Itching Ears

The the kind of teaching for formal local church pastor actually says a lot about us. Are we people who only want to hear what we want to hear or are we wanting to know what God's word says today on Truth for Life weekend. Alastair beg examines why it's crucial for believers to submit to sound biblical teaching.

Two Timothy four verse three and four reads for the time is coming, people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths finally pray that as we turn to the Bible that you will open our eyes and ran to his understanding in our minds faith and trust accomplish your purposes.

We pray for Jesus sake. Amen.

I couple of months ago now, I received a call from my doctors office informing me in a timely manner that my daughter would no longer prescribed for me what I use as a daily medication. If I failed for the third year in a row to Charlotte for my annual physical.

So I decided I'll get a different Dr. one who will let me come when I want and enjoy any kind of diet choose and well. Just please myself. Of course I didn't do that. I very quickly made an appointment in my visit will come up towards the end of February I realized that he had my best interest in high would be absolute foolishness on my part. Perhaps even life-threatening on my part to take sound advice that was represented in that call in that word and send it a sign. I think all of us would concur with that and to the extent that we understand that on a physical level, then it ought not to be difficult for us to realize just how far more significant that reality is when it comes to the spiritual realm. When Paul writes to Timothy in his first letter he encourages them in relationship not only to his own physical well-being, but also to his spiritual health and in the seventh verse of chapter 4, paraphrased by JB Phillips. He says to Timothy physical fitness has a certain volume but spiritual fitness is essential both for this life and for the life to come. And therefore if one were to be prepared to play fast and loose with our own physical frames. Surely we would recognize the solemnity that is involved in thinking about the fact that we have a soul that is eternal and five.

The only part of our existence that will pass into eternity is the very essence of who we are soul and that's why the charge that Paul gave to Timothy which we noted last time, came across with such solemnity.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus alone is going to judge the living and the dead in relationship to the fact that he's going to appear and he's going to consummate his kingdom. It's all of that that is wrapped up because as we saw the minister of God looks over the lives entrusted to his care as caring for their souls. As someone who must give an account.

I really really give very much thought to our souls doing. We tend to think of it the wrong way round. Only believing somehow or another the things that are seen are real, and the things that are unseen are somehow unreal when appointed by the Bible reverses it and says the things that we can see are transient their femur all the things that we can see are the things that are eternal and I was in light of those verities that he had given him this charge. The solemn charge and a simple charge. Just a phrase preach the word preach the word regular expository preaching of the Bible is the staple diet of a healthy church is a staple diet of a healthy church that I guarantee you I can take you anywhere in the world and if we find health in the church. Whatever nation, whatever city in the world.

I guarantee you will find the faithful teaching of the Bible that why is this charge then so important. While he tells us in verses three and four.

I have I given your charge that you need to heed an out and let me tell you he says of a challenge that you're going to face this is not some remote future for Timothy. This is something that he has already identified in his first letter now in his second and he's making Timothy aware of what he is previously taught and there have been those he says in chapter 2, whose influence in the church was absolutely useless.

They were involved in a reverent babble there, babble, lead people into ungodliness that their teaching spread like sepsis from a wound that was like gangrene going through a body absolutely dreadful and and that is very basis was the fact that these individuals had swerved from the truth. They swear from the truth no longer holding the line in relationship to orthodoxy. And now he's warning Timothy and preparing Timothy for the fact that when he preaches as he's going to do now because Paul is going to leave him. He needs to realize that he's not simply going to be faced with those whose minds may wonder while he's teaching, but they will actually physically depart from him he should anticipate that they will give up his theology in search of mythology you have the text in front of you to look at it and see whether that's an apt summary of what you say they will depart from the truth and they will embrace error.

Now here's the thing to notice. This is not a diatribe about the surrounding culture he's talking about the church. He stung other people in the church. The people were sitting in a congregation such as this this morning who may find within themselves the seeds of declension and of departure find themselves so pressed upon by the thought forms and worldviews that are essentially secular, that if one is not careful. One may find ourselves completely undermined as a result of that, unless holding firmly to the truth we've been taught not straightforward. I hardly needs any kind of outline. It doesn't.

The time will come when people will not endure sound teaching running hard to understand about that is that you just won't put up with note, we've noticed this word sound in the past. If you turn by just one page you see that in verse 13 of chapter 1 he had urged Timothy to follow the pattern of the sound words that you have had for me.

It simply means healthy as opposed to unhealthy here. These these are the words that will find the body growing in its health and in its usefulness. He did it mention if you turn by one other page to chapter 6 of our first Timothy one.

He had said to them, there teach and encourage these things. First Timothy 63. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the here's the adjective again with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the teaching that accords with godliness.

He's puffed up with conceit.

He understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, constant friction among people are depraved in their minds, deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of getting that's quite a sentence is what is that all stem from it stems from the fight that they do not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, as they have deviate you see the people to whom Timothy is ministering were confused, at least on two fronts.

They were morally confused and they were doctrinally confused.

They were confused about what they really want to believe and therefore they were confused about how they really ought to behave because our belief in our behavior are interwoven. Paul makes the point for Timothy Dudney first Timothy again for says watch your life and your doctrine closely. In this his final act and is able to send it to Millie and you know about my life. You know not only what I said. You also know my life.

There is a direct relationship between a deviation from the truth and that impact then in the moral consensus of church or of individual life's people are not going to be Chewning in says Paul to Timothy, the kind of teaching, which makes them healthy and useful. Instead, you will discover that they have itchy ears and their ears are children's not to serious but are curious some of you have the serious on your on your car as well. I will this is this is that they would be Chewning the Sirius radio they be Chewning the curious radio. Because these are the kind of people who are always looking for something.

It's fascinating, intriguing speculator, spicy you know it is all these hundreds of sorts, some spicy theological insights that just rich aroma coming out from wherever it is and what are they do well they just try and find as many of these people teach them as much of this as they possibly can. That's the significance of this picture, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions in the Greek is actually they will heap up for themselves teachers to get just get more and more more of them is not that they just go for one new teacher. These are not like this one's good and that was good and and so and these people just keep this stuff up if faced with the notion that we so earlier of weak willed women, who are burdened down by all kinds of sins, and led astray by various passions that's in chapter 3. Actually, the verbal root is the same between the two sections in the Greek New Testament. So you see what the picture is Stephen people start believing in the truth of God's work usually don't believe nothing need to start to believe everything so they start to accommodate all kinds of notions you notice the correlation here, they will accumulate for themselves teachers who will accommodate their passions. This is what I want to be.

Or we can help you with that as opposed while actually this is what the Bible says no process to Timothy.

Here's your pro these people that you're going to be preaching to their nominal the line they're going to accumulate for themselves teachers who will consider privilege to let them have whatever it is they want. Now Timothy was in the first century we are in the 21st century. Isaiah was what six or seven centuries BC and what you discover when you read the Bible when you read church history that this is not a peculiar phenomenon, at least not peculiar first century aphesis give you an illustration from the Old Testament.

From the prophecy of Isaiah. If you'd like to return to his Isaiah chapter 30 and done in the context is that the people of God have rejected the instruction of the prophet of God, namely, Isaiah, and the reason that they have rejected his word is not because of any lack of clarity on his part but actually just been a little bit to clear it said to needs to easy to understand what he has to say and too difficult to accept what he has to say. I didn't actually want them to stop preaching. They just wanted him to preach. According to their passions, they just wanted him to preach in a manner that they would be able to live with wooden's alter anything at all.

So look at it as it's recorded for is verse nine. Isaiah 30 they are a rebellious people lying children. Children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord so they can understand is that they don't want to hear. They say to the Sears do not see, and to the prophets, do not prophesy to us what is right speak to us. Smooth things prophesy illusions leave the way turn aside from the path let us hear no more about the holy one, of Israel, well that's pretty straightforward is Telus smooth things I had I would not like that as an adjective to describe myself or anyone of my pastoral team. We may be smooth in terms of the absence of facial hair but that's as smooth as I think we would like to be another terminology between the centuries before Jesus and now here in the first century is the same as net and Isaiah the turn aside from the path and in Timothy they turn away from listening to the truth so it always is describing a certain kind of group of people that think he's going to encounter as he operates not remember when he took his leave from the Ephesian elders. Acts chapter 20. He said to them, from among your own group will come people who drawing people after the they will do a little teach all kinds of things will be like like whoops of managing and in the middle of sheet and now here's Timothy and he is confronted by this very thing. The congregations then selecting their pastors provided their pastors will accommodate their passions tell them what they want to hear their far more interested in novelty than there interested in orthodoxy as it was all seem so very far away really, I don't think so I think seems very very close now I don't know where you are this morning and you're thinking, but I'm standing with Martin Luther. What more can he say than to you he is said to you unto Jesus for refuge of flat, in other words, he has given to us his final statement in the word we don't worship the work we don't worship the Bible but every deviation from his book is either one that takes as above the line or below the line, turning people away from biblical revelation and turn in the admin to speculation. See these people are in search of spirituality that is disconnected from biblical truth.

That's really the issue of every time there's hardly a week passes. If you move in the community are tall. If you let it be known that you have any interest in spiritual or religious things.

You will find some helices you will. I'm a very spiritual person, but of course I have no time for the Bible at all, and then we have to talk with that we let it unpack that. Why is that what is that mean and so here comes the prophet he speaks the word of God to be don't have the word of God Telus smooth things. Here is the word of God that is been left by the apostles in his doctrine that is now in Scripture rated in the New Testament. This is what it says about the nature of man is what it says about the doctrine of creation a minutes… Where it is you. You have to work it out somehow.

