Go! And Stand Firm In The Truth - 2 Timothy 4:3–4 Series

Go! And Stand Firm in the Truth - 2 Timothy 4:3–4

2 Timothy 4:3–4 (NLT): “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.”

Introduction: The Age of Itching Ears

Church, we are living in a time when truth is treated as flexible, as if it bends to the winds of personal preference. The Apostle Paul, writing to young Timothy, warned of this very hour. This is not just a first-century issue—it is our reality in the 21st century. Social media influencers, self-help gurus, and even some pulpits echo the same empty promise: “Follow your heart. Create your own truth.”

But there is only one truth that saves. His name is Jesus Christ. And today’s message is a call: Go! And stand firm in that truth—even when the world itches for lies.

Paul writes this final letter from a Roman dungeon. Death was near, but his passion for the Gospel burned brightly. He warns Timothy that many will abandon “sound and wholesome teaching” (Greek: hugiainousa didaskalia—healthy, life-giving doctrine). Instead, they will gather teachers who tickle their desires, who soothe their conscience rather than convict their soul.

This passage is prophetic: it shows the danger of spiritual compromise and the need for steadfastness.

Point 1: The Danger of Itching Ears

Paul says, “They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.” The Greek phrase knethomenoi ten akoen paints a vivid picture—ears being tickled, not to hear truth, but to be entertained.

Isaiah 30:9–10 (NLT): “They are a rebellious people… They tell the seers, ‘Stop seeing visions!’ They tell the prophets, ‘Don’t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies.’”

From ancient Israel to modern Britain, humanity craves comfort over conviction.

John Piper wrote, “People don’t want a God they have to obey. They want a God who makes them feel good about themselves while they stay in control.”

That’s exactly what Paul warned against. A Christ who only comforts but never confronts is not the Christ of Scripture.

Imagine a patient with a life-threatening illness who fires their doctor for telling them the truth, and instead hires someone to say, “You’re perfectly healthy!” That is what happens spiritually when we reject sound doctrine.

Believer, do you only open your Bible to be comforted—or to be changed? Are you willing to let the Word cut before it heals?

Point 2: The Rejection of Truth

Paul continues, “They will reject the truth and chase after myths.” Truth here is aletheia—reality as God defines it. Myths (muthoi) are empty fables that soothe the flesh but starve the soul.

Romans 1:25 (NLT): “They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself.”

Tim Keller once said, “If your god never disagrees with you, you might just be worshipping an idealised version of yourself.”

When we reject the truth of God’s Word, we often end up worshipping our own reflection—our desires, our comfort, our pride.

Years ago, a captain ignored the lighthouse’s warning, insisting, “It must move for me.” He crashed upon the rocks. Truth is the lighthouse. We do not move it; it stands immovable, or we are wrecked.

What myths are you tempted to believe today? That sin has no consequence? That everyone will go to heaven? That God is indifferent to how you live? The truth is: without repentance and faith in Christ, there is no salvation.

Point 3: The Call to Stand Firm

Timothy was to preach the Word “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2). The call is clear: do not conform to the itching ears of the age—proclaim Christ crucified, risen, and coming again.

Jude 3 (NLT): “Defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.”

And again, Ephesians 4:14 (NLT): “Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching… Instead, we will speak the truth in love.”

Charles Stanley said, “Obey God, and leave all the consequences to Him.”

Standing firm will cost us—relationships, comfort, perhaps even freedom. But obedience to Christ secures eternal reward.

Parents, teach your children the Word—even when culture calls you outdated. Workers, live with integrity—even when colleagues cut corners. Church, stand for Christ—even when society calls you intolerant.

The Gospel: The Only Sound Doctrine That Saves

At the heart of sound teaching is not a philosophy, but a Person—Jesus Christ. The Gospel is not an idea we debate; it is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16).