Picture Perfect Christians

THE ATHLETE

II Timothy 2:5

Tonight we continue our series on Picture Perfect Christians. Paul, in writing

to his young "son" in the faith, Timothy is giving Timothy examples from daily
life that give us a glimpse of how to live the Christian life. Last week, Daniel
shared with you the picture of a soldier. Tonight, I want us to take a look at
the life of an athlete.

II Timothy 2:5 Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not

receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.

Rules are very important to any athlete. Whether its football, basketball,
baseball or golf. Each sport has a set of rules that need to be followed.

1. In order for an athlete to follow the rules, he first must know the rules.

Golf is a game that some of the most and quite honestly hard to understand
and quite dumb rules ever. And to be a good golfer you have to know the
rules. The real hard part, sometimes in the game of golf, is that you are your
own referee. You are the person who enforces the rules on yourself.

There are many times when you are the only person who really knows if you
ground your club in a hazard. You may be the only person to see a ball move
when it shouldn't have. You are your own official at times and you must
admit when you break a rule.

Golf is a game of rules both obvious and arcane, and if you're going to play
the game, you have to play by its rules. No matter what the cost.

Last weekend. Zach Nash, a 14-year-old Wisconsin kid who happens to be a

fine golfer. So good, in fact, that he won a junior Wisconsin PGA tournament.

Problem was, he won it by violating one of golf's most straightforward rules.

He had too many clubs in his bag. And the worst part? It was a total accident,
discovered long after the fact.

Specifics: Nash's 77 won the boys' 13-14 division at the Milwaukee County
Parks Tour Invitational, knocking off 31 other players. Afterward, Nash went
to celebrate with one of his mentors, Chris Wood, head club pro at Rivermoor
Golf Club. And that's where the troubles began.

Wood noticed an extra club in Nash's bag and pointed it out to him.
Apparently, a friend of Nash's had left the club at his house, and Nash put it
in his bag, not realizing it put him one over the mandatory limit of 14 clubs.
Carrying an extra club is a two-stroke penalty per hole, but since Nash didn't
account for those extra strokes, he signed what was, in effect, an incorrect
scorecard, and thus would be disqualified from the tournament.

And from there, there really wasn't any choice. Nash called the Wisconsin
PGA, explained what had happened, and sent back the medal from the
tournament. WPGA officials plan to present it to the tournament's runner-up.

Now, it's easy to go and tee off -- pun very much intended -- on golf's drop-
the-hammer rules, on Wood for bringing the extra club to Nash's attention, or
to Nash himself for failing to count the club. But all that misses the point. This
is a story about honesty and doing what's right, even when what's right
makes zero logical sense. Sure, Nash could have rationalized away keeping
an extra club, but where's the honor in that?

LIfe is a lot like that isn't it? I mean there is no referee following you around
each day keeping score when you mess up. Its up to you isn't it? When you
cross that line and put that extra club in your bag and break the rules in this
rule book with that little white lie or taking that shortcut on your taxes. Well,
Zach Nash knew the rules of golf and he called himself on breaking them.

Do you know the rules of life? How will you know? By reading the rule book!
Later in this chapter Paul will tell Timothy to study to show himself approved.
And Paul is telling us as well, to study the word. Know the rule book. A
picture perfect christian, like the athlete will know the rules of the game.

A. OBEDIENT...

1. "...he competes according to the rules." - 2Ti 2:5

2. Athletes understand the need to abide by the rules if they desire to

win.

The rules are contained within this rule book and we are to be obedient to
these rules. There isn't a referee that's going to blow a whistle when we sin.
We, like the golfer, need to recognize when we break the rules and call
ourselves on it. Its called repentance. Its a time when we realize we have
broken the rules and we need to ask forgiveness from God.

