"Ready For The Race By God's Grace!" 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5

Septuagesima                                                             28-January-2024

Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5

Sermon Theme: “Readied For The Race By God’s Grace!” I. Fix Your Eyes On The Crown! (Vs.24-25); II. Fight Against The One Who Seeks To Trip You!(vs.26-27); III. Let The Lord Sustain You With His Grace!(10:1-5). by Rev. Nathan J. Rusert

I.N.R.I. $220 billion dollars - the amount Americans have spent betting on sports since it was legalized five years ago, at least as reported last May. Sports drives much of our culture. Gambling on sports with its promise of something for almost nothing plays on our greed. We’d love to be the workers in Jesus’ parable hired about the 11th hour receiving a full days wages for a hour sweat equity.

    Sports drove Greek and Roman culture. Massive stadiums were built for the games. I toured the ruins of one near where the city of ancient Corinth stood. St. Paul uses many pictures from athletic events in his writing. He was well versed with the games, the training of athletes, and the rules of the competitions. 1Ti 4:8-9 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. (9) This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.” Paul writes young pastor Timothy encouraging him to keep physically fit, but above all to remain spiritually fit. Preaching the truth takes men steeled to suffer, to follow Jesus, bearing the cross, reproach, the disdain of our fallen world, and Satan’s attacks. Paul taught pastor Trimoty, 1Ti 4:10-11 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. (11) These things command and teach.

    Every three years Corinth hosted the Isthmian games. Paul using them to capture the imagination of his troubled congregation at Corinth. God the Holy Spirit uses them to teach us as we tie on our spiritual running shoes to prepare for the marathon of Lent from Ash Wednesday to betrayal, trial, scourging, mocking, crucifixion, death, grave, and resurrection to fix our eyes on the finish line! Learn: “Readied For The Race By God’s Grace!” I. Fix Your Eyes On The Crown! (Vs.24-25); II. Fight Against The One Who Seeks To Trip You!(vs.26-27); III. Let The Lord Sustain You With His Grace!(10:1-5).

I.  Grumbling. Complaining. Instead of rejoicing in God’s gift of freedom, the children of Israel grumble because they are thirsty. 430 years they had been slaves, but after a few days of freedom they are ready to stone Moses. Accusing the man the Lord had called to shepherd their congregation to the promised land of planning to murder them in the wilderness. The first workers in the gracious Master’s vineyard grumble and complain - it isn’t fair that He is generous with His own goods. God’s grace isn’t fair. He wishes to give to the last as much as the first in His kingdom - full forgiveness -eternal life - sure salvation - things that belong to Him that He wishes to freely give all who fix their eyes on Jesus alone.

    God’s grace fixes your eyes on the crown as you run the race of faith! (1 Cor. 9:24-25). In the Greek/Roman games there may be many runners competing in an event, but only one received the prize. There were not any silver or bronze medals, in fact there wasn’t even a gold medal. Certainly participation medals weren’t given to boost egos of those who hadn’t prepared. The prize at the Isthmian games was only a garland of the Grecian pine, but to the Greeks its value could not have been measured in terms of money. No shelves lined with trophies, just the fading crown its pine needles soon falling to the ground.

     For such a temporary crown, a day of glory, perhaps to be forgotten by the next games, they were temperate in all things. Runners deny themselves certain foods and drinks as they train up for a marathon. They will rise before dawn to run in rain, snow, cold, or heat to prepare. It is an activity that is often more pleasant once you finish it than when you start it. They practice such self discipline for a temporary crown of pine needles. Learn from them!

       God’s grace in Christ Jesus calls us into the race of the Faith, not to stand idle in the marketplace. The Christian Faith isn’t sitting on the couch speculating about Jesus. It is running the race by taking up our cross daily to follow Him - Our Leader - Our Savior! Jesus promises the congregation a Smyrna, and every congregation which suffers for speaking the Truth, Rev 2:10 Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”  We are running the race of faith by God’s grace for the imperishable crown of life - won for us by Jesus. He wore the crown of thorns - my sins, your sins - to suffer our just punishment under the Law on Calvary - that He might by His resurrection place His crown of life upon our infant brows in baptism.

