WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:10.560 Well, um in March of 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 took off just after midnight from Kuala Lumpur, headed for Beijing. 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:23.839 There were 239 men, women, and children on board, business travelers, families, crew members, just doing their ordinary jobs, and by all accounts, it was a routine flight on a familiar route. 00:00:24.079 --> 00:00:28.640 And then somewhere over the ocean, if you remember this, uh, the plane vanished. 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:31.679 And the plane settled into a cruising altitude. 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:35.759 The pilot transmitted one final, now chilling, message. 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:37.759 All right, good night. 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:48.640 And shortly afterwards, the plane went silent, vanished somewhere over the Indian Ocean with no explanation, no eyewitnesses, no known wreckage that we could point to and say, Well, there it is. 00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:49.920 Anyone remember that? 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:53.359 It's kind of, it was just my eyes were glued to the TV. 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:55.840 The mystery gripped people worldwide. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:10.879 In 2023, almost 10 years after the plane vanished, Netflix produced a polished documentary series revisiting MH370, and they spent hours walking through different possibilities and asking questions like, did something fail mechanically? 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:13.519 Was there was it a deliberate act? 00:01:13.680 --> 00:01:14.480 Was there a cover-up? 00:01:14.719 --> 00:01:17.200 Did the plane land in Iran somewhere? 00:01:17.519 --> 00:01:24.560 The show interviewed experts and families, but it also gave ample airtime to highly speculative theories. 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:26.159 Now, why was that? 00:01:27.040 --> 00:01:30.159 Because I think that what that's what keeps us watching, right? 00:01:30.640 --> 00:01:33.599 When the facts run out, the what-ifs begin. 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:38.879 And our culture loves a good, juicy story, even if the story is not true. 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:43.120 The mystery is what captures our imagination and our hearts. 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:45.120 Has that ever happened to you? 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:48.400 It's a plausible myth, you say. 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:53.760 Now, for definition's sake, a myth, which we'll cover today, is comes from the Greek word mythos. 00:01:54.319 --> 00:02:04.319 It's a legendary tale, a fabricated story, a speculative teaching that is elevated above sober historical or orthodox truth. 00:02:04.879 --> 00:02:10.879 And it's our culture's fascination with myths that can quickly lead us away from the truth. 00:02:11.120 --> 00:02:17.599 So the disappearance of MH370 is one dramatic example of something that happens to all of us. 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:38.159 Because spiritually speaking, when God doesn't explain himself on our timetable, when we don't see reasons for our suffering, or when life doesn't turn out as we hoped, we start to fill in the gaps with speculation and disappointment, and we drift towards other narratives that we think meet our needs better than God Himself. 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:42.639 That's the topic that Paul covers in 2 Timothy 4, 1 through 5. 00:02:42.800 --> 00:02:48.400 As Craig read before, I'd invite you to join me there now if you're not there with me already. 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:53.120 Paul writes this in 2 Timothy 4, 3. 00:02:53.280 --> 00:03:00.319 He says, For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching. 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:07.439 Now, often, as I mentioned previously, we read a verse like this and we assume it's it's all going to happen in the future. 00:03:07.599 --> 00:03:11.759 But Paul is writing to Timothy in the first century, and it all sounds imminent. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:17.840 Even then, under immense cultural pressure, people were abandoning their faith because it wasn't easy. 00:03:18.080 --> 00:03:24.400 The Christian faith did not supply the answers they wanted, and so instead they went a different direction. 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:25.520 Why? 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:29.840 Well, Paul said people started to have itching ears. 00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:33.120 Does anybody have itching ears out there today? 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:34.960 Maybe somebody's talking about you. 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:36.960 Now, when you have an itch, what do you do? 00:03:37.120 --> 00:03:39.280 You scratch, right? 00:03:39.599 --> 00:03:44.400 In fact, you could ask your neighbor to, if you're so bold, to scratch your ear right now if it's itchy. 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:47.199 See, we crave relief and irritation. 00:03:47.360 --> 00:03:52.080 We reach to the closest bottle of ointment for satisfaction. 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:56.560 Now, in 21st century America, what makes our ears itch? 00:03:56.800 --> 00:04:04.240 Maybe it's personal affirmation, material comfort, the illusion that we have some secret knowledge that nobody else knows. 00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:07.919 After all, who doesn't like a good conspiracy theory? 