I.                    Introduction

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.  I Cor 9:24

 

Today we are going to look at the difference between victory and defeat in the race each one of us is in. Most people when they run a race, run it to win. All Christians are in the race, but it is possible to run it to win or we can run it half-heartedly, not caring whether we win or not. All run, but one receives the price. There is a difference.  What is the difference?

 

II.                 Example of Israel’s “All”

Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, 2all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3all ate the same spiritual food, 4and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. I Cor 10:1-4

 

We know from verses 6 and 11 of this chapter that these events happened to the ancient Israelite people to be examples for us. 

 

When we look at the events and stories related to the children of Israel in bondage in Egypt and then their deliverance and march to the promised land, there are a couple of ways we can look at it. One approach sees the crossing into the promised land as a picture of our death and entrance into heaven. Many songs and poems talk about crossing Jordan as the experience of death. However, I don’t like to think of it in this way because of the fact that when the people entered the promised land there were still enemies to be fought and battles to be won and lost.

 

I believe a better way to look at these events would be to picture the bondage in Egypt as our lost condition without Christ. The rescue from Egypt represents our salvation. The promised land represents mature victorious Christian living. The wilderness was to have been a rather short situation but because of unbelief it lasted a long time. Many times we wander rather aimlessly in unbelief for some time. I don’t mean to imply that there are two sorts of Christians – those who wander in unbelief and those who are living as God would have them to live. I’m just using the picture in the Old Testament as an illustration of our lives and some of the lessons we need to learn from their experiences. Also, I’m not discussing the personal salvation of the individual Israelites as though they had a different method of salvation than we.

 

With that having been said, we see from this passage that all were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, allo ate the spiritual food, etc. 

 

The cloud was God’s method of guiding His people. They all enjoyed the direction of God in their lives – they knew where he wanted them to go.  All of them passed through the sea. All of them were protected from the attacking Egyptians.

 

All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. Baptism here indicates identification. The people were in Moses. Where he went, they went. As long as they stayed with him, they were OK. He was their representative, their head.  Moses said at one point that God would raise up a prophet like himself that the people should listen to. In saying that, he was referring to Christ. Moses is said to be a type of Christ – a picture of Him. We are told in the New Testament that believers are baptized into Christ. We are identified with Him. He is our covenant head.

 

So we see that all of the people were “saved”. Further we are told that they all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink. They were all nourished on God’s Word and they all drank from the living water. (Remember, I’m talking about the picture, not their individual personal salvation.)

 

These are like the ALL in 9:24.  Those who run in the race ALL run, but one receives the prize. These all shared in the benefits provided for them.

 

But…

 

III.               God was not pleased with most of them

 

Yes, it is possible to please God and it is possible to displease Him. I Thess 4:1 says,
Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; 2for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

 

2 Timothy 2:4 --  No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

 

We are having a problem in our Christian culture these days related to pleasing God. Because of our understanding of grace and the fact that God forgives us of all of our sins and casts them behind his back and removes them as far as the east is from the west, we somehow have developed the belief that God is pleased with us no matter what we do. But, that is not the case. Even though I can’t explain how all these things fit together, it is obvious from these verses and others like them that we can and should please God.

 

In I Corinthians 9:25 we are told that the runner of the race who would run to win must be temperate in all things. That means self control. This is similar to the soldier described in 2 Timothy 2:4. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of life. Isn’t that hard to do?!  Life comes right up to us and entangles us in it. We don’t have to try very hard to become snared. But if we are going to run the race to win, we have to be self controlled and avoid those entanglements.

 

There are many today who label strict Christians as being legalistic. Legalism is the attempt to make oneself worthy of salvation by keeping the law. That is definitely wrong and spoken against in Scripture. However, there are many Christians who have decided that they want to win the race and that takes discipline. It takes laying aside the weights and besetting sins so that we can run the race set before us.  No one would accuse the Olympian of being legalistic. It is the self control of the training that allows him to win the race. We understand the motivation and what it takes to win that prize. Many Christians have come from a background of sin and bondage to various practices. In order to keep themselves from being entangled in these again, they choose to live a life that is as disciplined as they can make it so that they can win the race. Rather than being criticized for it, they should be admired and their example should be followed by other would-be winners.

 

Just for the record, here are a couple of other passages that speak to the idea of pleasing God. Enoch had the testimony that he pleased God  Heb 11:5

 

I John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.

