Running to Win

Today we are going to talk about another expectation we have of you here at MRC. We want you to
grow. Really we are talking about pursuing holiness and engaging God in your own. What I want to do
with this day is get practical. I mean it's awesome for us to say we love growth, and want to engage
God each day but it's another thing to actually give you the tools to live this out. It's that whole, give a
man a fish and he'll eat for a day, teach him to fish and he will never go hungry. So that's what I'm up to
with you all today. I want to talk about what it looks like to engage God on your own. We are going to
build this whole day off of this text written in a letter from Paul to the church of Corinth.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24 You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win.
25 All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one
that's gold eternally.26 I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving
it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! 27 I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not
going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself.
(from THE MESSAGE)
This isn't a really popular scripture today is it? It looks good on a poster, or maybe even a edgy
Christian T-shirt, but it's not really our mentality today is it? What do you mean everyone runs and
only one wins? That isn't the world we live in any more. See in our world we all give just enough of an
effort not to over work ourselves, then in the end we all go home with a trophy. (Somehow I see a U8
soccer story coming here!) Thats the fair way to go about things isn't it? Sadly that is where our culture
is...everyone wins. Everyone gets a trophy. We do this with our children in sports. We do this at work.
And we most definitely do this with God. The whole problem I have with this type of thinking is, well
its the Bible. The words of Jesus are a great place to start...
Matthew 7:13-14
"Don't look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a
successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don't fall for that stuff, even though crowds
of people do. 14 The way to life — to God! — is vigorous and requires total attention. (from
THE MESSAGE)
I can hear it already! “Uh, yeah Sam I see where you are heading here, but I don't think Jesus really
meant those words. You see He loves everyone. I don't believe we need to focus, work, or engage God
to get at all, sounds like a lot of hassle to me...let's skip over those statements Jesus makes and talk
about grace or something. All I really need to be is a good person, I don't need to pursue or engage
him!”
I know this is a wildly unpopular notion, that there are no shortcuts to God. Especially in our day and
age. We are looking for short cuts to everything aren't we? With the click of a button we can pretty
much do anything or having anything these days. We shouldn't have to work for anything. As a people
we are falling into a sense of entitlement that needs to be torn down. I want to be physically fit. Well
there are plenty of pills out there we can take to lose some weight. There's gotta be something out there
to help me other than eating differently and exercising right? How about our marriages. We want
healthy marriages but not the hassle of actually fighting for them. Seriously loving and serving the man
or woman in your home, just is not easy. Pending on there response it may be the most difficult thing
to do in your lifetime. We want Godly children, so there has to be a program somewhere I can drop
them off at right. Why would I actually sit down with them and engage God with them. They are
acting up again, well there has to be something medically wrong with them, it certainly couldn't be my
parenting, call the doctor we need some medication! Well, you catch where I'm drifting to, honestly, I
could go on and on. We are always looking for the short cuts. Guys when it comes to God, Jesus flat
out tells you that there are none. It takes work. The way to life- to God!-is vigorous and requires
our total attention.
I love Paul's imagery. Let's take this concept of the race and really apply it to our lives. I want to talk
about what it takes to run the race we call life, not just run it, but run it to win. This is so essential guys,
to see this life as a race, and to grasp the magnitude of running the race well. You see at the end of this
race we call life is God, and eternity. (that's a long time) We need to be ready. Have you ever found
yourself in a spot that you weren't ready for but in that particular moment you wish you were? I know
just about every year when we go to the beach, I wish I would have been forward thinking enough to
start working out sooner than the week before we leave for the family vacation! My friends and I used
to call that the emergency beach lift.:) Well its one thing to feel a little embarrassed taking your shirt off
at the beach, it's gonna be a whole other thing to not be prepared for what is at the finish line of the race
we call life. It's really my heart for you today that I can put the tools in your hands to run your race
well. Here's my guide to running the race of life.
Running to Win
1. GET FIRED UP! If we are going to truly engage God, and run this race to win we need to be
motivated! Not just a little excited but fired up to win this race. Here's how-->HOLD YOUR
SALVATION CLOSE! I don't care if your a 2 day old Christian or someone who has been a follower of
Jesus for 40 years. NEVER FORGET WHERE YOU CAME FROM. NEVER FORGET WHAT
JESUS DID FOR YOU ON THE CROSS. There is nothing the enemy would want more than to wipe
this from your memory banks-GOD THROUGH HIS SON JESUS SAVED YOUR LIFE! There is no
greater motivation! You have been saved!
Paul is a fantastic example of this, he is constantly telling everyone and anyone who would listen what
Jesus did for him. Paul even goes as far as to call our salvation a weapon in this war we have against
our enemy!
Ephesians 6:13-18
13 Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you
can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on
your feet. 14 Truth, righteousness, 15 peace, 16 faith, 17 and salvation are more than words. Learn
how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon.
(from THE MESSAGE)
By constantly going back to the fact that God saved our lives we will stay motivated and willing to
engage God and run this race to win! KEEP YOUR SALVATION CLOSE AT ALL TIMES.
2. WE MUST TRAIN. You may be able to run a race without training but you can't run it to win. To be
the best at something will always take work. Here's another letter Paul wrote this time to a young leader
named Timothy.
1 Timothy 4:7-8
7 ....Exercise daily in God — no spiritual flabbiness, please! 8 Workouts in the gymnasium are
useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever.
