Pastor Bob Erbig: Well, um in March of 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 took off just after midnight from Kuala Lumpur, headed for Beijing.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And then somewhere over the ocean, if you remember this, uh, the plane vanished.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And the plane settled into a cruising altitude.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The pilot transmitted one final, now chilling, message.
Pastor Bob Erbig: All right, good night.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Anyone remember that?
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's kind of, it was just my eyes were glued to the TV.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The mystery gripped people worldwide.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Was there was it a deliberate act?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Was there a cover-up?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Did the plane land in Iran somewhere?
Pastor Bob Erbig: The show interviewed experts and families, but it also gave ample airtime to highly speculative theories.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, why was that?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because I think that what that's what keeps us watching, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: When the facts run out, the what-ifs begin.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And our culture loves a good, juicy story, even if the story is not true.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The mystery is what captures our imagination and our hearts.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Has that ever happened to you?
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's a plausible myth, you say.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, for definition's sake, a myth, which we'll cover today, is comes from the Greek word mythos.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's a legendary tale, a fabricated story, a speculative teaching that is elevated above sober historical or orthodox truth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And it's our culture's fascination with myths that can quickly lead us away from the truth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So the disappearance of MH370 is one dramatic example of something that happens to all of us.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That's the topic that Paul covers in 2 Timothy 4, 1 through 5.
Pastor Bob Erbig: As Craig read before, I'd invite you to join me there now if you're not there with me already.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul writes this in 2 Timothy 4, 3.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He says, For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: But Paul is writing to Timothy in the first century, and it all sounds imminent.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Even then, under immense cultural pressure, people were abandoning their faith because it wasn't easy.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The Christian faith did not supply the answers they wanted, and so instead they went a different direction.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Why?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Well, Paul said people started to have itching ears.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Does anybody have itching ears out there today?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Maybe somebody's talking about you.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, when you have an itch, what do you do?
Pastor Bob Erbig: You scratch, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: In fact, you could ask your neighbor to, if you're so bold, to scratch your ear right now if it's itchy.
Pastor Bob Erbig: See, we crave relief and irritation.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We reach to the closest bottle of ointment for satisfaction.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, in 21st century America, what makes our ears itch?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Maybe it's personal affirmation, material comfort, the illusion that we have some secret knowledge that nobody else knows.
Pastor Bob Erbig: After all, who doesn't like a good conspiracy theory?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Recently the US government released secret documents about UFOs and aliens, and the internet blew up.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Every Christian podcaster I follow was commenting on the story.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Why?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because we're fascinated with secrets, especially government secrets, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: When our ears itch, how do we scratch?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Well, in our advanced internet-equipped, media-driven age, the tools are literally at our fingertips.
Pastor Bob Erbig: If our website or application doesn't work, you just swipe left or swipe right.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Instead of scratching, we endlessly swipe.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Every platform is eager to feed us algorithmically curated content that is personalized to our desires.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Seems like they already knew.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul says a time is coming, and I might argue is now here, when people will not endure sound teaching.
Pastor Bob Erbig: They will pursue myths rather than the truth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, what are some of the modern myths out there?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Well, let me give you a couple, just to get your appetites thinking here.
Pastor Bob Erbig: There's the prosperity gospel narrative, and that says if I have enough faith, God will make me wealthy.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And that myth rescripts the Christian life around self-fulfillment and financial gain.
Pastor Bob Erbig: There's the therapeutic gospel, which says God's main job is to help you follow your heart.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That myth retains Christian language, but God is no longer the central figure in the story, and repentance is replaced by personal fulfillment.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And then there's again the speculative Christian conspiracies or end times theories.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And given the state of the world, I encounter a new claim every day.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I open up my newsfeed.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The myth prioritizes secret codes or a political conspiracy reading of scripture.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And those stories might fascinate people, but they don't help us always live a life of true faith in Christ.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So the polished Netflix documentaries may soon be filmed in our new New Jersey studio down at the shore.
Pastor Bob Erbig: They may tantalize our supposed felt needs, but often they prove to be false.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The scriptures don't primarily meet our felt needs, they address our deeper spiritual needs.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And what we need is Jesus.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, what do we learn in last week's message?
