Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

• Read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. What specifically do you picture with the illustration Paul gives in this passage? What kind of race do you picture, what athletes? How focused is the athlete on the race he is striving to win?
• What must the athlete employ to pursue his goal of the prize? Why is this important? What happens when an athlete does not employ this in his life?
• What is Paul’s overall approach to winning the race that he is running? What is the difference between an athletic race and the race Paul is running?
• What do you think Paul is referring to in being disqualified?
• The Sermon Study equipping class notes are available online for anyone wanting to dig deeper. Please review this week's notes to help study this passage. Click here for the notes.

Prayerfully Meditate

• Do you know anyone who has pursued a sport, but lacked discipline and therefore did not receive the prize or goal they were pursuing? What was it that stole their attention away from that goal?
• Have you ever considered yourself as part of the kind of race Paul was taking part in? If so, in what areas are you more strongly disciplined in? In what areas is your discipline weak? If you don’t consider yourself a part of this type of race, why not?
• Knowing that Paul already considered himself in the race, why would he mention this to his audience if only one were to win the prize?
• What do you think the imperishable prize is that Paul is running to receive? From what you know of Paul’s life and ministry, in what specific ways was this passage manifest in his life?