Colossians 4, 5, walk in wisdom
toward them that are without, redeeming the time. Let your
speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt that you may
know how you are to answer every man. To redeem the time, just simply
means in our common language to make it count. Make it count. When our Savior redeemed us,
and it's the same word, he made us his by the purchase price
of his own precious blood. When you redeem the time, you
make it yours, and there's a price to pay. It's to make it yours according
to our text by the purchase price of walking in wisdom and speaking of Christ. To redeem the time, that can
be taken as a broad statement regarding every aspect of our
lives in all manner of situations. But it's clear what Paul is specifically
referring to here. And so let's take a look at that
for a minute. To redeem the time here. The
phrase redeeming the time is sandwiched between these phrases. Walk in wisdom toward them that
are without and let your speech be always with grace. And so on in verse six. So you
see what he means by redeeming the tongue. Notice that the way that you
will know how to answer every man, you see where it says that you
may know how you ought to answer every man? You'll know what to
say when someone asks or a situation arises where something needs
to be said. The way that you will know how
to answer every man is by that being the way you always talk. You see that? Let your speech
be always like that, always with grace, seasoned with salt that
you may know. It's not that you know something
and then every once in a while you have an occasion to say it. Say it all the time. Talk that
way all the time and then you'll know when there's a need, when
there's trouble, when there's someone asking honestly. You'll know what to say because
you've always been saying it. What comes out of your mouth
is a product of the condition of your heart. Again, it's not just, you know,
that every once in a while we talk about the Lord. It can't
be that way. If we're selfish and proud, as
we are by nature, our flesh, then all of our words are gonna
be about ourselves. or that which promotes ourselves. So then when the time comes that
somebody needs a word of real encouragement or hope or comfort,
don't try to fake that. You can't fake that. The kind of speech our text is
talking about when it uses the word answer, know how to answer,
how you ought to answer. That kind of speech must be consistent
with the rest of our speech, or it doesn't mean anything.
It doesn't mean we go around, you know, like the super spiritual,
I guess, or whatever you'd say, and you know, we're on the way
to Burger King, we say, thank the Lord for Burger King, you
know, You know how people are. We ought to always be thankful
for everything, but not in a flippant, if you're always using religious
language, then again, it doesn't mean anything, does it? It's got to be sincere, it's
got to be genuine. That's what he's saying here.
Let your speech be always like that. Seasoned with the grace
of God. Not rotely or just putting on
a show, but in sincerity. And then, when the time comes
to make it count, when the words that you say are so critical,
when there's a turning point maybe in somebody's life and
you need to say the right thing, you'll know what to say. You'll
know how to say it because you always do. You always glorify
Him. You always look to Him and depend
on Him. Your life is a beacon of what
they need to hear. It's not just what you do in
a certain situation, it's what you are. The word always here is indispensable. And not just the word, but the
reality of that, always. Remember chapter three, let's
look together at chapter three, verse 12. Remember this in the
context. Put on therefore as the elect
of God, holy and beloved, vows of mercies, kindness, humbleness
of mind, meekness, long suffering. You see, as the elect of God,
the fact that we are the elect of God is one thing. But if we
put on what we put on, if we wear what we wear, if we walk
around in something, That means we're constantly aware of it. We're constantly exhibiting that. Being chosen, being loved of
God when you were a wretch. God picking you out, a worm,
the worst worm that was crawling around. And God picking you out
of the fire and saving you. God having mercy on you when
you were spitting in his face. God loving you when you were
a wretch. That's how we walk, you see.
It's not just a doctrine we believe, but we see ourselves in that
light. And you can't see yourself in
that light without constantly praising him and thanking him
for his grace, for free grace. as the elect of God, as one that
was so despicable it took the precious blood of his son to
wash us clean. Put these things on. Kindness, mercy, humbleness of
mind, meekness, long-suffering, forbearing one another, forgiving one another. If any
man have a quarrel against any, You see how he brings that out?
