24 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.  25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  26 Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  27 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.  - 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.

Dear Friends in Christ,

It would be an understatement to say that sports and fitness and exercise is big business in our country.  I didn’t take the time to research the numbers, but I’m sure it’s safe to say that the amount of money generated through professional and amateur sports, fitness centers, exercise equipment and whatever other industries tap into our health conscious society is simply staggering.  As a result, regardless of whether we are personally interested or plugged into any of these things, the average American is to some degree exposed to the world of sports and fitness.

We mention this because in our text for this morning the Apostle Paul uses some strikingly contemporary illustrations.  He talks about sports and fitness.  He speaks about the importance of training and exercise and effort.  But the training he speaks about is far more important than sustaining and improving our physiques.  What the Apostle wants to impress upon us is the pressing need for

KEEPING OUR FAITH IN SHAPE

As he addresses us on

From the very outset we should note that when Paul talks about racing to win a prize and calls to mind all the corresponding illustrations of athletics and competition, he is not preaching work righteousness.  Nor is he implying that our own strenuous efforts have something to do with our salvation.  Salvation, as Paul and we well know, is not dependent upon what we do for God; rather it is completely dependent upon what God has done for us in the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

What Paul speaks of in our text deals with the subject of Christian sanctification – that is, the life we willingly and gratefully lead to the glory of God because of the fact we are redeemed.  This text, then, is properly viewed as Paul’s personal encouragement to each of us to toward committed, sanctified living.

With that being said, Paul begins by drawing comparisons between the athlete and the Christian.  This type of illustration plays well for us today, but it would also resonate with the Christians in Corinth to whom these words were originally addressed.  Corinth, you see, was the home of an athletic event known as the Isthmian Games.  Held every 2 years in the ancient world, they were second in popularity and prestige only to the Olympic Games still held today.  The average Corinthian, even if he or she was not personally interested in sports, couldn’t help but be exposed to the world of athletic competition.

Against that backdrop, Paul says:  "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."  The similarity between the runner and the Christian is that both must expend effort to accomplish their goals.  In a race, the one who runs the hardest and fastest wins.  The point of comparison Paul makes is that the Christian, running in this race called "life," should also run "in such a way."  That is, devoting spiritually the same kind of effort and concentration that is seen physically in a prize athlete.

To live such a life of devotion calls for single-mindedness on the part of both the runner and the Christian.  This is the second similarity Paul speaks of:  "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training."  The Greek athlete would start training for his event at least 10 months before the actual competition.  And, as Paul indicates, the training was strict.  The original Greek word used here clues us in to this because from the word translated "competes" we get the root of our English word "agony."  So there were no half-hearted measures taken by these athletes.  And essential to the training was both exercise and discipline…

In just a minute we’ll talk about the obvious connection that Paul is making between physical and spiritual training here, but as our text continues he now makes a sharp distinction:  "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it for a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."  In the Isthmian games the prize received by a victorious athlete was a laurel wreath that was worn like a crown.  In reality, what they strove for was something that lasted only a short time.  It didn’t take long for both the wreath and the recognition behind it to fade away and die.

In contrast, Paul says we look forward to "the crown that will last forever."  He’s speaking of heaven here, which, in the words of Peter, is "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade."  And it is ours through faith in Jesus Christ.  The argument Paul makes is simply this:  If the Greek athlete of the Isthmian games practiced such self-control to obtain a fading, earthly crown, shall we as Christians do less, knowing that awaiting us in heaven is an eternal crown of life?  Once again, Paul calls us to the committed life of Christian sanctification.

And he wants us to know that this isn’t one of those "do as I say, not as I do" kind of propositions.  Paul goes on to speak of his own personal determination to keep his faith in shape with some more athletic illustrations:  "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…"  Interesting word pictures used here.  Let’s take a closer look…

"I do not run like a man running aimlessly."  Aimlessly means without purpose or direction.  That’s not the way a motivated athlete would run a race, and, by implication, that’s not the way Paul – or any Christian – is to run the race of life.  The Christian life has meaning and purpose.  We are here to live our lives to the glory of God and bring honor to the name of the One who died that we might live.  We are here to live, preach and proclaim the good news of Christ through word and deed.  The Christian life, consequently, is a life marked by purpose and direction as opposed to aimlessness.

Paul’s second expression takes us from the racetrack to the boxing ring, but makes the same point.  "I do not fight like a man beating the air" – meaning, I don’t flail wildly with my punches – "No, I beat my body (literally, I give it a "black eye," i.e., a strategic blow) and make it my slave…"  At the receiving end of Paul’s well placed punches is his own body.  This is figurative language, of course.  Paul was not a masochist.  The point he is making is that his own body – meaning his own sinful desires and tendencies to act contrary to the will of God – militates against his (and our) high calling as Christians.  Of his sleepy disciples who let Him down in the Garden of Gethsemane when He needed them the most, Jesus once said "the spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak."  Paul knew that, therefore he says he has to take precautions to keep his sinful tendencies under check and make them his slave, rather than his master.

