Christ for the World

Well, good morning, church.

Turn with me and your Bibles to the book of Colossians, Colossians page 984, 985 in the

Pew Bibles.

Colossians chapter 4, we're looking at verses 2 through 6 as we've been going through this

Colossians 4 · chapter mention

short but very powerful and wonderful letter of Paul this fall.

And we are nearing the end.

So we come to the end of Paul's instructions.

Next week will be his closing and greetings.

We'll see some of his friendships and the people, his co-workers in ministry.

But today we're looking at the end of his instructions to the church.

So let's read Colossians chapter 4, verses 2 through 6.

Colossians 4:2–6

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare

the mystery of Christ on account of which I am in prison, that I may make it clear which

is how I ought to speak.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought

to answer each person.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his letters and papers from prison wrote this.

He said,

The church is the church only when it exists for others.

Not dominating, but helping and serving.

It must tell people of every calling what it means to live in Christ, to exist for others.

And as long as we're on earth, that's true.

The church is the church only when it exists for others.

Now, I think we would all admit the church has often struggled to live out this calling.

Bonhoeffer was writing in a time and place where the church, when the church in Germany

had become very powerful and very privileged, and as a result, it became self-serving.

It became entangled with the power structures of the day and lost its distinctive witness.

Now, in other times and places, the church has been marginalized and powerless and ridiculed,

a small minority, and the church has been tempted to simply withdraw in fear from the world.

Now, I think we're somewhere in the middle in the United States today.

Christianity still has a privileged place in American history.

But in certain sectors of society, Christianity is increasingly marginalized.

So I think we can face both temptations.

The temptation to compromise with the world, because we want to be accepted by it.

And the temptation to withdraw from the world in fear, to make our faith just a private matter.

Something that we do just on Sundays, and we don't tell anyone else about it the rest of the week.

Last year, I was talking to another pastor in New Haven, and he said to me,

the church is both a family and an army.

And in order to be a healthy church, we need to hold both of those values together.

As a church, we're called to be a family.

We're called to be a refuge, a place of comfort and healing and community,

of personal renewal and growth.

But we're also called to be an army in the sense of a people on the mission to reach the world for Jesus.

And to carry out the commission he's given us.

So how do we live out this calling, this mission to the world to exist for others?

And this morning's passage gives us some very practical instructions about how to do that.

Now before we jump in, let me briefly review what we've seen in Colossians already.

Or if you haven't been here, if you're here for the first time,

this will sort of overview what we've looked at the last couple of months.

The main idea of Colossians is chapter 2, verse 6.

Isaiah 2:6

As you receive Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.

Now the first chapter of Colossians is about who is Christ Jesus the Lord,

and what does it mean that we have received Him,

and been brought into His kingdom, and belong to His family,

and the gospel is growing in us.

Chapter 2, starting at verse 8, we see Paul's warnings to the church in Colossae.

He warned them, don't be taken captive by people who claim to offer you something better than Jesus.

He says, there's nothing better than what Jesus has to offer you.

You don't need to go somewhere else to find something that you can't get

from knowing Jesus more deeply and fully.

Chapter 3 is Paul's positive instructions.

How do we live as people who have died and risen with Christ?

And if you've noticed, Paul's instructions go from the inside out.

So chapter 3, verses 1 to 4, he says,

set your minds on things above.

He starts with our own hearts and minds,

and what we're seeking,

and where we're directed, where we're focused.

And then verses 5 to 17 of chapter 3,

he focuses on the internal life of the Christian community.

How we should be putting off sin,

and putting on the character of Christ,

and how we express that in our community together.

Last week, we looked at verse 18 of chapter 3 to chapter 4, verse 1,

which covers the household,

which in the ancient world covered,

was included both the home and work.

And what does it mean to live in Christ in our home and work settings?

And finally, the passage we're looking at today

focuses on how do we relate to the outside world?

How do we relate to people who are outside of the Christian community,

who do not identify as believers in Christ?

And the other thing Paul's doing here,

as he sort of brings his letter to a close,

is he's inviting the Colossian Christians to join in with him.

In chapter 1, Paul began with praying with thanksgiving for the Colossians.

And now here in chapter 4, verse 2, he says,

join me in praying with thanksgiving,

and praying for me.

At the end of chapter 1,

Paul spoke about his efforts in deed and word

on behalf of the Colossians.

And now in verses 5 and 6,

he's going to urge them in their walk and talk,

in our deed and word,

to make efforts to share the gospel with their neighbors.

So this section sort of wraps up the letter

in a few different ways.

So how do we, as the church of Jesus Christ,

how do we exist for others?

And Paul gives us two basic commands.

Number one, be devoted in prayer.

This is verse 2 to 4.

And number two, be deliberate in witness.

So that's what we're going to look at this morning.

Prayer.

You could also call this sermon,

Pray, Walk, and Talk.

Pray, verses 2 to 4.

Walk, verse 5.

Talk, verse 6.

How do we relate to people outside the church?

Those are Paul's three words for us today.

So let's jump in.

Verse 2, Paul tells us how to pray.

He says three words.

Be steadfast, be watchful, and be thankful.

So first, be steadfast.

What does that mean?

It means to continue in prayer.

It's a word that means pray with strength,

pray with devotion, pray with endurance,

with dedication and discipline.

Jesus said like the persistent widow in the parable,

we ought always to pray and not lose heart.

We need to keep on praying even when we don't see answers

to our prayers yet.

Sam Storms has a book of meditations

on the book of Colossians.

And he gives a few reasons why God doesn't always

answer our prayers immediately.

Here are a few of them.

He says sometimes we're too entitled.

And through steadfast prayer, God wants to teach us

that everything we receive is a gift.

Sometimes he says we're too impatient.

And through steadfast prayer, God wants to teach us

patient dependence on him and not instant gratification.

Sometimes we're too immature.

We're not yet ready to handle the answers we're asking for.

And through steadfast prayer, God prepares us

to receive the answers that we're looking for to our prayers.

Sometimes our motives are mixed.

And through steadfast prayer, God starts to sort through our motives.

Have you ever been praying for something?

And then the Holy Spirit sort of starts to check your motives.

And you sort of realize,

my motives aren't quite right here.

I really want this, but I need to sort those out before the Lord.

Sometimes God wants to purify our hearts.

Sometimes there's a spiritual battle going on that we're not even aware of,

like it refers to in the book of Daniel.

Sometimes God has his own sovereign reasons that we don't fully understand.

But whatever the situation God's command to us is,

be steadfast in prayer.

But also, be watchful in prayer.

Again, this goes back to the teaching of Jesus.

Jesus taught his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane,

watch and pray that you may not fall into temptation.

Luke 21 for 34, Jesus says,

watch yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation,

that is distraction and drunkenness and the cares of this life.

And that day, the day when the Son of Man will return,

come upon you suddenly like a trap.

He says, watch yourselves.

Watch and pray.

Now, some Christians have misunderstood this command a little bit.

Some Christians have gotten into the habit of watching for signs

that supposedly indicate when Jesus will return.

But that's not what Jesus said.

Jesus didn't say, watch for signs and then make guesses about when I'll return.

He said, no, you're not going to know.

I'm going to comment unexpectedly.

You won't be able to anticipate it.

He says, watch yourselves.

Sort of like a security guard working the night shift.

You know the morning's going to come,

but you're to be watchful in the face of potential spiritual dangers

in this present evil age.

We're to watch our lives and be in prayer, be watchful in prayer.

Prayer helps us remain alive to the will of God

and aware of the needs of the world,

even as we await the glorious coming of our King.

So be steadfast, be watchful,

and third, be thankful in prayer.

Paul says, pray with thanksgiving.

You know, every once in a while,

I've talked with Christians who are pretty persistent in prayer

and perhaps watchful.

Maybe they even are up in the middle of the night praying,

but they're also anxious and restless.

And you know, interestingly,

prayer by itself doesn't always seem to make things better.

Sometimes prayer even seems to make that anxiety worse.

Because, you know, it's possible for our prayers

to become a sort of meditation on our problems.

But that's why Paul urges us to pray with thanksgiving.

