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1 Thessalonians 2 (Part 11) | A Crown | Warren Wiersbe Sermons
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the good word today is in 1
Thessalonians chap 2: 19 and 20 now we
consider these verses in our last study
and we want to consider them again today
for another aspect of Truth you know
each verse in the Bible is like a
beautiful Jewel and you can hold this
Jewel up to the light and see the beauty
of each facet and so it is with the word
of God last time we considered verses 19
and 20 as a motive for Christian service
Jesus is coming again and you and I
ought to be faithful to win souls to
Christ but Paul uses a word here that's
very interesting he uses the word
Crown Crown Paul is picturing himself as
running a
race and he sees himself achieving the
goal and the Saints are his reward he
receives the crown of
rejoicing because of his faithfulness as
a soul winner now Paul of often uses
athletic terms in his writing I'm sure
that Paul knew what it was to watch the
Olympic Games and the Corinthian games
over in Corinth several times Paul talks
about running and wrestling and I I want
today to take some of these uh
comparisons that Paul uses in athletics
some of you may be very athletically
inclined personally I'm not I enjoy
watching a baseball game especially if
they're winning but I myself am not an
athlete I I thank God for those who are
and for the good Christian testimony
they have but Paul must have had a keen
interest in sports because over and over
again he uses athletic pictures to give
us spiritual truth he's talking here
about the race running the race now back
in Paul's day the only person who could
run a race in the games was a Freed Man
a slave couldn't he had to be a citizen
of the country before he could run in
the games of course you and I are
citizens of heaven we do not run the
race in order to be saved we run the
race because we are saved when you were
saved God picked you up and put you on a
solid rock and said start running win
the prize I have a goal for your life
and just as a runner stays in his Lane
and runs to reach the goal so each
Christian has a lane to run in a life to
live a Ministry to fulfill and we should
run to reach the goal there are at least
five requirements to be a winning
Christian I mean a Christian who's going
to get a reward all those who are born
again are going to get to heaven but not
all born again people are going to have
rewards when they get to heaven some are
going to be saved like lot as by fire
everything lot lived for was burned up I
don't want you to be that way and I
don't want to be that way let's look now
at these requirements for being a
winning athlete in the race of Life the
first requirement is here in chap 2: 19
and 20 Delight the athlete has to
Delight he has to Rejoice he has to
enjoy his sport or he cannot do his best
now Paul said here I went to
thessalonica I was persecuted I was run
out of town I didn't quit I Rejoice that
I have the privilege of serving the lord
do you rejoice in serving the lord do
you think that an athlete would go
through all that he goes through if he
didn't enjoy the game no one enjoys
scrimmaging no one enjoys going through
exercise no one enjoys the dietary
disciplines but if you enjoy the game
you don't mind it at all Delight Paul
said I Rejoice to have the privilege of
serving the lord I feel sorry for those
who try to serve the Lord and don't
enjoy it the second requirement is
discipline and Paul talks about this
back in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 if you
have your Bible there with you turn to 1
Corinthians chapter 9
verse 24 know ye not that they which run
in a race run all but one receiveth the
prize so run that ye may obtain and
every man that striveth for the Mastery
every man who wants to be a capable
athlete is temperate in all things now
they do it to obtain a corruptible Crown
when you won the race in Greece they
gave you a lural wreath after a few days
it had faded away but we an
incorruptible I therefore so run not as
uncertainly so fight I not as one that
beateth the air but I keep under my body
I beat my body black and blue and bring
it into subjection lest that by any
means when I have preached to others I
myself should be a cast away and the
word Cast Away here means
disqualified Paul's picture here is that
of an athlete disciplining himself he
said anybody can run but only one can
win yet all Christians can win a prize
if they'll dis discipline themselves
he's talking here about the discipline
of the body an athlete has to be careful
what he eats he must exercise his body
he can't eat what he wants to or drink
what he wants to he can't go to bed when
he wants to he has to be under
discipline so with a Christian you know
if every Christian would put as much
discipline into the Christian Life as
Sports people do in athletics we'd have
Revival in our churches Christians are
flabby spiritually they're sloppy
spiritually they don't care what they
feed themselves spiritually they don't
give themselves exercise as they ought
to spiritually and consequently they're
not disciplined Samson lost his crown
because he wasn't disciplined and you
and I can lose our Crown if we're not
disciplined delight and discipline are
two requirements to be a winning
Christian the third is
Direction Philippians chapter 3 Paul
talks again about running the race
Philippians chapter 3 let me read what
he say says from verses 12- 15 not as
though I had already attained either
were already perfect I haven't arrived
yet but I follow after if that I may
apprehend that for which also I am
apprehended of Christ Jesus Paul said I
want to get my hands on that for which
God got his hands on me I want to
fulfill the purpose for which I was
saved that to me is a tremendous thought
that God has a purpose for every one of
our lives that nobody else can fulfill
wouldn't it be terrible to live your
life and miss that purpose Brethren I
count not myself to have apprehended I
haven't arrived yet but this one thing I
do forgetting those things which are
behind and reaching forth unto those
things which are before I press toward
the mark for the prize of the upward
calling of God in Christ Jesus
direction direction can you imagine a
person running the wrong way on the
racetrack now many students think that
Paul's talking here about the Chariot
