Run the Race

Introduction

            Today is the Manitoba Marathon and earlier today those who run the full marathon ran right past the church on Portage Avenue and Raglan Road. Some of us were there to cheer them on.

            I know two people who have run marathons in the past and I would like to ask them a few questions.

1. How many marathons have you run and where?

2. Frank, tell us a little bit about how you prepare for a marathon and what you have to do to run it successfully.

3. Carla, you have had some specific goals as you have run marathons. Can you tell us about those goals and how they helped you run the marathon.

4. What did you get for running the marathon?

Thanks.

            In the Bible, there are several passages that use the imagery of running in order to help us live the Christian life. Let us read I Corinthians 9:24-27 and Hebrews 12:1-2.

            We are familiar with the Olympic games, but in the time when this was written there were also similar games in Corinth known as the Isthmian games. Perhaps when Paul wrote I Corinthians 9, those games were going on and people were talking about them. There are some important lessons in these passages about living the Christian life that arise out of this imagery.

I.     What It Takes To Run Well

            These verses talk about the effort required to live the Christian life. As we consider these verses we need to be careful that we understand what is spoken of here accurately. When we read in the passage in Corinthians that "the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize" we may get the impression that if we do not do everything right we may miss out on the prize which God promises. Does this teach that we are in danger of losing our salvation? Of course there is a lot of debate about that among theologians, but I don't think we should allow this passage to draw us into that debate.

            Please keep several things in mind. First of all, it is God who saves us. We are all miserable failures and God forgives us, accepts us as His children and gives us eternal life because of His grace through faith in Jesus. When we enter into this relationship with God, He works in us to help us grow and to give us life that is abundant. Ultimately He brings us to eternal life.

            If God does all that for us, then what do we miss if we don't run well? We miss out on the abundant life God has for us. We miss out on all the blessings that could be ours if we followed God's way. We may be led down a path that leads us away from God. So what we are talking about is serious. We are in a race and we need to run it well. The enemy would love to see us fail but with God's help, we need to do what we read in I Corinthians 9:24b, "Run in such a way that you may win it." In other words, we need to do all we can to enjoy all God has for us. How do we do that?

A.   Run Free

1.    Lay Aside the Unnecessary

            When Carla ran the marathon in Hawaii, we saw people running in some unusual ways. We saw men running in tuxedos, women in bridal gowns, people wearing mascot costumes and one fellow who wore Japanese style platform shoes. What I can tell you about people who did things like that is that they were not the first ones to cross the finish line. Runners who are serious about doing their best get rid of anything that prevents them from running well. They wear shorts, a light top, light, well made runners and they don't carry anything they don't need. I have even seen runners decide that something they had with them was unnecessary and I have seen them throw it away at the side of the road. The key is to travel light.

            The same thing is true in our walk with Christ. Hebrews 12:1 says, "…lay aside every weight…" It isn't wrong to run in a race with a lot of stuff that isn't needed, but if you do, you will not be at your best. The same is true in the Christian life. There are a lot of things which are not wrong, but which prevent us from doing the best we can. We aren't inclined to think like that very often. In fact, we are inclined to allow ourselves everything that isn't wrong. The question we need to ask is, "does this really help me live for Jesus in the best way possible." I know people who have decided not to have a television. They would never say that watching television is wrong, but they have decided that if they have one, it will take away from time with their family, involvement with neighbors or time to read their Bible and other good literature. At one time I removed all the games from my computer because it was too tempting to play one quick game before I got down to work. We need to look at our life and decide what is hindering us from giving ourselves fully to the Lord. Even if it is not wrong to participate in some of these things, it would be wise to let go of some of them in order to give ourselves more fully to the Lord.

2.    Get Rid of Sin

            Of course there are other things that are wrong which we must get rid of. So Hebrews 12:1 also says, "and the sin that clings so closely."

            The verse speaks about "sin that clings so closely." That is a frightening and difficult reality. It reminds us that all of us struggle with certain sins and some are hard to get rid of. The Word of God is so encouraging when it gives us the good news that God has forgiven our sins and that He fills us with His Spirit to help us walk in obedience and that He will complete His work in us. At the same time the Bible is also very clear that He isn't going to do it all for us. This phrase reminds us that we all struggle with sin and that it is a struggle and that we need to deal with it.

