The Crown: How to Excel in Your Faith - Part A

This crown in first Corinthians 9 is not hereditary is not dynastic, that is, it doesn't follow. Bloodline is not an earthly or temporary crown is the crown of a runner race and background beachheads and eternal crown that one day you and I will wear possible due to the Christian life is a waste and at the end of the race is in a perishable day on connect with Skip Heitzigs, Skip share some lessons from Paul. You can excel and thrive as you run your race and follow Jesus know what to tell you about a resource that will encourage even more new tears but Norm Geisler said about the tactics, there is no better block to include Christians to think clearly deerskin type thing on the need to engage in active spiritual warfare. You'll never fight God's battles for myself, you'll never contend what really matters are just cruise and interlacing boiled have to decide to get as part of the house and join the fight become a contender for biblical truth with the house. Six message theories through the continued to skip. I think this teaching theories on the ring to defend the gospel and guard against teaching banks to connect more people to the truth of God's word and went to $35 or more today will also send you the tactics by Gregory couple to speak the truth about Christianity with confidence and great call hundred 92 to get report connectwithskip.com first communities. Chapter 9 Skip Heitzigs starts today's very popular. On Netflix called the crown and how many of you stroke and maybe sooner. So while people up 73 million people have viewed 73 million people or homes have viewed the crown.

The crown is about the Queen of England. It's about Elizabeth II who by the way, is 95 years young, so she is the oldest living constitutional monarch that England is ever had 95 years old and she has been the Queen of England for 69 years since 1952. That's when she became Queen 1952. She has been served by 14 British Prime Minister's including Sir Winston Churchill.

She goes way back. And she still at it and you know people across the Atlantic over here. We are always fascinated by all things British royalty.

We love the whole Royal wedding thing Bettis captivated Americans for a long time in first Corinthians chapter 9 Paul is speaking about the crown but not the crown, like the Queen of England wears not a crown that a monarch wears this crown enforcement inside is not hereditary, it is not dynastic, that is, it doesn't follow bloodline. It is not an earthly or temporary crown. It is the crown of a runner in an athletic race and that crown depicts an eternal crown that one day you and I will wear. By the way, the only reason the Queen of England is the Queen of England is because her dad was once the king of England. She's the oldest daughter of King George VI and the only reason he was ever king is because his brother who was the king abdicated the throne placing the other guy on the throne so that Elizabeth is now the Queen will begin in first Corinthians chapter 9 verse 24 redone verse 27 that's the paragraph of flaw 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. 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. Therefore I run thus not with uncertainty. Thus I fight night is not as one who beats the air but I discipline my body and bring it into subjection lesson when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified up all is working off an athletic theme. He is writing about two different categories of athletic competition. One is the foot race and the other is boxing is combining these metaphors which Paul does a lot. By the way into this one theme in the paragraph of striving in athletics is pretty obvious in reading the New Testament letters of Paul that he likes sports are of you watch Monday night chariot races are what the deal was.

But, but the wording of athletics appears much in in his ministry and in his letters. Here's a quick sampling when he goes to aphesis and he meets with leaders. He says luck. I know that I'm gonna face struggles as I'm on my way to Jerusalem and I know that it's been top and is going to be tough. It's been revealed to me, but then he said this, none of these things in move me nor do I count my life dear unto myself that I might finish my race with joy in the ministry that the Lord Jesus Christ is given to me. So he pictured his life as a race he's on the racetrack and he wants to run that race in Philippians chapter 3. He also said this and this is familiar to you by press toward the goal for the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus. Interesting that the word he used for goal is the word scope loss which was a square pillar in a stadium that runners would look at to align themselves in running the race.

I press toward that. I'm looking to cross the finish line in first Timothy chapter 4, he said the young Timothy train your self for godliness. That's an athletic term of the word he used for training is the word from which we get our word gymnasium from get a good workout spiritually.

Put yourself in the spiritual Jim Timothy and then at the end of Paul's life. He finally said this to sum up his whole life. He said I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. So Paul is using athletic terminology so often in his writings. I suppose that if Paul would've written a letter to a mountain town somewhere that he might abuse his ski metaphors. If it was a modern letter. I think maybe if he was writing to believers in Indianapolis.

