Run To Win

We’re going to talk about running. And I know some of you are already tired just hearing that word. But running is a good example of what Paul uses to describe the Christian life. We’ll learn three lessons of what it means to live a holy life. First, is the discipline of discipleship; second, is the dangers of overconfidence; and third, is the deliverance from temptation.

The discipline of discipleship begins with having the right attitude. Notice that Paul has the right attitude; he’s running to win. So in order to win, you must possess the right attitude. He uses an example of a runner, who has the right attitude. “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”

So he is saying, “Do you not realize, Christian, church, that you run in a race, but only one person wins?” He is saying that everyone knows that. He is talking about the Olympian games. Just as the runner in a race is running for a prize, so we, in our Christian life, should run to win. You should run in such a way as to obtain the prize.

Paul saw in athletes what a Christian should be like. We shouldn’t simply run to be in the race. To be in the race simply means that you are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. That’s what it means to be in the race. He is saying don’t simply be in the race. In the race you must also have a focus, a single-minded determination, a dedication like an athlete to win the prize. Paul is saying that a mere entry into the race is not enough. Like an athlete, you have to have an attitude to even deny yourself of Christian liberties, to live a Christian life of discipline, not being sluggish or slow spiritually, not out of shape spiritually, but a life that is pursuing holiness, pursuing godliness.

Do you notice the life that Paul is talking about? Not simply in the race but in the race to win. That is the attitude.

Now notice the motivation. The motivation for that life is in verse 25: “And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.” The right motivation begins with the right type of training. So Paul gives the illustration that all who compete for that prize, who are running to win, are “temperate in all things.” He is describing the lifestyle of an athlete. Their lifestyle involves in them being “temperate in all things.”

What does an athlete do when he trains? He exercises self-control. The life of a Christian must be a life of self-control. That’s what “temperate” means. Athletes are disciplined in their training. They exercise self-control in all things. Maybe you know someone who competes in sports, or you compete in sports. You know that an athlete is very careful about what he eats. He doesn’t just eat anything he wants; he demonstrates self-control. An athlete doesn’t sleep whenever he wants; he has a strict, sleeping schedule. He only allows healthy habits in his life. The way they train is so specific, because they exercise self-control. That is the word “temperate.”

This is what Paul uses to describe the type of life that we, as Christians, should live—a life of self-control.

But Paul also uses the word “agony” or “agonizes.” It is found in the word “temperate.” That tells us that no half-hearted effort is meant. The Christian life is not a life of half-hearted effort.

Every athlete undergoes strict training. They deny themselves of self-pleasure; they have a life of self-renunciation. They say “No” to those things that get in the way of their effectiveness. So you, as a Christian, are called to a life of self-control. You also have to say “No” to those things that hinder your progress and your pursuit.

And what is your pursuit? What is your priority? Holiness. You, as a Christian with the right attitude to win and the right pursuit of holiness, should run in such a way that you exercise self-control.

Remind yourself of this in the Christian race you are in: if it doesn’t help you, then it slows you down. If it doesn’t help you, it hinders you.

The Apostle in Hebrews 12:1, speaking of the Christian faith and the race, said, “Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

What slows you down in this Christian life? Weights and sins. A weight can be a good thing, but it distracts us from running the race. It can be a weight that slows you down. And sin can be something that easily ensnares you and serves as a trap. Lay those things aside, and “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” We need to focus with maximum effort.

It’s what you do behind the scenes that affects how you live your life in public. So this mindset of an athlete is required to faithfully pursue godliness and holiness. Notice here the motivation: an athlete does all of this in order “to obtain a perishable crown,” verse 25. What are they training for and running for? Why is it that they undergo a strict regimen that involves suffering and pain for a temporary crown that fades away? Their reward, their prize is something temporary. The victory crown for an Olympian athlete fades away. It gets old. It’s a temporary reward.

But notice what Christians do it for. We do it for “an imperishable crown.” We know that our life on earth is not for earthly rewards but for a heavenly reward. Paul knew that. When he was coming to the end of his life, he wrote to Timothy, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge…” God is the Judge “…will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). He was living his life for Christ here on earth for a heavenly reward.

Paul has described an attitude, a motivation, how we must train with self-control. It means that our thoughts, our tongues, our time, everything about our lives should be under the control of God the Spirit.

You know that the fruit of the Spirit is “love.” When you are under the control of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit is love. And a by-product of love is “joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). So when you are under the influence of the Holy Spirit, a by-product of love is self-control. You exercise self-control so that you can pursue a life of godliness and holiness. It’s the right attitude. It’s the right motivation. A heavenly crown.

But it’s also the right commitment. You must have the right commitment, verse 26. He has the right commitment and trains with purpose. “Therefore I run thus.” Any time you see the word “therefore” in the Bible, you know you must ask yourself, “What is it there for?” He is saying that because of the reward in mind, because he is running and living his life to please God, because he is pursuing holiness, because his priority is godliness—because of all that, He is not running “with uncertainty.”

Paul uses the word “I” here. It reminds us that no one can run the race for you. He’s running the race as God had set it before him. You can’t say, “I think I’m really running my race well, because my spouse is really right with God. So I must be winning too.” Or “My parents are serving the Lord; they’re given over to a life of godliness and purity and holiness, so because they’re resumes look good, I must also be winning.” No.

He says that he runs the race this way, and he does not run with uncertainty. He says he’s not aimless in the way he is running. He’s running with purpose in every step. Every stride matters. He’s not running not knowing where he’s going or where the race finishes. He has a clearly defined goal.

It is important to have a clearly defined goal as you are running the race in the Christian faith, because of sanctification; your life, in pursuing godliness is not a passive life. You must be running in the right direction. It’s long obedience in the same direction. It does you no good to be running in the wrong direction or running someone else’s race. Don’t compare yourself to how someone else is running. Don’t be looking behind you or alongside of you. You must be running in the right direction. Long obedience, pleasing the Lord. I run with purpose in every step. That’s what he is saying.

If we choose to please God, today we have to resolve in our life to pursue godliness and holiness, to run with purpose in every, single stride.

How does Paul say to run with purpose in every, single stride? There are several ways. Number one is running to please the Judge and not the crowd. If we are to pursue holiness, we are to live our life concerned not with the applause of the crowd but with the approbation of the Judge.

What are you running for? 2 Corinthians 5:9 says, “Therefore, we make it our aim, whether present or absent to be well pleasing to Him.” We make it our focus, our pursuit. Why is that? Verse 10 says, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” So you see how important it is for us to run pleasing the Judge and not the crowd. This is how Paul runs with purpose in every step.

Number two, he is focusing on the finish and not on the past. You can’t run looking backward; whether on successes of the past or failures. Sometimes we’re running and looking back at how life used to be or how we failed the race in the past. So don’t be stuck in past sins or in past settled accomplishments. You need to focus on the finish and not on the past.

When Paul wrote to the church in Philippi 3:12-14, he said, “Not that I have already attained…” he hasn’t arrived “…or am already perfected…” not fully mature “…but I press one, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do…” notice his focus on only one thing “…forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

How do you run with purpose in every step? Run to please the Judge and not the crowd. Run focusing on the finish and not on the past.

Number three is to run to win the lost and not to gain the world. We are to win the lost to Christ. That’s how Paul lived his life; it was a life of self-denial. He was running to win the world. He wasn’t running to gain the world. He was running to win the lost for Jesus Christ. That’s what it means to run with purpose in every step. “I’m running to please God. I’m running focused on the finish. I’m running to win the lost,” Paul is saying.

1 Corinthians 9:19 says, “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more.” He runs with purpose in every step by winning the lost to Jesus.

Number four is to glorify God and not self. You are called to run your race with purpose in every step by glorifying God and not self. In 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul says, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

This is how you run with purpose in every step: to please the Judge, to focus on the finish, to win the lost and to glorify God. This is how Paul is living his life. He’s training with purpose.

And now he changes the illustration from running to fighting, verse 26. “Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.” He wasn’t shadowboxing. This isn’t Paul against his own shadow. Rather he’s on attack, he’s on target, he’s connecting. His punches are counting. This is amazing how Paul lives his life. He’s saying that this is not a sparring session. He’s not just pretending or training, not just throwing punches in the air. His punches are connecting, having an effect. His punches are counting.

