Now, if you turn back to the book of Colossians, to this short epistle of Paul to the church at Colossae, and out of the fourth chapter, we'll look at two verses here this evening, just two, short, two verses, but they have so much meaning, and these verses, verses 5 and 6, are though small in the space they take up on the page and grammar and words, they're very important, they're very impactful, and they're very convicting, really, when we think of them. When we think about what they imply and what we're to do with them, Now in the book, the epistle to the Colossians, we see in this section, in chapter 3 and 4, how this divides up in chapters 1 and 2 of the epistle is the doctrinal portion. Paul often did that. He starts with doctrine and then he moves to the outworking, the practical outworking of that doctrine in the lives of the believers. And this epistle is no different. In the epistle to the Ephesians, you find the same thing. The first several chapters are doctrinal, and then it moves into the practical aspect of those doctrines. Philippians, same way. And so, many of these epistles are written that way. And so, this is what we want to look at. These, of course, are the duties of the Christian life. And he's giving them their various, starting in chapter 3, and moving through to verse 6 and chapter 4. Here we see various numerous ones. Verse 1 of chapter 4, we find, "...Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal." Well, he's talking about their masters, and then you go on into And previous to that, in chapter 3, we find he talks about the home and husbands and wives and the interaction with children. And so, it goes from one subject to another, but we mustn't miss the importance of these things and what he wants us to understand. In these duties, we see that these are the outworkings of how we're to interact with the world at large. And he says that twice in both these verses. In verse 5 he says, "...toward them that are without." And then in verse 6 he says that, "...you may know how you ought to answer every man." So that would mean the world at large from outside the walls of the church. And so this is very important because we bear a testimony outside these walls. Now it's easy for us to stand in here and to deal with each other and deal graciously and speak graciously and to help and be hospitable, but is this what we are doing to those outside the walls? And these things are important because men understand, they watch, they see us. They're looking for consistency between what we say and what we do. There's a little colloquial thing in the States. I haven't heard it used here, but it's a saying that says, they talk the talk and walk the walk. And that's a worldly saying. That's not from the Christian circles. That's in the world. It's often used in sports when there's a bunch of mouth running and whether they have the talent and ability to back it up on the field or the pitch. And so, this is us. Are we talking the talk and walking the walk? This is important. And I want to put this before you this evening, that you would be mindful of your conduct and speech. And then that's what Paul is drawing us to. That's the beauty of these texts in the epistles. It doesn't get lost in translation of history, where it might mean something that day to that people, and we have to apply it in a way to us today. But no, this clearly cuts through. We have a life outside the walls of the church, and we are watched and listened to. And is our talk and our walk consistent with that and how we're interacting with the world? And the men of the world, we have an audience. They're watching very clearly. We often think they're not, But we know they are because you don't have to see the failing of any of the other false denominations before the news gets a hold of it. And they just run wild with all the speculation and trash that religious organization. It doesn't take much. They look for it. They expect it often. So how are we walking and talking? But the bigger responsibility to this is, who do we represent? We represent God and His gospel and His church. That's why this is so important. That's why Paul is writing it. It's so that we don't tarnish His namesake. So we bring glory to Him and His gospel. So we don't put men off when our speech, our testimony, doesn't match our activities. That puts men off. And in these things, we see that we're to be mindful of our conduct and speech, and the whole purpose of this is because we can tarnish the name of our God and His church. But it teaches us that we're to be purposeful with our conduct and speech. We must be mindful and think and be deliberate. We are not just rambling through life with no view as to how we're to do these things. And this is what we want to look at this evening. Just two points, just two verses. There's not much here, but there is much here. And so, we start with the first one. There's two exhortations, one in verse 5 and one in verse 6. The exhortations are the Christians conduct before the world, and then in verse 6, the Christians conduct a speech before the world. Very easy to break it up. So let us look at the walk. Let us look at the conduct. Paul here is giving to us, he's charging them, he's giving them a command, a duty to walk in a certain manner. Now, what is the walk? Well, this doesn't mean the walk down the street to the shop. They should walk in a correct path or take the shortest path. No. The walk here, as it is often spoken of in scriptures, means their life in conduct. It's not the physical walk of the man