The great thing about the game of life is this however. Zack Nash was
disqualified for breaking the rules and he had to give his medal back. For the
Christian, that is not the case. Yes, we are going to break the rules contained
in this rule book. We are going to fall. All have sinned and fallen short of the
glory of God. But we aren't disqualified if we go the judge and ask for
forgiveness. An infraction of the rules for the Christian is a forgiveable
offense.
Sometimes we break the rules intentionally. Some people just flat out cheat
at sports. And just because we are Christians doesn't necessarily mean we
won't be disqualified. I am not saying just because you are a Christian you
have a free pass in the end. And if you don't know the rules of this game of
life, you can be disqualified.

But you don’t have to deliberately break the rules to be disqualified. It’s
possible to unintentionally break the rules and still be disqualified. At the ’88
Summer Olympics there was an American boxer named Anthony Hembrick.
He was disqualified from competition because he didn’t show up at the ring in
time for his fight. The newspaper article states that “U.S. coach, Ken Adams,
before returning to the athletes village with Hembrick, said he was under the
impression the bout was scheduled to be the 11th fight of the day, just before
1 p.m. But Hembrick was actually scheduled to participate in the fifth bout of
the day. He attempted to catch a bus from the village at 10 a.m., but the bus
was packed, according to Canadian boxers and coaches who just got inside
the doors. Hembrick didn’t catch a bus until 10:30, and was too late to be
hurried by ABF officials waiting for him at the door of the boxing arena. His
opponent was in the ring at 10:40, but Hembrick didn’t arrive until 10:52. …
Angelo Dundee said, ‘It’s the responsibility of the head coach to check,
double-check and triple-check the time. He’s an Army man, too, he should
know that better than anybody. He’s been in the Army for 30 years. And he’s
got assistant coaches.’ … Coach Adams said, ‘We had no idea it was that
close to the time. I feel bad about it. I’ll take the blame. I feel for Hembrick. I
wish there was something I could do.’” The article concludes by stating,
“Hembrick, from Detroit, was considered one of the few U.S. fighters who had
a legitimate chance to win a gold metal, in the 165-pound class.”

But Hembrick didn’t win a metal—he was disqualified. He didn’t deliberately

try to break the rules. He did it unintentionally. He was sincere—but sincerely
wrong. He was still disqualified.

Being disqualified from winning the race of the Christian life is a real
possibility in our lives. Paul took the matter seriously and personally. You
notice in 1 Corinthians 9:27 Paul says, “I beat my body and make it my slave
so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the
prize.”

Paul didn’t think that the prize was automatically his just because he was an
apostle or because he preached to others. He knew it was a real possibility
that even he might be disqualified if he failed to faithfully follow Christ. He
knew he had to know the rules and live by them.

Are Christians under any less obligation to abide by the rules?

a. Jesus calls upon to observe what He taught - Mt 28:19 .Therefore go

and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age."

Luke 6:46"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?

Jesus left us a big portion of the rule book. He taught while on earth what
was expected of a follower.

But knowing the rules does us no good at all, if we don't follow them. We
must be obedient to the rulebook.

James 1:22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do
what it says. 23Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says
is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24and, after looking at himself,
goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25But the man who
looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do
this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in
what he does.

We have to know the rules and be obedient to them or we may be

disqualified. Jesus himself said, in Matthew 7:21"Not everyone who says to
me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the
will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord,
Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons
and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew
you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Knowing the rules and obeying the rules requires:

B. SELF-CONTROL

As Paul said to the Corinthians, he beat his body. He knew that gaining the
prize would require self control.

2. Athletes know that ultimate victory requires great self-control

3. Should Christians exercise self-control any less?

a. We strive for an imperishable crown - I Corinthians 9:25Everyone 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.

Paul says we are to go into strict training. Be self controlled. Know the rules,
obey the rules.
Paul gives us this picture of an athlete:

Someone who knows the rules

Someone who obeys the rules

Someone who has the self control to endure the race.

How are you running the marathon that is the race of life? How are doing on
the golf course of life? Do you know the rules? Are you obedient to them?
Do you have the self control to gain the imperishable crown?

Here is our challenge tonight-- Study the word. Get into the Word daily so
that you know the rules of life. Have the discipline and self control to obey
the rules set forth in the rule book of life.