Colossians 4:2-3

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- this morning we're going to move into a new section of our study of the
   book of Colossians.

- of course the theme of the book is well known by now -- the preeminence
   of Christ.

- he laid that doctrine out in the first chapter
   - then he said in chapter two -- he had a great conflict, or wrestling
       in his heart
         - according to verse 2:4 - because he was afraid someone might
             beguile them, or lead them away from the belief that Christ
             is preeminent.

         - He's sufficient for their salvation
         - He's sufficient as their model
         - He's sufficient for their growth
         - He's sufficient to help them solve the problems of life.

- he spent the rest of chapter two warning them of things that would draw
    them away from this belief and this lifestyle
       - legalism
       - asceticism
       - mysticism

- now, in chapter three -- he's saying -- here's what people who believe
    in the preeminence of Christ look like:

      - they set their affections on the things of heaven and not on the
         things of earth.
      - they put off sinful habits and replace them with godly ones
      - they let the word of Christ dwell in them richly
      - the preeminence of Christ affects their relationships at home
      - it affects their relationships at work (like we've been studying
          the last three weeks)

- this morning, we want to begin studying Colossians 4:2-6 //looking at
   the preeminence of Christ and the way we speak.

- read 4:2-6

- there are a lot of important truths in this passage...but you can see
   that the theme is communication, or speech, or what we do with our
   mouths.

- this is a very, very important subject...and it will probably take us
    at least three weeks to get through these verses.

- today, we're going to talk about:
     - the speech of prayer
     - then next week -- the speech of proclamation
     - lastly, -- the speech of purity

Introduction

   - let's think together about the power of a person's speech.

1. Words are very powerful
      - words, even a few of them, can make an incredible difference

    a) Ladies and gentlemen, have you reached a verdict?

        - yes, we have your honor, we find the defendant __________.

        - those are powerful words.

    b) You're sitting in the doctors office, your palms are clammy,
          you're nervous, the tests have come back...

          - the doctor says -- the tumor was benign.

          - powerful words

    c) Warren Wiersbe, in writing on these verses said, for every word
        contained in Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, 125 lives were lost in WW
        II.

    d) it's a small wonder that the Scriptures tell us, "Death and life
         are in the power of the tongue." (Prov. 18:21)

2) Words are also important because they reveal the heart.

    - one translation of Matthew 12:34 says; "The mouth speaks from what
        the heart is filled with."

    - Sigmund Freud went to great lengths to try to uncover the supposed
        unconscious
          - word association
          - dream analysis

    - of course the Scripture says nothing about the existence of the
       unconscious
         - but it has much to say about the heart -- the most
            comprehensive term to biblically describe our inner man
         - we are to give much attention to our inner man--we're to guard
             our hearts.

         - since that’s true, that makes the subject of these verses very
            important
               - "the mouth speaks from what the heart is filled with."

               - our speech is a very important subject.

3) Communication is one of the clearest areas of difference between the
    saved and the lost.  (MacArthur)

    a) the unredeemed mouth is characterized by:

        1. evil - Prov. 15:28
        2. sexual immorality - Prov. 5:3
        3. deceit - Jer. 9:8
        4. curses - Ps. 10:7
        5. oppression - Ps. 10:7
        6. lies - Prov. 12:22
        7. destruction - Prov. 11:11
        8. vanity - II Peter 2:18
        9. flattery - Prov. 26:28
       10. foolishness - Prov. 15:2
       11. madness - Eccles. 10:12-13
       12. carelessness - Matt. 12:36
       13. boasting - Rom. 1:30
       14. false doctrine - Titus 1:11
       15. evil plots - Ps. 37:12
       16. hatred - Ps. 109:3
       17. too many words - Eccles. 10:14
       18. gossip - Prov. 26:22

    b) the redeemed mouth is characterized by:

        1. confession of sin - I John 1:9
        2. confession of Christ - Rom. 10:9-10
        3. edifying speech - Eph. 4:29
        4. talk of God's law - Ex. 13:9
        5. praise to God - Heb. 13:15
        6. blessing of enemies - I Peter 3:9
        7. talk about God - Ps. 66:16
        8. wisdom and kindness - Prov. 31:26
        9. gentleness - Prov. 15:1

- obviously, we could add a lot more to these lists -- but as they stand,
    they provoke some important questions:

    1) How are you doing on this important matter of communication?

    2) Is the way you speak measurably different than those who don't
         know Christ?

- now, with that in mind, let's go back and begin a careful study of Col.
   4:2-6.
- as you look at the passage -- there are some clear transitions that
   explain why we're dividing these verses the way we are.

   - in verse 2 -- Paul is talking about what kind of speech?
        INPUT - prayer

   - but then in verse three -- there's actually a transition
       - he starts the verse talking about prayer (i.e. - pray for us)

   - but then right in the middle of the verse he begins talking about a
       different kind of speech
          - INPUT - what kind of speech is that?
                      - evangelistic speech, speech of proclamation

    - that continues through in verse 4

    - then verse 5 is a general verse--you kind of wonder how that fits
       in until you read verse 6, and you see that Paul is still talking
       about our speech.