If he wanted to pay the price, he had to understand that he had to prepare himself for the ultimate call of God upon his life. He had to stay faithful to the race, to stay faithful to the fight. He’s not comfortable. He’s not settled. He’s not saying that since he’s saved, he can just sit back and relax.

That should not be the attitude of any of us. The attitude is that we’re running to win. Our motivation is the crown that is our reward. Our commitment is training with a life of self-control. It’s like a runner, who runs with purpose in every step, and like a fighter who doesn’t shadowbox but is connecting with every punch.

Paul also says that he’s training with consistency. What good is it to have purpose today and then fail tomorrow? God has called you to a life of consistency; that you would faithfully obey Him and that you would faithfully live to please Him.

That’s why he says, in verse 27, “But I discipline my body” like an athlete. An athlete would discipline his body with suffering, sacrifice, self-denial and commitment. “I discipline my body” means that he buffets his body. It means “to strike under the eye.” He’s saying he beats his body, bruises his body, because he is what is wrong with his own body.

What is wrong with your own body? You might say, “It’s the pain I feel in my knee today.” No; that’s just physical. Paul is saying what’s wrong with his body is his sinful flesh, the evil desires inside him. It’s the unholy passions that do not please God. The enemy is the flesh, so he beats his body. He knocks out the flesh.

What God is calling you to do by the power of the Holy Spirit today is to knock out the flesh. You have three enemies: the world, the devil and your flesh. Paul gives no room for the flesh to fulfill its lusts. He brings it under subjection. “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection.” He trains his body to do what it should. Just like an athlete. Paul’s body serves him; he doesn’t serve his body. He refuses to be bound by his bodily desires. He’s saying that he’s not going to be mastered by his body; he’s going to master his body. He’s going to bring his body under bondage; he’s going to make his body serve the purposes of the Gospel.

Today you should make your body serve the purposes of the Gospel; that you would have your body under control.

What do you need to do to have your body under control? Radical repentance. Repentance doesn’t mean that you’re sorry. Sometimes people say, “I really repented. I even cried.” That doesn’t mean you repented. That’s sorrow, which is good. “Godly sorrow produces repentance” (2 Corinthians 7:10). “Repentance” means a change of mind and a change of direction. In order to discipline your body this way, you have to change your mind and change your direction.

Jesus said in Matthew 5:29, “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” Radical repentance is needed. You need to make the changes necessary to discipline your body. Don’t put yourself in positions where your flesh is aroused. It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that you can bring that sledgehammer down on the flesh.

Paul told the church at Colossae the same thing. In Colossians 3:5, he said, “Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Those things should not have any place in your Christian life.

Why does Paul do this? Notice the consistency in his life, verse 27. “…lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.” “Preached” means “to herald, to proclaim.” He puts his body under strict discipline, under control, so that when he preaches to others, he won’t be disqualified, because his life wouldn’t match his message or he didn’t practice what he preached.

The disqualification Paul is talking about is not salvation. This is not a message regarding your salvation. This is not about justification, because we’re justified or made right with God by our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone.

This has everything to do with sanctification or growing in holiness. The disqualification he’s speaking about is your rewards, your influence, your spiritual power. Salvation is a gift, so it’s not a prize. He’s saying that he disciplines his body, so he doesn’t disqualify himself from the rewards of a life of faithful obedience.

It’s not easy to lead a disciplined life, because you have to make sacrifices. You have to go through suffering. You have to pay the price of discipline. What is easy is to be sloppy, to be led by your emotions, to be impulsive, to give in to the flesh and to make excuses. That’s not the life Paul’s living. He says that he’s not going to live that type of life, where he gives in to the desires of his flesh.

I like what Allen Redpath said. When speaking regarding true, saving faith in the life of holiness, he said, “If your faith in Jesus Christ doesn’t begin to move your whole body into the will of God, then there is no evidence that is saving faith at all. It is how a Christian uses his body that proclaims their eternal destiny.”

Your faith in Christ Jesus should move your entire body in the direction of the will of God. We should be concerned to sanctify ourselves through the Word of God by the Holy Spirit because of the blood of Jesus Christ. Not only in your mind. Not only in your will. Not only in what you choose to do or not to do, but also in your emotions. Your whole body—your mind, your will and your emotions—should be consecrated, separated unto God.

