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.
2) Focus on what lies ahead, not behind
“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…” Philippians 3:13
The windshield of a car is bigger than the rear-view mirror so that you focus on what is ahead, not what is behind.
*Gail Devers
The 1992 Summer Olympics featured two tremendously poignant moments. American sprinter Gail Devers, the clear leader in the 100 meter hurdles, tripped over the last barrier. She agonizingly pulled herself to her knees and crawled the last five meters, finishing fifth—but finishing.
3) Never give up on the prize
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3: 14
The “Gold Medal” of our lives awaits us when we see Jesus.
“Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
2 Timothy 4:8(NIV)
The key is not how you start the race with Jesus, but how you finish.
** John Stephen Ahkwari
Today friend, I’d like to take your mind back to October 20, 1968. I invite you to come with me to the Mexico City, Olympic Stadium. The time, 7.00 P.M. The closing ceremonies had just been completed. The spectators and athletes, still warm from the euphoria of the celebration, were gathering their belongings to leave the stadium. Then the announcer asked them to remain in their seats. Down the boulevard came the whine of police sirens. From their vantage point, many in the stadium could see motorcycles with their flashing blue lights, encircling someone making his way toward the stadium. Whoever it was, he was moving slowly.
Everyone remained seated to see the last chapter of the Olympics take place. By the time the police escort got to the stadium, the public address announcer said that a final marathoner would be making his way into the arena and around the track to the finish line. Confusion was evident among the crowd. The last marathoner had come in hours ago. The medals had already been awarded. What had taken this man so long? But the first sign of the runner making his way out of the tunnel and onto the track told the whole story.
John Stephen Akhwari from Tanzania, covered with blood, hobbled into the light. He had taken a horrible fall early in the race, whacked his head, damaged his knee, and endured a trampling before he could get back on his feet. And there he was, over 40 kilometres later, stumbling his way to the finish line.
The response of the crowd was so overwhelming, it was almost frightening. They encouraged Akhwari through the last few metres of his race with a thundering ovation that far exceeded the one given the man who, hours earlier, had come in first. When Akhwari crossed the finish line, he collapsed into the arms of the medical personnel who immediately whisked him off to the hospital.
The next day, Akhwari appeared before sports journalists to field their questions about his extraordinary feat. The first question was the one any of us would have asked, "Why, after sustaining the kinds of injuries you did, would you ever get up and proceed to the finish line, when there was no way you could possibly place in the race?" John Stephen Akhwari said this: "My country did not send me over 11,000 kilometres to start a race. They sent me over 11,000 kilometres to finish one."
Do you have the determination of a champion to live a gold medal life?
