Talk is Cheap

Welcome to this week's message from the church at Chelsea Westover.

Our core values are vibrant worship, intimate fellowship, fulfilling service, and clear biblical truth.

We pray that this message changes your life.

Let's tune in to today's message and see what God has in store for you.

Colossians chapter 4, and we're going to be finishing up the last paragraph in the book of Colossians.

Colossians 4 · chapter mention

If you do not have a worship guide, raise your hand.

We've got the outline on the back.

Many of you have told me how much you have enjoyed it.

And I know I've enjoyed it.

And I've been really praying hard on where God wants us to go.

Because what I do usually in July when we take the two, two and a half, by the way, you'll be in good hands.

Stephen's going to be preaching and Sylvester's going to be preaching.

Let's give them a hand already.

Both of them can, both of them can really, unbelievably just preach the book.

There, Toya.

You did make it, girl.

All right.

And Stacy, all right.

Now, Stacy, is that your husband?

All right.

Good to see you.

Hey, make sure we get them some cups right here.

Daniel.

Those are my neighbors.

All right.

I met them on the park the other night, and Stacy came to uh vacation Bible school with her your son, isn't it?

Yeah, and uh each night, and then uh I didn't realize Toya.

I'd already invited her about six months or seven months ago when they first moved into town.

Hey, y'all gotta realize when I'm when I'm walking or riding my bicycle, when I see somebody pull in, you know what I do?

I pull in.

Hey, I'm your neighbor, but I'm also the pastor at CCW.

If you don't have a church, come visit us.

We'd love for you to come visit with us.

And uh I just uh, you know, it's in my DNA.

I can't help it.

And uh, but they hear, y'all told me you're coming.

You know, in the deep south, you know what our problem is when we're talking about talk is cheap?

People will tell you they're coming to church.

They have no intention to come to church than a man in the moon.

But they don't want to be rude in the south.

Now, if you're in the north, they say, get out of my face.

I ain't coming to your church.

You know, but uh but not down here.

So uh, but welcome, guys.

God bless you.

It's good to have you.

And again, make sure you get our gift that we have for you, and you're invited to eat lunch with us, too.

What do we have?

Where'd my wife go?

Barbecue.

Woo! Barbecue.

All right.

I'm telling you what, folks, listen, we have the best restaurant on Sunday in Westover.

We do.

The best.

You say, why?

We're the only one.

Ha ha, amen.

But but we are the best.

We really are.

So, and we get you in and out quick.

I tell you what, we we are we're brother in Morrison's cafeteria.

I tell you.

We can get you through just like that.

I'm telling you.

So, again, welcome.

Next, when I get back, these next few weeks, I'm gonna be studying on.

I am so excited about this fall.

I am so excited to see what God's gonna do as we really begin to develop our property and get people on that property.

It's gonna be so exciting.

It really is.

And my the purpose, our whole purpose, loving God, loving people, is to bring people to Christ.

Can I get an amen, church?

That's the whole purpose, everything we do, every meeting we have here.

When I meet with the church counselor, every meeting I open up in prayer and I say every decision that we make will either hinder people coming to Christ or it will what?

Help people to come to Christ.

That is everything we do.

You say you have an ulterior motive.

Absolutely.

We have a purpose, and that are that is to see people come to Christ.

By the way, seven kids got saved in vacation Bible school.

Let's give God a hand.

Amen.

Almost every week people get saved here.

And uh, it's just amazing to see how God has been working.

But I'm so excited.

So, my heartbeat, my heartbeat is this.

How can we at CCW influence our community?

How can we influence our community?

How can what?

Real Christianity influence our community.

So that's gonna be our series starting in the fall so that we can understand who we are and the purpose of what we want to do here with all the fills and the uh basketball, the volleyball, everything.

I mean, we're gonna have prayer gardens.

It's gonna be one of the most beautiful places for people to come in our community to sense the presence of an awesome real God.

Can I get an amen?

And you know what's gonna be exciting?

All of us will be out there walking on the trails down there, and we'll just be engaging, engaging the people that come on this campus.

Uh it's not gonna be a secluded membership uh club.

Amen.

It's gonna be for the community.

And uh, it's gonna be exciting.

It really is as we engage.

So, how Christianity can influence our community is gonna be our fall series.

It's gonna be great.

I promise you.

I promise you.

Colossians chapter 4, verse 2.

Colossians 4:2

As Paul's ending up, his exhortation to the church at Colossae, a church that he had never visited before.

But his friend, Epaphoros, had started the church, and now he's getting ready, and Epaphoros had visited him in Rome while he was in jail, and he was telling him about all some of the problems that were about to creep in and trying to creep in.

And so Paul writes this fantastic, fantastic living the risen life.

I'm telling you, that's what the whole book of Colossian is.

Living the risen Christian life.

And so now as he gets ready to kind of end his exhortation about the doctrine that are the actually, he starts in chapters one and two, and he talks about our position in Christ.

And then in chapters three and four, he talks about us living out the practicality of that position in our real life.

And so he's ending that section up, and then you remember I started this whole book with the last chapter of all those eight or nine friends that had helped Paul over all the years of his ministry to start churches and to fulfill what Paul felt like God had called him to do, even when he was in jail.

So he goes and lists all those folks that are important.

And let me end this uh section again by saying, listen to me, there's 20, well, actually, there's about 30.

I counted it up as I begin this series.

There's about 30 to 35 people that are here early every Sunday morning, getting everything ready.

Now, I know we got a lot of people gone today, and they're all on vacation and all, but I'm telling you, this is packed out with the band and all.

But they're all here early, warming up, practicing, cooking, setting up.

Let's just give all those, hey, all those, we call them the nobodies, nobody sees a hand.

But they're not nobodies, they're somebodies, because without those somebodies, we would not have what God has every Sunday morning.

