"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE"

Luther Memorial Church

2nd Sunday after Pentecost

June 22, 2003

Pastor: Dave Naumann

Hymns: 5, 540, 788 v.1, 447, 51

Pre-Service Meditation: Psalm 121 p. 152

Eternal God, our Lord and Savior, we thank Thee that Thou hast inspired holy men to record Thy Word, which alone is able to make us wise unto salvation and to free us from all sin and woe. Grant us grace diligently to search the Holy Scriptures. Bless Thy Word to our souls whenever we read, hear, or study it. In Jesus name, Amen.

The Old Testament Reading:Jeremiah 9:23-24

Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.

The New Testament Reading: Matthew 20:1-16
"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 "Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 "and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. 5 "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?' 7 "They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.' 8 "So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.' 9 "And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 "But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. 11 "And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12 "saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 'Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?' 16 "So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen."

Sermon:
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

INI

"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE"

I: The race is demanding

II: But victory is assured

III: So run with confidence

The text I would lay on your hearts is comes from;
1 Cor. 9:24-27, "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. 25 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. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight; not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

Dear Friends in Christ - Fellow Redeemed,

            Running is a pastime that has had a great effect on this country. In the last twenty to thirty years, a huge number of people have made running a part of their life with hopes of reducing their weight and increasing their health. Some people even get serious about it, and work harder and harder every day until they can qualify for prestigious races like the New York or Boston Marathons. But I suspect that the vast majority of runners are people like me - amateurs - folks who don't get too whipped up about it. We're joggers. We just run for exercise, and to feel good. We plod along at a pace that feels comfortable, and we don't worry too much about how long it takes us to get there and back. If we get tired, we stop. No big deal.

            What if it was a big deal, though? I've often thought about that. What if something important depended on how fast you ran? For instance, what if someone told you that you had to finish a five-mile course in thirty minutes or else...forfeit your life? That would certainly change the situation! Could you endure? Could you maintain your pace for that long? It makes you wonder.

            I don't mind using that illustration, because I know that everyone here today is a runner, too. -Yes, you are! In our text for today, Paul says that, as a Christian, YOU are a runner. The race you're entered in is the Christian life. You can't be an amateur, you can't be ho-hum about this race. This race is serious. In this race, eternal life is the prize! This morning, let's consider the theme: "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" The race is demanding, but victory is assured, so run with confidence!

            In most sporting events, there is only one winner. The Apostle Paul says the same thing is true about our lives as Christians:

"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."

The race you're running in your life as a Christian is a very demanding race. For one thing, it's demanding because, in this race, there's no such thing as second place. You either win or you lose! Paul compares the Christian life to a footrace in the ancient Greek games. But there's one difference he makes very clear: for us Christians, this isn't a game. It's a deadly serious struggle, with very high stakes. If you win, it means eternal life; if you lose...eternal death!

            I'm afraid that a lot of believers are content to just "jog along" in their Christian lives. They don't get too whipped up about serving the Lord, studying His Word, witnessing their faith, etc. "Heaven's a big place," they say to themselves. "Even if I'm not the most faithful Christian in the world, I'm sure there will be room for me." But Paul says; Remember - only one gets the prize. Run in such a way that you may obtain it! You should run your race as a Christian as if only one person could be admitted to heaven on Judgment Day...and you needed to be that person! But that takes self-discipline. Paul goes back to

his picture of a footrace; he says;

"And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things."

An olympic-class runner has to regulate his diet and his lifestyle very carefully, or he won't stay an olympic-class runner for very long. The same thing's true in the life of a Christian. When we hear the word temperance, the first thing that springs to mind is alcohol. God's word

shows very clearly that you can't be a drunk and a Christian at the same time. But Paul says the Christian should be temperate in all things, not just alcohol. What about food? Your work? Hunting and fishing? Sports? Money, in general? Being intemperate in these things is much more dangerous, because it doesn't show. Being a work-aholic or a food-aholic or a sports-aholic won't make you fall down in the middle of the street. But it might get in the way of your service to the Lord, and you can't afford to have that happen. In our text, Paul uses himself as an example;

"I discipline my body and bring it into subjection."