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:14.400 Recently the US government released secret documents about UFOs and aliens, and the internet blew up. 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:18.399 Every Christian podcaster I follow was commenting on the story. 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:19.199 Why? 00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:24.079 Because we're fascinated with secrets, especially government secrets, right? 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:28.720 When our ears itch, how do we scratch? 00:04:29.040 --> 00:04:34.480 Well, in our advanced internet-equipped, media-driven age, the tools are literally at our fingertips. 00:04:34.639 --> 00:04:39.920 If our website or application doesn't work, you just swipe left or swipe right. 00:04:40.160 --> 00:04:42.959 Instead of scratching, we endlessly swipe. 00:04:43.199 --> 00:04:50.560 Every platform is eager to feed us algorithmically curated content that is personalized to our desires. 00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:59.680 And if you swipe long enough, you'll find a YouTube channel with an influencer that tells you what you want to hear by scratching just exactly where you itch. 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:02.000 Seems like they already knew. 00:05:02.399 --> 00:05:10.000 Paul says a time is coming, and I might argue is now here, when people will not endure sound teaching. 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:13.279 They will pursue myths rather than the truth. 00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:15.920 Now, what are some of the modern myths out there? 00:05:16.079 --> 00:05:20.399 Well, let me give you a couple, just to get your appetites thinking here. 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:26.480 There's the prosperity gospel narrative, and that says if I have enough faith, God will make me wealthy. 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:31.439 And that myth rescripts the Christian life around self-fulfillment and financial gain. 00:05:31.680 --> 00:05:36.560 There's the therapeutic gospel, which says God's main job is to help you follow your heart. 00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:46.480 That myth retains Christian language, but God is no longer the central figure in the story, and repentance is replaced by personal fulfillment. 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:51.199 And then there's again the speculative Christian conspiracies or end times theories. 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:54.560 And given the state of the world, I encounter a new claim every day. 00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:56.079 I open up my newsfeed. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:02.319 The myth prioritizes secret codes or a political conspiracy reading of scripture. 00:06:02.560 --> 00:06:09.360 And those stories might fascinate people, but they don't help us always live a life of true faith in Christ. 00:06:09.680 --> 00:06:16.319 So the polished Netflix documentaries may soon be filmed in our new New Jersey studio down at the shore. 00:06:16.560 --> 00:06:21.839 They may tantalize our supposed felt needs, but often they prove to be false. 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:28.399 The scriptures don't primarily meet our felt needs, they address our deeper spiritual needs. 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:31.040 And what we need is Jesus. 00:06:31.680 --> 00:06:34.000 Now, what do we learn in last week's message? 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:46.879 We learned in 2 Timothy 3.16 that all scripture is God breathed, it's breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. 00:06:47.279 --> 00:06:52.560 Now, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness don't sound like easy tasks to me. 00:06:52.800 --> 00:06:57.680 It sounds like God's word, the Bible, will challenge our assumptions. 00:06:57.920 --> 00:07:04.319 It may offend us at times, but it does so with the goal of pointing us toward the truth. 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:10.319 So 2 Timothy 3, 16 to 17 was about doctrine, that God's word is sufficient. 00:07:10.560 --> 00:07:16.800 And it raises a question well, how should Christians respond to the myths of our age? 00:07:16.959 --> 00:07:20.160 And that's the topic of 2 Timothy 4, 1 to 5. 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:26.959 So if 3, 16 and 17 was about doctrine, 4, 1 to 5, now takes that doctrine and applies it. 00:07:27.199 --> 00:07:29.439 Paul answers the so what question. 00:07:29.600 --> 00:07:35.759 And in five verses, Paul offers a three-step game plan to address the myths and get us to the truth. 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:37.839 First, we're going to see the charge. 00:07:38.079 --> 00:07:42.160 Second, we're going to see the warning, and then finally, the work. 00:07:42.480 --> 00:07:45.759 So let's pray, and then we'll look at each of those verses this morning. 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:49.759 Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your goodness and your grace, Lord. 00:07:49.839 --> 00:07:55.839 I thank you for each person who is here, for those that are joining us online or maybe listening to this later on, Lord. 00:07:55.920 --> 00:08:03.920 I ask that you, Holy Spirit, would come, speak to our hearts, illuminate our minds, that we may see what you want us to see. 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:10.879 Bring conviction where conviction needs to happen, Lord, and I ask that my words would fade and your words would come. 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:18.000 For you tell us that the grass may wither and the flower may fall, but the word of our Lord abides forever. 00:08:18.319 --> 00:08:21.360 And so may you speak to us now in Jesus' name. 00:08:21.920 --> 00:08:22.560 Amen. 