The doctrines, especially the ones we do not like, have been boxed up
and put away because of the “changing times” and in the dark storage
closets of our mind they sit collecting dust and cobwebs. Today,
selective Christianity runs rampant as people will only accept and
believe what they want to believe. That is what Paul means by “wanting
to have their ears tickled”. The King James Version uses the phrase
“itching ears”. The Greek word in this verse is the Greek word
“knēthō” which literally means “to scratch, that is, (by implication) to tickle” (Strong’s Concordance). Thayer’s Bible Dictionary lists the definitions as “1) to scratch, tickle, make to itch 2) to itch 3) desirous of hearing something pleasant”.
Ever have an itch on your back that you can’t reach? You ask your
significant other to scratch for you and no matter how hard you try,
that significant other does not do the trick for you? What do you do?
If you are like me, you go to the doorway and rub your back against the
corner until that pesky itch has been satisfied. We want to be fed when
we come to church, but we want to be fed the way we want to be fed.
Preach your forgiveness, but keep your expectations. Preach your love,
but keep your holiness. Preach salvation, but keep your sinfulness.
That attitude leads us to the next step in the process: “they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires.”
No not what God wants, but what we want. Not what our Holy God
desires, but what we desire. Instead of adhering to the standards in
which God has clearly set in His infallible and inerrant Word about
preaching, we decided by our finite wisdom and fleshly desires what
preaching was best for us. It is not what’s best for us, it is what WE
want.
Now let’s break down the charge by Paul to Timothy in verse 2.
(The definition of the original Greek as referred by Strong’s is in parentheses)
Preach…. - (to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel))
– How beautiful are the feet of them who preach the Gospel Paul writes
in Romans. To preach is to go from the highway to the hedges and to
share the story of God’s love and the somberness of God’s holiness. The
prophet Isaiah encourages “Cry
loudly, do not hold back; raise your voice like a trumpet, and declare
to My people their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins.”
(Isaiah 58:1). The Word of God challenges us to not hold back. How
silent have we become when we no longer preach the wages of sin, the
worldliness of the Sanctuary, and the weakness of self? "Declare to My people, their transgression and to the house of Jacob their sins”. God’s people. The church. “God is speaking to the Israelites, His people, the house of Jacob”, you say. I suggest this verse to you, “Therefore
it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might
be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to
that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us
all,” (Romans 4:16). Or maybe this verse, “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. (Galatians 3:7). If those two are not good enough, then surely this verse is convincing enough, “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29).
The church is His people. Paul exhorts us to preach. Isaiah says do
not hold back but declare the transgressions of His people.
…the Word… - God’s spoken and infallible Word. “All
Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof,
for correction, for training in righteousness;” (II Timothy 3:16).
All of the Scriptures, preach it, do not let prosperity and popularity
determine the doctrines. To do so is to fail in our purpose. Not just
the ones you like, but the ones you do not. And there is that word
again, correction.
… be ready in season… - (opportunely: - conveniently, in season.) When they like it.
…and out of season…
- (inopportunely: - out of season.) When they don’t. Isn't it a shame
to hear church members tell us what subjects we should and should not
preach. Paul says....Preach the word!
…reprove…
- (Of uncertain affinity; to confute, admonish: - convict, convince,
tell a fault, rebuke, reprove.) We are not out to make people feel
good, we are out by the help of the power of His Spirit to help them
feel God. We are not called to preach a soft gospel or a sensational
gimmick, we are called to preach the straight Gospel. Sound the alarm
and expose the lies and sins impose upon the human race by society.
When the world tells us to quiet the truth, we must heed the challenge
of Isaiah and cry aloud.
…rebuke…
- (to tax upon, that is, censure or admonish; by implication forbid: -
(straitly) charge, rebuke.) Forbid the church to participate in the
lies, sins, and worldliness and let God arise and holiness abound.
…exhort…
- (to call near, that is, invite, invoke - beseech, call for, (be of
good) comfort, desire, (give) exhort) Encourage them and challenge
them to beckon to the call of Holiness as set forth by God’s
commandment. May the commandments of God be invoked in hearts and
minds, ours and others. Preach. May we learned to obey that which God
expects of us as spelled out in His word, all of it.
…with great patience…
- (endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance) As long as the
Lord tarries, do not quit. Be not weary in well doing. Great is the
reward for those who persist in the face of opposition. Endure. Fight
the good fight. Finish the course as established by God. Keep your
faith.
…and instruction. – (doctrine, hath been taught) Not the thing we want to say or learn, but what God desires us to say and learn.
What is our motivation, as it should be. The motivation can be
considered two fold. First, our concern for the heart and the soul of
man moves me with compassion and concern to speak and to write the
truth. To read the words of Jude says it all. “But
you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand
by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you,
“In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own
ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded,
devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your
most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love
of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to
eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others,
snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating
even the garment polluted by the flesh.” (Jude 17-23). I strive to
preach, to speak, to write the truth by the help and grace of God,
without holding back, in hopes of sparing you from the judgment of God
by revealing to you the truth found in His word and to encourage you to
live in a way that is pleasing to God. For you see, it is that judgment
of God which serves as the second motive. As we return to Paul’s
letter and charge to Timothy, I would be remiss to ignore the first
verse. I
solemnly 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:
(I Timothy 4:1). I am responsible for the duty and the task that
has been established to me by His call and His purpose for my life. To
ignore the things in your life and to allow worldliness and sin to enter
and to keep quiet the truth is a grave endangerment to you and a
serious crime on my part. A crime in which I will be held accountable
for and that alone bears a huge burden upon my soul. From my heart to
my home to humanity, I have a responsibility to obey the charge and the
challenge of God. Paul writes “Who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:” (Romans 2:6). Each
person includes you as an individual and me as an individual.
According to the things we say or do. How we live our life. Did we
live it for God? If we live it for self, it frightens me to see what
God would render to me to do so. No one is exempt. “For there is no partiality with God.” (Romans 2:11).
The simplest way to say this is “You will get what is coming to you.” I
do not mean to be blunt but this was written in hopes that you can see
the seriousness of the judgment of God…. on me, if I fail in my task.
Preach the word. From the pulpits to the public, God’s truth and word
must be known and exalted. All of it. The salvation and the sin. The
love and holiness. The forgiveness and the expectation. Do you know
of the story when Jesus told the religious leaders that whoever was
without sin to cast the first stone? Of course you do! We have often
heard it (or you may have used it yourself) in defense against our
"legalistic" preaching often misidentified as judging. We are guilty of
ignoring an even bigger part of the story. He tells the adulteress to
“Go and sin no more.” Jesus himself had expectations for us. Jesus
himself said, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17).
To hide behind the “Jesus is love” teaching and to ignore the holiness
and the expectation that even He had for us is to be ignorant of the
whole truth and to be living dangerously outside of the will of God.
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke,
exhort, with great patience and instruction. That is the truth. That
is the Word of God. I must obey, for there is a great responsibility
that has fallen on my shoulders. Not just mine, but every preacher that
stands in the pulpits all across the world. It is also a challenge to
every Christian. Preach the Word. Don’t hold back. We have a
responsibility and we must fail for to fail is to fail others but most
importantly to fail God. Preach the word until the time comes when your
duty is done, you may be able to say with the confidence and the
boldness of Paul: For
I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my
departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award
to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved
His appearing. (II Timothy 4:6-8)
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