Title: Faith Olympics
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In the presence of God and in the presence of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, by his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly command you to preach the word. Always do your best, on time or out of season. Rebuke, rebuke, and exhort with all patience and teaching. The time is coming when a man will not receive sound teaching, but having itching ears he will accumulate many teachers to suit his own desires, and will turn away from the truth and follow myths. But be careful in all things, endure hardships, do the work of an evangelist, and fulfill your duties. I have already been poured out as a drink offering, and the hour of my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith, and from now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:1-8)
Today is the last day of the Seoul Olympics, which has been running in a hurry. For two weeks, Seoul attracted the world's attention and the eyes of 5 billion people were drawn to the Seoul Olympics. Since it was held in a divided country, I was worried about what would happen, but it was completed safely from beginning to end, so I am just thankful for God's grace. Because today is the right time, I want to receive grace by pondering the truth about sports from among the words recorded in the Bible.
Judea where Jesus lived does not have any sports or facilities, but in the words of the Apostle Paul, there were big sports events like today's Olympics once every few years in Asia Minor and Greece and Rome. There are several verses that encourage faith. Today's words are reminiscent of the marathon race in 2 Timothy 4, the flower of the Olympics. I want to ponder those words and receive grace.
The second is, “I go all my way”. Everyone has their own life and their own mission. No one can live your life for you. No one can take the place of the mission assigned to them. Just as each person has different abilities and talents given to each person, their missions are also different. We have to find the mission within ourselves, and it is God who has given us the mission, so we have to find out what the mission God has given us. It is about giving your whole self for that mission and doing your best. We are also good at receiving awards at the stadium, but we applaud the athlete who reached the finish line after running 42,195km and not falling down.
After a mission, there is also a position. To those who think that the office entrusted to the church is insignificant, that office may seem like nothing, but the believer who knows the entrusted office as a mission and does his/her best is the mission. The path of faith is not a sloppy path, it is a path of suffering and a sprinting sprint. Believing in Jesus is not for leisure. Church life is not a leisure life. It is a race that is like a battle for life and death. It is the way of the cross. In the race of faith, if you fall down on the way, you will be eliminated. The race of faith is decided only when you take your final breath. When Jesus was hung on the cross, one of the robbers on the left and right was saved and entered the kingdom of heaven by believing in the Lord at the last moment. Judas Iscariot, a disciple of Jesus, followed Jesus all his life, but at the end he was tempted by the devil and material things, committed the most terrible sin and went to hell. We must run the race of faith even harder at the last minute until the last minute.
The third is, “I have kept the faith”. In this relay race, a player from a certain country passed the bar (baton) incorrectly and was disqualified. Ben Johnson's fame and glory were wiped out in an instant when he took a banned substance. If you do not keep your faith, you will be disqualified from the faith race. No matter how much you do volunteer work, donate a lot of donations, no matter how hard you work for the church, no matter how hard you work for the church, you must keep your faith even if you are the general president, the presbytery president, and have many big names. 2 Timothy 2:5 says, “Unless those who compete do not compete according to the law, they do not receive the crown.” If a racer of faith does not do everything by faith, but by fame, or compulsion, or stinginess in appearance or formality, he will not receive the crown of victory and the reward. Faith is a promise with God, faith is a gift from God, faith is loyalty, and faith is truth. Faith is what pleases God like Enoch, faith is preparing for the future like Noah, and faith is like Abraham, not knowing where you are going, but when you are called, you leave everything behind and go forward.
Finally, in Hebrews 12:1-2, there is a record of expressing believers as runners on the racetrack, and here the scene of an obstacle race is described. What we need to pay attention to here is the words to the athletes who run the obstacle race amid cheers and cheers from the crowd, "Let's look only at Jesus, the main and perfecter of our faith." A worldly goal is a clear goal, so even if you succeed, that success is not complete success. The only goal of the race of faith is Jesus Christ. The only goal of the race of life is Jesus Christ. The goal of this society, the nation, the nation, and the entire human race is only Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:10 says, “that all things in heaven and on earth might be united in Christ.” The omega point in human history is Christ Jesus. If you go out with only Jesus Christ as your goal, you will be successful in everything. If you aim for Christ-centered, Christ-centered, there is nothing you can't succeed. Our purpose is to be in Christ, to be one with Christ, and to live with Christ. If you go out with Christ as your goal, you are guaranteed not a temporary victory, but an eternal victory.
Life is a race, and faith is a race. You have to put your faith into action with the same zeal, hard work, and focus as an athlete sprinting to win the game. To wear the crown of faith victory, I hope that everyone can wear the crown of life by fighting the good fight, running all the way, keeping the faith, and living a life that only looks at Jesus.