All the cooks in the kitchen, and I couldn't, I'm not gonna start naming or leave out somebody, but all of you, all the ones that, and we, by the way, we always need help.

The people that wash dishes.

In fact, Russell, where's Russell?

Wave at me, Russell.

There's Russell.

Russell, probably one of the best dishwashers I ever seen.

I tell you what, son, he can clean them.

But uh anyway, you know, thank y'all.

Thank you.

The nursery workers.

Oh, you know what my my little grandson said this morning.

We were sitting there talking.

He said, Poppy, he's five years old.

Everybody in my neighborhood already knows Braden.

Everybody walks by and says, Hey, what's your name?

I'm Braden Fowler.

He's either gonna be the president or a preacher.

Well, I hope he's a preacher.

But he's a politician too.

But uh, but he's sitting there this morning.

I'm sitting there drinking my coffee and praying and reading over my.

He says, Puppy, I just want you to know something.

I said, What do you want me to know, brother?

He said, I like your church better than my church.

I said, I didn't go there.

I don't do that.

And I didn't say even why.

He said, You know why, Bobby?

I said, Well, brother.

He said, Y'all play games.

I said, What do you mean we play games?

Well, we do the Bible story.

I like the Bible story, but then we we have games and stuff that kind of relate.

He said, Is it just fun to come to your church?

Now, folks, that's the way it ought to be.

Amen.

But guess what?

It ought to be fun for adults to come to church.

Amen.

It ought to be fun.

So, again, thank God for all the workers, all the set uppers, the takedowners, everybody that helps.

Just thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

And that's what Paul was saying at the end of this chapter.

But now he really draws the net and he says, here's the most important thing that you and I can do practically, living practically what we have positionally.

In other words, our relationship with Christ should make a difference in the way that we live.

Can I get an amen?

Especially the way we talk.

The way we talk.

And so he picks up and he says in verse 2 He said, continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving.

Withal praying also for us that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak.

That the mysteries of Christ for which I am also in bonds.

In other words, I'm in jail because of the mystery of Christ.

He said, I've been locked up for preaching the good news.

That's what he said.

I'm in jail because of that.

And verse 4, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak.

In other words, he said, I may be in jail, but that didn't shut me up.

I may be in jail, but I'm still preaching.

And I'm using my friends, but I'm also, how would you like to have been chained to the apostle Paul?

Two years in Rome, he had 24-7.

They would swap out three or four guards every day.

They were chained to Paul.

Good grief.

I guarantee you'd be saved by the end of the week.

Guaranteed.

And then he was in Caesar's palace.

He was able to get into Caesar's palace and lead some of the servants to the Lord.

And he could have not gotten there any other way if he had not been put in jail.

So there he is.

And he says, Hey man, I'm still preaching.

I'm making manifest, I'm preaching the mysteries of Christ.

And I'll tell you what that is in a little bit.

And then verse 5, he says, walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

And then look at verse 6.

Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Uh-oh, that ye may know you can be assured of how you are to talk.

Can I get an amen?

What's wrong in America today, the Christian church has been silent.

We have kept our mouth shut on homosexuality and on same-sex marriages, abortion.

We have so been so politically correct, we have failed to do the mandate that God's called us to do, and that's to make manifest the mysteries of Christ, which basically is the gospel.

God help us.

Amen.

And we're going to look at that.

And that's what he said.

And then verse 7 he said, All my states shall Tichus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother and a faithful minister and a fellow servant in the Lord, whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose that he might know your state and comfort your heart.

Never underestimate the power of speech.

Never underestimate it.

A judge can say a few words.

And guess what?

With those few words, you are either released or you're condemned.

Just in a few words.

What about when you go to a doctor?

You've had tests.

The doctor can say, by the way, your tests were negative, there's nothing, there's no cancer, there's no problems, and you are ecstatic with joy.

Or he can say, I found cancer, or I found some problems.

And next thing you know, there's great despair.

There's joy or despair in words.

Joy or despair in words.

And is it is it memoir?

Is that the right word?

Hitler's memoir.

They figured it out, and they here's what they said.

Out of all the words in his memoir, a hundred and twenty-five people died for every word.

Did you hear me?

We know millions of Jews were killed.

For every word, 125 people died.

God help us.

God help us.

The power of speech is a gift from God.

It must be used the way God ordained it.

In the book of James.

Don't you love the book of James?

That'll probably be my next book I preach through.

The book of James.

It talks about the tongue.

And it, you know what it does?

It's compared to a bridle and a rudder.

That's one set of analogies.

Then it's secondly, it's compared to fire and a poison animal.

That's the second set of words.

And then thirdly, it's compared to a fruitful tree and a fountain.

In other words, what we see that the three pairs of pictures in James teaches us that the tongue has the power to direct, to destroy, or to delight.

Amen?

Direct, destroy, or delight.

So which does our tongue do?

Which does our tongue do?

It's very important.

The tongue is but a little member in our bodies, but it can accomplish great things, either good or evil.

Proverbs 18.21, listen to what it says.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Uh-oh.

See, sometimes you don't think that there's going to be any repercussion from what you're saying.

According to what Proverbs 18, 21 says, that you have the possibility, you have the power to bring death or life with your tongue.

Hello.

Death or life with your tongue.

But now watch this.

But he also goes on and said, if you bring death, death's coming to you.

Hello.

If you bring life, then life is coming back to you.

You are the recipient of what you give out.

Be not deceived.

God is not mocked.

For whatsoever man soweth, that shall he reap.

Galatians 6, 7.

So you can gossip, hey, you can be the most critical person.

You can cut the church down.

You can cut the pastor down.

You can cut this down, you can cut that down.

But I'm telling you, you're going to reap it yourself.

Have you ever noticed the most critical people, the most gossipers, or the most unhappy people you've ever been around?

