20 August 2023 AM – 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 – Victory – Scott Childs
Introduction: In 2017, the Slovenian cyclist, Luka Pibernik, was competing in the Giro d’Italia. When he thought he crossed the finish line first, he raised his arms in triumph. Unfortunately, the race was not over. Another lap remained. His temporary relaxing caused him to fall back into 148th position and lose the race.
As Christians, we are also in a race, and we must not relax our vigilance until we have truly crossed the finish line and entered glory. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, the Apostle Paul described how he ran the race to give us a godly example to follow. (Read text).
Transition: Let’s take a closer look at Paul’s game plan.
1. Paul knew the Vice of Sin
a. Paul compared Christian life to a race (v.24)
1) When you trusted Christ, you entered the Christian race. It is not a race against other humans. It is more of a race against your sinful self.
2) The goal of the race is to please and honour the Lord.
b. In life’s race, sin is our vice or hindrance.
1) Adam brought sin into the world. (Romans 5:12) “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:“
2) We were born with a rebellious sin nature. (Psalms 51:5) “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.“
3) Satan, our spiritual enemy, actively promotes sin. (1 Peter 5:8) “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:“
4) Sin trips us, slows us down, distracts us, detours us, clogs our hearts, etc.
5) Sin is subtle (difficult to detect) [Eve], deceptive (looks okay at first), selfish (pleases our appetites), enticing (it lures like bait), rebellious (it wilfully sides against God), disobedient (it refuses to obey), pleasurable (it is enjoyable for a time).
6) Sin takes on many specific forms, like, lying, cheating, stealing, swearing, adultery, fornication, anger, gossip, rebellion, hate, bitterness, coveting, lust, addictions, pornography, laziness, idolatry, etc.
7) Sin is any word or action that opposes the pure, holy, righteous character or word of God. If our pure, holy, righteous God would not do it, it is sin.
8) Satan wants us to excuse our sin, sugar-coat our sin, call our sin by another name (mistake, error, just the way I am, etc.). Is there a sin in your private life (something Jesus would not do) that you excuse or justify? If so, call it what God calls it – sin! I must do the same!
2. Paul Feared the Venom of Sin
a. The serpent’s lie to Eve dripped with venom.
1) Satan, working through the serpent, lied to Eve. He deceived her into eating the forbidden fruit.
2) He did not tell her that his lie was full of deadly venom – Her sinful disobedience would lead to death.
b. The Bible gives us many examples of sin’s venom.
1) Achan: death of him and his family
2) Lot: lost all that he had, including his family
3) Gehazi: leprosy
4) Solomon: idolatry, corrupted the nation
5) Jezebel: eaten by dogs
6) Jonah: 3 days in a fish
7) Peter: denied Christ and wept bitterly
8) Ananias and Sapphira: death
c. Paul did not want to be a castaway (v.27)
1) Paul understood the venom of sin. He so feared sin that he went to drastic measures to prevent being castaway. The word Paul used here speaks of not standing the test, not being approved, being unfit, or being reprobate. It was used of coins that were not genuine.
2) As Paul ran his spiritual race, he kept his eyes on the goal of pleasing Christ and his heart on the dread of being disqualified by sin.
3) The venom of sin leads to death, (James 1:15) “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.“
4) Sin pollutes the heart, (Psalms 51:10) “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.“
5) Sin robs of joy, (Psalms 51:12) “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.“
6) Our sin produces guilt, (Psalms 32:3-4) “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.“
7) Sin hinders prayer, (Psalms 66:18) “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” (Isaiah 59:1-2) “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.“
8) We must not think that our sin is an exception. Every sin always drips with the venom of the old serpent. God’s warning to Israel still rings true today. (Numbers 32:23) “… behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out.“
9) When you can honestly say, “If God’s against it, so am I”, then you are heading for victory.
3. Paul Pressed Toward Victory over Sin
a. Paul knew what he must do to be victorious
1) He admitted his own weaknesses (context). He was honest with himself and God. This was David’s first step to victory (Psalms 51:1-3) “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.“
2) He was determined to win, (v.24).
3) He practised daily temperance (self-control), (v.25).
4) He kept under his body, (v.27). The word he used means to beat black and blue. The idea of this is to completely subdue. He pushed himself to harsh discipline. Paul was saying, “I am NOT going to let my body do as it pleases.”
5) He forced his body into severe subjection (v.27). This term pictures a slave-driver. When tempted to sin, he treated his body as a slave i.e. with severity, and subjected it to stern and rigid discipline.
6) Paul so desperately longed to please God with his life that he went to extreme measures to be victorious over sin.
b. Christ can give victory over ANY sin.
1) Playing with sin is like playing with a deadly snake; eventually it will inject you with its deadly venom.
2) Victory begins when you stop sugar-coating your sin and agree with God that it is a filthy, wicked sin for which Christ died. Excuses like, “I just can’t help it”, “I need the release”, “It is just the way I am”, are all lies of the devil.
3) The reason that people have sex outside of marriage, cheat on their spouse, become sexually abusive, look at porn, or do any other sin is because they have not kept their bodies (and minds) in disciplined spiritual health.
4) The reason that people cannot get victory over addictions is the same. They have not followed Paul’s example (1Co 9:24-27).
5) We cannot expect God to give us victory if we refuse to do our part. When we do our part, we can then run to God for help and follow His Victory Steps (James 4:7-10).
Conclusion: If you are a Christian, you are in a spiritual race. Your goal must be to please God in all that you do. You do NOT want to be a castaway, disqualified runner when you stand before Christ. If there is a sin in your life over which you need victory, you need to follow Paul’s example and get tough on your sinful body. God will help you gain the victory, but you must do your part. It often helps to humble ourselves and ask him or her to hold us accountable. If I can be of help, let me know. If you are not yet saved, victory begins with salvation in Christ.