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness don't sound like easy tasks to me.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It sounds like God's word, the Bible, will challenge our assumptions.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It may offend us at times, but it does so with the goal of pointing us toward the truth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So 2 Timothy 3, 16 to 17 was about doctrine, that God's word is sufficient.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And it raises a question well, how should Christians respond to the myths of our age?
Pastor Bob Erbig: And that's the topic of 2 Timothy 4, 1 to 5.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So if 3, 16 and 17 was about doctrine, 4, 1 to 5, now takes that doctrine and applies it.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul answers the so what question.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And in five verses, Paul offers a three-step game plan to address the myths and get us to the truth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: First, we're going to see the charge.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Second, we're going to see the warning, and then finally, the work.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So let's pray, and then we'll look at each of those verses this morning.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your goodness and your grace, Lord.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I thank you for each person who is here, for those that are joining us online or maybe listening to this later on, Lord.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Bring conviction where conviction needs to happen, Lord, and I ask that my words would fade and your words would come.
Pastor Bob Erbig: For you tell us that the grass may wither and the flower may fall, but the word of our Lord abides forever.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And so may you speak to us now in Jesus' name.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Amen.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Alright, so first, before he outlines the problem, Paul gives Timothy and us a preemptive charge.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That since Scripture is breathed out by God, since Scripture is sufficient, what do we do?
Pastor Bob Erbig: What do we do?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Well, he writes in verse 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is what?
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, in the original language, charge was a legal commission.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was as if somebody was testifying under oath in court.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So picture Paul on the witness stand right here, looking us straight in the eye and speaking with passion.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The same word here is used in Acts chapter 20, verse 21, when Paul is giving his farewell address to the Ephesian elders.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: This is not casual advice he's giving over dinner.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It is serious.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, notice the charge is offered in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus.
Pastor Bob Erbig: In other words, God Himself is Paul's witness.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, have you ever been in a courtroom when somebody's giving testimony?
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because now, if that witness says anything that's untrue, they may be committing perjury, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Then it might be an indictment.
Pastor Bob Erbig: There's serious consequences.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul's argument here is a crescendo of power.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He reminds us who Jesus Christ is.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He is what?
Pastor Bob Erbig: He is the judge.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Do you know what that means?
Pastor Bob Erbig: That means while that doctrine is unpopular, one day we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We will give an account of how we lived on earth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: When was the last time you saw a Netflix documentary speculating on that?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Hollywood is not making movies about Jesus' judgment on earth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: But Paul is saying that his charge bears the weight and power of the judge.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now finally, he introduces the stakes.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Jesus will come back, he will bring his full kingdom with him.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The charge is eschatological, future-oriented, end times in nature.
Pastor Bob Erbig: But in Greco-Roman times, the word appearing described the official glorious visitation of a ruler.
Pastor Bob Erbig: You know, this week we had a presidential delegation visit China.
Pastor Bob Erbig: This was a high-stakes meeting between heads of state, and when Air Force One landed, China put its best foot forward.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Streets were cleaned up, military shows occurred, the country was ready.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He's the king.
Pastor Bob Erbig: You don't want to get caught unprepared when his kingdom arrives.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That when Jesus, the true king, appears, he will judge all earthly rulers.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He will judge China.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He will judge the United States.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He will judge us.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And so, church, you must remember where your primary and ultimate allegiance lies to the kingdom of Christ.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So to bring this home, remember Christ's kingdom is both already and not yet.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That even though his kingdom has not come to earth in totality, we are called to bring the kingdom right now.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Do you know what that means?
Pastor Bob Erbig: That means you must live as a citizen of heaven right now, every day.
Pastor Bob Erbig: In your home, you must bring heaven to earth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: At work, you are a representative of Christ, the King Himself.
Pastor Bob Erbig: On social media and the internet, Christ's kingdom still matters.
Pastor Bob Erbig: If Jesus came back today and evaluated your Instagram posts, what would he say?
Pastor Bob Erbig: One day he will appear in glory.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So verse one is the context of the charge, but now what is the charge?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Well, look at verse 2.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Preach the word.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Be ready in season and out of season.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That's the charge.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Preach the word.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was used to describe the king's official messenger, the town crier who was sent out to make official statements.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Or maybe a modern illustration would be think of it as Jesus' press secretary.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Have you ever thought of yourself that way?
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The word simultaneously refers to the gospel message, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: The life, the death, the resurrection of Jesus Christ on our behalf, as well as the breathed-out scriptures inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So when should we preach?
