The Supremacy of Christ is Demonstrated in
Our Christian Witness
Colossians 4:2-6
November 18, 2001
Intro:
A. [No Soap]
In regions of Mexico hot springs and cold springs are found side by side, and because of the convenience of this natural phenomenon the women often bring their laundry, boil their clothes in the hot springs, and then rinse them in the cold springs.
A tourist watching this procedure commented to his Mexican guide: "They must think Mother nature is generous to freely supply such ample, clean hot and cold water."
The guide replied, "No senor, there is much grumbling because she supplies no soap."
B. On this Thanksgiving, I hope that will truly think about the blessings that God has given us and we will truly be thankful.
1. As has been our custom on past Thanksgivings, we will rearrange our worship service this morning.
2. Today, however will not be totally focused on Thanksgiving.
3. We share in a time of Thanksgiving, but it will not be the focus of the entire service.
4. We are going to continue in our study of Colossians 4, today verses 2-6.
5. So I want to invite you to open your Bibles and lets see how Paul says how the Supremacy of Christ is Demonstrated in Our Christian Witness.
C. Let’s read our text…
I. Devote Yourselves to Prayer
A. Being watchful.
Colossians 4:2, Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful…
1. Pastoral thoughts on text.
Paul says that we should be watchful in our prayers.
That means to be on the lookout for the second coming of Christ.
When we pray, we pray just as John did, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus."
We pray with the thought in the front of our minds that Jesus could come back at any time.
And if Christ were to come back today, what do we want God to do before then?
If Christ were to come back today, what would God want us to do before that?
If Christ were to come back today, who needs to be saved before that?
We pray with one eye closed and one eye focused on the sky.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being thankful.
2. Observance of the Lord’s Supper—Luke 22:16-18
3. Song of Watchfulness #73 "It Is Well with My Soul"
4. Prayer of watchfulness—Bill Van Bibber
B. Being thankful.
Colossians 4:2, Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
1. Pastoral thoughts on text.
As we devote ourselves to prayer, Paul also tells us to be thankful.
Those things should go hand in hand: prayer and thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving should not be something that we do only in November.
Thanksgiving should be an attitude for Christians.
Christians should have an attitude of gratitude.
2. Gifts of Thanksgiving (offering)
3. Song of Thanksgiving "Give Thanks"
4. Testimonies of Thanksgiving
5. Prayer of Thanksgiving—Suzi Moore
C. Being Evangelistic.
Colossians 4:3, And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.
1. Pastoral thoughts on text.
Paul says that we should pray for open doors to the message.
Paul says that we should pray for opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus.
Paul says that we should pray for the salvation of others.
Paul says that we should pray for men, women, and boys, and girls to hear the Good News of Jesus.
Paul says that we should pray for open doors to share the Good News and that people would accept the gift of grace that God offers them.
Those things sound so basic that they begin to sound like platitudes.
But the question is: Do we really pray like that?
Do we really pray for opportunities to share the gospel or do these kinds of verses just sound good in a sermon?
Are we really evangelistically minded?
Are we really praying for open doors?
Devote yourselves to prayer for open doors of evangelism.
2. Song of Evangelism—"People Need the Lord"
3. Prayer for Evangelism—Sue VanBibber
D. Being pastorally covering.
Colossians 4:4, Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.
1. Pastoral thoughts on text.
Paul asked the Colossians to pray that he would be able to proclaim the gospel clearly as he should.
Paul was asking them to join in the spiritual warfare that he was involved in.
Paul was asking them to join in the spiritual warfare.
Pastors need prayer!!
Pastors cannot proclaim the gospel as they should without the covering of the prayers of godly people.
Pastors cannot preach the gospel clearly without the anointing of the HS.
Pastors cannot share the message of salvation if they are in bad health.
Pastors cannot share the Good News of Jesus if he is loosing the battle of temptation in his private life.
Pastors cannot proclaim Christ boldly if they are worried about their wives or children.
If you think that I can survive without your prayers, you’re badly mistaken!
If you think that I don’t get exhausted fighting against the forces of evil, you’re badly mistaken.
If you think that Pastors are not susceptible to temptation, you’re badly mistaken.
If you think that Pastors come up with sermons out of their own intelligence, you’re badly mistaken.
If you think that Pastors learn how to give godly counseling to hurting people in Bible College, you’re badly mistaken.
If you think that I can survive without your prayers, you’re badly mistaken!
2. Prayer for the Pastor—Christine McEntire & Brian Cole
II. Be Wise in the Way You Act Towards Outsiders
A. Speak opportunistically.
Colossians 4:5, Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
1. Pastoral thoughts on text.
When God opens the doors, we need to take advantage of them.
Don’t break the doors down and try to create your own opportunities, but take advantage of the opportunities that God gives you.
If you have prayed for opportunities, and if you will have the boldness to simply open your mouth, the HS will help you share your faith.
If your are prayed up and will take advantage of the opportunity by walking through the door when God opens it, God will use you to further His kingdom.
Speak opportunistically.