There's no joy.

How can you be joy when poison's coming out of your mouth?

Amen?

O me?

So we see how important it is.

So, in this brief section, in these brief few verses, Paul points to four important ministries of speech that we as Christians must have.

Number one.

Ministry number one.

Look at what he says in verses two and three again.

Praying.

We've got to be praying.

Continue in prayer and watching the same with Thanksgiving.

Prayer and worship are perhaps the highest use of the gift of our tongue.

Praying and worshiping.

Those are the two greatest, greatest avenues for us to use our tongue.

To praise him and to praise to him and pray to him.

Can I get an amen?

Praise him and pray.

Praise him and pray.

How to cut out the critical spirit.

Praise him.

Say this with me, church.

Praise him and pray.

Praise him and pray.

And that's what we know God's word says tremendously.

In fact, notice what Paul, Paul was not ashamed to ask his friends to pray for him.

Even though he was an apostle, he needed prayer support for himself and his ministry.

If a great Christian like Paul felt the need for people to pray for him, who are we?

I was thinking about Deedra, and we'll be talking about that.

Good to have Miss Deedra Bahn, our missions coordinator, back.

Let's give her.

Thank you.

Amen.

She came back.

Hey, the lions, the tigers, and the bears.

I don't know if there's any bears there.

The lions and tigers and elephants and crocodiles.

She saw this right there where she.

She literally camped out in the bush.

Yeah.

And she sent me a I was following her, and there was one the first night I I didn't get a.

Did you show the picture?

I didn't see the, but I saw this the one that you said was the Hilton.

I said, Well, I'm glad I didn't see the first one.

But but I mean, there was a lion and tigers came up right there, elephant in the back door.

I mean, yeah.

But thank God that that, you know, Deedra, you know, she knew she was safe, but it's good to have her back, and she was in Zambia, and she will be giving her report last Sunday in this month.

I'll be back, you'll be back, and we I can't wait to see it.

It's gonna be gonna be awesome, and she's going again.

We're fixing to leave Thursday for Brazil.

Thursday for Brazil.

Do you realize how much your church is involved in hands-on missions?

Let's give God a hand for CCW.

You are in one of the greatest mission churches.

I I would say in our whole Shelby Baptist Association, we're doing as much missions if anyone, if not more.

Not that we're in competition, but I guess we are.

But but but uh we're just going after it.

We're not in competition.

We wish we will invite them to go with us.

Let's go.

Let's go.

So it's it really is exciting.

And that's why you get her agenda and we pray specifically.

And you see how important that is.

What's wrong in the church today, we pray we pray too generally instead of specifically.

And that's why, hey, we don't see a whole lot of things happening.

Hey, listen, God wants you to pray specifically.

God wants you to be, hey, hey, have your prayer list, check it off as God answers it.

Instead of say, well, God, I guess you know what I need.

Answer it.

Well, you ain't gonna get nothing.

I use those double negatives on purpose.

My wife went, uh, he didn't say that, did he?

But really, you're not gonna get anything.

Is that better, honey?

You gotta pray specifically.

And that's what he's talking about here.

And watch what he says in a few words.

How do we pray?

Here it is.

Paul describes the characteristics of a satisfying and spirit life, hey, and spiritual prayer life.

Here is a satisfying and spiritual prayer life.

Man, this is good.

Number one, he says, continue.

Look at verse 2.

Continue in prayer.

In other words, faithful praying.

Faithful praying.

In fact, I love what he says here.

This means to be steadfast in your prayer life, be devoted, don't quit, don't give up praying.

This is the way the early church prayed in Acts chapter 1, verse 14, in Acts chapter 2, verse 46.

Acts 1:14 Acts 2:46

They prayed, look at what it says.

They, hey, these, the New Testament church, all continued with one accord in prayer and supplications with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and when this brethren, they all were praying constantly.

And then look at the beginning of the church in Acts 2.46.

And they continued daily with one accord in the temple, in the church, breaking bread.

Ha! You wonder why we eat every Sunday?

There it is.

Breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.

In fact, they came, they were taught the word of God, they prayed, and then they ate.

That's biblical.

Amen.

Amen.

It's in the book.

So somebody asked me the other day, said, Well, how long y'all gonna do that?

I said, till Jesus comes.

Yeah, why not?

Don't you love it?

Don't you enjoy sitting down and fellowship?

And hopefully, and I see you, you you sit down with different people uh each time or and try to get to know each other.

I I don't even eat because I've already eaten.

No, I'm I'm the tester.

I go back, you know, you gotta make sure I don't want y'all to get sick, so I go test everything.

But no.

But but I just love touching everybody and going around talking to you and praying with you and and and just the fellowship.

That's they get to know each other, and you'll see why.

That's we can encourage each other with our words.

And and I really believe that that the steadfastness in prayer is so key.

Too many of us pray only occasionally.

You know when we usually pray when we feel like it, we'll pray.

You know when we usually pray when we want something?

And then when we really pray, it's when we're in a crisis.

Hello?

Amen.

O me.

But that's not what Paul's talking about.

He's saying you've got to be continually praying.

It's kind of like breathing.

Now I'm not going, I'm not saying you go around and say, and you're walking through the mall saying, Lord Jesus help me, and everybody's just looking at you like you're weirdo.

That's not what I'm talking about.

What I am talking about is that you have an intimate fellowship and you're talking to him subconsciously.

You're just loving on him, and he's loving you back.

And uh, and by the way, every once in a while it doesn't hurt to ask him, Lord, would you be pleased if I bought this?

Ooh, I don't like that part, preacher.

Hello?

Just a thought.

But we see how they are to continually pray.

Listen, uh, God's command is 1 Thessalonians 5.17.

What's this?

He says, and what a powerful verse he says, rejoice evermore, pray without watch.

You know what?

Pray without ceasing.