Pastor Bob Erbig: He says, preach in season and out of season.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, if you're an athlete, you know that you play during the regular season, but you train during the off-season.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Why?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because you have to be ready at a moment's notice.
Pastor Bob Erbig: You have to be ready to preach anywhere, anytime.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And at our time in history, or there were times in history, I think, when the larger cultural story was very favorable to Christianity.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And being a Christian or a pastor, it would bring you cultural cachet.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was just assumed that that was something you wanted.
Pastor Bob Erbig: But in today's world, it's in many cases a liability.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And when officials from the government demanded surveillance cameras in the sanctuary and tighter state control, Xin refused and kept preaching Christ openly.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now in 2025, just last year, police raided multiple cities.
Pastor Bob Erbig: They arrested Ezra and other leaders and charged them for illegally spreading religious information.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Simply because they continued to proclaim the gospel outside government control.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So his story shows that when Christians preach faithfully, under cultural pressure, the cost often rises, but so does the clarity of the witness.
Pastor Bob Erbig: This is the charge.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Preach the word in season and out of season.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Be prepared.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So, how should Christians respond to the myths of our age?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Preach the word, yes, but how?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Well, Paul offers three words to guide us.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, end of verse 2.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He says, reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, while those qualifiers are used together to modify the preaching of the word, each conveys a little bit of a different aspect.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, also don't think that this simply applies to professional preachers.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Every Christian is called to this, whether you're in the pulpit or whether you're around the dinner table.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And we we are called to do this correctly, in gentleness, out of a heart of love.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So let's break down each word.
Pastor Bob Erbig: First, there's reprove.
Pastor Bob Erbig: You say, what does that mean to reprove?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Well, that word focuses on the mind.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That when somebody is in doctrinal error, we preach the word by showing them the error of their thinking through clear biblical reasoning.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: How would you reprove that?
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We reprove by demonstrating error from Scripture.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Second, rebuke.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Rebuke sounds so harsh, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's a word that focuses on the will or the conscience.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So for this one, when somebody is living in sin, we confront them and call them to repentance.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because a rebuke is direct and urgent.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Think about Pastor Dave's message on pornography a few weeks ago.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's an authoritative command from God's word.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And then finally, there's exhort.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And that's a word that appeals to the heart.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That when you preach the word by exhorting someone, you are urging them forward.
Pastor Bob Erbig: You are confronting them.
Pastor Bob Erbig: You are walking alongside them in difficult times.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Don't give up.
Pastor Bob Erbig: God is still on His throne, He sees you.
Pastor Bob Erbig: When someone is discouraged, going through a hard season, struggling to obey, you preach the Word by exhorting them.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And Paul says you're teaching them and you do this with patience.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So look at these words, church, and ask yourself how will you preach the word this week?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Reprove, rebuke, exhort.
Pastor Bob Erbig: There's times for all three.
Pastor Bob Erbig: How do Christians respond to the myths of our age?
Pastor Bob Erbig: We heed Paul's charge by preaching the word, and we must do this because, secondly, there's a warning that he outlines next.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, why is this charge so important?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul gave the way to the context first.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He appealed to the witness of God and Jesus Christ.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He gave clear instructions on how to preach the word.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Why?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Well, now he tells us the problem.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Look at verse 3.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He says, For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And that's both a discouraging statement and a call to action.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The time is coming, it's in the future tense, but Paul is also combating false teachers in his time.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's not a prediction of a one-time future apostasy in the church.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It is a warning for the church in any age.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was true in Ephesus.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was true in Rome.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was true during the Reformation period.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was true during the Great Awakening in America.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's true today.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's gonna be true in the future.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Every generation has people who do not endure sound teaching.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now the word sound was a medical term.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's where we get our English word hygiene from.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So this teach this teaching is pure.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's pure gospel teaching that's clean, it's undefiled, it's not mixed with anything dirty or confusing.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Clean water hydrates and nourishes the soul.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: People may there may drink water contaminated by bacteria or dirt.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And while it might need and meet a need initially, eventually it might cause sickness.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And that's what happens when we drink contaminated.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Teaching, it can eventually poison our soul.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, if you notice that word endure, Paul has used that multiple times in his letters to Timothy.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It meant to hold fast during difficult times.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And cleverly Paul uses it to make the point that some people will give up on this clean, solid gospel teaching and biblical fidelity.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Instead, what will they do?