You know, that's a poor translation of the original Greek. In the original language, Paul's much more colorful. You could translate it like this:

"I rough up my body...I punch it in the eye...and I make IT my slave."

Even though we're Christians, we've still got that sinful flesh clinging to us. It's the innate tendency toward sin that we inherited from the first sinners, Adam and Eve. And this sinful flesh keeps tempting us, day by day, to slack off. To lighten up, and enjoy some of the sinful pleasures the world offers us. To "break training" and not be so strict about how we live our Christian lives. Paul had that sinful flesh too, and it frightened him. He was afraid,

"...lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified."

So Paul did what we need to do - he waged a spiritual fistfight with his flesh. Every day he punched and smacked it into line. Instead of being a slave to his flesh, he kept fighting to make his flesh a slave to him.

            Sometimes that fight didn't go to well for Paul. Like us, he had failures. I don't know about you, but sometimes I think Paul must have been reading my mind when he wrote in Romans 7:18-19;

"I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing... What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

What's the answer? Who can we win the race when it looks like we'll lose it for sure? Paul says in I Corinthians 15:57;

"But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!"

That's the answer! The race is demanding, but in Christ, the victory is assured!

            Here's where the comparison to a footrace kind of breaks down. Because in a race, it's every man for himself. It's up to the athelete himself - his own efforts and talents will determine whether he wins or loses. But in your Christian life, you're declared the winner before you even come to the starting line. In fact, God tells you beforehand that there's no way you can lose! -That's because a much greater "athlete" than yourself has already won the victory in your place. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus Christ;

"was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin."

Even though He was faced with the same temptations we face, Jesus never gave in to them. Because He loved us, He never broke training. In our place, He lived a life of absolute perfection. In our place, He served His heavenly Father with absolute obedience. And His perfect righteousness...the Lord puts down to our credit. In His grace, His undeserved kindness toward us, He gives us His perfect account of righteousness obedience and holiness. Our miserable account - which is so far in the red with sin and disobedience - He took on Himself. He took all those accounts full of sin to the cross. And there, on that wretched tree of pain, Jesus paid for them in FULL with His own precious blood.

            What were those last words Jesus Spoke from the cross? "It is finished." But He may as well have said, "You are the winner!" because that's what it means. When Jesus' agony was over, the last bit of torture endured and the last sin paid for, that's when you victory was locked in. In Christ, you are guaranteed first place - total victory - in your race of life. And what a victory it is!   Olympic athletes run;

"...to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown."

Our victory crown isn't like the laurel wreath that Greek champions wore; it faded and withered up eventually. The crown Jesus earned for us is nothing less than eternal life. It's a crown of everlasting glory and happiness that we can go on rejoicing in for endless ages with our Savior in heaven. Can we possibly lose the race? Not a chance. Paul says in Romans 8:38-39;

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

So run with confidence. In Christ, there's no way you can lose! In our text, Paul sets an example for running the confident Christian race;

"Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight; not as one who beats the air."

Let the fruits of your Christian faith come boldly to the surface in your life. You're not running an uncertain race, so let your family and your friends know that Christ has made you a winner! With your devotion to God's Word, your church attendance, your giving - let your confidence in Christ shine through. In your daily struggles with the flesh, you're not just shadow-boxing - Christ gives you the power to throw a knock-out punch. Show the people around you that it can be done! Show them that, in the middle of this sin-swept world, you are one person at least who won't let yourself become a slave to the flesh. Your lifestyle, your behavior, your conversation.. may be just the evidence it takes to convince someone close to you that there really is something to this Christian faith, after all! Jesus said in Matthew 5:16;

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

Yes, you are running for your life - you're eternal life! The race is demanding, but victory is assured. So run with confidence!

AMEN.

