(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.) Alright, Colossians chapter 4. So last week we only got through the first verse. This week we're going to try to get through three or four verses. We're actually going to get through verse number six this evening. Let's just get right down into the Bible. Look what the Bible says in verse number two. The Bible says, and brother Deacon Oliver, Gonzalez, actually brought this up on Sunday night, this verse. He said, continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving. This is talking about, and what a great message that was on Sunday night, but basically this is saying continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving. One of the things that Deacon Gonzalez brought up on Sunday night that I remember from sitting under Pastor Jimenez for years, sitting under his preaching, was this idea that life, you're either in three stages in life. You're either entering into a storm, you're in the storm, or you're coming out of a storm. Brother Oliver brought that up and reminded me of that saying on Sunday night. Look what the Bible says here. It just says, this is the simplicity of the Christian life right here. This is the beauty of the Christian life. The Christian life is not always easy. No one would say that Christian life is easy, especially men throughout history and people that have gone through way worse things than we will probably ever go through, but the Christian life is simple. It is simple, and that's what the Bible is saying here. It's saying continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving. Then he goes into his situation. He's basically saying continue praying for me. He says, with all praying also for us, that God would open to us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, that I may make it manifest. That means make it known as I ought to speak. He's saying, hey, continue praying for us. This is the simplicity of the Christian life right here. It's not always easy to be in a storm, but you just continue in the Christian life. You just continue. No matter what's happening in your life, you continue. You continue. What do you continue? You continue coming to church. You continue praying. You continue reading the Bible. You continue living your Christian life. You continue going soul-winning. So many times, you look at me and you say, well, you're the pastor. You must just feel super spiritual all the time no matter what. That's not necessarily the case. That's not the case for any of us. There's some days when you're just kind of downtrodden. Maybe soul-winning rolls around and you're just like, I'm just not really feeling it today. Look, that happens to everybody. The difference is those who continue and those who don't. That's the difference. I want to be known to my kids. When I'm dying, I think about this situation every now and then. When I'm dying, when I'm hopefully 127 years old and I'm dying on my deathbed, I want my kids and my grandkids to be able to look down at me and say, you know what? No matter what was going on, we were in church. No matter what was happening, we were in church. It would have been a weird thing if dad wasn't taking us to church, if dad didn't go soul-winning. When the doors of the church house were open, dad was there. You know what that takes? This is why it's so hard. It takes a lifetime to get that kind of testimony. It doesn't just take two years. It doesn't just take three years. I don't want my kids to be like, remember those three years of dad's life when he was really spiritual and really liked to go to church all the time and really liked to go soul-winning? I want it to be my whole life to be like that. That's an accomplishment. That's what the Bible is saying. That's the simplicity of the Christian life. That's what Deacon Oliver was talking about on Sunday night. It's not always easy, but it's simple. You just keep doing what you're supposed to do. I'm telling you, and I've said this before and I'll say it again, it's those times when you're not really feeling it, those are the days that great things happen. Those are the things when you're just like, you know what? My flesh is against me today and you continue in the Christian life anyway, maybe just out of duty to the Lord. Those are when the great things happen. Those are when those great soul-winning stories happen. That's when those wonderful things, you know, God opens those doors for us. So he's talking about this. He's saying, hey, continue praying for me. He's hoping that this church at Colossae would be these type of people that just continue no matter what, because he needs some prayers. So what? So he can preach the gospel. So he can get out of prison. He can go and make the gospel known as he ought to, he says. Now look at verse number five. All that is just introduction. This verse number five is going to be the point of our sermon this evening. And then he says this, he says, walk in wisdom towards them that are without redeeming the time. He says, walk in wisdom towards them that are without. You know, that means people that are outside the church. That means people that are not saved. That means people that are, you know, in what we would call the world. It says walk in wisdom towards those people, redeeming the time. He's saying, like, if you walk, if you do this, you redeem the time. What does that mean? What do we have a little of that we have no control of in this life? It's time. Time. I preach a whole sermon on time. We don't control time. Time is God's. Time is something that God uses to motivate us in the Bible. It says your life is like water spilt on the ground. Your life is like a vapor. The Bible says God is using time as something that is his to motivate you is what he's doing. And he says, if you walk in wisdom towards the people outside, towards the unbelieving world, he says, you will use that time wisely. That will be time well spent. Look at verse number six. Let your speech always, let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt that you may know how you ought to answer every man. He's talking about walking in wisdom to those without. Let's talk about this concept for a few minutes this evening. Look at second Corinthians chapter six. Turn to second Corinthians chapter six. You say, what? We're supposed to walk in wisdom towards them that are outside the church, towards those people in the world. Aren't we supposed to be separated? Aren't we supposed to have no fellowship? I mean, what in the world? This is an important balance that few people get right, I think. And that's what I want to talk about this evening. So turn to second Corinthians chapter six and look at verse 14. Second Corinthians chapter six and look at verse 14. Look what the Bible says. So look, it's true. We are supposed to be separated. We are to have no fellowship with certain people. Look at second Corinthians chapter six and verse 14. Look what the Bible says. It says, be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? Look down at verse number, well, let's just read the rest of it. What concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. Talking about our body is the temple. And God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people. And look at verse number 17. Wherefore, come out from among them and be ye separate, sayeth the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you. So the Bible in second Corinthians chapter six is saying that there definitely should be a separation between the believers and the unbelievers. So what in the world is it talking about in Colossians chapter four in verse number five where it says walk in wisdom toward them that are without. Turn to first Corinthians chapter five. First Corinthians chapter five. This is a super important concept that is important that you get right. If you get this right, it will have a drastic effect on your family. It will have a drastic effect on the people around you. Look at first Corinthians chapter five and look down at verse number nine. First Corinthians chapter five in verse number nine. The Bible says I wrote unto you in an epistle not the company with fornicators. Now this is just, he's using fornication here as an example of a sin that is to not be put up with and we know that in verse 11 that there's many other sins that are not allowed in the church, but he's using fornication here and he's saying I wrote unto you before not the company with fornicators. He's saying I've told you that there shouldn't be fornication in the church. I've told you that you shouldn't be company with fornicators, but then look at verse number 10. He says yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world or with the covetous or the extortioners or idolaters. He lists several of the sins that are not to be allowed in the church. He says but not altogether with the fornicators of this world. He says for then must ye needs go out of the world. What he is saying here is that these specific six sins that I'm talking about in verse 11, they're not to be allowed in the church. They're not to be in the church. That's something that somebody would be put on church discipline for and put out of the church if they're just unrepentant of those things. He's saying but look, this is not talking about just like the world. He's saying otherwise you just not be able to be in the world. He's saying I'm talking about with your brother someone that's called a brother in verse number 11. I hope this is clear to you because basically if first Corinthians chapter 5 and verse number 11 applied to everybody what he's saying in verse 10 is like you couldn't go anywhere. It's like you couldn't do business. You couldn't talk. You couldn't go outside your house. We would all have to like form some kind of commune or something. People do this for this reason. I remember growing up in North Dakota even my wife where she grew up on the ranch my wife grew up on like just like a mile or two north of her place was a commune. Out in the middle of nowhere was these I don't know if it was 10 or 15 houses and I think they were Hutterites or something. It was this kind of this weird kind of Amish type sect but they were just they were separated from society and that's what the Bible here is saying is like look if we applied what we're applying to your brother in verse 11 to everybody we'd all just have to move to the woods or to the middle of nowhere and just like not like associate with anybody. That's what we'd have to do. That's what he's saying that we're not supposed to do in verse number 10. So yes we're to be separated. Yes we're not to be you know unequally yoked the point is is that we're not supposed to just go out of the world. We're not supposed to just form we're not to be the Amish people. You know I took a business trip many years ago to Pennsylvania and we had one day off in the trip and everybody's like we're going to New York City and I'm like no I'm driving to the country to visit the Amish people because I just had to meet these people. It was fascinating to me. So I took a whole day and I just drove around and I just talked to Amish farmers about what they do, how they make a living, how they live, all these things. I mean look it's fascinating but that's not what the Bible tells us to do is to just go off and just not be in the world at all. We're going to be in the world. Okay we're just not to have fellowship. You're not supposed to be hanging out in social circles you know willingly with unbelievers is what the Bible is saying as far as separation. You're not supposed to be unequally yoked with unbelievers meaning basically you're put into situations where it's mostly worldly people and you have zero control of the social situation. That would be an unequally yoked social situation. You know a good one for being unequally yoked and a good application of this is who young people should marry or who you should marry. Like this would be a like a believer should not marry an unbeliever. That would be someone who is unequally yoking themselves with the world. Okay that would even somebody who's super maybe there's two believers and one person is just like the gal is just super sold out. She's three to thrive. She's a soul winner but this guy's saved but he just he's not into church. He's not really he's just really worldly and he just doesn't really want to do anything for the Lord with his life. Look those two people should not get married because that would be unequally yoking yourself because look what the Bible is saying is that that the unspiritual is going to drag down the spiritual is what it's saying. Okay so look you know the point is is that we are going to be amongst people in the world men and women in this room. We are going to deal with unbelievers in the world and we are to in verse number five it says we are to walk in wisdom towards those people. Look turn to first Timothy chapter three. It's funny because you know a pastor in the in the qualifications for a pastor this command is actually in there and I've said this once I'll say it again the qualifications for a pastor they apply to every single one of you too. It's just if I don't do those things I'm not qualified to have this job. It's not that the things that are you know the list of a qualification for a pastor is not you know something that every Christian shouldn't do. It's just you know every person that wants to go into the ministry and be a pastor must have those things. Look at first Timothy chapter three but this one's in there it's interesting. Look at verse number seven it says moreover you know in addition to is what it's meaning here he must have a good report of them which are without these are the people outside the church lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. So the bible here is saying that a pastor needs to have you know a good he's got a good reputation he needs to have a good report of them that are outside the church. Unbelieving normally first of all a couple points here okay let me make a couple caveats on this one it's already assumed turn to first timothy first timothy chapter chapter now don't turn there I'll just read it for you but it's already assumed that a pastor would have a reputation of them that are within okay that's already assumed because it says that a pastor needs to be blameless it says it in first timothy three it also says it in titus chapter one verse five it's the same language moreover it just says it means in addition to this guy is to have a good reputation outside the church as well look he's supposed to be honest he's supposed to be you know even to those that are outside the church it's a qualification for him now one caveat to that is that we're talking about normal people here okay we're not talking about wicked reprobates all right wicked god-hating people I mean they're just going to hate all christians anyway that's not the pastor it's not saying that the pastor is to be this people pleaser that just goes out and just you know capitulates to every you know wicked evil thing out there it's just saying in general to the normal you know section of society which I still believe is the norm the majority of you know people were to have a good reputation and so are you you're to have a good reputation with those outside the church now look what it says go back to colossians chapter four go back to colossians chapter four how are we to do this how are we to do this go back to colossians chapter four colossians chapter four let me go back there myself colossians chapter four and look at verse number five how are we to do this how are we to have walk in wisdom it gives us very specific direction on how we're to do this it says walk in wisdom with those toward them that are without redeeming the time and then look at verse number six it says let your speech be always with grace so that's the first example it gives us on how to have a good or how to walk in wisdom with those outside the church it says let your speech be always with grace look your speech should be with grace you know this is a great example of of how we want to be soul winners as well we want our speech to be always with grace when we're out soul winning I mean I was out just with brother Ryan on Sunday soul winning and I met a guy and the guy was kind of like he was kind of underhandedly kind of insulting me a little bit and he was kind of like throwing in a few digs like he didn't believe what I was saying he threw in a dig that he didn't really believe the bible but look I just I just told him I was like look I'm not here to debate you at your own house you know because I'm not here to get I'm not I'm not going to anybody's door to get in any kind of argument with somebody on their own property that's not I have no interest in that I told him I'm just here to tell you what the bible says if you want me to if you don't want me to that's fine that's why look that's why pushy soul winners what we should never be that we should never be these pushy soul winners that are out there just you know never here please never here we want our speech to be always with grace because guess what by by my calculations just quickly this evening we've knocked like 30,000 doors in Fresno already in the last two and a half years and every single door that we knock guess what we're going to knock that door again and you know another thing is is that we've accidentally repeated maps like two weeks later and we end up getting more people saved on those very same maps but look we want to have a good reputation with people we want to know we want people to oh you're from the whole fast baptist church they want to know we want people to know that we are graceful we are polite we are nice people because we will knock that door again we will knock that door again turn to Matthew chapter 18 and here's the funny thing the stupidity the stupid the real stupidity of the foot in the door soul winner this pushy soul winner that won't leave until they they you know they force every single word of what they want to say you know down the person's throat look it would be one thing if that got people saved but that doesn't get anybody saved nobody is gonna look if we had some jerk in the church that was just this pushy soul winner and we just go and just cram the gospel down people's throat but he was getting people