WILL YOU BE APPROVED ON THAT DAY?

Keith R. Krell

Several years ago, I watched one of the greatest displays of strength and endurance I’ve ever seen. The location was Las Vegas. The setting: Caesar's Palace. The event: Donovan "Razor" Ruddock vs. "Iron" Mike Tyson in a scheduled 12-round championship bout. This was a much-anticipated fight because it was the rematch that followed their highly controversial bout. In their previous brawl, the referee stopped the fight because Tyson was pummeling Ruddock. Those of you who have witnessed Iron Mike fight in his heyday can imagine what was taking place.

Well, in the rematch, Ruddock was out to prove that he deserved another chance. Ruddock and Tyson were pretty evenly matched in the first 3-rounds, but in the 4th-round, Ruddock received a broken jaw, compliments of a few Tyson punches. Most people expected him to favor his jaw and fight soft, but not Ruddock. He came out fighting round after round against the world's greatest fighter and most devastating puncher. He fought 8 more rounds after the broken jaw and actually finished the fight stronger than he began! The fight went the scheduled 12-rounds and Tyson won by the judges decision.

Although Mike Tyson won this fight, I believe the real winner was "Razor" Ruddock. Why? Because he endured to the final bell and finished well. He overcame many obstacles and saved his best fighting for the last rounds. This morning, I want to encourage each one of us to be a Razor Ruddock. This will require: (1) Enduring to the end and (2) Finishing well.

This brings up the questions: "Why is endurance so important?" "Isn't my perseverance guaranteed?" "Surely, I don’t have anything to worry about, do I?" Well, if we are to take seriously the numerous warnings and exhortations that are presented in the NT, we had better consider the possibility that our endurance is not so certain. While our salvation is quite certain and totally secure, our success in our Christian lives and ministries are not. That is why the Scriptures teach that LIVING FOR GOD’S APPROVAL REQUIRES FINISHING WELL. This morning, I'd like to take us to Paul's famous words in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. In these four verses, Paul gives two training tips to help us LIVE FOR GOD'S APPROVAL BY FINISHING WELL. Training tip #1 is: "Run to win the Christian race." Training tip #2 is: "Run and fight with a focus on our future."

In the context of chapter nine, Paul lists his rights as an apostle in 9:1-14. In 9:15-23, he then shares his decision to limit his rights for the sake of ministry. In 9:15, Paul makes it clear that he has not used any of the privileges permitted him as an apostle. Instead, he has literally bent over backwards for the sake of the Corinthian church. Paul made many tremendous sacrifices, one of them being, he took no remuneration from the people of Corinth. Although this was a great sacrifice, Paul knew he would not go unrewarded. So what did he do? He pulled out all the stops! 9:19-23 tells us that He went to any, every, and all lengths to win more unbelievers.

This leads us right into 9:24-27, where Paul then brings up some athletic imagery to paint a picture. Why does he use athletics? While it is certainly possible that Paul was an athlete, it seems evident from the context that he was becoming all things to all men that he may save some. Paul simply wanted the Corinthians to catch his point and follow his soul-winning example. And no doubt, his audience would have definitely identified with his use of imagery. Athletic contests were very common in the Greek world. Every 2-years, Corinth held the legendary Isthmian games. These games, are to this day, still considered second only to the Olympics.

Therefore, in these four verses, Paul wisely uses athletic imagery to coach the Corinthians in adopting his two training tips. In 9:24-25, Paul gives his first training tip: "Run to win the Christian race" (READ). Notice how Paul begins this section. He writes, "Do you not know?" Paul uses this phrase again and again in his letters and it means "knowledge of a well known fact." When he says, "Do you not know. . ." it is because they DO know. Normally he uses the phrase because he has taught them so well, but in this case he is referring to the Isthmian games. Since everyone in the entire city of Corinth was familiar with these games, Paul uses the world of sports (like any wise preacher does). Paul’s point is unmistakable: whatever makes a winning athlete will make a winning Christian. If we were as committed in our walk with God as we are to golf or bowling or hunting and fishing we will do well in the Christian life.

In 9:24, Paul goes so far as to hold out the goal of winning "the prize." The word translated "prize" (brabeion) is very significant because it always refers to something earned. So Paul is not referring to salvation but to rewards. At this point, some of you may be tempted to think, well I don’t care much about rewards. I just want to make it to heaven. Without going into great detail, let me just say this: one day, you will care. I can promise you that when you stand before Jesus Christ in your glorified body and see Him as He really is, you will care. On that Day, your greatest yearning will be to hear Jesus say, "Well done."