Close

	Luther Memorial Church
	2nd Sunday after Pentecost
	June 22, 2003
	Pastor: Dave Naumann
	Hymns: 5, 540, 788 v.1, 447, 51
	Pre-Service Meditation: Psalm 121 p. 152
	Eternal God, our Lord and Savior, we thank Thee that Thou hast inspired holy men to record Thy Word, which alone is able to make us wise unto salvation and to free us from all sin and woe. Grant us grace diligently to search the Holy Scriptures. Bless Thy Word to our souls whenever we read, hear, or study it. In Jesus name, Amen.
	The Old Testament Reading:Jeremiah 9:23-24 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; 24 But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight," says the LORD.
	The New Testament Reading: Matthew 20:1-16 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 "Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 "And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 "and said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. 5 "Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. 6 "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?' 7 "They said to him, 'Because no one hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.' 8 "So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.' 9 "And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 "But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. 11 "And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, 12 "saying, 'These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.' 13 "But he answered one of them and said, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 'Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?' 16 "So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen."
	Sermon: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.
	INI
	"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE"
	I: The race is demanding II: But victory is assured III: So run with confidence
	The text I would lay on your hearts is comes from; 1 Cor. 9:24-27, "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. 25 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. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight; not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." Dear Friends in Christ - Fellow Redeemed, Running is a pastime that has had a great effect on this country. In the last twenty to thirty years, a huge number of people have made running a part of their life with hopes of reducing their weight and increasing their health. Some people even get serious about it, and work harder and harder every day until they can qualify for prestigious races like the New York or Boston Marathons. But I suspect that the vast majority of runners are people like me - amateurs - folks who don't get too whipped up about it. We're joggers. We just run for exercise, and to feel good. We plod along at a pace that feels comfortable, and we don't worry too much about how long it takes us to get there and back. If we get tired, we stop. No big deal. What if it was a big deal, though? I've often thought about that. What if something important depended on how fast you ran? For instance, what if someone told you that you had to finish a five-mile course in thirty minutes or else...forfeit your life? That would certainly change the situation! Could you endure? Could you maintain your pace for that long? It makes you wonder. I don't mind using that illustration, because I know that everyone here today is a runner, too. -Yes, you are! In our text for today, Paul says that, as a Christian, YOU are a runner. The race you're entered in is the Christian life. You can't be an amateur, you can't be ho-hum about this race. This race is serious. In this race, eternal life is the prize! This morning, let's consider the theme: "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" The race is demanding, but victory is assured, so run with confidence! In most sporting events, there is only one winner. The Apostle Paul says the same thing is true about our lives as Christians: "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." The race you're running in your life as a Christian is a very demanding race. For one thing, it's demanding because, in this race, there's no such thing as second place. You either win or you lose! Paul compares the Christian life to a footrace in the ancient Greek games. But there's one difference he makes very clear: for us Christians, this isn't a game. It's a deadly serious struggle, with very high stakes. If you win, it means eternal life; if you lose...eternal death! I'm afraid that a lot of believers are content to just "jog along" in their Christian lives. They don't get too whipped up about serving the Lord, studying His Word, witnessing their faith, etc. "Heaven's a big place," they say to themselves. "Even if I'm not the most faithful Christian in the world, I'm sure there will be room for me." But Paul says; Remember - only one gets the prize. Run in such a way that you may obtain it! You should run your race as a Christian as if only one person could be admitted to heaven on Judgment Day...and you needed to be that person! But that takes self-discipline. Paul goes back to his picture of a footrace; he says; "And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things." An olympic-class runner has to regulate his diet and his lifestyle very carefully, or he won't stay an olympic-class runner for very long. The same thing's true in the life of a Christian. When we hear the word temperance, the first thing that springs to mind is alcohol. God's word shows very clearly that you can't