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:31.040 Alright, so first, before he outlines the problem, Paul gives Timothy and us a preemptive charge. 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:36.159 That since Scripture is breathed out by God, since Scripture is sufficient, what do we do? 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:37.120 What do we do? 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:43.600 Well, he writes in verse 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is what? 00:08:43.759 --> 00:08:57.759 Who is the judge of the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, we'll get to the charge in a moment, but this right here is a heavy verse, and I want you to feel the weight of the statement. 00:08:57.919 --> 00:09:01.279 Now, in the original language, charge was a legal commission. 00:09:01.360 --> 00:09:05.600 It was as if somebody was testifying under oath in court. 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:12.080 So picture Paul on the witness stand right here, looking us straight in the eye and speaking with passion. 00:09:12.720 --> 00:09:20.080 The same word here is used in Acts chapter 20, verse 21, when Paul is giving his farewell address to the Ephesian elders. 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:32.000 His attitude is and heart posture is that every gospel preacher should have, when they stand before their congregation, that we're testifying before a watching world. 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:35.039 This is not casual advice he's giving over dinner. 00:09:35.200 --> 00:09:36.480 It is serious. 00:09:36.879 --> 00:09:42.559 Now, notice the charge is offered in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus. 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:45.840 In other words, God Himself is Paul's witness. 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:49.440 Now, have you ever been in a courtroom when somebody's giving testimony? 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:56.639 You know, after somebody gets up on the stand, they put their hand on the Bible, they take the oath, and the weight of the room shifts. 00:09:56.879 --> 00:10:02.320 Because now, if that witness says anything that's untrue, they may be committing perjury, right? 00:10:02.399 --> 00:10:03.519 Then it might be an indictment. 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:05.600 There's serious consequences. 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:09.120 Paul's argument here is a crescendo of power. 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:11.440 He reminds us who Jesus Christ is. 00:10:11.600 --> 00:10:12.080 He is what? 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:13.440 He is the judge. 00:10:13.759 --> 00:10:15.120 Do you know what that means? 00:10:15.360 --> 00:10:22.000 That means while that doctrine is unpopular, one day we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:25.679 We will give an account of how we lived on earth. 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:30.159 When was the last time you saw a Netflix documentary speculating on that? 00:10:30.799 --> 00:10:34.799 Hollywood is not making movies about Jesus' judgment on earth. 00:10:34.960 --> 00:10:40.799 But Paul is saying that his charge bears the weight and power of the judge. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:43.360 Now finally, he introduces the stakes. 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:47.200 Jesus will come back, he will bring his full kingdom with him. 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:53.360 The charge is eschatological, future-oriented, end times in nature. 00:10:53.600 --> 00:11:01.200 But in Greco-Roman times, the word appearing described the official glorious visitation of a ruler. 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:06.000 You know, this week we had a presidential delegation visit China. 00:11:06.240 --> 00:11:12.799 This was a high-stakes meeting between heads of state, and when Air Force One landed, China put its best foot forward. 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:17.440 Streets were cleaned up, military shows occurred, the country was ready. 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:24.799 And what Paul is saying is that while we don't know the day or the hour, we need to be ready for Jesus' return. 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:26.240 He's the king. 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:30.720 You don't want to get caught unprepared when his kingdom arrives. 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:50.320 But the word also communicates a less than subtle message because Paul is deliberately repurposing Caesar's vocabulary, the emperor's vocabulary, to show that the gospel preacher is not a herald of Rome or of the United States or of China, but of Christ. 00:11:50.720 --> 00:11:55.279 That when Jesus, the true king, appears, he will judge all earthly rulers. 00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:56.799 He will judge China. 00:11:56.960 --> 00:11:58.480 He will judge the United States. 00:11:58.639 --> 00:11:59.840 He will judge us. 00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:07.120 And so, church, you must remember where your primary and ultimate allegiance lies to the kingdom of Christ. 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:13.679 So to bring this home, remember Christ's kingdom is both already and not yet. 00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:20.320 That even though his kingdom has not come to earth in totality, we are called to bring the kingdom right now. 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:22.000 Do you know what that means? 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:26.320 That means you must live as a citizen of heaven right now, every day. 00:12:26.559 --> 00:12:30.000 In your home, you must bring heaven to earth. 00:12:30.240 --> 00:12:34.559 At work, you are a representative of Christ, the King Himself. 