LIFE IS LIKE A GAME
2 Timothy 4: 7- 8
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now 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.”
This portion of letter was writeen by Paul to Timothy while waiting for his final execution. This is Paul’s 2nd imprisonment in Rome. Many writers believed that Nero beheaded Paul for his escape-goat of burning Rome.
This text teaches Christians that life is like a game. While we are living under the sun, we are always living like the participants in every game competition.
There are 3 things that Christians should know to succeed in life.
I. YOU NEED TO FIGHT A GOOD FIGHT
A. Your need to fight. “You need to fight to live. As long as you live in this world”
·If you want to have a good life, you need to fight for it.
·If you want a good wife, you need to fight for it.
·If you want a good job, you need to fight for it.
·If you want big money, fight for it. (LIKE MANNY PACQUIAO)
In practical and spiritual aspects of life, this is applicable to us.
“A person who fears is not fit to live”
Like Gary V. song: “SIKAPIN MO, PILITIN MO, TIBAYAN ANG IYONG PUSO, PAGKAT IKAW ANG HUHUBOG …”
Spiritually speaking, the child of God has three foes:
(1) The World or the world’s system. John 17:14
(2) The Flesh. Galatians 5:17
(3) The Devil. I Peter 5:8
This is not just a simple fight, Paul encouraged us to..
B. Fight a good fight. God wants us to be a good fighter.
In wrestling game you can choose what player do you want: To be a good player or to be a bad player. To be a Bida or Kontrabida? Its up to you!
Paul here is a picture of a faithful soldier. Every faithful soldier is called to fight in battle. Paul had fought his battles for Christ and Paul had been victorious through Christ.
He separated himself from the world and gave his total commitment to Christ. He had suffered for Christ. He had fought for the worthy cause of His king. He stayed with his mission and given his time to the very end.
Are you fighting the good fight?
· We have been through some great difficulties! - We have undergone demonic attacks!
· We have been through some dark valleys! - We have spent months under oppression of the enemy! In spite of it all we have fought a good fight!
· We have been wounded and scarred! - We have shed tears and experienced broken hearts. Through it all we have learned that God is faithful!
· We have to learn that “Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world.”
· That “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!”
· That “We are more than conquerors through Jesus our Lord.”
The attacks of the devil have been relentless! Paul remembered the past! - Through it all he had fought a good fight!
II. YOU NEED TO FINISH THE RACE
"An artist in Mexico lost his right hand while working on a statue. But he did not give up his work. He learned to carve with his left hand. His beautifully finished masterpiece was called ’In Spite Of’ that became well known throughout the history."
Paul in writing to young Timothy is very straightforward in what he has to say. His words seem to be filled with encouragement and assurance that he can finish the course. 1) 2:1 “Be Strong” 2)2:3 “Endure Hardness” 3) 2:5 “Strive” 4) 2:10 “Endure all things”
Everything that we have done up till now will all be in vain if we don’t finish the race.
· I knew some persons who never tried to finish what they are started: In school, in work, and in almost every area of their lives.
· I also knew many persons who started to be faithful Christians, but today they are gone…
But the Bible encouraged us to continue until the finish line..
Matt. 24:13 “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”
Heb. 6:15 “Abraham…after he patiently endured, obtained the promise”
Heb. 11:27 “Moses endured as seeing him who is invisible”
Heb. 12:2 “Christ...endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down on the right hand of the throne of God”
James 1:12 “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation…for he shall receive the crown of life”
James 5:11 “We count them happy which endure”
We need to get our minds off of our troubles, problems, and burdens. We need to lift up our heads and with spiritual vision see the finish line.
The finish line is just ahead and we are going down the stretch. We have made many sacrifices and faced many battles. Everything that we have done up till now will all be in vain if we don’t finish the race.
The Greeks has a race in their Olympic games that was unique. The winner was not the runner who finished first. It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit.
Let’s all run with the flame of our torch still lit for Jesus!
In the 1968 Mexico Olympics, Steven Akhwari of Tanza-nia fell during the marathon. Bloody and limping, he entered the stadium so far behind that only a few thousand spectators remained. He was asked by reporters why he continued to run. Akhwari said, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me to finish the race.”
Epigram that says: “There are no crown-wearers in heaven who were not cross- bearers here below.”
III. YOU NEED TO KEEP THE FAITH
Paul also said: I have kept the faith. The idea here is probably similar to that of 1 Cor 9:24-27, “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. 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.“
A. To keep your faith, you need to train yourself
- Paul said, I beat my body & make it my slave…
- Manny Pacquiao undergone an exhaustive training before he won the boxing today
- In the same way, Christian must undergo training to keep their faith works
-The athletes know that their strength is not always a guarantee of success. Faith and character are always necessary!
-Paul lives with God until the end of his life.
- The Israelites are faithless, when the spies saw the people in Canaan they were afraid of their size. They said: “people living there are too strong, we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes!” This hinders them to enter Canaan, the Land of Promise.
- When the Israelites saw Goliath, they said, Oh! he’s big, we cant beat him. But David full of faith, when he saw Goliath he said, Oh! he’s big, I cant miss him.
B. To keep your faith, you need to check your focus
- Couches always advise their players to focus their hearts and minds toward the prize. This will encourage them to give their best to work hard to win the game.
- Manny Pacquiao is also looking for the big prize and all Filipinos expecting his winning. These encourage him to do everything he can to win the game.
- Paul said, I don’t fight like a man beating the air.
- 2 Tim. 4:8 “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord righteous judge will award to me on that day--
-As Christians, the Bible is always telling us to fix our eyes to Jesus. This will not only help us to endure the game but to win the game like Jesus Christ!
-But the sad area is, we always look at the leaders, the members, the church building.
-Jesus was despised, betrayed, suffered, and crucified by those he loves; yet, he was able to say: It is finish. He won the game!
In our text Paul speaks of the present. He looked forward to his reward, “a crown of righteousness.”
In the ancient Olympic style games, a winner received a laurel wreath not a gold medal. The wreath had little value in and of itself. It’s worth came from the occasion and the hand that bequeathed it.
Heaven is not first about gates of pearl and golden streets. It is about the presence of the Lord. Jesus, “I go to prepare a place for you that where I am there you may be with me.”
For the lover of God the presence of God is the ultimate reward.
The words of this Scripture give us a beautiful picture of Paul the prisoner so near the end of his life. He is calm as he waits during his last hours in a dark cell. His words refer to the past, present and future. “I have fought a good fight, the time of my departure is at hand, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.”
CONCLUSION
Just before the National Championship game; Jim Tressel gave a speech to encourage the players and raise them to another level. In that speech he asked the players a very powerful question: What do you want to be remembered for?
Life is more important than a game. Life is more challenging than a game. Life is more rewarding than a game. So let me ask you a question: What do you want to be remembered for? What is it that you want to leave behind when you pass from this life to the next?
