May 18th Sermon

The purpose of Paul’s epistle to the Colossians is to establish the complete supremacy of Jesus Christ in everything. Since He created all things, He is the greatest in the entire universe. He created the church and will always have preeminence in it. All power and authority will ultimately and eternally submit to Him. To the Philippians, Paul put it this way, “So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).

After two chapters that focused on the doctrine of the supremacy of Jesus Christ, Paul turned to the practical applications of the Lordship of Jesus to the Christian. Chapter three began with the believer in Jesus seeking the Lord and setting our minds on things above where Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, and not on the things on the earth. This means believers must have a heavenly mindset or a biblical worldview on life right now. After providing a list of behaviors Christians are to avoid and then giving a list of characteristics that should be in our lives, Paul then applied the supremacy of Christ to family relationships. The verses we will study today form Paul’s final section on practical applications of the Lordship of Christ in the believer’s life. This time, Paul directs us to bring our speech under the Lord’s control and thus show spiritual maturity in the words we say.

The ability to communicate is an amazing gift. God created humans with the power to explain complex and difficult ideas through words. God created our minds with the capacity to formulate thoughts and then express them in words that communicate those thoughts to others. Other people can hear our words and understand our thoughts. It is quite an amazing capability.

Sin has corrupted and perverted our speech in many ways and it is amazing how much the Bible says about sinful speech. According to the book of Proverbs, the words of an unredeemed person are characterized by evil, “the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things” (Proverbs 15:28). Other types of evil speech include, profaning the name of the Lord, according to Exodus 20:7 (taking the Lord’s name in vain); lies and deceit, Jeremiah 9:8 (Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks with deceit); words that destroy relationships, “with his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor (Proverbs 11:9); flattery, “a flattering mouth works ruin” (Proverbs 26:28); foolish boasting, “all the evildoers boast” (Psalm 94:4, ESV); hatred, “they have also surrounded me with words of hatred”, (Psalm 109:3); and evil people teach false doctrines, “they teach things they should not teach” (Titus 1:11). Proverbs 12:15 tells us that the unredeemed will be “ensnared by the transgression” of their lips.” And may I remind you that Jesus told us that “every careless word that people speak, they will give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36-37).

Conversely, the speech of those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ is characterized by the confession of sin, according to First John 1:9; words that build up others, Ephesians 4:29; words that talk about God’s law, Exodus 13:9; words that confess the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Romans 10:9-10; words that give praise to the Lord, Hebrews 13:15; words of wisdom and kindness, Proverbs 31:26; and words that are gentle, Proverbs 15:1.

According to the Lord Jesus, the words we use display the reality of our relationship with Christ, whether we are saved or lost, and if we are true believers in Christ, our words show our spiritual maturity. Jesus said, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for the mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:43).

In these verses in the book of Colossians, Paul gives us three categories of words that show the ways true and growing Christians use their speech. There are words of prayer, words of proclamation, and words of grace. We begin with words of prayer, which is speech directed to the Lord.

WORDS OF PRAYER. Colossians 4:2

Devotion. Paul started with prayer because speech directed toward God is the most important speech. Now remember, Paul wrote Colossians to a small town in Asia Minor, a place we call the country of Turkey today. These were ordinary people who had been delivered from their paganism by believing in the salvation purchased by Jesus Christ through His death, burial, and resurrection. They had gathered early on a Sunday morning to worship the Lord, and to hear this special message written to them by the Apostle. These are practical applications of biblical truth that every Christian should apply to their lives. Of all the words people speak, words of prayer and worship to the Lord are the highest uses of the gift of speech God has granted to us. God has designed prayer to not only be occasional for the Christian, but it is to be the standard feature of the Christian life and in the ministry of the local church. Paul gives three aspects of this faithful prayer.