Pastor Bob Erbig: End of verse 3.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Having itching ears, here it is, and they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So their ears are gonna itch, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Again, anybody got itchy ears?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, one reason your ears might be itchy is because of fungal growth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Sorry to get gross here, but that's what happens.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That's what the doctors tell me.
Pastor Bob Erbig: You got fungus in your fungus in your ears.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's contaminated, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: And all you want to do is start itching your ears.
Pastor Bob Erbig: When contaminated teaching goes in, it causes a fungus that makes you itch uncontrollably.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul is using the phrase to describe what happens when we do not endure sound teaching.
Pastor Bob Erbig: How do we itch our ears?
Pastor Bob Erbig: How do we get relief?
Pastor Bob Erbig: He says we start to collect these teachers who tell us what we want to hear, teachers who make us feel good.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We start to accumulate, or the word means to pile on many teachers that appeal.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul is talking about a cultural problem of his day.
Pastor Bob Erbig: In the Roman world, wealthy patrons would routinely collect philosophers, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Spiritual teachers, as a way to show off their culture and their status.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was a philosopher for hire.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was the traveling, the traveling sophist who attuned their message to the tastes of the crowd.
Pastor Bob Erbig: They were performers.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was a normal part of life in cities like Ephesus.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul is warning Timothy about this cultural dynamic, this consumer dynamic that has now crept into the church.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: They don't fit well.
Pastor Bob Erbig: People don't just listen.
Pastor Bob Erbig: What they do is they start collecting these teachers.
Pastor Bob Erbig: They quote them, they cite them, and they use them like a badge of identity.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I'm with this voice.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So in that sense, the modern celebrity Christian ecosystem can function like this ancient patron philosopher system.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So I'll have to ask you, what teachers are you collecting?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, these are just examples, and that's not a commentary on them, but they all have big platforms.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Some are saying out there, well, Pastor Bob, I don't collect any teachers.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That's an outrageous accusation.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Well, perhaps, but we do, my point is here, we do live in a time when collecting teachers is easier than ever.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Nearly everybody has a podcast nowadays, a YouTube channel, a TikTok following.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: How many do you have?
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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?
Pastor Bob Erbig: They see your searches, they remember your questions, and they suggest, nudge you towards things you might like, right, based on your activity.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I hate to break it to you, but but Siri and Alexa, yeah, they're listening, despite what they tell you.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And I think they even call it your collection, by the way.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Podcast playlists, YouTube channel, streaming platform, church, they're all designed to help you collect these teachers.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And again, the scariest part is we we start ingesting content without even thinking about it.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The algorithm knows what you want and it feeds your passions.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And it blocks contents and posts from people with whom you don't agree.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So you might ask, well, why are we so polarized as a church and country?
Pastor Bob Erbig: This is at least partly to blame.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, what is the danger?
Pastor Bob Erbig: What happens if you're browsing the internet in a way that does not align with God's word?
Pastor Bob Erbig: And the algorithm picks that up and it's not going to show you things that align with God's word.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That's the danger.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Before you know it, Paul says you might turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Here's the myths.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That's what the technology of our age allows us to do.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Remember, it's the advertisers that make money by showing you what you want.
Pastor Bob Erbig: They want your eyeballs, the views, the clicks, the likes, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: We live in an insidiously dangerous age for this.
Pastor Bob Erbig: You have to watch out.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, notice, Paul juxtaposes the words truth and myth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And that is intentional because they are at war with each other.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, a few weeks ago, again, I talked about, I gave you the example, the artificial intelligence worship service.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Claude is the popular AI model.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The company behind it is anthropic.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Recently they created a sub-model aimed at preventing cyber attacks.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Do you know what its name is?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Mythos, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: The Greek word for myth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, in the Greco-Roman world, Apal's day, a mythos was not simply a fairy tale, it was this grand explanatory narrative.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was a story that claimed to answer the deepest questions of life, of origin, of meaning, of identity, of destiny.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And so do you see why?
Pastor Bob Erbig: The truth and a myth might be spiritually at war.
Pastor Bob Erbig: They were offering these alternative grand meta-narratives that competed with the apostolic gospel.
