Colossians 4:5-6

Introduction

[ILLUS] I know a Christian man named John who works for an energy company in Mississippi. He oversees different crews with a variety of personalities on each one.

One day, a new-hire came up to him.

“Mr. John, I’m George.”

“Nice to meet you George.”

“Mr. John, some of the other guys said you wouldn’t like it when you found out, so I’m just going to go ahead and tell you right now: I’m gay. Is that going to be a problem?”

"Well, George, I think the guys said that because they know I’m a Christian and the Bible does say that kind of thing is wrong, but I won’t treat you any differently just because your gay. So long as you do your job, we’ll be fine.”

John said that George worked for him for awhile and then left for a better job in another part of Mississippi. They kept up with each other for a bit, but soon lost touch, that is, until one day George called John with a surprise.

“Mr. John?”

“Yeah?”

“This is George. Do you remember me?”

“Yeah, George. How you doing, bud?”

“I’m doing real good, Mr. John. I wanted to thank you for treating me so well when I worked for you. I know we had our differences but you always treated me with respect, and, well, I wanted to tell that I’m a Christian now. I’ve left that old stuff behind and I’m married to a godly woman now; and I thought you might like to know that I’m getting baptized this Sunday.”

John said that he was stunned, and then he was rejoicing, but the possibility of this sort of thing is what Paul had in mind when he encouraged the Colossians in Colossians 4:5-6 to…

Colossians 4:5–6 NASB95

5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

[CONTEXT] In the early part of his letter to church at Colossae, Paul proclaimed Christ as preeminent—preeminent over all, preeminent in the church, preeminent in the home, and preeminent in every interaction we have with other human beings.

Paul knew that interactions with others were opportunities to influence them toward Christ.

He had asked the Colossian believers to pray for him as he had those opportunities, and [CIT] then he challenged them to take full advantage of their Gospel opportunities by paying careful attention to how they walked and talked.

[INTER] How’s your conduct, Christian? Is your walk influencing anyone toward Christ? Is your way of living making anyone interested in new life in Christ?

How’s your speech? Is your talk drawing anyone to Christ? Do the words coming out of your mouth make anyone interested in Jesus?

[PROP] If we are going to draw unbelievers to Christ, we must pay careful attention to how we walk and talk.

[TS] But before we examine our walking and talking, there’s a couple of QUESTIONS we must answer.

Major Ideas

Question #1: Are you an insider or an outsider? (Col. 4:5a)

Colossians 4:5 (NASB95)

5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders...

[EXP] An outsider is an unbeliever—one who has not trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord. We were all once outsiders, but we were likely influenced toward Christ by an insider—one who has trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord.

Those that trust Jesus, that have faith in Jesus, that have believed on Jesus for salvation, they are insiders—they are in Christ and are new creations.

Everyone else is an outsider.

[APP] Am I an outsider?

To answer that question I must determine if I’ve trusted in Jesus, and to determine that, I must understand a few things.

One, I must understand that I’m a proven sinner.

There are two things that prove I’m a sinner: my conscience and God’s Law.

In Romans 2:14-15, Paul wrote…

Romans 2:14–15 NLT

14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. 15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.

Because I have done things in violation of my own God-given conscience, I’m a proven sinner.

But in Romans 3:19-20, Paul wrote…

Romans 3:19–20 NLT

19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.

Because I have done things in violation of God’s law (e.g., lying, stealing, lusting, coveting), I’m a proven sinner.

This is why Paul writes in Romans 3:23…

Romans 3:23 NLT

23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.

In other words, because of my sin against God, I’m an outsider…

…but the first step to becoming an insider is admitting that I’m a sinner.

Two, to determine if I’ve trusted in Jesus, I must determine if I understand that Jesus is a proven Savior.

In His sinless life, Jesus proved to be my Savior.

In 1 John 3:5, John wrote…

1 John 3:5 (NASB95)

5 You know that (Jesus) appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.

In His sacrificial death, Jesus proved to be my Savior.

In 1 Peter 2:24, Peter wrote…

1 Peter 2:24 (NASB95)

24 (Jesus) Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

In His victory resurrection, Jesus proved to be my Savior.

In Romans 1:4, Paul wrote…

Romans 1:4 (NASB95)

4 (He) was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord…

To determine if I’ve trusted Jesus, I must ask myself if I admit that I’m a sinner and if I believe that Jesus came to take away my sin by His sinless life, by His sacrificial death, and by His victorious resurrection.

And that’s the third thing: to determine if I’ve trusted in Jesus, I must ask myself if I understand that belief in Him is the only proven strategy.

