My Body: Sportsmanlike Conduct
1 Corinthians 9:19-27
1. Win! (By giving up)
v. 19 - “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.”
A. Win the religious
v. 20 - “To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law.”
B. Win the regular man
v. 21: “To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.”
C. Win the weak man
v. 22: “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak.”
1 Cor. 8:12: “if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again…”
1 Corinthians 9:12: Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.
v. 23: I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.
2. Run to win
(pictures for tomorrow)
A. Athletic awareness
verse 24: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.
B. Self control
verse 25: “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”
verse 27: “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
Romans 12:1: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
C. Aim for the prize
verses 25-26: “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.”
Questions
Do you run your rights through the filter of the Gospel? Or do you typically choose the most convenient option?
How does the Gospel speak to the way you view your body?
Besides self-control, what are other ways you could use your body as an instrument of worship for the Lord this week?
How would your week look different if you ran solely focused on the reward from Jesus?