You see, giving thanks to God is one of the best ways

to resist the dominance of anxiety and worry

and restlessness and self-pity.

Giving thanks to God reminds us of God's faithfulness in the past,

and it points us towards God's promises in the future,

and in doing so, it lifts us beyond our present circumstances.

So Paul says, pray with steadfastness,

pray with watchfulness,

and also pray with thankfulness.

So that's how we should pray.

Now, before I go on to verse three and four,

which gives us, which tells us what we should pray for,

let me pause for a moment to speak to you.

Perhaps you're not a Christian.

Perhaps you're a skeptical or secular person.

This week, we're celebrating Thanksgiving, right?

We're talking about Thanksgiving here.

And at one level, Thanksgiving's a great holiday

because everyone can participate, right?

People of all religious faith and none

can agree that feeling and expressing gratitude

is a good thing.

It's one thing that almost all sociologists

and psychologists agree.

The practice of gratitude will make

for a happier and healthier life.

And so we can all take time to honor friends and family

by thanking them this week.

But I think practicing gratitude

also raises a deeper question.

If you're an atheist,

if you're an agnostic,

or if you believe in a higher power

or a distant force

rather than the personal and living God of the Bible,

let me ask you a question.

Where do you direct your feelings of gratitude

aside from other human beings?

Who do you thank

when you feel overwhelmingly lucky to be alive?

Gifted far beyond anything you've deserved.

Rescued from a seemingly impossible predicament.

Sustained and nourished in body and mind.

Awaken to beauty and love

and the mysteries of human life.

Don't all those things make us

intuitively want to thank someone?

Not only have feelings of gratitude inside

that have no object,

or feeling grateful to the random variations

of the universe.

Don't our feelings of gratitude

point us to someone

whose wisdom astounds us

and whose kindness beckons us.

That's who the Bible speaks about.

The Bible speaks about

the infinitely wise God

who made us for himself.

And the Bible says

that the kindness of God,

the many gifts that all of us receive,

whether we recognize them

as coming from God or not,

the kindness of God

leads us toward repentance.

That is towards turning to God.

To look beyond ourselves

and turn to the God who made us

and the God who sent his son

to reconcile us to himself

so that we may know him

as our heavenly father

and as the source of every blessing.

So let me challenge you

as you celebrate Thanksgiving

to consider

who are you thankful to?

And is the truly fitting object

of your gratitude

the God who is revealed

in Jesus Christ?

Christ.

That's what the Bible

has to offer.

But moving on to verse 3 and 4,

for those of us

who are believers in Christ,

Paul tells us

not only how we should pray,

but also what we should pray for.

Now verses 3 and 4

are not a comprehensive teaching

on Christian prayer.

There are many aspects of prayer

that are not covered

in these verses,

but these verses tell us

to pray for two things.

Verse 3,

Paul says,

pray that God

would open doors

for his word.

Now that phrase

of God opening things

that are previously closed

is used in at least

three ways

in the New Testament.

God opens the door

to his kingdom.

God opens the door

to his family

so that people

from all nations

can come in.

So Acts 14.27 says,

they declared

how God had opened

a door of faith

to the Gentiles.

to the nations

of the world.

But also God

opens up opportunities

for the gospel message

to go out

into all the world.

Paul writes

in 2 Corinthians 2.12,

when I came to Troas

to preach the gospel

of Christ,

a door was opened

for me in the Lord.

Or 1 Corinthians 16,

1 Corinthians 16:8

verse 8,

I will stay in Ephesus

for a wide door

for effective work

has opened to me.

And there are

many adversaries.

So God opens up

opportunities

for the gospel

to go out

and also God

opens the hearts

of people

to respond.

Acts 16.14,

the Lord opened

Lydia's heart

to pay attention

to what was said

by Paul.

So God opens

the door

to his kingdom.

He's done that

in Christ Jesus.

God opens up

opportunities

for the message

to go out

and God opens up

people's hearts

and minds

so that Christ

can come in.

And in all these cases,

God is the one

who opens doors.

Revelation 3.7

describes Jesus

as the one

who has the key

of David,

who opens

and no one

will shut,

who shuts

and no one

opens.

