As we begin this New Year, 2005, I thought it would be good for us to look at what God would have us to do with the time He has given to us. Let’s face it folks, like it or not, as we get older time seems to go faster and faster by for us and how we utilize that time will either make us wise or foolish!
So if you would, please turn in your Bibles this morning to Colossians chapter 4 as we learn to walk in wisdom. Now being the New Year some of you may have made some New Year’s resolutions and some of you may have already broken them even though it is only the second day of the New Year, which is how these resolutions sometimes go. Now I am not real big on New Year’s resolutions, but they are not really bad, the thing is, are you going to be committed to that resolution you made? In saying that, let me share with you some New Year’s resolutions before we get to our text this morning, because often, our New Year’s resolutions are very self-centered as these are:
· As I let go of my feelings of guilt, I am in touch with my inner sociopath.
· I have the power to channel my imagination into ever-soaring levels of suspicion and paranoia.
· I assume full responsibility for my actions, except the ones that are someone else’s fault.
· In some cultures what I do would be considered normal.
· My intuition nearly makes up for my lack of wisdom and judgment.
· I need not suffer in silence while I can still moan, whimper, and complain.
· When someone hurts me, I know that forgiveness is cheaper than a lawsuit, but not nearly as rewarding.
· I am at one with my duality.
· Blessed are the flexible, for they can tie themselves in knots.
· I will strive to live each day as if it were my 50th birthday.
· Today I will gladly share my experience and advice, for there are no sweeter words than “I told you so!”
· A scapegoat is almost as good as a solution.
· Just for today, I will not sit in my living room all day in my underwear. Instead, I will move my computer into the bedroom.
· I will no longer waste my time reliving the past; I will spend it worrying about the future!
· The complete lack of evidence is the surest proof that the conspiracy is working.
· Before I criticize a man, I will walk a mile in his shoes. That way, if he gets angry, he’s a mile away and barefoot.
With that said, let’s begin reading in Colossians chapter 4, starting in verse 5 and see what the Lord has for us as we begin this New Year!
As you read this you can see the focus is on walking, which, of course speaks of progress, moving forward, moving ahead, taking steps in a positive direction. The opposite of that is moving backwards, going in the wrong direction, the Lord calls it backsliding! And for others, they are stationary, stagnate, not moving, which is also wrong, it is not helpful, you are not growing, you are not moving.
The way we walk, the way we conduct ourselves is manifested in two different ways. First Paul speaks of how we live our lives and then Paul says that it is how we speak, for that too shows how we are walking, it will have an impact upon those around us.
Why is that important to us? In John 8:12 Jesus said, “ . . . ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” And then in John 9:5 Jesus said, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Now that is interesting to me. First of all Jesus says that He is the light of the world and thus, as we are focused on Him, as He guides us, as we follow Him, we are in the light and we will not walk in darkness. But it seems like Jesus puts a time limit on Him being the light of the world. He says that He is the light of the world as long as He is in the world. So what happened after He was crucified, rose from the dead on the third day and then ascended up to the right hand of the Father in glory? Are we now in darkness?
Here is the interesting thing, in Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus tells us, “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Now, as His representatives we shine forth the light of the world to those who are in darkness. Jesus is the light source and we reflect His light. Just as the moon shines but it does not produce it’s own light, it just reflects the light of the sun. We too don’t make our own light but reflect the light of the Son of God! And as we do, as our light shines, it brings glory to the Father!
In saying that, let me ask you this question. “Why did God save us?” Did you every think about that? Some would say, “To keep us out of Hell!” That is true, but that is not the reason He saved us, that is more of a secondary benefit. Let me explain. If God wanted to keep us out of Hell the best way to do that was not to create us in the first place! So that really is not the reason He saved us!
The reality is, God saved us so that we could worship Him, freely, out of love! In Revelation 4:11, from KJV, we are told, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” You see, the problem is sin, and because of sin we can’t worship God because God can only be worshiped in Spirit and truth! In other words, you must be saved and then you must worship Him according to His Word, the Bible. Yes, our salvation keeps us out of Hell, but sin separated us from God and God restored that relationship by paying in full the penalty for our sins and as you read the book of Revelation you will find that heaven is filled with the worship of God, it is breaking out all over the place because that is why we were created and that is why we were saved!