Spiritual engagement disconnected from biblical truth. Jeremiah says the same thing.

Listen to this an appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land while what's that the prophets prophesy falsely the priests rule at their discretion. Missing and my people love to have it so that's the problem. As the problem.

You see the problem ultimately is not a prophets or the priests is the people. That's why I'm working so hard to teach you these things so that after my departure, you will also be able to hold these things so that the children learn our nursery this morning will rise up and they will hold to these things because I always tell you you're only a few years away from this place, becoming a carpet silver and it would be cutting that as a result of a declension from the truth either going about it going blind is Eliza that's a little extreme, is it not I don't get is because if you think about in the biblical assessment of man. What the Bible says about us as men and women is not naturally appealing.

If you want more people to people in the chagrin Valley, you probably shouldn't tell him of the Bible says about because what the Bible says about is all is this one.

I'm sinful to him guilty. Three. I'm responsible and four and lost. Have a great day doesn't work it doesn't want you can do that you can't do that if you wanted to have a great day even have the sick, you know, really sinful is to know if you things happen to you. After all, your combination of molecular structural and psychological in my ball and balance blows out now know your sinful sinful and your guilty and you can fix and you're responsible for. You can blame it on your grandmother and your lost you want to make it really clear bring to mind now, your favorite grandchild your newest one. The tiny one with the big guys in the wriggling and everything that goes along with think of all of their potential. Think of all of their capacity bring them before your minds eye set them on a stool in front of and save yourself this little girl is sinful, guilty responsible lost and she needs a Savior. She needs a Savior more than she needs swimming lessons. She needs a Savior more than she's in track.

She needs a Savior more than she goes to the best university in America almost things may be coming and going.

The fact is, she needs a Savior back to the very heart of things. That's why I say to you that the biblical statement of the nature of man. The view of the world broken. That's why it's so crucially important to heed the charge to take up the challenge. See when we come back next time we realize that what forepaws going to say to Timothy is not so throwing the towel. Timothy, you know you do try and accommodate yourself. No say the harder it gets, the tougher it is the harder you've got a go at best way told him earlier when you feel like it when you don't feel like it when the response is strong with the responses. You've got to keep going to realize how important it is to pray for young seminarians to pray for pastors to pray for each other to pray that that in the that in the teaching to our children that there is a fastidious commitment to orthodoxy is notified Jean in blurring of the lines so that these little ones may grow up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Gen. Booth of the Salvation Army, remember the estimate the end of the 19th century. What are your concerns for the church going into the 20th century were the chief dangers confronting the church and he said the chief dangers which will confront the church in the coming 20th century will be religion without the Holy Spirit Christianity without Christ forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration. Politics without God in heaven without hell. How depressing it was that Dick Lucas Dick was working there in London and living there in London right in the very heart of London in the shadow of Lloyd's of London which the IRA tried to blow up on a number of occasions in one of the occasions the bomb made it significant impact on St Helens, Bishopsgate, and actually almost killed the Rev. himself. He was he was very pleased about it. He said because he had wanted to do changes in the church for a long time because it was a historically listed building. He wasn't allowed to and the IRA did a much tremendous favor and so he was able to tear all the pews out and make all these kinds of changes but as he took me around, he said, and I wanders to see this and he showed me the entryway. At one point into the building and he said this part of the building was left completely untouched and and chiseled into the that the lintel and the stone lintels above the other doorway. It said heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will never pass away and and Dick said so. So we continue and so we continue to listing the Truth for Life weekend with Alistair Begg were in a series called guard the truth.

Today's message is a powerful reminder of the importance of solid, biblical teaching, and if you're a regular listener to this program, you know that the faithful teaching of God's word is our passion the Truth for Life.

We believe the Bible is the true word of God and our goal is to teach it in a way that is clear and relevant so that listeners like you can be assured of its truth and can be changed by God's spirit. We also want to encourage you to make God's word a priority in your homes with your children and your grandchildren. Today's book recommendation is designed to help you do just that.

The book is called Bible stories every child should know and it's perfect for passing on God's truth. The next generation. This is a beautifully illustrated book that contains more than 120 stories from both the old and new Testaments. The stories are told in simple language that young children even preschoolers can easily understand each story is 2 to 4 pages long. Just the right length for those attention spans. There are even questions you can ask help keep children engaged.

Find out more about the book Bible stories every child should know when you visit our website Truth for Life.I'm Bob Lapine.

Persevering is always a challenge, especially if were experiencing headwinds but the task of ministry has unique challenges associated with it. So what does it take for us to press on the ministry. Find out as you join us next weekend. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life with the Learning is for Living