And so when Paul

prays here

that God would

open a door

for his word,

Paul is praying

for God

to do something

that only God

can do.

And we too

should pray

earnestly

for God

to do

what only God

can do.

To open hearts

that are closed

and resistant

and hardened.

To open doors

for his word

to go forth

in places

where there are

barriers

and hindrances

and opposition.

Now if you've been

coming to our

adult Sunday school

class,

you've heard stories

about this

just this morning

and last week.

Last Sunday,

Kelechi was teaching

and he told about

his friend in Nigeria

who had a dream

two years ago.

And this young man

felt that in his dream

God impressed

upon his heart

to go to a certain

village in one of

the most dangerous

provinces in Nigeria.

The headquarters

of Boko Haram

which is sort of

a violent group

felt that God

was impressing

upon him

to go to this village

and tell people

there about Jesus.

They had never

been there before.

They prayed

about it together

and four days later

three people

got in a car.

Kelechi,

his friend,

another friend,

they decided to go.

And as they went

they prayed

because they realized

that this was

a very risky venture.

They traveled

eight hours by car

to a place

they'd never been before.

They arrived

at the village

at night time.

They met with

the village chief

who is a devout Muslim

and they said,

we're just visiting here

and we weren't sure

if people knew

what Christmas was about.

It was around

Christmas time

they were visiting.

We'd like to share

with you why

Christians celebrate

Christmas.

And the chief said,

sure.

I'll get my boys

to round everybody up

and bring them

to my palace

and you can talk

to them tomorrow.

So the next day

the chief summons

everyone to his palace

and they share

for hours

about why Jesus

came into the world

and the kind of life

he lived

and why he died

on the cross.

They had brought

t-shirts with Bible verses

in the local

tribal language

about Jesus

as the prince of peace

and about that province

as a place

of peace.

They also talked

to the chief

about the possibility

of opening a health clinic

in the village

at some point

in the future.

God opened a door

for his word

in a very unlikely place.

And now we can pray

that God would continue

to open doors

for his word

in that village.

That it would grow

and bear fruit.

So we should pray

that God would open doors

for his word.

But the second thing

Paul tells us

to pray for

is to pray

that Christian missionaries

and preachers

would proclaim Christ

with power

and clarity.

To declare

the mystery of Christ

on account

of which I am in prison

that I may make it clear

which is how I ought

to speak.

So Paul says

pray that God would do

what only God can do

that he would open the doors

that no one else

can open

or shut

once he opens them.

But Paul also says

pray that God

would enable me

to carry out

the responsibility

that God

has given to me.

Now on a side note

if Paul asked people

to pray for him

we shouldn't be above

asking people

to pray for us.

Occasionally

I talk with Christians

who almost

seem to almost

never ask anyone else

to pray for them.

You say

can I pray for you?

And they say

no don't pray for me

pray for somebody else.

But you know what?

Paul knew

that God

often chooses

to work

through the prayers

of his people.

And so we should

ask others to pray

that God

would give us

the strength

to carry out

the responsibilities

he has set

before us.

All of us need that.

Need others to pray

that God would help us

to be faithful

in the mission

he's given

to each of us.

That we'd have

the courage

and wisdom

and power

and love

to fulfill

all responsibilities

before God.

Now Paul's

responsibility

was to preach

the gospel

and to go

to new places

and begin churches.

As he says

in verse 3

to declare

the mystery

of Christ.

Now the mystery

of Christ

is simply

the gospel

of Christ.

Romans 16

25

Paul describes

the gospel

as the mystery

that was kept

secret for long

ages

but has now

been disclosed

to all nations.

And in Colossians 2

Colossians 2:2

verse 2

Paul says

God's mystery

is Christ

in whom are hidden

all the treasures

of wisdom

and knowledge.

So when Paul talks

about the mystery

of Christ

he's simply referring

to it as something

that had been hidden

in the past

in the Old Testament

before Jesus came

and now

the curtain

has been opened.

In Jesus coming

to earth

in his life

in his death

in his resurrection

in his ascension

to glory

the heavenly curtain

has been drawn back

and now the whole world

can see God's plan.