 

Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. 7And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” 8Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; 9nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; 10nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.  I Cor 10:6-11

 

God was not pleased with most of the “all” who ran the race. We are explicitly told that these things are examples for us.

 

IV.              These are examples so that we would not

 

Lust after evil things

 

This lusting after evil things ties in with the complaining that they did. They lusted for meat, which although not an evil thing per se, it represents a dissatisfaction with what God had provided for them. It also represented a looking back to Egypt to the old life. Acts 7:37-39 says that in their hearts they turned back to Egypt. One of the shortest verses in the Bible is Luke 17:32 in which Jesus said, “Remember Lot’s wife.”  Why did Jesus want us to remember Lot’s wife. Because she resisted leaving and then she turned back to see what she had left behind. Jesus said that no man putting hands to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of heaven. Luke 9:62. Because of their attitude, Psalm 106 tells us that God gave them their request but sent leanness into their soul.

 

Or be idolaters like some of them.

 

Again, Psalm 106:20 says that they changed their glory.  Idolatry can be of two kinds. Sometimes we substitute a different god for the true God. We substitute money or pleasure for God. We fashion our own God, and then worship accordingly. But probably a more dangerous idolatrous practice for us in our culture is to substitute a different likeness of our God. This is what Aaron did while Moses was up on the mountain. He created the golden calf which was not originally intended to be a different God from Jehovah but was intended to be a picture of Jehovah. It was not what was commanded. They substituted a practice of their own rather than worshiping as God had specified. In Leviticus 10:1 Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire to the Lord which God had not commanded. There is a difference between doing something that God had commanded not to do and doing something that God had not commanded to do. They took it upon themselves to offer to God something which He had not specified and for that they lost their lives. Cain did the same thing. God had not told him to bring fruits and vegetables and so he was not approved.

 

How this applies to us is that we are not to add and make up things related to worship just because we like it or it makes us feel good.  God’s word clearly teaches how God wants to be worshiped. This is through direct teaching or by looking at what He approves. Just because we come to him with a right motive does not mean our worship will be accepted. Many things are being added to the “worship experience” in recent years and I’m not at all sure that God has approved of everything that is taking place even though every bit of it may be taking place through correct motive.

 

If we are going to run to win the race we need to be sure that we do not worship falsely.

 

Nor commit sexual immorality Num 25:1-9

 

We live in a day when sexual immorality is seen relatively normal. God’s Word is clear. We are to avoid sexual immorality. Obviously this begins with avoiding outright behavioral immorality. I Thes. 4:3  This is god’s will, your sanctification that you abstain from sexual immorality.  However, there are other more subtle ways that we sometimes don’t consider.

 

The first of these that comes to my mind is the area of lewdness and immodesty. We as Christians need to behave and dress modestly. I’m especially concerned about the immodest and revealing clothing that passes for style these days. Many Christian women and young people get caught up in the fashion and don’t consider the fact that this is an especially grievous offence to young men and makes living a clean life difficult. God expects our behavior, our speech and our dress to be modest and moral.

 

We as Christians are often involved in the immorality of others in that we watch it all in front of our eyes on our TVs.  We must learn to say no and to turn off the TV. We can’t have clean minds and hearts while filling them with the various perversities and immoralities displayed day after day.

 

Paul says in I Corinthians 6:15 that our bodies are members of Christ. He uses this as a reason not to be involved in sexual sin. We are not to involve Christ in this. Without going into too much detail, let me just say that we have been infected with the error of gnosticism in our thinking. Gnosticism basically says that spirit is good, body is bad. In New Testament times this resulted in two opposite extremes of behavior that are equally wrong. The one extreme basically resulted in abandonment of the body as though an ascetic life style would have any value in squashing the sin nature. Paul tells us in Colossians that this won’t work. The other extreme was to say that since the spiritual is the important thing, it doesn’t matter what the body does. This resulted in a life of gross immorality.

 

In our day, we get into both of these extremes, but the latter error is the one I want to address here. While most Christians do not go to the extremes that some of the pagan Gnostics went, many still involve themselves in some amount of freedom in this area which God does not grant and then they use as the reasoning that God cares more about the heart than what one does on the outside.  I Cor 6:15 refutes this idea. Our bodies are members of Christ. Paul tells the Ephesians that we are of his flesh and bones. This means the body and what it does is important to God. When we are involved in some immoral activity, part of Christ is involved in that activity.

