An Itch The Word Won't Scratch

Passage: 2 Timothy 4:3

Main Idea: A true pursuit of and love for God’s Word keeps the believer protected from the subtle corosio of the world.

Message Goal: To encourage the hearers to develop and maintain a sincere desire for the Word of God.

Introduction

I want to give you a few words that describes a generation:

self-absorbing

money- hungry

self-promoting

stuck up

profane

contemptuous of parents

scornful of parents

crude

coarse

rough

heartless

unappeasable

slanderous

without self-control

brutal

not loving good

treacherous/ traitors

hypocritical

Does this list sound familiar? Does this description sound familiar? It looks much like the world we are in right now. However, it is the world of the apostle Paul as described in 1 Timothy 1:1-9.

The passage we read today focuses on the tragedy of time. And it is hard to read it without thinking of Israel. If anyone knew anything about time, it was Israel.

Throughout the Bible we have seen examples in the nation of Israel that warned them of the impact time will have on their rebellion. Judgment is always a product of time. For, God has an appointed a time in which He rewards those who are worthy and judges those who are condemned.

No doubt, Paul, being a Jewish scholar thought to warn Timothy, who is also a Jew, of their current circumstances by referring to circumstances of the past. This is why the phrase last days is used. The phrase he uses is common to the Old Testament. It describes the end.

Yet, we must be extremely careful here, because the eschatology of this verse is speaking, not to the end of the world, but the end of an era. The last days is speaking of the climax of a particular period or age with its constitutional order and cosmic arrangement. It is the end of a national identity with its traditions, values, and relevance.

The point I and the apostle Paul am trying to make is this: When a nation or a people group loses their commitment to biblical truth, it loses its ability to exist. This is the problem America is facing. Paul’s answer to this dilemma is to continue in the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:10-17).

There is something to be said about the gross lack of biblical reading found in today’s world, particularly in America. The Bible has been written off as an irrelevant book of mythological tales by hopeless fanatics who seemingly missed the point of the book. Therefore, many have walked away from faith, the Bible, and morality. (This is a sure sign of a national collapse.) These statistics on Bible reading indicates the coming of a sure tragedy:

11% of Americans read the Bible daily.

As future generations come, the practice of reading the Bible decreases.

35% of Millennials never read the Bible

14% of Millennials read less than once per year

11% of Millennials read once or twice a year

6% of Millennials read three or four times a year

9% of Millennials read once a month.

6% of Millennials read once a week.

81% of Millennials have a terrible reading practice in America, in comparison to 66% for the Elders.

Elders (70+) under the same categories have the following percentage:

20%

14%

11%

6%

9%

6%

(Bible readership in the U.S. by age group 2016 | Statista)

The truth is, our country has never read the Bible faithfully. Yes, it is getting worse, but it has never been good.

The Responsibility of the Preacher

Now, in such conditions, the preacher has the tremendous responsibility to preach the word to preserve the state of a nation or people group. This is why our passage for today is seated in a charge given to Timothy. 1 Timothy 4:1 says,

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 4

I solemnly charge you before God and Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of his appearing and his kingdom: 2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching.

My friends, if we are looking for a solution for today’s dilemma, it is the Word of God.

Now, there is a responsibility to the preacher as we have stated. Yet, today, I want to speak on the responsibility of the listener. The listener must develop a critical and authentic desire for the word of God. You must protect yourself from the following tendencies.

Sermon Points: The Responsibility of the Listener

Listen: Pray That God Keeps You With An Ear to Hear God’s Word.

A collapsing nation, people group, or individual will always have a diet for unhealthy spiritual food.

The only way to be spiritually healthy is to be biblically correct.

God does not force-feed. The word of God must be desired.

Illustration: 1 month of a good diet will always outweigh 4 months of exercise with a bad diet.

Follow: Watch Who and What You Follow.

Who and what you follow is a depiction of your desires.

The teachers and doctrine you entertain is an indication of what you desire.

An assortment of teachers is an indication that our desires are in the wrong place and we have an itch that the Word of God is not concerned with scratching.

This is why these individuals “heap” or multiply their teachers. GET SETTLED.

Itch: Fig. of curiosity, that looks for interesting and juicy bits of information. This itching is relieved by the messages of the new teachers. (Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 550). University of Chicago Press. )

Don’t hang around the candy shop if you’re looking for a bowl of fruit.

Reject: Don’t Reject Truth

The idea the word reject gives is a refusal of help.

Once we refuse the Word of God, we refuse truth. When we refuse truth, we refuse help.

Illustration: Layla rejecting food.

Chasing: Watch What You Chase

What we chase is a depiction of our interest, attention, and trust.

When our interest, attention, and trust are in the wrong place we become attracted to things that are not real and are merely mythical.

This explains the acceptance of allusive preaching that paints the picture of a fictitious life.

When we are chasing God’s Word we seek a life that is deeply rooted in Christ and the kingdom of God.

Conclusion

The things we have mentioned shows a particular progression of events that can either make or break our spiritual life. Every action has a motivator. 1 Timothy 4:3 teaches when we stop listening to the Word of God, we begin following our own desires. Once we begin following our own desires, we begin looking for different teachers. Once we begin looking for things in different places, we begin to reject the truth and chase fantasies.

Do you notice that all of these start with listening. Watch what you listen to!! GUARD YOUR EARS!!!

Quote: “Active listening is being humble and hunting and searching for the best idea possible.” -Laurie Buchanan, Ph.D

When we listen to the Word, we are saying that we don’t have it all figured out and the Word is the only way to receive the proper nourishment we need from the Father. It is our only source of help. So we begin with listening.

Illustration: There’s a story of a young boy who’s life was saved, because his father taught him to stop when he hears his father’s voice. One day he was chasing a ball that was headed for a major highway full of traffic. His father, seeing him, yelled his name and as if there was a chain wrapped around his waist- those words stopped him in his tracks. This young boy’s life was saved by the powerful voice of his father’s word and an attentive ear.

Friends, God has given us a word that will keep us from the traffic of life. If our ear is attentive to the voice of God’s word, we will be saved from the woes of life and the wrath of God. If we fail to listen we will be like the oblivious child only wishing to enjoy the fantasy of a ball in 6:00 traffic destined to face a terrible end.

The word of God can will plant us into a Christ-centered life that will lead us into the joy of eternal blessings!