00:12:34.960 --> 00:12:38.639 On social media and the internet, Christ's kingdom still matters. 00:12:38.799 --> 00:12:43.360 If Jesus came back today and evaluated your Instagram posts, what would he say? 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:47.360 One day he will appear in glory. 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:52.639 So verse one is the context of the charge, but now what is the charge? 00:12:52.879 --> 00:12:54.559 Well, look at verse 2. 00:12:54.879 --> 00:12:57.120 Preach the word. 00:12:57.840 --> 00:13:00.399 Be ready in season and out of season. 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:01.600 That's the charge. 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:02.799 Preach the word. 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:14.960 Now Paul is writing to Timothy, a pastor-preacher, but the application I think should hit home for all of us because the Greek word caruso meant to proclaim, to herald, to announce a message publicly. 00:13:15.519 --> 00:13:22.480 It was used to describe the king's official messenger, the town crier who was sent out to make official statements. 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:27.759 Or maybe a modern illustration would be think of it as Jesus' press secretary. 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:30.000 Have you ever thought of yourself that way? 00:13:30.320 --> 00:13:45.279 See, as a Christian, in some ways, we are the town crier running through the streets, uh, announcing the good news to all who will listen, and then in confrontational moments, we feel difficult questions from hostile audiences and defend the truth. 00:13:45.759 --> 00:13:51.519 The word simultaneously refers to the gospel message, right? 00:13:51.600 --> 00:14:02.399 The life, the death, the resurrection of Jesus Christ on our behalf, as well as the breathed-out scriptures inspired by the Holy Spirit. 00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:15.600 So when Paul tells us to preach the word, he's talking about preaching Jesus Christ crucified and resurrected, as well as the depth of scriptural instruction for our edification. 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:18.559 So when should we preach? 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:21.679 He says, preach in season and out of season. 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:29.679 Now, if you're an athlete, you know that you play during the regular season, but you train during the off-season. 00:14:29.840 --> 00:14:30.399 Why? 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:34.399 Because you have to be ready at a moment's notice. 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:38.399 You have to be ready to preach anywhere, anytime. 00:14:38.480 --> 00:14:47.120 We need to preach the gospel and stand for biblical truth when times are favorable for Christians and when the cultural pressure is against us. 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:57.360 And at our time in history, or there were times in history, I think, when the larger cultural story was very favorable to Christianity. 00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:02.399 And being a Christian or a pastor, it would bring you cultural cachet. 00:15:02.480 --> 00:15:05.440 It was just assumed that that was something you wanted. 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:09.840 But in today's world, it's in many cases a liability. 00:15:10.480 --> 00:15:24.240 Christians who are faithful to God's word find themselves on the margin due to views on things like the exclusivity of Christ or biblical sexuality or religious freedom or that Jesus is the judge of our sin. 00:15:25.840 --> 00:15:39.679 You know, in 2007, uh there was a Chinese pastor, Ezra Xin, who started a small unregistered house church in Beijing, and it grew into the Zion Church, one of China's largest underground congregations. 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:51.279 And when officials from the government demanded surveillance cameras in the sanctuary and tighter state control, Xin refused and kept preaching Christ openly. 00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:55.840 Now in 2025, just last year, police raided multiple cities. 00:15:56.000 --> 00:16:01.919 They arrested Ezra and other leaders and charged them for illegally spreading religious information. 00:16:02.559 --> 00:16:08.240 Simply because they continued to proclaim the gospel outside government control. 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:19.919 So his story shows that when Christians preach faithfully, under cultural pressure, the cost often rises, but so does the clarity of the witness. 00:16:21.039 --> 00:16:22.240 This is the charge. 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:26.559 Preach the word in season and out of season. 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:28.480 Be prepared. 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:41.039 Now, when the gospel or biblical truth is culturally out of season, there will be consequences for our faith, and the myths of our age will become tempting. 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:45.919 So, how should Christians respond to the myths of our age? 00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:48.399 Preach the word, yes, but how? 00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:50.879 Well, Paul offers three words to guide us. 00:16:51.039 --> 00:16:52.480 Now, end of verse 2. 00:16:52.639 --> 00:16:59.679 He says, reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching. 00:17:00.399 --> 00:17:07.279 Now, while those qualifiers are used together to modify the preaching of the word, each conveys a little bit of a different aspect. 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:11.759 Now, also don't think that this simply applies to professional preachers. 