SERMON SPOTLIGHT * 3/2/25
How you act and speak around unbelievers matters to God because He uses it to create gospel opportunities. This makes our gospel mission an everyday mission. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
SERIES: Colossians: Alive in Christ
TEXT: Colossians 4:5-6
TITLE: An Everyday Mission
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: God uses your conduct and words to draw unbelievers to Himself
POINTS:
I. Watch Your Walk
II. Watch Your Talk
III. Watch God Work
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes, and text emphasis, are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.
”God uses your conduct and words to draw unbelievers to Himself. That’s the message of Colossians 4:5-6. How you act and speak around unbelievers matters to God because He uses it to create gospel opportunities. This makes our gospel mission an everyday mission.”
“In the preceding verses, Paul exhorted the Colossians to a mission-minded prayer life. Now he takes us from the prayer closet to the public square when he says—Walk in wisdom toward outsiders.”
“By outsider Paul means unbeliever. If you have trusted in Jesus Christ for your salvation, you are in the eternal family of God—You are an insider. But if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, you are outside the eternal family of God—You are an outsider.”
“You may have been raised in a Christian home. You may be a faithful church attender. You may know the Bible inside and out. You may hang out with Christians. You may live a pretty wholesome life. But if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, you are on the outside of the family of God without hope in life and death. Good news—You can repent and believe today!”
“For the believer, the call is to live wisely around unbelievers. Paul has already said in Colossians 2:3—Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So wisdom here is not one’s own judgments or the conventional wisdom of the world built on humanistic ideas and philosophies. Wisdom is to live according to God’s will and His provision in Jesus Christ. Simply put: Act like a Christian, even around non-Christians.”
“As Christians, the Colossians were a minority trying to follow Jesus in a hostile environment. Like us, they faced pressures to conform to fit in, be accepted, win the approval of others, and take some of the sting off the social repercussions of living for God in an anti-God society. That reality makes it easy to capitulate and compromise the convictions of our faith in the name of personal comfort and advantage. It’s tempting to justify the means with the ends in the name of evangelism.”
“Whatever ways you are trying to build with your unbelieving friend, they need to be worthy of the gospel and pleasing to the Lord. That calling always applies—our conduct matters.”
“Our mission statement as a church reads: We exist to build a God-glorifying community that proclaims and demonstrates the transforming power of the gospel to Tucson and beyond. Here’s a question: Are there ways your demonstration is hindering your proclamation?”
“Our lives shouldn’t confuse people about the gospel; they should commend people to the gospel.”
“There is a strategic urgency to this calling—read 5. We could say, grab every opportunity, seize every open door, buy up every moment God gives us to witness to Jesus. Time is short, and eternity is at stake. The one thing we won’t do in heaven is evangelize—it will be too late.”
“Paul turns the focus from mission-minded behavior to mission-minded speech. The Bible says the tongue is a powerful thing. James 3 says it builds up and burns down. Psalm 19 says our words are an indicator of our devotion and desire to live in a manner worthy of and pleasing to the Lord. Jesus said our words reveal our hearts in Matthew 12.”
“(6a) Let your speech always be gracious. This is not a call to always speak about God’s saving grace. It’s a call to allow God’s saving grace to shape our speech. Our words should reflect the gracious disposition of God toward us in Christ. Theys should reflect love, gentleness, compassion, patience, and hope.”
“(6a) Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt. The imagery helps us in two ways. First, when you season something with salt, it brings out the good flavors. It makes the bland tasty. The second thing salt does is preserve. In a day when there was no refrigerator, you packed meat in salt to keep it from rotting. Speech seasoned with salt will be winsome and wholesome instead of arrogant and defiling. Your conversations with unbelievers will be enjoyable. They will have a positive effect for the good of others. Your conversations will arouse a thirst (effect of salt) in others for continued conversations.”
“It’s the grace and power of God alone that saves. But God uses means—messengers of the gospel like you and I. God desires not religious lingo, but winsome and wholesome speech seasoned with the grace and goodness of Jesus.”
“This is cultivated as we personally meditate on the wonder of the gospel. Take time to muse on the glories of heaven. Take time to consider the unfailing sufficiency of Jesus.”
“Now, the goal of speaking with gracious and seasoned words is this—(6c) so that (purpose) you may know how you ought to answer each person. Here’s Paul’s assumption: The unbelievers in your life are watching and listening. If your conduct and conversations are consistently Christlike, people will notice. And whether it's someone suffering, someone seeking more in life, or someone looking for a fight, sooner or later, the Lord will lead that someone to ask you—What’s up with you? Why are you different? And that is your 1 Peter 3:15 moment.”
“That moment is what you’ve been praying for. That moment is why you watch your walk and talk. That moment is one of the millions of moments that God creates and uses to build his kingdom. That moment is one of the greatest moments of doing all things for the glory of God. Be encouraged. God is the God of that moment. There is no moment too big or heart too hard for God. And no matter how equipped or unequipped you feel for that moment, the Spirit will show you how to answer each person.”
“Our gospel mission is real. Wherever you go tomorrow, there will be real people watching and listening. Your conduct and words matter in the mission. But don’t be afraid; God has sent you, and he goes with you.”
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
1 Corinthians 2:4-5
1 Peter 3:15
QUOTES:
HB Charles- “Sometimes we excuse ungracious speech by claiming we are brutally honest, when in reality we use truth as a pretext to express ourselves at other people’s expense. I am not saying that you ought to avoid truth-telling, rebuke, and confrontation when the situation calls for it. But the Lord would have us to say hard things in a gracious way. Ephesians 4:15 says we are to be “speaking the truth in love.” This holy balance of truth and love is all the more significant when it comes to proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. We are to be faithful witnesses, not prosecuting attorneys or condemning judges. We are trying to win souls, not win arguments. We are to proclaim the name, person, and work of Christ, not promote our knowledge, experience, or maturity. Do not let lies, gossip, criticism, negativity, profanity, complaining, or backbiting to rob you of the opportunity to share the goodness of God, the plan of salvation, and the hope of heaven with lost people.”
APPLICATION:
Q. Are you redeeming the time? Do you believe that anytime you are with someone, God has ordained that moment and though you may not be able to tell them about Jesus, your conduct matters to your witness?Repent. Rejoice in the finished work of Jesus. Trust God. And in the power of the Spirit, move forward, redeeming the time with faith, courage, and zeal for Jesus.
Q. How do I cultivate graciousness and saltiness in my speech? Take time to fill your head and heart with Jesus—What goes in will surely come out.
SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
How Great (Psalm 145)
Praise to the Lord
Bless The Lord O My Soul (Psalm 103)
We Give Thanks (Psalm 107)
As You Go
NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
Colossians 4:7-18
THE BOOK OF THE QUARTER:
