The Imperishable Crown
Notes
Transcript
Intro; In January of 1997, a former SBC Pastor did a men’s retreat in Alachua, Florida. The theme of his message was “Finishing Faithful”. He challenged men to finish well in the race of life as a Christian. He reminded us that we all start the same [salvation by faith], but very few actually finish well. We often get tired, lose interest and our focus in the Christian life, and many never finish they simply quit the race.
Paul was concerned with the same thing as many of the Corinthian believers wanted to take the easy road of Christianity [saved, safe, secure]. Paul had just reminded them “he had become all things to all people that he might win the more.”
So Paul uses the analogy of an athlete preparing for the Isthmian Games that were held in Corinth, to prepare them for the Olympics so that they would understand how the Christian is to train himself to finish faithful the spiritual race they run.
Tonight we will look at “The Imperishable Crown”, the second reward available to believers in our the Christian Life Study by Porter Barrington.
Text; 1 Cor. 9:24-27
24 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.
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.
26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
1. Train to Win; 24-25
1. Train to Win; 24-25
No young man could compete in the games unless he was a Greek citizen, born of Greek parents. Neither can a lost person participate in the services of the Lord for Rewards! Only those who have been born again in Christ are eligible to enter the race. Once a person has been saved, then the training begins.
I have never known or heard of an athlete training to run for second or third place. They train to win the race. They give it all they have.
[25] Temperate- self-control, self-mastery, disciplined in training
If an athlete expects to excel, he voluntarily restricts certain liberties. His sleep, his diet, and his exercise, are not determined by his rights or by his feelings but by the requirements of his training.
Most people, including Christians are slaves to our bodies. Our bodies tell our minds what we want. Our bodies decide when to eat, what to eat, how much to eat, when to sleep and get up, and so on. An athlete cannot allow that. He follows the training rules, not his body. He runs when he would rather be resting, he eats a balanced meal when he would rather have a chocolate sundae, he goes to bed when he would rather stay up, and he gets up early to train when he would rather stay in bed. An athlete leads his body; he does not follow it. It is his slave, not the other way around.
Read God’s Diet and Exercise Plan by Pastor Kelly Benton
Illustration: GOD’s DIET PLAN:
• And God populated the earth with broccoli and cauliflower and spinach and green and yellow vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.
• And Satan created hamburger restaurants. And hamburger restaurants brought forth the 99-cent double-cheeseburger. And Satan said to Man, "You want fries with that?"
• And Man said, "Super-size them." And Man gained pounds.
• And God created the healthful yogurt, that woman might keep her figure that man found so fair.
• And Satan froze the yogurt, and he brought forth chocolate, nuts and brightly colored sprinkle candy to put on the yogurt. And woman gained pounds.
• And God said, "Try my crispy fresh salad."
• And Satan brought forth creamy dressings, bacon bits, and shredded cheese.
• And there was ice cream for dessert. And woman gained pounds.
• And God said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil with which to cook them."
• And Satan brought forth chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter, and Man gained pounds, and his bad cholesterol went through the roof.
And Satan brought forth cable TV with remote control so Man would not have to toil to change channels between ESPN and ESPN2. And Man gained pounds.
• And God said, "You’re running up the score, Devil." And God brought forth the potato, a vegetable naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition.
• And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fat fried them. And he created sour cream dip also. And Man clutched his remote control and ate the potato chips swaddled in cholesterol.
• And Satan saw and said, "It is good!" And Man went into cardiac arrest.
• And God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. And Satan created HMOs....
Now we laugh at that story, but that is only because it is so true and we are embarrassed. Did you know that more than 60% of the American population is overweight? And our problem is getting worse every year. 30% of adults aged 20 and older are considered obese. The percentage of obese children ages 6-19 is more than 16% or 9 million kids fit into that category.
We need to stay physically fit but the situation is critical not only with our physical bodies but with our spiritual bodies more so. Christians do very little to train/prepare themselves for evangelism/ministry service and that’s why we seldom do it! [168 hrs. a week if we just gave 10% it would be an improvement in our spiritual service]
8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
2. Keep your Focus; 26-27
2. Keep your Focus; 26-27
Run with certainty- Paul was not without aim. His goal, which he states four times in [vs. 19-22] was to win as many people to Jesus Christ as possible by as many means as possible.
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Fight with focus- Paul got up every day and got into the ring of evangelism for lost souls and used spiritual jabs, upper-cuts and body blows till his opponent [spiritual powers of darkness] was beaten and men were saved. He beat his opponent by knowing him and studying him.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Discipline our body- walk in the Spirit and do not give way to the flesh. Practice what you preach!
1 Therefore we also, 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,
11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.
13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
We are to live separate from the world and live a life that is pleasing to God. We have to draw the line somewhere. If we don’t who are we living for? Self or God?
3. Finish Faithful; 27b
3. Finish Faithful; 27b
To win the “Imperishable Crown” not only means we have to have a good start to the race, run hard, but we have finish the race of faith well!
Paul did not want to disqualify himself from the Christian race by not following the rules of the race. This is not about losing salvation, but about obtaining the “Imperishable Crown”
To finish a race you have to stay the course
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
To run a marathon you must find your strength
32 It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect.
4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
To win the race requires sacrifice
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
1 Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,
5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
Close;
I really feel like the “Imperishable Crown” is a culmination of all the rewards wrapped up in one. You cannot be a spiritual spectator in hopes of receiving rewards from the Lord. Get into the spiritual race, train hard, run well, but make sure you finish faithful!