Pastor Bob Erbig: They wore spiritual vocabulary while displacing apostolic content.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The same thing happens today.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That we're in a war of ideas.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I know the truth, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: I will not stop listening to the truth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Okay, maybe.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Fair enough, but every week I will tell you I see another Christian leader who's fallen in some way by wandering off.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Who's to say you're not next?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Parents, when you send your kids to college, have you trained them to discern the truth of the gospel from a myth?
Pastor Bob Erbig: I mean, think about the myths our sons and daughters here in the first semester.
Pastor Bob Erbig: College is the time to reinvent yourself without limits.
Pastor Bob Erbig: All religions basically teach the same thing.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Your body, your desires, your feelings, they define who you are.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And if Christianity makes you feel guilty or at a step with culture, it must be toxic.
Pastor Bob Erbig: These are not presented as myths, they're preached in classrooms and again, podcasts, TikToks, dorm room conversations.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's obvious common sense, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And so we need to be vigilant.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We need extra discernment for our time.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, are you able to spot the myths of our age?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because they're very good at disguising themselves.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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?
Pastor Bob Erbig: So look, look back, look at that word wander.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Why does Paul use that?
Pastor Bob Erbig: They wander into the truth, into the myth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Have you ever been distracted by a shiny object?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Maybe some of you are doing that right now.
Pastor Bob Erbig: This word has to do with fascination, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: So back in 2 Timothy 3, if you remember, Paul criticized people who were always learning but never arriving at the truth.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because he knows the people who wander don't have focus and they easily change direction.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: But this is what Paul's saying here, that if you you don't turn away from the truth overnight.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It doesn't happen like that.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Most people wander away from the truth of God through little fascinations over a long period of time.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So it's it's a little bit of partying here, uh, it's it's some porn there, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So, how should Christians respond to the myths of our age?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul says here, you have to endure this warning.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And he gives the warning because he knows how enticing the myths can become, especially when life is hard.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We have to recognize them.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And so I want to challenge you this week to open your eyes and see how many myths you can spot in our culture.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Make a list, share it with somebody, talk about it.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, what are some myths of our age?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Well, I won't be exhaustive, but let me just give you a couple common ones.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I sort of alluded to them before.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Myth number one here, just the follow your heart narrative gospel.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And that says the most important thing you can do is be true to yourself.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: You see it in advertising, you see it in shows and movies everywhere.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: 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.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I mean, that sounds really humble and open-minded, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: But it rejects the very things that Jesus died to create, the church, to save sinners.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Why did Jesus die?
Pastor Bob Erbig: A generation that believes this myth will, they might talk about Jesus a lot.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Oh, Jesus, you know, he really made a difference in my life, but they may quietly abandon his commands and his mission.
Pastor Bob Erbig: See, just as Paul did, we also have these grand alternative narratives that compete with the true gospel.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And we must recognize and reject those myths.
Pastor Bob Erbig: How should Christians respond to the myths of our age?
Pastor Bob Erbig: We preach the word, we adore the warning, and now finally it's time to do the work.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The work.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, we live in a time when myths are everywhere.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We're competing against these alternative gospels in this marketplace of ideas.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It is a war for minds and hearts, a war we must fight.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We gotta get on the battlefield.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul now returns to that opening charge and he fleshes it out.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He says, But as for you in verse 5, always be what?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now you see the contrast in language.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So he just finished describing all these people who've wandered away from the truth of the gospel, and picture Paul again now on the witness stand, making his final appeal before he gets the death sentence, and he looks at Timothy and he looks at us, he looked you straight in the eye, with all seriousness and tears in his eyes.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He says, But as for you, what?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Be different.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Don't let their fate be your fate.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And he outlines these four imperatives.
Pastor Bob Erbig: First, he says, be sober-minded.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now that phrase, of course, means to be clear-headed, to be free from intoxication.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because if you're drunk, it's much easier to wander around and make a fool of yourself, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: If you want to avoid the myths, you have to what?
Pastor Bob Erbig: You have to stay sober.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And when you're sober, you won't be fooled by that latest narrative.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Second, endure suffering, which is which is a really important one because, at least in his context, people were going through a lot of suffering.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It was easy to give up, it was easy to look different ways.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That's a theme in Paul's letters to Timothy.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He calls him to endure despite hard times.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He calls him to stay strong.
Pastor Bob Erbig: There's this thread of costly faithfulness.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Faithful ministry in a myth-saturated culture often costs us something.
Pastor Bob Erbig: When our ears get itchy, we gotta resist the urge to scratch.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Imperative three.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He says, do the work of an evangelist.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Do the work of an evangelist.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now notice, he's very clear about this.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He's encouraged Timothy to preach the word, meaning the gospel itself.
Pastor Bob Erbig: You know, Pastor Tim Cower used to say the gospel is the power of God in verbal form.
Pastor Bob Erbig: In other words, you don't unleash the full power of the gospel unless you speak it.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And yet it's so many Christians that are afraid to speak the gospel out loud.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Just actions, no words, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: But in Romans 10, 13 and 14, Paul asks the church a really convicting question.
Pastor Bob Erbig: What does he say?
Pastor Bob Erbig: He says, For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Call on the name of Jesus.
Pastor Bob Erbig: But then he says, How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Great question.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?
Pastor Bob Erbig: A better question.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And how are they to hear without someone what?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Preaching.
Pastor Bob Erbig: They have to hear.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Did you hear that?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, but how can they call on Jesus unless someone tells them?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Unless you open your mouth and let the power of God come out.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That's the work that he is to do to bring other people to Jesus.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Period.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That's our work too.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Do the work of an evangelist.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now it's been noted that Timothy may not have been the most gifted evangelist in the church.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Others in the church were more gifted than him, like Philip.
Pastor Bob Erbig: But he is still called to do the work.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And again, that's a charge for us all because some of you right now you're saying, well, you know what?
Pastor Bob Erbig: I'm just, Pastor Bob, I'm just not wired for evangelism.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I just, ugh, somebody else is better at that than me, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul says you got to do it anyway.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Do the work of an evangelist, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Expose the myths that those we love are believing.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We have to make disciples and fulfill the great commission.
Pastor Bob Erbig: You know, yesterday, Millington Baptist Church, we had a booth at Charter Day, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: We've been announcing this for a few weeks.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It's a big deal in our town.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The thousands of people come by, and it was amazing to watch our congregation serve.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Thank you for those of you that came out.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Lots, lots of good conversations.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We want to let our community know we care, but we also want to tell them about Jesus.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We want people to have the opportunity to call on the name of Jesus and be saved.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So if you're unsure how to begin the work of an evangelist, first, I would just tell you this week, pray.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Pray for one person you know to come to Jesus or start asking you questions.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And you know what?
Pastor Bob Erbig: If you do that, somebody might just ask you a question.
unknown: Right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: And second, if you're intimidated to share the gospel, maybe you start by inviting them to church.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: And then I would encourage you, maybe just start having daily conversations with people.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Share.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Don't hide your faith.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Let people know how your faith informs your life.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Just talk about it like it's your normal part of the day.
Pastor Bob Erbig: See what doors open up, because you know what?
Pastor Bob Erbig: People might ask you more.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Do the work of an evangelist.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And then when you do that, what?
Pastor Bob Erbig: You fourth imperative, fulfill your ministry.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That final phrase, Paul said, it's a phrase that means to bring to completion, to carry out thoroughly.
Pastor Bob Erbig: It means leave nothing on the table, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: I you know, I've mentioned um, I think in this series, uh, Senator Ben Sass, who was diagnosed with cancer, uh terminal cancer.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Uh, he he, man, I'm just amazed by this guy.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He uses every platform he can to tell people about Jesus.
Pastor Bob Erbig: No, no more hiding.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He's going out swinging, leaving nothing on the table.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And Jesus is getting the glory.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So when Paul says, fulfill your ministry, he isn't talking about the beginning of your ministry, he's talking about the end.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Too many people finish and start and don't finish.
Pastor Bob Erbig: You gotta finish what you started.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And Paul's own testimony in this letter is a living example.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And so I would just ask you, church, what is your ministry?
Pastor Bob Erbig: How will you finish well?
Pastor Bob Erbig: What has God uniquely called you to do to bring him glory?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because all of all of us have a purpose, all of us have a gift.
Pastor Bob Erbig: God is gonna do a work through us in our sphere of influence.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He wants you to fulfill your ministry.
Pastor Bob Erbig: What is it?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Now, if you don't know the answer to that question, I'll invite you to stop by the Welcome Center, talk with Amy Hubert, and she will connect you with our discipleship portal to get you started.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Find a mentor who can help you discern your gifts.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Serve in a ministry like I wana.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We heard about that before.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Stop at the table on your way out.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Everybody's got to do that.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We all have a gift, we need to use it.