            The challenge to lay aside sin is therefore a challenge that we need to take seriously. There are so many Scriptures which talk about this. I Corinthians 6:18 says, "Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself." 2 Timothy 2:22 says, "Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." Ephesians 5:4 says, "Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk…"

            We all have our "favorite" sins. Those things that we struggle with the most. Some things just aren't a problem, but we all have areas that are a problem. In those areas we need to be particularly vigilant and do what we can to remove that sin because it will surely rob our joy and our effectiveness in our walk with the Lord.

            There are a lot of things that can help us overcome the sins that hinder us from running well. Here are some specific, practical suggestions.

            Making a covenant is one thing. By making a covenant, we promise ourselves that we don't want that in our life. One Scriptural example is Job in the Old Testament, who says in Job 31:1, "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl."

            Avoiding triggers is another. Temptations come at certain times and in certain ways and if we know when they are likely to come, we can choose to find ways of avoiding those times and places and the temptations that come with them.

            Accountability is probably one of the best ways of avoiding temptation. If we can find someone who will be honest with us, not be intimidated by us and whom we give permission to ask us the hard questions, we will have a lot of strength to overcome.

            Of course, undergirding all of this with prayer and asking God to help us have victory is a great means of overcoming sin.

B.        Prepare

            As Frank told us, it takes a lot to prepare for a race. Preparation is also a part of our walk with God.

1.    Training

            My brother ran in the first Manitoba Marathon in 1979. He was 21 at the time and didn't spend a lot of time training. At about mile 14 he had to quit and could not complete it. This year he ran the Marathon again. For the last several years he has been running regularly. People who run marathons start training well before the event. They work up to about a 20 or 22 mile run two weeks before the race and then a shorter run the week before and then they allow their bodies to rest so that they are well trained and well prepared on the day of the race.

            If we want to live for Christ well, it also takes training. Paul says in I Corinthians 9:27, "I punish my body and enslave it." The things we usually think of when we think about training are reading the Bible, praying, serving God and participating in a community of believers and these are all important, but I want to talk about another aspect of training.

            I was driving down a dirt road one day. Someone had driven on it on a rainy day and had made fairly deep ruts and now they were dried hard. I came to the place where I needed to turn, but I had a terrible time getting out of the ruts. My car just wanted to follow in the ruts. The same thing happens in our life. There are certain things we do and it is hard to get out of the rut. If we curse when we are angry or if we yell when our children whine or if our eyes follow every pretty girl or handsome man we see we are in a rut of disobedience. Training is required if we want to get out of these ruts and such training is necessary if we want to grow in our walk with Jesus. The best way to get out of a rut is to make a new rut that is better. Or put another way, the best way to break a bad habit is to train yourself to learn a good habit. So whenever you are tempted to yell at your children, perhaps we could train ourselves to say a word of blessing. Instead of allowing our eye to wander where it shouldn't we could develop the habit of praying for the people we look at. By training ourselves we can learn to walk in ways that move us towards God instead of away from Him.

2.    Discipline

            When my wife has been training for marathons, there have been times when I have rolled over to sleep some more while she went out to run. It made me aware of what tremendous discipline it takes to get up at 5:30 on a cold February morning to go for a run in the dark, but she has done it.

            We live in a world that seems to suggest that we should do those things that are easy and pleasurable, but that not will help us if we want to walk faithfully with Jesus. Images of discipline are mentioned several times in these two passages. Hebrews 12:1 says, "run with perseverance" and in I Corinthians 9:25 we read, "Athletes exercise self-control in all things."

            It takes discipline to get up early enough to spend time in the Bible and pray. It takes discipline to get out of bed to make it to church on time. It takes discipline to meet with your small group regularly.

            It takes discipline, but the thing that I have found is that there is also pleasure. Although I have watched Carla get up early and run in the dark and in the cold, I have also heard her express what a joy it was when the snow was fresh and she was the first one making tracks on the road or when the wind was calm and it was a beautiful morning and she was able to watch the sun rise. In a similar way, discipline yields joyful results and never remains only the hard work of doing what you have to do. However, there are times when it is strictly the will to do what is right that will bring us to the place where we grow and walk faithfully with Jesus.

            As we think about discipline, we need to be careful that we do not  push it to the point of asceticism or self flagellation. These things tend to promote merit and move us towards a works based relationship with God. The purpose of discipline is to help us control our life for the purpose of loving God more, not for its own sake or even for the sake of thinking that we gain points with God if we do it.

II.  Help in the Race

            Running a marathon is hard work. The other day I spoke with someone who ran this morning and they told me that they often hit the wall around mile 22. How do you keep going in the faith life when it gets hard? How do you pick yourself up and go again when you fail so often? Where do we get the strength to run well? Runners are helped in a number of ways.

