For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Ezr 7:10
God's Olympians
Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. (2 Timothy 2:5 NASB).
The Olympics is well-known for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the stunning achievements of all who have competed according to the rules and earned rewards for victories achieved —All of it parallels our journey of Faith with Jesus.
Just like the outstanding athletes who amaze us by their discipline, dedication, and determination — as Christians we should also give Christ an Olympian commitment that move others just as much by the excellence and splendor of our efforts.
Paul used the Olympic Games to illustrate how practical the life of the believer should be. Regardless of how skilled the athletes were, they had to abide by the rules of the game. If they won the race by braking the rules, they were disqualified. Christians are God’s running team, racing toward their set God given goals. (see Philippians3:12-14). It takes [1] discipline, [2] dedication, and [3] direction for an athlete to be a winner, and it takes these same qualities to produce a winning Christian life. There must be teamwork in the local church. “Labored with me” in Philippians 4:3 literally means “were teammates with me.”
When Paul wrote about the athlete who competes, the word he used literally means "to be a champion" — one who has defeated all opponents. As followers of Jesus we are called to conduct ourselves as champions, to stand in the power given to us in Christ and defeat anything that tries to make us less than what God wants us to be. I will point out the five facts about our role as members on God’s Olympic Team.
Fact #1 — There is a Contest We Struggle In - Luke 13:24
"Exert every effort [work hard]to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. (Luke 13:24 NET).
As Champions, we must [a] throw away anything that would hold us back; [b] triumph over any obstacle which seeks to pull us down; and [c] fight through any difficulty which seeks to deny us from accomplishing our goal. There is no such thing as cruise control in our journey to glory.
We are in pursuit of things that require our every step to be contested, thus making our progress a matter of unrelenting determination. No one will float into heaven, sipping a drink, eating grapes and strumming a harp.
The contest we struggle in is a pursuit for supremacy and victory. [a] Love over hatred, [b] Faith over suspicion, [c] Hope over despair, [d] Truth over deceit, [e] Freedom over bondage, [f] Joy over sorrow, and [g] Life over death.
Jesus has won the victory and offers it to each person who follows Him. But to possess it, you've got to want it bad enough to contend for it.
As followers of Jesus we are called to conduct ourselves as champions by standing in the power Christ gave us to defeat anything that tries to make us less than what God wants us to be.
Fact #2 — There is an Opponent We Contend Against
1 Pet. 5:8 says, Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Peter, who wrote these words so long ago, knew exactly what he was talking about. Jesus once told him, "Peter, the devil has desired to have you, that he might sift you as wheat." It was one of the worst ordeals of Peter's life — but Jesus brought him through it.
There is an opponent against which we contend, and we in our own strength are no match for him. But we must remeber that "Greater is He who is in you, than he that is in the world.
Because our opponent is subtle; we must walk in wisdom. Because our opponent is deceitful; we must walk in the truth. Because our opponent is arrogant; we must walk in humility. And all heaven cheers us on as we engage in this epic contest.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us, 2 keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. (Hebrews 12:1-3 NET).
Fact #3 — There is a Goal We Press Toward
Train yourself for godliness. 8 For "physical exercise has some value, but godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and for the life to come." (I Timothy 4:7-8 NET).
Train yourself to be godly. The word train means "to exercise naked" — as the early Greek athletes did. The idea here is the removal of any impediment as well as the disrobing of all pretense. Notice also that he places the emphasis on personal responsibility — train yourself. Far too many in today's world are living like bottom feeders in a pond, waiting for the farmer to dole out the day's portion of grub.
Life's best and highest moments are for those who show initiative in the things that truly matter. Train yourself.
And then he gives us the object of our training — to be godly. In other words, to become like Jesus. Not imitation, but indwelling; Christ in us, making Himself known through us. You don't need to ask, "What would Jesus do?" — and then try to do it yourself. No; rather yield your life to the Lord in every situation so that He Himself can do what He does through you. That's the goal.
As Champions, we press on with relentless intensity toward the goal of becoming like Christ in our Character, our Conduct and our Conversation. For such a life holds great promise not only for the time we spend here on earth, but also deep into eternity as well.
Fact #4 — There is a Strategy We Advance By
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that — whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent — I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel, 8 and by not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. (Philippians 1:27 NET).
On a personal level each one of us is required to conduct ourselves in such a way that it brings honor to the name and cause of Christ. It is a regrettable thing when one who professes to follow Jesus behaves in a way that dishonors His name and brings reproach on all other believers. We each take a hit when someone on our Team compromises and falls.
The phrase, "contending as one man", literally means team athletics — each person finding where he or she fits, and then doing their part to insure the victory for the whole Team.
"Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Something happens when a team comes together; the combined efforts of the many actually raise the ability of the individual. You can go further and faster with others than you could ever go on your on.
As Champions, we skillfully advance against our opponent by working together with one another, thereby compounding our abilities and efforts — as well as our results. The question each of us must ask ourselves is:
Am I a team player?
Fact #5 — There is a Way We Win
Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me. (Colossians 1:29 NET)
As we have already seen, the life we have with Jesus is not about imitation — it's about indwelling. In other words, Christ being Himself in and through us in the area of our influence; empowering us by His Spirit to do His will and achieve His purposes. That's the secret which has been made known — "Christ in you, the hope of Glory."
Jesus said,"Without Me, you can do nothing"(John 15:5). Now, there are always those who try to help the Lord out by doing things for Him — things He never asked them to do. A lot of our religious passion falls into this category, and eventually becomes the wood, hay, and stubble that gets burned up just before we enter the Pearly Gates.
As Champions, we must acknowledge the authority and power of Jesus Christ by submitting our lives to His Lordship so that we may find the strength of character to overcome all opponents. And as we discover the wonder of His indwelling Spirit we can cry out in the words of the Apostle Paul: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" (Phil4:13). This way He gets all the glory.
Let me sum it up this way — half-hearted contenders never make it to the championship level. They give up somewhere along the way because of the various difficulties they encounter.
They lack that inner quality of character that drives true champions to excellence and to victory.
As God’s Olympians, we must remember there is [a] a contest we struggle in, [b] an opponent we contend against, [c] a goal we press toward, [d] a strategy we advance by, and [e] a way we win. Each of us must decide the extent to which we are willing to go to show ourselves as true men and women of God, as champions in a world of quitters.
See You at the Finish Line!
As Champions, we press on with relentless intensity toward the goal of becoming like Christ in our Character, our Conduct and our Conversation. For such a life holds great promise not only for the time we spend here on earth, but also deep into eternity as well.
Fact #4 — There is a Strategy We Advance By
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that — whether I come and see you or whether I remain absent — I should hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, by contending side by side for the faith of the gospel, 8 and by not being intimidated in any way by your opponents. (Philippians 1:27 NET).
On a personal level each one of us is required to conduct ourselves in such a way that it brings honor to the name and cause of Christ. It is a regrettable thing when one who professes to follow Jesus behaves in a way that dishonors His name and brings reproach on all other believers. We each take a hit when someone on our Team compromises and falls.
The phrase, "contending as one man", literally means team athletics — each person finding where he or she fits, and then doing their part to insure the victory for the whole Team.
"Two are better than one, because they have good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!"(Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Something happens when a team comes together; the combined efforts of the many actually raise the ability of the individual. You can go further and faster with others than you could ever go on your on.
As Champions, we skillfully advance against our opponent by working together with one another, thereby compounding our abilities and efforts — as well as our results. The question each of us must ask ourselves is:
Am I a team player?
Fact #5 — There is a Way We Win
Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me. (Colossians 1:29 NET)
As we have already seen, the life we have with Jesus is not about imitation — it's about indwelling. In other words, Christ being Himself in and through us in the area of our influence; empowering us by His Spirit to do His will and achieve His purposes. That's the secret which has been made known — "Christ in you, the hope of Glory."
Jesus said,"Without Me, you can do nothing"(John 15:5). Now, there are always those who try to help the Lord out by doing things for Him — things He never asked them to do. A lot of our religious passion falls into this category, and eventually becomes the wood, hay, and stubble that gets burned up just before we enter the Pearly Gates.
As Champions, we must acknowledge the authority and power of Jesus Christ by submitting our lives to His Lordship so that we may find the strength of character to overcome all opponents. And as we discover the wonder of His indwelling Spirit we can cry out in the words of the Apostle Paul: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" (Phil4:13). This way He gets all the glory.
Let me sum it up this way — half-hearted contenders never make it to the championship level. They give up somewhere along the way because of the various difficulties they encounter.
They lack that inner quality of character that drives true champions to excellence and to victory.
As God’s Olympians, we must remember there is [a] a contest we struggle in, [b] an opponent we contend against, [c] a goal we press toward, [d] a strategy we advance by, and [e] a way we win. Each of us must decide the extent to which we are willing to go to show ourselves as true men and women of God, as champions in a world of quitters.
See You at the Finish Line!
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2Ti 2:15
Glorifying the Triune God by creatively declaring the relevancy and practicality of His timeless Word..
Bible Studies
CBC - Truth For Living Class
Feb.21, 2010 Lesson
Feb.21, 2010 Lesson