from point A to point B or however they should traverse the map or to get from one place to another. No, this is the life in conduct. This is their lifestyle and how they're acting. And this is a command in the Greek. It's an imperative. And it's active. It means now. Every day. Not just in the past, not just in the future, but every day. And it's not just any walk. It's not maybe sometimes this way, maybe sometimes that way, maybe when you feel like it or you don't feel like it. They're to walk actively, being thoughtful. It's a wise walk, as he says. This is what he puts in it, walk in wisdom. And the word wisdom there, this is being governed by religious principles. This is what their walk is to be. It's to be putting into practice the principles of our religion, of the Word of God, His precepts. This is where we find the principles. This is how we know how to act. This is that practical wisdom that we put into practice. And the reason for this is this practice, this practical, is sound judgment and good sense. Oh, where do we obtain that? From His Word. I don't want to keep sounding like a broken record, but this is where we gain knowledge that is then used by wisdom on how we are to conduct ourselves. That's the difference between knowledge and wisdom. Some people make both terms synonymous, but it's not. Knowledge is that which you know, that's what you're learning and constantly learning and knowing, and the total sum of what you know. But then wisdom is how do you put that into practice, that knowledge that you have stored away. And this is what he's trying to get them to understand, that this walk is not just aimlessly or without any thought. It is practical, and it's every day, and it's how they're to be acting and walking and conducting themselves. And this even really extends over, this wisdom extends even into verse 6 with their speech, though he doesn't put it in that fashion. He says their speech should be with grace and seasoned with salt. But the wisdom even covers that. And we'll talk about that in the next point. So, this is this knowledge. It's practical. It's useful. We're applying the knowledge that we gain from the scriptures. And that's what makes our walk consistent. Now, in this, it's what we said in the introduction. This walk, in this, what we want to realize is that it's deliberate. It's purposeful. When we're using knowledge and wisdom, you have to think. You have to parse down that knowledge that's in your head and see what applies. It's not just a sauntering improv into every situation and bumbling into things. It's thoughtful. It's deliberate. It's purposeful. That is the purpose. That's why we have to do this. Life, and this is what, of course, glorifies God, and it furthers the gospel. When they see this consistent conduct, and the conduct that's befitting that which is the precepts of our religion, then they take our testimony seriously, they take our speech seriously, and it matches, the talk matches the walk. But when we have one not matching the other, that's when those at large see contempt for religion. And so, we want to be careful with this. Now, our next sub-point, further in our verse 5, we see what we're to be doing, the manner in which we're to do it, now. What is, who are we doing this to? And it says, toward them that are without. So this is very simply, nothing hidden or deep here, toward them that are without. Without, that is a statement that means those outside the church. It is those on the unbelievers. And it's a term that, of course, any of the converted Jews or Jews that would have heard this epistle read would have understood very clearly. those that are without. That's the same Greek word that was used by the Jews to describe those that are outside the Jewish nation, that are not Israelites. So Paul is using this word to put forth those that are outside. Now, in this audience that we have, we all come into contact with those that are not in the church. None of us are for being a hermit or monks or nuns. We don't believe in that. So we have contact with those out in the world. We go out. We have jobs. We go to the market. We go to other various shops. We have various duties and responsibilities in the world that have to be taken care of. We bump into worldlings. We bump into unbelievers. And you may not think much of your conduct or your speech having much sway with them, but they do. They are watching. When we have certain circumstances or trials or tribulations that go on in our own lives, they're watching your reaction. They're watching how you go about the business in those circumstances. And you can often sometimes get questions when there's a death or something and you're dealing with it and you're praying to the Lord and you're seeking the Lord and you understand that death is a part of life or something more serious. Sometimes you'll get them and come and they'll ask and say, well, how are you still together? Well, then you can answer them. You can say, it's by God. Because I understand these things. I understand how the world works and how we are perishing. So these opportunities can become opportunities for us to share the gospel. That is what Paul is wanting us to understand. That's what he's putting before us. Now, as we go forward in this audience, go forward outside the church, Paul is not saying that we shouldn't have contact with these people by no means, nor do we suggest that because, as I said, we don't believe in being monks and nuns and hermits and all that. So we are to have contact, but what is the limitation of that