A.   Cheer Each Other On

            This morning when we cheered on the runners, you could see their faces brighten and their pace pick up as they passed us. The encouragement of others is very helpful.

            Hebrews 12:1 talks about being "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses." Hebrews 12 follows Hebrews 11, which is the chapter which talks about all the heroes of faith who have gone before. The witnesses in that case are most likely referring to the people who have gone before and who have been successful in their race. It is an encouragement to realize that we are not the first ones to run this race, but others have gone before and their success encourages us.

            Of course, another aspect of encouragement is the brothers and sisters whom we get to know in the church. That is why it is so important to be a part of a church and also a small group. The people in our faith communities can be a great encouragement to us as we bless them and as they bless us with listening, challenging and encouraging.

B.   Keep Your Eye on the Goal

            Carla talked about how keeping her eye on the goal motivated her to complete a very difficult marathon.

            In a similar way, it is keeping our eyes on the goal that keeps us going. In I Corinthians 9:26, Paul says, "So I do not run aimlessly." If a runner decided one day that he didn't like the course that was set out for him and decided to take a little detour because the scenery was nicer and if that runner ran past a Tim Hortons and decided that a jelly filled donut and a coffee would be a nice break, how do you think that race would turn out? In a similar way, we must keep our eyes on the goal

            Hebrews 12:2 reminds us that our goal is not a something, but a someone when it says, "…looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith." It is Jesus who got us into this race. It is Jesus whose example we follow because He ran the race as a human being. It is by keeping our eyes on Him that we will have the ability to finish well. So keeping our eyes on Jesus is important in running well.

C.   Remember the Prize

            This is one of our families favorite pictures. When Carla finished the marathon in the Cayman Islands, the last one to finish because of the cold she had which prevented her from running well, she received a medal, but this hug from our daughter, for whom she had run, was a very special prize.

            At the end of every marathon or half marathon every runner gets a medal. The medals mark an important accomplishment. In the Isthmian games, only the winner received a prize and it was a pine wreath which didn't last very long. I Corinthians 9:25b says, "…they do it to receive a perishable wreath." What is the prize we receive as Christians? In contrast to the perishable wreath which the runners in Corinth received, Paul says that our prize is, "…an imperishable one." The prize we are moving towards as followers of Jesus is life forever in the presence of God.

            Paul reflects on his hope of receiving this prize as he came near the end of his life. In II Timothy 4:6 – 8 he writes, "As for me…the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing."

            As we struggle to throw off what hinders and get rid of the sin which entangles, as we discipline ourselves day after day, we are encouraged to keep going as we remember the prize towards which we are running. As we stumble and fall and fail and pick ourselves up again, we can think about the goal of life that is ours and will be ours for all eternity and we can persevere with joy looking to the prize before us.

            Jesus is our example of one who did just that. In Hebrews 12:2 we read about how Jesus "endured the cross" as he looked forward with joy to the reward he would receive of being seated at the "right hand of the throne of God." If the prize motivated Him to keep on in his walk of obedience, so may the prize we will receive also keep us going.

III.          A Side Note for Fathers

            Today is Father's Day and I would like to insert a little aside for all the dads here today. One of the things that we often see at a marathon is something called a Pace Bunny. An experienced runner will put on a pair of rabbit ears and on those ears there will be a pace written down. If you plan to run a 4 ½ hour marathon and you stick to the pace bunny that says he will run in that time, you will complete the race in 4 ½ hours.

            I want to challenge the fathers today to be the pace bunny in your home when it comes to walking with Jesus. Let your example, your encouragement, your focus on Jesus be such that as your family sees it they will follow your lead and also walk with Jesus and so also receive the prize.

Conclusion

            Some people decide that they are going to run one marathon. Four months before the marathon, they begin to train. At the end of their training, they run the marathon and when it is over they stop running. Other people make running a lifestyle. When the marathon is over, they keep on running and when another race comes, they are ready. They are always ready to run a race because it is part of their lifestyle.

            The Christian life is not a one time event. These two passages have some important details about how to run well. If we get rid of the unnecessary, remove the sin, train well and discipline ourselves, we will live a life that opens the way for God. He will be able to work freely in our lives, to give us an abundant life now and bring us to the eternal life He has promised us. The encouragement of others, keeping our eye on the goal and remembering how great the prize is will help us keep on going.

            May we all run well!