In Romans 10:9-11, Paul wrote...

Romans 10:9–11 NASB95

9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

If you understand that you are a sinner, that Jesus in the only Savior, and if you believe in Him and what He did for you in His death and resurrection, then you are no longer an outsider; you are an insider—you are in Christ.

[TS] But I have another question for you then…

Question #2: Do you care about outsiders?

We should. Our hearts should break for outsiders—for those without faith in Jesus Christ.

Our hearts should break for them because without Jesus...

…their hope is at best temporary.

…their happiness is at best temporary.

…their healing is at best temporary.

And then, once they die, they will face the judgment where their sin and unbelief will condemn them—not temporarily—but eternally.

Do you care, Christian? Do you care, insider, that outsiders are passing away to eternal doom?

God cares.

Although He is angry with the wicked every day, He does not delight in the destruction of the wicked, but wants for all to come to turn to Him.

If God cares about the outsiders and wants to see them become insiders, then that is what we should want to.

So, do you care about outsiders?

If yes, then care about your walk (Col. 4:5).

Colossians 4:5 NASB95

5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

[EXP] Conduct yourself—live, act, walk with wisdom toward outsiders.

We might say it like this, “Live in a way that says to unbelievers, ‘Jesus is good and true.’”

When we live in the way of Jesus in our interactions with others we are witnessing to goodness of Jesus and the truthfulness of Jesus.

If Jesus weren’t good and true, we would revile when we are reviled; we would return insults with insults; we wouldn’t turn the other cheek or bless those who persecute us; we wouldn’t love our neighbors as ourselves.

To walk with wisdom toward outsiders is to live in the way of Jesus as a witness for Jesus.

[ILLUS] When we follow Jesus, outsiders are watching to see if we live in His way.

The evangelist, Greg Laurie, says that he gave his life to Christ because he saw a group of kids in his high school living in the way of Jesus. He said…

“I came to put my faith in Jesus Christ because of the consistent witness of a group of Christians on my high school campus. They really lived their faith. They had smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts. They intrigued me. They interested me. I found them consistent. And it was that very consistency that drew me to a Christian meeting. No one invited me. I went by myself, and I gave my life to Christ.”

[APP] Outsiders are watching us. They want to see if we will really follow Jesus.

When you interact with outsiders, are making the most of the opportunity?

The phrase “making the most” comes from a verb meaning “to buy up” like when you see a deal in the store that you just can’t pass up.

When we have the opportunity to interact with outsiders, we should see it as an opportunity to witness for Christ that we just can’t pass up.

We want to make the most of that opportunity, and we do that by living in a way that says to outsiders, “Jesus is good and true, and you need to follow Him too.”

[TS] Do you care about outsiders? If yes, then care about your walk. And…

If yes, then care about your talk (Col. 5:6).

Colossians 4:6 NASB95

6 Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

[EXP] If grace is unmerited favor, then gracious speech is kind even when kindness is undeserved. As Peter said in 1 Peter 3:8, it is speech that doesn’t return insult for insult but gives a blessing instead.

The phrase “as though seasoned with salt” means that the Christlike flavor of our words will be brought out by their graciousness.

And we must notice that different words of grace will be needed for the different outsiders we interact with; Paul says at the end of v. 6, “so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

An outsider may ask about the way we live, and as Peter said, we must always be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks us to give an account for the hope that is in us, yet with gentleness and reverence (1 Pet. 3:15).

That gentleness and reverence is what Paul referred to as grace.

Maybe an outsider will ask about the way you submit to your husband.

Maybe it will be the way you sacrificially love your wife or raise your children.

Or maybe they will ask about the way you conduct business or care for your neighbors.

Or maybe they will ask about the cross on your necklace.

[ILLUS] A Christian brother named, Greg, pulled through a fast food drive-thru, order his food, and came up to the window to pay. He say that the attendant was wearing a pretty, hand-carved cross around her neck.

He said, “I like your cross.”

She said, “Thank you. I like the person who died on the cross for my sins. And I love the person who rose from the grave after dying on that cross.”

Greg said, “She could have left it at ‘Thank you,’ but her faithful witness touched him and drew him closer to the Lord that day.”

[APP] Are your words doing that? Are you words touching people and drawing them closer to the Lord? Are your words flavored with grace?

So many words today are flavored with anger and hate.

So many words today are seasoned with irritation and impatience.

So many words today have no grace in them.

So many words today have no Christ in them.

Examine your talk, insider. Examine your words, Christian.

What do people hear when they hear you speak?

Do they hear anything that sounds like the goodness and truthfulness of Jesus?

Conclusion

[PRAYER]