Pastor David L. Brown, Ph.D.
Sermon Delivered November 26, 2006

We have been studying the little letter that Paul wrote to Titus. In chapter three Paul reminds this young preacher to be sure he remember four important things…

Remember Our Duty To Government Officials (3:1-2). We examined our responsibilities in this area in a previous message.

Remember What You Were Before You Were Saved (3:3)

Remember The Truths Of Your Salvation (3:4-7)

Remember Why You Were Saved (3:8)

If you have been saved for many years, it is easy to forget what you were before you got saved. While it is certainly true that if we love God, we will hate evil (Psalm 97:10), and, as believers, we are to "abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good" (Romans 12:9), we must not become proud and haughty and forget what we were before we were saved. Friends, before we were saved we were "dead in trespasses and sins," we "walked according to the course of this world," and according to the "prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" and we "were by nature the children or wrath" just like the rest of the unsaved world (Ephesians 2:1-3). There is absolutely nothing that we have done or that we are that would allow us to be legitimately haughty and pride filled! The only difference between the Christian and the lost sinner is the Grace of God! Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15:10 "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."

It is good for Christians to remember whose they are – we are not our own, we are bought with a price and we are therefore to glorify God in all that we say and do (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). In fact, we, like Paul of old, are debtors to share the life changing message with other unsaved people (Romans 1:14-17).

Turn with me to Titus 3:3 - "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another."

In this passage, Paul reminds Titus of what we were before we were Saved by the Grace of God. We were…

The Greek word translated foolish is anohtoi anoetoi (an-o-ay-toy) carries the idea of being unable to understand something, or being totally ignorant of something. What Paul is saying is that though a person may be highly intelligent, highly educated or even be very savvy in the world’s wisdom, if he does not understand and accept God’s truth that he is a lost sinner in need of Christ, that person is a fool so to speak! Paul told the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1:20-21 & 25-27 "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: 27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;"

There are going to be a lot of smart people in Hell! Why? Because they relied on their own brilliance and rejected God’s wisdom! Don’t be so foolish that you rely upon your I.Q. and reject Jesus Christ as your Savior.

Next, before we were saved we were all…

The Greek word translated disobedient is apeiyeiv apeitheis (ap-i-tha-sis) which literally means "unwilling to be persuaded," "spurning belief" or "obstinate." The unsaved mind has no desire to obey God. Turn to Romans 8:7-8 "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." The mind of an unsaved person is deceitful and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9).

Consider how our Lord Jesus characterized the thought and actions of the unsaved - Matthew 15:19-20 "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: 20 These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man."

Next, before we were saved we were all…

The Greek word translated deceived is planwmenoi planomenoi (plan-o-men-oy) carries the idea of being purposely led astray. The question then is, led astray by whom? The answer is the Devil and his diabolical horde of demons. Satan hates human beings! We are God’s special creation for whom Christ died. Satan’s mission is to deceive as many people as possible so that they might go to the Hell the Lord has prepared for the him and his angels (Matthew 25:41). We see, right from Eden that the devils goal is to lead people astray. He deceived Eve (Genesis 3:13; 1 Timothy 2:14). Turn in your Bibles to Revelation 12:9 "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." The word world is a reference to unsaved humanity.

The devil is a liar (John 8:44). He deceives unsaved people and uses them to deceive others. We read this in 2 Timothy 3:13 "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."

Next, before we were saved we were all…

Look at the word serving. It is a translation of the Greek word douleuontev douleuontes (dool-yoo-on-tace), which means to be a slave to something. In this case it is divers (various) lusts (cravings for what is forbidden) and pleasures (hedonistic sensual pleasures).

Before we were saved, we lived in malice (having the desire for revenge) and envy (not being satisfied with what we have, but always desiring more).

The word hateful only appears here in the New Testament. I believe it means that our conduct, before we are saved, was such as to be worthy of the hatred of others.

Hating is a completely different word. It means malicious and unjustifiable feelings of animosity towards others.

These are the sins that characterize unbelievers. While there are those who trust Christ as young people who have never have committed many of those sins mentioned, they can be very thankful for that, but in fact, we were all depraved in our very nature and at enmity with God (Colossians 1:22-23; Ephesians 2:3). As unsaved sinners we were all blind to God’s truth, God’s standards and God’s will. We were all motivated and driven by sins that now disgust us as believer.

Christian friends, we must remember what we were. This will help us to have compassion on the lost and desire to see them repent and believe in Jesus Christ and be saved. Yes, we are to hate sin! However, we are to remember that we are only sinners saved by grace and seek to share the life giving truth of the Gospel with those who are still lost in sin.