I want to give you three points of application. When we look at the life of Paul, be like Paul in pursuing a holy life, number one. Be consecrated, be holy, be set apart. Today pursue that. With every decision you make at home, at work, as a husband, as a wife, as a student, should be made through the lens of you ultimately pursuing a holy life; that it would be on your agenda, on your planner, stick it on your frig—pursuing to live a holy life. So that you are consecrated, set apart for a holy purpose. That is the mindset Paul had.

Remember that without a life of discipline, you’re training to lose. You must have discipline, so be consistent, number two.

And number three, don’t lose your rewards. Be committed to this type of a life of holiness. Be committed to a life of self-control. It is possible to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit as a born-again believer, who put their faith in Jesus Christ, and still be mastered by the flesh. That is why Paul wrote this.

Or are you that natural man that the Bible talks about? Who can’t see or understand or perceive the things of the Spirit? These things are unknown to the natural man. They don’t get the Bible, they don’t understand spiritual things.

Or you could be the carnal man who says, “I’m born again. I know the things of the Spirit, but I’m still living for the appetites of the flesh.”

Or you could be the spiritual person who discerns spiritual things and lives for spiritual things.

Ask yourself, “Is there any power in my life right now?” It’s not how you start the race that matters; it’s how you finish. In 2 Timothy 4:7-8, Paul wrote to Timothy saying, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Here we see the boxer and the runner again. He was committed to a life of self-control and self-discipline. He had “kept the faith” and remained obedient. He was pursuing a godly life. He was prioritizing holiness in his life. “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness…” the reward we spoke about before “…which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

We are living today for that Day. We are living with obedience, for holiness and for the glory of God until He comes or calls us home. And we believe He is coming soon. What are the odds that we are taking about His coming, and then He just snatches us up right now during the service?

Are you ready to go with Christ right now? Is anyone excited to go with Jesus now?

This is so important. He is referring to the life of self-control here. And notice that he gives examples of the Israelites, who did not live a life of self-control. They lived a life after the flesh, after their sinful passions and after the desires of their flesh. This is the danger of overconfidence.

Notice the dangers of overconfidence, in verses 1 Corinthians 10:1-2. They had been given many spiritual privileges, yet they chose to neglect those blessings and benefits and lived a life after self. This is a life without spiritual discipline. “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud all passed through the sea.” When they passed through the Red Sea, they experienced the power of God. “All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.” They were led by Moses, who was their leader who spoke with God face to face. Verses 3-4, “All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”

So their fathers experienced the power of God through the Red Sea, they experienced the provision of God in the wilderness and they also experienced the protection of God.

When you put your trust in Jesus Christ, you experienced the power of God when He delivered you from sin. But you’ve also experienced God’s provision. He meets every single one of your needs; He’s been faithful. And He’s also protected you. He’s been faithful in every season of your life.

Paul says these people experienced God’s power, God’s provision and God’s protection. Yet verse 5 says, “But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” Why is that? Because they exercised Christian liberties without self-control. They all died except two, Joshua and Caleb, because they faithfully and whole-heartedly followed the Lord. All the rest, having experienced the blessings and benefits of God, neglected those spiritual privileges and still lived after the flesh. So they were scattered in the wilderness due to their disobedience.

Verse 6, “Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.” They are examples to you and me, so that we don’t live a life of self-indulgence, so that we don’t live a life after the flesh.

There are five spiritual pitfalls that Paul mentions. Number one is lust. It is pursuing or chasing after the desires of the flesh. How did they lust in the wilderness? They were thinking about what they used to have in Egypt. They were looking back. “In the world it used to taste good. In the world, the food was better. Are you serious? Manna again?! I remember when we ate fish and meat.”

God said, “Okay; you want meat? I’ll give you meat until it comes out of your nostrils.” They were desiring something after the flesh. They were giving themselves over to the craving of the flesh. That’s lust.

Number two is idolatry. Verse 7, “And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.’” They played around the golden calf. They rose up to play instead of rising up to pray.

