Titus 3:3a

That is chapter 3, and I’ll read verses 3 through 7. Our focus this evening is on the first part of verse 3. But we ourselves also are sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God, our Savior, toward man, appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ, our Savior. That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. May God bless to us His Sacred and Holy Word, evening. It has been revealed that in the past the U.S. intelligence service, the agency, the CIA, during a 25-year period, spent $25 million in research or methods of mind control. This was in response to the belief that the Russians had already perfected mind control, and they had used it on individuals sort of like our prisoners of war in the Korean War. Now, why is mind control important? Well, if you control the mind, you can control the actions of people. You can manipulate people into doing things exactly as you want them to do it. You’ve probably seen someone under hypnosis, you know, told the bark like a dog, to act like a baby and they do it. That’s sort of a form of mind control. The Bible has a lot to say about mind control. Scripture reveals to us, as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. And it’s not surprising to learn that the God of this world, Satan hath blinded the minds of them that believe not. The Word of God appeals to your mind, and you find the Apostles often using the Scriptures and reasoning with people out of the Word of God, appealing to their minds. God describes in our text your original state as one who has fallen in Adam. And then the amazing change. that takes place by the grace of God that brings salvation to you. He talks about in verses 4 to 7. So first he starts with the state of all people outside of Christ. Then he applies a situation to us who now are believers in Christ. But he talks about what we were before we became believers. Now, this is important because we’re. dealing with people in this world and witnessing the people that are in the state of verse 3. And they need God’s grace in order to see the change that takes place in verses 4 to 7. This description begins with sins corruption of your mind. And so we see that Satan here knows the power of mind control. and we see him actively engaged in it. So we have a description here of your mind corrupted by sin. And the first thing he says is you are foolish. But we ourselves also were sometimes foolish. The Greek word here means ignorant, senseless, without understanding. Now in particular, we’re dealing directly with the things that relate to God here. You may have a brilliant mind. you may be highly educated and yet fallen in Adam what happens is you are mindless ignorant with regard to the things of God God declares of wayward Israel these things which are still true today for people for my people is foolish they have not known me they are sottish children and they have none understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good. They have no knowledge. Jeremiah 422. There is a lacking of spiritual understanding, what we call wisdom, divine wisdom. A fool in scripture is one who is certainly not spiritually minded. They live, a fool is as if there was no God. A fool is at least a practical atheist, if not a true atheist. Paul, as already stated, an unbeliever, has a mind and conscience that is defiled in chapter 1 and verse 15. Here he’s talking a little more about the mind and the state of it. You can imagine and you can conceive only evil continually. That’s how good. God describes the state of man fallen in Adam. You’re wise to do evil, as Jeremiah puts it. Wise to do evil. But being earthly-minded, you often fail to grasp basic spiritual proofs. Look at the parables of Christ. When you think about the parables of Christ, a lot of the parables of Christ are mainly to teach a particular basic truth. There’s some details. it that may touch on some other areas, but really they’re not like deep things. They’re really basic teachings. They reveal simple spiritual truths, but they were hidden from most people. The Bible tells us that they talked in parables and people could not understand them. He purposely talked in parables, the Bible tells us, for that reason. You would think, you, you, you know, you tell a story, it’s an earthly story, but as a heavenly meaning to it, you would think maybe someone would pick something up, but he said, where the scripture indicates that people couldn’t understand all that was being taught. They didn’t grasp the significance of these things. In John chapter 3, Nicodemus is an original religious ruler and teacher in Israel, highly respected. He visits Christ. And when Jesus declares unto him, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus is baffled by this. How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb and be born? Now here is a highly educated, highly respected teacher in the church, or in the synagogue, if you would, who cannot think beyond the earthly plane, who cannot take it beyond the physical realm. This despite the fact that the conversation is about the kingdom of God. Jesus patiently explains that what he’s talking about is being born in the spirit. He’s talking about regeneration. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. Even if it went back in the womb ten times and were reborn, you’d still be the same sinner you are now. That which is born of the spirit. So he’s talking about being born of the spirit. You need a spiritual birth. You need this regeneration, this change of heart, as the scripture talks about. No wonder, Jesus has to rebuke Nicodemus, art thou a master in Israel, know us not these things? It’s your basic teachings. Don’t you know you need a circumcision of heart? People can be just like Nicodemus, you see. You can go to church, all your life, you can sit through all kinds of teachings. You may even read the Bible for yourself. You may know many facts and stories about the Bible. There are people that probably could get on, you know, like Jeopardy game show or something, and they can answer all kinds of questions about the Bible. You may know all about the life of David. You could tell you, tell all about the stories about the life of David. But people fail to grasp the basic biblical principles that can be gleaned from the life of day. They may, you know, read a psalm and say, well, that sounds sweet and nice, but fail to appreciate that Jesus Christ can be seen in the Psalms. They completely miss that aspect of it. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. They are foolishness unto him. So you are foolish in this original state. He also. indicates here you are self-willed. He uses this term disobedient. The Greek word for disobedient signifies an unwilling to be persuaded idea. A defiant attitude. This denotes an obstinate rejection of the revealed will of God. It’s more of a state of mind than an action. The action comes because of the state of mind, but it’s more of a state of mind. Anything you may grasp out of the scripture, you refuse to assent to it. You are self-willed. You will not accept the truth. The Bible speaks of those who resist the truth. In 2 Timothy 5’8. You can open up the book of Genesis, and you can see that the scripture says God created the heavens and the earth. And gives us the 6th. days of actual creation of the seventh he rests. But you want to believe in evolution because you don’t want to be accountable to God. So you want to reject that. Even though it’s pretty plain, obvious, straightforward war teaching. You can read the Gospels and you can read about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You may refuse to accept such a possibility. This is nonsense. You can be like the Athenians. When they heard Paul teaching about the resurrection, when we talked about the resurrection from the dead, they were saying, you know, they began to drift away. You could read in scripture about the marriage covenant. You can read what God says about what it means, what are the grounds for biblical divorce, so forth. But you want sexual freedom, so you don’t want to follow the principles of God’s Word and what it says about marriage. We could read scriptures like this one and say, well, seems to say that man’s depraved, that man is wicked, foolish, disobedient, so forth. But you may think so highly of yourself that you reject any notion that that could be of you. That may be of the guy down the street, but it’s not me. I’m not like that. You think that perhaps you’re capable of doing something good and pleasing in the eyes of God. You don’t see yourself as a vile sinner. How many are like Roman governor? Felix to whom Paul preached the gospel and he reasoned with him about righteousness, temperance, and the judgment to come, and Felix trembled. We start talking about the holiness of God, God’s justice, and about standing before God and giving an account of your life. That was not something he wanted to hear about. He sent him away. When I have a more convenient season, I’ll call for you. He didn’t like what he heard. He was not willing to be persuasive. of its truthfulness. This is what we are up against, because this is what we were like before God saved us. Self-willed, disobedient. And then he says, thirdly, you are deceived. The Greek word for deceived here means to be led astray to wonder. Carers the idea of being deluded, being led into error. The word is used of Satan in the book of Revelation as the great deceiver, as Revelation 12. 9 tells us, for he has blinded the minds of them which believe not. 2 Corinthians 4-4. He’s blinded their minds. When someone is blind, they can be easily misled. Your ability to discern things is limited. You remember the story about the story. the stolen birthright in the book of Genesis. You remember how Isaac desired to bless his eldest son, Esau, and give him the birthright. That’s what his plan was. And yet, Isaac was old. And his eyes were so dim the scripture says that he could not see. And this provided a golden opportunity for Jacob to steal the birthright. So Jacob puts on Esau’s clothes and even uses. the skins of young goats to simulate the hairiness of Esau, his brother. And Isaac is not able to see his son. But he smells his son, and he smells the field. Because Esau was a man of the field, an outdoorsman. And he feels the arms and he fills all that hair, which is really goat’s hair, but he thinks, that’s got to be Esau. And he blesses Jacob. He’s deceived. He’s deceived. He thought he was a blessing. He saw, but in reality, he was given the birthright to Jacob instead. Now, since Satan blinds the minds of them that believe not, it’s a spiritual blindness that we’re talking about that plagues you before you’re converted. You’re deceived with regard to your thinking. You’re led astray without even knowing. knowing it. You find yourself believing Satan’s lies rather than God’s truth. Before conversion, Saul, who later became Paul, was a deceived man. Satan deceived him. Satan used various means and methods to keep him deluded about the things of Christ. Paul was led astray by his Jewish teachers of the law. He was let astray from the truth that was actually revealed in the law and in the prophets. He was to let us stray into Phariseism and the heresy of self-righteousness, works righteousness, if you would. He was deceived into thinking that he was a good and righteous man who kept the law of God when the truth was he didn’t. He was led astray into believing all the Jewish traditions which were actually undermining the truth of God’s Word. And in this way, he was deluded in the thinking that Jesus was an imposter, a false Christ, and he ends up persecuting the church. And Christ’s disciples in particular. You know what? Paul thought, He was serving God. Think about that. He thought he was serving God when he actually was doing Satan’s bidding. It reminds me what Jesus warned the disciples about. Yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God’s service. John 16, too. You see how deluding people can be. They can be so diluted that they think that what they’re doing is serving God when actually they’re serving Satan himself. How much more deluded could you possibly be than that? Satan’s agents are angels of light. They deceive people by God’s truth. They’re false prophets. False ministers. They turn you away from the truth. Why do you think there’s so many false religions in the world