284. Live from the Running Track in Athens - 1 Corinthians 9

[00:00:08] Hi friends, welcome to Making Disciples. My name is Chris and I am your host. This is another Making Disciples episode that's recorded here live in Athens. Now right now I'm stood in the Olympic Stadium. This is the stadium that was built for the launch of the modern Olympic Games. It was also used for when Athens hosted the Olympic Games. I think it was in the early 2000s, wasn't it?

[00:00:36] And I'm here to see it because it's an incredible arena. But I was in Corinth only a few days ago and there's a connection between these two sites in the sense that I want to talk about 1 Corinthians 9 and Hebrews 12 where Paul talks about running racers to get the prize.

[00:00:58] And the reason I'm doing it here from Athens is actually that Corinth doesn't have an Olympic Stadium or a stadium for their games because it was just a little bit of a distance out and it's now just very much a ruins that you don't really go to visit. There's not much there to see.

[00:01:22] But this is an incredible Olympic Stadium and it's the inspiration behind what I want to say about 1 Corinthians 9. So in Corinth they had the Ashmenian Games and the Ashmenian Games were second to the Olympics.

[00:01:42] And therefore when Paul writes to Corinth and to the Hebrews using gaming analogy, it would have been right there as visual theology right in front of them. So what I want to do is just talk a little bit about the Ashmenian Games, what was quite interesting about them and how it might connect us and help us understand 1 Corinthians 9 and Hebrews 12.

[00:02:08] So I hope you found this interesting. I hope you enjoyed last week's episode recorded from Mars Hill. Today's one is now being recorded from the stadium in Athens. So it's really good fun to be doing this from location. So let's dive in and let's explore together the sporting analogies that Paul uses in the book of Corinthians.

[00:02:44] Let me start by talking about the Ashmenian Games. The Ashmenian Games. A-S-T-H-M-W-E-A-N. Now, you had all the traditional sporting activities that you would do at these kind of things. But one of the key ones was the racing, the running race. And there was a couple of things about them that I just think is really interesting to know.

[00:03:12] And what I'm not saying is these were unique and this wasn't in the Olympics because it was actually in all Greek sporting events. But because the Ashmenian Games was there in Corinth, it would have been right in the forefront of their mind. So a runner in the sports, as well as many of the sports, would have been doing it completely naked. Because of the clothing that they would have naturally worn, much more baggy clothing, you couldn't run wearing that clothes very easily.

[00:03:40] And if you did, you had the danger of tripping up, sandals coming off. So they ran naked. The second thing is that they would have a track that didn't necessarily go in a circle, but was between two poles. And you would run from pole to pole, round the pole, and then you'd run back, run around the pole and run back. And it was how many times you could run backwards and forwards between the poles.

[00:04:07] And then because of the arena, this amazing arena, you know, banks, exactly what you would imagine. It's a horse shoe shape. Tracks are in the middle for all the different kind of games that would happen. People would be seated right the way around. And then you've obviously got this great cloud of witnesses. All these people that are around you witnessing what was achieved on the track.

[00:04:36] And the other thing is that the prize was actually very temporary. So the winner did not receive money as their main reward. Instead, they received this wreath or a crown. And in the Ascigemian Games, it was usually made from pine wood. And although at some periods it might be made out of other material, it was predominantly made out of pine wood. And the crown looked incredibly impressive on the day that it was given.

[00:05:04] But within weeks, it would have started to wither. And, you know, obviously Paul goes on to contrast that as well, doesn't he? He says they do it to get a crown that will not last. But we do it for a crown that will last forever. So the imagery here is incredibly powerful here in this sporting arena. And yes, they didn't just do running games. They did all the kind of traditional Greek games.

[00:05:32] Fighting, wrestling, gladiator, you name it, it kind of happened. So the two verses that really do spring to mind will be 1 Corinthians 9 where Paul writes to the Corinthians, Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Run in such a way to get the prize. Then in Hebrews 12, 1 he says,

[00:06:17] So it's a major observations here. Throwing off what will hinder you. Running naked. Running between the poles. Fix your eyes. Fix your eyes. So you look at the pole. You know you're running to your pole to run around your pole. So you focus on your pole. The great crowd of witnesses there around you. So the games drew some spectators from all over the Greek world.