Idolatry is the worship of anything other than the true God in the true way. You can be worshipping your car, your bank account, success, position and status.

What else happened to them? Number three is sexual sin, verse 8. “Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell.”

These are the dangers of overconfidence. You’re saying, “I’m a blessed person. I know God’s truth. I am God’s chosen vessel,” but you neglect everything God has given you, and you begin to live a life without self-discipline. They lived after lust, after idolatry, after sexual sin, so in one day, 23,000 fell. Why? Because they sinned a sexual sin in which God said not to intermingle with the women of Moab.

There are many people here in the church struggling with lust, with idolatry and maybe even sexual sin.

Then number four, the pitfall is tempting Christ, verse 9. “Nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents.” Why? Because they tested Christ. How did they test Christ? By living at the edge of sin and compromise. By doubting the good plan of God for their lives. By having a hard heart. By living in unbelief. They were testing Christ.

Number five, the pitfall is complaining, verse 10. “Nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.” No one here has a problem with complaining; right?

These are five spiritual pitfalls, five sins that are warnings: lust, idolatry, sexual sin, testing Christ and complaining. These are all warnings of the dangers of overconfidence. Verses 11-12 say, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition…” or “training” “…upon whom the ends of the ages have come” or who will be here when Christ comes for His church. “Therefore let him who thinks…” not knows but thinks “…he stands take heed lest he fall.”

You may be saying, “I heard those five spiritual pitfalls, and this is a really good message for my neighbor.”

I had someone in our church come up to me and say, “Pastor, that was a really good message. That was a really good message for my son. I’m going to tell him to listen to that message.” He came up to me the next week and said, “That was a really good message too. That was for my wife.”

I said, “Brother, when is it ever going to be for you?”

Don’t think today that you can stand. Don’t think today that you’re fine, because you’re not. Don’t think that you’re good. There is nothing good in and of ourselves. We need the Holy Spirit’s help against temptation. So many of us fall, because we’re presumptuous, because we’re proud. So we fall.

Do you see the dangers of being proud and presumptuous? “I’m good. I can flirt with sin. I can flirt at the edge of sin. I can entertain sin. I’ll be fine. I can play with fire and not get burned.” No, you can’t. “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” Be careful.

But notice that God has provided deliverance from the dangers of temptation. The encouragement is in verse 13, which says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man….” It’s happened to everyone before you. When you surrender to temptation, don’t say, “Well, my temptation was a very unique one.” No; there is nothing special about how you are being tempted right now.

Joseph was tempted. What he did was run. The Bible has not called you to fight temptation; it has called you to flee temptation. The Bible says, “Flee also youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22). Run away from it.

Continuing with verse 13, “…but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able…” or beyond your personal ability or capacity “…but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

When you are being tempted, what should you do? He’ll give you warning signs and show you the exit signs. “Exit right now. That’s the place,” He says. When the flesh, the world and the devil comes knocking at the door or your heart, have Jesus answer the door. And the Bible says, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

This is the warning: the danger of being overconfident and presumptuous. But there is also the deliverance from yielding to the temptation. God is faithful. Cry out to God.

In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to His disciples, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). So you will either enter into temptation or enter into prayer. The next time you are being tempted, start praying that the Lord will give you strength to bear that temptation. It’s not a sin to be tempted. But it is a sin to entertain temptation, to surrender to temptation.

And James said, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (James 1:13). God does not put you in that temptation. It comes from your sinful nature.

The progression of temptation is first desire. You look at something and it looks good. Then it is deception; you are lied to. And you lie to yourself that no one is going to find out that “This is okay, this is good for me, this is innocent.” Then it is decision; I made a decision to do that. Decision leads to disobedience, and disobedience leads to death. It is desire, deception, decision, disobedience, death.

God is so faithful. He’ll give you the strength to bear temptation. But if you succumb to temptation, the Bible says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” You may be struggling with these five sins right now, but I want you to know that God is faithful to forgive you your sins and to cleanse you of all unrighteousness.

But there is a problem. Some people want to cover their sin. The Bible doesn’t say to cover your sin. That’s Old Testament. The New Testament says that He cleanses your sin. Aren’t you grateful for that? So don’t try to cover your sin; ask Him to clean you of your sin. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”