B. Speak gracefully(non-condemningly).
Colossians 4:6, Let your conversation be always full of grace,
1. Pastoral thoughts on text.
One of the mistakes that many Christians make is that they think that they need to tell the person how bad they are.
But it is interesting here that Paul says that when we talk to non-believers, our speech should be full of grace.
The Greek word here is "charis" which is the same word that is used for grace in Ephesians 2:8, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
And Paul says in Colossians that when we speak to non-Christians, our speech should be full of grace.
Our speech should be full of forgiveness and God’s love, not words of condemnation.
Condemning people very rarely leads to their salvation.
Telling someone how bad they are rarely leads them to salvation.
But telling someone how much God loves us in spite of the bad things we have done, often leads them to Christ.
Be wise in the way you act towards non-Christians, speaking word full of the grace of God.
Speak gracefully.
C. Speak tastefully.
Colossians 4:6, Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt,
1. Pastoral thoughts on text.
Paul says our speech should be seasoned with salt.
We need to speak tastefully to outsiders.
We need to talk to them in ways that are uplifting and encouraging.
We need to make the gospel taste good to them.
We need to season our conversation with words that will make them feel good about God.
We need to tell them the Good News and not a list of rules and regulations.
Be wise in the way you act towards non-Christians--Speak tastefully.
D. Speak wisely.
Colossians 4:6, Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
1. Pastoral thoughts on text.
If we keep these things in mind, we will know how to answer everyone.
If we devote ourselves to prayer, we will know how to answer everyone.
If we pray watchfully, we will know how to answer everyone.
If we pray evangelistically, we will know how to answer everyone.
If we pray for pastoral covering, we will know how to answer everyone.
If we are wise in the way we act towards outsiders, we will know how to answer everyone.
If we speak opportunistically, we will know how to answer everyone.
If we speak gracefully, we will know how to answer everyone.
If we speak tastefully, we will know how to answer everyone.
How will we know? Because the HS will give us the answers.
The HS will tell us how to answer everyone.
Answering non-Christians the way the HS wants us to answer is the only wisdom there really is.
Conclusion:
A. [Regret for Not Witnessing, Citation: Peggy DesNoyers, "Silent No More," Decision (July/August 2000), p. 36]
In Decision magazine, Peggy DesNoyers writes:
My job as a psychiatric home-health nurse brought me in touch with many people who were hurt or angry and who were searching for answers to problems in their lives.
I knew that Jesus was the answer, but I couldn’t bring myself to talk to them about him.
I was the master of excuses.
[Until] one patient changed my life.
Wanda was a 56-year-old widow in chronic depression.
All of her family had died, some of them tragically, within a span of 16 years.
The loss and her grief overwhelmed her until life for her became a burden she was unable to bear.
One day she quit her job, went home, pulled the curtains, and refused to leave her house.
Eventually she stopped eating, and even the smallest of tasks became too difficult for her to do.
An observant neighbor had noticed the changed in Wanda’s behavior, and that neighbor made arrangements for her to be taken to a hospital where she was admitted to the psychiatric ward.
At the end of her hospital stay, when she went home, I was assigned to be her home-health nurse.
I visited her weekly to make sure she was taking her medication and was eating and taking care of herself.
Over the course of six months Wanda continued to recover.
Although I knew she needed to meet Jesus as her Savior, I reasoned that she would soon be attending church and would hear about him there.
One day I went to Wanda’s house for my regular visit, and I was surprised to find the door ajar.
I knocked and when there was no response, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The living room was vacant, so I went to her bedroom and found her lifeless body on the bed.
There were several empty medication bottles beside her, and in her hand she held a noted addressed to me.
I sat on the bed beside her and took the note.
I read: "Dear Peggy, I’m so sorry. I tried it your way, but I got tired. Please forgive me. I tried. I just couldn’t do it. I got tired."
I slid off the bed onto my knees and cried my heart out to my loving, forgiving Father: "Lord Jesus, she tried it my way. I gave her the best that I had. But it was my way. I didn’t tell her about you. I didn’t tell her about your way."
On my knees beside [Wanda’s] lifeless body I promised God that I would never pass by another opportunity to tell someone about him.
B. Here’s a prayer that I have written in one of my Bibles: "Oh God, Help me never get used to watching men, women, and boys and girls got to hell!"
1. Let me ask you a question: If we are truly thankful people, what will be the first thing we will do after we’ve thanked God for His blessings?
2. If we a re truly thankful the first thing we will want do after we thank God is we will seek to help others find God and His blessings as well, won’t we?
3. We will want our non-Christian family members, our non-Christian neighbors, our non-Christian co-workers to experience the blessings of God as well!
4. So today you may need to come and repent of your non-thankfulness and pour our your gratitude for God’s blessing to you.
5. Or perhaps there’s is a non-Christian person that you need to come and begin praying for who needs the blessings of God in their life.
6. Or perhaps your need to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life by being saved and baptized.
7. Whatever response you need to make, please make it as we stand and sing, "People need the Lord."
