The Reward of the Games

The Reward of the Games - 1 Corinthians chapter 9.24-27    

Preached @ Gateway Church 19/08/12

Think of what’s involved to win the prize e.g. in the Olympic 5000 metres final!  To ‘run in such a way as to get the prize’ (verse 24) speaks of commitment and sacrifice.  I recall hearing one of the team GB guys who didn’t even win a medal talking about how he spent 5 weeks in an altitude tent away from his family in order to prepare to win.  Only an Olympian champion standing on the podium truly knows the absolute cost of being there – no wonder they are in tears.

There is something here in this Bible passage, written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth, about personal discipline.  The Olympian athletes get up early whilst the rest of us are still in bed, to pound the streets running or cycling.  There’s a challenge here for our discipleship.  Are we prepared to get up 20 minutes earlier in order to pray and read the Word, or do we just turn over and go back to sleep?

Here’s the thing, not only is there the strict training involved, e.g. diet and fitness programmes, but there’s something here about motivation (verse 25).  Those athletes, whatever their specialism, were not at London 2012 by accident.  They were motivated, there was something driving them on.  What was it?  It was the crown – the reward of the games.

In the 1^st century, the Isthmian Games in Corinth – second biggest after Olympia – the prize was a wreath of green leaves.  Today, it’s the gold medal.  So all this tremendous effort, and ‘they do it to get a crown that will not last’ (verse 25).  To draw on this athletic metaphor that the Apostle Paul is using, thinking of our Christian discipleship, ‘we do it to get a crown that will last forever’.  How much more should we have passion, dedication and enthusiasm!  Life is like a race, a race to Jesus.  There’s a start and a finish, and what is really important is what happens in between.

Let’s think about this, ‘a crown that will last forever’, which should always motivate us in the race, in the ‘game of life’.

What is this crown? There are clues elsewhere in the New Testament:

          Crown of righteousness (1 Timothy chapter 4.7-8) – a realm where there is no more evil.

          Crown of life (James chapter 1.12) – a realm where there is no more death.
          Crown of glory (1 Peter chapter 5.4) – a realm where there is beauty and magnificence forever.

These phrases are like signposts pointing us to heaven and eternal life.  A crown implies some kind of life-change.  Think of the Olympian equivalent today – when that gold medal is awarded and is hanging around your neck – your life is changed.  You become famous and rich.  Yet it’s not the ultimate answer.  You are still stuck in this sinful world – and eventually your good health will fade away, and not even your gold medal can do anything about it.  It’s a crown that will not last.  One of the deep sighs of life is exactly that – nothing lasts!  Everything is subject to decay causing great frustration.  Most Olympic champions at London 2012 will struggle to exceed their recent feats in 4 years time in Rio – it’s downhill from here.

The crazy thing is that people invest in the physical body as if it were the ultimate answer. 

In the Greek games winners were immortalized.  Physical prowess was so important, because Greek culture exalted and extolled the physical. 

Today people worship at the gym...it is their temple where they worship their bodies.

The highest paid people today are not politicians, surgeons or even bankers, but sportsmen and women.

The investment in the NHS, which is such a huge percentage of the UK budget, illustrates how society considers the priority of the body and its well-being.

Think of the time you spend on your body e.g. hair, make-up, and tan?  To some it becomes an idol. 

Just as an aside, idols can become so subtle.  Even the ‘legacy’ of London 2012 can become an idol, if you think the legacy is the answer to the problems of the next generation.  Sport at grass-root level may help our youngster in lots of ways, but it will not solve the heart of the human problem – the problem of the human heart – sin.  Only Jesus Christ can.

Yes, we are made in God’s image, so to an extent the physical is important.  We are to honour God with our bodies and to avoid drug abuse or sexual immorality.  But the reality is that crown of superior physique will not last, even when pushed to limits and gaining gold.  Just look at Muhammad Ali at the London 2012 opening ceremony.  In the end you will just be a memory like John Lennon and Freddie Mercury, like at the closing Olympic ceremony.  As the Bible says, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stand for ever” (1 Peter 1.24-25).

Here’s the point, there is a greater finish in a far greater race called life.  There is a greater focus, there is a greater goal, there is a greater reward, there is a greater crown that will last forever in a realm where there is no more evil or death.  When you receive this crown, yes, your life is changed, transformed forever.  It’s called resurrection life rooted in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Whilst it’s important to look after the body, you also need to prepare for eternity.  That requires discipline.  What you believe today and how you live out those beliefs count for eternity.  I can’t compete well, unless I train well.  I can’t stay focused on Jesus and His Way, unless I put in the prayer, the study of his Word, meeting with other Christians for mutual encouragement.  A Greek athlete would prepare 10 months in order to win a wreath of green leaves, surely the Christian prize is far more worthwhile.  Whilst we need to keep an eye on physical flabbiness, let’s avoid spiritual flabbiness at all costs.

With the Christian prize in view, Paul draws again on sporting images (verses 26-27), declaring there is a purpose in all of this.  You are to have self-control, not running aimlessly.  Many people are running blind, in that they do not know where they are going in life, and they are confused.  They don’t know where to put their focus, where to channel their energy.  It’s as if they are just beating the air.  Christian – Jesus Christ has accomplished the prize for you – he did it at the cross.  If you are not yet a Christian, you need to accept what Jesus has achieved – and therefore live your life for Jesus.  He has redeemed you at great cost, more costly than gold.  In response to his free gift of eternal life, you should freely wish to run the race to Jesus, for he stands at the end waiting to stay, “Well done good and faithful servant, you have run well”.  So there must be serious discipline on your part, in order to stay focused on Jesus, in view of what he has done for you – securing your eternal salvation.  

What’s the point of getting out of bed in the morning - even 20 minutes earlier?  Now you know the answer from this passage.  Run in such a way as to get the crown that will last forever.

What’s the point of Gateway meeting each Sunday afternoon?  We are on a mission – and the church is purpose driven, because it’s biblically driven - challenging us to be motivated by the prize.  I believe Gateway church is on the verge of moving up another level.  Let’s harness our spiritual muscles by God’s grace, to reach everyperson in Barnsley with the good news of Jesus in partnership with other localchurches. 

"I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3.14).