If you are a believer this morning, you are enrolled in the race. So as long as you are in the race, run to win. Not just to finish. But to win. If you find yourself behind in the race, don’t give up. Keep on running. You can still win. Don’t quit. I don't care how far behind you think you are, you can still come back and win. God would never say to every believer, "Run to win," if every believer did not have a chance to win. When Paul says, "Run," (tre,cete) he uses an

Imperative-a command. His words come with binding force upon our lives. This is not an apostolic "suggestion," nor a divine "opinion." It is God speaking directly to us. He is saying, "Run! Don’t walk. Don’t stop. Don’t sit down. Run because you can still win!"

Let’s consider someone in the Bible, someone who fell behind in the race, but made a comeback. Let’s look at Simon Peter. During the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Peter was sprinting along in God’s race. He was the unquestioned leader of the 12. So quick to forsake all for Christ. So ready to defend Christ. So committed to the race. Then-boom! Simon Peter tripped and stumbled.

One the night of our Lord’s arrest, he fell head first, flat on his face. Peter out-and-out denied the Lord Jesus three times. This is about as off track as you can get! Talk about falling behind in the race. Peter had crashed and burned! It was so bad for Peter that he left the Lord’s work and went back to his fishing business. But Jesus came to Peter, met him where he was at, and gave him another chance.

Now cloaked with humility, Peter made a recommitment to win God’s crown. He drove down a stake and purposed from this point forward, "I am going to run to win again." Did God honor his recommitment? You bet He did! Peter became the great preacher of Pentecost. The pillar of the early Church. The author of two NT books. I would say that’s quite a comeback. He went from small to great. From a loser to a winner.

Now if Peter can come back after denying Christ, so can you and I. As long as there is the grace of God, we are not out of it. There is still enough time on the scoreboard to pull out a victory. But it must begin here, with making a definite recommitment to get back in the race and win.

Let’s pause for just a moment. Where are you in your spiritual life? Have you lost your spiritual passion? Has your life gotten off track? Have you not been walking with the Lord? I want to urge you this morning to repent--to change your mind, turn things around, and get back in the race to win. You can do it! You can still win!

But this will require us to relinquish control of our lives to God. In v 25, Paul writes that everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. The word translated "competes in the games" is the Greek word agonizomai. We get our word "agony" or "agonize" from it. Paul reminds us that if one is to be a successful athlete, there is a price to be paid.

This past Monday evening, while I meditated on this message, I also enjoyed the UT vs FSU Fiesta Bowl. As I watched these incredible athletes, it dawned on me: these men have been working their tails off for years. These athletes run windsprints and life weights year round. Every August, they are out on the gridiron sweating under the hot sun. Clad in heavy clothes, padding, and a helmet, their faces grimace in agony and exhaustion. If they did this because their lives were threatened we might understand. What is difficult for some of us to grasp is that they do this voluntarily. All for a trophy that will be kept in a glass case and soon be forgotten in this life, and most assuredly in the next. They voluntarily want to play, and they will torture themselves in order to win.

Now that Paul has won the attention of his audience, he makes his move from the "secular" to the "spiritual." Paul says, Christians will also receive a reward if they, like an Olympic athlete, are willing to sacrificially "Run to win the Christian race." Not only are we to "Run to win the Christian race," in our second training tip Paul tells us in 9:26-27 that we are to "Run and fight with a focus on our future" (READ). In 9:26, Paul states that he "runs in such a way as not without aim." With this statement, he emphasizes the importance of running with our focus on our future, not aimlessly.

He then says: "I discipline my body." Here, Paul uses a technical Greek athletic term for what we today might call a "knockout." The word translated "discipline," (hupwpiazw) literally means "to strike under the eye, or give a black eye to."

Paul was emphasizing the importance of disciplining his own body, so that he would not deal himself a black eye of disqualification. Paul was not attempting to demonstrate false humility here. Paul simply recognizes his own potential for failure.

