Please, Please Read!!!!!! 11-3-2014 CAN WE HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!! IT’S TIME TO MOVE TO THE NEXT GRADE AND GET OUT OF THE KINDERGARTEN CHAIR!!!!!! By Pastor Timothy D. Roberson By The Grace Of God Home Bible Study ( Turn Away From The Truth) 2nd Timothy 4:3-4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” ( Perilous Times) 2nd Timothy 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. (KJV) Godlessness in the Body Of Christ 2nd Tim 3:1-5 1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (NIV) When reading the above passage in the two different versions, one almost feels like they are reading the headlines of this mornings newspaper. Just read the list of sins and ask yourself if this is not what society is like today. These people are spoken of as Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. This isnt talking about a bunch of people who profess to be unbelievers! They have a form of godliness, although it is just a form. That is, it is just in form only. They deny it (what they believe) any real power over their lives. They say they believe, but they do not act on it. The Bible has a lot to say about such people. This passage describes people who profess that they know God, but whose works (actions) show that they do not. These people are also said to be ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. As a matter of fact, they are said to resist the truth. Although they may go to church, read their Bibles and sit in Bible studies, they never actually come to the knowledge of the truth. That is, they never act upon it. A person who says they know and believe something, but does not act upon it, doesnt really believe what they claim. Saints we must get in the Word and Study!!!! Tickling Ear Messages 2nd Timothy 4:3-4 ( Turn Away From The Truth) “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” TRUE STATEMENT ( PLEASE READ) I think most of us would agree, that if you had a choice between things that make you feel good, and things that don’t feel so good, our natural inclination would be to pursuit that which makes us feel good. Why do we ignore certain truths that we need? Why do we want the apple pie of the Word, and ignore much of the meat? What we are really saying is that certain truth does not feel good, does not fit my lifestyle, and therefore, I am going to skip that scripture. I am not going to obey that truth, because it is not meant for me at this time. As saints in the Body of Christ, We must not continue to read the bible with ourselves in mind. We must read His word, and hear His counsel towards what He has chosen for us. If we continue to digest and interpret His Word selfishly and listen to flesh pleasing teachers, we will never become mature saints. Many will continue to stay on the milk of the Word. TICKLING EAR MESSAGES MAY ADD MANY TO THE CHURCH, BUT IT DOES NOT RESULT IN SPIRITUAL GROWTH.WATER DOWN PREACHING PRODUCES INEFFECTIVE SAINTS!!!!! EMOTIONS ARE STIRRED UP BUT LIVES AREN’T BEING TRANSFORMED. TICKLING EAR MESSAGES SAINTS MAY LOOK GOOD ON THE OUTSIDE, BUT THERE IS NOTHING ON THE INSIDE!!!!!! ( I’m God’s Ambassador, Not Man) As God’s ambassador, I must guard the treasure entrusted to me. I then must Study the Word and handle it accurately. I must not only guard it and study it, I must preach it. The Lord taught me that I must preach the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:26-27). I’ve learned that when the truth is preached, people will either accept it or they will turn on you like they did my Lord, Stephen and Apostle Paul on many occasions. I still will stand bold in the Lord. Great preaching must point people not to just hear difficult teaching, but to be accountable to Christ to act on that knowledge. Tickling Ear Messages Paul tells Timothy that itching ears accumulate for themselves teachers who will tell them what they want to hear. Itching ears desire teaching that suits their own passions. We sing and read and preach about grace, but too often, our talk about grace is simply another method of preserving our self-righteousness. The preaching we listen to on Sundays may be truth-filled and Bible-centered, but if it only points out the problems of everyone else in the world, it misses its target. Our ears are tickled, but our hearts are unchanged. Ear-tickling preaching may step on toes, but they’re never the toes of the people in the pews or the pastor in the pulpit. Listen, there was clearly no room in Pauls ministry for give the people what they want theory that is prevalent today. He did not urge Timothy to conduct a survey to find out what people wanted and then preach what they see as their felt needs. Paul never suggested to Timothy that he study demographic data. He never suggested that he do research on the felt needs of his people. He commanded him to preach the Word faithfully. And youll have to notice in that text that nothing Paul said to Timothy had anything to do with how people might respond. He didnt lecture Timothy how large his church should be, how much money he should take in and how influential he should become. He didnt suggest that the world was supposed to revere, esteem and accept Timothy and he was supposed to become very popular. In fact, Paul said nothing whatever about external success. Pauls emphasis was on commitment, not success. He never said anything about whether unbelievers should attend or would attend or tolerate what he said except to warn him about persecution. I will always remember that as a preacher in the Body of Christ, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”2nd Corinthians 5:10. Thats the point Paul is making to Timothy. Remember your calling is in the context of the presence of God and your accountability is to please Him, not men. These heaped teachers are a dime a dozen, and they are standing in the pulpits of many of todays churches. So when you drive down the street and see a church building on every corner, do you realize that many of these churches are the kind of churches spoken against in this passage? If all of the churches are fine, where are the ones spoken of in this passage? Scripture tells us that saints will not want to hear the truth. That is a sad commentary when saints will turn their ears away from the truth. The Gospel By Which We Are Saved 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” Thank God For The Gospel!!!
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 13:06:03 +0000