That makes you think, doesn't it? Do I have a problem with
anybody today? It's one thing to talk about
forgiveness and agree with forgiveness and approve of forgiveness. It's
another thing to actually forgive somebody. Do you have a problem
with anybody today? Is it really that big of a deal? When you look in the mirror,
is it still, That big of a deal? Even as Christ forgave you, how
did he forgive you? When you didn't deserve it? Well,
they don't deserve it. That's why it's called forgiveness. And above all these things, put
on love, which again is the bond. Love is the thing that makes
all of these things one thing. and let the peace of God rule
in your hearts to the which also you're called in one body and
be thankful. If you're doing this as the elect
of God, how can you not be thankful? If you're doing this as one that
would never have turned to God if he hadn't found you and saved you. If you're doing this as one that
would have never chosen Him, but He chose you, how can we
not be thankful? And look at this part. Look at
this part. Verse 16, is this not our text? Let the word of Christ dwell
in you richly in all wisdom. teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord. That doesn't mean you go around
saying, I know more than you and I've got things to teach
you. But you know, there are people in my life that I can't
hardly be around them without learning something. Do you know
anybody like that? That's what he's talking about. Whatsoever you do in word, or
deed whatsoever. You see that word all the way
in our text in that? Do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him. That's our text. It's not what
you do in a certain situation, it's what you are causing what
you do, what you say, even the way you think. and we are what we are by the
grace of God. God gets all the glory in this.
There's nothing wrong with commending one another when it's meaningful, but only with the understanding
that it is the Lord that worketh in us, both to will and to do
of his good pleasure. Let me say this, parents, Parents,
maybe grandparents, maybe aunts and uncles. Make it count. You have your children for a
little while. You have your grandchildren for just a little while. And
then you don't. Not like then. Redeem the time when they're
little. Let all your speech to them and
around them be seasoned with grace. Turn with me to Deuteronomy
6. This is a principle that has
been taught from the beginning. This is a priority that was set
by God a long, long time ago. Deuteronomy 6.1. It's clear right up front here
in verse one, Deuteronomy 6, one, that he's not just talking
about the 10 commandments. We see that word commandment
in the Lord, but listen. Now these are the commandments,
the statutes, and the judgments, the judgments, which the Lord
your God commanded to teach you that you might do them in the
land, whether you go to possess it. That thou mightest fear the
Lord thy God. That's the whole thing, always. Whatever you do in chapter three
that we saw, whatever you do, do it that way. In the fear of
the Lord, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I
command thee, thou and thy son and thy sons' sons, our children
and our grandchildren, all the days of thy life, and that thy
days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, O Israel, and
observe to do it, to do what God says. that it may be well
with thee and that you may increase mightily as the Lord God of thy
fathers hath promised thee in the land that floweth with milk
and honey. Here, O Israel, the Lord our
God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thine heart and with all thy soul, with all thy might. And these words which I command
thee this day shall be in your heart." See that? Not just on
the wall, but in your heart. Wasn't that
the new covenant? Wasn't that one of the four or
five things promised in the new covenant? I'll write my law in
your heart. It won't just be a standard that
you're looking to live up to, but it'll be who you are. You'll
love the law of God after the inward man. And no, if you love
it, you know you can't measure up, don't you? You think little
of the law if you think you're keeping it. That's to despise
the law. But we love the law of God after
the inward man. How to perform it, we can't find
it in ourselves. But we would. Shall be in your heart and thou
shalt teach them diligently. unto thy children, and shalt
talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou
walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou
risest up." Isn't that beautiful? Does it
sound like your life? Does it sound like my life? The
way that I live in this world? I talk about the Lord and his
grace, his mercy all the time. Just sit around having conversation
about it. Parents, grandparents, even aunts
and uncles redeem the time. Fathers, particularly fathers,
redeem the time. in your household as God's appointed
authority in your home. Mothers, redeem that time when
they're always hanging onto your dress and they're always crawling
up in your arms. Make that count. Walk. See the word walk in our
text? In other words, behave in a way
that's glorifying to God and say that, which is characterized
this way in our text, grace. How would you characterize your
conversation in this world? May it be so that God will make
it so that our very speech would be
characterized by his grace. Tell your children who God is.
It's not complicated, is it? Just tell them who God is. You
know who God is. Tell them what we owe Him. Tell
them what they are before Him. Tell them of His mercy towards
sinners like us. Tell them of the Savior in no
uncertain terms. so that they might know where
everything comes from. They might know who deserves
all praise and all thanksgiving and gratitude. They might know
that He's their only refuge in trouble and sorrow, fear. They should learn that early.
I'm here for you, but the Lord, we all need Him, me and you. Psalm 56.3, what time I'm afraid,
I'll trust in you. You think, how am I gonna teach
my children of the grace of God? It's not that complicated. What time I'm afraid, I'll trust
in you. In God, I will praise his word. In God, I have put my trust.
I will not fear what flesh can do unto me. What would some of you do? Let
me ask you this. What would you do? What would
you pay to redeem the time that's now gone? There's no price now for that. There's no price that can get
that back. It must be paid right now for the time right now. What's
gone is gone. We never realized then how precious
that time was, how needful it was to speak of the Lord Jesus
Christ. But do you know it now? Do you
know it today? I wonder if we do. I wonder if
I do. If only we had said more. Before they grew up. Will you say more before they
die? Before you do. What a wonderful summary of all
that we should and must say, grace. It's the gospel of God's grace.
To speak grace is to speak the gospel. It's to tell the good
news of the Savior because this world, your children are gonna
find out, aren't they, before long what this world is. what heartache is. It's fine
if they don't know that when they're little. I hope they don't.
I hope they never do. But it won't be long. And they're
gonna need a refuge. There's only one. To speak grace is to speak of the God of all grace. Talk
about who he is and what he's done for us. How mighty he is. How you can
cast your whole soul upon him and rest. To speak grace is to talk about
free grace. Grace that's not only undeserved. but unsought. It's to speak of sovereign grace.
It's to tell of the God who has mercy on whom He will. He is
God. And they've got to know Him. They've got to know Him. They've got to know Him, and
who's going to tell them? It's to speak of unconditional
grace, because that's the only kind there is. And that's so
comforting. Let them know that they don't
need to measure up. Let them know never to be downhearted,
but to look to Christ. To speak grace is to speak of
almighty grace. He's the captain of salvation.
He's the champion of our souls. He doesn't try. He don't beg. They need to know that one. Because they're gonna hear of
somebody else in this world. To speak grace is to speak of
conquering grace. to let them know that everything
in their heart is gonna rebel. They're rebels against God. God
can make a rebel a son. It's to speak of irresistible
grace. You just need him, don't you? You just need him. Because
when he's for you, even you can't be against you. Let's speak of
it. By God's grace, let's speak of
it. Always. Listen to Psalm 45, one. My heart
is indicting a good matter. I speak. That's our take, I speak. David said, I speak of the things
which I have made touching the king. My tongue is the pen of
a ready writer. That's what our text is saying
to you. May your tongue be the pen of a ready writer and say
this, thou art fairer than the children of men. Grace is poured into thy lips.
Therefore God have blessed thee forever. May God pour his grace
into our lips so that nothing else flows out as it is with
our Savior. All grace, all grace, all grace,
whether it's spoken grace, whether it's quiet, powerful grace working
in your heart, all grace is in Christ. There's no grace apart
from Him. Let this seize in our speech,
the person of God's Son, May we never give any sinner, however
dear they are to us, any hope of grace apart from the Lord
Jesus. No hope apart from Him. His grace is sovereign. He has
mercy upon whom He will now. And somebody who hates the Lord
always will think, well, what about the other ones? How is
that fair? Someone who knows the Lord and
loves the Lord will say bless God he has mercy on sinners When he will he has mercy There's no such thing as grace
that lets sinners perish So such thing if there's grace there's
salvation Grace is saving all of it. It's not God doing his best for
you, it's God doing everything for you. That's what grace is.