His former days of being a pious, legalistic Pharisee were long over and he had quickly become a very down-to-earth realist who was all too familiar with his flesh. Therefore, he was frightened at the all too real possibility of not finishing his race and fight well. That is why he emphasized that LIVING FOR GOD'S APPROVAL REQUIRES FINISHING WELL.

What is both amazing and ironic is if there was anyone who could be depended upon, it was the apostle Paul. Paul was a man of tremendous discipline, devotion, sacrifice, and self-control. He was an extremely spiritual man who had dedicated his life to instructing others in the rules of the Christian contest. Paul was a man who could be counted on, and yet he was still aware of the potential for failure. And what a failure it would be: That Paul should be disqualified from the prize for failing to keep the rules he taught others.

An important question that must be addressed is: When Paul envisioned this "disqualification," what did he have in mind? The word translated "disqualified" is the Greek word adokimos. The letter a in adokimos is known in Greek grammar as the alpha privative, which gives the word the opposite meaning. Dokimos means "tested, and approved." Therefore, not to pass the test is to be adokimos. Its means "not standing the test, disapproved."

Paul’s fear of being disqualified was not that he might lose his salvation, but that he might suffer loss through failing to satisfy his Lord (1 Cor. 3:15). Paul looked upon Christian service as a race and a boxing match (the two most accurate analogies conceivable). Paul was not seeking to assure his entrance into heaven through his perseverance in the ministry. Instead, Paul wanted to build up for himself a heavenly inheritance. He was after the crown of rejoicing, or exultation (Phil. 4:1; 1 Thes. 2:19-20). Paul wanted to make absolutely certain all his labor and suffering paid off, both in time and in eternity. He had invested far too much only to find out at the Judgment Seat of Christ that he had been disqualified for not finishing well. There is no contradiction here. Strange as it may seem, the very same man who spent more time than any other NT writer teaching that we are eternally saved by Christ's imputed righteousness also said that Christians will have to give an account for deeds done in the body, good and bad (2 Cor. 5:10). Paul makes it clear that believers will never come under God's judgment regarding where they will spend eternity, but that Jesus Christ will examine the stewardship of our lives as members of His family.

Therefore, Paul's ultimate goal was the approval of Christ. As Paul's death was quickly approaching, he had these words for young Timothy (READ 2 Tim. 4:7-8). Paul finished his course because he kept his eyes fixed on the prize. He knew who he was as a man, yet he also was a man who knew who his God was. With a proper recognition of the reality of disapproval, Paul pressed on so that he would live and finish his life worthy of his calling.

For athletes, that testing comes not at the start when the body is fresh, but toward the end of the contest, when muscles are aching and the mind is tired. The same is true for many of us. When the starting gun sounds at our graduation, enthusiasm and confidence are often high; but after many years and miles, weariness and the grind of sin can cause our strength to lag and our faith to collapse. Paul however determined to make it to the finish line, to fight until the final bell, and to end his life strong in the Lord.

The timekeepers were stunned, they could hardly believe their eye-9.79 seconds. A world record! Ben Johnson, the Canadian sprinter had just eclipsed all previous standards. Carl Lewis finished a distant 9.92, still his personal best and the American record. Carl Lewis walked over to Johnson, standing at the edge of the track and shook his hand. He had been blown away by the fastest sprint in human history. On the victory stand, Ben Johnson was presented the Olympic gold medal and officially recognized as the fastest human--ever! He alone stood atop the athletic world. No one faster. No one stronger. No one greater. Until. . .the random drug test found Ben Johnson guilty of using anabolic steroids!

You see, there are two ways to be disqualified: One way is by not running the race according to the rules and the other is by not finishing, by quitting to soon. See, you should never get excited about how somebody starts off, because God measures your Christian life by how you finish. Some people start slow, but finish well. Others burst out of the starting blocks, but then fade fast and never finish well.

Paul had some friends like that. Hymenaeus and Alexander were two of them. They "shipwrecked" their faith. Another was Demas who left Paul for this present world. These men started out well, but faded. But Mark, whom Paul mentions in 2 Timothy 4:11, started out a little shaky, but ended quite well. While Paul's friends had periods of success, not all of them finished well. One day, when these men stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, they will be experience either great reward or loss of reward.