[00:06:46] Highly thought of. And of course the image in Hebrews 12, a great cloud of witnesses, is it's not directly linked to the Shemini and games, but it's the same classic athletic atmosphere. The heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11 are pictured as surrounding all the believers as they each run the race. So you can see how what Paul is doing here.

[00:07:12] He's taking visual ideas from the sporting arena, running naked, running between the poles, the great cloud of witnesses, all there. And he gives some teaching about the Christian faith. So the first thing I want to draw out is this idea of running with purpose. 1 Corinthians 9 24. Run in such a way as to get the prize.

[00:07:37] And I think what's great here is that Paul is reminding us that the Christian life is not aimless. You know, those in the arena knew where they were going and what they were training for and what the purpose was because they wanted to win the prize. And they had that goal in mind. And in the same way, we are not simply trying to get through life, are we?

[00:08:02] We are following Jesus, growing in faith, serving others, becoming people of God, the people that he created us to be. So many people spend their entire lives running after success, after comfort, after wealth, after approval, only to discover that actually these things never truly satisfy. And Paul calls us to run for something greater, an eternal prize that cannot be taken away.

[00:08:32] You know, the Christian life is not a casual participation. It involves commitment, perseverance and wholehearted devotion, running with purpose that we might get the prize. That's one of the first things that I just think, when you're here in this arena and you're looking around, and a little while ago there was a group of what looked like 60 students running.

[00:08:59] And what was fun was some of them were kind of very half-hearted. They were jogging this race that they were doing. Some were absolutely in for it. And I just thought it was lovely to see some people fully in, some people kind of in, and then those that were just at the edge kind of watching going, I'm not interested. There was actually a group that looked like they'd come from Hong Kong as well, and they were like walking the track as fast as they could. And yeah, I loved it.

[00:09:27] You know, they wanted to be able to say, I ran the race. I ran the track. But do you know what? As I watched, I was thinking, you guys have got more. You could do more. You could go faster. So run the race with perseverance. Second thing I want to just say is this around travelling light. Hebrews 12, throw off everything that hinders and the sin that's so easily entangled. When you think about the Ashmenian games and the fact that they would run naked,

[00:09:56] I think that's incredibly inspiring that they would literally take off all of their clothes. It's that point of humiliation. Now, it wasn't humiliation because they were the greats. They were the great heroes of the sporting arena who'd thrown off absolutely everything. They were so in. They did not care what people saw. And if they were impressive or they were not impressive when it came to their bits, they didn't care because they were in the race.

[00:10:24] They wanted to win the prize. So they decided to strip off, to take off the sandals, to take off their gowns, to take off their clothing, to be completely naked so they could run, knowing nothing was going to hinder them. Their body was the only thing that they had to push. So throwing off everything that hinders, letting go of everything that is going to hold you back. A runner does not carry unnecessary weight.

[00:10:51] Even the smallest things can slow you down over a long distance. Runners don't run with things in their pockets because they want an empty pocket. They're not going to run with anything that would give them extra weight. They want to go as fast and as far as possible, so they're going to throw off anything that hinders. And some of the things that weigh us down, obviously it's sin, isn't it? But it can also be distractions, habits, worries, resentments,

[00:11:21] commitments that we've made that gradually drain our energy or might pull our attention away from God. All of these things may actually be the things that hinder us. Paul is saying, take it off. Take off anything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. Take off the clothing, take off what hinders. Even if it's going to mean that you look foolish, do it. Because it's about running that race.

[00:11:50] Follow Jesus often involves letting go of something, doesn't it? We cannot run freely while carrying baggage that God never intended us to carry, to have. So the question is not simply the question, is this thing wrong? You know, should I do this? But is this helping me run the race God has given me? I was talking to somebody recently about a relationship they were in. It sounds to me like an atrocious relationship.

[00:12:19] It's definitely not the kind of relationship they're dating somebody. It's not the kind of a relationship you want somebody who loves Jesus to be part of. This is not a person that's actually going to help them. And they're saying to me, is it wrong that I'm with this non-Christian? Is it wrong? My question back to them was, you know, is it right or is it wrong? But was this, is this person helping you run the race that God has given you?