we have today? Because people are deceived. Satan doesn’t mind you being religious. He’d like you to be Paul. He’d like you to be like Paul before he was converted. You can be that religion. You can be a Pharisee all day long, and if you were a self-righteous Pharisee, he’s happy with that. Because you’re deluded about the truth. Unless the eyes of your understanding are open by God, you walk in darkness and you stray from God’s way, and you may not even know it. Most people refuse to accept this teaching. They think that with their free will, they’re going to make the right decision, and they can tell the truth from error, and they have everything all squared away. if you back up just a page or so here to 2 Timothy chapter 2 verses 24 to 26 notice what Paul says here to Timothy says the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves they’ll notice this carefully if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him and his will. They don’t even know they’re captive. They don’t even know they’re under Satan’s control. That’s the danger. You know, you think you’re capable of running your own life and you don’t know that Satan’s the captain of your ship. So here’s a description of your mind, corrupted by sin, you’re foolish, yourself, willed, and you’re deceived. Now, let’s talk about. the danger of having your mind corrupted by sin. You wander through life with no direction. God once rebuked the rebellious Israelites with these words, the ox knoweth his owner and the asses master’s crib, but Israel doth not know my people hath not considered. Even dumb animals, like oxen and donkeys, know who their owner and master is. They realize who controls their lies. How is it that you don’t recognize who your owner and master is? How is it you can go through life without even considering God’s presence and activity on this earth? That’s how some people live their lives. How foolish not to know why you are here. Why did God make you? Why did God place you in this world? What are you doing here? I wonder how to have you? how many people even give any thought to that? Any, to answer such a question. You know, once in a while you find someone saying, well, God made me to play basketball. God made me to be a runner. You think God made you for such a base end is that? Obviously, since you do not consider your own master and owner, you live for the present alone, You seek earthly fame and earthly ends. You satisfy yourself with food and drink and shelter and goods and the riches of this world, the pleasures of this world. You’re content with that. You’re happy if your sports team wins. You’re not laying up treasure for yourselves for the world to come. You’re not contemplating death. You’re not contemplating the judgment that will follow. of it. Jesus told the parable about the man who gathered a great deal of wealth in this life. He was a very successful businessman or farmer, if you would. He lived comfortably, enjoyed the best things of this world, and one year he had such a bumper cross crop that it brought for so plentifully that he thought he was set for life. In fact, he didn’t even have enough storage room in his barns to store all that he took in that year. So he thought, he well, I’ll tear down the old barns, build new ones, and then I’m going to take it easy. I’m going to retire. I’m going to have all that I need. I’ll live off the abundance. He had it made. He said to himself, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years. Take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. There’s only one thing he left out. He left God out of his thinking. And God says, thou fool, you’re foolish. This night, thy soul shall be required of thee, then whose shall all these things be, which thou hast provide. This wealthy man didn’t realize the hour glass of his life was about to run out. All his labors and his plans were to come to naught with regard to this world. His problem was he didn’t make any plans for eternity. No preparation to face God for the world to come. And so the lesson were told according to scripture, so is he that layeth up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Is this the way you wonder through life? Is this the way most people wonder through life? It seems that way, doesn’t it? We get so consumed by our earthly existence that all our thinking is about this world. You wander through this life with no direction. You’re host out of the things of God. Here the word disobedient we could talk about again. If you’re privileged to hear the word of God, your mind rejects it. Job, in the book of Job we read about, therefore the wicked say unto God this, depart from us, we desire not the knowledge of thy ways. We don’t want to hear it. Now you might think, well, I would never utter such blasphemous words as that. Well, you may not utter the words, but does the sentiment reside in your heart? You resolve not to leave your sins if you obstinately are purposing to stay in them, not deal with them. You might look at the gospel and say it’s all a bunch of foolishness, not attach any importance to it. There are those that we read about in Zefaniah who say what many people are thinking, the Lord will not do good, neither will he do evil. There’s no blessing and serving God. There’s no curse and not serving. It doesn’t really matter. When you hear God’s law expounded, the Ten Commandments, when you hear about the sovereignty of God in granting salvation, the demands of the gospel that all men repent, you’re hostile to it. This is a hard saying. Who can hear it? Why is this so? Because the carnal mind is enmity against God. It is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Romans 8.7. You’re hostile to the things of God. You’re satisfied with a false religion. You’re deceived. Friends, there are many religions in this world, and the popular ones that draw the largest crowds are the false ones. The scripture says that few there be that find the straight gate in the narrow way. Multitudes are to see for they gladly embrace a religion, which allows them to think highly of themselves and continue in their sinful ways. It’s a comfortable religion. How many religions are there that will tell you about your self-worth?