Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

As you get to know me, you’ll learn that I love Asian food; and I love gathering around Asian food and sharing in it together, but there is a problem in introducing my friends to Asian restaurants.

See, most authentic Asian restaurants tend to only focus on the quality of their food, and aesthetics is an avenue for potential.

I learnt this when brought the assistant minister of one of my previous churches to one of my favourite restaurants in Eastwood to try Korean food.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

I’m going to call him George.

George is Anglo Australian who grew up in the Shire.

He’s never had Korean food before.

And just try to imagine us sitting down in this really small restaurant; the dull yellowy-green wallpaper are starting to peel off the walls; the tables and chairs are comfortably underwhelming; and they had these homemade printouts of their menu and pictures of their food blu-taked to the walls.

After about two minutes of George’s first experience inside a Korean restaurant, he turned to me said, “So Os, is this the look they were going for, or do they just not care?”

I couldn’t help but laugh, because I had never even considered that aesthetics was something you might even consider in an Asian restaurant.

For Asians, the aesthetics of a restaurant doesn’t need to match the quality of the food of a restaurant.

As long as the food is excellent, it’s fine—aesthetics is not a big deal.

Most Asian restaurants tend to just focus on the quality of their food, and aesthetics isn’t a big deal.

And I had to admit, I had been going to this restaurant for about 15 years and I never even noticed how ugly the restaurant was until then.

I realised this was one of the big cultural differences between Asians and Anglo-Australians when I took my friend to have Korean food for the first time.

We sat down in this really small Korean restaurant; the dull yellow-green wallpaper were starting to peel from the walls; they had tissue boxes sitting on every table; and they had these homemade printouts of their menu and pictures of their food just blu-taked to the walls.

Now, if you just reflect on this for a moment, I wonder whether you resonate with this proverb.

It’s saying that you will receive good or evil (life or death) according to the way you use your speech.

And after a minute or two, my friend turned to me, looking really confused, and said, “So is this the look they were going for, or do they just don’t care?”

The character of the restaurant doesn’t need to match the content of a restaurant.

But I wonder whether you could say the same with evangelism and Christian speech?

If all Christians are evangelists, as we heard last week, can we say that the character of speech doesn’t need to match the content of our speech?

What is the danger of someone who declares that Jesus is their King, but their speech is ungracious, deceitful or angry at the same time?

What is the danger

It’s saying that you will receive good or evil according to the way you use your speech.

Here at church, we’ve been working through a series thinking about what “the work of the Lord” is.

And what we’ve been hearing from the Bible is that the work of the Lord is all about the gospel; the ‘gospel’ being the good news that Jesus is the Lord (which means King).

And the work of the Lord is about declaring to all people the message this gospel, and urging them to repent of their sin and to come under the lordship of Jesus but putting their trust in him.

And last week, we thought about how all Christians are involved in the work of the Lord.

All Christians are disciple-making disciples of Jesus, who hold out the word of life.

And so, the question we’re asking this week is: if all Christians are evangelists who hold out the word of life, then how should this shape Christian speech?

Should Christian speech be any different?

And if so, why?

And how?

And for the next 10 minutes or so I’m hoping to convince you that we not only have the

Really, the end point of my talk is really to convince you that we have a responsibility to align all our speech to make Jesus look excellent.

And I want to draw 3 principles for us as we think about this:

Christian speech springs from our identity in Christ

Today we’re

Christian speech ought to express our new character in Christ

Christian speech shapes others’ opinion of the Christ (sorry, there was a bit of a last minute change from the outline you would’ve received)

Christian speech endures in prayer

Why.

What.

How.

Chr

So why should Christians speak the way they ought to speak?

It’s because Christian speech springs from our new identity in Christ.

Repeat: Christian speech springs from our new identity in Christ.

And just so you know what to expect: the ‘why’ is going to be a bit more heavy-going, but after that it’s just going to a glide down the river.

Christian speech springs from our identity in Christ

They say

So, Christian speech springs from our identity in Christ.

Repeat: “Christian speech springs from our identity in Christ.”

Now, knowing the ‘why’ of an action or instruction really helps us to appreciate it more, doesn’t it?

One of our friends—when she was dating, her now-husband would often say to her, “I love you,” to which she’ll always reply, “But why?”

Knowing the ‘why’ helps us to better understand and appreciate something.

So, as we read from , what is the reason that Paul gives that undergirds verses 5 and 6?

Fast

“Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Why?

Paul actually gives us the reason why back in chapter 3, and it talks about our new identity and character in Christ.

When I was learning how to read the Bible I was told that if I didn’t understand something, I should read the chapter beforehand.

Our words are shaped by our ident

Our words are shaped by our identity

Our words ought to be shaped by who we are in Christ

Jesus said in ,

“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Paul actually gives us the reason why back in chapter 3, and it talks about our new identity and character in Christ.

Or in other words, our hearts are like a fountain from which our words spring.

And so the words we speak reveal to the world what our hearts and character are like.

But... if, as God’s word claims, we have been given a new heart—a new identity and character in Christ—then that ought to shape the words that spring out of us.

But... if, as God’s word claims, if we have been given a new identity and character in Christ, then it ought to shape the way we speak.

And if we have been given a new identity and character in Christ, then it is our responsibility to understand it really

This is going to be important as we thinking about our words, because our words reveal our character.

If we always complain and grumble, it says a lot about who we are and what we are like.

But what does it mean to be wise?

Or where does this wisdom come from?

And this is all the more important because words reveal our character, doesn’t it?

Words tell people who we are… and if we are in Christ—if we are Christians—it tells people who Christ is.

But if we have a new identity and character in Christ, then it ought to shape the way we use our words.

And because his identity and character shapes the way we speak, it’s important to know what that identity and character looks like.

There is actually a theme of wisdom in this letter to the Colossians—and wisdom always has to do with speech and with Christ.

So in , it says:

“Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.”

Or in :

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.”

Or—the verse which is probably the most helpful—in , which talks about Christ:

“in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

Col

Wisdom is recognising who you are in Christ, and living and speaking accordingly.

Ghandi.

James.

The way we use our speech matters.

Careless

Christian wisdom is recognising who you are in Christ, and speaking accordingly.

We have actually been given a new character and identity in Christ

So turn with me to , and try and recognise what this new identity look like in verses 1-4: