Does It Itch?

Does it itch?

2 Timothy 4:1-5

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Introduction: This morning I want to emphasis how important understanding this teaching is. I was able to find 30 passages of scripture that warn in some way against false prophets and teachers. This was a problem in the first century and it is a problem today.

1. The first thing that I want to talk about today is the charge given to Timothy and all of us. “Preach the Word.” If we are to prevail against the world and become the righteous men and women that God calls us to be we have to first become familiar with His Word. We need to:

- Read

- Pray

- Ask for Wisdom

God is watching over us, and therefore is aware of all that we do. We have been charged, “Preach the Word”. This means the whole word. Not just our favorite doctrine, not just the stuff we agree with but the entirety of scripture. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17 we are told:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The message of the Gospel is not the message of human philosophy, psychology, sociology or education. It is not the feel good message of self-help or personal development. While these may be helpful to some they are not the word of God. So what is the Word we are to preach? It is:

- The revelation of God Himself, this is what God wants us to know, this is the record recorded in scripture by men as they were inspired by God to do. This is the Holy Bible.

- The unbelievable love of God that came to us in the form of Jesus Christ. The Son of God that cane to this world to free us from the sin, suffering and death of this world.

- The great mercy of God that manifested itself in the death of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

- The coming resurrection and judgment of all men.

This is the Word we are to preach, we are to shout it from the rooftops, talk about it over coffee, learn it in our quiet times and proclaim it to the world. I t matters not what trials it brings you, what threats of the world come at you – Preach the Word, in season and out if season”.

What does in season and out of season mean: all the time!

There are three strong reasons why we should preach the Word:

1. The Lord Jesus Christ will judge the living and the dead:

a. 2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

b. He will judge whether or not we preached

c. He will judge what we preached, was it the Word.

2. The Lord Jesus Christ will appear in His glory as the “returning conqueror.

a. Philippians 2:9-11: Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

b. Matthew 22:44: Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

i. We cannot wait to begin doing what we should…

3. The Lord Jesus Christ will set up His everlasting kingdom and we will have a part in it.

a. Luke 22:29-30 And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, 30 that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

b. Do you want to be a part of this coming kingdom?

i. Luke 6:46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?