In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Now, this is not to suggest that God is reluctant to answer our prayers either.

Okay?

Now, how many of you, if God doesn't answer your prayer within a few minutes, you get a little upset?

Well, you, I know what you're saying.

Oh, no.

But if he doesn't answer it within a day, you get upset.

You know, I'm very patient, Lord, as long as he answered it within 48 hours, I'm okay.

Amen?

I'm okay.

But let me just say, sometimes his delays are not denies.

Amen.

Let me repeat that.

His delays are not denies.

If you remember and you look at Shadrach, Meshach, and Nebedigo, and you look at Daniel in the lion's den, they prayed.

But guess what?

They didn't pray for deliverance.

They prayed for God's will to be done.

Hello.

That's pretty good.

Paul didn't pray to be released from the jail.

Paul didn't pray for God to open the jail doors.

Paul prayed that God would open the doors for the gospel to be preached.

Woo! What a difference in praying.

How many of us would have prayed, oh Lord, hey, do like you did in the book of Acts.

Send your angels and hey, what?

Break open the jail doors and get me out of here.

How many of us would have prayed that?

The rest of you lying.

That's okay.

It's not okay you're lying.

But no, is that not true?

Or we'd have been praying, not expecting God to do it.

They did that in Acts chapter 12.

Acts 12 · chapter mention

They'd be praying for Peter to be released out of jail.

The angels break Peter out.

He comes and knocks on the door.

Little girl goes to the door.

She doesn't even open the door.

She went, ah, she runs back to the prayer group and says, Peter's here, they said, nah.

I mean, they've been praying for him to get released.

He's knocking on the door and they won't even let him in.

Sounded like a bunch of Baptists I know.

Amen.

We're praying, not expecting God to do anything.

You gotta pray, expecting God to answer your prayers.

And God's delays are not always God's denials.

So, secondly, our praying all must, look, verse 2, be watchful.

It must be continuous.

It must be, hey, it must be faithful, but it must be watchful.

Oh boy, I like that word.

It means to be alert and awake.

Watch and pray means to be alert and awake.

The first place we really see this exercise is in Nehemiah chapter 4.

Nehemiah 4 · chapter mention

Listen to what it says.

Nevertheless, we made our prayer unto our God and set a watch against them, the enemy, day and night.

Hey, ladies and gentlemen, can I say something?

We are in a battle.

What has happened?

We in America have not been watchful.

Come on.

We have been asleep on the job.

We've not been alert, we've not been watchful.

We have set back and we've allowed Satan to take prayer out of school, take the Bible out of school, hey, hey, destroy the foundation of a biblical marriage.

We have set back.

And you say, why do you say that?

Because 2 Chronicles 7.14 says, if my people, that's the church, who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways.

I then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sins and heal their land.

Yes.

2 Chronicles 7.14 says that.

We've been asleep at the will.

God help us.

I hope this Supreme Court ruling last week was a slap in the face for us to get on our knees.

That's why we have a prayer room right in here.

We've developed a prayer room for us to start praying.

For us to start praying.

It'd be great.

At open door.

You know, right here, you just go through like you're going to the bathroom, go right into the prayer room.

Just go in there and pray during the service for a few minutes, ten minutes, five minutes, and just pray it.

Ask God to open our eyes, open our ears, open our hearts to receive the word of God.

Why, Pastor Danny, you know what you can do to help me more than anything?

Go in there and just pray while I'm preaching a little bit and say, hey, anoint him, speak through him, give him clarity of speech, give him understanding.

Oh, let him preach with the power of God on his heart.

Hey, clear his thoughts, clear his heart, and let him preach with a double portion of the Holy Spirit of God.

I grew up with that kind of preaching.

Amen.

People say, Well, you get too loud and too excited.

Well, I can't help it.

I got the can't help it.

I can't help but speak what I've seen and heard.

Acts 4 20.

And that's what he's talking about here.

There's no power in dull, lifeless praying.

There's no power there.

There's no power there.

That's the Holy Spirit.

Let me show you this.

This is so good.

If there is no fire on the altar, the incense will not rise to God.

I want you to see that.

I saw this.

I said, Oh my soul.

There's our problem.

Look at Psalms 141, verse 2.

Psalms 141:2

Psalms 141, verse 2 talks about the right.

Psalms 141:2

Look at it.

Let my prayer be set forth before thee as an incense, and the lifting up my hands as the evening sacrifice.

In other words, we've got to lift up our prayers with passion, continually, specifically, with an urgency that gets God's attention.

Real praying demands spiritual energy and alertness.

Now this can come only from the Holy Spirit of God.

I call it this.

I was reading through all the research I was doing, putting this passage together.

And they said, routine praying is useless praying.

Woo! Woo! I kind of had to, I said, rewind that.

Let me think through that again.

And here, here's the exact words as a quote.

He said, routine, this is Ian Bounds, the one that wrote all the books on praying.

Routine prayers are unanswered prayers.

What is he saying?

There's no alertness, there's no what there's no energy, there's no power, there's no, there's no eagerness, there's no, God, you gotta move.

Hello?

When's the last time you got on your knees for your kids that are a wayward from God?

And you said, I'm not getting up, I'm not quitting, I'm not giving up, I'm not, hey, I'm not, I'm gonna knock on the door, God, I'm gonna knock and knock and knock and knock and knock, seeking you shall find, knocking, it shall be open.

Oh, I'm gonna keep it till you do something with my kid.

Now that's praying with passion.

That's praying with alertness.

That's praying with watchfulness.

And this is exactly what Paul is talking about.

Jesus said in Matthew 26, 40 and 41, he rebuked the disciples.

Now, this is the disciples, you know what he said?

Can you not watch and pray for one hour?

Whoa! He called them out and said, Help me, this is in his trying time.

And they went to sleep on him.

