Colossians 4:5-6

Colossians chapter 4 and verses 5 and 6. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your speech be all away with grace seasoned with salt, that ye may know how you ought to answer every man. May God bless to be. us is sacred and holy word this morning. There was a man who claimed to be a long-time teetotaler, but his friends doubted that that was the case. When he was asked how long he had been an abstainer from alcohol, he replied on and off for 20 years. Significant smile came from the face of his friends, an abstainer on and off. Yes. His example, example really didn’t stand for much. In the same manner, there are those who profess to be believers, and they appear to be Christians on and off, and nobody respects them. Like the Laeasians, some are neither hot nor cold, but are lukewarm when it comes to their faith. And the world looks upon them, and the world sees the inconsistency. and looks with disdain upon Christianity. You know, when a police officer wears a uniform, he puts on his badge, and he’s on duty. Well, all believers should feel like the Christian badge is on all the time, day and night. We never get to take it off. We’re always on duty. You’re to live as a Christian 24-7. our text specifically states how you’re to conduct your life in this world. And so our topic this morning is your conduct toward outsiders. And my first thought is this. Let’s talk about your world. Verse 5 here. It speaks about those who are without. We see here that you are to distinguish between insiders and outsiders. Paul particularly focuses your conduct with regard to your conduct on the outsiders. In other words, unbelievers, those who are without, stands in contrast with those who are of the household of the faith. The Church of Christ is portrayed as a city in which believers are said to dwell. As we read in Hebrews 12, 22, and 23, you are common to Mount Zion onto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn. So the unbelievers are foreigners. They’re not part of God’s holy city. They’re outside its walls. You remember in the book of Song of Solomon, the church, is said to have a watchman and keepers of the walls. And within the city are the people of God. Outside the city are the enemies of God. So this phrase, them that are without, refers to all the unregenerate, anyone who is profaned, such as do not have faith in Christ, all world lengths. Now, if you would hold your place here, but look at Revelation chapter 22. and verses 14 and 15, Revelation 22, 14 and 15, blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates of the end of the city. For without our dogs and sorcerers and horomongers, murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. And so we see here that the paradise of God here is open to the believer. But those who are still in their sins are considered without the city of God. Look with me at 1st Corinthians chapter 5, if you would, verses 12 and 13, also in this regard. 1 Corinthians chapter 5 and verses 12 and 13. For what have I to do to judge them also that are with out. Do you not judge them that are within? But them that are without God judges, therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. So he’s saying, within are those who belong to the church and this particular man who is living in incest, needs to be put out of the church, put out of the city of God, so to speak, and be considered without the city. That’s one who is an unbeliever. We could look at other past but you have the gist of the teaching here of what it means to be outside and what it means to be inside. So your conduct regarding unbelievers especially need your attention. When he talks about those without, he’s talking about how you relate to unbelievers. Now you will have interactions and you will have relationships with unbelievers. It’s not that all communications with unbelievers are to be cut off or forbidden here. Christians are never commanded to live some type of isolated life where they’re a monk away from all other people. But you must separate yourself from the immoral and evil practices of the world that you see. But at the same time, you can be involved with the daily activity. of life with regard to trading commerce with regard to certain business activities such as getting your car repaired or food purchases or land or house buying or computer repair or whatever the case may be. Otherwise, as Paul puts it, you’d have to go outside the world in which you live to get away from all unbelievers. So you’re going to have dealings with family members and you’re going to have dealings with friends and work colleagues and neighbors and shopkeepers and many others who are outside the church of Jesus Christ. But it seems clear here that Paul expects you to live in such a manner that it bears a witness to those who are outside of the church. They are to see in you what the grace of God does in a person’s life. Now let me make two brief observations. In the first of this, you need to ask yourself, am I an insider or am I an outsider? Do I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ? Am I a believer in the Lord? Or am I an unbeliever? Am I of those who God smiles upon or are those God’s frown is upon? Are you an enemy of Christ? Are you a friend of Christ? The second thought is this. You should conduct yourself in such a way that Christ is exhibited before the world. Let your light shine before the world. Others may see it. That is a sacred duty. So this is your world in which you live, and we are particularly dealing with here our testimony with regard on believers. Now, secondly, he talks about your walk. Your walk is this. He says, walk in which wisdom toward them that are without. You’re to walk in wisdom. Now, walking refers to how you live your life. Obviously, you are to conduct your life in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord. Wisdom here is used in a sense of spiritual wisdom. In other words, you’re conducting yourself according to the will of God. We read in Deuteronomy 4, verses 5 and 6, these words. I have taught you statutes and judgments even as the Lord my God commanded me. Keep therefore and do them. For this is