The Reward for Equipping the Saints

The Reward for Equipping the Saints
2 Timothy 4:6-8
December 10, 2023

Winning the biggest sports contests and the prizes that come with them are rare: 

• Only 25 players are on the roster of the team that wins the World Series
• Only about 50 players are on the winning team of the Super Bowl
• Only 26 players will be on the winning World Cup team — and that happens only every four years
• Similarly, athletes have opportunity to win Olympic medals only every four years.

But perhaps the rarest of all sports prizes is the Olympic medal named after the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin.  It was instituted in 1964 as an award for special gestures and acts that exemplify the spirit of the Olympic Games.  But not every summer or winter games recognizes an athlete with this award:  since 1964 only 17 athletes have won the medal, including one posthumous award given to German long jumper Luz Long who befriended American Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Munich and then embraced Owens (who was black) in front of Adolf Hitler at the end of the Olympics.  To win the Coubertin medal might be the most unique athletic accomplishment.

Seeing athletes raise a trophy or medal over their heads in victory is satisfying for both the athlete and his supporters.  But most of us can only imagine what that might be like; we have no realistic opportunity to receive such rewards.

But for the believer, there is a better day coming.  It is the day of reward that is coming from the Lord Jesus Christ for our efforts in serving Him.  The rewards on that day are rare because they are infinitely great; but they are attainable, because every believer in Christ will enjoy them. 

The past few weeks we have been thinking on our theme for ministry this year, “Equipping the Saints.” We have talked about the goal of equipping, the people who equip, and the character of the equippers, and the way that we equip.  Today we will answer the question, why do we equip others?  Why should we expend ourselves for caring for others?  Why would we pay the costs we will have to pay in caring for others?  From the final letter of Paul, we are going to find in 2 Timothy 4 that —

Serve the Lord by equipping His people — because a reward is coming.

There is hardship in life and there is hardship in ministry.  Ministry is not complicated, but it’s often hard (Paul calls it “toil”).  But the effort is worth it because of the coming reward.

Someone has noted that in these verses there is an emphasis on the present (v. 6), the past (v. 7), and the future (v. 8).  That’s true; but all these verses are looking toward the end of life and the evaluation that is coming then:

• “the time of my departure has come” (v. 6)
• “I have fought…I have finished…I have kept” (v. 7) all point to a final evaluation at the end of life
• “in the future” (v. 8)

So these verses are Paul’s final exhortation to persist, endure, and persevere to the end in ministry.  When ministry is hard, continue serving Christ and His people because our expectation of reward is sure.  As you anticipate the end of life (and all of us should), remember three principles in equipping others: 

1. One Continual Cost for Equippers (v. 6)
2. One Final Purpose for Equippers (v. 7)
3. One Great Hope for Equippers (v. 8)

Download the rest of this sermon on 2 Timothy 4:6-8.

The audio will be posted on the GBC website by tomorrow.