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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!

OBJECT LESSON–THE OLYMPICS & THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

Introduction

Many of us have been watching at least some of the Olympics I’m sure. They are all the talk right now.

I need some young people willing to help the preacher up front here for a few minutes.

We are going to run a race. (Have the kids sit on the front pew for the moment.)

I.         TO RUN THE RACE YOU MUST BE IN THE RACE!

            I issued a call for the young people who were willing to help me to come up front.

            Some came. Some didn’t.

            These young people that came are going to be in the race.

            Those who didn’t, aren’t going to be in the race – they are just going to be in the crowd.

For those who didn’t come, not only are they not going to be in the race, there is no possibility of them winning the race. Am I right?

Understand that you cannot win a race that you are not in! There is no possibility of that happening!

            How many of you have been pulling for team USA this week? Raise your hands!

            All those who are a part of the U.S. should want the U.S. to do well.

            We can pull for team USA all we want to and that is good.

            But those who are running the race are the ones who will be rewarded!

            You are not going to win Olympic Gold sitting on your duff on your couch at home!

            The same is true in the Church.

            How many of us want to see Team Jesus (the Church) to do well? Raise your hands!

            If you are a part of this Church, you should desire to see this Church do well!

                        We all ought to want to see folks get saved!

                        We all ought to want to see folks get baptized!

                        We all ought to want to see folks unite with our Church!

                        We all ought to want to see folks growing in the Lord!

                        We all ought to want to see folks do well in their service for the Lord!

            We can pull for our Church to do well, and we ought to.

But understand that only those who are in the race are running the race and they are the only ones who have the possibility of being rewarded for the race!

You are not going to accomplish anything for team Jesus without getting into the race and running the race.

            TO RUN THE RACE YOU MUST BE IN THE RACE!

II.       TO RUN THE RACE YOU MUST RUN THE RACE SET BEFORE YOU!

Choose three or four of those that came to run to run in a race and ask them to line up against either the wall to your left or right. Have the rest sit on the first row for now.

Take some books of different sizes and shapes and hand them to several of them (one, two, or three depending on the size of the individual) to weigh them down for an illustration later in this point.

Tell them this event is “speed skating.”

            This is one of my favorite Winter Olympic Sports! I love speed skating!!!

We’ve got some problems here. Don’t you think? What’s wrong?

            A.        You Need To Be On The Right Track.

                        This is a carpeted floor, not an ice skating course!

                        These young people are in no position to speed skate here where they are.

                        Are they?

Did you know that there are a lot of Christians who aren’t in a position in their life to run the race that the Lord has set before them?

It’s because their lives are off track. They are not on the right track.

They’ve been called to run a race that God has set before them, but they aren’t in a position to run the race set before them because their lives are off track.

                        You Need To Be On The Right Track. (What else is wrong?)

            B.        You Need To Have The Right Equipment.

                        They don’t have any speed skates!

Don’t you think it is important to be properly equipped to run the race you are going to run?

In order to speed skate what kind of equipment do you need?: You need some speed skates with a razor edge, one of those aerodynamic skin tight skating suits that look like they have been spray painted on, and some of those cool looking aerodynamic skating goggles, maybe a helmet and a team emblem to identify who you are running with.

Did you know it is important to have the right equipment to run the race God has set before us?

Ephesians 6:11–“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

If we don’t have the right equipment then we are not going to run the race very well, are we?

                        You Need To Be On The Right Track.

                        You Need To Have The Right Equipment.

            C.        You Need To Have Some Proper Training.

                        How many of you kids know how to ice skate?

                        How many of you have had specialized training in how to speed skate?

Did you know that team members of Team USA have been in ongoing training ever since the time they dedicated themselves to their particular sport with Team USA?

Most all of these individuals have poured four or more years into training for one competition. Some have been training since they were little kids.

                        They have disciplined themselves and made certain sacrifices.

                        And most all of their energies have been poured into one goal–going for the gold!

Even those who have been to the Olympics one, two, three, or even four or five times are always in training trying to get an edge or to keep their edge in their sport.

                        Every team member also has one or more coaches to help in their training.

                        They never stop training!!!

                        Did you know that it is the same way with Team Jesus?

Once we dedicate our lives to the race that the Lord has given to us, then there are certain sacrifices we must make in our lives if we are going to win.

We must be in continual training for our race even as we run the race and we must listen to our coaches so that we can overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of our winning the race that is set before us!

                        Sacrifice is essential.

Romans 12:1-2–“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

                        Self-discipline and self-control are essential.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27–“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”

“Temperate” means “to exercise self-restraint.” In other words, we have to watch what we take in through our five senses and be careful about how we conduct ourselves.

                        “Bring it into subjection” means “to be a slave driver, to enslave or to subdue.”

In other words, we must exercise self-control. We cannot live undisciplined lives.

                        “Castaway” means “unapproved, that is, rejected.”

                        It would be an awful thing to hear that you are disqualified, don’t you think!?

