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?
Why this great emphasis on preaching the word? Because apostasy is coming! Let’s look at the next thought in this morning’s text:
(Vv. 3-4)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
1. (v. 3a) “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine”: The only “sound” doctrine is the word of God. Why does this become so distasteful to people? The answer is three fold
a. People do not enjoy hearing that they are sinful and depraved, dirty and unclean, selfish and immoral, unworthy and unjust, ever coming up short. No one enjoys hearing this, I know that I don’t. But guess what; the message is TRUE!
b. People do not enjoy hearing that there is absolutely nothing that we can do ourselves that will make us become acceptable to a righteous and holy God. It is irritating to think that no matter how much good you do it is not enough.
i. Romans 3:10-12: As it is written:
“ There is none righteous, no, not one;
There is none who understands;
There is none who seeks after God.
They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one.”
This is not a pleasant thought for anyone; therefore people do not want to hear it.
c. Those that are not of God do not like to hear that Jesus the Christ is the only way Savior, the only Mediator, the only way that anyone, not matter what their color, creed or social class, can become acceptable before God.
i. Acts 4:12: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
d. I could go on and on about the aspects of scripture that people don’t want to hear. But the question now becomes “why?” Why is the world and even many that claim to be Christians unable to endure these doctrines? They don’t want to hear the truth because:
i. They do not agree with it.
ii. They don’t want to be “judged”
iii. They don’t want to be looked at as “judgmental”
2. (v. 3b) “but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears” This is quite simply people wanting what they want.
a. In today’s society we see it every where we look we can see examples of lustful desires.
i. Premarital sex
ii. Adultery
iii. Porn flourishes. I had Kathy come in the room so she wouldn’t freak out on me later; I did a goggle search for “Porn Sites” we found 221,000,000 sites listed.
1. We did the same search for Christian sites only 83 million.
iv. Even TV, “Victoria’s Secret” Victoria don’t have many secrets anymore.
3. (Vv. 3c-4) “they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.”
a. Scripture goes onto say “that they will up for themselves teachers.”
i. These are people that may sound scripturally correct
1. they teach of God’s Love
a. But not His Judgment
2. they teach about God’s mercy
a. but not His righteousness
3. They teach about forgiveness
a. But not accountability
4. they teach about salvation
a. but not about sin
b. “they turn away from the truth, and are turned aside to fables”
i. The only truth that we can know is the scriptures
ii. Teaching other than the complete scripture is teaching fables; it is not the truth.
Conclusion: Do you know someone that has turned away from the truth of the scriptures? Maybe you have found that you have, maybe not completely but in certain areas of your life. Maybe you are afraid to be considered intolerant by your friends and family so you practice a “softer more loving” Gospel. Come back to God in the spirit of truth. Recommit yourself to the entire Gospel message
