In this sermon, Pastor Joe Babij examines Colossians 4:5-6 and explains more of how a truly Word-filled and Spirit-filled person is transformed to walk in greater Christlikeness.
1. Gospel transformation changes what we are devoted to (v. 2-4)
2. Gospel transformation changes the way we think and act (v. 5)
3. Gospel transformation changes the way we speak (v. 6)
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and uh I was under the weather so it may be in my voice Colossians chapter 4 we’ll be reading verse 1 through 8 1- 7 actually 1 through six that’s Colossians chter 4: 1-6 Masters Grant your slaves Justice and fairness knowing that you too have a master in heaven devote yourselves to prayer keeping Alert in it with an attitude of thankfulness or Thanksgiving praying at the same time for us as well that God will open up to us a door for the word so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ for which I have also been imprisoned that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak conduct yourselves with wisdom toward Outsiders making the most of the opportunity and let your speech always be with Grace as those seasoned with Saul so that you will know how you should respond to each person let’s pray Lord this morning as we again come to your word we want to um humble ourselves because Lord your word is available to us and um I pray Lord we would take full advantage of it and as we do Lord I pray the word of God would change and transform our mind and move our Wills to actually examine ourselves with it so we can practice what it says until we get good at being a Christian and Lord thank you for the Holy Spirit who enables us to do it who gives us the insight and illumines the word to us so we can understand it it’s no longer foreign to us and the word of God becomes and reading it becomes like breathing we have to have it or we die so Lord today teach us your word again and encourage our hearts with it and I pray in Christ’s name Amen in our membership class uh we asked uh people who attended to give a testimony uh and let us know uh about their their life before they became a Christian the actual conversion event and also a little bit after they’ve been saved what’s happened since and uh one of the words that I uh asked I asked them to give one word that described your life before Christ and one word that describes your life now after Christ and I shared with them that uh when I became a Christian one of the words that described my life before I became a Christian was Restless I was had everything I wanted I was on the top of the world and my heart was restless and then the one word that would describe me after becoming a Believer is the word peaceful I was no longer Restless I was peaceful and um because I met the prince of peace and I understood the gospel and the Holy Spirit of God made it clear to me and so since that time the Lord is going to do for you and me a transformation and that’s what we’ve been looking at in scripture here a Spirit-filled word filled Christian will begin to see transformational p power of the Gospel in each part of their experience as they journey through this complicated world and as a Believer grows in the knowledge of the word and in their knowledge of Christ and are led by the holy spirit of God transformation surely does take place and then you know you’re different I didn’t like I didn’t want to be around God’s people before now I do I didn’t want to read the word of God now I do and I want to know what it says and I wanted to put into practice I didn’t uh really know who Christ was but now I do I didn’t really know much about God and the things I didn’t know my about God were wrong and now I want to know about them and be correct who does that the flesh doesn’t do that the world doesn’t help you do that and Satan surely will not encourage you to do that it’s it’s the holy spirit of God who does that using the word of God to make visible in your life the very practical things that are going to take place and the first thing that takes place is is justification that you are pronounced just by God you’re in dwelt with the Holy Spirit and You Begin this gradual process of sanctification and that process goes on until the day you die and when you re receive the up into Glory then that process will be complete and how is this all revealed it’s revealed as I already mentioned in our conduct it’s revealed uh in our Behavior it’s revealed in our character and according to Colossians we’re putting off sin those sin stained garments we’re putting on the new clean clothes and it’s also revealed in our relationships as a result of being word filled and being controlled by the spirit of God and submitting now to Christ and doing doing what the will of the Lord is we see transformation in our everyday walk in our marriages between wives and husbands and families between children and parents and fathers and children and we see it in our conduct and in our speech and we notice it where that what we’re devoted to once we once we’re not devoted to it and of course the use of our time and opportunities and we begin to see it uh and other people begin to see it and then we know that something has happened to us that we truly are Christians and we are so glad we are I don’t know never met a real