Our Father, who is in heaven, I humble myself once again before your mighty throne, drawing near to your godliness and your power of self-control. I thank you for your mercy and grace and for protecting me from the passion and desires of the flesh. As I continue this journey, please help me avoid temptations as I walk in the Spirit away from foolishness and disobedience. May the words of my mouth bear witness to my transformation as a new creation and to my belief that you are omnipotent and omnipresent. Please guide me to speak words that are pleasing to your ears and food for your people. In Jesus' name, I pray Amen.
We are living in troubling times and reality is taking a bite out of too many people. In times like these, the spirit of this world is feasting on those who walk according to the flesh! In a reality that confuses right and wrong, too many Christians are filling their hearts and minds with attitudes that are irreverent, from insolence to vulgarity. They claim Christ but deny Him with their deeds. We have seen the headlines: Pastor hires couple to kill his wife; Youth Pastor embezzles $90,000; Minister and teacher charged with rape and sodomy; former marine kills four, including a mother holding a baby; and the stories go on and on.
The people who do these things are the worse of the worse, but there are those whose deeds do not rival these, still their actions are disobedient to the Word of God, and they mock Jesus, the Christ. Do not be taken in by their excuses, for the grace of God has appeared, and “It teaches us to say, “no to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age” (Titus 2:12, NIV). Or do you not know that we need to stay alert and watch what we do so that we do not lose the ground that we worked so hard to gain.
For the sake of fellowship and because Scripture tells us to confess to one another, we confess that “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” (Titus 3:3, KJB). However, it is not about what we used to be. We repented and came to the Lord; so, we are now washed and sanctified in Him and by Him. We no longer walk in the way of sinners and take the counsel of the ungodly. We walk worthy of our calling and we do not allow guilt and pride to hold us captive to the life and pleasures we once embraced. We crucified our old self and do not allow sin to reign in our mortal body. We can do this if we wholeheartedly believe that with Christ all things are possible.
When we crucify our old self, the one that follows the flesh, sin is rendered powerless. When sin rules, truth becomes subjective and confusing; however, the Lord’s truth is timeless. He said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34, NKJV). We cannot allow sin to worm its way into our life by being negligent. We are free to be free but there are still rules to follow and work to do. We ask God to order our steps in His word so that we do not allow sin control over our soul. We fully understand that if we live after the flesh, we will die. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23, NIV).
We were given access to a holy path by Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Since Jesus gave us the opportunity to be free, why do so many who claim Christ mock His sacrifice by being foolish and disobedient? Do not allow anyone to deceive you again; we must stand fast in freedom and rid ourselves of foolish and disobedient attitudes and behavior.
Again, we acknowledge that “we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and wrong” (Titus 3:3, GNT). This describes the people at Crete, and it describes our society today: foolish, disobedient, and wrong about many things, especially the things that God hates.
Scripture tells us that “There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community” (Proverbs 6:16-19, NIV). These things were present in Crete, remember the prophet who said all Cretans were liars.
These things are present in our society today, in our communities, and maybe even our homes. Have you seen the latest headlines: 1) A local man has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with shooting his girlfriend following an argument on a Tate County Road; 2) Husband and wife stabbed to death while riding their bikes back to their home in Daytona Beach, FL; 3) Man convicted of 2017 rape and kidnapping. The list of crimes against people and humanity is endless.
Like Paul and Titus, ministers of the gospel need to step up and set things in order. We call on all ministers and saints everywhere to walk worthy of your calling. Ministers, shepherd the flock, exercise oversight, and teach the unadulterated Word of God. The Holy Spirit has made us ministers to care for God’s Church, including challenging the things that God hates, the things that are detestable to Him.
Now, most of us who are Christ Followers have read and have a knowledgeable understanding of the Books in the Bible, including Timothy and Titus. Thus, we should be ready to step up and enter the mission field with a new zeal for the truth.
No matter how much we think we know, the training is never complete. However, we have come a long way and when we follow the Lord’s way, we are no longer foolish and disobedient. We may have taken baby steps in the beginning, and some of us may still be taking baby steps, but we have it within us to be humble and obey the Lord, getting more things right than wrong.
Paul took a special interest in his disciples’ training. Should not a pastor in this present age do the same? The time has come to challenge those who oppose the mission of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and that requires training. You say you love and fear the Lord then you should hate evil because the Lord hates evil. Whoever and whatever is an enemy of the Lord should now be our enemy as well. At this point, we need to remember that our war is not against flesh and blood. Haughty eyes are regenerated by evil spirits.
Haughty eyes are signs of a prideful spirit that inhabits a person who sits high on a pedestal and looks down on people. Sometimes they put themselves there and sometimes people put them there. Rich and famous sexual predators have gotten away with things for so long because people put them on pedestals. Whether they put themselves on a pedestal or we put them there, Scripture says “Do not think more of yourself than you ought” (Romans 12:3, NIV). Scripture also says, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve” (Luke 4:8, ESV). People will stand in line and wait for a rock star for hours and even sleep on the sidewalk overnight, but grumble to no end when church service runs over the regular set time.
Haughty eyes, the same as willful pride hinder our relationship with God. Satan is willfully proud and his high and mighty ways got him cast out of heaven. We find his story in Revelation 12 where it says: “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9, NKJV). Speaking in general terms, when someone is banished from a group, more than likely, they have already corrupted others. Satan was able to deceive Eve and we can be taken in by evil. The Lord hates what haughty eyes portray. Be like Job, the humble man in the land of Uz who was blameless and hated evil. The author of Psalm 97:10 says: “Let those who love the LORD hate evil”. After all, all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord.
All the things that the Lord hates are overwhelmingly present in our society today. However, we need to remember that so far as it depends on us, we should continue to walk in the Spirit and promote peace. As believers in Christ, we should live a godly life, respecting authority, doing good deeds, and maligning no one. Saints of God, remember, we have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer us who live, but Christ who lives in us. The life we now live in the flesh we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us.
Closing Prayer
We gathered here today in this space and time to offer prayers and hear your Word. Now, we depart one from another to spread your Word throughout our different homes and communities. May God's love flow through us and may His strength protect us from all hurt, harm, and danger. Amen!