Thus, as we walk in the Lord our actions, how we live, what we say will affect those around us either in a positive way drawing people to Jesus or in a negative way, pushing people away from Jesus! With the remainder of our time this morning I would like to focus on these two areas, living and speaking to help us stay focused as we begin this New Year!
1. LIVE – COLOSSIANS 4:5
Here’s the thing, you can’t say you are a Christian and then live an ungodly life, an immoral life, a wicked life. Your actions don’t match up to the profession you made, they are empty. Yes we are not perfect, but we should be moving forward and the passion of our heart should not be to sin and when we do, we should feel bad, we should repent! As the unsaved look at your life, the things you are doing, they will mock the Gospel, shun it if that is how you are living your life, in a way that is not pleasing to God. Think about it, in I Timothy 6:9-10 Paul warns, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” The love of money, possessions will turn people off from the Gospel because of the inconsistency they see. You love money, possessions more than you love the Lord and that is dangerous!
Also, listen to what James 3:16 tells us, “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” Something we might not think about too often but jealousy, selfishness will turn people off from the Gospel message. And folks, it is not necessarily speaking of treating the unsaved in that manner, which is wrong. But the unsaved are watching you and how you treat others, how you live towards them. Jealousy, selfishness is obviously wrong!
Another one we might not think about too often is legalism, that you have to dress a certain way, look a certain way, speak in the King James English reading the King James Bible because that of course is the Bible Jesus used. I am being sarcastic here, of course! And the list can go on-and-on, but you get the idea. All that legalistic garbage is a big turn off and it doesn’t save you. Look at the Jewish religious leaders and how they turned people off, they didn’t draw people to God but pushed them away from God. In fact, Paul warned us in Galatians 3:1-3, “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”
That is not how we are to walk, that kind of walking is foolish and Paul wants us to walk in wisdom or evaluate the situations we are in, the circumstances we come across with godly actions. Thus, as the world watches us, the decisions we make, the wisdom of them, then they will see we are walking in the power of God, they will be drawn to God! The unsaved world is watching us, whether we like it or not, and what are they seeing? They should be seeing the power of God working in us and through us!
In regards to wisdom, we must start at the source and the source is God. Proverbs 9:10 tells us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” You see, you first must be saved and then abide in Christ so that you can receive His instructions, you can be nourished by Him! I know, at times we find ourselves in situations we just don’t know what to do. The solution is simple, pray or as James tells us, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5. Another way we obtain the wisdom of God is by reading, studying the Word of God. Paul told Timothy, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17.
Here at Calvary Chapel we have just begun our tenth time reading through the Bible in a year! Each week in the bulletin we will have the Old Testament and New Testament chapters you will need to read each day to go through the Bible in a year. For some of you, this is your 10th time reading through with us and isn’t it awesome, getting to know God through His Word! Paul said in Colossians 3:16, “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.”
It is out of that we then can bring forth the wisdom of God to others, not just by speaking but also by living, by walking in the Lord. Paul put it this way in Colossians 1:28-29, “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.”
Paul also tells us that we are to redeem the time, buy it up, rescue it from loss. Don’t let time go by without walking in the wisdom of God. It is as Moses prayed in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
Folks, opportunity goes by quickly, time is short. Let me put this into perspective for you as we look at how an average person spends his life if he were to live 70 years. This is how it all breaks down for us on average:
Now, to spend 1½ years in church if you were to live 70 years, you must, from the day of your birth, begin to spend five minutes of each morning and every evening in devotions, plus three hours per week in church. That is incredible when you think about it, for many spend more time dressing than they do with God?
Thus, in Romans 13:11-14 Paul admonishes us to, “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.”
Walk in wisdom, redeem the time, take advantage of the time God has given to you because the days are going to become more and more evil and you must be prepared for them or you won’t walk in the wisdom of God. Our actions need to reflect our walk with the Lord and thus, we must put on the Lord Jesus Christ, fill our lives with Him and as we do we will reflect the light of God to others, especially to the lost!
It is as this little poem tells us:
The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To say just when the hands will stop;
At late, or early hour.
Now is the only time we own
To do His will,
Do not wait until tomorrow;
For the clock may then be still.
- Selected
Before we speak with our lips, may we speak with our lives, walking in the wisdom of God, evaluating the situations we find ourselves in and making godly decisions! It just takes time, spending time in the Word, in prayer, seeking God’s will for the situations you find yourself in. And isn’t that better than doing your own thing and making foolish decisions that not only will affect your life but those around you, those that are watching you?
