Titus 3 Haughty Hearts Part 31


Titus 3:3

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”

We live in a world that is full of deception. We deceive ourselves and others with worldly ideologies that would have you believe that you are a good person, that you can find strength in yourself, that you can have your own truth, and that freedom is being able to do whatever you want, whenever you want. The Bible tells us something different. If we start with the basic knowledge that we can do no good in and of ourselves then all of those concepts go out the window. In Titus 3:3, Paul is describing all mankind, and if you think you’re an exception, then you deceive yourself! Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Christians can sometimes have haughty opinions and think they’re better than unbelievers, but Paul is reminding us that we, too, were “foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.” When we realize that we are no better than anyone else, our view of others should change. Instead of being haughty or arrogant, we should feel compassion and as verse 2 says, “be peaceable and considerate and always gentle toward everyone.” When we view the world with contempt we treat others with admonishment. If we recognize that we were just like them, then we will be missional, seeking to save the lost. We cannot stand before God as we were and cannot make ourselves able to stand before Him either; this means we have no reason to boast in ourselves and ought to be humble. We must know and remember that we were born in sin, and as Psalm 51:3 says, our sin is always before us. So do not boast or treat others wrongly because you yourself were just like them. As we will learn in the next few verses, the only thing that distinguishes us from unbelievers is the grace of God. By His grace we are saved, by His grace we are transformed, by His grace we are radically different from the unbeliever; for when we were lost, He rescued us!

1. Our worst week does not remove us from the grace of God, nor does our best week increase our standing before Him. Find some verses in the Bible that speak about this. What did Jesus say about it?

2. What can we learn from Romans 3:20-31?

3. Read Ephesians 2:1-22. What can we learn from this?

4. What can we learn from Matthew 6:1-34 about our posture and how we ought to behave?

Gracious God and heavenly Father, please turn my eyes to the gospel, remove any confusion and grant understanding that I might know You better. Help me not be haughty or arrogant but humbled by Your grace. Give me eyes, that see, ears that hear and a heart that seeks to save, working for You. Amen


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