00:17:12.000 --> 00:17:17.519 Every Christian is called to this, whether you're in the pulpit or whether you're around the dinner table. 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:24.160 And we we are called to do this correctly, in gentleness, out of a heart of love. 00:17:24.400 --> 00:17:25.920 So let's break down each word. 00:17:26.000 --> 00:17:27.039 First, there's reprove. 00:17:27.200 --> 00:17:29.119 You say, what does that mean to reprove? 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:31.599 Well, that word focuses on the mind. 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:40.079 That when somebody is in doctrinal error, we preach the word by showing them the error of their thinking through clear biblical reasoning. 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:52.480 So for example, somebody might hold a cultural belief that does not line up with scripture on the topic of marriage, or maybe has a misunderstanding of a core doctrine such as the exclusivity of Christ. 00:17:53.279 --> 00:18:01.279 Picture a church member who says to you, Well, I think sincere Muslims, Hindus, and Christians, they all worship the same God in different ways. 00:18:01.920 --> 00:18:04.000 How would you reprove that? 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:16.799 Well, you could sit down and point them to scriptures like John 14.6 or Acts 4.12 or 1 Timothy 2.5, which all affirm that salvation is in Jesus Christ alone. 00:18:17.359 --> 00:18:21.599 We reprove by demonstrating error from Scripture. 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:23.279 Second, rebuke. 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:25.279 Rebuke sounds so harsh, right? 00:18:25.440 --> 00:18:28.799 It's a word that focuses on the will or the conscience. 00:18:29.119 --> 00:18:34.880 So for this one, when somebody is living in sin, we confront them and call them to repentance. 00:18:35.119 --> 00:18:37.759 Because a rebuke is direct and urgent. 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:41.759 Think about Pastor Dave's message on pornography a few weeks ago. 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:54.000 That if somebody is in habitual sexual sin and not remorseful, not repentful, when somebody is violent with their words or divisive in their actions, they may need to be rebuked. 00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:57.119 It's an authoritative command from God's word. 00:18:57.680 --> 00:18:59.680 And then finally, there's exhort. 00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:02.240 And that's a word that appeals to the heart. 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:07.599 That when you preach the word by exhorting someone, you are urging them forward. 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:08.880 You are confronting them. 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:12.720 You are walking alongside them in difficult times. 00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:24.000 For example, maybe there's a family in our church who's facing a cancer diagnosis or a job loss or a prodigal child and they feel overwhelmed and spiritually numb. 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:35.759 You can lovingly and patiently take them to Romans 8, 18 to 39, and exhort them about the love of Christ, that you cannot be separated from Him if you are in Christ. 00:19:35.920 --> 00:19:36.799 Don't give up. 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:39.759 God is still on His throne, He sees you. 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:47.519 When someone is discouraged, going through a hard season, struggling to obey, you preach the Word by exhorting them. 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:52.559 And Paul says you're teaching them and you do this with patience. 00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:59.920 So look at these words, church, and ask yourself how will you preach the word this week? 00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:03.519 Reprove, rebuke, exhort. 00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:05.039 There's times for all three. 00:20:07.200 --> 00:20:11.039 How do Christians respond to the myths of our age? 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:18.960 We heed Paul's charge by preaching the word, and we must do this because, secondly, there's a warning that he outlines next. 00:20:19.680 --> 00:20:21.759 Now, why is this charge so important? 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:24.079 Paul gave the way to the context first. 00:20:24.240 --> 00:20:26.880 He appealed to the witness of God and Jesus Christ. 00:20:27.039 --> 00:20:29.200 He gave clear instructions on how to preach the word. 00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:30.079 Why? 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:31.759 Well, now he tells us the problem. 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:32.880 Look at verse 3. 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:39.359 He says, For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching. 00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:44.400 And that's both a discouraging statement and a call to action. 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:51.680 The time is coming, it's in the future tense, but Paul is also combating false teachers in his time. 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:57.440 It's not a prediction of a one-time future apostasy in the church. 00:20:57.599 --> 00:21:00.000 It is a warning for the church in any age. 00:21:00.160 --> 00:21:01.680 It was true in Ephesus. 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:03.440 It was true in Rome. 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:05.759 It was true during the Reformation period. 00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:08.400 It was true during the Great Awakening in America. 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:09.519 It's true today. 