What Is Meant By Preaching To Itching Ears? Is It Just Preaching The Good Stuff?

2Ti 4:3  For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
2Ti 4:4  and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

I think we need to be so steeped in the truth of the Bible that, as Paul says at the end of Ephesians 4 , “we will not be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.”

So many have relied on books, tapes, videos, and other means of preaching, that they don’t always check with the Bible to see if these things are so. I think that when Paul speaks of “itching ears, preaching what people want to hear”, this is taken to mean a “sugar and spice, all things nice” sermon. But I also believe that means speaking of God rapping us on the head, to appeal to the itching ears of those who are angry and love hearing retribution sermons. The Old Testament being a favorite book, as well as those who enjoy a “Jesus is my boyfriend” type sermon. Appealing to itching ears is anything that takes away from the whole of the Bible, giving a piece here and a piece there. Notice the last part of this passage, “teachers to suit their own passions.” Passions being whatever you are passionate about, a pick and choose doctrine.

For some, it’s hearing a end time sermon. Having a week of “revival” services, every night based on the book of Revelation and Daniel. This seems to be going on now. John Haggee, for example, seems to specialize in this type of preaching, and has gone too far in his theology, but yet his pews are packed every Sunday, and his speaking engagement schedule seems to have gotten busier since the latest controversies.

For others it’s specializing in one book such as Revelation, Daniel, Isaiah,  or a book in the New Testament,  studying deeply for years that one book, thereby becoming an “expert”. The only problem is there are 65 more books that interpret the one book that a person is “specializing” in. It means you know one or two books without fully knowing the other parts of scripture.

Since scripture interprets scripture, that leaves quite a gap in the truth doesn’t it?

The Holy Spirit is a part of the Godhead, that seems to be twisted to suit “itching ears”. In the past several years, one has been hard pressed to find a sermon on the Holy Spirit in evangelical circles. The reason seems to be they do not want to appear to Charismatic, yet the Holy Spirit is an important part of theology. First, scripture speaks of Him, second, we each have the Holy Spirit in us doing supernatural work, so it’s important to recognize who He is and what He does that we try to do in our own strength, and lastly, too many times we try to be the Holy Spirit for someone else, and frankly because we are not God, we botch it up. Big time. Inflicting needless guilt, adding to burdens, or saying something merciless and unnecessary.

We argue over which preaching method is the best, as if the method is what brings about sanctification, guilt, or brings us closer to Christ. But it’s not the method, the question should be, is this what the Bible is really saying?

John MacArthur says this:

*Which Method of Evangelism Is Best?

Since salvation is a supernatural work, it is of little consequence which method you use to present the gospel. However it’s of major consequence that you present the gospel accurately and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Methods of Evangelism alone can’t convince someone to repent and turn to Christ. Only God can do that by applying His truth to the person’s heart. Your task is to proclaim His truth and be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading. Are you doing that?

I think this statement could be applied to all areas of doctrine, not just the gospel. Paul says that we plant the seed, God does the growing. So what does the Holy Spirit do in the life of a believer? To be stuck on one subject to the exclusion of all, only gives part of the picture.

For example, if you just preach on sin, do’s and don’ts, then you miss the justification that we have in Christ Jesus. You miss, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” One tends to run around making sure his church is living correctly. Frankly, I would think that would get pretty exhausting. So, one work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is sanctification, also giving us complete access to God.

1.All who are born again, have in them the Holy Spirit who is working to sanctify the life of the believer. This occurs at the moment of salvation.

2. The Holy Spirit gives us complete access to God through prayer.

Rom 8:9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
Rom 8:10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Rom 8:12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
Rom 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Rom 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Rom 8:16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
Rom 8:17 and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The Holy Spirit baptizes us into the Body of Christ, also known as, the Universal Church, where Christ is the head. This occurs at the moment of salvation.

1Co 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
1Co 12:14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
1Co 12:15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
1Co 12:16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
1Co 12:17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?
1Co 12:18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.
1Co 12:19 If all were a single member, where would the body be?
1Co 12:20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
1Co 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
1Co 12:22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable,
1Co 12:23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,
1Co 12:24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it,
1Co 12:25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.

Preaching to itching ears isn’t just preaching God’s deep love for those who are truly born again, that is just Biblical truth, it can also be all the morality sermons, the God’s wrath toward Christian sermons, or anything that takes away from the truth of the Bible.

In subsequent weeks I am hoping to give scriptural reference to show some of the errors that are being taught today, and like Snopes.com dispells rumors, show what the Bible does say and does not say on certain subjects. For most this will be old hat, but for some, even Christians, this will be the first time you have heard these wonderful truths. And by the way,  the first order of business is that the Bible no where says “God helps those who help themselves”, that is in fact from Benjamin Franklin.