And he cometh unto his disciples and finding them asleep and saith unto Peter, What could you not watch with me one hour?

Wow.

So don't beat up on yourself too badly.

The disciples had the same problem.

Hello?

They weren't alert and watchful.

They were asleep.

He speaks to go to the cross and they're asleep.

You know why?

They didn't understand the cross.

They didn't understand it.

They didn't understand what was about to happen.

That's why.

They weren't watchful.

And then notice the third thing.

Colossians 2, 2, verse 2.

Thankful.

Watching the same with thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is as an important ingredient in successful prayer as anything you can do.

I love what Paul said in Colossians 4, 6 and 7.

He said, Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving.

Let your request be made known unto God, and the peace of God that passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

You want peace?

You want satisfaction?

Hey, you want that contentment?

You gotta be alert and watchful and pray with the power of God on your heart and your life.

That's it.

And it's hard.

It's a discipline, but it's so worth it.

We see that.

Paul's letters in this book, six different times in each chapter, he prayed and was thankful.

And then D, the last thing about praying, finally, our praying ought to be purposeful.

Look at what he said in verse 3.

Praying for you.

Praying for you.

Too often our prayers are vague in general.

Too often.

I like what James chapter 4, verses 1 through 3 say.

James 4:1–3

They talk about the lifeless praying.

It really does.

Do we have there we go?

From whence come wars and fightings among you.

Come they not hence, even, hey, of your lust that wareth in your members.

Verse 2.

And then your lust and hey, you lust and you have not to kill and you desire to have, cannot obtain.

You fight and war, yet, hey, ye have not because ye ask not.

It sounds like America proud of that, doesn't it?

And then look at verse 3.

And then ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lust.

In other words, you ask with the wrong motive.

You ask for selfish reasons instead of God's reason.

Paul did not ask to be delivered from prison.

He didn't ask God to open the door for him to walk out of prison.

He prayed that God would open the door for him to share the gospel.

Big difference.

Big difference in the prayer.

What an insight.

Notice the second thing this morning.

The second thing we're to be talking about.

Not only praying, but look at verse 3 and 4.

Wherewithal praying also for us.

We prayed specifically, prayed for, hey, he was praying for Ticius, he was praying for Epaphoras, he was praying for Onesimus, praying specifically to get the word of God out.

But then notice what else he was praying about.

That God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mysteries, the gospel, for which am also in bond.

And let me tell what the mystery of the gospel was.

The mystery of the gospel was Paul taking the gospel to the Gentiles.

They, hey, the Jews did not want the Gentiles to really have the gospel.

They really didn't.

Couldn't stand it.

They were, they, they, they just thought nobody could really have a relationship with Jehovah Jirah except them.

I mean, it was a battle.

In fact, Barnabas and Paul had to go before the church council and they had it out about this.

Why not?

Because even the Christian Jews, you know what?

Even though they said, okay, okay, we will accept the Gentiles, but they've got to go through all the ceremonial laws, they've got to be circumcised, they got to do this, they've got to do that, got to do all these other things.

So basically, what they were saying, if they'll be like a Jew, they can be saved and they can be a part of the church.

Hello?

We see churches all over this country.

You gotta do it their way.

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.

That's what a cult is, by the way.

Hello.

You ever thought about that?

You come in on their rules and their things and you do it their way.

That's a cult.

Why?

Because it's all about a man instead of about the Savior.

Amen.

It's easily to detect, hey, to detect a cult.

Hey, ask them, hey, ask them what two questions.

Two questions.

Very simple.

Who's Jesus?

Who do you think Jesus is?

Number two, what do you think about the Word of God?

That's all you gotta ask you.

There's two answers to tell you whether or not they're a real Christian or not.

He said it's that simple, it's that simple.

Now they'll go all the way around the block to try to tell you without telling you they don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

In other words, you believe in the deity of Christ.

Do you believe Jesus is God?

Well, he was a good teacher.

That's not what I ask you.

Do you believe Jesus is God?

Do you believe God is Jesus?

Okay, second word.

The Bible.

You believe the Bible's inerrant, infallible, without error, and God wrote it?

Well, it's a good book.

That's not what I ask you.

And then if they can't answer those two questions, you see, there's the door.

I love you, but you can leave.

Or do what I do.

I try to lead them to Christ.

But you gotta be pretty prepared in the Word of God if you're gonna take them on now.

Okay?

Because they'll have you so confused that it'll be bad.

So you gotta know what you're doing.

Now let me tell you how to do that.

Just don't ever let them talk.

Offense is always, hey, offense wins the ball game.

You can't score without the ball.

Hello.

So once you get the ball, you don't give it back to them.

You gone.

Let me tell you about Romans 3.

All have sin to come short of the glory to God.

For a way to sin is dead if you don't know Jesus.

You're going, boop, boop, boop, boop.

And they said, well, I said, wait a minute, I'll listen to you when I get through.

Guess what?

If I get through, they're gonna get saved, and then I don't have to listen to them.

Amen.

Then if they don't get saved, then I say, Well, God bless you.

Here's a bottle of water.

God bless you.

We don't agree.

And the first thing I have, one guy said, Well, you never listen to me.

I said, Oh, I'm sorry.

I said, I don't need to listen to you.

You've already answered my question.

You don't believe Jesus is God?

And you don't believe the Bible's the infallible word of God, written by God.

He said, Well, but we could still I said, No, we have nothing to talk about.

I gave you every scripture, gave you the Romans road.

Now let me ask you, do you accept the truth, the truth?

Sanctify them through thy word.

Thy word is true.

If you receive the truth, he said, Well, I don't believe that truth exactly the way you believe it.

I said, Thank you.

Here's the water, there's the door.

Oh, okay.

And walked out.

They were JWs, and then I found out, they put a mark on my hat.

Don't go back to this address.