contact? It doesn't mean a free-for-all. It doesn't mean that we have access to do whatever we want. and to go into the various places that the worldlings or unbelievers go into. No, that is not what Paul is saying. We can have trade and commerce, and we come into contact through civil and common business. These are all in the lives of Christians. This is all that we have as we move about the world. But there are certain things we can't do, that we can't take part in, and those would be immoral actions. would be superstitious activities, false religions and practices. These are things that we can, of course, join in by any means. What does light have with darkness in fellowship? What does life and death have in fellowship? That glorious text in 2 Corinthians 6, 14 through 18. We're not to be unequally yoked with these things. But it doesn't mean that we don't go out or we just go to church and then go home and that's it. We're not hiding away. We're not communing without any contact. We are given a great commission and that great commission has to go forth by us going forth into the world. And so this is what he's getting them to understand that our conduct plays a part in that. And how does it play a part? Well, the audience is watching and it's important because we are what the world sees of the church. Do we bear this out? Do we think about it? Are we seriously thinking when we have interactions with those outside or outside the pale of the church that we represent Christ and His gospel? This is important. Let us think about this. We don't ever want to bring reproach upon the church and the gospel. Turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 12. And we'll see one of the biblical examples of this. We'll read 2 Samuel 12, verse 14. Now, just one verse, but to give you a background, this is when Nathan came to David after his sin with Bathsheba, and the child has been conceived, And so this is the end result of it. And Nathan says to David, How be it? Because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. The child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. And so he's telling David, because of your sin, your adultery, I'm pretty sure David, when he called Bathsheba privately to his chamber, thought nobody knew about it. Well, I'll just do this in secret. But Nathan says otherwise. Nathan says, the enemies now reproach and blaspheme God because of your activities, your sin. And this is what we want to think about. We have to be careful. We don't want to be stumbling blocks to those at large. This is what happens when, as Christians, we believe that we can just interact and do whatever we want in the world. There are some groups that say that. Well, you can go to the movie house, you can watch whatever movies you want, as long as you go to church, and you hold the right Bible, and you come when the doors are open. But the problem is, that confuses the people at large, because they're not sure what to believe of Christianity. So this just pushes them further away from the gospel. And really what ends up happening is as they're pushed away, they just say, well, look at the Christians, look what they do. I can do all those things and I don't need to go to church every Sunday or believe the Ten Commandments. This is the problem. We have to be deliberate in our conduct. Let us live in such a way that draws men because of our consistent conduct. one that is ruled and governed by the Word of God as we're living it out and living day to day. We're living always under the commanding power and influence of it. That's the point. That's what should govern us. And to leave you with an example, don't ever underestimate the importance of your conduct. For men are watching, yes. But I want to say, just by way of a short story, I read this, I don't remember if it was in Whitefield's biography by Dallimore or in his journals, but there was a young woman that had a boar testimony in a letter to him. And he was in the U.S., he had been traveling around, and he stayed with his family in hospitality as he was traveling. And this young girl, she was 10 or 11 years old, I don't remember her age, but she was a young girl, old enough to remember Whitefield and him being in the home. She had never heard his sermons. But what did happen is she saw how devoted he was to God in the home, in privacy. And the Lord used that to convert her, used it to draw her to himself because of how George Whitefield conducted himself. in his devotions and how he interacted with the others around him. So this is important because men see these things. Do they see us in our activities and say, well, I have to know their God or their God is just like any of the others of the world, but I don't have to be, it's too restrictive for me. I don't need that. I can do the same things without their God. Does our lives reflect the tenets of the gospel? Are we living them out before men? Now, our last phrase here in this verse, before we move on, this is one of those wonderful phrases. It is redeeming the time. And you may be well acquainted with the other text of this in Ephesians 5, verse 15, which is redeeming the time for the days are evil. course, penned by the same penman, so he just used the same phrase again. But what he wants is to set their eyes on this and how important this is, their conduct, their to be redeeming the time. And we all know time is, it slips away. It's a finite commodity. It moves forward and we cannot get it back. Though men in Providence have different lengths of time they'll be in this world, we