saved it'd be kind of like well you know but the gospel doesn't work that way and Jesus told us that Jesus told us that this is not what it takes look it is up to the person to receive the truth or not it makes no sense to be this pushy you know jerk that's just gonna just force you know himself upon people look at Matthew chapter 18 and verse number two look at Matthew chapter 18 and verse number two the bible says and Jesus called a little child unto him and set him in the midst of them and said verily I say unto you except you be converted and become as a little children you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven look people need to have an open believing heart in order to receive the gospel in order to get saved you can't force that that's why we we always say here and I've said before it's like we're looking for the right fish we're looking for that person who wants to know the truth that already believes the bible is the word of God and just doesn't know what it is that's that's who we're looking for brother Matt ran into this person today and just great discernment on his part it was it was this person and and she was just like she you could tell she just doesn't want to really listen to you know anything he had to tell her but she wanted to kind of give some stories about her life and that's great so we sat there with her for five you know four or five minutes and had a nice friendly conversation and talked to her a little bit about the church what the church is about um you know said she was saved but look there wasn't really much that you were gonna you were gonna tell this person you kind of just once you get used to dealing with people out so when you kind of tell who these people are but he didn't just sit there and just just just grill her on every point of everything but he made a good impression his speech was with grace and that's what we always want to be you can't force that so as soon as you feel that resistance you know that cynicism just exit the conversation with what with grace exit the conversation with grace you know that foot in the door it comes from a place of pride where it comes from it's the kind of person that does that that wants to just you know get to a prayer with somebody and just come back and say that they they they got somebody saved because they they forced a prayer upon somebody look this is not a magical prayer it's not magical prayer time out soul winning look be graceful be thorough and then that will mean that every prayer for you is a salvation that's our goal here speak with grace to them that are without everybody that you meet out out soul winning is without how about this how about at work guys you speak with grace at work are you one of these people that goes to work and just argues religion with everybody have you ever met this guy goes to work and just argues religion on day one of his brand new job and you can't figure out why he's getting fired every two months there's no grace there you know the problem is the problem is with a prideful saved person is that we are so right and we are we are right we do have the right gospel we are right but that doesn't mean that everyone needs to hate you because you're so right you're constantly jamming your opinion downs people's throats i mean don't be that guy that's so right that nobody can stand being around you ladies i don't mean to pick on the ladies on this one but you know i don't know why it's mostly ladies i'm sorry but you get on facebook and you just have to argue everything with everybody on social media of every kind you know youtube or whatever it is look no one has ever had their mind changed on a social media comment ever there's probably no bigger waste of time than this but the point is when you see these types of things i'm not saying anybody here does that but when you see these types of things just ask yourself where's the grace there where's the grace to those that are without for people that are just constantly just arguing their points and once again they're probably right they're probably right the point is though there's no grace there's no grace at all turn to matthew chapter five turn to matthew chapter five matthew chapter five so the bible says let your speech always be with grace seasoned with salt what's that mean seasoned with salt look at matthew chapter five and look at verse 13 now the bible talks a lot about salt and then it compares us say believers to salt look at matthew chapter five and verse 13 the bible says this it says you're the salt of the earth but if your salt has lost its savor wherewith shall it be salted it is thenceforth good for good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under the foot of men and then it says this it gives a good comparison here you're 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 but on a candlestick and give light unto them that are all in the house so the bible here is comparing like salt that has just lost its use to a light that's hidden okay the bible is saying so basically salt you can think of salt as having you know two general purposes right i mean salt it is a preservative and then salt also enhances you know the taste of things and that is why it's such a great comparison to the christian the christian first of all the christian is salt the christian is salt the christian that is not preserving and enhancing though is worthless salt and it says you might just throw it on the ground and just mix it in with the dirt because it has no value look we are to preserve the world through the gospel how's that for jerky you know we are to preserve the entire world through the gospel we are going to enhance people's lives look everybody in this world is living a worthless life if you are unsaved today i don't care where you work i don't care how much money you have i don't care how powerful you are i don't care what position in a government that you have if you are unsaved you are at best living a worthless life you might be living a life that's wicked and evil but at best it's worthless if you're not saved and the bible is saying we need to preserve