(from THE MESSAGE)
What does it really mean to exercise daily in God? Now we are getting into the heart of running the
race to win. It means each and every day we spend time with God. We engage him through prayer,
through reading the Bible, and through placing Him central in all we do.
FIRST WE NEED TO SUIT UP! You wouldn't go running a race with out the proper sneakers would
you? Well in this race we need to make sure you have the proper gear.
Many people wonder what Bible should I read? What version should I buy? That is a great question. It
DOES NOT MATTER which version of the Bible you are reading. WHAT DOES MATTER is that you
choose a version of the Bible that you can understand, and that will speak to you. I preach a lot from
The Message Bible, the reason is that version has really helped bring the scriptures to life for me
personally. In my time alone with God I have found a Bible that has really helped me, it's one I would
recommend to anyone. It's called a Parallel Bible. The one I use takes two versions, the NIV and The
Message. Each page in this Bible lines the versions up side by side in two columns and for me it has
been really helpful to read a chapter in the NIV and then read the same chapter in The Message. This
has really made the Bible come alive for me. I know for my wife Mashawn, she found a few Bible
commentaries at a bookstore that really help her engage the Bible. There are many different types of
Bible software out there to help you engage the Bible as well. GLO is an amazing Bible software. For
around $60 you can have the bible on your computer along with actual maps and all kinds of interactive
software that will actually put you in the stories!
The key to your time in the Bible is that it is you and God's. It will and should look different for
everyone, but I wanted to share with you a few of the things that are really helping me. Please don't get
caught up in a version of the Bible, pick the one that makes sense to you and begin to train!
SECONDLY PICK A PLACE TO TRAIN- Pick a place and a time that works best for your time with
God. I think it is really important to pick a place and a time that you know where and when to be. For
me, it's in the mornings and some nights, when the kids and my beautiful wife are still in bed. It's quiet
and I can concentrate. My location is my dining room table. (kicked back on my recliner wont work, I
will either fall asleep or end up watching 3 hours of Sportscenter) I like to have my ipod playing
quietly through this time. It really helps me get my heart in a place of worship. Pick a time and stick to
it. Remember the way to God is vigorous and requires out total attention.
So now we are geared up with a Bible that works for us. We have a place and a time to meet with God
and engage but here's the most important thing I can tell you about your time alone with God. PRAY!
This is so important. When you sit down to read, pray first. There will be distractions, weird
thoughts...a million to do lists will come to your head right at the moment you are going to read. Stop,
quiet your heart, and pray for God to break through. Pray for your focus and Pray that the words you
are about to read will be opened up to you. Remember that prayer is not just you talking but you
listening to God as well.
3. FOCUS ON THE FINISH LINE.-So we are ready and the race of life is on, we are training daily.
It is essential that you never lose focus. You must stay focused on the finish line. What's at the finish?
It's Jesus. We must not focus on the race but the finish. We get so caught up in today, and living for the
now that we lose sight of the finish. You see the enemy is going to do his best to ensure that you lose
this race, or never finish at all. The easiest way this can happen to you, is through distractions and
discouragement. There is one central point of focus to run this race to win. That is Jesus. The enemy
is trying to get you to look away from Jesus at the finish and begin to look around at all the stuff going
on in the world today. There will be plenty of little short cuts the enemy has placed along the way, and
he will try to seduce you into taking them, but we know through the words of Jesus that there are not
short cuts. There is no back door into heaven. There is only one way to heaven.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me. NIV
Another important thing in staying focused on the finish line and training well is to AVOID
DISCOURAGEMENT. The best runners know there bodies well, they know what to put into it and
what not to...well in our race we need to know ourselves too. Learn your weaknesses. Learn your
triggers. It takes one or two little “slip ups” in our pursuit of holiness to make some major agreements
with our enemy. Next thing you know you are standing on the track, instead of running to God. Here's
what I mean. I know when the enemy has a shot to get under my skin. For me, when I am tired, and
stressed out, discouragment creeps into my life. I know this about myself and am getting to a point in
my life where I can see it coming and hear the enemy telling me lies and identify it as lies from him
and move on...well sometimes I can simply move on. Other times I may need support from my friends.
Here's another trigger of mine- I know that I should not be sitting down stairs late at night staring at
300 some odd channels on my tv. There are things on there that I just don't need to subject myself too.
You see what I mean? If you want to run this race to win you must know your self well. You must
know the things you need to stay away from and Here's the key--> then actually stay away from from
them! If you can't drink one beer without drinking 15, Flapjacks at happy hour might not be the place
for you. It's time to focus and run to win.
LASTLY-NEVER QUIT. Run hard! Run to win. Keep your eyes on Jesus at the finish line and never
ever give up. You will face trials, you will face challenges but stay focused on the finish line. The day
will come when it will all be worth it.
James 1:3,4
3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish
its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. NIV
So thats it guys, here at MRC we expect you to be growing towards holiness. We expect you to be
engaging God on your own. Hopefully today you were given some tools that will help you run your
race well. I know its not a popular notion but in the end, I believe we must listen to ALL of Jesus'
teachings not just the ones that fit us best. There are no short cuts to God. You want to find Him, you
want life and life to the full? You want to run to win. Never lost sight of Jesus' words.
“The way to life — to God! — is vigorous and requires total attention.”
Many, many people run the race, but only one wins. Lets run to win. I will see you at the finish line.