Pastor Bob Erbig: How should Christians respond to the myths of our age?
Pastor Bob Erbig: You have to be ready to preach the word, endure the warning, and fulfill your ministry.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because, friends, the stakes are high and the times are uncertain.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And without hesitation, we have to accept Paul's charge.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because think about the ramifications if we don't, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Ten years from now, five years from now, 20, 30, 40 years from now, when you stand before the righteous judge who is watching your ministry right now, what do you want to be able to say?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Will you say, I kept the faith, I finished the race, I didn't quit when my coworkers mocked my biblical convictions, I didn't compromise when the cultural myths about sexuality and success and comfort were seductive.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I proclaim the word in season and out of season.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I fulfilled my ministry.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And so as we close, I just want you to personalize that calling in your own life.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Think about some real situations.
Pastor Bob Erbig: If you're a parent, right, your ministry is discipleship to your children.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Are you opening the scriptures with them at the dinner table, praying with them at bedtime, talking honestly about the lies on social media feeds and classrooms, or are you effectively outsourcing the formation to YouTube and Netflix and their peers?
Pastor Bob Erbig: If you're a neighbor, I assume everybody is, your ministry is faithful witness to the people who live within, let's say, a mile of you.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Are you opening your home and offering to pray for people with a hardship?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Are you looking for natural ways to mention Christ?
Pastor Bob Erbig: And if you're a member of MBC, just know this congregation is your ministry, right?
Pastor Bob Erbig: To encourage and to serve, to give, or are you using your gifts in a specific ministry?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Showing up early to welcome, staying late to care, to join a small group, build others up, or are you treating Sunday like a religious event rather than like a family?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Fulfill your ministry.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Where is the Spirit leading you today?
Pastor Bob Erbig: So as the worship team comes back on stage, let me just let me just tease out the final sermon in our series from next week with Paul's words in verses six and seven.
Pastor Bob Erbig: These are the final words of a condemned man about to die.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And Paul famously writes, I am already being poured out as a drink offering.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And the time of my departure has come.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I have fought the good fight.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I have finished the race.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I've kept the faith.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So picture Paul in this prison cell, a dark, cold dungeon.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Most of his companions have left.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Nero's executioner is coming.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And by lamplight, Paul writes not a complaint, but this I'm already being poured out like a drink offering.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And the drink offering was the final act of sacrifice.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Paul is saying, My life has is now laid on the altar of Christ, and now my death is it's the final pour.
Pastor Bob Erbig: The offering is complete.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I am ready.
Pastor Bob Erbig: These are among Paul's last words to a young pastor, a young congregation under pressure, surrounded by false teachings.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And myths.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And what he gives Timothy is priceless.
Pastor Bob Erbig: He gives him an example, a testimony of a man who finished well.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And for 175 years, the saints of Millington Baptist Church have handed that same faith to the next generation, whether it was through hardship or change or costly moments of obedience, and it's now that the baton is in our hands.
Pastor Bob Erbig: So will you scratch your ears or preach the word?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Will you wander into myths or stay anchored to the truth?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Will you fulfill your ministry or settle for comfort?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Because one day we will stand before the judge.
Pastor Bob Erbig: What will matter then is whether you can say with Paul, I've kept the faith, I finished the race, I fulfilled my ministry.
Pastor Bob Erbig: For the glory of God and the sake of the gospel.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Amen?
Pastor Bob Erbig: Amen.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Let's pray.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Heavenly Father, I ask that you would come and speak to us today, Lord.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Lord, I thank you for your word.
Pastor Bob Erbig: I thank you for each person who's here.
Pastor Bob Erbig: Holy Spirit, I pray that you would get this word, this portion of your word deep down in our hearts, Lord.
Pastor Bob Erbig: But more than that, I pray that the gospel would take a deeper root, that we would be thankful for what you have done for us, Lord Jesus, on the cross, that we would proclaim that truth, that you would put somebody on our hearts to share it with this week, Lord God.
Pastor Bob Erbig: That we would do the work of evangelists, that we would fulfill our ministry that you've given to us, Lord.
Pastor Bob Erbig: And that your name would be made famous in this world.
Pastor Bob Erbig: We ask that in Jesus' name.