be a drunk and a Christian at the same time. But Paul says the Christian should be temperate in all things, not just alcohol. What about food? Your work? Hunting and fishing? Sports? Money, in general? Being intemperate in these things is much more dangerous, because it doesn't show. Being a work-aholic or a food-aholic or a sports-aholic won't make you fall down in the middle of the street. But it might get in the way of your service to the Lord, and you can't afford to have that happen. In our text, Paul uses himself as an example; "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection." You know, that's a poor translation of the original Greek. In the original language, Paul's much more colorful. You could translate it like this: "I rough up my body...I punch it in the eye...and I make IT my slave." Even though we're Christians, we've still got that sinful flesh clinging to us. It's the innate tendency toward sin that we inherited from the first sinners, Adam and Eve. And this sinful flesh keeps tempting us, day by day, to slack off. To lighten up, and enjoy some of the sinful pleasures the world offers us. To "break training" and not be so strict about how we live our Christian lives. Paul had that sinful flesh too, and it frightened him. He was afraid, "...lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." So Paul did what we need to do - he waged a spiritual fistfight with his flesh. Every day he punched and smacked it into line. Instead of being a slave to his flesh, he kept fighting to make his flesh a slave to him. Sometimes that fight didn't go to well for Paul. Like us, he had failures. I don't know about you, but sometimes I think Paul must have been reading my mind when he wrote in Romans 7:18-19; "I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing... What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?" What's the answer? Who can we win the race when it looks like we'll lose it for sure? Paul says in I Corinthians 15:57; "But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" That's the answer! The race is demanding, but in Christ, the victory is assured! Here's where the comparison to a footrace kind of breaks down. Because in a race, it's every man for himself. It's up to the athelete himself - his own efforts and talents will determine whether he wins or loses. But in your Christian life, you're declared the winner before you even come to the starting line. In fact, God tells you beforehand that there's no way you can lose! -That's because a much greater "athlete" than yourself has already won the victory in your place. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus Christ; "was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Even though He was faced with the same temptations we face, Jesus never gave in to them. Because He loved us, He never broke training. In our place, He lived a life of absolute perfection. In our place, He served His heavenly Father with absolute obedience. And His perfect righteousness...the Lord puts down to our credit. In His grace, His undeserved kindness toward us, He gives us His perfect account of righteousness obedience and holiness. Our miserable account - which is so far in the red with sin and disobedience - He took on Himself. He took all those accounts full of sin to the cross. And there, on that wretched tree of pain, Jesus paid for them in FULL with His own precious blood. What were those last words Jesus Spoke from the cross? "It is finished." But He may as well have said, "You are the winner!" because that's what it means. When Jesus' agony was over, the last bit of torture endured and the last sin paid for, that's when you victory was locked in. In Christ, you are guaranteed first place - total victory - in your race of life. And what a victory it is! Olympic athletes run; "...to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown." Our victory crown isn't like the laurel wreath that Greek champions wore; it faded and withered up eventually. The crown Jesus earned for us is nothing less than eternal life. It's a crown of everlasting glory and happiness that we can go on rejoicing in for endless ages with our Savior in heaven. Can we possibly lose the race? Not a chance. Paul says in Romans 8:38-39; "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." So run with confidence. In Christ, there's no way you can lose! In our text, Paul sets an example for running the confident Christian race; "Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight; not as one who beats the air." Let the fruits of your Christian faith come boldly to the surface in your life. You're not running an uncertain race, so let your family and your friends know that Christ has made you a winner! With your devotion to God's Word, your church attendance, your giving - let your confidence in Christ shine through. In your daily struggles with the flesh, you're not just shadow-boxing - Christ gives you the power to throw a knock-out punch. Show the people around you that it can be done! Show them that, in the middle of this sin-swept world, you are one person at least who won't let yourself become a slave to the flesh. Your lifestyle, your behavior, your conversation.. may be just the evidence it takes to convince someone close to you that there really is something to this Christian faith, after all! Jesus said in Matthew 5:16; "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Yes, you are running for your life - you're eternal life! The race is demanding, but victory is assured. So run with confidence!
	AMEN.
	Close