You need his grace and I do too. If God be for us, who in the
world can be against us? That's the grace we're talking
about. And look, speaking with grace, saying grace is not just
being kind in your words. He's so gracious, she's so gracious. Well, that can mean a couple
of different things. There's not anything wrong with
that, being kind and graceful in your speech, but this grace,
the grace of God that we're talking about, it so permeates our being
as his sons. always That when an answer is
needed for someone And doesn't everyone need an
answer There are some questions that have to be answered in this
world How can I be saved What must I do to be saved how can
God be just and justify me Will God have mercy on me That's what
that leper came to find out, wasn't it? Well, if you want
to, you can. And I'm gonna tell you this now. When an answer is needed now
and that grace so permeates who we are, that's by His grace that
it does. Then when somebody needs an answer,
that answer is grace. And you give that answer because
it's all you have. That's the answer for every situation. Grace. You're having trouble. What's the answer to your problems,
grace? You have to look to him who is
gracious to sinners. When somebody's in trouble, when
they're afraid, when their heart's broken, the answer
is not everything's gonna be okay. That's not the answer. The answer is not time heals
all wounds. That's not it. The answer is
not just follow your heart. The answer is grace. You see
that? The answer is you need his grace.
That's all you need is the grace of God. That's why it must be
that which we speak of. You require grace because you're
a sinner. If you're gonna have grace, it's
because God wills it. Lord, if you will, you'll only
know grace by grace. Grace can only season your speech
if there's grace in your heart. To say grace is just another
way of saying we need Him. We need His mercy. We need His
truth. We need Him to be for us. Remember what we said about our
text Not just be being about saying nice things. It says,
let your speech be always with grace. Turn with me to Hebrews
13. Hebrews 13, nine. This is what our text is about.
Hebrews 13, nine, be not carried about with diverse and strange
doctrines. For it is a good thing that the
heart be established. That's the opposite of being
carried about. With every wind of doctrine, established, firm. It is a good thing that the heart
be established with grace. You see what the word grace means
there? It's a doctrine. Don't be carried about with other
doctrines, but be established with this one, grace. You see
what I'm saying? It's not just saying kind things. Somebody's soft-spoken and they
always say pleasant things. Oh, they're so graceful. That's
not what we're talking about. It's the doctrine of grace, not
with meats. And that's just representative
of outward religion. It's what goes in, you know.
We're not gonna let anything in that's bad. But what about
what's already in? That's what's bad, our Lord said.
It's not about that. It's not about religious conformance.
Those things have not profited them that have been occupied
therein. What's good is that the heart be established with
grace, as opposed to false doctrine, you see. What's profitable is
grace, doctrinal grace. When the heart is established
with grace, the doctrine, the teaching, the knowledge, the
understanding of grace, then our speech will be what our text. exhorts it to be, exhorts us
to say. Biblical doctrinal grace, which
is all the things we've described it as free and sovereign and
almighty and irresistible. And here's a word we haven't
used yet, distinguishing. God has grace upon whom he will. And his grace is distinguishing.
That's why we come to him the way we do, Lord. When you're
coming in mercy, don't pass me by. You ought to. You have every reason to, but
don't pass me by. Listen to Romans 4.16, Therefore
it is of faith that it might be by grace Biblical doctrinal
grace is what kind of grace? It's sure grace. It's not up
in the air grace. It's not available grace, listen.
Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace to the end,
the promise might be sure to all the seed. All those who are
in Christ. Not to that only which is of
the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham. not
just from the lineage of Abraham, but those who have the same faith
Abraham had, faith from God, faith that's his gift, who is
the father of us all. This is what our speech is of.
Uncertain grace that relies upon the graceless is not grace. The only true answer for a sinner,
now you think about this, If somebody needs an answer, why? Why is my life full of pain and
sorrow and I'm hopeless? Why me? Why did my loved one
die? There's just one answer that
you can give them. Grace. Because it's not about
why, that's the Lord's business. It's about what now. What they need to understand
is that God's God. And the reason people die is
because he kills them. Is that blunt enough? That's
why people die. The Lord said, I kill and I make
alive. The only true answer for a sinner. What's the question? Doesn't
matter. The only true answer for any sinner is this unconditional,
sovereign grace of God. Unconditional, I say, because
there is no condition a sinner is able to meet. There is no
condition a sinner is required to meet. Salvation for those
named in the covenant of God's grace is conditioned only upon
Christ's obedience unto death, even the death of the cross.