race and probably he is in the Chariot
race they didn't have a beautiful
Chariot such as you see in comic strips
it was really just two wheels with a
platform and the rider the charioteer
had to stand on that platform and Brace
himself and hold on to the reins and
keep that Chariot in the right lane if
he wanted to have an accident all he had
to do was look back and looking back
would cause an accident Paul Compares
this to Christians this this one thing I
do not these million things I do this
one thing I do Paul's life was focused
on one thing the will of God far too
many Christians today are wrapped up in
too many things and by the way too many
Church programs are too busy too many
Christians are on
detours that little poem that we hear
every once in a while Mary had a little
lamb it would have been a sheep but it
joined a local gospel church and died
from lack of sleep this one thing I do I
press toward the mark for the prize of
the High Calling direction is there
Direction in your life have you found
that one goal that God wants you to
reach in your life what is it he wants
you to be what is it he wants you to do
Delight discipline direction are
requirements to be a winning Christian
who is going to get the prize from the
Lord Jesus now the fourth requirement is
in Hebrews 12 1-3 that that's
determination dedication determination
wherefore Hebrews 12:1 seeing we are
also compassed about with so great a
cloud of witnesses let us lay aside
every weight and the sin which thus so
easily beset us and let us run with
endurance the race that is set before us
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 sat
down at the right hand of the Throne of
God for consider him that endured such
contradiction of Sinners against himself
lest you be wearied and faint in your
minds oh how many Christians give up and
faint now an athlete can't afford to do
this if he's out running the race or in
the football game or wherever he may be
he cannot afford to quit it's always too
soon to
quit sometimes like you feel like
quitting it's a rough road that we're on
back here in 1 Thessalonians chapter 2
Paul said say hindered us and that word
hindered means he made the road rough he
threw barricades obstacles in the way
someone has said that there are
obstacles in the way of every Christian
but no obstacle needs to stay in the way
God can remove every obstacle for us if
we're determined to run the race it's
easy to give up and faint very few want
to run with you very few are going to
encourage you but Paul said I'm going to
run the race with
determination determination a Christian
cannot quit I'm preaching to myself
there are times I feel like quitting
Jesus said men ought always to pray and
not to faint now Hebrews 12 gives us
three encouragements to keep on going in
verse one he says look around at all the
witnesses who are these the people in
chapter 11 all the great Saints of the
Old Testament Abraham could have quit he
kept on going David could have quit he
kept on going Moses Moses had a rough
time he qu he kept on going they had
their ups and downs but he says look
around and see how many people have
endured and they've won the prize then
he says look ahead verse two the joy
that was set before him look ahead the
joy of one day standing before the Lord
and knowing that he will give us his
reward it'll be worth it we sing in one
of our songs it will be worth it all
when we see Jesus now look friend God is
not going to give you your reward now
you're going to see some blessing now
sure you are I thank God for the joy and
the blessing we've seen in our
Ministries but our real reward is Yet to
Come God doesn't always pay on payday in
this life it will be worth it all when
we see Jesus life's trials will seem so
small when we see him one glimpse of his
dear face all Sorrows will erase so
bravely run the race till we see Christ
determination then he says here's a
third encouragement look around at all
the winners look ahead to the prize Look
Away to Jesus looking unto Jesus think
of what he had to go through whatever
the Lord Jesus went through you and I go
through he's been through everything
we're going to go through they tried to
kill him they laughed at him they called
him crazy they called him a drunk called
him a glutton they lied about him they
did everything they could to keep him
from achieving his goal and they'll do
the same thing to us now the Lord Jesus
has already run the race and won
he's called the pioneer of our Salvation
he's opened the way for us to follow
whatever he starts he finishes
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this
very thing that he which hath begun a
good work in you will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ and so the word
of God says have determination don't
quit when you feel like quitting
remember the Saints of the Old Testament
God saw them through the apostles and
Prophets God saw them through Jesus God
God saw him through and God will see you
through well here are four requirements
to to winning the prize delight we must
enjoy running with the Lord Jesus
discipline Direction determination
finally Duty we have to obey the rules
in 2 Timothy 2:5 it says this and if a
man also strive for masteries talking
about an athlete yet is he not crowned
except he strive lawfully you know a
fellow could run in the Olympic races
and win the race and not get the prize
if they discovered he'd broken the rules
Jim Thorp had this experience in 1912 he
went to Stockholm for the Olympics and
he won the key events in 1913 he had to
give the prizes back because they found
out he'd been playing Semi-Pro baseball
with another team and he lost the prize
because he broke the rules we can't
serve God any way we want to if we're
going to run with the Lord and serve him
we've got to obey his rules the and does
not justify the means we don't do evil
that good may come from it and the
runner who does not have duty who does
not obey the rules is not going to get
the prize there are no shortcuts in
Christian service these then are the
five requirements for being a winning
Christian I trust that they'll be found
in our lives this is what's the good
word my name is Warren WBY I'm the
pastor of the Calvary Baptist Church in
Covington Kentucky and the Lord willing
next time we'll turn to first
Thessalonians chapter 3
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