00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:11.519 It's gonna be true in the future. 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:16.960 Every generation has people who do not endure sound teaching. 00:21:17.599 --> 00:21:20.000 Now the word sound was a medical term. 00:21:20.480 --> 00:21:22.799 It's where we get our English word hygiene from. 00:21:22.880 --> 00:21:25.839 So this teach this teaching is pure. 00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:33.039 It's pure gospel teaching that's clean, it's undefiled, it's not mixed with anything dirty or confusing. 00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:37.279 Clean water hydrates and nourishes the soul. 00:21:37.519 --> 00:21:45.839 Clean filtered water is something that we take for granted in America, but if you live in a place like Africa, uh it's much harder to come by. 00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:51.039 People may there may drink water contaminated by bacteria or dirt. 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:56.880 And while it might need and meet a need initially, eventually it might cause sickness. 00:21:57.119 --> 00:21:59.519 And that's what happens when we drink contaminated. 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:03.359 Teaching, it can eventually poison our soul. 00:22:03.680 --> 00:22:08.480 Now, if you notice that word endure, Paul has used that multiple times in his letters to Timothy. 00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:11.519 It meant to hold fast during difficult times. 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:20.960 And cleverly Paul uses it to make the point that some people will give up on this clean, solid gospel teaching and biblical fidelity. 00:22:21.200 --> 00:22:23.039 Instead, what will they do? 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:24.559 End of verse 3. 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:33.119 Having itching ears, here it is, and they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. 00:22:34.079 --> 00:22:36.079 So their ears are gonna itch, right? 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:38.240 Again, anybody got itchy ears? 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:41.920 Now, one reason your ears might be itchy is because of fungal growth. 00:22:42.079 --> 00:22:44.160 Sorry to get gross here, but that's what happens. 00:22:44.240 --> 00:22:45.680 That's what the doctors tell me. 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:48.640 You got fungus in your fungus in your ears. 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:50.160 It's contaminated, right? 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:52.960 And all you want to do is start itching your ears. 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:58.720 When contaminated teaching goes in, it causes a fungus that makes you itch uncontrollably. 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:05.200 Paul is using the phrase to describe what happens when we do not endure sound teaching. 00:23:05.440 --> 00:23:07.279 How do we itch our ears? 00:23:07.519 --> 00:23:09.039 How do we get relief? 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:14.720 He says we start to collect these teachers who tell us what we want to hear, teachers who make us feel good. 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:20.480 We start to accumulate, or the word means to pile on many teachers that appeal. 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:24.480 Paul is talking about a cultural problem of his day. 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:30.400 In the Roman world, wealthy patrons would routinely collect philosophers, right? 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:35.680 Spiritual teachers, as a way to show off their culture and their status. 00:23:35.839 --> 00:23:37.680 It was a philosopher for hire. 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:43.039 It was the traveling, the traveling sophist who attuned their message to the tastes of the crowd. 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:44.400 They were performers. 00:23:45.039 --> 00:23:47.680 It was a normal part of life in cities like Ephesus. 00:23:47.920 --> 00:23:55.119 Paul is warning Timothy about this cultural dynamic, this consumer dynamic that has now crept into the church. 00:23:55.359 --> 00:24:05.839 And he says, instead of submitting to the apostolic message, what happens is these congregations are starting to shop for spiritual experiences that fit their preferences. 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:20.400 So you can picture today with popular Christian podcasters, conference speakers whose appeal is driven less by careful doctrine and more by how perfectly they scratch the cultural itch in the moment. 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:38.640 So imagine a teacher with a huge, a huge platform who constantly reassures their listeners that following Jesus will mostly mean personal success and self-affirmation, but they avoid hard texts about sin and judgment or costly obedience because, well, those topics just don't, they don't preach. 00:24:38.799 --> 00:24:40.079 They don't fit well. 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:42.720 People don't just listen. 00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:45.200 What they do is they start collecting these teachers. 00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:49.839 They quote them, they cite them, and they use them like a badge of identity. 00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:51.440 I'm with this voice. 00:24:51.759 --> 00:25:00.400 So in that sense, the modern celebrity Christian ecosystem can function like this ancient patron philosopher system. 00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:08.880 And what believers do is they curate teachers who say what they already want to hear instead of humbly submitting to the whole counsel of God. 00:25:09.440 --> 00:25:13.839 So I'll have to ask you, what teachers are you collecting? 