I kind of enjoy.

See, I'm a little different.

I see them coming and I I I go out on the porch.

I do.

Why?

Because, as Paul said, open the door, give me a chance to share the truth.

Just don't let them talk.

You do the talking.

Hello.

That's one time it's okay to be rude.

Just don't let them talk.

I didn't say that.

All right.

But now notice what he says.

We've got to make it known.

Paul was a, hey, was in prison because of the mysteries of Christ.

Isn't it amazing?

Let me ask something.

How many of us would pray to God to continue to allow us to preach the good news to the Gentiles, knowing that that's what put me in prison?

He didn't say, Lord, let me camouflage it, let me do something else.

He prayed that God would open more doors for him to keep preaching to the Gentiles.

And that's what put him in prison.

You couldn't shut him up.

Can I get an amen?

Some of us, hey, you know what?

The whole Southern Baptist Convention that we're part of, the Dr.

Lance, when he read his speech and put it on a two and a half-minute video, he said, we're really going to see now the pastors that really preach the whole counsel of God.

God help us.

And he will.

He will.

He'll be right there with us.

Amen?

That's awesome.

So, proclaiming the word of God.

Now, watch this.

You can't, hey, hey, we need to pray this fall and now that God, as Paul prayed in 1 Corinthians 6, 19, he prayed for the doors to be opened.

Wherever you work, let me tell you what I want you to pray.

In the morning before you go to work, pray that God will open the doors for you to share the gospel.

I'm telling you, if you do that consistently, you'll be shocked at how he opens the doors for you to share.

Hey, pray that God will open the door for you to share with your neighbors.

God has allowed me to share and witness to every one of my neighbors.

It's been awesome.

Some have received it, none have been ugly.

In fact, some that, and some are already in other churches, that's good, but the ones that haven't, some uh I've I've got another denomination, and he and I have sat down for hours and discussed the scriptures in a loving way.

Amen.

So, but I've I've prayed that God opens the doors for my neighbors, that I can just be a blessing to them and share Jesus with them.

He does that.

And how awesome that is.

How awesome that is.

And then Acts 6, 4.

You cannot separate the Word of God from praying.

Listen to what he said.

But we give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the Word of God.

Isn't that good?

Let me tell you, when you pray, one of the greatest ways to pray is to pray the scripture.

That's somebody asked me the other day, said you memorize a lot of scripture.

Oh, all the time.

I always have, for 30-something years in ministry.

But let me tell you why.

My part of my memory work that I do 35, sometimes an hour in the morning before I even really start studying, is my praying.

I'm praying those scriptures as I'm walking and memorizing them.

I'm praying them back to God and praying them for you and praying them for our church.

It's awesome.

That's the way Paul prayed.

That's the way the disciples prayed.

That's the way Jesus taught the disciples to pray.

And then number three, let's look at the third thing.

We use our words.

One, praying.

It's got to be faithful, watchful, thankful, purposeful.

Then we've got to proclaim the word of God.

Be ready to give an answer.

Can I get an amen?

Be ready to give an answer.

And Isaiah 55, verse 11 says, His word never returns void.

Isaiah 55:11

Give them the word.

And then number three, our words are to witness to the lost.

Look at what he says in verse 5 and 6.

Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

Woo! Let your speech be full of grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer every man.

Now look at verse 5.

This is powerful.

Them that are without.

He says, walk in wisdom toward them that are without.

You know who them that are without are?

It's the law.

It's the lost.

It's the lost folk.

And there's two things that he really tells us that we ought to do.

Jesus made a distinction between his disciples and those who were outside that weren't saved in Mark 4.11.

Paul made the same distinction in 1 Corinthians 5, 12 through 13.

However, as Christians, we must never, at the same time, listen to me now, have that superior attitude that we got it.

Have you ever been around to Christians that they think their group's better than any other group?

Or their church is better than any other church?

Isn't it amazing?

Because they do set it up as a competition, I think.

Because instead of when you knock on a door, let me tell you how you can find that out real quick.

You come to the door.

Hey, my name's Pastor Danny.

I'm from CCW.

We're just out here being a blessing, and we got some free ice cream.

We'd love for you to have some free ice cream today.

And by the way, uh Deedra, I've introduced myself, heard Miss Deedra, I'd say, Miss Deedra, is there anything I can pray for you about?

Well, no, no.

I don't need anything.

I don't pray.

I go to church.

I've got a good church, thank you.

And they close the door.

Oh, that happens.

Yeah.

Now, if you knock on my door, and you're from another church, first of all, I I almost faint.

Because no one's knocked on my door.

I've been in ministry 33 years.

I've had one person knock on my door.

One person.

One preacher.

One person from a church.

One?

One.

One.

And I had two preachers living in the same neighborhood with me.

Well, why would a preacher want to knock on your house?

You're a preacher.

Well, why wouldn't he?

Why wouldn't he want to fellowship with a brother that's in the same profession?

I knocked on their door, invited them over to eat.

Why?

Thank God.

We're in this together.

We're not in competition.

Let's help each other.

Let's pray for one another.

Let's go after.

How can we be better?

Instead of running him off.

Hello?

Are you listening?

Now listen, when they do that, don't go, oh, oh, oh, oh, I can't do this anymore.

I'm offending people.

Don't you dare let Satan do that to you.

You're not offending people.

That's not your problem, it's theirs.

They offended you.

You ought to say, Well, you offended me.

I'm out here trying to pray for you and you slamming a door in my face.

Well, you know what the Bible says, though, about that?

He answers that.

It says, Shake the dust off your feet and go to the next one.

Hello.

Every time I've had a bad incident in my soul-winning experience, every time, every time, Susan will tell you this.

You know what?

The next day or even the next door or maybe an hour later, I win somebody to Christ.

Satan's doing everything he can to keep me from going on and sharing the good news.