He might abuse Formula One racing language, but he's not. He's writing to the Corinthians in the Corinthians in particular knew about sporting events because they hosted one of the most important sporting events in the world just outside of their town and corn. Domino explained that client was familiar with two basic sporting events. Number one the Olympics the Olympics because It Was It Took Pl. in Olympia in Greece and the other was a set of games called the AFSCME in games is so hard to say if me and you know when and if Smith is remember your geography in Xmas is the narrow neck of land that connects to other pieces of land and because Corinth was on and Xmas are called the Peloponnesian peninsula. They had a set of games called the Isthmian games and it was it was second in importance only to the Olympics element described that just so you get the background, the Olympics began at 776 BC.

It occurred every four years in the plains of Olympia in Greece and it lasted for five days. First day was a day of ceremonies was a day of sacrifice to the Greek gods and other competitors came into the arena and they swore their oats and then on day two and announcer are Harold Harold stepped into the arena and introduce the competitors to the crowds was then followed by chariot races, followed by horse races, followed by the pentathlon for men on day three the boys competed by the way, only males competed in those Olympics.

Back then the boys competed on day three the other contests on day four was the foot race jumping rustling and boxing and on day five final sacrifices were given awards were given out in the evening was a banquet and entertainment for all the visitors who would come those of the Olympic Games. Then there were the games that the Corinthians know about as well call the Isthmian games assist: the Corinthian games is just a whole lot easier to say in the Corinthian games were played.

Not every four years, but every two years and as I said they were almost as well attended as the Olympic Games and they were hosted right there at Corinth. So what I want to do is go through this very simple short passage, and give you for slogans for sporting slogans.

You've all heard them but those for slogans represents four decisions that we should make it for an Excel in our race in our Christian walk in our life of faith.

I will try to give you all the background of the Corinthian letter, but you probably already know that the Corinthian Christians were like the problem children of the New Testament right when it comes to churches, yet so many issues in their churches at Corinth, and Paul addresses them, but in this chapter he basically says luck. I'm giving my life all I can and I want to reach the Jews want to reach the Greeks I become all things to all men. If, by all means I might save some so serious I am about this many closes off this chapter by giving us this analogy.

This metaphor that is a picture of the Christian life and represents decisions on the give you four decisions. We need to make in the slogans number one eyes on the prize eyes on the prize. Every athlete steps into the event that he or she is gonna participate in with their eyes on the prize. They have a goal.

They want to win.

Nobody says I'm gonna join this race so that I can lose everybody wants to win. That's what's in mind. No not notice the choice of words that the apostle uses verse 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, it being the prize and everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown. The prize is the crown, but we for an imperishable crown. You need to know that in the Greco-Roman world. The athlete was highly revered, especially an Olympic athlete it was. He was highly regarded, highly respected, but to lose in event was a disgrace. In fact, they went to a public humiliation, but it was quite an honor to win a race. But here's the question what they went through it when they want to prize what was there.

Prize it says a crown know when you hear the word a crown you think. Yeah, lower gold crown or silver crown some precious metal, probably with Jules and Jim's not even close. It wasn't that kind of crown and it wasn't even as good as a Burger King cardboard crown or a tinfoil crown that your kids would make for you the crown of the athlete was a plant a plant in the Olympic Games. It was a little wreath made out of all of Lee's or celery wilted celery. I kid you not you that's the goal you make all run a race near the winter. And here is a salad for you to wear on your head if you win the Corinthian games the Isthmian games of theirs was a little pine wreath of pine needles wrapped in a little circle placed on the head. And so when he says crown. The Greek word is Stephan's and it's a temporary victors crown, a leafy wreath on the head when an athlete. One was an elaborate ceremony, the athlete would leave the arena and in a parade march to the temple of Zeus and he would be greeted there by judges and purple robes on raised platforms called Dame Matas or the bema seat. The judgment seat and there they would receive their award. Their reward when they got a little salad on their head. That was the greatest day of the athlete's life because along with a cane fame and notoriety and he was considered a hero and he got a claim and they even thought that he is communing with the gods and sows is like a day of great pride, but what you actually walk away with is going to win there in about four hours, or lease a couple days ago thought that crown out because it's not meant to last me wilted celery, right now taking place in France's. The most famous bicycle race called the Tour de France 2000 miles of bicycling 2000 miles of rigorous intense deep terrain in France and the athletes don't stop till I Gita cheeseburger.

The heat there meals and their energy drinks on the run water bicycling and what's the prize that you get when you when the Tour de France your team. I get a monetary award some compensatory sum of money for the team, but basically the winner of the Tour de France just walks away with the jurors yellow jersey and the ability to say I was on the Tour de France. That's it.

That's which walkway that is Paul's point. These athletes keep their eyes on the prize and there prize doesn't last long. It fades in a couple days you do it you serve the Lord your race ends up in an imperishable crown to let that sink in. One day you're gonna stand before the Lord, for an imperishable crown.