2. SPEAK – COLOSSIANS 4:6
Yes, consistency in life is important but so too is our consistency in our speech, what we say. Notice what our speech is to be filled with – GRACE! Now that is easy until someone says something we don’t like, our children are acting up, our spouse did a foolish thing, persecution hits, our boss chews us out, unfair situations arise or whatever, and then grace is gone and anger, retribution flow from our mouth!
James makes some interesting and hard-hitting comments about the tongue and how ugly it can be. He tells us in James 3:2-10, “For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”
You see, our tongue can only be tamed as we give it to the Lord. The unsaved say, “Who have said, ‘With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; Who is lord over us?’” Psalm 12:4. But we should pray, “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.” Psalm 141:3. You see, it is surrender and it is grace – not giving people what they deserve or what we think they deserve but as God has freely given to us His grace we can give the grace of God to others! Who is lord of your life, self or God? Whoever it is will be reflected in what you say!
Also, to speak with grace means that we speak that which is good, that which is pure, that which is lovely and-so-on. What is coming from your lips? Are you comfortable using sexual innuendos, telling dirty jokes, gossiping, lying? That is not grace and that is not coming from the heart of God but your own heart. Paul put it this way in Ephesians 4:29, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
Now, not only is our speech to be filled with grace but it is also to be seasoned with salt. Now salt has a couple of different affects and they are all important. First of all, back in the days before they had refrigeration, they would rub a heavy salt layer on meat to preserve it, to prevent it from rotting. Our speech should also have a purifying influence on others, keep conversations out of the toilet! Also, salt does burn; it stings when applied to a wound. As we share with someone the things of God with grace it may sting them but then the healing can begin if they repent and turn to Jesus! Also, salt adds flavor and folks, we should add flavor to conversations. We should spice things up when we talk. Too often Christians speak and people fall asleep or are bored. Folks, we have the greatest news ever, Jesus saves! If that doesn’t spice things up, nothing will in their lives!
So our speech is to be filled with grace, it is to be seasoned with salt and lastly we need to know what to say when people ask us questions about our faith, about what they should do in situations and we should be able to respond with the wisdom of God – not worldly advice!
In I Peter 3:15 Peter tells us, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.” The Amplified Bible puts this verse like this, “But in your hearts set Christ apart as holy [and acknowledge Him] as Lord. Always be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully. [Isa 8:12,13.]” Peter is telling us to be prepared, to be ready to give a defense, to know what you believe, why you have that hope in you, to everyone who asks you! And of course, it is done with the grace of God, in the love of God!
Folks, think of athletes and the hours they train, forming habits in their swing, their free-throws, their slap-shots, their passes and now apply that to your speech. Make it a habit that your speech is full of grace, seasoned with salt and that you are prepared to give a defense for what you believe; you can explain it to people!
As we start this New Year may we do so walking in the wisdom of God, living what we believe and speaking forth the things of God with the grace of God! A great New Years resolution that we can start right here and now!
Jonathan Edwards, who lived from 1703-1758, made these resolutions and they are great ones. And I think they do flow out of what we have been talking about this morning, living and speaking the wisdom of God. He tells us:
Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humble entreat Him, by His grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ’s sake. [I will] remember to read over these Resolutions once a week:
1. Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God, and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration; without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence.
2. Resolved, To do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general.
3. Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.
4. Resolved, To live with all my might, while I do live.
5. Resolved, Never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.
6. Resolved, Never to do anything out of revenge.
7. Resolved, Never to speak evil of any one, so that it shall tend to his dishonour, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.
8. Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
9. Resolved, Never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession which I cannot hope God will accept.
10. Resolved, To ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better.
11. Resolved, Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
12. Resolved, After afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them; what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them.
13. Resolved, Always to do that which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it.
14. Resolved, Let there be something of benevolence in all that I speak.
- From the Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 1
Folks, as we surrender to the Lord our lives, we can surrender so that we may fulfill this kind of life for the Lord, our light can shine brightly in a world that is in darkness because we have put on the Lord Jesus Christ on a daily basis. And it is out of that His light will shine through us and our walk will be in wisdom, the wisdom of God as we live and our speech will be with grace, seasoned with salt and we will be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks us the reason for the hope we have, why we believe what we believe! Paul tells us in Philippians 4:8-9 what we should do, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” May we do that and may the Lord bless you and keep you in this New Year and may you shine brightly for Him!