You ain't gonna stop me! Well, what if they listen, listen, don't worry about it.

You just you just be a blessing and share.

Love them, be a blessing, pray for them.

When they slam the door in your face, say, God still bless this home.

And then walk on.

Hello?

Some of my, let me tell you what's happening, man.

I'm getting a little down the road.

I've had preachers that lamb blasted me, were jealous of us.

When the going got tough, guess who they called?

You know why?

Because they knew it wouldn't matter.

I'd help them and I'd love them.

Can I get an amen?

Amen.

Yes, yes, amen.

Amen.

And I will.

You can slam the door in my face.

I'm gonna hug your neck.

Hey, when we go to public, so I see you in public.

And if you try to go down the other aisle, I'm gonna run down and meet you when you turn.

Hello.

You're not gonna you're not gonna do that to me.

Because I love you.

You may not like me, but I love you.

And there's nothing you can do about it, as Chuck would say.

Amen?

That's what he's talking about.

Witness to the loss.

Hey, walk wisely.

Two things.

Walk wisely.

And what does that mean?

Boy, this is so good.

Walk here refers to our conduct in our daily life.

Can I say something?

The unchurched, those group that he's talking about here.

Now watch what he says.

When he says, and this is so good, them that are without, those are the lost.

They are watching you.

If you put on that Jesus' awesome band, or you put on that Jesus' awesome belt, or if you put it on your motor.

By the way, I think I sold my Spider-Man bike last night.

Just give God a hand.

Amen?

Thank you for praying.

You said, Why?

Well, it's got Jesus Awesome on it.

But but listen, listen, listen.

Are you ready?

When you put that on, people are gonna watch you like a hawk.

And if you're gonna, listen, if you're gonna act like a brat, don't put it on.

You know what a brat is, don't you?

Yeah, you do.

You know what a brat is.

I can be one sometimes.

That's Susan.

No, don't ask her today.

Yeah, we don't want to mess up the vacation.

Wait till I get back.

She'll probably tell you I was a brat.

But but it's a person that's always complaining, griping, criticizing.

That's that's what a brat is.

Amen.

Amen.

That's what it never, no joy.

I meant that they right now, those are some of the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in in any church, even better in pews.

And you know what?

Somebody say, I don't like those chairs.

Well, bring you on.

Well, I'll have to pay for it.

Yeah, bless God, pay for it.

Somebody paid for those.

What if the person next to you had bought that chair you're sitting in and you say, I don't like that chair?

You just hurt their feelings.

Well, they ought not to wear the feelings on the shoulders.

Well, you ought not to be a brat.

Hello?

Melvin, you okay over there?

Huh?

He kind of likes that.

Folks, please listen to me.

When walking in wisdom means that we don't give our critics, those that are lost, those that are unchurch, an opportunity to say, if that's a Christian, I don't want anything to do with it.

Can I get an amen?

And then notice what else.

Not only are we to walk, hey, wisely, walk in wisdom.

Be careful not to say, what that really means, be careful not to say or do anything that would hinder you having the opportunity to share the good news with that person.

And then notice what he says: redeeming the time.

Redeeming the time.

And that's what he's talking about.

Redeeming the time.

In other words, what does that mean?

That means that we look for opportunities to share the good news.

Amen?

We pray for that open door.

Amen.

So, with that said, what's this?

This is good.

When that door comes, then what do we do?

We share the good news, but we share it with our attitudes as well as our actions.

Can I say this?

Your attitude sometimes speaks louder than your actions.

You can be doing the right thing with the wrong attitude, which makes it the wrong thing.

He said, No, wait a minute.

Why say that again?

I said, you can do the right thing with the wrong attitude, which makes it the wrong thing, because you've just destroyed your witness.

So it'd have been better for you not to do the right thing with the wrong attitude because you destroyed your witness.

Do you understand that?

That's good, preacher.

That hurts, preacher.

Ooh, that hurt my toe.

Have you ever done something and you griped the whole time you're doing it?

I'm gonna say that again and we're gonna raise hands together.

Have you ever done something and griped the whole time you were doing it?

Thank you, that's better.

Oh me.

Let's all together on three.

Say, oh me.

One, two, three.

Oh me.

And you know what you're complaining about?

You're complaining about people that aren't helping you do what you're doing.

Can we try that again?

You're complaining about people that's not helping you do what you're doing.

Amen.

I'm the world's worst.

Well, thanks.

Let me go ahead and help you.

Let me help you, church.

Listen to me.

I'm gonna help you.

I'm gonna liberate you.

I'm gonna help your attitude.

I don't care what you're doing, whether it's church business, but especially church, 20% of the people always do 80% of the work and they're getting it spending that way.

I wish I could change it.

I think we're a little better than that here, but not a whole lot better.

It's the way it is.

Why?

Because people will not radically sell out.

When you sell out to Jesus and not a man or a church, you'll serve.

Can I give them amen?

And while you're serving, by the way, remember, priestess, we were serving as a master and unemployed unto the Lord.

So when you get back here washing those dishes, or you're up here setting up the table, you're out in the parking, whatever you're doing, you're serving him.

It doesn't matter if Sister Fluffy Head's not gonna wash your dish, or decobred head's not gonna set up a table.

Hey, it doesn't matter to you, you're working to him.

That's the one that matters.

That's the one that matters.

And I'm gonna I'm gonna really get you excited now.

Hey, get some gods gonna open the window.

Woo! I'm about to help spell.

Get some gods gonna open the window and pop a blessing.

Those of the doing the work.

Sister fluffy head and tater deacon head and whatever's gonna be driving down the road, gonna have flat times running, glitching everything.

And God's gonna be blessing you.

Hello! Woo! That's good.

Don't worry, he's gonna reward you.

Amen.

Look at look at how he's blessed you and blessed us now.

