July 28, 2024 Traditional | On Track: Discipline

Good morning, everybody. We are wrapping up our

series on track today, and I'm gonna begin

by reading 1 of the verses of our

scripture, first Corinthians chapter 9 versus

1 Corinthians 9 · chapter mention

24 to 27. I'm gonna read first 24

now, and then we'll come back and read

some more a bit later. Listen friends for

the word of God as it is proclaimed

by God's servant.

The apostle Paul.

Do you not know

that in erase, the runners

all compete, but only 1

receives the prize, the

run in such a way

that you may win it.

This is the word of God for the

people of God.

Thanks peter guy.

Paul's is coming right out and talking about

winning here at the beginning.

As we wrap up our July sermon series,

exploring some of the sports metaphors throughout scripture.

I wanna talk about a pretty significant,

sporting event that honestly, you may not know

very much about, in fact, in unless you're

a student of ancient Greece,

and how many of us are early students

I may... In Greece, this particular sporting event

is almost certainly not on your radar,

but it was a big deal in the

ancient Greek, and then Roman Worlds. It was

called the Espn games,

and they were a fixture of Greek and

Roman culture for almost a thousand years.

First held in 5 82 B,

according to legend, the Games were established by

Sis,

to honor the Sea god poseidon.

The espn games were held in the

spring of these second and fourth years of

the Olympia, which means that they were held

the year before the Olympics and the year

after

the Olympics.

Something called the Pi games were held in

the third year of the Olympics, which means

that there were games every single year

because the greeks were pretty enthusiastic about their

sports. And this tradition of the Games continued

until the fourth century ad. So they started

in 5 82 Bc, and they ran all

the way to the fourth century

Ad.

Now, the contest of the Espn games included

the Olympic sports,

plus a few others like Chariot Races, And

boxing and something called pan creation,

which was an ancient

equivalent of something akin to mixed martial arts

And the games were, popular for for many

centuries before the Romans emerged on the scene.

Now, eventually,

of course, the the Greeks fell to the

Romans. And for more than 200 years beginning

in 01:46.

Bc.

The Games were

displaced

because those Pesky Romans destroyed the city, which

had once hosted them

the Games

continued mind you because everybody loved them, but

they didn't return

to the Is for which they were named

until the... Early forties

Ad,

which brings me to the reason that we're

talking about them today.

This me games early were held on the

Is of cor,

which is the the narrow bit of land

that connects the mainland of greece in the

north with other area to the south, and

they resided there for more than 400 years

until the Romans destroyed ko in 01:46

Bc. They were then

displaced for 2 centuries.

But the Romans understood how important cor was

as both core cultural and economic hub, And

so Caesar himself actually had it rebuilt in

40 4BC,

and understanding the the cultural relevance of the

Games, which is something the romans we're good

at, understanding the cultural relevance of events,

they eventually moved them back to their home

on the Is, and they did that in

42 or 43

ad d.

That was about 7 or 8 years before

Paul founded the Christian church there.

After Paul left cor, to plant new churches

and new places, the Games

became a useful reference

for, meta metaphors in his writing to the

to church at Cor, which he did several

times, 2 letters of which

remain in our new testament.

This cultural

institution that had been a staple of life

in cor for hundreds of years in a

society that celebrated sports annually as a mark

of their life together, gave Paul for helpful

images to describe what it means to be

a follower of Jesus,

which continues to be our subject for today

as we can include our series

on track.

Throughout July, we've been reading various places in

scripture that use sports metaphors to describe the

life of faith We read from the letter

of the Hebrews talking about the importance of

perseverance.

We read from ec,

which tells us about the idea of e

anonymity,

and we read from the second letter to

of Timothy, which emphasizes

integrity.

Today, Paul is

referencing the

Games, which would have been central

to the the cultural identity of cor Christians

of the of the church to whom He

is writing, and he's emphasizing an idea that

is central to both athletes

and

disciples.

The idea of of discipline.

The disciplined life is a life of focus

and commitment and self control. It's a life,

dedicated something bigger than our own narrow wants

and interest.

Okay. Let's read the next

in first corinthians chapter 9, this is verse

1 Corinthians 9 · chapter mention

25.

Athletes

exercise self control in all things

They do it to receive a perishable wreath,

but we, an imp 1.

So there are 32 sports

represented in 20 24 Paris, summer Olympics from,

alphabetically speaking they go from aquatic, which include

swimming and diving and water polo and something

called artistic swimming.