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:21.200 Now, these are just examples, and that's not a commentary on them, but they all have big platforms. 00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:25.279 Some are saying out there, well, Pastor Bob, I don't collect any teachers. 00:25:25.440 --> 00:25:27.519 That's an outrageous accusation. 00:25:28.400 --> 00:25:35.920 Well, perhaps, but we do, my point is here, we do live in a time when collecting teachers is easier than ever. 00:25:36.720 --> 00:25:41.359 Nearly everybody has a podcast nowadays, a YouTube channel, a TikTok following. 00:25:41.519 --> 00:25:50.799 And so if you were just to do an exercise and take out your phone right now, look through your podcast playlists, look at all the YouTube channels you might follow. 00:25:51.119 --> 00:25:52.720 How many do you have? 00:25:53.599 --> 00:26:02.319 Now the really scary part about our Dane Age is that with AI algorithms, these platforms just they just know exactly what you want better than you do, right? 00:26:02.960 --> 00:26:11.680 They see your searches, they remember your questions, and they suggest, nudge you towards things you might like, right, based on your activity. 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:17.680 I hate to break it to you, but but Siri and Alexa, yeah, they're listening, despite what they tell you. 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:23.839 And before you know it, Amazon, Facebook, they're suggesting the next product or the next book that you need to add to your collection. 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:26.559 And I think they even call it your collection, by the way. 00:26:26.880 --> 00:26:33.839 Podcast playlists, YouTube channel, streaming platform, church, they're all designed to help you collect these teachers. 00:26:34.079 --> 00:26:40.240 And again, the scariest part is we we start ingesting content without even thinking about it. 00:26:40.559 --> 00:26:44.640 The algorithm knows what you want and it feeds your passions. 00:26:45.200 --> 00:26:48.480 And it blocks contents and posts from people with whom you don't agree. 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:52.480 So you might ask, well, why are we so polarized as a church and country? 00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:54.880 This is at least partly to blame. 00:26:55.440 --> 00:26:57.680 Now, what is the danger? 00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:03.200 What happens if you're browsing the internet in a way that does not align with God's word? 00:27:03.599 --> 00:27:08.799 And the algorithm picks that up and it's not going to show you things that align with God's word. 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:10.000 That's the danger. 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:17.680 Before you know it, Paul says you might turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 00:27:18.079 --> 00:27:19.440 Here's the myths. 00:27:19.759 --> 00:27:23.200 That's what the technology of our age allows us to do. 00:27:23.359 --> 00:27:27.039 Remember, it's the advertisers that make money by showing you what you want. 00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:30.400 They want your eyeballs, the views, the clicks, the likes, right? 00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:33.440 We live in an insidiously dangerous age for this. 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:34.400 You have to watch out. 00:27:35.039 --> 00:27:40.480 Now, notice, Paul juxtaposes the words truth and myth. 00:27:40.720 --> 00:27:44.799 And that is intentional because they are at war with each other. 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:51.839 Now, a few weeks ago, again, I talked about, I gave you the example, the artificial intelligence worship service. 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:53.920 Claude is the popular AI model. 00:27:54.079 --> 00:27:55.839 The company behind it is anthropic. 00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:59.119 Recently they created a sub-model aimed at preventing cyber attacks. 00:27:59.200 --> 00:28:00.559 Do you know what its name is? 00:28:00.880 --> 00:28:02.319 Mythos, right? 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:04.720 The Greek word for myth. 00:28:04.960 --> 00:28:13.359 Now, in the Greco-Roman world, Apal's day, a mythos was not simply a fairy tale, it was this grand explanatory narrative. 00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:20.720 It was a story that claimed to answer the deepest questions of life, of origin, of meaning, of identity, of destiny. 00:28:20.799 --> 00:28:22.160 And so do you see why? 00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:26.480 The truth and a myth might be spiritually at war. 00:28:30.640 --> 00:28:37.119 They were offering these alternative grand meta-narratives that competed with the apostolic gospel. 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:42.480 They wore spiritual vocabulary while displacing apostolic content. 00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:44.559 The same thing happens today. 00:28:44.799 --> 00:28:46.880 That we're in a war of ideas. 00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:55.759 Now you might object, and you're saying right now, well, Pastor Bob, okay, this is for listen, this is for the less discerning person, and I'm really glad they came today. 00:28:56.480 --> 00:28:57.680 I know the truth, right? 00:28:57.759 --> 00:28:59.920 I will not stop listening to the truth. 00:29:01.359 --> 00:29:02.400 Okay, maybe. 00:29:02.640 --> 00:29:09.119 Fair enough, but every week I will tell you I see another Christian leader who's fallen in some way by wandering off. 00:29:09.519 --> 00:29:11.680 Who's to say you're not next? 00:29:12.079 --> 00:29:19.039 Parents, when you send your kids to college, have you trained them to discern the truth of the gospel from a myth? 00:29:19.279 --> 00:29:22.960 I mean, think about the myths our sons and daughters here in the first semester. 