Bible Text: Hebrews 12:2-3, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: 1 Corinthians, Hebrews, The Spiritual Olympics

1.  In addition to the obstacles of bad doctrine, unnecessary weight (those things that are not necessarily sin but are the good that is the enemy of the best, and sin, to the life (race) of faith; the writer of Hebrews adds lack of endurance (vs. 1), wrong focus (vs. 2), and giving up too soon (vs. 3).

2.  Endurance (persistence, determination, perseverance) produces: maturity (James 1:3,4); character (Romans 5:3,4); and hope (Romans 15:4,5).  God gives endurance (Colossians 1:11).

2.  While Hebrews 12 focused on running the race, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 focused on the prize or reward at the completion of the race.  In the context of the Christian life the reward was a crown for faithfulness to the gospel in life and service.  “Paul was very fond of athletic images and used them often in his letters.  The Corinthians would have been familiar with the Greek Olympic Games as well as their own local Isthmian Games.” (Wiersbe)

3.  Some of the rewards or crowns mentioned in Scripture are:  the crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8) given to those who are living in light of the return of Jesus Christ, looking for His coming; the Crown of Rejoicing (1 Thessalonians 2:19) given to those share the gospel, winning others to Jesus Christ; the Crown of Life (James 1:12) given to those who endure suffering, trials, hardships for their faith; and the Crown of Glory (1 Peter 5:4 given to Elders who feed and lead the sheep in a worthy manner.

4.  The race must be run with discipline and in accordance with the rules (2 Timothy 2:5). “A Christian’s life must be concentrated upon his Christianity just as a professional athlete’s life is concentrated upon his chosen contest.  The spare-time Christian is a contradiction in terms, a man’s whole life should be an endeavor to live out his
Christianity.” (Barclay)

5.  Disciplines in the Christian life would include: Devotional life/Bible-study, separation from sin, obedience to God’s Word, and developing holy habits of thinking and acting.

6.  To win the reward requires, in addition to strict discipline, purpose and effort. “I think every Christian ought to work for a reward.  We do not work for salvation; that is a gift given by the grace of God.  My friend, if you are going to get a reward, you will have to work for it.  If you are going to get a reward, then you had better get out on the racetrack and start moving.” (McGee)