Itching Ears

2 Timothy 4-Part 3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Timothy 4:3-4


LET IT GLOW

One summer  my left ear kept  hurting me. I would put ice behind it to relieve the pain, but it continued to hurt me. Finally, I went to my doctor, who sent me to a specialist. He stuck a sharp instrument into my ear  and pricked off a crusty thing on my ear drum. It never did itch, but it hurt for a few minutes afterwards. Then I was able to hear fine, and  without pain. I can't imagine what it would be like to have an ear itch and not be able to scratch it, can you? Well, that's the illustration Paul used in verse 3.

Paul told Timothy that there would come a time when:

• People won't endure sound doctrine. This refers to holding up under adversity, and can be translated "tolerate." There will be people in general who will become intolerant of the confrontive preaching of God's Word. Endure means "to be patient with, in the sense of enduring possible difficulty." They find the truth of God to be so torturous to their sinful desire that they must "endure" in the same way Christians do hardships. (Sounds like our present time, doesn't it?)
• They will surround themselves with people who tell them what they want to hear. Their preachers will avoid the word "sin," preferring pep-rally sermons that "give people a boost for the week" and "focus on the goodness of God." Professing Christians and nominal believers in the church follow their own desires and flock to preachers who offer them God's blessings apart from His forgiveness, and His salvation apart from their repentance. They have an itch to be entertained by teachings that will produce pleasant sensations and leave  with good feelings about themselves.
• They will close their hearing to truth in favor of myths, fables. Myths are stories that tell of supposedly ancient events in order to justify the universe as it exists and to rationalize behavior. The Bible doesn't rationalize or justify sin, but challenges us to rise to its standard of right and wrong. These people will deliberately turn away from the Truth.

[Resources: Swindoll's New Testament Insights on 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus; The MacArthur Bible Commentary]

This sounds like a warning to Timothy, his future congregation, future ministers, and believers.

LET IT GROW

In verse 5, we are told: But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

Swindoll tells us four personal instructions Paul gives here:
1. Be sober. To be sober is to have one's mind clear of anything that might impair thinking. Stay balanced
    and remain a model of self-control.

2. Endure hardship. Walk in the same way of suffering as Christ and Paul did.

3. Do the work of an evangelist. This involves more than merely presenting God's plan of salvation. It
    includes feeding the hungry, clothing the poor, sheltering the homeless, caring for widows and orphans,
    fighting for justice, and rescuing the helpless. An evangelist puts the words of the gospel into action.

4. Fulfill your ministry. The word fulfill means "to bring to complete fullness or satisfaction." It's like a
    large sailboat, filled with the wind, allowing the crew to fulfill their purpose, reaching its destiny. Ministry,
    in the Greek is diakonia, which is the same term for the service of deacons, waiting tables, both
    figuratively and literally.

So, a pastor is to preach, confront wrongdoing and correct error while enduring hardships, evangelize the community, and serve the congregation. Are we in the congregation to do any less?

LET IT GO

Beware of itching ears and fable followers. Make sure that I am not one of them and not keeping company with them.

Allow the Holy Spirit to control me.

Look for needs that I can help meet.

Fulfill my calling, destiny.