Almost six years ago, I had the privilege of going out to lunch with two of the greatest men of God of our day, Howard Hendricks and my former professor, John Wecks. As we sat in the Old Country Buffet, Dr. Wecks said "Prof, you have impacted countless lives and have remained true to your family, your seminary, and your God. Men like you are exceptionally rare these days. I praise God for you and your impact on my own life." As I sat silently, admiring these two great men, I’ll never forget what transpired. Prof. Hendricks looked deeply into Dr. Wecks’ eyes, and tenderly said, "John, just pray that I finish well."

There is a not so distant day coming when every believer will stand before Jesus Christ and give an account of his/her life. On that day, will your Christian life and service be approved? Or will you stand in the presence of incomprehensible holiness and feel shame and remorse? My prayer is that the Lord Jesus Christ will look deeply into your eyes and say to you, "My son, my daughter you finished well!" My challenge for all of us today is that LIVING FOR GOD'S APPROVAL REQUIRES FINISHING WELL.

Keith R. Krell

Introduction:

The great New York Yankees’ catcher, Yogi Berra, once said: "It ain't over ‘till it’s over." Whether we’re talking baseball or track and field, Yogi Berra was right. It matters little to have the lead at the beginning of a race because a race is won at the finish line, not at the starting blocks. This is true not only in the sports’ world but also in the spiritual world. The Christian life is not a 100-yard dash; it is a marathon.

How can we sustain our faith for the duration of our earthly lives? Paul gives us the answer: run, fight, and beat (1 Cor. 9:24-27). One word defines it best: discipline (1 Cor. 9:27).

Review:

In this particular passage (1 Cor. 9:24-27) Paul was conscious of the possibility of being disapproved both in time (the present on earth) and in eternity (the future in heaven). He was aware of the potential of his own life being cut short by the disciplinary disapproval of God. Paul cited three cases of this: (1) God's past discipline of the nation Israel (10:1-10); (2) God's present discipline of the Corinthians (11:30-32); and (3) God's immediate future discipline of the brother who was indulging in immorality with his stepmother (5:1-5). Each of these are examples of discipline in time.

Since Paul knew he would have to give an account of his life one-day, he also recognized the danger of losing eternal rewards. This is an expression of God’s discipline that affects us in eternity.

It is a godly dose of realism and humility that separates excellent men and women of God from good men and women of God. Without the grace of God, none of us would ever have a chance of being approved in time or eternity. Being a disciple of Christ can require blood, sweat, and tears, but we must always remember it is the grace of God that empowers us to live a victorious, faithful life.

Whenever anyone praises Howard Hendricks, he is known to respond with: "Please, just pray that I finish well!" That is my desire. Is it yours?

Keith R. Krell

Expand: (Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

Paul uses three important words in this chapter: one is the word brabrion that is translated "prize" in verse 24. It is only used one other place in Scripture: Philippians 3:14: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Another important word is stephanon, which is translated "crown" ("wreath," NASB) in verse 25. It also appears in James 1:12b: "the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." In 1 Peter 5:4: "And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory." In Revelation 2:10b: "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." And in Revelation 3:11: "I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown."

The third important word in this text is misthos. It is translated "reward" in verses 17-18. It is used twenty-eight times in the New Testament (fifteen times by Jesus). In Revelation 22:12, Jesus promises "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." The Apostle John also writes: "Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward." (2 John 8)

Conclusion:

Below you will find principles followed by applications. I use these biblical principles and applications to motivate and challenge me to live every day as if it’s my last. This mentality will help you to live your life with the Judgment Seat of Christ always in view. Please consider the following verses for your HUB group study.

Believers will have to give an account of their lives one day (Rom. 14:10-12; 2 Cor. 5:9-10).

Believers will be judged according to their faithfulness (Matt. 25:14-30; 2 Tim. 2:11-13).

No believer is above the potential for failure (Col. 2:18; 1 Tim. 6:10-12; 1 John 2:24-28).

Approval requires great sacrifice and determination (Heb. 3:12; 4:1; 10:32-39; 1 Pet. 1:6-7).

Approval is worth the temporal sacrifice (Matt. 6:19-21; 19:27-30; 25:21; 2 Pet. 1:10-11).

I will renew my commitment to run my race with enthusiasm and endurance.

I will exercise self-control in this area of my life __________________________________.

I will focus my thoughts and intentions on the eternal.

I will _____________________________________________________________________.

I will _____________________________________________________________________.

Keith R. Krell

Minister of Outreach & Care
Suburban Christian Church
Corvallis, OR