"Sound Doctrine or Itching Ears?" (Sermon on 2 Timothy 3:14

Our text this morning is the Epistle reading from 2 Timothy. In his two letters to his young assistant Timothy, St. Paul emphasizes, over and over again, the importance of teaching in accord with sound doctrine. For instance, Paul instructs Timothy to “follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me” and to “guard the good deposit entrusted to you.” Likewise, today he says to “continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed.”

Paul puts a high priority on sound doctrine. It is in that vein, then, that he gives Timothy this solemn charge: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when 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.”

“Preach the word.” Well, that raises a question, doesn’t it? Which word is Timothy supposed to preach? We’ll get to that in a little bit. But in any case, he is to preach it and proclaim it with full confidence and without fear. “Be ready in season and out of season,” Paul says. In other words, be prepared to preach the word whether it’s popular or not. There will be times when your preaching is “in season,” that is, when people are ready to hear it and receive it. But there will be other times when your preaching is “out of season,” when it’s unfashionable and out of step with the times. At those times folks won’t want to listen to what you’re saying. It doesn’t matter, Timothy. God has called you to preach his word. So be ready to go ahead and preach it, come what may.

In fact, to be a faithful preacher, you’re going to have to say some things that people will not want to hear. “Reprove, rebuke, and exhort,” Paul says. Those are not always pleasant things to do. People may not like you when you do it. But that’s what pastors are called to do. “Reprove, rebuke, and exhort.” Reprove those who are erring and going astray. Rebuke their sins and errors. This reproving and rebuking can range from mild to strong, depending on the sin or the error and on the level of resistance of those being reproved or rebuked. At the same time, and more positively, exhort and encourage the flock in the right direction, in the way of the truth. All these things--reproving, rebuking, and exhorting--take a lot of patience and teaching. People--yes, even Christians--are battling sin and error their whole lives long. Do you find that’s the case for you? You and I will not “arrive” until we depart this vale of tears and temptation. Right now, the devil, the world, and our old sinful flesh give us grief and try to mislead us all the time. And so we resist being reproved, rebuked, or exhorted, even when it’s for our own good. Paul wants Timothy to realize that being a faithful preacher is not easy.

The faithful preaching of God’s word is not always popular with people. Paul tells Timothy this: “For the time is coming when 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.”

“Itching ears”: That’s a powerful image, isn’t it? You get the picture of people who are not satisfied. They’re not content with the sound teaching. They’re always looking for something else, something new: “Yeah, yeah, that old gospel-of-Christ stuff. We’ve heard it before, many times, and frankly, we’re tired of it! Bor-ing! Give us something new, something different, something exciting! Our ears are itching. And we want you to scratch our itch!”

That’s the pressure that people put on preachers. If the preachers won’t give the people what they want, then those folks will move on and find a church and a pastor that will tell them what they want to hear. They have itching ears.

Sad to say, there are plenty of preachers who will scratch their itch. They will offer people something other than the word that God wants to be preached, which is the gospel of his Son, Jesus Christ. Instead, they will put something else in its place as “the main thing.” That’s the danger. It was the danger back then, when Paul wrote to Timothy, and it is still the danger today: Churches and preachers that “switch out” the gospel of Christ as the main thing and substitute in something else, in order to satisfy itching ears.

Let’s look at a couple of examples. First example: A social-political agenda as the main thing. This can come from either the left or the right. Liberal churches, like the ELCA, switch out the gospel of Christ, and in its place they preach a message that resembles a policy platform from the Democratic National Committee: big government programs, political correctness, and social justice, as they envision it. But the same problem can be found on the other side as well, from a conservative perspective. Many preachers spend all their time decrying the moral decline in our country--abortion, homosexuality, etc. They make the big thing to call our nation back to traditional moral values. Now I generally agree with those social conservatives on those important issues. But the problem is when that becomes your “gospel,” when that becomes “the main thing.” Because it’s not. There are many things that may be right and true and in line with God’s law, but they are not yet the gospel. You can try to transform society and work through the political process--and we should do that, as good citizens. But that is not the distinctive thing that the Christian church has to offer.

What the church does have to offer, and only the church has to offer--what people need the most and cannot find anywhere else--is this: It is the life-giving, life-saving gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is the main thing. That’s the big thing that needs to be preached.

Another example, though, of when something else becomes the main thing: When preachers switch out the gospel of Christ and substitute in a self-help message of personal improvement. That is what you find at many of the big-box non-denom churches. No crucifix. Not much mention of Jesus Christ as the Savior who died for your sins and wins your forgiveness. If Jesus is mentioned, it’s more like he’s your life coach. The emphasis is on how you can live a happier life. “Live your best life now!” kind of a thing.

