Sermon – “Seasoned with Salt”

Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. 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 mean this morning I titled season with salt and I’m not talking about seasoning or food with salt but some of the has some have high blood pressure so I’m talking about our speech may our speech be Season with salt. But there’s actually a couple topics of the tech talking about this morning and hitting on so let’s begin by reading the scripture it’s Colossians chapter four verses one through six and hear the word of the Lord. Masters give your bond servants what is just and fair knowing that you also have a master in heaven. Continue her Knisley in prayer being vigilant and it with Thanksgiving. 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 that I may make manifest make it manifest as I ought to speak walk in wisdom toward those who are outside. Read aiming the time let your speech always be with grace. Season with salt that you may know how you ought to answer each one a man may God at His blessings that here in the reading of His Word. Let us go to the Lord’s prayer Father we just thank you and praise you for your word father your word it guides us. Directs us helps us to learn how we ought to live our Christian lives and God I just pray that your board would touch each of our hearts today Father God let it penetrate deep down that it take root in our hearts. Father help us to receive what you have for us today. Lord anything in this message today that was not a view that it big on board let’s not even be spoken but God may you speak clearly to us from your throne room father we just pray that we would use what you give us for your glory. To help us to grow to edify and build up your church the Lord in Jesus name Amen. I want to attempt to stress the importance of a couple things. Prayer and the things that we say or speech how we say them the primary way to keep spiritual to keep spiritually alert for us is through what prayer. Amen. Prayer is our communication with God That’s how we listen to God and how we talk to God It’s not just saying God I want this I want this right need this I need this but it’s listening to what he has to say also but what does it mean to be vigilant in prayer one definition of vigilance is to keep a careful watch for danger. Keep a careful watch for danger so healthy prayer life allows you to recognize and to respond to attacks from the enemy before they even happen. Being vigilant prayer gives you insight into the things which are unseen. The UN natural things not the fleshly things but the spiritual things. It allows you access into the spiritual realm. Whenever you go to Lord’s Prayer to Laos you access into the spiritual spiritual realm Jesus knew when he went into the garden and examine me the night before his crucifixion he knew what was coming the next day he went to the Lord went to the father to pray and he instructed his disciples to keep watch. He took several with several of his disciples with him and said Keep watch remain vigilant but what did they do. Have you ever tried to remain vigilant and prayer and one and had the same thing happen the same results. Fell asleep they’re praying away next thing you know like where was I supposed to be friend Lord help me be the. Didn’t Jesus said My soul was exceedingly sorrowful even to death. Stay here and watch with me. Watch be vigilant then it came through the disciples and found them sleeping and said to Peter what could you not watch with me WANT to our watch and pray lest you enter into temptation the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. That’s from Matthew twenty six if we are not. Vivid lint and careful to watch and pray we could enter into temptation. It helps to prevent us from entering into temptation when we are vigilant in our prayers. Jesus was experiencing deep sorrows because he knew what was common whenever we experience deep sorrows in or sold there’s a choice to be made we can ignore the sorrow by suppressing it or we can go to the Lord’s Prayer who will guide us. Will strengthen us in our sorrows. Disciples chose to sleep rather than to pray. Jesus reminded them we must fight our flesh that’s powerful. We must fight our flesh the flesh is weak the flesh likes comfort the flesh likes the worldly things but we must fight against the flesh and be vigilant in prayer to seek the spiritual things or spirits are willing but the flesh is weak and Matthew seven the word says Ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you for everyone who asks receives and he seeks fines and to him who knocks it will be open for what man is there among you if his son asked for bread. We’ll give him a stone. Were faster a fish will give him a serpent. If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more we are father who is in heaven give good things to use to ask him. We read this and sometimes we think you know God hasn’t answered my prayers why hasn’t God given me what I asked for or will sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes the answer is not yet there’s just of the lay it may help increase or faith may help increase our devotion to him but our prayer selfies searcher a heart and ask him I ask in these things for selfish reasons or am I asking for God’s will to be done he also says to rejoice always and pray without ceasing in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. God urges us to be persistent in prayers to don’t give a never give up on our prayers but we must not be selfish in our prayers. Seeking our own but we should seek His will to be done there is a parable of the most obvious of I’m sure have read is found in Luke after eighteen Then Jesus spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not lose heart. Saying that there was a certain that in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man now there was a widow in that city and she came to him saying get justice for me from my habits series and he would not for a while but afterward he said within himself that I do not fear God no regard man yet because this widow troubles me I would venture less by her continual coming to me. She worry me. Then the Lord said Hear what the UN just judge said and shall not God avenge his own elect on who who cry out to him day and night though he bears along with them. Do we practice this kind of vigilance in our prayers that we don’t give up you know that I that parable is I mean it’s an interesting parables kind of humorous. She just kept going to this judge kept going and he wouldn’t bear her request in but kept going to she’s like see he’s like she’s going to wear me out. You’ve all heard the saying The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Right I mean just keep asking keep asking keep asking and or kids sometime where us out I know I shared a story many years ago but many years ago the kids wanted a puppy and I can’t say enough that it we want to puppy and I kept saying No Daddy we want to puppy they’d put notes in my lunchbox. They’d put notes some of pillow they put notes everywhere we want to puppy they’ve Well guess what they found they wore me down and I got a puppy who do you think got to take the puppy out and walk. Yeah I did and she did we did we did. Yeah mom and dad did. Sorry mom and dad did but they wore me down so don’t give up in our prayers don’t give up in your prayers. The some say well you ask once and then you don’t ask no more because if you ask you don’t have again at me Joan have faith no this parable tells us keep asking keep asking Don’t give up be persistent be vigilant in your prayers. He says I tell you I will avenge them speedily I will avenge them speedily worn wears be great teacher and commentary writer commentator not a common sailor route many commentaries would be a commentator. He says that prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven but to get God’s Will done on earth is to get God’s Will done here it is not telling God what to do or what to give but prayers asking God for that which he wants to do in to give according to His will. That’s what prayer is and ought to be what it needs to be it’s in the Lord’s Prayer let die will be done On earth as it is in heaven not to get our will done in heaven but the have his will done. Owner the Apostle Paul the example or scripture from Colossians fours in the mazing illustration of prayer that seeks God’s will to be accomplished. Paul when he’s writing this letter. He’s in prison he is in prison and what that he pray that he prayed Father I pray that these prison doors would be open that I can get out of this horrible place he did not he said Father operated the doors will be opened back up. Present the gospel not the material the strong bar doors but the doors of the people’s hearts. God I pray that the doors the Hearts will be open to receive the word that I have for them that they might receive Jesus that was his prayer that his will would be done that he would be a witness even in his chains in prison are we that earnest in our prayers are with that concern that his will be done not ours in Philippi and we read from Paul says all the saints greet you but especially those who are of Caesar’s household imagine Eve Even those of Caesar’s household how was he able to preach to those of Caesar’s household by being. Isn’t you know when he was in prison he had an audience with many of the governors with Festus in a grip and many others was able to share the word because he was imprisoned how do you not been in prison they would have never heard the truth heard the Gospel. God’s will was done we need to look at that the spiritual things and not just the earthly things I’m sure it wasn’t pleasant. Being in that situation so words God placed us sometimes in an unpleasant place. Are we using it to glorify him. Verse five in our passage said walk in wisdom toward those who are outside. Redeeming the time to walk in wisdom toward those who are outside is not to say or do anything that would hinder your chance to share the gospel message with them how many times if you earlier heard the old saying I’d rather hear rather see a sermon any day than to hear one we need to walk the walk not just talk the talk the talk we need to walk in wisdom for those who are outside the church so that we don’t hinder someday being able to witness to them. You picking up what I’m putting down be careful how you treat those are outside the church because how you treat them if you treat them badly someday then you go back and try to witness to them it won’t work because we’re going to remember that day you said or did something that harm than the hurt them. Verse six said Let Your Yeah. Verse six said that your speech always be with grace that your speech always be with grace. Season with salt that you may know how you ought to answer each one. Consistency of life must be followed by consistency of speech it’s not only what we do what we say we must have consistency in our speech. Poll is not speaking of preaching here when he says this but he’s speaking to a general conversation. Believer speech must always first be with grace. Luke for twenty two says so all bore witness to Him and marveled at the gracious words which preceded out of his mouth and they said is this not just of sun they were more of will by his gracious speech. Way gree the way Jesus graciously spoke to the people would rather say that about you are you gracious in your speech and I’m not going to say just for those outside the church to all there is no place in a Christian speech for those things that characterize the unredeemed of the world there’s no place for in a Christians mouth whether we are undergoing persecution whether we have stress in our life rather we have difficulties in our lives even if we are experiencing an injustice in our life whether it’s with our spouse or others with our children brothers if it’s with Believer unbelievers there is no splays for that and reading speech to come out of our miles are speech needs to be Season with salt it needs to be gracious. We need to make gracious speech a habit in our lives to speak with grace means to say what is spiritual to say that which is wholesome to say that which is fitting to speak with kindness to be. Sensitive to be purposeful to be complimentary to be gentle to be truthful to be loving to be thoughtful. That’s what it means to speak with grace. Paul wrote new phases for twenty nine let know on wholesome word proceed from your mouth. I’m guilty I’ve said things I should in the said but let no one wholesome word proceed from your mouth but only sets a word it is good for the edification according to the need of the moment that it may give grace to those who are here with this mouth I prayed that we edify that we build up that we encourage. I found a story how in a little country church there was an altar boy and he was serving a priest as Sunday Mass one Sunday morning he accidentally dropped the crew of wine the village pre-strike the altar boy sharply on the cheek and in a gruff voice shouted Leave the altar and don’t come back with that boy became to toe the communist leader then in another state. Tory and a large cathedral an altar boy was serving the bishop One Sunday morning at Mass. He to accidentally drop the crude of wine but with a warm twinkle in his eye the bishop gently whispered some day you will be a priest with that boy grew up to become the archbishop Fulton Sheen the power of our words the power of our words how do we respond hopefully with graciousness the speech of the believer must be. Season with salt it must have an effect. Salt can sting when it’s rubbed into a woman right. Proverbs twenty seven six says faith for the wounds of a friend but the kiss of an enemy or deceitful. Sold also prevents corruption a believer speech should act as a purifying influence rescuing conversations from the filth that so often goals things that we hear today. Sold also adds flavor doesn’t it. And the speech of a believer should add charm and wit to any conversation. There’s a group missionaries meeting one time a neighbor discussing the text you are the salt of the earth. One suggestion after another was made as to the meaning of salt in this verse. Sold in parts desirable flavor said one soul preserves from decay suggested another. Then alas the Chinese girl spoke up and said spoke of an experience that none of the others had thought of she said salt creates thirst and she said this there was a hush in the room and everyone was thinking have I ever made anyone thirsty for the Lord Jesus Christ is yours is your speech. Season with salt. Have you ever made someone thirsty for Jesus Christ have the things that you spoken made them want what you knew and here is your speech season with Saul was quiet but it. It’s an amazing question it’s a hard question Have we made someone thirsty for Jesus Christ because of the things that we speak of I pray that we have are words are powerful or words are so powerful we need to be cautious of what we speak you know there’s a story I know I use as many years ago back when I was filming in central United Methodist I found a story about a. Amanda took these young son up on the hill side one day on a windy day and had a pillow with him and he gets up to the top of this hill and he cut the pillow open a just he went like this and all the feathers just went flying off through the air and I stood there watching and the dad said to the son he said Now go gather up in feathers The boy looked up at him and said Have some possible Dad It can’t be done he said those feathers are your words once they come out of your mouth you can’t go take them back as powerful once we speak harshly to someone we might go back and try to make amends. Say I’m sorry but that hurt still there let your words be gracious that your speech be Season with salt. That’s the word for the day. Men