Lesson 3, Part 3 Notes follow the video for the hearing impaired.

Titus 3:3 NLT

[3] Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other.

            Paul now brings up the sinfulness of everyone he knew, which would include both Hebrews and Gentiles.  In the past, prior to the time Paul wrote to Titus, he, Titus and everyone else had lived according to fleshly lusts.  They all had been guilty of being foolish and disobedient.  Their disobedience was not isolated to civil matters.  They had also been disobedient to God’s will for mankind. 

            Their disobedience stemmed from the fact that they all were controlled by sin.  That sin deceived them and made them slaves of their lusts.  They were controlled by their desires for pleasure.

            Paul says they were all full of evil and envy, even to the point of hating each other.  That hate did not exist just between Hebrews and Gentiles.  It was rampant everywhere.

            If we look at this world today, we see the same effects of sin present in society.  People are full of hate for anyone who disagrees with them.  They demonstrate envy toward work colleagues, employers and family members who seem to be living a life that is more fulfilling than their own.  That envy and strife are just the tip of the iceberg, as the saying goes.  Beneath the surface of envy and hate will lie every evil work that seeks to destroy lives and societies.

            People are constantly looking for satisfaction, ease and entertainment.  They seek every imaginable perversion of the natural order of things in order to satisfy their desire to experience excitement and thrills.  They willingly disobey physical and spiritual authority in order to live “on the edge” or “in the extreme.”  All this rebellion and seeking satisfaction anywhere possible is indicative of the sinful nature that controls many today, just as it had controlled Paul and Titus earlier in their lives.

            We’ll look at the remedy for being a slave to disobedience and sinful desires in our next video. If you have questions, comments or prayer requests, please leave them in the comments section below.