Eyes On The Prize

God's People Must Be United and Growing in Holiness

As preached at Rolling Hills Church on Sunday, May 6^th, 2012

1 Corinthians 9:24-27^[1]  

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Context is king. Paul was in a conversation about not eating food sacrificed to idols if it causes your weaker brother to stumble. 8:1 "Now concerning food offered to idols". Beginning in chapter 9 he lays out his example of living this way, which he makes plain in verse 15. "But I have made no use of any of these rights". You give up some things if necessary to advance the gospel. Now he is coming back around to the Corinthians' laying down of their rights and/or freedoms to advance the gospel and bless the weaker brothers and sisters in the church family.

This text isn't about being a godly athlete. If you wanna make that application as you play soccer you are free to, but know this – that's not the message of the passage.

This text isn't about 'taming the temple'. Paul wasn't writing this as a motivational tool to change how you look in the mirror, or to fight through the gravity pull of the 40s. Sure, self-discipline in eating and exercising are good, but that is not the point of the text. Running in such a way as to obtain the prize – Christ, gospel growth, and Christian love. That is the context of this passage. Let's walk through it by the key phrases today…

Do you not know? Rhetorical – they knew.

When Paul wrote these words to the Corinthian Christians, they all knew about the games. The Olympic games took place in Greece every four years without interruption from 776 BC until the Emperor Theodosius suppressed them in AD 393. That's 1,169 years. Everyone knew about the games[2]. Between those games were the biennial Isthmian Games, which took place there in Corinth, and had for centuries. He could talk games, running, boxing, and wrestling with these folks because it was a huge part of the culture.

So run that you may obtain it. This is the command to the Corinthian church from this passage – run in such a way that you obtain the prize. It's not enough to participate, not enough to just get a jersey and sit on the bench – you are in to win.

You need to discipline yourselves to advance gospel growth and Christian love. You lay down freedoms and rights here and now to gain rewards in heaven then.

I don't train for aimlessly; I have a purpose, a motive. He goes back to a personal example. Here is what Paul knew: there is a lasting reward! Paul had a prize in view in his mind – he ran toward something; he ran for something, not just to run. He ran to win, not just to participate – forget all that, 'how you play the game' mess, he wanted to be first on race day.

I discipline my body, he said. Those who compete in such games can't afford to let their body tell them what to do; they tell it what to do. When the body wants to stay up they go to sleep. When the body wants to stay in bed they get up. When the body wants ice cream and donuts they feed it a balanced, healthy meal. An athlete has to lead his body, not follow it.[3] They body must be subject to the will in order to win. Paul said, in context…

"I discipline my body" to become a slave to all out of love for all to bring the gospel to all to see God save some and to share in the benefit of it with them.

"I discipline my body" to walk hundreds of miles to tell people about Christ and start churches because hell is ferociously, eternally real.

"I discipline my body" by keeping my eyes on the prize, not on the discipline.

"I discipline my body" because what I want is worth more than what I have.

"I discipline my body" because it represents the indwelling sin that wants to destroy our love for Christ and lock our eyes on temporal earthy prizes alone.

"I discipline my body" to serve Christ who disciplined his body to suffer and die for rebellious ingrates like me.

"I discipline my body" to look to Christ and His glory, just as He looked beyond the cross to His glory as the prize – and sustained Himself through His suffering.

"I discipline my body" to become a slave to all out of love for all to bring the gospel to all to see God save some and to share in the benefit of it with them.

Lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. I believe the context would show that Paul doesn't mean disqualified from eternal life, but from the rewards given for faithful, selfless service to Christ. Disqualified for salvation isn't really a possibility – because no one has ever been qualified! The KJV uses the word 'castaway' here, and that's a terrible translation. The word is qualified or approved with a prefix making it a negative. In the context of his illustration one would be unable to race because one didn't follow the rules of the contest. Let me show you some other thoughts on rewards from the same book that supports my contention…

1 Cor 3:12-15 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

Paul simply acknowledges the fight we all face. Many believers begin their walk with zeal and fervor, but unfortunately settle into a life of lazy Christianity. They have what it takes, but they no longer want to pay the price required to be fruitful for Christ.

That is not to say that we shouldn't examine ourselves (2 Cor 13:5) to verify that our faith is genuine – we all should! And we should fight not to let the disobedience, sin, or failures of other believers pull us away from faith in Christ. Their sin, just like yours, only proves the gospel true – we are wrecked, and need a Savior! Also, we can't let the wisdom of God in answering our prayers – as HE knows best – discourage us from faith; we must trust His wisdom, and hold fast to His goodness.

How about you, believer – is your fervor for Christ failing? Are you more focused on the temporal wreath than the eternal prize?

So 1 Corinthians 9 asks us this:

·      Would you lay down your rights in order to serve and sanctify those around you?

·      Would you change your life to reach others with the gospel?

·      Will you discipline yourself to obtain the prize – gospel growth and Christian love?

Brothers and sisters, are you running in such a way as to obtain the prize – Christ, gospel growth, and Christian love?

You will if you keep your eyes on the prize – the eternal reward of Jesus and His glory.
Let's pray that the Holy Spirit will mercifully convict us of specific sin, and direct us to obedience in Christ.

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[1] All Scriptures, unless otherwise noted, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (via E-Sword Software) © 2001 Crossway Publishing. All Rights Reserved. I paste them in red for distinction.

[2] From John Piper's sermon on 1 Cor 9:24-27, Olympic Spirituality, Part 1. Accessed via www.desiringgod.org/resourcelibrary/sermons, available for free.

[3] Great thought from John MacArthur in his New Testament Commentary: 1 Corinthians. Published by Moody Press, Chicago. Copyright © 1984 The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All Rights Reserved.