Greetings Flag Branch members and friends and thanks for taking the time to join me, Pastor Jordan, for some Fine Points from Sunday’s service and message “And The Winner Is”.
Those words are usually followed by the name of someone who just finished first out of many who also wanted to be first. Last week the numbers of two huge lottery prizes were announced. There were millions of people who wanted their name to be called as the winner. The odds of that happening were over 292 million and 302 million to one respectively.
Yet, just the thought of being the recipient of all that money proved more than they could resist. They kept thinking about how those millions of dollars would be the end of all their struggles. They had already begun to visualize how they would spend it. Yet by weeks end, only one winner was announced for each prize and everyone else’s tickets became worthless.
This message was not to criticize those who took a chance or to suggest that they had somehow sinned. But it is asking them and everyone else who considered buying a ticket with those odds of winning, do they value money or millions more than life?
Money is a corruptible prize to win in more than one way. But the most basic reason why it is corruptible is because it’s only good for you as an individual as long as you have both the physical and mental health to benefit from what it can provide.
Yes, you can use it or leave it to help others which would be the primary motivation for some who have and are considering taking a chance at winning it. But for you, the individual, it is perishable and corruptible which would eventually be the case for others.
But eternal life on the other hand is incorruptible and unperishable. It will endure and benefit us regardless of what becomes of our mental or physical state. This is the point Paul makes when comparing what those who desire to win a corruptible crown and those who seek salvation in Jesus Christ.
Paul points out that there is only one winner of the corruptible prize they seek just as there is only one winner of the millions of dollars people were seeking for these massive payouts. Knowing the odds of winning and that there will be only one winner, Paul said the runners discipline themselves in their training in order to make sure that they give themselves the best opportunity to be the winner of the one lone prize.
Paul says Christians should discipline themselves in a similar matter as if competing for only one prize. If we do that, we will not become careless in our Christian living and there will be nothing to prevent us from claiming the prize.
Because unlike the corruptible crowns where there is only one winner, every Christian who enters and finishes the race will be a winner of the coveted jackpot or eternal crown. A prize far more valuable than winning all the jackpots and millions in the entire world and where the odds of being a winner are 50/50, one to one or even money and not millions to one which people are taking chances on now.
The gospel is either true or false and that is 50/50. The question remains. Do we value money and millions over life? We are willing to accept outrages odds to acquire millions, but not willing to accept even money to obtain eternal life. Think about it.
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Pastor Jordan