And they go all the way through wrestling.

And there are the the Marquee sports that

we all know, like gymnastics and track field.

And then some fun ones that we may

be surprised are there, like, Bad admit and

hand ball. And I can only assume that

Pickle ball will be in a lineup.

Someday soon.

All of these sports

feature the finest,

the most accomplished athletes in the world. To

me, the most inspiring thing about the Olympics

is getting the chance to see these extraordinary

humans from all around the world showcasing their

very

unique skills,

in such a variety of endeavors. If you

had a chance to watch any of the

opening ceremonies on Friday, you saw the joy

and the, excitement of our shared humanity on

full display and the anticipation of of every

athlete

in the games.

Even with

the politics and the financial

distractions of in the potential negatives of such

a global event, the ancient history of such

athletic extra

makes them makes clear just how much they

they mean to us as human beings, and

the fact that the apostle Paul

lived in a culture that took such games

so seriously

connects us to his context in a a

very real, very unique and very authentic way.

Paul knew that and his audience knew then

just as we know now that the competitors

in these athletic

competition demand so much of themselves

and in order to participate, athletes,

exercise, self control in all things.

Paul said.

To be an athlete

at any level, but but especially at the

level of international competition

requires

discipline.

I think of Steph Curry,

1 of the stars of the Usa basketball

team and maybe the greatest jump shooter of

all time.

It's well documented that, he takes thousands of

shots, a week, hundreds of shots a day

year round, and he's done that for dick

aids in order to stay sharp. And if

you've ever watched him play, you know that

his his jump shot is a thing of

precision and creativity

and beauty. Aids

I think of Michael Phelps, the swim who

is the most decorated Olympia of all time.

In his career, he set 39 world records,

he won 28

Olympic metals, 23 of them were gold,

and he had to eat up to 12000

calories a day. To maintain his training regimen

when he was winning all of those metals,

and I don't care. I don't care how

much you like to eat. Consuming 12000

calories a day is a workout in and

of itself.

And I think of

of simone bile, perhaps the greatest calories Jim

missed of all time. There are 5 gymnastics

elements it's that are named after her, which

means that she is the first,

and in some cases the only person to

have done that particular move, so she's innovative

and incredibly

gifted

I mean, she's a legend, and she's a

marvel to watch because of her incredible ability

for sure, but also because of more work

than we can imagine.

She trains 6 or 7 hours a day,

6 days a week with only Sundays off,

and I affirm the Sundays off. Thing,

and that includes strength training and circuit training

and endurance training in addition to all the

specific

gymnastics training.

And those are 3 superstars,

kind of transcend figures. Those 3,

but we could talk about example after example

of the more than 10000

athletes from more than 200 countries who have

who have poured so much of themselves into

preparing, after for these Olympics. Now,

the training was not as sophisticated in the

first century as it is today. Of course.

Right? The science of sports has

advanced I me over the past half century,

of or so.

But the fundamental principle is

the same today as it was in the

biblical era, athletes,

exercise, self control

in all things.

Paul says.

For what, though,

in to what end

in pursuit

in pursuit of what goal.

In the Games, originally, the the prize was

well, makes me laugh every time I say,

it it was a a crown of dry,

wild celery.

And then it changed to a pine wreath

in the roman era, and,

Paul allude to it. These these athletes participate

for a a wreath.

Eventually, there was some monetary reward.

And, of course, there's always the glory of

winning.

But but then,

a vast majority of those who compete,

don't win anything at all.

They...

People are willing to put themselves through all

of that. For it for a crown of

leaves in the biblical context or a medal

of some variety with some notoriety for sure

in our modern context depending on the sport,

in a pursuit that lasts

at most for a few years

for just a small portion

of their lives.

But what about the eternal stuff?

That's what Paul's is asking in this reading.

What our faith offers is so much more

significant than earthly

prizes. I'm talking about Paul's talking about meaning

and a purpose and assurance,

and salvation.

If it's true

as Paul says,

and as the different biblical authors that we've

read in this series have said, which is

to say, if it's true what the bible

says or that what's required in sports can

teach us about what's required in faith,

then we should take serious

this call to discipline.

Alright. Let's finish the text just a couple

more versus

to finish up chapter 9 and our readings

for this series.

Paul says, so I do not

run aim.

Nor do I box as though beating the

air.

But I punish my body and enslave it

so that after proclaiming to others,

I myself

should not be disqualified.

