This Sunday I'm going to be preaching on the three verses that follow last week's text.
Paul didn't have much patience for people whose ears needed tickling or for those who were willing to tickle those ears with soft and pleasing words. The gospel is robust and slappingly vital. It manages to be good news that still somehow offends those who need to hear it most.
There's a part of me that wants badly to tell people what they want to hear because most people will tune me out after about 15 seconds of listening to me telling them what they don't want to hear.
I have a fairly well defined political outlook. I read articles, watch television shows and listen to radio programs that reflect that outlook. And when I'm listening to the radio and someone starts talking or reporting from a political outlook that is very different from mine I seldom wait even 10 seconds before I'm reaching for the dial.
None of us are in the habit of providing or receiving hard words. And that's too bad, because hard words can save us.
Call to Repentance
1 Peter 1:14-16
Call to Worship
Psalm 124
OT Reading
Isaiah 5:18-24
NT Reading
1 Peter 1:3-13
Message
2 Timothy 4:3-5
Giddy Heads and Itching Ears
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