the world through the preaching of the gospel and then we need to enhance the world by getting other people to do the same thing turn people's lives from worthless to priceless i mean how's that for a responsibility that you have here on a wednesday night you literally can change people from being of no value to this world to being of priceless eternal value to countless people throughout their life and the bible is saying is that your speech should be seasoned with salt you know what that means it means that's someone who speaks the gospel that's someone who you know more broadly someone that just says meaningful things wise things things that are in the word of god so you should have grace your speech should have grace and it should be wise you should be a blathering fool turn to first peter chapter three first peter chapter three first peter chapter three look at verse number 15 why why is it important that i speak i speak wisely look and if you're speaking wisely you're speaking the things that are found in the bible you're speaking the things that are taught in the bible that's what it means to speak wisely look at first peter chapter three and look at verse number 15 the bible says but sanctify the lord god in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear notice how it says that you are to be able to you are to be able to not not just go up to people and just you know it says give an answer you know what that implies someone asked you a question now that doesn't mean you just go up to people and just start you know vomiting every idea and every thought that you have upon them look that's not speaking with grace but the bible is saying in first peter chapter three verse 15 is like be ready to give an answer listen if somebody comes up and asks you you should be able to answer them you know what that's speech that's seasoned with salt if you answer them with a biblical answer that's what that means look i mean back to soul winning if honest questions come to you you ought to have those answers look we're not to you're not out there soul winning you don't need to what you know win a debate you're not out there having to argue you know the catholic from being catholic to being saved that's not why you're there but people will ask you honest questions people will have you know thoughts and and questions and look you should have an answer for those questions there's another reason that we have a partner with you you know especially for new soul winners somebody you can get some pretty obscure questions out there that's why it's great to have a partner with you because sometimes you have to be like you want that one but we should always be ready to give an answer to people if they ask that's salt right there when you can answer somebody from the bible look what the bible here is saying is that people should look at you people should look at you and they may not agree with you they may not agree with you they may not even really understand in general i'm not talking about wicked people but they should you know they should have a general good opinion of you they should be like you know what that guy is honest you know what that guy's trustworthy when that guy says he's going to do something he does it you know that guy has what the bible would call a good name and they should also know that you're committed and grounded in your beliefs that you're good salt and they should know what they should know why if if they ask you you know why you believe what you do you should be able to give them an answer is what the bible is saying and if look here's the thing by by the idea that we ought to be ready to give an answer this implies that this already implies that you're this graceful person because nobody's going to ask you anything if you're this arrogant know-it-all that just makes everybody mad everywhere you go because you have all the answers but if they ever do come to you you know they will know that you will be able to tell them you know i i i've met i've met unsaved people like this i've met unsaved this is this is how you want to be except wisdom from the bible i've met unsaved people that that say that don't say much but when they speak everybody listens you know i've met this person in the technical world in the work world where you know they don't necessarily you know they don't go to meetings and jump in and have to speak every sentence but when they open their mouth people listen and that's what people need to think of us you know just think about this think about this what if what if think of everybody everyone in the room tonight think about this what if you were this type of person that just appeared that just appeared to have it all together you appeared to have things generally together your family was generally strong your kids were together your marriage was strong because let me tell you something folks this world is a mess this world those that are without are a mess as a matter of fact it's getting to be such a mess that it's almost becoming normal to be a mess things that were not normal when i was growing up like you know just you know having someone who was divorced look and i'm not beating up on somebody that's been divorced but the point is it used to be rare it used to be a strange weird thing i mean look a mess of a life is is becoming normal from divorce to adultery to alcoholism and drugs to kids going into all these things as well it's becoming just like something that you deal with it's becoming normal in social circles today where oh your kids just get to be this agent that's just whatever that's what they do they just go into fornication that's just normal they go out and they drink and they party and they do all these things that's just oh yeah how old are that's all that yeah it's normal this world is a mess but what if you were different and what if people knew that you were different and they knew that your family was not that way and they knew that your marriage was not like their marriage and they knew that your kids were not like their kids and you know what they knew that you had friends and you never really isolated