Five Characteristics of a Champion Christian
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 " 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. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." Philippians 3:12-14 "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Sunday's sermon focused on the five characteristics that Christians need in order to run a successful spiritual race.
Vince Lombardi said "Winning is nota sometime thing. It's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while. You do them right all the time. Winning is a habit."
Athletes don't make it to the Olympics by chance. They get there through hard work, practice and by winning competitions. They don't wake up one morning and say that they want the gold and not take steps to achieve that goal. They need a few things. They need Desire, Discipline, Focus/Commitment Sacrifice, and Character. In order to live a championship mindset for Christ, for the Kingdom of God, Christians need to have the same Characteristics in order to win the eternal prize.
1. Desire 1 Corinthians 9:24 "Run in such away to get the prize."
Putti Sok/ Buddhist to Christianity- "God was softening my heart then.... All of a sudden, I had a desire to go and share with people.... God is real, and he has changed my heart."
The highest desire that a person can posses in their heart is a desire to know and experience God. We need to have an intense longing for the will of God in our lives, and the desire to share him with the world around us.
Without that desire things fall flat.
Vince Lombardi: " The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."
2. Discipline 1 Corinthians 9:26 "Every athlete is training submits to strict discipline." Tony Jones: " The Christian life is a lot like being a quarterback in football. It takes practice and discipline."
Korean Olympic ice skater Kim Yuna didn't earn her gold medals by watching videos about ice skating or reading books on the subject. She earned them by actually ice skating.
1 Timothy 4:7 "Spend your time and energy in the exercise of keeping spiritually fit." As athletes go out and practice, Christians need to be the habit of putting God's word into practice.
Maturity in Christ doesn't just happen. It takes hard work and discipline. There are no short cuts to spiritual conditioning.
3 Focus and Commitment
Where is your focus? What do you commit your life to?
Chris Spielman the line backer for the Buffalo Bills left a successful career on the field to take care of kids and his wife as she battled breast cancer. He knew that his commitment to his wife, his marriage vows to his wife, and his duties as a father outweighed his duties as a football player.
Philippians 3:12 "Not that I have already obtained the all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took of me."
Once we have made a commitment to focus our lives on living for Jesus, nothing can stop from winning the race of life.
4. Sacrifice
Hebrews 12:1 "Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up, and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us."
Vince Lombardi: "Football is a great deal like life, in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, and selflessness, and respect for authority is the price that each and everyone of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile."
If we want to finish the race God has set before us, we have to give something, if not everything, up. We must lay down our pet sins, our selfish desires, and change our habits, if we want all that God has to offer us. As Christians we must make sacrifices. There are things that me must give up, and things we must take up. We must lay down secret and pet sins and take up the Cross of Christ. We must replace freedom with submission.
Luke 9:23 "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."
5. Character Charles Reade said "Sow an act and you will reap a habit. Sow a habit, and you will reap a character. Sow a character and you will reap a destiny."
This is the final element.
Philippians 3:10 "All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection. To share in his sufferings and become like Him in his death."
For Christians, character is the element that integrates desires, discipline, focus, commitment, and sacrifice. Character can be defined as Christlikeness. When we reap the Character of Christ we look more and more like Jesus.
Sunday's sermon focused on the five characteristics that Christians need in order to run a successful spiritual race.
Vince Lombardi said "Winning is nota sometime thing. It's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while. You do them right all the time. Winning is a habit."
Athletes don't make it to the Olympics by chance. They get there through hard work, practice and by winning competitions. They don't wake up one morning and say that they want the gold and not take steps to achieve that goal. They need a few things. They need Desire, Discipline, Focus/Commitment Sacrifice, and Character. In order to live a championship mindset for Christ, for the Kingdom of God, Christians need to have the same Characteristics in order to win the eternal prize.
1. Desire 1 Corinthians 9:24 "Run in such away to get the prize."
Putti Sok/ Buddhist to Christianity- "God was softening my heart then.... All of a sudden, I had a desire to go and share with people.... God is real, and he has changed my heart."
The highest desire that a person can posses in their heart is a desire to know and experience God. We need to have an intense longing for the will of God in our lives, and the desire to share him with the world around us.
Without that desire things fall flat.
Vince Lombardi: " The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."
2. Discipline 1 Corinthians 9:26 "Every athlete is training submits to strict discipline." Tony Jones: " The Christian life is a lot like being a quarterback in football. It takes practice and discipline."
Korean Olympic ice skater Kim Yuna didn't earn her gold medals by watching videos about ice skating or reading books on the subject. She earned them by actually ice skating.
1 Timothy 4:7 "Spend your time and energy in the exercise of keeping spiritually fit." As athletes go out and practice, Christians need to be the habit of putting God's word into practice.
Maturity in Christ doesn't just happen. It takes hard work and discipline. There are no short cuts to spiritual conditioning.
3 Focus and Commitment
Where is your focus? What do you commit your life to?
Chris Spielman the line backer for the Buffalo Bills left a successful career on the field to take care of kids and his wife as she battled breast cancer. He knew that his commitment to his wife, his marriage vows to his wife, and his duties as a father outweighed his duties as a football player.
Philippians 3:12 "Not that I have already obtained the all this or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took of me."
Once we have made a commitment to focus our lives on living for Jesus, nothing can stop from winning the race of life.
4. Sacrifice
Hebrews 12:1 "Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up, and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us."
Vince Lombardi: "Football is a great deal like life, in that it teaches that work, sacrifice, perseverance, competitive drive, and selflessness, and respect for authority is the price that each and everyone of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile."
If we want to finish the race God has set before us, we have to give something, if not everything, up. We must lay down our pet sins, our selfish desires, and change our habits, if we want all that God has to offer us. As Christians we must make sacrifices. There are things that me must give up, and things we must take up. We must lay down secret and pet sins and take up the Cross of Christ. We must replace freedom with submission.
Luke 9:23 "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me."
5. Character Charles Reade said "Sow an act and you will reap a habit. Sow a habit, and you will reap a character. Sow a character and you will reap a destiny."
This is the final element.
Philippians 3:10 "All I want is to know Christ and to experience the power of his resurrection. To share in his sufferings and become like Him in his death."
For Christians, character is the element that integrates desires, discipline, focus, commitment, and sacrifice. Character can be defined as Christlikeness. When we reap the Character of Christ we look more and more like Jesus.
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