Look at this.

Amen.

Some of you said, man, preacher's getting ready to go on vacation.

He needs it.

Walking in wisdom.

You know what's the worst thing for me?

For me to walk into a store or wherever I am, somebody said, Do you know so-and-so?

He's a member of your church.

Yes, sir, I do.

You know, he's got a bill he hadn't paid here for four or five years.

Now, how am I gonna witness to him with him thinking that about our church?

You okay out there?

That'd be like you calling a pastor and not checking out his reference in the community.

How many churches do that all the time?

Check the credit.

Hello?

I know you're saying that's off.

That's that's awful personal.

Uh, yeah.

My Christian walk with God is personal, transparent.

You ought to see Jesus in me.

Well, how many of you heard politics and religion I don't share.

It's personal.

Well, I don't see very much of it.

Hello! If it's personal, it ought to be radiant.

Those who look to him are radiant, they shall never be ashamed.

A light set on a hill, can I be hidden?

Can I get a name in church?

People don't say, man, I don't know what they got, but hey, but I want it.

When you say, well, we go to CCW, I'll be there Sunday.

You're different.

You got the joy of the Lord on you.

Got the joy of the Lord, the strength of the Lord in you.

Even in the bad times, they see the joy.

In the good times, they see the joy.

In the mediocre times, they see the joy.

For the joy of the Lord is my strength.

Can I tell you the joy exemplifies itself ten times more in the trials and the temptations more than the mountaintop experience?

That's when people notice it the most.

Alright, I got to wind this thing up.

This has been good.

Mm-mm-mm.

Alright.

Not only do we walk wisely, we talk wisely.

I'm not going to spend a whole lot of time because I did it last week, but I want to give you one verse.

Ephesians 4.29 again.

You're going to hear your preacher quote this so much, so you're going to know it by heart.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying that you may enter, hey, that you may minister grace to its ears.

Now watch, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to its ears.

If it doesn't minister grace, you don't say it.

Hello! If you don't minister, that's what Jesus, in fact, they said several that he speaks with the words of grace.

His words are gracious.

Over and over in the gospels, you hear Jesus, and they're talking about Jesus and speaking, his words were gracious.

It's not good, watch.

Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.

It's not good, but that which is good to the use of, edifying, the use of, if it's not necessary, edifying, if it's not building up, that it may minister grace unto its hearers.

If it does not minister grace, don't say it.

He said, but preacher, that means I won't talk a whole lot.

Duh.

Death and life are in the power of the tongue.

Amen.

If you can't give life, don't give death.

Oh, let me oh man, I'm stepping on my toes.

All right.

God's really working me on this area.

You go to a restaurant and you sit down in a waiter or waitress.

They take your order, they give you tea, give you water, and you don't see them for 20 minutes.

And you're sitting there with your water.

First thing you want to say was, she's not getting it to you.

A good one.

You don't know what she's just been through.

What they're going through.

You know what?

You know what I've been l God's been telling me to do?

Help them even more than I would if I'd had the best service.

And put on a little note.

I'm praying for you.

Love the enemy.

Do good to them, but don't serve you well.

See, that's what Paul's telling the church of your words.

Your actions.

Are they godlike?

Are they different?

Do they take the high road and not the low road?

Powerful.

Powerful.

And the last thing, and I'm through.

Share your burdens.

Number four.

Share your burdens.

Paul shared his burden with Ticus so that Ticus could go back and share Paul's burdens with the church.

Folks, don't keep it in.

People kill themselves every day.

I worked at a major suicide last week.

Terrible.

Terrible.

You know why?

They don't share the burdens.

Anytime somebody takes his life, they've got a heavy burden.

Share your burden.

And here's the first thing Satan says.

But what are people gonna think?

You know what you do?

You look Satan in the face and you say, I don't care what people think.

I need help.

I need help.

It is.

Thank you.

I need help.

Bear ye one another's burden.

There's people right now in this church hurt.

A lot of us don't know it because you won't tell us.

Hello.

That's what God bear ye one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Hey.

As ye have opportunity, do good to all people, all men, especially those of the household of faith.

Galatians 6 2 and Galatians 6 10.

I shared the burdens.

Now notice Paul shared his burdens.

But it notice what his burdens were.

Wasn't about him personally.

It's about his ministry.

I have never seen such a selfless person in all my life than the Apostle Paul.

Never.

Never about his problems, his situation.

It was all about his ministry.

I want that to be my life.

It's not about Danny.

It's about the ministry that God's called me to do.

Because you know what?

If I'm doing that, God's going to take care of me anyway.

Already does and already has.

Can I get an amen?

My God should supply all your needs according to his riches and glory through Christ Jesus.

So here's our words.

Here's what I want us to make our prayer.

Praying, proclaiming the word, witnessing, and sharing burdens.

That's what we're to do with our tongue.

Pray, proclaim the word, witness, and share our burdens.

And then Psalms 141, verse 3.

Psalms 141:3

Here's what we want to do.

We want to stop.

Hey, we want to pray to God.

Let's make David's prayer our prayer.

You know what David said?

Psalms 141, verse 3.

Psalms 141:3

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth.

Keep the doors of my lips.

Let me say that again.

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth.

Keep the doors of my lips.

I want that in my life.

I really do.

For the what I the way I talk to my family, the way I talk to my friends, the way I talk to my church members.

I want it to be gracious.

Amen.

And loving.

And caring.

Because I love you so much.

And I want us to build something here in Westover that people are going to gravitate to because they see the love of Christ.

Amen.

Everyhead bow, every rock.

Thanks again for tuning into this week's message.

We pray that your life has been changed.

If you would like to find out more about us, visit us on our webpage at thechurch at cw.com.

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Need prayer or more information?

Send us an email at office at the church at CW.com.

We hope you have a wonderful day and again, God bless you.