                        We Must Listen To Our Coaches. Who Are Our Coaches?

Spiritual leaders:

Ephesians 4:11-12–“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”

                        Even fellow running mates:

Matthew 28:19-20–“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

                        You Need To Be On The Right Track.

                        You Need To Have The Right Equipment.

                        You Need To Have Some Proper Training.

            D.        You Need Some Knowledge About The Race.

Don’t you think it would be nice if they knew something about what I expect out of them? After all I’m going to judge the race! What do they need to know?

                        1.         You Need To Know The Rules.

What happens if you don’t go by the rules established by the judges?

You can’t win! It doesn’t matter how good you are or how good you think you are!

Those running a race are given the rule book ahead of time and they are expected to know the rules and play by the rules.

                                                What if they said, “I didn’t have time to read the rules.”

What if they said, “I didn’t understand a rule, but I didn’t bother to get a clarification of it. So I just decided to ignore it.

                                                            I didn’t think it would be all that important”

What if they said, “I didn’t agree with the rule so I determined it didn’t apply to me.”

What if they said, “I don’t like rules. I’m not a rule oriented sort of person.”

                                                What if they came up with any other excuse? Is it going to fly?

                                    Did you know the same is true with the Christian race?                    2 Timothy 2:5–“And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.”

                                    What is our rule book in the Christian faith? THE B-I-B-L-E!!!

God has given us His rule book, but it is up to us to read it, study it, know it, and go by it!

                                                What if we say, “I didn’t have time to read the rules.”

What if we say, “I didn’t understand a rule so and I didn’t bother to get a clarification on it. I just decided to ignore it. I didn’t think it would be all that important”

What if we say, “I didn’t agree with the rule so I determined it didn’t apply to me.”

What if we say, “I don’t like rules. I’m not a rule oriented sort of person.”

                                                What if we come up with any other excuse? Is it going to fly?

                        2.         You Need To Know The Boundaries.

                                    What happens if a person in a race goes out of bounds in the Olympics?

                                    Sometimes they are penalized. Sometimes they are disqualified.

(e.g. Bode Miller who was favored to win the Super-G on Saturday skied off the course and was disqualified.)

                                    Did you know the Christian race is the same way.

                                    God has established some boundaries for us.

When we get outside of those boundaries we always subject ourselves to His chastisement.

Sometimes when we get outside of those boundaries we subject ourselves to disqualification.

                        You Need To Be On The Right Track.

                        You Need To Have The Right Equipment.

                        You Need To Have Some Proper Training.

You Need Some Knowledge About The Race.

            E.        You Need To Get Rid Of What Is Weighing You Down.

                        We have some of our contestants that are carrying some weights, don’t we?

Are they going to be able to run the race better with the weights or without the weights?

                        Weights come in various types and sizes– (Discuss things that can be weights)

Hebrews 12:1–“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us”,

                        Have them lay down their “weights.”

            F.        You Need To Focus On The Goal.

                        The goal of this race is that wall over there on the other side.

Verse 1 not only says that we are to lay aside weights, but we it also says we are to lay aside the “sin” that so easily besets us.

                        What does that mean. “Sin” means “to miss the mark.”

So it means that we are to lay aside those things that cause us to stray off the path.

(e.g. On Friday, Lindsey Jacobellis in the Ladies Snowboard Cross should have won the Gold Medal but she took her eyes off of the goal and tried to showboat before the finish line and she wiped out. She had to settle for the silver and is fortunate that the two others had fallen or she might not have won a medal at all!)

So we need to lay aside those things in our Christian lives that cause us to stray off the path and we need to focus on the goal.

Hebrews 12:2–“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

                        “Looking unto Jesus” means to focus on Him.

Conclusion

Have all of the kids that came up run a race sliding their shoes across the carpet as if they are skating. You may have to run a few at a time and have some semi-finals and then a final.

Recognize the winners and give out the prizes. Give all participants a little something for having participated. Have them go back to their seats.

TO RUN THE RACE YOU MUST BE IN THE RACE.

Are you in the race that the Lord has called you to run?

Maybe you aren’t saved. If you aren’t saved there is no way to qualify to run in the race.

Just as you must be a citizen of the country you are running for in order to qualify to run, you must be a citizen of heaven to run in the Lord’s race!

Maybe you should be running in the race, but you are just sitting on the sidelines watching.

God has called all of the citizens of Heaven to be in the race. Some get involved. Some don’t.

TO RUN THE RACE YOU MUST RUN THE RACE SET BEFORE YOU!

Is your life on track?

Are you equipped to run the race?

Are you availing yourself of proper training?

            It takes sacrifice.

            It takes self-discipline and self-control.

            It takes some coaching. (Some help from others.)

Are you knowledgeable about the race?

            Do you know the rules?

            Do you know the boundaries?

Are you weighed down with things that are hindering your ability to run the race? You must lay them aside.

Are you focused on the goal or are there some things in your life that are causing you to miss the mark–some sins? You must lay them aside too.

Readjust your focus on Jesus today.

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!