Run the Race
Scripture References
Isaiah 40:21-31
The Greatness of God
21 Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; 23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. 25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing. 27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”? 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
1 Corinthians 9:16-27
Paul Surrenders His Rights
16 For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 17 For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. 18 What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. 19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings. 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Mark 1:29-39
Jesus Heals Many
29 And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening at sundown they brought to him all who were sick or oppressed by demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 And he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
Jesus Preaches in Galilee
35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Sermon Script
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in your sight, oh Lord, my strength and redeemer. Amen.
Run the Race
On your mark, get set….! The starting gun fires and all the runners begin the race set before them. Long distance runners will start out nice and steady. If it’s a 100-yard dash, the runners will take off like a rocket. I was never good at either one, which was reflected by the lack of hardware on my letterman jacket back in the day.
The goal I’m told, is to win the race and get the first-place prize. However, if it is like the world-renowned Boston Marathon, winning is not the goal for a vast majority of participants. Qualifying is. Just getting the opportunity to participate in this race takes a lot of grueling hours of discipline and miles of training. Then if you are one of the elite 22,000 or so accepted, finishing in the allotted time will get you a medal of completion, a t-shirt, and the honor of just being in this race.
Isthmian Games
The Apostle Paul uses self-discipline and race analogy in the Epistle lesson today in 1 Corinthians 9.
When I studied this text, I found out that 1st Century Corinthians competed every other year in what was called Isthmian games. Athletes and spectators from all walks of life would come to the Corinth area and stay in tents to watch or take part in racing, wrestling, jumping, boxing, hurling the javelin, and throwing the discus. This gives Paul an opportunity to preach the Gospel to many people from a large geographical area and from all walks of life.
He also knew how to approach them…his evangelism plan must have worked well, as we heard a few minutes ago in verses 19-22. He became a Jew to win Jews, become one under the law to win those under the law, he become weak to win the weak.
You might ask… why did he do this? Because he cared for their eternal destiny. He says in verse 23, “I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” He is a wonderful example of a true disciple who wants to help others run the race of Christianity by telling them the good news of the gospel that awaits them at the finish line.
I know it’s not easy to approach people about their faith and it would have been quite educational watching Paul in action. Back then, as a believer, Paul was not bound by the food laws in the Hebrew scriptures, but he was willing to abstain from eating meat if it caused others to stumble. To those not bound by the Hebrew law like the Gentiles, he became one of them as well. He was willing to work with his hands, building tents, to become “weak to win the weak.”
Whoever Paul approached, he become one of them so to speak, because he knew that was the best way to get them to listen. He is and was a great example of how to be a friend, make a friend, and then share Christ with that friend through the life-saving gift of the gospel.
Run the Christian Race
If you think about it, he had a pretty good teacher as he modeled his actions of love to be like Jesus. The Chosen one that God sent to this earth to win the weak, the lost, Jews as well as Gentiles. The man Jesus who healed the sick and cast out demons… The Son of Man who so willingly give His life for you and me on the cross so we could have the promise of eternal life as proclaimed in the Gospel. This is the message that Paul was preaching… This is the race Paul wants everyone as followers of Jesus to run.
Are you ready for the discipline it will take to run this race? Whether you like to run or not, as Christians, we are already in this race. And Paul is calling for us to either pursue this life of discipline or be disqualified. Encouraging us to take our faith to the next level… Not just going through the motions of being a Christian but running in such a way that our faith is strengthened. Then doing something with that strength. Paul doesn’t want us to run aimlessly as he says in verse 26 but wants us to run with purpose… To be a friend, and then share Christ with that friend.
This life of Christian discipline Paul suggests, is a life willing to shape one’s freedoms or rights for the purpose of love and witness… a life of being willing to live for something bigger than oneself.
This is what Jesus was telling His disciples in Mark 16:15-16, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”
But like an athlete in training, you will go through hills and valley’s in preparing for a race. It takes discipline. The same is true to get ready for the race Jesus asks us to run. It is not easy to train for this challenge. It takes discipline to fight sin and worldly weight the Hebrew writer talks about in chapter 12, verse 1, “Let us set aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Training to stay in the Word… working out to enjoy the fruits of Christian community… then cooling down by seeking the Lord in prayer. This kind of training goes against what the world wants us to do. Yet, Paul would say to you, “who you truly are and what is truly joyful is found through grace founded discipline.”
It’s Not about Winning
Last September there was a 5K cross country race here in McCook at Heritage Hills Golf Course. You will probably recall the incident. A McCook senior, Grant Cappel, was on pace to place with the top ten finishers. When he was on the home stretch, he come across a competitor named Elijah that fell victim to exhaustion. Grant didn’t hesitate to stop and help Elijah up, unmoved by other competitors that run past them. By now arm in arm, together they completed the remaining meters and crossed the finish line. Not only that, but Grant let Elijah cross the finish line first.
