the odds were low that he would even live, much less race again. He had to undergo months of physically devastating chemotherapy, which severely weakened his body. But he persevered. He didn’t give up. As soon he was able, he began to train again. And in the end, he not only survived the cancer, but he came back to win the most prestigious event in cycling four times in a row, to the astonishment of virtually everyone. He simply refused to give up.
What do the Scriptures tell us about perseverance? The author of Hebrews writes:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." – Hebrews 12:1-2
Why do we need perseverance? Because the race of life is hard. It’s difficult. We’re hit with setbacks, and disappointments, and failures. We make mistakes. We do foolish things. We sin. Other people fail us and sin against us. We get hurt, and discouraged, and we want to quit. We’re tempted to give up, tempted to abandon the fight; not seeking, not striving, not risking, not hoping. How do we resist that temptation? How do we gain the strength to continue? By looking away from our circumstances and fixing our gaze on Christ. By remembering what he did for us, and fixing our hope on what he has promised to do for us. And by relying, not on our strength, but on the Lord’s. Because Christ is both the author and the perfecter of our faith. He began this work of transformation in our lives, and he has promised to complete it. The power is his, the promises are his, and we are his. That’s what Paul wants us to remember.
Third, running well requires a good support system. Most people think of cycling as a purely individual sport, but that’s far from the case. Even though there is an individual winner, cyclists compete in teams, and the functioning of the team is critical to their success. For example, one member of the team might be assigned to "draft" the team leader; that is, ride in front of him to absorb the impact of the wind and allow the leader to conserve his energy. Or a member of the team might be assigned to set a fast pace going up the mountain, so that the other teams will wear themselves out trying to keep up. Some team members are called "domestics;" they’re assigned to carry extra water bottles and food for the leaders. On top of all this, Lance has a coach, and probably a team physician, and dietician, and trainer. His victories would simply have been impossible without the help of a great team and a superior support system, and when he’s interviewed he takes every opportunity to remind people of that fact.
In the same way, you and I need a support system. God never intended for us to function alone. That’s why the church is so important to our spiritual health. We need each other. Listen to these passages describing how the church’s support system should function:
“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down,
his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! . . . Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:9-10, 12
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:2
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. . . . Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” – 1 Peter 4:8-10
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11
So let me ask you this morning: Are you looking to these folks for support? Are you asking for help when you need it? Are you developing relationships with them so that you can encourage them and be encouraged by them? Are you serving others with your gifts, and also allowing yourself to be served? These are some of the things we need to do if we’re to "run the race" well.
Fourth, running well requires that we keep the goal in mind. When Lance Armstrong went out to race this morning, he was focused on one thing, and one thing only: winning the Tour De France. He’s not interested in enjoying the beautiful scenery; he doesn’t stop to admire the views or take pictures. He’s not worrying about how his hair looks. He’s not waving to the fans and signing autographs. He’s not concerned with getting on TV or getting his name in the papers, and so he doesn’t waste a lot of time chatting with reporters. When he’s racing, he is focused entirely on winning the race. That’s all. Anything else would be an unwelcome distraction that would only slow him down. In the same way, the Scriptures exhort us to be focused on following Christ:
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." – Hebrews 12:2
Likewise, Paul tells us this:
"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 3:13-14
Are you focused on that goal? Are you pursuing that goal with single-minded purpose? Or are you being distracted from your devotion to Christ by other things? If so, then take some time to refocus; to reorient yourself toward living for Christ. Resolve, with God’s help, to keep Christ at the center of your life, where He belongs, rather than allowing other things to push him out onto the fringes.
Fifth and finally, to run the race well, you have to be on the right path. If Lance Armstrong got up this morning and decided he didn’t want to ride his bike along the assigned route, it wouldn’t matter how fast he went, he couldn’t win. He can’t just ride off into the French countryside and hope to claim the title; no, in order to win, he has to follow the prescribed path. Now, in the Tour De France, it would be difficult to mistake the route. It’s pretty clear, because there’s a motorcycle leading the cyclists, and there are tens of thousands of spectators lining every mile of the race. So I’ll take a different example. Last summer, I rode in an event called the Ice Cream Odyssey, so named because they had free ice cream at the middle and at the end. But on this race, there was no pace car, there were no spectators. You could be riding for miles on these country roads and not see another cyclist. They gave us maps, but still, it was quite possible to stray from the correct route, which in fact I did, more than once. Thankfully, I managed to find it again, but if it had been a race I would have been disqualified. To run the race well, you can’t take any old path. You have to follow the right path.
How do we do that? Well, following the right path has two components. First, you must be following Christ. You have to be trusting in Christ for salvation, seeking to live in accordance with his teachings and example. And without that, all the things Lance Armnstrong has accomplished – including his courageous battle against cancer, and his string of Tour De France victories – will ultimately count for nothing. Because God does not accept or value any deeds not done in faith, no matter how impressive and praiseworthy they might otherwise be. As the prophet Isaiah wrote,
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." – Isaiah 64:6
Likewise, the apostle Paul writes that:
". . . everything that does not come from faith is sin." – Romans 14:23a
And again, we read in Hebrews that:
". . . without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." – Hebrews 11:6
What does this mean? It means that God looks at the heart. And if the motives for a person’s deeds are anything other than an intention to serve and honor God, then they count for nothing. Only what is done in faith has value. Lance Armstrong is a great man. But without faith in Christ, not a single thing that he or anyone else may do will last throughout eternity. It will all pass away. Think of that. In God’s eyes, the simplest act of kindness you do today, if done for Christ, counts more than a whole lifetime of achievement by someone who is not following Him.
Many of you have trusted in Christ, and are on the right path. But that’s just the beginning. Because even as Christians, we can stray from the path. Not from the path of salvation, but from the path of obedience. In order to run well, we must stay on that path, guided by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Otherwise, we may find ourselves in a ditch, with our wheels spinning in the air. Thankfully, God has promised that if we seek Him, he will keep us on the path.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." – Psalm 3:5-6
Let me close by asking: Are you on the right path this morning? Are you seeking the Lord? Are you living in obedience to His Word? I hope so. Because that’s what it takes to run the race of life well. If you’re not, then I urge you to get on that path. Put your trust in Christ and follow him. If you do that, God has made this promise: "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13). Won’t you do that today? Won’t you determine to seek God with all your heart? That’s the only path that will bring you true victory in life.