 

If we are going to win the race, our moral life must be clean and above reproach.

 

 

Nor tempt Christ Ex 17:2,7; Num 21:6-9

 

They were basically saying to God, “Prove yourself.” We don’t believe you really led us here. If you were leading us, all of this bad stuff wouldn’t be happening. They doubted His word. There are myriad ways in our lives where we are tempted in this area. God has given us His promises. He has promised to lead us and to be by our sides through the entire journey and yet we have the audacity to say, “I don’t think you’re really here because I don’t like what is happening to me.”

 

If we are going to win the race, we must not tempt Christ.

 

Nor complain as some of them did. Ex 16:2; Num 14:37

 

God tells us that we are to be content with the things that we have. Heb 13:5  He also says, “Having food and clothing, let’s be content with that.” I Timothy 6:8 And in Phil 2:14 we find that we are to do all things without murmuring and disputing.

 

Now when we read the story of the Israelites we are usually quite smug thinking that they are such complainers. But isn’t this a tendency that we have as well? Are we really content with what God has given us? He has promised to give us everything we need. Think about it?  What do you need that you do not have? Murmuring and complaining saps our strength and damages our spirits and the spirits of those who know us. It demonstrates lack of faith. It ruins our testimony to the world around us. The passage in Phil 2:14 tells us to do all things without murmuring and disputing so that we may be sons of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world. If we complain all the time, we will be just like everyone else and there won’t be much light there.

 

These were the reasons God said that the example was there. That we would not do the things that they did.

 

V. It is obvious that God judges and disciplines.

 

Notice that under most of the incidents in this chapter there is a punishment. For example in verse 8 he says not to commit sexual immorality as they did and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. God judges sin.

 

I Peter 4:17, 18 says, 
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” God will judge His people. If we would judge ourselves we would not be judged. I Cor 11:31

 

Look with me at Hebrews chapter 12. I’ve reprinted it here for your convenience.

 

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, 2looking 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.

3For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. 4You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin. 5And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord,

Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;

6              For whom the Lord loves He chastens,

And scourges every son whom He receives.”

7If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

12Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, 13and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. 14Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

18For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, 19and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. 20(For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” 21And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid and trembling.”) 22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

25See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, 26whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.” 27Now this, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29For our God is a consuming fire.[1]

 

I’m reviewing this chapter quickly as a sort of review of all that we have talked about, so hang on as we fly through it.

 

Notice that the concept of running the race begins the chapter. We need to lay aside those weights and the sin that besets us. In verse 4 he challenges us by the fact that our discipline hasn’t been to the point of shedding our blood, so there’s still room for more self-discipline needed to win the race.

In verses 12 and 13 if you are chastened, don’t be a wimp. Get back up like a man, strengthen those arms and move on.

Watch out lest you fall short like Esau in verse 17. He forsook the blessing and then looked for repentance but could not find it. Don’t follow his example.

Lest we think he is not referring to our being under the new covenant of grace, he talks about the fact that there is a distinct difference between how we have it now in our approach to the God of grace and how the Israelites saw it with the burning mountain. This is the new covenant. BUT, he is the same God and therefore is to be taken seriously with reverence and fear. Vs 25-29.

 

We live in a day as I mentioned earlier where anything goes. God loves us and He is gracious toward us and therefore it doesn’t matter what we do, what we complain about, how we worship and so on. God never changes. He is to be worshiped with reverence and fear. Psalm 89:7 says, “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints and to be held in reverence by all those around him.”  Even under the covenant of Grace!  For our God is a consuming fire.

 

In conclusion let’s go back to I Cor 9:24.

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. 25And 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. 26Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.[2]

 

 

·        Make sure you are in the race – Not all people are in the race. Have you seen the desperate lost condition of your life without Christ and have you embraced Him as your only hope of salvation? Do you trust Him to save you and not your good deeds, church attendance, etc?

·        Live the Christian life as though you were running to win.

·        Strive lawfully 2 Timothy 2:5
And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

·        Be temperate in all things

·        Do not run with uncertainty

·        Do not beat the air

·        Discipline your body and bring it into subjection

 

Don’t end up at the judgment seat and find out that you have been disqualified. If that was something that was of concern to Paul, it certainly should be of concern to us.


[1]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.

[2]The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.