Christians are to be devoted to prayer. Now remember, Paul was teaching about our words. Prayer is speech directed to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Being devoted to prayer means to be courageously persistent and we are to be so persistent that we pray at all times to the Lord. Praying at all times is possible as the Christian develops a God-consciousness which means we realize that God is always present and always knows where we are and what we are going through. Very often, as Christians go through difficult trials, they try every possibility to find help and when they have exhausted every resource, they finally turn to the Lord in prayer. We are to pray to find grace to help in times of need. The Bible tells us here to begin with prayer, to seek the Lord first, rather than last, and seek His help in our difficulties and struggles.

Alert. Paul tells us that when we pray, we are to “keep alert.” In His exhortation to His disciples, Jesus said, “Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come” (Mark 13:33). A clear example of keeping alert in prayer is found in Mark 14. Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane where He told them to keep watch while He went a little further on to pray. When He returned, He found them sleeping, and He asked them, “Could you not keep watch for one hour?” Obviously, they had not remained alert but had instead succumbed to weariness. Jesus told them, “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:32-38). To the church gathered in worship, Paul encourages us to not become weary in our prayers for one another, but to remain alert and focused in our prayers. God does not answer all of our prayers immediately, and calls us to pray to Him without ceasing.

Thanksgiving. The third aspect of prayer Paul reminds us of is thanksgiving. As Christians we are to recognize God’s hand of sovereign providence in every aspect of our lives and give thanks to Him. Paul mentioned being thankful five times in the book of Colossians so it is clearly an important part of our times of prayer together as a congregation. Paul also wrote, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). The writer of Hebrews wrote, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.”

WORDS OF PROCLAMATION. Colossians 4:3-4

Words of Prayer for the Ministry. Paul designated a purpose for prayer. He asked this congregation to pray for his ministry. In this way, Christians could have a part in the apostle’s ministry. At that time, Paul was hundreds of miles away in a Roman jail awaiting trial. Yet, he still desired to reach people with the gospel and the local church in Colossae could help in that ministry. Missionaries still need our prayers and they often ask for specific prayers from our church. We post their letters in our foyer so that you can read their requests and pray along with them. Whether it is wisdom in translating the Bible into another language, equipping pastors and church leaders in South America, or reaching people for Christ among French Canadians, our church can be occupied with praying for the missionaries we support. I urge you to read their letters and pray for their ministries.

You can pray for those involved in ministry in this church. When I first came to High Prairie Church, I asked several people to pray for me and this ministry every day. Some have gone on to be with the Lord in glory, but some are still faithfully praying for me. You can pray for our youth pastor, Jerry Mallonee, our elders, our teachers and our Vacation Bible School leaders and staff. Their names are easy to find so that you can pray for them by name. In that way, you will have a part in their ministry.

A Door for the Word. Paul gave the church a specific prayer; they were to pray that God would open a door for the Word of God to be proclaimed even as he was in prison. Even there he recognized an opportunity to spread the Good News about salvation in Jesus Christ. The door he mentioned was the door of the hearts of the unsaved. He wanted the Lord to open their hearts to the gospel truth so that they would be saved. When Paul reported to the church in Antioch about his ministry, he told them how the Lord “had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).

This shows us the importance of the proclamation of the Word. It has always been God’s design that believers proclaim the message of salvation in Christ to the unbelieving world. In the book of Romans, Paul asked, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:14-15, 17).

Pray for the ministry of God’s Word so that the message of the Lord Jesus will be heard. It is possible that so few people are coming to Jesus for salvation today because the church’s prayers have grown silent. Prayer is a ministry in which every believer can join. Come, join us in this ministry. And may God open a door of faith to our community!

A Clear Message. The mystery of Christ is the message that eternal salvation will come to every person who receives the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her Savior. Even though Paul was in prison, the message did not change, neither did his passion for proclaiming it. He wanted everyone to listen to the message of the supremacy of Jesus Christ. Did you notice that Paul asks for the Christians to pray that the message would be clear? I do not think there is a pastor who is faithfully serving the Lord who is not concerned with the clarity of the message. One of my deepest concerns in my ministry is for the message of the Bible to be made clear. I must study to make the message clear in my mind, then labor to try to make it clearer to you. I welcome you to join me in praying that the teaching and preaching ministry of High Prairie Church will be as clear as we can possibly make it to young and old and to new believers as well as mature saints.