So for us, it's unconditional. That's the only grace that will
answer my need. You need an answer? That's it. Sovereign, because grace that's
up to you is a mockery. Offering grace that requires
a dead sinner to take a step is to ridicule that sinner on
his way to hell. Remember that one verse again.
I want to repeat this one again from chapter three, where we
read while ago, Colossians 3.16, let the word of Christ Dwelling
you richly In all wisdom Let the Word of Christ live in
you richly In all of his wisdom Christ is the wisdom of God And
then what's the next word say it Speak it Teaching and admonishing
one another Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts. Not grace in your book knowledge. Grace in your heart to the Lord. To the Lord. The word of Christ
dwelling in us. You see, that's what teaches
us, is the word. How are we gonna teach anybody
until we're taught? What teaches us? The word of
Christ. And when it dwells in us richly, the word of Christ
teaches us that grace is sovereign and free and distinguishing.
And that's the answer that every sinner needs. What they need to hear. How many
times did somebody ask the Lord a question and he completely
ignored it and told them what they needed to hear? Might have
to look that up sometime. I know it's several. What they need to hear is grace.
The grace of God in Christ. Time well spent to God according
to our text. You think about this. According
to the word that we're looking at this morning, God says that time well spent
is time that benefits sinners. Is that not it? Is that what
he's saying? There's a whole lot more we could
say about this one verse, but let's consider this finally.
There's not a thing in this world wrong with enjoying this life.
God's given us so much to enjoy. But let's remember always why
we're here. You know, the Lord specifically
prayed, Father, don't take them out of this world. Just keep
them from the evil, keep them from the evil. Why do you suppose
that is? I can think of some scriptural
answers to that, because God, as we've talked about this before,
God is uniquely glorified when he's glorified in a sinner.
We're gonna glorify him now forever, and it's gonna be way better
than this, but it's not gonna be this. You see what I mean? He is uniquely honored. when
a sinner bows before him in his sin, in his wretchedness, with
that horrible nature that's ours, inhibiting every spiritual goodness
that there is, and yet is able to sing his praises. He's uniquely glorified in that. And I don't think it's for our
sakes, do you? Because we'd be better off there. Paul said, that's far better.
It's far better for me. But what did he say? For you,
this is needful. That's our text. Toward them that are without. Every man that needs an answer,
have it, say it, give it, What is it? Grace. Remember why we're here. Remember
that the Lord said, he said, I'm the light of the world. But
then he said, you're the light of the world. We reflect the
light of the Savior. He said, you're the salt of the
earth. This word seasoned in our text
refers to this. Seasoned with salt. What do you
mean? You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost
its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? If salt is not salty,
what are you going to season it with? It is thenceforth good for nothing
but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men. You
are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill
cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle
and put it under a bushel. Who lit us? Why is there light in us? God
did that. He don't put us under a bushel.
He put us in this world. He gave us friends and companions
and acquaintances, a circle of influence, people whose lives
touch ours in some way or another, and he don't cover that up, but he put it on a candlestick,
and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. That's
what God's doing. Let your light, he brings this
hope right here to my heart. Let your light so shine before
men that they may see your good works and say, what a guy, no? And give glory to your father,
which is in heaven. If the light that you're shining holds any glory for yourself,
it's not God's light. You see the point of all of that, of what we are
in this earth? The glory of the Father. That's
what it's all about. The glory of our Father. God
is glorified in the gospel by the saving of sinners through
the ministry of the gospel. The Savior told us that the Father
is glorified in that we bear much fruit. And the fruit we
bear is a product of us abiding in Christ, not the flesh. So this is the exhortation. Always,
all the time, don't just dredge it up when somebody's crying
or when there's a funeral. Always be this, an object of the free electing
grace of God that has something to tell. May God make it so that we exude
his grace in all of our dealings in this world, the gospel of
his free and sovereign almighty grace in Christ Jesus. Amen. Let's pray.