even though like you know throughout the whole covid for the last couple years they knew that you just had a had a great social life with good friends and all these types of things and maybe maybe they didn't you know and they didn't hate you for it because you were a graceful person and you weren't somebody that was just every time you cross paths with them downtrodden on how wrong they are unsolicited to them but you were graceful you know what if you were what if you were this type of person you know what would happen what if what if you gave it here's a really crazy one what if you gave an impression as as the world is over here doing what the world does and you're over here doing what you do being separated being not unequally yoked but but you were you know maybe you were working with some of these people maybe you're you know crossing paths with some of these people throughout your your errands or whatever it is throughout the day what if what if they actually knew that you were the type of person that actually cared about them and about the problems that they had you know what you know what happened something really crazy would happen you know what they would do they would when they when they got in trouble because guess what you know what i know about these people in the world as well that are going through all these problems they might get used to it over time they might get used to their kids falling into these things they i've seen this again and again and again they might get used to it but when it starts happening they don't like it you know why because god gave them the same conscience that he gave you and they don't like it and you know what they might do if they were the type of person that was was a graceful person that spoke with grace and that was seasoned with salt and you had some wisdom they might ask you things they might start to ask questions if they thought that you cared and they weren't in this war of who's right with you but they just knew that you know what they could see over there they can see that things are different over there and they can also see from your speech and your actions that you actually care about other people because guess what to care about a stranger is a weird thing today to care about a stranger in a big city you know we're just becoming we're just becoming indifferent to one another to actually to actually you know to be a soul winner is a weird thing to the world it's weird that you actually care enough and i hope this is why you go soul winning that you actually care enough about somebody that you've never even met to go out and preach the gospel to them but what if this happens and then when you did talk guess what it meant something they asked you and you could answer just think of this folks think of this what difference what difference could we make to the middle of this country if these were the type of people that we were you know that this you know that this whole spiritual battle in this country is a battle for the middle think about it here you have us over here on this side and we're the we're the extreme minority we're the extreme right as they would say in a battlefield flanking situation we're the extreme right and we're the extreme minority folks over here you got satan you got christ and you got satan and you know what he's got a lot of advantage over us he's got a lot of advantage you know who we're fighting for we're fighting for the middle right here that's what we're doing we're fighting for the middle guess what satan's got hollywood satan's got satan's got pop culture satan's got every single media outlet satan's got it all and he's just like just reigning in just hooks into these people and just pulling them over here but guess what you know at least you know we're few but if we could just be graceful and seasoned salt the few can at least be as effective as we could do what we could redeem the time we could use our little time look it's man hours we got few men let's not waste the hours we could redeem the time and we could at least be as effective as we possibly could because look we're fighting for the middle here folks we're fighting for these people because look all these things that this middle is into as satan gets the media and hollywood and all these ideas into their head look all these things lead to destruction and you're right many of these people many of these people will head straight into destruction and they will never turn back and they will never even look in the rearview mirror but some of them won't like it and that's where we step in because we're graceful and we're seasoned with salt well they come to you for answers when they want them this is the key folks right here turn to second corinthians chapter five second corinthians chapter five second corinthians chapter five look at verse number seven this is really look i'll just leave you here this is really what we're doing here this is really what we're doing in this life and this is what colossians 4 is all about look if i had something that just got saved i think you know the the two chapters that i would send them to just to about the christian life was probably colossians chapter 3 and colossians chapter 4 there's so much richness about the christian life here look at second corinthians chapter 5 and look at verse number 11 this is what we're doing in the christian life here it says knowing therefore the terror of the lord don't you know the terror of the lord don't you know that hell is real don't you know that that hell is not uh as a friend of mine used to say hell is not a plastic hell it's real and people are going to go there and if they go there they're going to be there for eternity look we know that terror people don't know it knowing therefore look we know it the terror of the lord we what we persuade men that's what we're trying to do here it's a battle that's why the bible that's why paul is saying these specific things that we need to be towards them that are without because it's a battle for those people it's a battle for those that are without let's pop our heads and have a word of prayer