4/28/13 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 No Easy Walk

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1 Corinthians: An Inward Look

Week 4: No Easy Walk

April 28, 2013

 

GETTING THINGS STARTED

“Dirty Jobs” is one of the most popular programs on the Discovery Channel. Mike Rowe, the host, goes around the country doing some of the dirtiest jobs imaginable.  This particular clip comes from an episode about a pig-slop outfitter who takes the discarded waste from Las Vegas buffets and makes pig-slop out of the old, rotten food:

youtube.com/watch?v=KRkCQH02AxE&list=SL

 

  • On a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being “not that disgusting at all” and 10 being “the most disgusting thing you can imagine,” how disgusting is this job?
  • What would it take for you to do this job for a living?
  • Describe the business owner’s attitude toward the whole thing.   As horribly gross as this was, why do you think he had the perspective he did?

 

This video was a gross but amusing way of illustrating a point: If you love something, you’ll work hard at it, no matter the sacrifices.  This is just one of hundreds of jobs Mike Rowe has tackled—and they’re all gross.  In most of them, the people don’t mind doing the work.  And in a lot of them, people really enjoy it.  When you love something and realize its purpose, regardless of how rough it can get, it doesn’t seem all that bad.  Keep this thought in mind as we kick off this lesson.

 

Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (nlt)

24Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?  So run to win! 25All athletes are disciplined in their training.  They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26So I run with purpose in every step.  I am not just shadowboxing. 27I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

 

 

Just before this passage, Paul has made a lengthy argument defending his practice of not accepting money for preaching and arguing that he was within his bounds if he were to do so.  Paul is reminding the Corinthians how important it is for him to faithfully fulfill his call to preach the gospel, regardless of any financial or worldly rewards for him.  In essence, he says that living the life of a “gospel messenger” is fulfilling his God-given purpose.

 

In this passage, Paul uses an athletic metaphor, a literary tool he uses elsewhere in his letters.  The metaphor is of a runner and his devotion to his craft.  The runner trains for the race, and on race day, the athlete runs with the focused intent to win.  Paul is making the comparison that we should treat our lives with Christ similarly to how athletes treat their preparation for a race.  We should diligently and single-mindedly focus our lives on the cause of Christ.  We should live in such a way that we are actively pursuing a vibrant faith, just as a runner would pursue a medal, a trophy, or a crown.  We should embrace the required sacrifice and hard work necessary to give our all to seeking Christ.

 

Teenagers are capable of giving themselves, with tremendous devotion, to tackle great challenges.  We see this in so many aspects of your lives.  This lesson will give you the opportunity to discover the call from Scripture to live out your faith with great dedication, commitment, and discipline.

 

 

1. Spiritual growth requires commitment

 

  • Can a casual runner become an international marathon champion overnight?  Why or why not?
  • Paul uses this metaphor to talk about the way we pursue God.  What are the similarities and differences between a runner who runs hard to win and our pursuit of lives that honor God?
  • Paul uses the analogy of an athlete in this passage; what other analogies would similarly illustrate the importance of commitment in spiritual growth?
  • In our spiritual lives, how can we sometimes be like the lazy runner who runs but doesn’t really care much about winning the prize?

 

 Like runners who train for the race, we must prepare for our daily lives interacting with this world.   Instead of stretching and lifting weights, our preparation involves reading God’s Word, praying, and seeking God. On race day, the runner runs hard to win!  And in our daily lives, we are called to pursue God and a Jesus-centered life like a runner running to win.

 

 

2. Spiritual growth requires focus

 

  • How can distractions minimize the success of a professional athlete?
  • Have you ever intensely trained for something?  What did it take to prepare and practice consistently?  What were the payoffs?
  • What kind of prize will we receive if we grow spiritually and lead Jesus-centered lives?
  • What kinds of distractions might keep you from running the spiritual race Paul describes in this passage?
  • What do you think it means to be focused in your spiritual growth?  How is this similar to the focus an athlete needs when training and competing?

 

When we train for something on this earth, the glory of competing and winning eventually fades.  When we train for a life of devotion, love, and service to God, the reward is eternal. That’s why it’s important to maintain our focus; we must remember why our preparation is so necessary.  If we want to run like a person running for the prize, we cannot take our spiritual growth or training lightly and we need to ignore and reject the distractions that will come our way.

 

3. Spiritual growth requires discipline

 

  • A person shadowboxing is like a foolish person with no direction or plan.  Disciplined athletes have a plan and execute it with great prowess.  How are we called to adapt this concept to our spiritual lives?
  • Paul says he disciplined his body like an athlete; what do you think he means by this?
  • How do you know if you’re disciplined in your spiritual life—and how do you know if you aren’t disciplined?
  • How can a lack of discipline lead to spiritual weakness or vulnerability to temptation?

 

There is great sacrifice and discipline required to be a follower of Christ.  Being a follower of Christ must be the central focus of life.  Everything else falls in line behind that.  Our relationship with God is the most vital and most intense goal we can pursue. To think about our faith in any other way is to have an incomplete understanding of what it means to enter into a relationship with Christ.

 

 

ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION

Luke 9:57-62 (nlt)

57As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever you go.”

 

58But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay His head.”

 

59He said to another person, “Come, follow Me.”

 

The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”

 

60But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”

 

61Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”

 

62But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

 

  • Read Luke 9:57-62.  These seem like interesting ways to respond to people who wanted to follow you.  Was Jesus trying to scare the people off?  If not, what was Jesus trying to do or communicate?

 

  • Why do you think Jesus might have answered the first man like he did?

 

  • Do we sometimes act like this first man?  Are we guilty of having an inaccurate picture of what following Christ really looks like?

 

  • Why are the sacrifices we make as we follow Christ a worthwhile price to pay for all that we gain?

 

APPLICATION

  • How has this lesson challenged you? What specific ideas or thoughts resonated with you most, and why?

 

  • What would it take to approach your spiritual growth with the same passion and commitment that you approach practicing or training for other things?

 

  • What changes are you willing to make to devote more time and energy to growing closer to God and living more of the life God wants you to live?

 

SUMMARY

Following Christ takes great commitment, devotion, and self-discipline.  But when properly understood, this devotion is not drudgery; it is delight.  Our self-discipline and hard work is motivated by our love for Jesus and our pleasure at becoming more like Him.  This lesson helped paint this picture and challenged us to see the importance and the rewards of being disciplined as we grow in our faith.

 

For Keeps [Memory Verse]

All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize (1 Corinthians 9:25 NLT).