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[0:00] Communication. What does the Bible tell us about communication? We'll go to Colossians 3 verses 8 through 10.! Colossians 3 verse 8.

[0:12] But now ye also put off all these anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy, communication, out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.

[0:35] What does the Bible tell us about communication? Firstly, it says communication should be clean. Keep your words clean. Keep your words honouring to the Lord. Avoid filthy communication. That's the opposite of it.

[0:48] Avoid filthy communication. Steer clear of bad language. Don't utter words that are filthy and foul, obscene language, gutter talk, foul talk.

[1:01] Let's be mindful of our words. Let's not use even doubtful words. Our Lord calls us to clean communication.

[1:12] Swearing and bad language is of the old man, of the lost estate, of the lost. What we were before we became a Christian, lay it aside. Put it off.

[1:26] Paul talks about letting go of it, removing that. Do we make a determined effort to hold off words that are not clean and pure?

[1:38] What is the opposite of clean and pure? Dirty jokes, vulgar language, crass, foul language, swearing. It also mentions blasphemy here. Using the name of the Lord in vain.

[1:52] The Lord Jesus Christ is the most precious name on earth. Let us honour and lift up that name, not drag it down. Do we honour the Lord with our talking?

[2:05] In Titus 2 verse 8, Paul urged the young men to sound speech that cannot be condemned. Is our speech sound? Is it true? Is it right? Is it clean? Is it wholesome?

[2:21] So, keep your words clean. Secondly, keep your words kind. Colossians 4 verse 6, it says, Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

[2:41] Paul's saying here, keep your words kind. Speak in ways that are gracious and kindly and a good witness. As Christians, people judge Christianity by us.

[2:54] Let your words be kind and a blessing. By how you talk, show grace and consideration. Show good manners. Be a good witness.

[3:06] We are all witnesses, let's face it. Some good and some bad. We can be unkind and thoughtless in what we say to others. We can be inconsiderate.

[3:18] Rather, let us show consideration to others. Appreciate others. Care for others. Use kindness. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Not gossiping. Not attacking people. Not calling people names. Not backstabbing.

[3:34] Oswald Chambers says, The greatest test of a man's character is his tongue. Use fairness. Loving words. Show respect.

[3:49] Especially for older people. Use courtesy. So we see our words, our communication should be clean. Our communication should be kind.

[4:00] And thirdly, our communication should be constructive. Constructive. Constructive. Ephesians 4.29, Paul says, Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good, to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

[4:20] Is our communication corrupt? I like to think of mouldy cheese or some smelly potatoes or something such that it's corrupting, it's going off, it's gone off.

[4:33] Corrupt. It's got that sense of yucky, of unwholesome, of worthless. And some people's mouths can be filled with corrupt communication.

[4:44] With that ugly, smelly talk. With words that hurt and harm others. That's corrupt communication. Paul says, Rather, may our words be such that they build, that they boost, that they encourage.

[4:57] Romans 14 verse 19, it says, Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify one another.

[5:09] God wants us to have words that bless, that encourage, that uplift, that are constructive. Let's be mindful of this, that our words be such that they bless and lift others, that they encourage and inspire, that they lighten others' loads.

[5:26] Some people, all they do is tear down with their destructive talk. The tongue has a huge destructive power. As James says, it can be like a raging bushfire, out of control.

[5:40] It can be a force for evil or for good. Our words can be harmful and negative, or they can be useful and wise.

[5:52] God wants our communication to be good. Our Lord Jesus says this in Matthew 12 verse 34 through 37. O generation of vipers, How can ye being evil speak good things?

[6:09] For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

[6:23] But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

[6:38] People will judge you by your words. Ultimately your words will show who you belong to. Are we guilty of idle words? Idle words? Words that are hasty, careless, unthinking.

[6:52] Rather let us make our words clean, not filthy communication. Let us make our words kind, not corrupt communication. And let's make our words constructive, words whereby we can edify, build up one another.

[7:06] Let's make it personal now. Is the Lord Jesus your treasure? Do your words show that he is, that your treasure is Christ? We will speak of that which our heart contains.

[7:18] Let's pray. Lord we thank you for every believer. Lord for everyone searching that they might find that great heart treasure. To know Christ as Saviour and Lord. And Lord let us be such that you will master our speaking.

[7:32] That we'll have words that are clean. Words that are kind and words that are constructive in our lives we live. Let it be that we'll have a legacy of good things that we'll be remembered for.

[7:45]  In Jesus precious name.