Itching Ears, Raspberry Filled Cupcakes, and Sound Doctrine

Collin (age 9): "Mom, is it OK if I have one of those raspberry filled cupcakes?"

Mom (age ??): "No Collin. Dinner is in half an hour."

Down the stairs he goes, into the family room where dad sits on the couch diligently reading the Bible (OK, watching the Buffalo Bills vs. the Miami Dolphins).

Collin: "Dad, is it OK if I have one of those raspberry filled cupcakes?"

Dad (age 45): "Sure! Grab me one while you're at it. I'll pour us some cold milk!"

Let me ask you a question. Do your ears itch? I know that seems like a really weird question so let me clarify. I don't mean really itch like from poison ivy or a mosquito bite or itch on the inside like when you have a cold or a sore throat. I mean do you look around for the answer that you want to hear, the one that makes you feel good or gets you what you want, regardless of the truth? Collin had itching ears. He knew the right answer, didn't like it, and went looking for the answer he wanted to hear. He knew that dad didn't have very high standards when it came to a healthy diet but, dog gonnit, he wanted a raspberry filled cupcake and he wanted it now! If you look long enough and far enough you can almost always hear what you want to hear.

The Apostle Paul was teaching his young companion Timothy to carry on the mission of spreading the Gospel of Jesus. He wrote these words in 2 Timothy:2-4.

"Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myth."

Paul was telling Timothy that people will turn away from the cupcake killjoys and look for fellow cupcake lovers who have the authority to deem eating cupcakes cool, even a half hour before dinner. Actually, Paul was predicting a time in the future when men and women would turn from the clear teaching of scripture, the clear instruction of the Apostles, and the words of Jesus to myths and untruths. Paul called scriptural truth "clear doctrine" We don't like to hear churchy words like "doctrine" much these days but it is not my word it's Paul's.

Many people today, including many in the pulpits and stages of the Western church are turning from the truth to hear what their itching ears want to hear. Many are looking for someone to tell them that their lifestyle of sin is acceptable to God. Many are looking for someone to tell them that God wants them to be financially prosperous. Many are looking for someone to tell them that all religions lead to God. Many are looking for someone to tell them that there is no such place as hell. Paul was given prophetic revelation that such a time would come and it surely has.

So what is my point for us, for you? Look, I like raspberry filled cupcakes. But they really aren't good for me, especially if they prevent me from getting the real meal that will nourish my aging body. Likewise, what my spirit needs is truth. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me." What we need, who we need is Jesus. Our spirits need what will make them whole and bring them into a right relationship with God. Some of what we need won't feel good in the flesh and won't make us comfortable. Some of the truth will bring guilt and conviction to our spirits and some of it may cause us to lose friends and press us to walk away from certain things that weren't in God's plan for us. BUT, all of it will lead to life and, as Jesus said, "life more abundantly".

I want to urge you to take a step back from your life. I want you to take a step back from what you think you want and what you think is true. If I am trying to conform God to my plans and into a doctrine that I've created, I will end up sadly mistaken. If I am seeking out teachers and religious leaders who tell me what I want to hear because they keep me comfortable and prevent me from having to surrender to God or turn from sin then I will never really come to know the grace of God.

We heard the story this morning in our church about the "sinful" woman who came uninvited into the house of a Pharisee (a Jewish religious leader) where Jesus had been invited to dine. She came in weeping and fell at the feet of Jesus, broke open a very expensive alabaster jar with costly ointment, poured it over his feet, then proceeded to wipe his feet with her hair and her tears. Jesus, responding to her brokenness, her love, and her faith said, "Your sins are forgiven." Then he sent her off with these words, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

I want to end with these observations:

1) She didn't seek out a leader who would make her feel good about her sin.

2) She didn't stay outside where she could stay in the crowd, blending in with everyone else.

3) She came in broken and humbled.

4) She likely came with all that she had (It's been said the perfume was worth a year's wages)

5) She knew that the answer to her pain was in this man Jesus.

6) Jesus didn't turn her away because of her sin but loved her in the pit of it.

7) Jesus' answer to her was his forgiveness of her sin and his gift of salvation.

In the meantime the religious folks were likely pissed off (Can I say that? Hmmm). My point is this: Don't look for someone, whether it be a church or a church leader who will just let you drown in your stuff. It may feel good or at least not force you to look into the mirror but my guess is that a year from now you will still carry the burden and maybe still be distant from God. There are people and churches that will love you despite your stuff (because they will admit to you that they themselves have stuff, maybe even worse than yours) but they will not leave you where you are. There is a part that you'll have to do but God will help you with that if you ask him and that part is humility and the courage to come to the feet of the Savior.

I want to invite you to come here with questions. If you are struggling and have questions about God, about Jesus, about the bible, about sin, about heaven, about hell, about anything please let us know. I may not be able to answer all of them but I will try.

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Look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, if dinner is in half an hour, stay away from that cupcake!

Peace, David