Now having chosen this text to I feel

like I need to clarify something about that

last verse. I

I punish my body and enslave it

is honestly a little more

it sounds a little more dismal. And English

then Paul meant it in Greek. And Paul's

theology,

and it's particularly clear in his letter of

the Romans, all us. All human beings are

either

slaves to, and that's the word he uses

slaves to Christ,

us or slaves to sin. All of us

are slaves to 1 or the other,

it's our choice, which 1 were slaves too,

The whole point of grace and mercy is

that it delivers us from captivity to sin

from captivity,

slavery to sin.

And so the the English word is problematic

for sure,

given the centuries of history since Paul's ministry.

But it's a good thing to be subject

to the grace and and love of God.

His basic premise.

Is true even though the language of slavery

is not the most helpful in my opinion.

And then the the Greek word that our

translation interprets as punish

actually means to exhaust.

And so what Paul is saying here is

that his energy, his effort, his his discipline

is spent

intentionally

pursuing his relationship.

With god, which, of course is the whole

point of the faithful life.

In those 2 verses we just read here

at the end,

to me, his his most... His more helpful

verse is the 1 who uses first in

that last reading.

When he says, I do not run aim.

I think that's a good word. I think

it's an important

bit of advice for everybody who considers themselves

followers of Jesus. The the Christian spiritual journey

is not an aim 1. The Christian spiritual

journey is not a a passive 1. The

Christian spiritual journey is not an accidental or

an unintentional 1.

As we've talked about in this series, the

Christian spiritual journey is marked by perseverance.

It's marked by e, it's marked by integrity,

and it seems to me,

perhaps most of all,

the life of Christian disciples ship, is marked

by

discipline.

Those 2 words are are related after all,

type shit and discipline.

The same century that the Games were established

a greek philosopher named Hair quiet,

was born. Now, again, unless your student of

philosophy or, Greek history.

Hair may not be a name you immediately

know, but he had a found influence on

Greek thought, helping shape the ideas of later

philosophers Plato and Aristotle whom we've all heard

of and who made lasting

contributions to human

progress. And her colitis

wrote something that fits our subject for today

I think he wrote, the content of your

character is your

choice,

which means

that who we are is based on what

we

Do, Paul would certainly

agree when he says, I do not run

aim.

And then her

went on.

Day by day,

what you choose,

what you think

and what you do

is who you become

That's true.

Day by day, what you choose,

what you think.

And what you do

is who you become. This is the apostle

Paul's point to the Corinthians and and much

more importantly, if you ask me, it's Jesus

point to us all.

Discipline means the training, the obedient the order,

the morality,

the the world that defines who we are.

Discipline

of shapes our character. It guides our thinking

and action, it it molds our understanding of

what we will and will not do.

Discipline

has the power to correct us

when need be. It has the power to

get us back on track when we stray,

it has the power to deliver us

when we need saving. Discipline

informs how we relate to others

And I don't know about you, but I

don't wanna live aim.

I wanna live with the clarity of who

I am. I wanna live with the clarity

of who I'm called.

To be, and before I am anything else

before I am anything else,

I am a follower

of Jesus Christ.

He to teaches me. He corrects me. He

he empowers me.

He saved me

long ago.

Any, he will be with me to the

end

of

this life, and he's gonna be waiting for

me when this life.

Is over.

If I am

to be disciplined to anything in the world,

it's to him.

This coming school year

is gonna be my oldest son's senior year

of high school.

And his little brother is going into the

eighth grade. And these days, I I find

myself being confronted

more and more

often

by these

reminders

that our time as parents is limited.

Some of the days are certainly long and

and the challenges of of parenting are many

to be sure.

But the years are short

and our time within this finite.

And if I could if I could choose

the 1 thing,

that Whitney and I have taught our boys.

1 principle that will stay with them for

the rest of their lives, 1 eternal truth

that has become part of who they are

and who they

will forever be.

That may very will be our subject for

today.

All of our kids choose their own path,

all of us have chosen our own paths.

I want them to

know and

be filled with what we're talking about today

because

I know

as do you, I'm sure

from hard won personal experience

that the world will compete

for their loyal.

That the universe will present them with lots

of alternatives to the way of Christ.

That there will be distractions that and side

roads

and hardships.

Self control will sometimes be hard,

Aim will sometimes be tempting. The easy path

will sometimes

seem more appealing

than it really is.

My hope and prayer for them is the

same as my daily prayer

for myself.

For the the discipline

to follow the way of priced.

Because

it's the path

that will always keep us on track.

And then, pray