Racing Toward the Goal

This is a sermon that is based on Philippians 3:13-14 and other Scriptures. The message emphasizes the necessity for Christian believers to keep trusting Christ and serving Him with endurance until the end of life, much like an athlete must run the race until he reaches the goal. A video recording of the worship service in which this sermon was presented can be viewed by clicking here.

Written Excerpts:

Introduction: One common characteristic between modern times and the New Testament era was the importance of sports. Some writers tell us that sports played an important part in the Greek and Roman ideal of beauty and goodness. They believed that there must be a perfect balance between the training of the body and the training of the mind. Thus, their athletic training facilities were also centers of learning or intellectual training. However, as you may have read before, the sports “craze” degenerated over time. Blood-thirsty crowds became drunk on entertainment, and the “sports” became more and more brutal.

While Paul and other writers of Scripture do not seem to write as avid sports fans, yet they employed a fair amount of athletic language and analogies when writing about the Christian life. This obviously would have had a certain amount of appeal and relevance to the ordinary citizen. The readers of their letters would definitely have a knowledge of the common athletic games so that they could understand the analogies used by the biblical authors.

There are three basic games or sports that are referred to in the New Testament as analogous to the Christian life. They were: racing, boxing, and wrestling. Racing primarily referred to those who were “racing” toward the finish line which was “heaven.” Boxing was sometimes used to describe one’s discipline of self in order to “fight well.” Wrestling referred to the Christian’s fight with the forces of sin and darkness all around us. In this message I want to focus on the analogy of racing. (Foot racing, not stock car racing, or drag racing!! Not even chariot racing.)

In the passage of Scripture that I selected in Philippians, the word “race” is NOT used by the Apostle Paul, but the commentaries I consulted indicated that a race was in the author’s mind.

Lenski, in his commentary, tells us "Prize" [v. 14] is derived from the Greek word for umpire … who bestows the prize at the end of the race….
(R. C. H. Lenski, Lenski New Testament Commentary, Augsburg Publishing House, 1961)

Tyndale NT Commentary & Lenski – “… the goal (Gk. skopon) is a noun the means something you have/keep your eyes on. The verb form (Gk. skopein) means “to watch” or “to look.”

These word meanings would seem to indicate that Paul is referring to a race even though the word race isn’t used here.

What are some characteristics of this kind of race that Paul and other NT authors speak about?

I.          The race requires perseverance.

Heb. 12:1 (NKJV) “…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….”

This race is not a sprint, it is a marathon. This race is not for the purpose of seeing who can get to the finish line first, but who can endure to the end. It’s not just the first one who gets the prize, but everyone who makes it to the finish line wins the prize. The emphasis on “run with endurance” shows that perseverance is required. There are plenty of reasons (excuses) that people give up the race and never finish. They give up their faith and stop practicing its teachings because they got distracted or discouraged.

When Paul says in Philippians, “I press toward the mark/goal,” the word “press” is in the verb tense denoting continuous action and is also translated as, “I am chasing/pursuing…” There’s always more race to go until Christ calls us home. Sometimes people get bitter over some mistreatment, or some tragedy and they turn away from God.

James 1: ¹²Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Life is full of disappointments, tragedies, hardships, fears, and heartaches, but we cannot allow any of those things stop us from running the race of faith. We must keep trusting and serving the Lord until we reach the finish line.

II.        The race requires ones’ full attention.

(NLT) Php. 3:13-14 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.

In order to faithfully and successfully run this race I must NOT allow myself to become distracted. I cannot allow the successes or the failures of the past to distract me from the road that is ahead. Paul says, “forgetting the past” or “forgetting those things which are behind…” I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to over the years of my ministry who are hung up on things that happened years/decades ago.

Forgiveness – “giving up all hope for a better past.” God forgives us, we need to forgive too.

I mentioned earlier that the word “goal” (NKJV) or “mark” (KJV), is a word that means something you keep watching or keep your eyes on. The writer of Hebrews tells it like this, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith….” We must keep our focus on Him. We dare not get sidetracked by the things that clamor for our attention.

Acts 20: 24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

What are the “things” that Paul is talking about? Well, verse 19 refers to “tears and trials.” Verse 23 speaks of “chains and tribulations await me.” Paul is not going to allow the fears of what may happen to distract him from running his race and finishing the work that God has given him to do.

 III.       The race requires self discipline.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ^(NKJV) 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 (KJV, a castaway – six times in NT).

(v.25) “temperate” – self controlled

(v.27) “discipline”; KJV, “keep under” my body – lit. to hit/strike in the face

“bring into subjection” – lit. to enslave; “cause to live the life of a slave” (TDNT)

Here the Apostle is expressing the fact that anyone that is serious about competing and completing this race must do whatever is necessary to make it. That includes removing all obstacles and hindrances.

Jesus: “If your hand, foot, eye offend you…”

It takes self discipline for a runner to train his body to endure the rigors of the race. There are some fineries and pleasantries of life that are put aside in order to stay fit and healthy.

Heb. 12:1 emphasized the need to get rid of “every weight” and “the sin that so easily besets us.” The Christian race is not a “cake-walk” to heaven.

In his hymn “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?” Isaac Watts asks this question in v. 2:

Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease

While others fought to win the prize and sailed through bloody seas?

The answer comes in v. 4:

Sure, I must fight if I would reign; increase my courage, Lord!

I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain, supported by Thy Word.

IV.       The race includes a prize.

In the original passage I mentioned earlier (Php. 3:14), Paul says, “I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call…”

2 Tim. 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

See James 1:12 again – “… the man that endures… shall receive the crown of life…”

This “crown” that James (and others) refer to is most likely a reference to the wreath that the Olympic runners received at the end of the race. Here he is making a comparison to the reward that each believer will receive when we finish the race and have endured all of the tests and trials of the marathon, we call life.

(NIV) 2 Peter 1:10-11 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, ¹¹and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

1 Cor. 9: 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.

Rev. 2:10b – “be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

The person who finishes life’s race with his faith still intact and his confidence only in the blood of Jesus Christ will receive the crown of life. Someday, each one of us will personally finish this race and the reward will be eternal life with our Savior and Lord, the holy Son of God. To successfully finish the race of faith will be worth it all!

Closing Song: Be Strong In the Lord