PROCLAIM THE TRUTH

2 Timothy 4:1–4 (ESV) —

2 Timothy 4:1–4 ESV

1 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: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 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, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

I. THE CALL TO TIMOTHY IS A CALL TO US ALL

2 Timothy 4:1–4 (ESV) — 1 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: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.

2 Timothy 4:1–4 ESV

1 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: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 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, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

“As a pastor, I’ve noticed again and again that prevention is better than cure. People immersed in God’s word respond better to life’s problems. If people are not well rooted in God’s word, it’s difficult to bring that word to bear in a crisis. The truth that God works all things for our good, for example, can sound hard or harsh in the midst of heartbreak. But to people who already have a firm grasp of God’s providence, its message proves a great comfort. That stability comes as your blood becomes “bibline.” Bible Matters by Tim Chester, page 86

Ephesians 4:11–16 (ESV)

Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV

11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

II. A TIME WHEN PASSIONS ARE SUPREME

2 Timothy 4:3 (ESV) —3 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…

2 Timothy 4:3 ESV

3 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,

Description of the times in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

The value of the Scripture in 2 Timothy 3:14-17.

III. TURNING AWAY FROM TRUTH

2 Timothy 4:4 (ESV) —…4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

2 Timothy 4:4 ESV

4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

When people begin seeking to have their ears tickled, they “will turn away from listening to the truth.” Sadly, they will choose to believe fiction over truth. This choice has everything to do with their preferences. They will prefer a fiction that confirms sinful desire over a truth that does not. People will follow after “myths” because they want stories that confirm them, not interrogate them. As Paul has stated elsewhere, the human condition is so broken by sin that sinners “by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Rom. 1:18).[1]

“To oppose our current Western cultural regime, where sexual identity is key to personal value, is to deny the humanity of fellow citizens. The world sees that as a deeply immoral act, and not one that will likely be tolerated forever. Christians need to understand that. This is not an excuse for abandoning biblical teaching on kind words turning away wrath or on blessing those who curse us. But it is to say that we should expect suffering, not op-eds in the Washington Post, to be our reward.” Carl Trueman in First Things Sept. 7, 2023

“The last sad irony is that the clergy's acceptance of gay marriage will ultimately achieve nothing more than the acceleration of the death of the Church of England. The world does not want the church’s approval. It has managed very well without that for many years and will continue to do so. What the world wants is the church’s capitulation.” Carl Trueman in First Things Sept. 7, 2023

[1] Burk, D. (2018). 2 Timothy. In I. M. Duguid, J. M. Hamilton Jr., & J. Sklar (Eds.), Ephesians–Philemon: Vol. XI (p. 491). Crossway.