each and every day have the same amount of time, 24 hours. Are we using these in a manner that is being redeemed? Or are we purchasing deliberately as to use, purchase for one's use? Are we using that time wisely for the sake of the glory of God and for the propagation and furtherance of His kingdom? That's what it means for the redeeming of the time. It's the buying that up. Redeeming is purchasing or buying. It is in this, it's about seizing. It's a grabbing a hold of that. and using it for a proper purpose. This means that we are not amblers. We are not just sauntering through life until next week or the week after. We have purpose. We are looking deliberately. When a man purchases something that's of value to him that he is going to use upon himself, he thinks very deliberately about that purchase. And are we doing the same thing with our time? This is not new with me, but one of the commentators I read said, and he put it in a wonderful way, it's making seasonable that which is unseasonable. So all around us is the world and the time flowing, the evil of men, the world groans under that evil and sin. Are we using and seizing opportunities to do good? to point men to the only Savior that they can have in this life, to help those who are less fortunate. Are we actively doing this? And the same commentator with the making seasonable, that which is unseasonable, says there are three means which this can be achieved. Three means. And he said, Really, what happens is you could possibly, in this making seasonable that which is unseasonable, one is renouncing worldly honors. Are you giving up those things or are you chasing after them at the sake of the gospel and your walk? Another one would be renouncing riches and material possessions. Is that where our sights are set? These are all things that at some point most men that I know have had to make a choice. It was either their Christian confession or it's these things. Because these things all take time. worldly honors and riches and material possessions that they often mean that you have to have a certain status or position within a company or a certain title. Well, these things take time and they bear out time. Would it be better to use that time for the furtherance of the gospel? Would your talents be better spent pointing men to Christ or chasing these things, things that are fleeting that'll disappear tomorrow, that you can't take out of this world? They're not going with you. And God don't need them, because they're all His anyway. And they definitely don't buy His favor, because they are His. And then the third part of this, making seasonable that which is unseasonable, is the giving of our lives. There may come a day where we're called to be a martyr. Where for our testimony, we're to die. Would we gladly give it up? Or would we do like some of those men that renounced it so they could live a day extra? Or would we be willing? We need to think often of these things. I know the giving of our own lives and martyrdom. We live in a wonderful Western industrial society that, of course, we've had such liberty. But how long will that last? How long before they start rounding up Christians and putting them to death? It can change in a night. The regimes could change. Ask some of those nations in Africa and Asia at how quick these things change. We need to be understanding and ready and deliberate with our thoughts about these things. Now our second point, the second exhortation in verse 6, the Christian's speech before the world. So our conduct is important, but also our speech. Because this is how our religion is judged. Does our speech line up with our confession? That's what we're looking at, and that's what we want to entertain these last few minutes. Now first, what does he tell them to do? So he tells them to speak, they'll have speech. How is that speech? What's the characteristic of that speech? It's with grace. It's to be gracious. And we know how important speech is. It's how we communicate. It's how we convey our ideas. It's how, when we're personally together, how we can communicate. And it's very important. And it's also important to us because the Word of God is given to us in a book that we read through words and grammar. And then also the gospel as it goes forth. But what does this mean to be gracious? It's to be imbued. It's to be full of grace. Now, what does that mean? It means it's to be pleasant. It also goes with how we say things to others. It's to be truthful. That's one of the hardest lessons to learn, how to be tactful with the truth. Sometimes you want to be blunt, but sometimes you have to do it in a certain way because it's received better. It has to be balanced. It doesn't mean we hide things for the sake of not hurting feelings. It means that we are truthful, but doing it in a certain way and to be pleasant and inviting. Now, of course, this should always be the characteristic of our speech among each other in fellowship with the brethren, but even more so with those without. Not only is this speech to be full of grace, it's to also be seasoned with salt. Now, what does that mean? That's a very strange term. The seasoning means it's to be fit, prepared, seasoned, like you're seasoning a piece of meat before you cook it or seasoning your meal. Now the Greeks used the same phrase. They called it Attic salt. And what it meant among the philosophers and those men was that it was a speech that was dotted with witty and clever remarks. Now, some commentators say that we shouldn't confuse the two, what Paul is talking about