God's plan

to reconcile

sinful people

to himself

by his grace

and God's plan

to renew

all of his creation

for his glory.

Now Paul's role

and every Christian

preacher's role

is simply

to make

that gospel

known

to make it clear

to preach it

true

truly

as it is

and not

to mix it up

with other things.

One writer said

the gospel

is a summons

to faith

and obedience.

It is an offer

of reconciliation

and peace

with God.

It is a warning

of judgment

to those who

continue in sin

and it is a gift

of hope

in a world

that is brutal

cold

and dark.

So we should pray

that missionaries

and preachers

and evangelists

throughout the world

would make the gospel

clear

in all these ways

as a summons

as an offer

as a warning

and as a gift

of hope.

We should pray

that through

as the gospels

preach

that people

would see Jesus

in his glory

and be drawn

to him

across all the barriers

across cultural barriers

across language barriers

across intellectual barriers

above the noise

of all the distractions

that clutter

our modern world.

We should pray

particularly

for believers

who are suffering

like Paul was.

Paul mentions here

he's in prison

or at least

literally that means bound.

He was probably

under house arrest

on account of the gospel.

Now at some times

Paul did ask

other Christians

to pray for his release.

Philippians 1.19

Paul encourages

the Philippian Christians

to continue praying

for his deliverance.

But here

in Colossians

Paul's prayer

is not

that God

would open the door

so that I can go free

ASAP.

No,

Paul's primary concern

is that God

would open a door

for his word.

And Paul knows

that even if he's

sitting there

under house arrest

chained to a guard

that they're still

letting him have visitors.

And so the gospel

and they're still

letting him write letters.

And so the gospel's

going forward

even through

his imprisonment.

That's actually

the last word

of the book of Acts.

The last sentence

of the book of Acts

says Paul was

under house arrest

and it says

he proclaimed

the kingdom of God

and taught about

the Lord Jesus Christ

boldly

and unhindered.

The word of

even though Paul

was confined

the word of God

was going forth

and Paul

could rejoice

in that.

And Paul was released

from that imprisonment

we think.

The New Testament

doesn't give us

the chronology of that

but as we put

some things together

it seems most likely

that Paul was released

from that particular

imprisonment.

He was able to go

and travel

and preach the gospel

in other places

again.

But regardless

we should pray

for Christians

who like Paul

are persecuted.

Who are

pray for the persecuted

church around the world

that they would be relieved

and comforted

and released

but also pray

that they would be

emboldened

and empowered

and encouraged

like Paul.

Now there's lots

of opportunities

that we have

right here at Trinity

to be reminded

to pray for the church

around the world.

If you just go

downstairs

in the fellowship hall

there's a bulletin

board on the wall.

It's just been

nicely redone.

It's called

Trinity Around the World

and you can see

some of the ministries

that we support

and pray for

throughout the world.

In the month

of December

we'll be highlighting

some of our global

ministry partners

in the bulletin

each week

so you can take

your bulletin

home with you

and pray for them.

We'll also be continuing

our adult Sunday school.

Next week we're not

having Sunday school

just the morning service

at 10

but again

once December comes

we have three more

weeks of our

global missions

Sunday school class

at 9 o'clock.

You can join

the prayer email list

email Michelle

call the office

so you can receive

email updates

from the ministry

partners we support

as a church.

There's all kinds

of ways.

We'll be having

some people visit

Joseph and Michelle

coming we'll be

visiting in a few

weeks in December

to share about

their ministry.

So let me just

encourage you

to take advantage

of these opportunities

to be reminded

to pray

for the church

around the world

and to remember

that what God

is doing is much

bigger than what's

going on in our

individual lives

or even in this

local church

but to pray

as Paul encouraged

the Colossians

to pray

for the work

of God

throughout the world.

We've tried

to start doing

this with our

kids

with one or two

of the families

that they have

met who have

been part of

this church

who are now

serving in other

parts of the world

and so we try

to pray for

those missionaries

maybe once a week

or at least

every so often

when we pray

together at night

to pray specifically

for them

and our kids

pray for them.