       Run the race eyes fixed on the goal. A runner learns to tune out all the noise and keep only the finish line in mind. Tuning out the aches, pains, thirst, and fatigue they run to complete the race. Run dear Christian! How? Heb 12:1-2 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, (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.” We aren’t alone in the race of the Faith. We are surrounded with the Church on earth encouraging each other to continue running. We are surrounded with the Church in heaven - they have completed their earthly race passed the baton on to us and cheer us on to complete the race. We fix our eyes on Jesus - He is our Alpha and Omega - the Author and Finisher of our race - He has won for you the crown of life - by grace fix your eyes on Him!

II.  A runner doesn’t fill a back pack with extra clothing, electronics, snacks, and wear a winter parka to run a race. They throw away outer clothing as the day warms, sip water on the run, and throw away the cup. In the race of the Faith watch out for every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares you - trips you up as you run.

     God’s grace in Christ Jesus opens our eyes to see clearly the “one who seeks to trip us up!” (1 Cor. 9:26-27). From our first father Adam we play the blame game. “It’s the devil who made me do it!” “It wasn’t my fault, my sister, my brother, my spouse made me do it!” “It’s God’s fault for making me this way!” On and on we excuse our sin as we blame everyone except the one who constantly trips us up in the race of the Faith.

     Paul calls us to be honest. God’s grace in Christ calls us to be honest - to stop deceiving ourselves that we have no sin. Instead confess your sin. This is the knock out blow I give my own sinful flesh. Christ’s grace teaches us to discipline our own bodies, to bring our emotions, our feelings, our desires into subjection to God’s Holy Ten Commandments. The Law of God exposes my sin. I confess it to my pastor as to Christ Himself - to by His grace be spoken forgiven. I don’t “handle my sin” by myself - I cast it upon Christ in confession and He deals it the knock out blow in absolution.

     Paul knew the enemy - it was his old adam - his old sinful self! He disciplined himself, lest when he preached to others he might fall away. Sadly the history of Christianity is that many faithful fall away from the Truth, stop the race, and stumble into sin’s darkness. Stop shadow boxing, honestly look into the mirror of God’s Law daily, and deal a knock out blow to your sinful self. Then washed forgiven - strive to run in the path of God’s Holy Ten Commandments humbly serving your neighbor where Christ Jesus has called you to labor in His vineyard! Rejoicing to work with Him for the benefit of your neighbor!

III. Running a 10K, half marathon, and especially a marathon - stations are set up along the race route providing direction, water, needed aid, and even in marathons some quick nutrition gels. You don’t have to carry all you need for the entire race - it is supplied along the route. If you only stop at the first watering station and try to run the last 23 miles without any more help - you won’t make it. God’s grace doesn’t only appear to us once on the race of the Faith - then leave us to do it all alone by ourselves to death. Rejoice that God’s grace sustains you for the race! (1 Cor. 10:1-5) The congregation of Israel complained against their shepherd Moses, and Aaron, but really they were complaining against the Lord God - charging Him with being unfair. What more could He have done for them? He was visibly present in their congregation a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. Stop after stop He provided them with gushing springs of water for over two million people and their live stock. Daily He fed them bread from heaven, giving them dignity as they collected His manna - angels’ food! They were baptized into Moses under the cloud and by the spray of the sea as they walked on dry ground through the Red Sea with watery walls on either side. The Rock - Christ follow them! All these wonders they took for granted - 599,998 of the men twenty years old and above would die in the wilderness - only Joshua and Caleb would lead their children into the promised land. Why? They took God’s means of grace as a common thing - they rejected His Word of promise and wanted to do things their own way.

     Dear Christian. Heed the warning! Baptism! Preaching! Absolution! The body and blood of Christ in Bread and Wine! Isn’t a common thing! Don’t treat them as your lucky rabbits feet - thinking that you have done them once - and you can wait to return to receive more again when you are old and sick. Satan will harden your heart and close your ears to the hearing of the Gospel - faith isn’t your decision - the Holy Spirit works faith where and when it pleases Him in those who “HEAR” the Gospel. That “ God, not for our own merits, but for Christ’s sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ’s sake. “

     $150 billion dollars are spent each year in sports betting in the U.S.. Our God spent more for you! He gave His only begotten Son for you! Don’t play games with His grace! Repent! Rejoice that He gives you what you never can earn - full forgiveness of your sins - the Life of Jesus- and the certainty of salvation! Daily return to His promise in your baptism! His grace fed you in His Church! Stand readied for the race by God’s grace. Then by the Father’s grace alone in Jesus by His Holy Spirit you will be able to say with St. Paul on your death bed, “ 2Ti 4:6-8 ... the time of my departure is at hand. (7) I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (8) Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” Amen.