here and what those men in the wider Greek world would use this term for. But I would have to say the sentiment is somewhat there, not quite to what they would say. We're not being enticing with clever, witty remarks like a comedian or something that's trivial. But what about wit? Wit for us would be wisdom of when and what to say. And when to say, I mean, and how to say it. That's the wit part of that, the wittiness. But then, What about, so that's the seasoning. It's the fit and prepare, and it's to be with wisdom of when and what to say and how to say it. But then we see the salt. Well, what do we think about salt? Salt, think for a minute. What does salt do? Salt has two functions in one sense. It seasons. makes food taste good, taste better, it's palatable, it's desirable when you eat it, but then salt also has a purifying effect. Christ calls us the salt of the world because we're purifying. We're purified and we're set out and set aside and we hold the truth and we further that truth in the world, though it's dark and sinful. So salt, we see both of this in the salt. The speech is to be seasoned with the salt and it makes it desirable and pleasant to those being spoken to. But then also it's pure. We're not speaking trivial or false things. We're not speaking those vulgar things that you hear among the worldlings. And they do notice. I've worked around a lot of men, many who were very rough around the edges, they were electricians and things like that, but when you don't curse and carry on, they pick up on that very quickly. And even more so if you tell them you're a preacher. Some of the most roughest ones I've ever seen, you let them know that you preach, and they get very delicate with their speech very quickly. And so this is a part of that seasoned with salt. It's to be this grace and salt and to be going forth into a world that doesn't understand, doesn't know these things. If you listen to just general conversations, they're not full of grace or careful and full of wisdom. No, they're vulgar and rough and harsh. But that's not to be marked among our speech. No, no, friends. But then we see that we speak with purpose also. So, this is the characteristic of that speech. Now, it's the same thing as in verse 5. We see unto whom this speech is. And he says that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. And this goes back to what we were talking about previously with the conduct. We have an audience outside the walls of the church. We go out. We speak. They see our conduct. They see all these things about us. Are we consistent with our conduct and our speech? And this communication, he says, with all men, well, we come into contact with very many different men. from the low to the high, children, young, old, rich, poor, different tribes and tongues. And this is why we should, through wisdom, understand how we're to answer all of them. We come into contact with many different types. And they all have different sentiments and ideologies and backgrounds and circumstances. And this teaches us, of course, that we greatly rely on God's Word to help us with knowledge and wisdom. That's why the text in James has always struck me as deeply to the heart, how He says, ye lack wisdom because ye don't ask. We can pray to the wisest of beings and He'll impart wisdom to us in how we're to deal with each and every type of man. And this is important. It teaches us to speak with caution and to rely more and more upon Him and His Word for how we're to interact with these around us. Now, how do we season our speech? Well, we have many examples. There are tons, many, many, many examples throughout the scriptures that you can study just the interactions between the characters of the historical narratives that we have. But what about the greatest example we have, which is Christ? Just in the four Gospels alone, we see how He interacts with various characters, various economic statuses, those who are hurt, who are zealous religious, and who are just poor and needy. And we see how He deals with all that. Those who are hurting and grieving after loss, Take examples from those of how we should interact with those around us. What do we find often of Christ? We find His harshest words were for those who were the religious zealots, not for those who were just caught up in sin. He had great compassion and empathy for those. But then the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the scribes, Those is where His harshest words were, because they were blind to the truth. They were blind to His Word and that He was the Messiah. But for those that were just caught up in sin, He presented Himself as the Savior to them, and then called them forth. Now, in this seasoning, that's one example we have, a beautiful example of Christ and many others. Well, how to season? Well, the seasoning of our speech first is truthful. It has to be true, because we are a people of the truth. This is His Word, His Scriptures. He is truth itself. So we must not trifle with falsehoods where we can. Now, in all of this, I don't think Paul was indicating that men should be perfect. We know that we falter. We know that we sometimes say the wrong things. We're tired or we're not feeling well that day or caught off guard. These things. What he wants to point to us is that we should be mindful and deliberate. We just should be thinking and praying and staying in His Word so that when we do come across these things, that they're brought forth to us. We're to be courteous. Our speech is to be courteous. When we're in before those