WORDS OF GRACE. Colossians 4:5-6

Conduct with Wisdom. The outsiders Paul speaks of here are the non-believers in the community around the church. The worldview of the Bible is that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. While our culture does not agree, still the Bible insists that there are sinners who have never received Christ as Savior and the vital ministry of the church in its local expression is to present the gospel so that people can get saved. So important was this that Paul urged Christians to make adjustments so that they would be wise in the conduct before a world of sinners who are always watching.

How do believers in Christ get wisdom? First, by worshiping the Lord: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Second, by praying for wisdom: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously” (James 1:3). Third, through Bible study: “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you” (Colossians 3:16). Fourth, through godly instruction: “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ” (Colossians 1:28). None of us knows when our Sovereign Lord will open a door of opportunity to witness to other about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, thus presenting God’s plan of salvation to the unredeemed. So we should all always be ready whenever the Holy Spirit opens that door.

Speech with Grace. This is speech with excellence, a type of speech rarely heard in this world. Grace words are words that are spiritual in nature, kind, sensitive, truthful, loving, and thoughtful. Often our words are about ourselves, but our task is to point people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Our friends and neighbors need to be pointed to Christ. Our children and grandchildren need to be directed to the grace of the Lord Jesus. The gospel of Luke records that when people heard Jesus speak, “they wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of His mouth” (Luke 4:22). Speech that is controlled by grace always points to Christ and glorifies Him as Lord. With grace in our hearts and gracious words on our lips, we will be faithful witnesses of the Lord Jesus.

Seasoned with Salt. What does it mean to have our words “seasoned with salt?” Are we to carry around a little salt shaker? One scholar suggested that since salt is a preservative and gives flavor that it means that we are to speak with grace but also speak to have an effect. Another said our words should be pure and perceptive. Those are good observations.

I was curious about why Paul used the words “seasoned with salt.” Although Paul gave practical insights into our speech in other passages, this is the only place where this phrase appears. It turns out it is the only place in the New Testament it appears. In fact, there is only one other place in the Bible where “seasoned with salt” appears. In Leviticus 2, where God gave instructions for Israel’s sacrifices, we read this in verse thirteen, “Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.” This offering must be accompanied by salt. Indeed, this is called the “salt of the covenant of your God.”

I think it is very possible that Paul alluded to this verse in Colossians 4:6. Perhaps Paul was suggesting that we look on our words as sacrifices offered to God, just as our words of praise are spiritual sacrifices. It would undoubtedly help us to say the right things in the right manner if we remembered that our words are looked on as sacrifices to God. I think David mentioned this in Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”

I find it compelling that in such a small book as is Colossians, that Paul assigns so much space to the words Christians use in their daily conversations. I am sure he meant conversations at church, at home, at work, and life in general. This is the truth of the supremacy of Jesus Christ brought into a very practical part of life. If Jesus is your Lord and Savior, is He Lord of your words? We know the Lord Jesus is always with us, and He is, therefore, always there when you are talking. How would your speech change if you could actually see Jesus standing next to the person to whom you are talking? Would you find yourself ashamed in His presence over your words?

Jesus told us our words reflect our spiritual maturity. What do your words say about your spiritual growth? Are your words controlled by the Holy Spirit or the corrupt aspects of your old, fleshly nature? Do your words tell others about your faith or your lack of it? I urge you to pray about these issues.

When it comes to words, none are more important than confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Bible tells us, “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). Have you ever confessed with your mouth, that is, with your words, that Jesus is your Lord and Savior? If you haven’t, He is ready to receive you into His forever family and give you eternal life. Will you come?