In the final words of our text, Paul tells us why he puts so much emphasis on spiritual training.  He does these things "so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."  What Paul is saying here is that even for such a man as himself – great preacher, teacher, missionary and overall man of God that he was – effort and exercise was still needed to keep his faith in shape.  Paul knew himself well (and by sharing this he wants us all to also know ourselves this well), and he was not content to rest on his laurels or his reputation or his "job" as a preacher.  He is not despairing of his salvation, nor is he suggesting that God won’t love him if he doesn’t work hard enough.  What he is simply admitting is that if, spiritually speaking, he let’s himself go too long without regular spiritual exercise and discipline, he could damage, weaken – or even lose – his own faith.  And that is something that he didn’t want to happen…

As we look over this text, I believe there are three great truths about our lives as Christians that God through Paul would have us know.  We’ve touched upon all of them, but let’s finish up this morning by applying them a bit more pointedly to our own lives…

The first great truth has to do with the need for spiritual exercise in order to keep our faith in shape.  What do we mean by spiritual exercises, and how do we go about this?  In his letter to the Romans Paul gives us the answer.  There in chapter 10 he writes:  "Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ."  In other words, our faith grows and becomes stronger as we keep in contact with the Word.

And isn’t that true from your own experience?  When is your faith the strongest?  When do you feel the closest to your Lord?  Isn’t it after we’ve been in contact with the Word either in church or in a Bible Class or in our personal devotions?  In our 7-8^th grade catechism class at St. John’s school we have been talking about the work of the Holy Spirit, and how he works through the means of grace (the gospel in Word and Sacrament) to create and strengthen faith…

So we might say that the Bible and the Altar (where we receive the Lord’s Supper) is our spiritual fitness center, and the Holy Spirit working through them is our personal trainer.  Everything’s in place for spiritual exercise to take place and for spiritual growth to happen. But, we have to show up.  And that’s the next great truth we draw from our text.

Paul talks about the importance of spiritual discipline.  Again, we can’t get physically fit if we don’t show up at the gym.  And we can’t get stronger or healthier by simply wanting it to be so.  We have to apply ourselves.  Most of us have heard the phrase, "no pain, no gain."  That philosophy doesn’t come naturally.  By nature most of operate under the idea of "no pain, hey, no pain."  In other words, if too much work is involved we’ll take a pass and just learn to be content with who and what we are...

Paul knew, spiritually speaking, he had that tendency.  Paul knew – and we can check it out in Romans 7 – of the daily struggle between his old sinful nature and the new creature he was in Christ.  And so, with God’s help, he had to practice discipline when it came to his spiritual life.  And so do we.  Paul’s encouragement to us is to discipline ourselves and consistently use the opportunities we have for spiritual growth – such as worship services, communion, Bible Classes, daily devotions – with the understanding that when we do, our faith becomes stronger, our love for God grows, our desire to live for Him increases and, generally speaking, life becomes better.  All because we are spiritually fit.

But if we let ourselves go and do nothing, the spiritual results can be tragic.  And that’s the third truth drawn from our text.  What happens when we don’t exercise, eat right, burn the candle from both ends and fail to take care of ourselves?  We get run down, tired and, most importantly, if we find ourselves in a crisis situation or have to suddenly exert a lot of energy, we can’t do it.

Recently I came across a quote that’s worth passing along.  It’s a piece of Christian guidance that comes from a believer who had suffered hardships of almost Job-like proportions.  When asked what to say to others going through hard times, he said, "Remember in the darkness what you learned in the light."  In other words, during this period of personal darkness draw on what you know and learned about God and His Word and His promises and His character.  Remember his promises that He will never leave you or forsake you.  Remember the love that radiates from the cross of Christ and the knowledge of sins forgiven, and comfort yourself with that.  But we can’t remember what we haven’t learned.  And we can’t learn unless we discipline ourselves to do it.  And if we aren’t spiritually building ourselves up before the darkness hits, we’ll have nothing to remember.  And that would be tragic.

Paul says, don’t let it happen.  So he speaks to us of the need for spiritual exercise.  He encourages us about the importance of discipline.  And he warns us of the tragic results of letting ourselves go.

Not too long ago I ran into someone I hadn’t seen for years.  He looked better than I had remembered him, and I told him so.  He spoke of how he had lost weight, exercised regularly and was eating right.  He said he felt great, and that he never wanted to go back to what he was.

That little encounter pretty well summarizes the message of our text.  Spiritually speaking, that is what Paul wanted for himself and us.  Keep going forward.  Keep getting stronger.  Keep getting healthier…  May God grant us the will and the ability to always keep our faith in shape as each of us continue in our life of Christian sanctification.  Amen.