00:29:23.200 --> 00:29:26.240 College is the time to reinvent yourself without limits. 00:29:26.799 --> 00:29:29.519 All religions basically teach the same thing. 00:29:29.759 --> 00:29:33.599 Your body, your desires, your feelings, they define who you are. 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:39.599 And if Christianity makes you feel guilty or at a step with culture, it must be toxic. 00:29:40.480 --> 00:29:47.279 These are not presented as myths, they're preached in classrooms and again, podcasts, TikToks, dorm room conversations. 00:29:47.440 --> 00:29:49.440 It's obvious common sense, right? 00:29:49.680 --> 00:30:00.960 And if our kids are not deeply rooted in the word, those stories will feel more plausible, more compassionate, more exciting than the old rugged story of a crucified and risen Savior. 00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:03.519 And so we need to be vigilant. 00:30:03.759 --> 00:30:06.960 We need extra discernment for our time. 00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:10.720 Now, are you able to spot the myths of our age? 00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:13.039 Because they're very good at disguising themselves. 00:30:13.119 --> 00:30:20.160 And I will caution you, most people who I I've talked who leave the faith, it doesn't happen on like the turn of a dime, right? 00:30:20.559 --> 00:30:23.119 So look, look back, look at that word wander. 00:30:23.599 --> 00:30:25.200 Why does Paul use that? 00:30:25.519 --> 00:30:28.960 They wander into the truth, into the myth. 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:31.920 Have you ever been distracted by a shiny object? 00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:34.400 Maybe some of you are doing that right now. 00:30:36.319 --> 00:30:38.640 This word has to do with fascination, right? 00:30:38.960 --> 00:30:47.279 So back in 2 Timothy 3, if you remember, Paul criticized people who were always learning but never arriving at the truth. 00:30:47.519 --> 00:30:53.039 Because he knows the people who wander don't have focus and they easily change direction. 00:30:53.680 --> 00:31:12.000 Now when I when I was younger, I used to intentionally go into New York City and I would wander around, intentionally, by the way, to learn the subway, to learn the city, and I would explore different neighborhoods, but I learned if you wander too far, you might end up in a dangerous neighborhood and not know how you got there and not know how to get away. 00:31:12.559 --> 00:31:16.799 But this is what Paul's saying here, that if you you don't turn away from the truth overnight. 00:31:17.039 --> 00:31:19.279 It doesn't happen like that. 00:31:19.920 --> 00:31:27.440 Most people wander away from the truth of God through little fascinations over a long period of time. 00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:32.720 So it's it's a little bit of partying here, uh, it's it's some porn there, right? 00:31:32.880 --> 00:31:40.720 It's uh it's uh you know a dash of new age spirituality in your 20s, it won't hurt very much, and uh little ancient aliens on the side. 00:31:41.839 --> 00:31:52.160 Friends, the myths of our age will offer answers to our deepest questions, but they'll also take us away from the truth about Jesus Christ. 00:31:52.640 --> 00:31:57.599 So, how should Christians respond to the myths of our age? 00:31:57.920 --> 00:32:01.839 Paul says here, you have to endure this warning. 00:32:02.240 --> 00:32:08.640 And he gives the warning because he knows how enticing the myths can become, especially when life is hard. 00:32:08.960 --> 00:32:10.480 We have to recognize them. 00:32:10.640 --> 00:32:16.640 And so I want to challenge you this week to open your eyes and see how many myths you can spot in our culture. 00:32:16.799 --> 00:32:19.519 Make a list, share it with somebody, talk about it. 00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:21.599 Now, what are some myths of our age? 00:32:21.759 --> 00:32:24.880 Well, I won't be exhaustive, but let me just give you a couple common ones. 00:32:25.039 --> 00:32:26.559 I sort of alluded to them before. 00:32:26.799 --> 00:32:30.880 Myth number one here, just the follow your heart narrative gospel. 00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:34.319 And that says the most important thing you can do is be true to yourself. 00:32:34.480 --> 00:32:34.799 Right? 00:32:34.880 --> 00:32:39.119 You see it in advertising, you see it in shows and movies everywhere. 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:49.279 It promises freedom, but it quietly replaces the deny yourself, take up your cross, follow me, with deny nothing, take up your dreams, follow your heart. 00:32:49.519 --> 00:33:00.799 And a church that believes this myth eventually disciples people away from Jesus because the moment his word contradicts our desires, well, we have to choose our hearts over Christ. 00:33:01.599 --> 00:33:10.880 Now there's also the spiritual but not religious gospel, which says you can have God without doctrine, Jesus without the church, and spirituality without obedience. 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:14.079 I mean, that sounds really humble and open-minded, right? 00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:19.279 But it rejects the very things that Jesus died to create, the church, to save sinners. 00:33:19.519 --> 00:33:21.119 Why did Jesus die? 00:33:21.519 --> 00:33:25.519 A generation that believes this myth will, they might talk about Jesus a lot. 00:33:25.680 --> 00:33:33.759 Oh, Jesus, you know, he really made a difference in my life, but they may quietly abandon his commands and his mission. 00:33:34.480 --> 00:33:41.519 See, just as Paul did, we also have these grand alternative narratives that compete with the true gospel. 00:33:41.839 --> 00:33:45.680