Christian who regretted becoming a Christian I never met him um so this this Lord’s day we’ll continue to see the transformation of the Gospel in the Christian change in lifestyle and what is is very interesting is that part of that change in lifestyle as I began to look at it last week is that of our speech the way we communicate the way we act and so as a Christian grows their language is transformed I heard one preacher say that a bunch of bikers got saved and um they started talking with each other and there was an older woman there and he says that the bun her bun started unraveling as they started communicating because they weren’t using language that they these ladies were used to and but they did started growing they started recognizing those things are not proper for Christians and one of the highest forms of speech a Christian could have is that of being uh devoted to prayer so the first thing that I mentioned the first major area of gospel transformation changes in a believer’s life is the gospel transformation changes what we are devoted to all right and what are we devoted to in verse two of chapter 4 it says this we are devote yourselves to prayer to keeping Alert in an attitude of Thanksgiving so we are devoted to having talks with God speech that is focused on the character of God and now the believer is transformed and has their dependence on God and they now they feel this and know this real need to communicate with the Living God about everything that’s going on in their life because life is hard and complicated there’s many twists and turns in it and it’s hard to find out what is right and that’s why you seek God’s face out so regular and continual prayer shows where someone’s priorities and concerns and passions are placed and so I want to implore you as Believers to make prayer always first it should always be regular and it should always be taking place and especially prayer together as a church body uh as we meet together uh on Wednesday to pray if you haven’t gotten on that Zoom prayer time it is time we have a coming up to a new year it’s time to um get on that prayer call and pray with each other right you don’t have to drive anywhere all you have to need is a computer a cell phone and sit behind a desk and you meet with one other person and you pray about we have a prayer list so we follow the prayers if you never done it before that’s what you ought to be doing and make it a practice a habit make it where if you miss it you’re guilty you feel guilty we want to be praying as a church so that’s what he says here in scripture and there’s two actions when we’re connected to devoted prayer the first one is we’re keeping alert we’re not falling asleep at the switch and also we are the second action is we have an attitude of Thanksgiving we’re coming to prayer with a very thankful heart we know what God has done for us we know we never would have deserved salvation but that’s the way we’re coming and that’s what pleases the Lord and then also the direction of our prayer is that we are asking God in verse number three praying for us praying for other people in this case Paul Timothy a papus to open a door wide for the word of God so that’s what we ought to be doing we if we don’t carry through and pray for God to kick open doors for speaking the gospel then uh if we don’t then it won’t happen it won’t happen and that is where we’re to pray and then we’re also to pray for clarity Clarity in speaking and proclaiming God’s word in verse number uh three and four it says for so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ for which I have also been imprisoned that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak and remember Paul was definitely writing this from prison it even ends he even ends Colossians in the last verse I I Paul write this greeting with my own hand remember my prisonment Grace be with you so Paul is in prison but he’s not praying to be released from prison he is praying that he would have an open door and Clarity of speech so he can witness to those around him and we found out last week or the week before that in the last verse of Acts that prayer was answered Paul was witnessing to people he had visitors every time he was he had open doors nobody was preventing him from giving the gospel not even the soldiers and I’m sure some of those soldiers got saved from hearing Paul speak and so prayer was answered because the church at Colossians were persistent to keep praying because they were that necessary thing that is important for prayer to take place that we actually do pray and so what is the content of the message that we do preach and that content from Colossians is we preach Christ in Colossians 1:27 it says there which is Christ in you the hope of glory that is he is the hope of glory Christianity is Christ he has he is at the center of it all and so your attitude and my attitude and relationship to this person Jesus Christ is of significance significant importance Christ can bring you to God because he is God as Corinthians tells us for we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as as Lord and it’s all about Jesus his person and the facts concerning him in him are all the treasures in wisdom and knowledge in him the fullness of deity dwells and the Apostle Paul is saying