your wisdom. This is wisdom, you see. This is walking in wisdom is walking according to the principles of God’s word. As a parallel passage in Ephesians 5-5, it says, see that you walk circumspectly. This implies you must walk carefully so that each step you take is according to wisdom. Did you ever see a tomcat, maybe walking high up on a cement wall that has broken bottle pieces on top of it? That tomcat will walk circumspectly taking care of where each step he places it so he doesn’t cut his foot. That’s the idea here of how we should walk as believers in Christ. Now let me make a couple of observations. The first is this. This is this. This reproves many professing Christians as being unwise. If you’re not walking according to what God’s word says, you’re not showing wisdom. If wisdom is defined as one’s walk as a Christian, how is it that a professing believer can walk habitually contrary to God’s word? Knowledge of God’s word is not enough. We have to have knowledge of God’s word. but as the law scripture tells us in James 125, whosoever looketh into the perfect law of liberty and continueeth therein, he being not a forgetful here, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in its deed. When we look into the mirror of God’s word and we see how we actually appear and not being forgetful, we apply the word of God to our lives. Now we’re acting correctly. We’re walking wisely. And God says he will bless us. bless us as we live that way. Habitual disobedience to God’s word would be an indication of being unwise or unregenerate. It’s nothing for a man to walk down here on the earth, on the ground, like everyone else. But let a man walk a tight rope, 100 stories tall, between two skyscrapers in New York City, and he’ll get the attention of onlookers. That’s an amazing feat. Friends, if you’re worried. walk is entirely earthly, then you’re no different than the worldly. The true Christian walks on a much higher plane, a spiritual, heavenly plane, if you would, which can gain the attention of the men of this earth. So this reproves many professing Christians as being unwise. My second observation is this. This command should move you to seek wisdom, seeing you cannot walk properly without it. If we’re going to walk, walk wisely, and we have to know the scriptures. We have to know what God’s will is for our life. And how are we going to know that? Unless we apply ourselves to the study of the Word of God. And ask for wisdom. If any of you lack wisdom, let them ask of God. James 1.5. Also to walk wisely means to frequent the company of wise men. He that walketh with wise. men shall be wise. Proverbs 13, 20. So we have the idea of this command should move you to seek wisdom by studying the word of God, by prayer, and by fellowshiping with those who are wise in your walk. The third observation is this. Your walk in wisdom opens the door for witness. We’re going to be wise. I’ll talk about our words in a moment. But the walk opens the door to the words. So the story is told about a mission to China who was in language school. The very first day of class, the teacher entered the room, walked around it without saying a word, and then walked right back out again. She returned a few minutes later, and she said, did you notice anything special about me? The class was silent. and no one said anything for quite a while. And finally, one student raised her hand and said, I notice you had on a very lovely perfume. The class chuckled, but the teacher said, that’s exactly the point. You see, it’s going to be a long time before any of you will be able to speak Chinese well enough to be a witness of the gospel of Christ to the Chinese. But even before you’re able to do that, she said, you can know. Minister the sweet fragrance of Christ to these people by the quality of your lives. It’s your lifestyle, lived out among the Chinese people, that will minister Christ to them long before you can say a word of Chinese and give them the gospel. And that’s the same for you and I. It’s our life that opens the door for our witness for Christ. You to walk in wisdom, he says here. Now, he also adds to this you’re to redeem the time. The word time here means a fixed or definite period, a season, sometimes an opportune season. The word is used for translated opportunity in the King James Version in Galician 610. But the idea is God has given you a season of time, an opportunity, and you must redeem it. So you are to make the time. most of or take advantage of the season of time allotted to you. The idea is don’t squander away your opportunity to serve Christ and benefit those who are around you. Walk in wisdom and use your time wisely. Let me make this observation. You to use your time on this earth, but glorify God. and to work out your salvation. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be doing? Scripture asked you to be careful that your whole time on earth be redeemed. This should stir us up to employ ours on this earth fruitfully. Remember your duty to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. We’re to be like David. The scripture says David behaved himself wisely and always well. ways, and the Lord was with them. So whatever you are doing in this life, apply biblical principles to it. Be like Jesus, who though weary and hungry, did not rush to eat because he had an opportunity to expand the kingdom of God with the woman at the well and the Samaritans. And we read there that his food or his meat was to do the will of his father first and harvest some souls and then eat. So you walk. You’re to walk in wisdom, you’re to redeem the time. Thirdly, this morning, let’s talk about your words. He picks that up here in verse 6. Let your speech be all away with grace, season with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man. Grace is to shape your speech. Now the best commentary on this phrase is found in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 29. Let me read it to you. you. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers. So there you have it. The Holy Spirit interpreting this verse force in a very clear manner. All have seen words, unchasteed expressions, foolish talking, coarse jesting, lying, you know, backbiting, gossip, injurious speech, to others’ character is forbidden. They’re contrary to ministering grace. That would be corrupt communication. We’re to speak the truth in such a manner that it’s useful and edifying to those who are around us. You should seek to render some spiritual benefit to others. Another grace to others. every time you speak. He says, always. Meaning all the time. This should be our goal. So your goal is to glorify God by your words. Build up others in the faith by your words, or perhaps to witness to others by your words. Just as wisdom is to shape your behavior, he says grace here is to shape your speech. Handles classic work, the Messiah, a majestic, piece of work is all scripture set the music. You’re not likely to forget if you’ve ever heard, you know, comfort ye my people, or behold the Lamb of God or the Hellelujah chorus, something of that nature. When this masterpiece first came out, it won the admiration of many great people. Lord Kinald took the occasion to pay handle some compliments on what he called, and I quote, the noble entertainment. unquote, which he had provided lately to the town. The disappointed handle responded, My Lord, I should be sorry if I only entertain them. I wish to make them better. I wish to render grace to them. It’s to be feared that sometimes much of our speech, as professing Christians, is merely amusing talk. It’s not edifying as it should be. Nothing will raise your thoughts to a spiritual level like speaking about the things of the Lord and what God is doing and scripture and so forth. You may be we in what you say, but it may be earthly minded. Let me make a few observations here. It’s not sufficient to order your life and actions well unless you all say. or regulate your words. It is the mark of a mature and complete Christian to manage his words and his tongue rightly. Remember what James says in James 3, 2. If any offend not in word, the same as a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body. Also, to always render grace under your hears requires you to concentrate on the task. In other words, as we are superflued, we ought to be asking, what can I say that we’ll benefit this person? Or how can we get to a point of edifying speech about this particular subject? So grace is to shape your speech. Now he says your speech also is to be seasoned with salt. Now it’s unfortunate that in the English language, we have the expression salty language. Now when we use that expression, we’re thinking about someone who is cursing or swearing using foul language. I take it that it’s probably referring to someone associated with the sea, a sailor, swearing like a sailor, or something like that. Something like that. But scripture is using it in a different way when it says your speech here is to be seasoned with salt. Scripture says this, can that which is unsavory be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of eggs? Job 6.6. What is he saying here? We use salt to make something tasty, right, to make it taste better. Eggs without salt are rather tasteless or bland. So we don’t add salt to preserve the eggs. We add salt to make it taste good when we add it to the food. Grace is to speech as salt is to meat. Salt is to meat. makes food tasty and agreeable to the palate. So grace makes your words good to be received, acceptable, delightful. A word spoken in due season, how good it is. Heaviness in the heart of man makeeth it stoop, but a good word, makeeth it glad. Let me make a few observations here. No discourse of yours as a Christian ought to be unbeneficial or deemed unprofitable. We should always think in terms of what can be spiritually profitable. And secondly, you are a person destitute of salt if you are customarily harsh, vicious, and caustic in your speech. So your speech should be seasoned with salt. The third thing, he says, and the last thing, is you should be prepared in your speech to answer every man. Every man should gain an amount of spiritual knowledge so as to be able to give a proper and reasonable answer to anyone who ask about the faith. You should be capable of defending the gospel in whole or in part by arguments that you take from Scripture. At the very least, you need to know the ABC’s, the basic principles, of the way of salvation in Christ. If you can’t, you can’t answer everybody alike, because some are different ages, some have different biblical knowledge, some have different capacities and circumstances. But can you explain justification by faith to someone? Can you explain it to a child? Can you explain it to a child? you explain the idea of substitution, imputation? Can we, if we, are we able articulate some of these basic teachings? Let me make this observation. All Christians must endeavor to obtain a knowledge of divine things. This requires personal study and diligent prayer. Notice this observation as well. You can see how the Roman Catholic Church opposes scripture, because they withhold Bible from the common people. How can they answer anybody? They can’t. They can’t do what this scripture says because they’re not allowed to study the word. Third observation. You need to engage in responsive evangelism. And that is, as we are going out in this world, people are going to ask us about our faith. We ought to be able to respond properly when they do ask about our faith. And we ought to be able to tell them something about our faith, our assurance of heaven, why we’re trusting in Christ, things of this nature. Well, let me conclude. The teetoler cannot be a person who abstains on and off with regard to alcohol for 20 years. In the same manner, you can’t be a believer on and off. No one is going to respect that. Our text here talks about your conduct toward outsiders. Your world is that there are those inside, who are insiders and those are outsiders. You should recognize that distinction. Your walk is, you’re to walk in wisdom and while you’re doing it, redeem the time. In your words, they should be with grace, season with salt, and I’ll have a ready answer or have the ability to answer people who ask us about our faith. Let us close with a word of prayer.