Well, sorry, our best life is not now. In fact, our life now in this world may be full of sickness and sadness and sorrow. But that does not mean we’re not being faithful Christians. It’s means we’re living in a fallen world. And sometimes God’s love for us is hidden behind the cross. So what I need is the new life that only Jesus Christ can give. And Jesus has a habit of giving it to a whole bunch of lousy people who have trouble getting their act together. This is the message that I need to hear, not some glitzy self-help pep talk,

So this is the message that I as your pastor am called to bring to you right here, once again this morning. It is the beautiful gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! This is the only thing that will give you true comfort and real hope in all circumstances, no matter what. And you will only hear it here in church. I preach this gospel to you, because you need to hear it. We need to hear this message, because we like to put other things at the center as the main thing. Our ears get itchy. We want to hear something else. But then we discover that that other thing is empty and a dead end. We need the gospel, something that comes from outside of us. The gospel comes from God, and it is the good news of our Savior Jesus Christ. This is what your ears really long to hear, dear Christian! The Holy Spirit resonates this message in your spirit. Your sins are forgiven! You have everlasting life in Christ Jesus, our Lord! You have a sure hope for eternity! God will carry you through all the cares and difficulties of this life. You are his baptized child; he will not let you go. Brothers and sisters, what sweet good news this is! It’s music to our ears!

This is what you have learned. This is what you firmly believe. This is what the Scriptures declare and deliver. “The sacred writings . . . are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Salvation through faith in Christ Jesus--this is the main thing! Not what we do. What God does. The main thing is what God has done by sending his only Son from heaven, down into our world of sin and misery and death. Christ came to rescue us from the mess we were in and could not get out of. He did this by going to the cross, where he suffered and died for you and for the sins of the whole world. The holy precious blood of the innocent Son of God--this was so powerful and sufficient that it conquered death and damnation and hell itself! This is how thoroughly Christ has saved you! Now when Christ comes again to judge the living and the dead, he will welcome you into your heavenly home. Whatever comes to you now in this life, it cannot touch your salvation. Not your adversities. Not your failures. You belong to God. He put his name on you in Holy Baptism. He puts forgiveness and life and salvation into your mouth, with the body and blood of Christ, in Holy Communion.

What God does in the gospel is a sure thing. And it is the main thing! Not those other things that itching ears want to hear. But the gospel of Jesus Christ--this is sweet music to your ears, to ears that hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Why do you think otherwise?

KJV

Galatians 1:6-9

6. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

ANYBODY???

Like this fine looking fellow???

2 Corinthians 11:12-15

12. But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
13. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Like THESE guys??

http://scriptures.lds.org/en/js_h/1/19#19

17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!

Ephesians 2:1-2

1. And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

I know why I believe in a Godhead and not a trinity. The scriptures describe both.

Unique LDS scriptures do the same:

Trinity:

found in the Book of MORMON ----------- rejected in the Doctrines and Covenants

Book of Mormon:
Now Zeezrom said: Is there more than one God? And he answered, No. (Alma 11:28-29)
...and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. (Alma 11:44)
...doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen. (2 Nephi 31:21)
...praises with the choirs above, unto the Father, and unto the Son, and unto the Holy Ghost, which are one God, in a state of happiness which hath no end. (Mormon 7:7)
...power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son--And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth. And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, (Mosiah 15:3-5)
...of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them. (Ether 2:8)

"Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name." (3 Nephi 9:15)

"And again the Lord called others, and said unto them likewise; and he gave unto them power to baptize. And he said unto them: On this wise shall ye baptize; and there shall be no disputations among you. Verily I say unto you, that whoso repenteth of his sins through your words and desireth to be baptized in my name, on this wise shall ye baptize them--Behold, ye shall go down and stand in the water, and in my name shall ye baptize them. And now behold, these are the words which ye shall say, calling them by name, saying: Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water. And after this manner shall ye baptize in my name; for behold, verily I say unto you, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are one; and I am in the Father, and the Father in me, and the Father and I are one...And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one." (3 Nephi 11:22-27, 36)

Doctrine and Covenants:
According to that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this world was, that should be reserved unto the finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall enter into his eternal presence and into his immortal rest. (Section 121:32)
And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her for time and for all eternity, if that covenant is not by me or by my word, which is my law, and is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, through him whom I have anointed and appointed unto this power, then it is not valid neither of force when they are out of the world, because they are not joined by me, saith the Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of the world it cannot be received there, because the angels and the gods are appointed there, by whom they cannot pass; they cannot, therefore, inherit my glory; for my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God. And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them--Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths--then shall it be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity; and shall be of full force when they are out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the seeds forever and ever. Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them. (Section 132:18-20)
Abraham received concubines, and they bore him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they were given unto him, and he abode in my law; as Isaac also and Jacob did none other things than that which they were commanded; and because they did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods. (Section 132:37)

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