- so again, we'll be talking about:
    1) the speech of prayer
    2) the speech of proclamation
    3) the speech of purity

- let's spend the rest of our time talking about this important matter of
    prayer.
- Paul gives us four things that ought to characterize the way we pray:

I. Pray With Perseverance

    A. Meaning and parallel passages

        - the word that is used here means "to be steadfast"
           - to hold fast and not let go
           - to be courageously persistent
           - giving constant attention to it

        - of course there are many other passages that make such an
           emphasis.

        1) Pray at all times - Eph. 6:18

        2) Pray without ceasing - I Thes. 5:17

        3) Be devoted to prayer - Rom. 12:12

        4) The disciples "all continued with one accord in prayer -
            Acts 1:14

        5) The early church "continued steadfastly...in prayers" - Acts
            2:41.

       - of course we're not talking about a constant vocalization of
          prayers
            - instead these verses are also talking about an attitude of
                prayer -- "having a God-consciousness that relates every
                experience of life to Him."
            - but these verses indicate a whole lot more vocalization of
                prayer than most of us do.

            - Paul is saying that our prayers ought to characterized by
                perseverance.

       - we're not going to take time to do so, but we could also look at
          two parables that our Lord told to illustrate this point in
          Luke 18:1-8, and Luke 11:5-10.

- one of the most important things we could say about this point is that
   we must be sure we are BEING STEADFAST by:

    B. Persevere to pray biblically.

        - it would be a terrible thing to be working at something and
            find out that our effort was taking us in a wrong direction.

        - so let's bring some other truths in here and tie them back to
            this idea of perseverance.

        1. Pray to confess our sins (I John 1:9, Matt. 6:12)

           - a good question to ask this morning would be, "Am I showing
              that I believe in the preeminence of Christ by steadfastly
              using my tongue to confess sin?  is that part of my speech?

        2. Pray to offer praise to God (Matt. 6:9)

        3. Pray for power to overcome sin (Eph. 6:18, Matt. 6:13)

        4. Pray for the needs of others (I Thes. 5:25)

        5. Pray for your own needs (Matt. 6:11)

        6. Pray in the name of Christ (John 15:16)

        7. Pray for the glory of the Father (John 14:13)

- now, let's tie this back in to what Paul said to the Colossians
   - how well are we doing at continuing in prayer?
   - are you steadfast?
   - are you persevering?

- are you steadfast in your prayers of praise?
- are you steadfast in your prayers to overcome sin?
    - (etc...)

- probably a good question to ask at this point is:

    C. Why we should pray this way.

        - there's a number of answers for why God wants us to persevere
           in our prayers:

        - INPUT?

        1. That’s often how long it takes to change our wills.

           - this isn't a matter of "talking the Lord into something."
           - prayer is an opportunity to remind us who we are and who God
               is.

           - often it takes time to submit our wills to the will of the
              Father---perseverance in prayer allows us to do that.

        2. To demonstrate the importance of the object for which we're
             praying.

             - if we persevere in our prayer for a person who doesn't
                 know the Lord, we have the opportunity to demonstrate
                 how much we love that person.

                 - etc....

        3. To show the genuineness of our faith.

             - often when we fail to do what this passage is commanding,
                we show the weakness of our faith.

                 - Faith doesn't say -- I know God will
                 - Faith says - I know God can.

- so let me ask you this morning...
    - when it comes to this matter of communication
    - when it comes to the matter of how you use your tongue
    - when it comes to the matter of praying....

        - is one of the words that would be used to describe your prayer
           life "perseverant"?

II. Pray With Alertness

    - the passage also says, "watch in the same" or "keep alert."

    - the word that is used there is the same from which we get the name
        "Gregory"
           - which means - "I am alert" or "I am awake"

    - of course, when you think of this word in the most literal sense,
        what event do you think of?
          - the disciples falling asleep in the Garden of Gethsemanea
          - Matt. 26:40-41 - "What, could you not watch with me one
               hour?"

    - Paul is talking about much more than just "staying awake" when we
        pray.

    - the idea here is being spiritually awake, or spiritually aware.

    - remember, many times the Lord used the phrase "watch and pray"
        (Mark 13:33, 14:38)

    - INPUT - what kinds of things would characterize "alert praying?"

- of course, this gives us another important question to ask -- when it
    comes to the matter of how you use your tongue in prayer
       - would it be accurate to describe your prayer as being "alert?"

III. Pray With Thanksgiving

    - this is the fifth time in this small book that the subject of
        thanksgiving has come up.  (1:12, 2:6, 3:15, 3:17)

    - INPUT - how is "praying with thanksgiving" different than the way
         many of us pray?  (simply pray for needs)

    - INPUT - what's wrong with that?  (views God as some sort of "cosmic

                vending machine")

    - INPUT - When is this especially difficult?  (trials--the very time
               when I should be careful to give thanks--for the
               opportunity to grow)

IV. Pray With An Evangelistic Heart

    - Paul says in verse 3, "pray for us, that we would have an open door
        of utterance."

    - we're going to talk about this more tonight in our commissioning
       service for the Stilwells.
    - are we praying specifically for our missionaries, and for
        OURSELVES,
           - that God would give us a door of utterance
           - and that we would be faithful to "go through that door."

    - we will study this matter more thoroughly next week, but how would
        you do if we evaluated your prayers exclusively on this
        characteristic?