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
We all have a past. I live to listen to people talk about their past. It tells me a lot not only about their past, but it also speaks very loudly about the way they see themselves right now.
I once had the opportunity to listen to a guy talk about his past. But there was very little about his past that wasn’t terrific. He had been a very successful businessman in a different part of the country. He had lots of money and was influential within the community.
He then leveraged who he was to create an organization that brought together people from all walks of life. They banded together to improve the lives of everyone living in that area. He also got Christian leaders from all walks of life to come and work together to reach many for Christ.
Now, I don’t know about you, but whenever I hear someone talk only talk about their great successes, my antenna goes up. My curiosity gets lit, and I begin to wonder if everything was great as they described. How could they be soaring in the heavenlies, living a life with nothing but success and happiness while I’m struggling down her in the dirt and mud of life?
Now, I look at the life of the Apostle Paul and he certainly was a successful guy. His background didn’t have a spot on it. I wonder if he got straight A’s in school and graduated at the top of his class. Then, he found nothing but success in his career as a teacher and leader within his community[1].
But even with these impressive accomplishments under his belt, he still knew deep down in that place we don’t like to look into, that something was wrong. More than just what he did and said, but who he was inside. Paul lists four things that he and everyone else have in common in their past.
Foolish. We assume that we have some if not complete understanding of God and spiritual things. The truth is that we’re blind as a bat when it comes to knowing or understanding God by ourselves.
Disobedient. Their minds were already made up and they weren’t going to let the facts stand in their way. They weren’t interested in anything that could change their minds.
Deceived. People wander all over the place when they’re deceived. They can’t hold a single thought in their head. Even though God’s clearly shown himself, they choose to ignore him[2]
Enslaved. We’ve sold ourselves down the river by all kinds of passions and pleasures. They’ve become the focus of our lives and we don’t care if it hurts ourselves, others, or even God.
And if that wasn’t enough, Paul goes on to list of four ways that he and everyone else lived in the past.
Malice. On purpose, we chose worthless evil over God and all his goodness, kindness, and loving mercy.
Envy. It doesn’t take any thought or effort to hold a grudge. We’ve turned sour against people, celebrating when bad things happen to them.
Being hated. This is like what happens when someone walks into a room, and they smell really bad. Everyone quickly moves away from them.
Hating one another. We’re always looking for a way to put people down. To make them look worse than they are in front of anyone and everyone.
After looking at these two lists, is it any wonder that Paul thought of himself as the worst sinner of all time[3]. It’s like he went to the college of sin and graduated at the top of his class. He looks at his life as filled with nothing but failure before God and towards people.
If that would have been the end, we’d never have heard of this guy. He would have been an unimportant guy in some unknown part of the world. But God wasn’t done with Paul.
But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.
1 Timothy 1:16
Will we hear this. God shows mercy to people like Paul. And he shows that same mercy to you and me. When Jesus forgives, it’s total forgiveness. Once-and-for-all forgiveness of all our sins. He wipes out our past. If that doesn’t light us on fire, then nothing will.
Noodling Questions
How does you past discourage you in your walk with Jesus? Explain.
How should our past encourage you in your walk with Jesus? Explain.
How has God shown you mercy this past week? Describe.
[1] Philippians 3:4-6
[2] Romans 1:18-20
[3] 1 Timothy 1:15
Comments