things about Jesus that no one else is saying and this attack on Jesus that people are saying that he’s just a good teacher or just a good example or just a good man to follow he’s a a distinguished prophet and even often conclude that Jesus is not Divine and not God these attacks on Jesus Dei is nothing new this Doctrine has been fought for and defended in the past Aras of Alexandria in 3818 ad use Colossians 1 verse1 15 which says he is the image of the invisible God the firstborn of all creation but he used it not from scripture itself but from a hymn that was written on the supremacy of Christ to undermine the doctrine of Christ de deity however it was vigorously defended from scripture and uh to be sound Doctrine that Christ is God and at the Council of NAIA in 325 or 3 uh 25 ad they pronounced it to be sound Doctrine then again at the Council of Constantinople and 381 ad again pronounced to be sound Doctrine so people stood up for this Doctrine because it was so vigorously fought against and Satan has his tentacles in all religion ious systems so he will try very hard to convolute and pervert this doctrine of the deity of Christ but he can’t do it because Christ once known by those who are his realized that there is no one no one else we can go to for salvation for forgiveness of sins for being right with God for a place in heaven for the promises that he gives us that where he is we may be also and that is praying and interceding for the Saints in his position as seated at the right hand of God no one could do that there’s nowhere else to go but Jesus Christ so when it comes to devoted prayer we have access to the father through only one person and that is Jesus Christ there is a second major area of gospel transformational change in the believer’s life and it’s found found in verse number five and it’s this that gospel transformation changes the way we think and act and I want you to notice in verse number five we’ll pull three things out of this and just break it apart a bit it says conduct yourselves with wisdom toward Outsiders making the most of the opportunity and I’m going to be looking to Ephesians so you have to go back to uh pass Philippians Ephesians because Philippian Ephesians says very much the same thing and encouraging encouraging the Ephesian church that the holy spirit is cleaning us up he is making changes in our lives he’s bringing us into Conformity to the will of God and this Conformity happens inside of us and it comes out of us so conduct is at the center of sanctification and conduct shows us what is or is not going on in the inside that the holy spirit is inside of us to produce good fruit and how does he do that by changing our mind by Transforming Our mind also the spirit uses uh the convicting his convicting power to show us what is wrong and what is evil he also the Holy Spirit also convinces us of the knowledge of what is right and good and pleas pleasing not just generally but in the sight of God how can I live in the sight of God that pleases him once I’m a Believer so the Holy Spirit addresses your mind and informs your understanding with truth and that means the truth of God’s word brings about transformation and change from the text this morning there are changes in in three areas and notice the first one in the beginning of verse number five that a Christian is transformed from foolish conduct to wise conduct now notice what it says it says conduct yourself with wisdom now that means that wisdom came with conversion it didn’t happen before conversion people are not wise before they come to Christ not in the sense that scripture teaches so we once conducted our life according to the passions our passions and our desires well if you go back to Colossians 3 verse number five what were they it says therefore consider the members of your Earthly B body as dead to immorality impurity passion evil desire and G greed which amounts to idolatry for it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of Disobedience and in it and in them you all you also once walked when you were living in them and then it says in verse 8 and now also you also put away aside anger and wrath and Malice and slander and Abus of speech from your mouth so that’s the kind of Earthly desires we had which were not wisdom so we could not please God in that uh capacity but now uh so we were we were pagans and we walked around in Hopeless Confusion And as Ephesians 417 says in the futility of our mind and futility means to walk around in moral purposelessness or uh emptiness uh pointlessness the mind of a pagan is unable to reach its intended goal so its mental con condition results in a state of moral recklessness and disgrace a mind saturated with foolishness that’s all it was and the Mantra what is the mantra today follow your heart even on the Hallmark channels if you’re watching the Christmas ones every single one of them saysf follow your heart and I just go oh you know that’s such horrible advice you’re corrupt sinful deceitful Wicked ungodly heart follow that it’s going to lead you to disaster is where it’s going to lead you but that’s the montra that’s the good advice that they’re giving but as for you and me as Christians it says we are to conduct ourselves in wisdom and this word this uh actually the Hebrew word translated