Introduction: Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father, and from our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. Our text is the Old Testament Lesson just read, from Isaiah 40. We begin with prayer.
Dear fellow disciples of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ:
- Competition is an interesting thing, especially the whole element of motivation and momentum. I can remember way back to the first time I really thought about the importance of the psychological aspects of sports and competition. Obviously, much is made of it today, and we even have a new profession, that of the “sports psychologist.”
- In a certain sense, this is exactly what God is encouraging in our text from Isaiah, and in the Epistle Lesson. Essentially, the apostle Paul tells us that we should be running to “obtain the prize,” that is, we should be competing to win – and this, in our spiritual exercise of living a life of repentance, faith, and love.
- But in our text we get more than just an encouragement to get out there and compete. Rather, we are reminded of many things that help get us motivated and eager, confident and assured, much as a coach tries to prepare his team for the psychological rigors of competition and battle.
- Essentially, our lessons for this morning provide us with three important encouragements: first, that we are already on the winning side, and that victory is assured because of God’s power and will; second, that we are not under outer coercion but rather the inner motivation of God’s love in Christ Jesus, so that we freely pour ourselves into the “race”; and finally a reminder of what the race is about so that the course is clearly in mind, and the importance of sticking to the course.
- First of all, through the prophet Isaiah God urges us to:
I. Remember Who Is In Control
Text: “Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you understood from the foundation of the earth? 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.”
A. He Is In Power And Control Over All Empires And Powers
Text: “He brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. 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.”
B. He Is Also Watchful And In Power Over His People To Protect And Preserve Us, Giving Us Strength For Our Competitive Journey Through This Lifetime
Text: “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’? 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. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted, 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.”
Statement: Most of us have experienced the faintness, weariness, and exhaustion that afflict even young athletes. The older we grow the more poignant this reality becomes – of recognizing our limitations! But God is not subject to any of these weaknesses or restrictions. Isaiah writes of “the greatness of His might” and the fact that God is “strong in power.” God does not grow faint or weary. In fact He has unlimited strength, power, and might.
Application: This means that God can overpower any force in the universe, including obviously human rulers and nations! And He rules over all things for the strength and victory of His people – so that He can strengthen us for our “race,” for our competition. He promises us renewed strength, the ability to do His will without becoming weary or faint. We are called simply to “wait” for Him, to put our faith and trust in Him, to know with certainty His good and gracious will, His faithfulness to what He has promised is our “right” in Christ Jesus.
So we are not to fear ruler or empire, or become overly enamored with political powers – for they all serve but a short and limited purpose. God’s people, however, and the purpose that they serve is eternal, and so His protection and empowerment of His people is without limitation. And this is critical for our willingness to enter the competition, and our eagerness to get started, and also for our confidence and certainty in regard to obtaining the victory!
Transition: And if we are ready to get going, then we must keep in mind that:
II. We Run Our Race In And Under The Gospel Of Jesus Christ, In God’s Grace And Mercy, And So In Freedom
Epistle: “I am free from all.” “I do this of my own will . . . and my reward is 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. For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, so that I might win more of them. . . . I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I might save some.”
Statement: The acknowledgement is that supreme effort cannot be coerced but must be a matter of freedom. No coach or franchise owner can “make” athletes perform to their utmost effort; this has to come from within. But if the inner motivation is powerful enough, then a person will give anything to win. And this is the dynamic that Paul describes in the Epistle Lesson. Knowing God’s gracious love, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation in Christ Jesus, and knowing God’s love for all people, that He wills all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, Paul was willing to give the supreme and ultimate effort in running his race!
Application: It must be the same for us – that our motivation not be some kind of external compulsion, as if we had to run in order to be saved! Perish the thought! If that is the case none of us will be saved! Rather, we run because we have been saved, and the more clearly we know and believe the love that God has for us, the more convinced we are of His salvation, the more eager and ambitious we are to “run” with absolute fervor. And as we do, remarkably and amazingly, God renews our strength so that we are neither weary nor faint. And you remember – God is almighty, and God is control and in power, so that whatever He sets out to do He is sure to accomplish!
Transition: So, knowing that God is the Victor and that we are on the winning side, and knowing what it is that fuels and empowers us, we only need to have a clear vision of the course – where it is that we are to run so that we stay on course, and as the apostle Paul makes clear:
III. We Run Our Race For The Sake Of The Gospel
A. So We Run With Humility And Flexibility
Epistle: “Though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 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. 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. 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. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
B. And So We Also Run With Self-Discipline And Determination
Epistle: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
Statement: Again, we are not under the law of God but rather under the gospel, the law of Christ, the good news of God’s gracious mercy, forgiveness, and salvation. This means that God is constantly renewing our strength inwardly so that we do not fall exhausted. And we know His power and authority. This is what gives us the determination and resources we need – so that we are committed to flexibility and humble servanthood [so long as we remain on the course and do not become disqualified by unbelief]. We know the gospel and the purpose of our “running” – “that some might be won and saved, having been brought to faith in Christ, so that we may “share with them” in the blessings of the gospel!
Application: And so we are empowered by the assurance of victory and success, and are constantly refreshed and renewed in strength and fervor by God Himself, the assurances of His love and gracious salvation, and we know the course – a continued lifetime of repentance and faith in the gospel, and a growing commitment and self-discipline in doing all that we can to promote the gospel that others might be saved. This is what it means to “RUN TO WIN.” And this is hopefully what all of us are committed to doing – by the grace of God.
Conclusion: I know that there are some people who do not like comparisons of our spiritual life and service to God with athletic competitions. The comparisons are made in Holy Scripture, and are quite apt. With the intrusion of sin into the world competition has come, competition between good and evil, between God and the devil, between God’s seed and the devil’s seed, and also between what God wills for human beings and what the devil wills for us. God wills our blessing and salvation; the devil wills our misery and damnation.
It is better for us to know these things so that we can prepare for the conflict, for the race, and have the determination, strength, and discipline to run all the way to victory! God wills this for us, for our joy and blessedness, and He will accomplish it for us and in us! Thanks and praise be to Him, Amen.
Votum: And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds in the true faith, which is in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, Amen.