So let's find

ways to be

doing that

and remembering

that together.

So that's

Paul's first

command

be devoted

in prayer

for the church

around the world

but Paul's second

command

in verse 5

and 6

is not only

be devoted

in prayer

for the church

in other parts

of the world

but also be

deliberate

in witness

to your neighbors

next door.

Verse 6

this is the walk

and talk

part.

You see

the gospel

the point is

that the gospel

of Jesus

does not only

go forth

through missionaries

and preachers

and traveling evangelists

like Paul.

The gospel

goes forth

through the walk

and talk

of ordinary

followers of Jesus.

In verses 2

to 4

prayer supports

the church's mission

of proclaiming

the gospel abroad

and verses 5

and 6

wise living

supports the church's

mission of spreading

the gospel

at home.

So let's

look at verse 5

about our walk

and then we'll get

to verse 6

about our talk.

Verse 5

walk in wisdom

toward outsiders

making the best

use of the time.

Now when Paul

talks about our walk

he's talking about

our pattern of life

our attitude

our behavior

and notice

that when Paul

gives instructions here

about sharing

our faith

with people

outside the church

he begins

with our walk.

Bonhoeffer said

the church

must not

underestimate

the importance

of human example.

It is not

abstract argument

but example

that gives

its word

emphasis

and power.

I mean think

about it this way.

What was Jesus'

primary goal

in coming to earth?

Well most of us

would say something like

to die on the cross

for our sins.

That's certainly

very central

to why Jesus came.

But if Jesus'

primary goal

in coming to earth

was to offer

his life

as a sacrifice

for us

why did he spend

33 years

obeying his parents

working as a carpenter

teaching the crowds

healing the sick

casting out demons

instructing his disciples

praying to his father?

Well one reason is

because Jesus'

life and example

matters.

We see

from the way

Jesus lived

that he is

uniquely qualified

to be our savior.

We see

that he's

utterly wise

and fully trustworthy.

We see

that he's

a merciful

and faithful

high priest

who has been

tempted in every way

just as we are

yet without sin

so we can approach

him with confidence.

You see

Jesus'

walk matters

and our walk

matters too.

Someone said

we are the only

Bible

that some people

will ever read.

what does it

mean to walk

in wisdom?

Well John

Piper described

wisdom as

knowing what to

do for the

glory of God

when the rule

book runs out.

Knowing how to

become all things

to all people

without compromising

holiness and truth.

Creativity

and tact

and thoughtfulness.

It's a good

picture of

biblical wisdom.

It's not just

following the

rules

but it's

seeking to

live out the

mission that

God has given

us.

Seeking to

live out

the

live according

to the character

that God is

developing in

us.

And Piper

went on to

say there are

four sources

of wisdom.

Four ways we

can grow

in wisdom.

First,

meditating on

scripture.

Psalm 19

7 says the

testimony of

the Lord is

sure,

making wise

the simple.

That word

simple means

those who

are naive.

And the

word of God

can help us

grow and

become wise.

Especially as

we meditate on

it.

Not just read

it quickly and

forget about

it but chew

on it.

Maybe that

means write

a verse

down and

repeat it and

read the same

verse for a

week so that

it gets into

us.

Prayer.

James 1 5,

if any of you

lacks wisdom,

let him ask

God.

Prayer is a

source of

wisdom.

Listening to

wise counselors,

Proverbs 19 20,

listen to advice

and accept

instruction and

at the end

you'll be

counted among

the wise.

Fourth,

constant

practice.

Hebrews 5 14

says that

mature Christians

have trained

themselves to

distinguish good

from evil by

constant use

of God's

word.

That is by

obeying biblical

commands and

applying biblical

principles day

by day just

like an athlete

trains for the

game by

constantly daily

practicing the

principles that

they've learned

from their

coach.

church.

So meditating

on scripture,

praying,

listening to

wise counselors

and seeking

out wise

counsel and

constant practice,

those are ways

that we can

grow in

wisdom.

And Paul

says walk

in wisdom.

All right,

the question

is does your

walk increasingly

reflect the

wisdom of God

in your

interactions with

people outside

the church?

can people who

are not

Christians look

at your life

and see not

perfection and

not someone

pretending that

they have it

all together

when they

don't?

Because none

of us will be

perfect and so

we shouldn't try

to pretend that

we are.

But can people

see sincerity

and can they

see growth over

time?

That's what Paul

is challenging

us to.

To walk and

to be growing

in wisdom.

He also says

making the best

use of the

time.

Think about

how do you

use your

time.

The best

use of our

time requires

intentionality.

Not just going

with the flow,

not just doing

whatever you feel

like doing in

the moment.

Now that doesn't

mean you have to

be type A and

have every hour

of your life

scheduled three

weeks in advance

and never be

spontaneous.

Right?

Type A people

have our own

problems.

We know that.

Even Jesus

accepted interruptions

from people.

It's a good

example for us

to follow.

But it does

mean that the

time we have

on earth is

short and we

ought to use it

well in light

of eternity.

You see,

the way we

use our time

is ultimately

a reflection of

our priorities.

priorities.

And the Bible

says that our

priorities ought

to be shaped

by eternal

realities.

You know,

Paul wrote this

letter to the

church in Colossae

and just a few

months or at

most a few

years after they

would have

received this

letter, the

entire city was

decimated by an

earthquake.

The time was

short and they

probably had no

idea how short

it was.

Here's a

question for us.

If your life

were unexpectedly

cut short

tomorrow, would

you have regrets

about how you

were using your

time today?

Are there

things that God

has commanded you

to do that you

are procrastinating

on or delaying?

Are there words

of comfort,

repentance,

forgiveness,

that you need

to speak to

someone else

and not keep

delaying?

Paul says,

make the best

use of the time

because the time

is short and we

will never know

how short it

might be.

But if verse

five focuses on

our walk,

verse six

focuses on

our talk.

Now, there's

a quotation

that is frequently

repeated and

it's almost

always attributed

to St. Francis

of Assisi that

says, preach

the gospel always

when necessary

use words.

There are at

least two

problems with

this quotation.

First, St.

Francis never

said it.

Okay?

Don't say

that somebody

said something

when they

didn't because

you wouldn't

want someone

saying that

about you

after you

die.

In fact,

St. Francis

preached a lot,

sometimes up

to five times

in a day,

so he didn't

even live

according to

this principle.

Second,

in order to

proclaim the

gospel of

Jesus,

words are

necessary

in some

form or

other,

whether it's

written down

or whether

it's spoken.

Now,

Paul,

a better

quotation is

this,

a godly

walk must

be accompanied

by godly

talk.

They have

to go

together.

That's why

Paul is

talking about

our walk

in verse

five,

and in

some ways

that's

foundational,

but talk

in verse

six needs

to go

along with

it.

Now,

Paul is

not saying

that all

of us

must stand

up in

front of

groups of

people and

give

speeches.

No,

but what

he does

say here

is that

our talk

matters.

Our

conversations

matter.

Let your

speech

always be

gracious,

seasoned

with salt,

so that

you may

know

how to

answer

each one.

Now,

Paul's

assumption

here is

that Christians

will regularly

be in

conversation

with people

who do

not identify

as believers

in Christ.

Right?

Earlier in

Colossians,

Paul warned

the Colossians.

He said,

don't be

led

astray

by deceptive

philosophies.

But here

we see

very clearly

that Paul's

warning not

to be led

astray

by false

teachers

does not

mean that

Christians

should

disengage

and withdraw

from all

of our

relationships

with people

who don't

identify

as Christians.

No.

We should

be engaged

in ongoing

relationship

and conversation.

That's a

basic assumption.

Paul doesn't

even need

to say it.

It's the

assumption

behind what

he's saying.

And in

fact,

Paul's

instructions

about how

we should

speak to

one another

inside the

church in

chapter 3

are quite

similar to

his instructions

here about

how to speak

with people

outside the

church.

So,

if you look

at chapter 3

verse 12,

Paul says,

put on

kindness,

humility,

meekness,

and patience.

And then here

in chapter 4

verse 6,

he says,

let your speech

always be

gracious.

Chapter 3

verse 16,

again,

within the

church,

we should be

teaching and

admonishing one

another.

And that

corresponds in

chapter 4

verse 6,

let your speech

be seasoned

with salt.

Right?

So,

there's a

parallel.

Right?

There shouldn't

be a huge

difference between

how we speak to

one another

inside the

church and how

we conversate

with people

outside the

church.

We shouldn't

only ever talk

about anything

spiritual with

only other

Christians and

never even

mention to

anyone else

that we

even go

to church.

No,

there should

be a

wholeness to

our life.

Right?

Christians are

not supposed to

be schizophrenic

and sort of

multiple personalities

in multiple

places.

No.

No.

Our life is

supposed to be

integrated and

whole and

truthful wherever

we are.

And we

shouldn't be

putting on a

show in front

of other

Christians when

we're not

living honestly

in the world.

Right?

There needs to

be a unity

here.

The only

difference I

can find is

Paul does

not say that

we should

sing psalms,

hymns, and

spiritual songs

to our

non-believing

neighbors.

Okay?

Probably in

most contexts

that would be

weird to go

up to your

non-Christian

neighbor and

start singing

one of the

songs that we

sang this

morning.

They'd

probably think

you're a

little odd.

And Paul's

saying, no,

you don't

need to be

odd.

You don't

need to be

deliberately

weird.

But here in

verse 6, what

we do see is

a picture of

how ordinary

non-weird

conversations can

unfold in a

way that leads

to opportunities

to share about

Christ.

Let your

speech always

be gracious.

What does

that word

mean?

It means

overflowing

with God's

grace.

Attractive,

gentle,

kind,

not harsh,

not overbearing.

Gracious

talk as

well as

gracious

listening,

because James

says we

should be

quick to

listen and

not just

to speak.

Gracious

talk as

well as

gracious

listening is

a testimony

to the

grace and

kindness that

we have

received from

God.

Someone said

people don't

care how much

you know until

they know that

you care.

So let your

speech always be

gracious.

But second,

our talk is

to be seasoned

with salt.

Now,

what does that

mean?

Well,

think about the

difference that

salt makes.

It adds flavor

to a meal.

It stimulates

appetite.

It makes you

want more.

In the ancient

world, salt was

also a preservative,

even today,

right?

If you have

sausages,

right?

They're probably

preserved with

salt and some

other things that

prevent the meat

from spoiling.

So Paul's

saying our

talk shouldn't

just be sweet

and inoffensive,

never challenging

the status quo,

never confronting

anyone, never

taking any risks.

No, our

talk also needs

to be salty.

It needs to be

sweet and gracious,

but it also needs

to be salty and

provocative.

You know,

invite someone to

come to the

Christmas carol

service with you.

Really?

What do you have

to lose?

They might even

say yes.

Look for

connections between

biblical truths

and ordinary

conversations.

And point them

out sometimes.

Learn to ask

thought-provoking

questions like

Jesus did.

Look at all the

questions.

Read through one

of the Gospels

and look at all

the questions

Jesus asks.

He asks people

a lot of

thought-provoking

questions.

And we can ask

questions like,

what are the

things you value

most in life?

Sincere questions

that help us

get to know

someone else

and get to

know what are

some of their

core concerns?

What's your

spiritual background?

Or maybe even

who do you think

Jesus was?

Or where are

you with God

in relationship

to God

if someone

is there?

Or even

this question.

If you were

to die tonight

and stand

before God

and God were

to say,

why should I

let you into

heaven?

How would

you respond?

God?

Now,

that's probably

not the most

helpful question

to ask an

atheist,

right?

Because they

would say,

well,

I don't believe

in God

at all.

But if someone

comes from a

nominally Christian

background,

that's actually a

really helpful

question to ask

because it's

really asking,

what are you

depending on

for your

salvation

and for being

right with

God?

those are

just some

examples.

But think

of your

own,

right?

What questions

can you ask

people that

will offer

an opportunity

for the

conversation to

go deeper?

But you know,

the only way

that our talk

will really

be both

gracious and

seasoned with

salt is if

we are resting