wisdom is not similar to the Sophia the Greek word which really refers to wisdom more like an intellectual wisdom and that’s what the false teachers were pursuing in their gnosticism they were pursuing Superior knowledge well Superior knowledge doesn’t bring you the lifestyle that you should have in fact all of Colossians is telling us especially this section that no false teaching or false belief can produce this conduct in someone’s life no nothing can produce this conduct no no amount of intellect can produce this conduct that he’s talking about here not not only being devoted to the right things but here the second thing is is how we act and think is being transformed by the holy spirit so this Hebrew word uh the Hebrew word is Hoka it speaks of wisdom as skillful living and this is the way Paul is actually using it he’s using it in a very uh practical way like the Old Testament Hebrew word the ability to nag navigate life in this world in a god-honoring way and this is the kind of wisdom that scripture imparts to God’s transformed people so that means that these false teachers and these uh this secular teaching cannot produce a transformational change in conduct it just cannot happen and why can’t it happen well Colossians answers that question in 2 uh chapter 2: 23 where it says these are uh these are matters which have to be sure the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body but are of no value Val you against fleshly desires it just can’t change you who you are unless the spirit of God is doing it and so if we just consider the Book of Proverbs Proverbs is is an appeal to a child and usually a child around teenage years because they were trying to get young men and women ready for the to serve in in the king’s Kingdom and so they needed the king wants wise people and of course we know this is the uh Kingdom of the king of kings but here uh to choose wisdom over Folly would be the goal of a young person wisdom and Folly are portrayed in Proverbs as a woman who is trying to entice a young person to eat at their respective or her respective banquet where it says in proverb Proverbs 9 I do like to turn to Proverbs Chapter uh we’re going to look there at several passages chapter 6 ver 22 but in chapter nine in verse number one and two it says wisdom has built her house she has uned out her Seven Pillars she has prepared her food she has mixed her wine she has set her table another words the table is said and it becomes an enticing picture to a young person to eat there at not the table of God’s wisdom but but at the table of foolishness and that’s what happen so the young person must choose where will they dine his wise parents can counsel him but they cannot force him to dine at wisdom’s table although the person is Young his choices are very important and do choices show who a person is well if you look at Proverbs 20 and verse number 11 this is a very interesting passage of scripture because it is showing that reputation is based on decisions in Proverbs 2011 teaches even a child makes himself known by his acts by whether his conduct is pure and right so here’s a young person known by their acts known by their conduct and of course you can tell very quickly whether the conduct of a young person is pure and upright so is the young person going to dine at the table of foolishness which is always very enticing and is always pictured as something very desirable or are they going to dine at the table of wisdom in which they are making decisions uh that will show they have are growing in skillful conduct on how to live life so the call to obedience is really not to forget the comprehensive faithfulness of wisdom once you learn it and that’s in Proverbs chapter 6 in verse number two 22c specifically because right there it displays three regular movements of life where obedience to the teaching of wisdom becomes Paramount and it kind of shows an all encompassing nature of God’s wisdom that it’s it’s going to be with you whatever you’re doing in in Proverbs uh 6 verse 22 notice what it says the first thing has to do with roaming around it says when you walk about what it will guide you wisdom will guide you so when you roam around wisdom will lead you and when you make your way from place to place and Traverse through this strange world and find yourself in different situations wisdom will be there it will be your map and Compass to help you navigate through the most difficult obstacles and circumstances in order to avoid the path of danger and to take the path more safe see it will be there when you’re roaming and then notice secondly in verse 22 of Proverbs 6 when you sleep they will watch over you in other words when you go to sleep wisdom will be in your mind and when it’s in your mind it will protect you it will be it will be a faithful mate at your side it will be a friend and helper in other words wisdom will always be faithful to supply to your mind find what is needed to rest in truth and when you rest in truth you will truly rest so it’s you and me that will be unfaithful and give up wisdom to foolishness but wisdom will be constant it will be in your heart and mind as a referee of what is true and what is false what is God’s good way and what are the other ways that lead to trouble and destruction that’s what wisdom will do and this is what God imparts to Believers once they believe in the gospel and have the spirit of God and the word of God they will begin to live wisely they will recognize very quickly how foolishness looks and it doesn’t look pretty it doesn’t doesn’t look pretty at all and notice again one other thing in verse number 22 of Proverbs 6 it says and when you when you awake they will talk to you this is interesting that when you wake up wisdom advises you it’s already in your mind biblical wisdom is not like a dream in which you cannot recall it is a strong consistent voice that constantly reminds you of what is Holy and what is good good and what is right and what is uh well pleasing to the Lord so you see a different kind of conduct than your old lifestyle your mind is changed to know the difference between foolish living and wise living do you know that because we really are are never at a point where we don’t need to know more wisdom at the different stages of life we need more wisdom when your kids grow they’re small and you need wisdom there when they get to be you know in uh middle school and then in high school you really need wisdom right you need the wisdom that is going to show them what the difference is between foolish decisions and foolish uh wise decisions and not only that if you read ever read through Proverbs the first chapter says is talking about wisdom when the foolishness foolish friends call in the street come with us come let’s uh we’ll put our money together we’ll have a good time and it ends up being will be a disaster are they going to listen to them or are they going to listen to the voice of wisdom and sometimes wisdom is not as enticing as foolishness but it is it Bears the fruit of a safe and a good lifestyle and a lifestyle that pleases the Lord all right just to show you wisdom let’s go back to Colossians and uh a second thing in Colossians not only that uh the Christian is transformed from foolish conduct to wise conduct but notice in verse number five of chapter 4 of Colossians the Christian is transformed from a self-centered conduct to a considerate conduct notice what it says conduct yourself with all wisdom and then it says toward Outsiders so living carefully toward those outside the faith wait a minute am I responsible for people who don’t believe the way I live is that what a Christian responsibility is yes it is I’m responsible you’re responsible that wherever we find ourselves that as Ephesians 5:15 says therefore be careful how you walk not as unwise men but as wise so in other words look carefully to see if you are conducting yourself properly in Ephesians and here right here in our uh this passage of scripture that we are to conduct ourselves carefully uh in in Ephesians it says look carefully at how you walk and that word in in light really if a Christian is light and walking in the light they will see if they are conducting themselves wisely or foolishly the word there actually is acrobatic or acrobatically and it means careful it used to to have ACC accuracy with care so and from this word we get the word today acrobat which brings to mind someone who does difficult and hard moves with precision and accuracy like a trape act or a Highwire or a balancing beam all those need much practice or the moves could be fatal to that person so that means that Believers are to show their obedience by living carefully and walking wisely in their conduct and as they walk in through this world in front of the unsaved and your lifestyle will show the unsaved the difference not just your verbal speaking the gospel but your lifestyle will show the difference and and of course this is not a new theme in Colossians in Colossians 1:10 he says so that you will walk in a matter worthy of the Lord to please him in All respects and then in Colossians chapter 2: 6 therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord walk in him and then in Colossians 3:7 it says in whom in them you also once walked when you were living in them so this is the way you walk now but once upon a time once upon a time you walked differently and he is saying to us as Believers as members of the Christian church and members of the general Society Christians are to walk as children of life as Paul said in in Ephesians for you were formerly Darkness but now you are light in the Lord so walk as children of light and of course walk is just a word to show as you Traverse Through This World As you move through this world that’s that’s another word you could we would use as lifestyle how you live your life how you present yourself in your actions and in your demeanor uh to others who see your life so the fruit of light consists of three Cardinal truths from Ephesians 5:9 and it says there in that passage for the fruit of Life consists of all goodness and righteousness and truth that these qualities fill the heart and the mind they are rays of Light which make us children of light and they shine forth our walk they shine forth our Deeds and a part of our Deeds is we’re not participating in the unfruitful works of darkness but instead we’re Discerning those unfruitful works and exposing the darkness for what it really is and that is evil staying awake so that spiritual laziness and indifference and sleepiness does not take place in our life so that’s what a Christian is you just the way you once were this is the way you are you should be now as a Believer and part of that is that you not only are uh conducting yourself uh towards Outsider with wisdom but you are actually a person who is conducting yourself with not foolishness but as a wise person since you come to Christ and then there’s another thing in Colossians chapter 4 and verse number five and it’s a third uh area a Christian is transformed from careless use of time to a careful use of time where it says conduct yourself with wisdom toward Outsiders making the most of the opportunity so wise Believers know that they are working against the clock that the time is irreversible and it marches uh it Marches On unwillingly to wait for anyone so what are we to do well in verse uh 16 of e Ephesians chapter 5 it tells us that we are to make the most use of time it’s the same here in Colossians the most use of opportunity because this old there’s an old word used for opportunity and it means toward the port it suggests the ship taking advantage of the wind and tide and to arrive safely in the port so wisdom is specifically manifested in reference to time that the wisdom of the believer’s Walk is uh becomes clear in their careful Endeavor to seize upon every uh fitting season for doing good and uh being giving a careful effort to let no opportunity pass unused it’s like the passage we read in uh Psalm this morning and Kal it was Psalm not Matthew uh this morning but thank you for at least announcing the passage so found and this is the prayer of Moses in the middle of Psalms and that prayer of Moses was so teach us to number our days uh that we may present to you a heart of wisdom right and remember when Moses was in the wilderness there was a lot of funerals all right a whole generation died in the wilderness and there was a lot of people that died and I’m sure there was several funerals a day uh maybe you know we don’t really know the number but the thing is that he’s writing this and he’s saying listen God may give you 70 years he may give you 80 years all right live those and offer to him a heart of wisdom a heart that reflected that what he said you believed and you practiced see that’s what that’s the way we want to live a wise believer is well aware of the preciousness of time and the shortness of this Earthly uh life as compared to Eternity so if we are going to be aware of that then Ephesian brings out another item is that we’re aware of the shortness of time and to redeem the time because the days are even evil and believe me if you don’t recognize that uh well you ought to that there’s wickedness in high places and that the evil one is active and fighting the battle of the mind he is fighting the battle of the wi mind today and he’s winning over every aspects he’s defeated uh in Generations gone by the breakup of the family he’s distorted the definition of marriage and what marriage me he’s distorted the difference between male and female he’s distorted and now children could you know uh Lop off body parts without even telling their parents and the state’s going to he’s he’s got his tentacles in everything and he’s doing that to destroy the fabric of a Nation but to destroy uh just truth itself that truth is being uh put aside and he’s making a real effort that the real evil that we ought to be concerned about is the evil of ignorance about God that there there will be a judgment on people that it does matter the way you talk and the way you act and the way you live and so Satan just wants to continue foolish Trends he wants to put people in there even in high levels of leadership to just be morons and have no common sense at all and then he’s also stirring up circumstances uh to which people succumb to and just deepens their ignorance and inflames their passions and desires to have substitutes for satisfying their so Soul instead of the true and living God that’s what he does and so the church needs to be the example that when people look at a real believer when they look at real Christians that’s not what they see they actually see normal see they see wisdom they see common sense they see devotions in areas that really do matter in life and not only that but even in our past life a lot of the things when it came to time what did we do all right we worked all week to party on Friday and Saturday that’s what a lot of friends of my friends did and um and yet when you come to Christ you realize you know partying and and uh just all that kind of stuff really doesn’t matter it’s really not important at all and it finally Fades out of your life and then you start doing the important things you know I really love that passage of scripture in First Peter when I was there in chapter 4 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 2-5 where Peter is writing there uh in almost in a similar vein in 1 Peter 4:2 so as so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lust of men but for the will of God and then verse three for the time already passed is sufficient for you to have carried out the desires of the Gentiles having pursued a course of sensuality lust drunkenness carousing drinking parties and abominable idolatries in all this they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excess of dissipation and they malign you they’re surpris hey you used to party with us we used to have a good time together what happened well what happened is that you went from becoming foolish to becoming Wise from not being a Christian to being a real Christian that’s what happened all right and that’s a good thing that happened so the Christian is is to let you are to let your life unfold before Outsiders that is those who are outside the Christian faith those who are non-Christian and why are you to do that because Christians are able to be Salt and Light and have the wisdom that comes from their lord from the word of God from above that makes advice and counsel you give them much different than they’ll get anywhere else in the world because the wisdom is in Christ Jesus let the word of Christ richly dwell with you new with all wisdom so false teachers only have apparent wisdom with no substance they cannot produce this kind of Lifestyle false belief cannot produce this kind of Lifestyle so there is uh a third major area of gospel transformational changes in a believer’s life and it’s found in verse 6 of Colossians chapter 4 and it says this and what is it the gospel transformation uh gospel transformation changes the way we speak the way we speak so it will be revealed in our language Let Your speech always be with Grace as though seasoned with salt so that you will know how you should respond to each person so Brethren this is where being word-filled and Spirit-filled brings us and it is it is a strong indicator that one is maturing in the word and growing in Christ likeness to be in control of your thoughts before they get out of your mouth that is the power of the spirit of God and James mentions that often and what kind of speech are we to have well we’re to have in verse number six let your speech always be gracious or with Grace gracious speech it’s kind of a a quality that as delight and pleasure and attractiveness and charm to what you say it means that our speech is controlled by love and the purpose of our words being benef to benefit people and help them not to hurt them or speak down to them so this this kind of speech is is not vindictive or abusive but truthful and loving gentle words is another way uh Proverbs puts it a gentle answer turns away wrath so this kind of great gracious words is words that really don’t raise its voice it it doesn’t use harsh words it doesn’t use manipulative words it doesn’t bring insult or mock or lie but it brings tones of uh gentleness and it listens with patience and it it speaks and listens respectfully to others and speaks kindly uh and even with appreciation with courtesy and and being considerate of people that’s what it does that’s what the spirit of God does with our language do we fail here do do we fail at this point we all fail at this point we all have our bad moments don’t we we all have our down days where we said things I shouldn’t have said that but you said it and where did it come from it didn’t come from anywhere else except your own heart that’s where it came from so don’t fool yourself that you know the devil devil made me do it all right it came from your heart and see that’s what we have to face that our speech needs to be gracious but another thing it says here in Colossians about our speech it needs to be seasoned speech it says let your speech always be with Grace as though seasoned with salt salt does several things salt preserves corruption it’s a preservative it keeps back decay and it and it provides to a a situation something that is is helpful and longlasting and also salt adds flavor doesn’t it it provides zest to taste so in another words Christians are to grow in speech which gives flavor to the discourse as well as speech which preserves from corruption that’s the kind of speech we we should have and why why are we to do that well verse number six gives us the reason Christians uh are to mature in gracious and seasoned speech look what it says in verse number six the last part of it so that you will know how you should respond to each person now this says something here to us and what it says is that we must speak with selfcontrol actually we must speak under the control of the Holy Spirit and when we do we will have well timed speech because well-timed speech also means you’re a good listener and that you gather the facts before you speak and then you speak to that particular person each person in the way that you believe they would respond to in a way that would be pleasing to them and pleasing to the Lord that’s how we’re to speak to one another our sister passage of scripture in Ephesians says something similar but it says it in uh in a way of not using this kind of language and word where Ephesians chapter 5 and verse number four it says and there must be no filthiness and silly talk or coarse jesting which is not fitting but the rather of rather giving of thanks and this this word uh a word used here for course jesting is is a word that we would use uh inuendo and and it’s it’s the word literally that carries the idea of turning a uh it is a person who can cleverly twist language in order to either have a double meaning or in order to slander or belittle someone else and they don’t even know it’s happening that people are that skilled sometimes with language to be able to slice someone to and dice them to Pieces by their words that is not to be someone who’s a Believer so it is saying that Christians in their social life are to actually avoid laughing and joking and thoughtlessness and recklessness that is apparent in the age in which they live that living as uh people who instead living as as people who have common or uncommon wisdom in in an age that is is perishing again if we draw the wisdom of Proverbs it says this is one who speaks rashly like the thrust of a a sword but the tongue tongue of the wise brings healing death and life are in the power of the tongue one person put a little diddy out there and and it went like this a gracious word may soothe the way a joyous word may light the day a timely word may lessen stress and a loving word may heal and bless and do you know that for your information and mine do you know how many words you speak a day well astronaut Michael Collins was speaking at a ban one time and he did his homework uh and he found out that the average man speaks 25,000 words a day and the average woman speaks 30,000 words a day that’s a lot of words now he said to his audience back then the problem that I have with that is that by time I get home from work I spoke my 25,000 and my wife just started her 30,000 so if I do my math correct men in one year will speak approximately 9,1 125,000 words and women will speak approximately 10 million 950,000 words that’s a lot of words now if we put that up against what the Bible says about judgment where in Matthew 12: 36 and 37 it says but I tell you that every careless word that people speak they shall give an account for it on the day of judgment and by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned see that’s just to take for us to take more seriously that everything that comes out of our mouth you know you know after the sermon you may be speaking less that’s what I’m saying right because really our words do matter and and uh we you feel terrible as a Believer when you use words incorrectly because you’re having a bad day and you have to repent of that because that is sin see our words should be like proverb says in Proverbs 2511 like apples of gold in settings of silver and then it says a word spoken in right circumstances that’s how it looks can your can you say that your words look like uh apples of gold and settings of silver that’s Pleasant to look about look on as a a visual picture but it’s also Pleasant to hear that you’re able to speak a word at the right time in the right circumstances boy we have a long way to go on this one we really do but it is part of what God is doing to comprehensively transform you and I into images of Christ right that’s what he is doing so which transformational changes can you can be readily apparent in your lifestyle and observed by others today which are they do people know what you’re devoted to prayer and and evangelism if those two areas are given from the page do people see clear change in the way you think and conduct yourself is it foolish or is it wise is it are you more concerned about yourself or more concerned about others is there noticeable is there a noticeable difference in your speech is it gracious is it flavorful does it preserve and hold back corruption is it well timed uh these are the things that we all look for in our life to say how are we maturing how are we growing and I and I just pray that you see them and um if you don’t see any of it that’s that’s a real problem because it may be that you are not a Believer at all and that’s that’s probably the uh the most important thing is that if you don’t see that uh and you say I believe these things but I don’t see those things well then uh you may have to come believe in Jesus Christ you’ll need to come believe in Jesus Christ Christ as your lord and savior and repent of your sin of unbelief and Trust in Christ and then things will change as the spirit of God will fill you and the word of God will fill you and you will bear this kind of fruit that’s what the scripture says and no false system no religious system no false thinking can produce this in someone’s life but the Holy Spirit through the word of God that’s it you’re not going to find it anywhere else let’s pray Lord this morning we we thank you again for your word we thank you that we find in it the Practical everyday things that we go through and what to look for Lord we want to submit to you we want your will to be done we want these transformational things to take place in our own life we do want that Lord and Lord when we do fail and we will and we fall on our face and we say the wrong the wrong things in the wrong way at the at the wrong time lord make it make us aware of it quickly that we may repent and turn from it but Lord I pray the spirit of God would help us to think before we speak so when we do speak it and we do practice speaking the right way that it would be in a way that honors you and honors the pering people who are young in the Lord uh to come alongside them and show them some of the things that need to change in their lives so they can honor you in in these things and we can give you praise and and uh and just give you thanks for all the good things that you bestow upon us and so I just thank you this morning Lord sanctify us