There have been other inspirational stories like this one. However, the point being…this is a wonderful example of what running the Christian race is all about. Running the Christian race is not about getting across the finish line first. It is about doing everything in your power to help as many people as you can cross that line with you.
Looking for that opportunity to live for something bigger than yourself, especially when the prize for finishing the Christian race is… eternal life. This is what Paul is trying to get across. Having the satisfaction of participating in the race and knowing that eternal prize is for all who believe.
Jesus’ Race
This is a great Segway into the Gospel lesson today in Mark 1. We read about how Jesus healed all who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons. But what I want to direct your attention to… is how Jesus ran this race. Even though He worked tirelessly the day before, He got up early the next morning, went to a solitary place, and prayed. When the disciples found Him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you”… Jesus replied in verse 38, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.”
Jesus was not content to just run the race. He stopped and picked up one leper after another, those sick and oppressed by demons. Then off to the next place. When He did these things, many people saw and believed… helping them get up so to speak for the prize awaiting at the finish line.
Like I said, Jesus then went to the next town to do it all over again. He shows us that there is much to do in the mission field… The race of Christian life… Jesus wants us to stop and pick up that competitor, neighbor, friend, or anyone who is in need. Even though others might be running by, He is calling for you and I to stop, be that friend, and introduce that friend to the one who gives us that promise of salvation when our race is finished, Jesus Christ.
Not a Spectator Sport
Let me remind you again… as Christians we are all in this race. In fact, the starting gun sounded off at our Baptism. Off and running… through our faith… God has been picking us up and forgiving us one lap after another… and He will keep picking us up over and over again, assuring we will never be left behind. No matter how steep the hill, Jesus will be right there by our side running with us.
There will be those days however, I might think it is easier to just sit on the sidelines… Not wanting to run anymore or help anyone up. It seems like when I did try, it appeared to be like some meaningless exercise drill that my football coach used to make me do… But you know what, it was that silly drill that was part of the whole coaching scheme. God can and will work through us, little by little, to get us back in the race with a purpose and goal in mind.
Isaiah was trying to give the exiles this pep talk in the Old Testament lesson today in chapter 40. These people who have been repeatedly rampaged by the Assyrians and Babylonians were collapsing near the finish line. Like we often do, they were getting tired. However, the Lord does not grow weary. He is there when we can’t seem to run any longer.
Isaiah says in verses 30-31, “Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
I admit I get tired quickly in a race. Sometimes shortly after the starting gun goes off… But in all seriousness, I grow weary very fast when I try to run that race without God. It is during these times so many questions arise…
How do I witness…? How do I enhance my service to Christ…? How do I maintain the energy of which Isaiah wrote? How can I sound a little more like Paul? How do I follow Jesus willingly over that next hill to the village filled with cripples, lepers, sinful tax collectors and prostitutes? How do I get some enthusiasm, energy, and joy, to serve in the mission field or for that matter, right here in the church?
Run Together
The answer to these questions might be easier than you think… Run together…we are all in this race together anyway4, right? By running together, we can help each other get back on our feet when we grow tired… Now there are many things we do well together here and praise God for that… but the one I will mention is how the Nativity come about here at Peace Lutheran. Sure, it started slow and small. But with God’s help and the commitment of all of you who made it possible… together we brought the Gospel message to hundreds of people, some who might not know what is even waiting for them at the finish line. God at work more ways than we know from the result of running this race together.
This is what Paul encourages, Jesus commands and why Isaiah is cheering us on… I truly believe, together there are more races of opportunity that lie ahead. We just need to recognize them.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, the Holy Spirit is working within you and me… through all our opportunities… through the community of believers, the people of the church, and through our thoughts, words, and deeds. This assurance allows us to renew our strength to always act and love like Jesus. How blessed are we that we have a God who is with us through this entire “race” of life!
And by running with perseverance by faith, we can become a friend who tells our new friends about a new life with Christ… In a world of darkness, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can be the light that illumines the most spectacular, joyful, perfect finish line imaginable. An eternity spent praising Jesus with an unending amount of joy and celebration… With the one who defeated sin, our struggles, and our pain so that we can soar on wings like eagles…
On your mark, get set…and what a wonderful mark to get set on…This makes all the training and discipline worthwhile when you know you are a winner with Christ… now go… hand the baton of persevering faith to the next generation. Cheering them on as they also head for the finish line to a victory won with Christ… eternal glory.
And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen