WHAT WE WERE

WHAT WE WERE

Titus 3:1-3 (KJV)

Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Frequently I will hear at a preacher’s meeting a statement to the effect of, “Everyplace is hard. That’s just an excuse for working less than (and usually they imply “I’) someone else does.

While the statement might have some validity in some cases, it ignores Scriptures like Revelation 2-3 where 7 very different churches have seven very different outcomes and in none of them does Jesus blame the outcome on less work from the pastor. 

Titus had been assigned a particularly challenging place to do the work of the ministry.

The Island of Crete was filled with people who, by their own admission were, “alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.”

On top of that, the Island had a population of Jews who opposed the preaching of the gospel.[1]

And there was at least some influence by Judaizers, supposed Christians who insisted that believers in Christ must also give heed to “Jewish fables.”[2]

So he has three very difficult populations to attempt to minister to.

To make things more challenging, Crete was under the dominion of the Romans who viewed Jews, Judaizers and Christians all as the same thing.

Titus’ job was to: 

·   Set in order the things that were wanting

·   Ordain elders in every city (plant churches) and

·   Stop the mouths of the gainsayers

And he couldn’t do any of it with carnal weapons.

His only sword was the Word of God.

He was to preach in such a way that those who heard

·   Were convinced of the truth of the message

·   Were convicted of their own sins so that they got saved and

·   Were coached to live an exemplary life for Jesus Christ

The only way for that Roman culture to recognize that something was different about the Christians as compared to the Jews, the Judaizers, or themselves, was for the Christians to be different.

And so he was to teach them in Titus 3:1 (KJV)

Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

That’s absolute obedience.

·   You recognize your place under authority.

·   You willingly obey those authorities and

·   You have prepared yourself to obey even when it is difficult

I am not suggesting that lifestyle evangelism is the only form of evangelism.

I am saying that to tell someone about a gospel that will make them a new creature will appear hypocritical to them if you cannot demonstrate that you are a new creature in Jesus Christ.

There are three things then that the Word of God teaches a Christian to keep constantly in mind

I. TO OBEY

Titus 3:1 (KJV)

Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

I promise I won’t belabor this too much longer.

I do want to say again that our obedience to government authorities is not optional.

This is a Bible command.

Christians, unless a law directly violates the teaching of God’s Word, we are violating the will of God to be anything other than in submission to the laws of our land.

·   Anybody can be decent

·   Anybody can be basically lawful

·   Anybody can, if they choose, be good enough citizens to stay out of trouble

The Christian ought to be meticulously, fanatically, even strangely[3]committed to obeying the laws of his land.

Concerning those times when we find we must obey God rather than man – if we are noted for being so lawful, when we find that we must obey God rather than man – our decision will make that much more of a statement.

To take a stand on obeying God rather than man will be pretty hypocritical when you have: 

·   Five parking tickets

·   Three speeding tickets and

·   You’ve been cited for driving while texting a half dozen times

Put them in mind to be subject

Secondly

II. TO BE GENTLE

Titus 3:2 (KJV)

To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

There are three things we are to keep in mind.

·   To speak evil of no man

·   To be no brawlers

·   To shew meekness unto all men

Notice there is, in every one of these an absolute.

·   No man

·   No brawler

·   All men

We are

A. To speak evil of no man

I am just going to say it, you are going to have to be reminded about this over and over and over and over and over again.

There is a lot of evil that could be spoken of any man.

·   We might speak evil of someone sometimes because they did us evil

·   We might speak evil of someone sometimes because we are jealous and want to put them in their place

·   We might speak evil of someone sometimes because we are angry and explode it out

·   We might speak evil of someone sometimes because we are habitually speaking evil things about people

But the Bible tells us to speak evil of no man.

We will need to be reminded of that over and over again.

We are

B. To be no brawlers

The word means contentious.

The opposite would be gentle – mild, patient

No Christian is to have a contentious spirit.

For some of us that is more of a challenge than for others.

·   Some of us are more naturally quiet and gentle.

·   Some of us are more naturally inclined to be patient with others

But all of us are to be reminded to be no brawlers but to be gentle.

We are

C. To shew meekness unto all men

The concept of meekness is a challenging one to many of us. 

We have been led to think of meekness as a milguetoast, almost effeminate nature.

We think a meek person is the one who lets others run over them.

In reality meekness is power under control.

The illustration I was taught is the horse who has been “broke to death.”

He is so well trained that you can trust him for anything.

Any horse is strong enough to overpower his rider, should he choose to, or be spooked.

But a horse who has been broke to death:

·   Doesn’t spook

·   Does what is asked of him and

·   Does it with love for his rider

This is a biblical concept.

James 3:3-4 (KJV)

Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.

Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.

The Bible teaches us to shew meekness unto all men

·   Not just our family

·   Not just our fellow church members

·   Not just our friends and neighbors

We are to be in control of our spirits unto all men.

·  All the liars, evil beasts, slow bellies

·   All the unruly and vain talkers and deceivers,and even

·   All the principalities, powers and magistrates

The final thing we are to be put to mind tells us why we ought to be gentle.

·   Put them in mind to obey

·   Put them in mind to be gentle

Put them in mind

III. TO REMEMBER WHAT WE WERE

Titus 3:3 (KJV)

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

I will never forget my last visit with Brother Roy Cripe just before he passed away.

The Pope had just died and it was the talk of the news at the time.

Brother Cripe said, “Did you hear that the Pope died?”

“Yes.” I said, I had heard.

Brother Cripe said, “He split hell wide open.”

And then, with a tear he said, “And he was no worse sinner than me.”

It was one of the most compassionate and meek things I think I have ever heard a man say.

It was honest and truthful concerning the end of a man who had trusted his religion instead of Jesus Christ.

At the same time, it was non-judgmental and completely honest about self.

The reason we ought to: 

·   Never speak evil of a man

·   Always be gentle and

·   Show meekness to all men

is because we are no better than any other man.

·   The liars, evil beast and slow bellies

·   The gainsayers

·   The unruly, vain talkers, and deceivers

We are better than none of them.

For we ourselves 

Not the Romans, not the Cretians and not the Jews.

We ourselves.

also were sometimes 

·   foolish, 

·   disobedient, 

·   deceived, 

·   serving divers lusts and pleasures, 

·   living in malice and envy, 

·   hateful, and hating one another.

I notice the past tense, “were.”

Sometimes it’s not so past tense is it.

·   Sometimes we are foolish

·   Sometimes we are disobedient

·   Sometimes we are deceived

·   Sometimes we do serve our lusts and pleasures

·   Sometimes we do live in malice and envy

·   Sometimes we are hateful and hating

My point is that we have no real good reason to be anything but gentle toward others because we were just like them and even now are no better than them.

Titus 3:1-3 (KJV)

Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.

For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

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[1]Titus 1:10 (KJV)

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

[2]Titus 1:14 (KJV)

Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

[3]1 Peter 4:4 (KJV)

Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: