Turn away their ears from the truth

2 Tim
{4:3} 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
{4:4} And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables


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Not endure sound doctrine.

They will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts.

They shall stop listening to the truth.

They shall be turned to fables.

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People don't want sound doctrine they want to hear things they like to hear, they want to be told lies to make them feel good. Have you ever heard that as an excuse...'I was just telling them what they wanted to hear.' It's the truth that people feel better when they get confirmation of things they *like*, rather than things they don't *like* to hear. Who wants to be told they'll die eternally if they don't accept Jesus Christ as their Savior? People like to believe that upon death a better life awaits them no matter what. While they might accept they need to believe in Jesus, they don't fully accept that He commands them to do more than that. People like stopping at the believe part but Jesus Himself said to the man who asked what he had to do to have eternal life the following--

Luke
{10:25} And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
{10:26} He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
{10:27} And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy
mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
{10:28} And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

You'd think Jesus would say just believe me if that were it, right? Seriously.

But people want to hear just believe, they don't want to hear anything else because then they jump up and say you can't work your way to heaven and...and... loving God and my neighbor falls into that category.

Seriously. We are so self absorbed that putting others first actually becomes a chore, we have to stop and think before we automatically put others first. We have to do so much and yet people only want to believe, just believe.

We're told people don't want to hear sound doctrine, they don't want to hear the truth, they want people who will tell them things they like to hear rather than the truth, they want fables and they're happy.

The time is here, it's not to come, the time is now. People are turning their ears away from the truth right now.

We can't be among them, we just can't!

The truth has to be heard no matter how much we don't want to hear it, and don't fool yourself, it's not always easy to hear at all. We want it to be, we really do, but it's hard, the way is hard, narrow and yet worth any sacrifice a person might make, Jesus made the greatest sacrifice of all and any thing we might have to do to is worth it. Believe in Him yes, yes, yes, without the faith there is no hope. Believe and follow Him. Believe and do as He says. Love. And love isn't easy, selfless love is truly impossible without Him and yet it's what He'd have for us all.

Amen.