A reward theirs and to be some kind of reward or rewards that will be given to you by God in heaven that some people might read this and say yeah I think really what he's just talking about is heaven itself just making it to heaven is the prize just just getting into the courtroom of heaven is the crown, I don't think so because notice what it says in verse 24 run in such a way that you may what obtain it.

You don't obtain heaven. You can earn heaven. You don't work for heaven. You are saved by grace through faith that not of yourselves, you get to heaven by doing anything, but by believing in someone who did it all for you so you get to heaven you don't obtain it as a gift so getting into heaven is by faith getting rewarded in heaven, however, is according to works.

I'm surprised at how many Christians are not aware of this the kind of just think I'm to make it to heaven. That's all the rest, well let me put it to you this way I'm to make it to heaven. But once I get there I want more. And you can have more you can get rewarded NS notches heaven itself, but at some kind of compensation some kind of status that God gives to those the Bible indicates will be different. According to each one. Listen to second Corinthians 5 we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ same word as in the Olympics, the bane Matas the bema seat where the judges stood and gave out the awards. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done in the body at the end of the Christian life. At the end of your race when you appear in glory.

When you get to heaven, you are going to be evaluated not judged for eternal matters. You be in heaven. You will be welcomed and the glory but you're going to be evaluated and then compensated for your faithfulness to God while on the earth for how you ran that race some kind of reward.

Jesus said in Revelation chapter 22 behold I am coming quickly and my reward is with me. Jesus said in Matthew 16, the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward each according to his works.

Once again Paul at the end of his life that I fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord will give me at that day and not only me but to all those who have loved his appearing. I'm looking forward not only to have impulsive or to a crown or reward that God is going to give me so think of it this way.

Heaven should be more than just a destination heaven should be your motivation.

You should start thinking about about that.

Keep your eyes on the prize of your life in such a way that I'm pleasing God. Now, because the reward in the future is what helps me to run the race in the present. This this race is getting tough is been hard, but my eyes are on the prize, the crown of righteousness, the reward for serving the Lord on this earth so eyes on the prize. Here's the here's the second motto or the second decision to excel in your faith no pain no gain that everybody's heard that when writing you came in the 1980s I think that's an effort slogan first came out gyms all across the country use that as their pitch no pain no gain or feel the burn or another famous one. The kind of goes along with that I have heard more recently as this pain is just weakness leaving the body of her that goes in a gym recently and I was like renting underwear and summaries that you know and and 1/4. This pain is just weakness leaving the body. And I think I turned and said to him, while why does it seem like the older you get, it states in a leaving. It still here in verse 25 for just a moment and everyone who competes for the price.

Stop right there. The word competes on a tell you what the word is in the original language in your gonna tell me what the English equivalent is erratic.

Everyone who competes competes is this work.

Gonna knit so my what is that sound like a dog when it's a mark agonize because of the word, all grown agony. Everyone who competes everyone who has an agonizing struggle which is so accurate of being an athlete and he grabbed a great athlete will tell you this is hard work to do this. This is agonizing work in Olympic come champion Patty Sue Plummer said and I'm quoting her every single day. I hated what I was doing.

Here's an athlete is a winner who is training every day. I hate this every day. I hated what I was doing and loved what I was doing because I knew it was going to come down to who is willing to hurt in this word aptly describes what it is to be an athlete if your runner as soon as you start running hard. Your body overheats when your body overheats you start running low on blood sugar and then your body starts compensating your blood vessels distend they get bigger so you can get more blood flowing through more oxygen to the muscles, your long start, you start gasping for air to get more oxygen in there is an agonizing event that takes place in 1/5 century BC Greek poet set up the Olympic athletes.

The athlete delights in the toil and the cost basket message from the series now Street was now going to tell you about a special opportunity to take your knowledge of the Bible to a deeper level speculation about the end times is at an all-time high in Christianity is the only faith devotes nearly 1/3 of scriptures to future events learn about the future from the authority of the Bible you take a study of the end times that Calvary College with evening classes on campus or online. You can get an education in biblical studies that will impact your spiritual life for the rest of your life. The spring term starts January 10 shall apply to the Calvary church college.com see people come into a relationship with the living God know him is by knowing his word. These life-changing Bible teachings available all around the world and you can help take this podcast further generous gift today.

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Come back tomorrow scriptures about an important motivation that can help you press on race, so Skip presentation of connection communications to God's unchanging truth