[00:12:46] And if the answer to that question is, no, they're not helping me, then it's not the relationship for you. What does he say? Throw off everything that hinders. Anything that's going to let you down, that's going to stop you from running, that means you're not going to achieve what God has called you to. Take it off, throw it away. It's better to be naked than to run the race and to carry things that you do not need to carry. And then the third thing I want to just draw out from this sporting analogy

[00:13:13] will be from Hebrews 12, 1 to 2. Let us run with perseverance the race marked out before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus. So every runner needed a focal point and it would be the stick at the end of the track that you were running towards. And the stick was there and you would focus on that stick. You would run to it. You would run around it. And then you would run back to your stick and then you'd run around that again and you'd go back and you'd go back, doing these laps between your stick.

[00:13:43] So every runner needed a focal point. And if you didn't spot your focal point, you could run towards somebody else's focal point. Well, you don't want that. You want to make sure you are running to your focal point. So friends, if we spend all of our time looking at other runners, looking around the stadium, we become distracted. And if we compare ourselves, we become discouraged or we lose sight

[00:14:12] of kind of where we are heading. And Paul says, fix your eyes. And that's exactly what the runners in the Indian Games would do that were running the track. They would see the pole at the other end. They'd focus on it and then they'd run around it and they would come back. They were so focused. We focus our eyes on he's the one that we're giving our attention to. When we run the race, it will become difficult. When we look to him, we will get tired and we'll want to give up,

[00:14:41] but we choose to look to him. When we fail and fall down, we might want to stay down, but we get up and look to him. The Christian life is not ultimately about how strong we are, but it is about staying close to the one who has already completed the race that's gone before us. The other thing I just want to draw back to this crowd of witnesses that are watching, you know,

[00:15:09] the Games Drew spectators from all over the Greek world, you know, thousands upon thousands and thousands upon thousands, which is interesting because we're told that Paul was a tent maker. I've always wondered, why was it that Paul made tents? Well, what really struck me this time was if you've got thousands of people coming to Corinth and there isn't the places for them to stay, they didn't have premieres inns. They didn't have places to stay, so where would they stay? Well, people would sell tents. Of course, Peter, Paul was a tent maker, so that was one of the reasons that he,

[00:15:38] he actually made tents, was to sell them at the Athenian Games. So the Games grew these spectators from all over the world. And this great cloud of witnesses, and it's often described as the great cloud of witnesses, as being the heroes of the faith. But if you're running the race and you are surrounded by all these cheering voices, for us, those cheering voices, it's the body of Christ, it's the church,

[00:16:05] it's our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith. And one moment we're running on the track and they're cheering us, sometimes we're sat and we're cheering on others. And I think that image, the sporting image of being somebody who cheers others on and somebody who is being cheered on is incredibly powerful from the sporting arena. Go on, you can do it. Don't stop. You've got this.

[00:16:34] Keep Jesus as the goal. Keep on going. Don't give up. Don't look back. Don't look to the side. You can do this. Focus on Jesus. Keep on going. Come on, you can do this. That is an incredible picture of the sporting arena. It's also an incredible picture of what the church is meant to be like a people of God that is cheering each of us on. So my conclusion here from this amazing venue here in Athens,

[00:17:03] this incredible arena, to run the race of faith well, I always say this, friends, we need to run with purpose. Know why you are running. Know why you are running. What is your reason for running this race? Secondly, travel light. Lay aside anything that is going to slow you down. The sin that so easily entangles

[00:17:29] the people that might really not be going where you are going. Travel light. And thirdly, stay focused. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Focus on him at the end of the track, the one that's already run the race. Run towards him. Don't look to anyone else. Just focusing on Jesus, the one that has gone before us. Friends, I hope that you,

[00:17:57] just you're inspired by the incredible location, an incredible visual idea of the Ashthemian games, running naked, running to the poles, with the crowd cheering you on all the way around you. Friends, until next time, grace and peace. And don't forget to run the race to get the prize. this has been ederよろしい hopefully so far from reference to Jesus william, the one that won't bathe him, which connection is led to Son, let me give you an idea of what the fire room it's not here.