authorities, do we hold them with contempt? Or do we do like the world, where they don't care about authorities anymore? And the states are ripe with that. I hate to say it. That's where a lot of these police shootings come from, if you watch the videos. They don't respect the authority of the law, the police. That's what happens. It's great trouble. So we should be courteous. Are we being courteous to those that are over us in authority? We season it also with sincerity. Are we sincere? Do we talk about serious things in a sober way to show sincerity? We talked recently and on the midweek, and we have several on the prayer list for those, a young man that is dying of cancer, another lady who has cancer. When we're in the midst of them or their families, are we talking of these things in a sincere manner? Or do we blow off death, like the world does, to hide it away, to not think of our mortality? This is what our speech should be. Along with the truthfulness is, are we opposing sin? Do we speak out against those things that are sinful? Do we say, no, that's against the Word of God? And there's a way to do that. We don't have to bash people over the head and be malicious. That gives Christianity a bad name. But we should speak up and oppose sin. Our speech is to be wholesome, fulfilling, desirable. It's part of that seasoning with salt. It's to be wise. It's to give good advice and counsel to those that are in need. Then what about loving? We're to love. We're to show compassion to those that are in troubles or trials and tribulations, even those outside these walls. What does Christ direct us to? To love thy enemy. to speak well to, to help them when they're in straits. Now, what about the negatives of our speech? What are the things that don't season our speech with grace and salt? Well, one is abusive and rash speech. We have to be careful. We have to be slow to speak and quick to hear. These are things we can pray for. We're not to be vindictive. We're not to be malicious. I know the world is into these where they put downs and talk derogatory and fun and jest. Let us not do things like that. Let us not take up such things. We're not to have vain speech. Now, as I was saying, this doesn't mean that we can't talk about the weather, because we all love to talk about the weather. But it means, let's not dwell on these things that are empty. Let us have eternity in mind when we're giving answer to those around us, even those outside the church. Now, where else can we get help for this? I mentioned James. We know that he says, if you're lacking wisdom, pray, ask. Ask of God. He will give. But we also retain help from the Holy Spirit. from the third person of the Holy Trinity that has been sent to walk and commune with us. Let us turn real quickly as we get ready to finish. Luke 21. And he says here in verse 14, "...settle it therefore in your hearts not to meditate before what you shall answer, for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist." And Christ here is talking about the Holy Spirit. He's talking about how the apostles, those disciples will be yanked into before authorities. They will not have time to meditate or to put together defenses, but they don't have to worry because the Spirit will be able to give them answer. And an answer so much that those whom they are talking to won't be able to reproach it. They won't be able to condemn it. And so we have the same Holy Spirit. Now, we're not in danger of being yanked up into the authorities in that manner, but when there are difficult situations, you can quickly pray and the Lord will help and help you say what needs to be said and in the manner that needs to be said. We just need to be deliberate and thoughtful over these things and to remember that these things are ever before those outside the walls of the church. Our conduct and our speech. Does our speech match our conduct? And how we live and speak before those of the world is of great importance. There's no doubt about that. And we know that we all come into contact with those outside. We come into contact with extended family, with those in the shops and at work. And these are important things because the world is watching. What are they watching? They're watching to see if our speech and conduct match what we say we are. Are we telling them that they need Christ, but then we live as a devil six days out of the week? Are we going and doing all the things that they're doing and then try to tell them that they need to go to church and they need Christ? Well, that's not going to get very far with them. But are we deliberately redeeming the time, doing good and seizing those opportunities to do good and to point them to Christ and to glorify God with what we say and how we do it? Or are we seeking to do these things? No more should we live a life that ambles along. Maybe we did that before conversion, but now we know the reality of our mortality. We know that time is slipping away. It is going very quickly, and it gets quicker the older you get. Let us not be charged with unwise walk that will bring reproach upon our God and upon His church and push men away from the gospel. Let us think about these things. Let us search the Scriptures for how we should conduct ourselves and how we should speak and for the answers we should give for the hope that we have in Christ. This means we should live and speak in a deliberate way that glorifies God and furthers His gospel. May the Lord allow us to redeem the time and season our speech with grace and salt for His glory. Amen. Let us pray.