11-8-2024

Good Morning All,

    2 Timothy 4:3; “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,” 

     A number of years ago, a famous politician told the person that he was debating with,” you can have your own set of opinions, but you cannot have your own set of facts.”  Facts or truths are not subjective; they stand on their own merit.  We may not like the facts, but facts are outside of our influence, what is or what was a fact is a static thing.  The problem we see is that too many people like to have their own set of facts.

     We see this often today because in the world we live in, most people believe that all truths are relative and what you believe is fact may be different from what I believe is fact.  If you listen to the political ads, you will hear that over and over.  One side claim this is fact while the other side claims that something else is the fact.  They never try to see which one actually is the fact; they simply prefer their own.

      This is what Paul is warning young Timothy about in our verse.  People will have “itching ears” finding their own set of facts to live with and to suit their own passion.  This is even an accepted psychological truth.  After we have formed an opinion, we tend to accept and create evidence which supports or strengthens our view, and we tend to discard or ignore the evidence which goes contrary to our belief.  For example, if you were to come to my house at 10:30 in the morning and wake me up.  Someone who likes me would perceive that I had been up late comforting or consoling someone.  Someone who doesn’t like me might assume I was just lazy.  How you perceive awakening me at 10:30 is based on your “facts” about me.

     Our world today seems to ignore facts and truths, mostly because our truths come from God and are immutable (unchangeable).  God’s Word is what we are to live by.  When that seems uncomfortable to some, God’s Word is ignored, or it is “explained” as to what God “really meant.”  There are not many truths which God is not very clear about.  We might try to cloud the issue but God’s Word, His sound teachings, are solid.

      Yet our human nature will always have itching ears.  Our own strength will always fail us.  We need to trust in God, through faith in Jesus, to keep us in the true faith.  God’s Spirit guides us and guards us into his marvelous light.  It is in these sound teachings which we find comfort teachings like Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for our sins or our justification by grace alone for eternal life.  These are just two of the many truths which we can trust God to give us.  His promise is certain.

Dear Father in heaven, your mercies are new to us every day.  We give you thanks for the certainty of our salvation because of Jesus.  Protect us from itching ears and keep us close to you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret