The average person speaks 7 thousand words, SOME about 20 thousand.
It is said in one day what we speak could fill a fifty-page book.
In your lifetime you would fill all 32 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica.
Often you can tell a lot about a person by what they say and do.
Jesus said in
Luke 6:45 “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
That is, you can tell what is on the inside by what comes out of their mouth.
As a kid raised by an old-school mom, I would get in trouble for sticking out my tongue.
I thought it was the next best thing to cursing.
As I grew up going to the doctor, I asked why you guys always ask a patient to stick out your tongue.
Come to find out you can tell a lot about a person's health by it.
Whatever is taking place in the gut is reflected in the mouth.
And so, what you say becomes a gauge of that person's spirituality.
At least to some degree.
Again, as a kid and some of you can relate,
my mom thought she had the cure for foul language and she washed our mouths out with soap but the problem was not in the mouth
it was the heart.
We are in a section of scripture where Paul is dealing with the new man.
He talks about ~
the sufficiency of Christ
Reconciliation
Service to the Lord
Our world view
Not religion but relationship
Not being carnal-minded
Our character as believers
AND The order of the Home
And now we come to this section of scripture.
Paul begins to teach on the New Mouth.
Remember if you are a New Man we change.
THE WORD IN THE GREEK IS METANOIA
IT IS WHERE WE GET OUR ENGLISH WORD METAMORPHOSIS FROM.
IT'S THE WORD USED TO DESCRIBE WHEN A CATAPILLIER BECOMES A BUTTERFLY.
OUR CHANGE IS SPIRITUAL AND THERES IS PHYSICAL.
OURS DEAL WITH REPENTANCE AND THEIRS WITH SCIENCE.
Like an accent,
When I first came to California from NY, people would always ask where I was from because I pronounced words differently.
So, Paul is saying to lose the old accent and let your speech be seasoned with salt and grace.
So, speech is powerful.
The English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton
wrote the phrase
"The pen is mightier than the sword"
in 1839
in his historical play Cardinal Richelieu.
The phrase emphasizes the idea that speaking, writing, and thinking have more influence on people. More than violence or force.
Colossians 4:2-6
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; 3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
I am going to give you 4 benefits to Godly speech.
1. The first benefit of Godly speech is prayer:
I don’t have enough time to expound upon this as I would like but prayer is powerful.
We all know this!
It is the key that unlocks the resources of heaven to be unleashed on earth.
We pray for~
Healing - and people are healed.
For thanksgiving- and God blesses.
For forgiveness- and God forgives
The Bible says
Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Prayer pushes the kingdom of darkness back.
Matthew 16:16-18 NIV
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God. “Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
John 14:12 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
Jesus said the church is a house of prayer:
Isaiah 56:7
Even them I will bring to My holy mountain,
And make them joyful in My house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices
Will be accepted on My altar;
For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
Luke 19:45-46 45 Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
Prayer is asking God to do what He can only do.
The Bible says apart from Christ we can do nothing.
John 15:5
There is nothing too big or too small for God to handle.
2. The second area God deals with in our speech is Proclamation.
Look at verse 3
3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,
Here Paul is saying pray for me…
We put people on our prayer list and if you are like me you look for the update.
Paul is in jail.
He wants the boldness of God to open a door for him to share the gospel.
So, he is telling the church to add him to their prayers to be able to proclaim the good news.
3. Pray with specifics
Look at verse 4
4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
With prayer comes transparency.
We can be so veg sometimes,
so, people will say pray for me.
And you will say, what is your need?
And they will say something like,
well God knows, just pray a general prayer.
Yes, God does know but transparency leads to oneness and unity.
We do not go to a steak restaurant and the server comes over and says what can I get for you?
And you say, I don’t know, just bless me.
You have specifics!
You know what you want.
So is the same in prayer.
Paul was specific
and when that prayer is answered we know because of the fruit it brings with it.
4. Opportunity
Paul was an opportunist.
He loved sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Look at verses 5 and 6
5 Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
It is not enough to just pray.
What good is it if we are living like the world and blowing every witness before God?
The people who know you will see or not see God in your life.
So, we are to walk in wisdom.
Redeeming the time.
With a gracious speech that purifies like salt.
That you may know how you ought to answer each one.
This is the daily life we live.
As believers.
Let’s pray
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