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Okay, before we call on Brother Peter to give us his talk, he's asked that we read together from Colossians chapter 4. We've asked Brother Randy Schultz from the Detroit Novi Ecclesiast to read that for us. Colossians chapter 4. Colossians chapter 4. Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven. Continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving, with all praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time. Let your speech be all way with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate and comfort your hearts. With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, they shall make known unto you all things which are done here. Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, saluteth you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, touching whom ye received commandments, if he come unto you, receive him. And Jesus, which is called justice, who are of the circumcision. These also are my fellow workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me. Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea and then in Hierapolis. Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea and Nymphus, and the church which is in his house. And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. And say to Archipas, that heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfill it. The salutation by the hand of me, Paul, remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen. It is now my pleasure to call on Brother Peter to give us his talk entitled, How is the World Affecting Us Personally? Brother Peter? Before we get down to the serious business of the subject, let me just say that if the lights go out again and everything goes dark, we have taken pictures of who is sitting where, so that when they come back on, if there are empty seats, we shall know who is missing. I suggested we had a cardboard cut out up here, but the committee wouldn't agree. The committee, you know, were right in arranging the talks in this order. How is the world affecting us personally? How is the world affecting our families? How is the world affecting our ecclesiast? Individuals, you see, tonight. Next talk, individuals as part of a family. Next talk, individuals as part of an ecclesia. Families and ecclesias are made up of individuals. Most exhortation in the word of God, brethren and sisters, you must know this, is directed at the individual for very good reason. Whether we like it or not, we lean toward the world. We lean away from the vertical. It is easier to think evil thoughts than it is good ones, generally speaking. Not on occasions like this, I'm aware of that. This circumstance is artificial in a way. We do most of our living in the real world, not at ecclesial gatherings and certainly not ones of this size. The world then represents that which is alien to God. That is the world as defined in the word of God. Anything, relationships, position, money, possessions, which keeps us away from God is the world. And so we have the world on one side and God and righteousness on the other. On this side we have the broad way and this side we have the narrow way. And if you are not in the narrow way, you are of necessity on the broad way because there is no middle road. There isn't a swinging gate. You are either with the world or you are with God. The world is attractive, the way of God is difficult. The Gospel describes the way as narrow. It really means it is narrow when you start and it gets narrower as you go on. It doesn't get easier, it gets more difficult. The world offers present possibilities. It is visible now. God's righteousness, the narrow way, the difficult way, offers the kingdom through faith. So the battle is joined. We give lip service to the kingdom and its ambitions. But in our hearts we often lean towards the broad way. Or, with a measure of disaster, try to accommodate both. I think if we have ten seconds honesty time, and I'm going to propose that now, and the question which I ask you to address to yourself is this. Do you think that the world is affecting you? You personally. Are you affected by the world? Well, let me tell you this. If you read newspapers, and I sometimes do, you are affected by the world. If you listen to radio, and I sometimes do, if I'm in somebody else's car, then you are. And if I watch television, and I sometimes do, if I'm in somebody else's house and it's on, then you are affected by the world. Whether you like it or not, you are affected by the world and its standards. We would like not to be, but in all truth we are. And so this evening, rather than underline the bad news, how bad you are affected by the world, how bad you are affected by the world, I know you are, I'll tell you what you're doing wrong. We acknowledge that. What I propose we do tonight is look at the antidote from scripture to see what we do to overcome the world in our individual lives. The battle is joined. Our Father hasn't left us without instruction or encouragement. Romans chapter 12, please. Romans chapter 12. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Of course, you can't have half a sacrifice, can you? So it has to be complete. And it has to be reasonable, which is the word present. It has to be done now. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. This is where it starts, brethren and sisters. This is where the battle is joined, in the mind. We talk about the heart being desperately wicked and sick, which we acknowledge that it is, but that's only a Bible metaphor for the seat of evil. And the seat of evil is not there, it's here. It all starts in the mind. By the renewing of your mind. There has to be a metamorphosis. A change has to take place. To change something that is evil into something that is good. You know, the old example of the caterpillar and the butterfly. We have to submit to metamorphosis. That which is ugly has to become that which is beautiful. And we can only do it by letting the word of God affect our minds. By the renewing of your mind. Well, let's ask the Father some questions. How often should our minds be renewed? Every Sunday morning, maybe, when we come to the memorial service? Well, the Apostle doesn't leave us in any doubt. He says to the Corinthians, For which cause we faint not, but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man, that's the mind, is renewed day by day. It's a daily thing. It's a daily battle. You cannot quit the metamorphosis process. If you do, reversion will take place. And that which is becoming beautiful is again going to become very evil. You cannot stand still. Your mind has to go forward. It has to be renewed day by day. And you can only do that with the word of God in your hand. Which is why, if we have any sense at all, our Bibles are open on a daily basis, and we read as faithfully as we can. I want to bring you, brethren and sisters, to four steps which bring us to exaltation. And to do this, we need to come to the book of Philippians, and chapter two. While you're finding that, I shall start reading, and I'm going to read at verse five of chapter two Philippians. Let this mind, there it is again, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. I bring you, brethren and sisters, to four steps which bring us directly to the exalted position of the kingdom. And it doesn't matter whether your name is Paul, the apostle, or Jesus Christ, the son of God, there is no change to the recipe. And these are what, and we've just read them, and this is what it is, and it's in absolutely the right order. Have you ever noticed the orderliness of the word of God? It's a staggering Bible study. Those young brethren who are looking to get your head into the book, to talk to your ecclesias, maybe for the first or second time, you're pondering a subject to use. Will you look at this? The orderliness in the things of God. It's a wonderful concept. I was a long way away from here a little while ago, talking to 83 people in an evangelical church, nothing to do with us. I was invited to speak there, they asked me to break bread also, which obviously we couldn't do. But I was invited to speak at an evangelical church in the West Indies, and I did so gladly. And if we think we have exclusive rights on the love of the word of God, we'd better start thinking again, because we haven't. And these people said to us, would you preach to us, please? And I asked them what they wanted me to preach about, and they said, talk to us about the parables in the Gospel, we're fairly simple folk. And I said, well, I need to know how much you know about the word of God, otherwise I might just possibly go over your head, or more likely I should be telling you stuff you knew when you were five years old, and I want to avoid either. They asked me to talk about the parable of the prodigal. There were 83 people present, there are more than that in this house this evening. And I said to them, can you please tell me what gifts the father gave the son on his return home, and in what order they were given? We're talking about the order of the word of God, and if you get the order wrong in the parable, you've ruined the parable. You've shot the meat out of the parable if you get the order wrong. And out of the 83, more than half got it dead right. I won't embarrass you by asking you to put your hands up if you can say, without opening your books, don't open your books, but just imagine I've asked you, will you? And you can only raise your hand if you can say without fear of being wrong the order in which those gifts were given and how many there were. And I just wonder if more than half of us would get it tonight. And these dear, simple people with little possession read the word of God with such care and such affection that more than half of them got it dead right. The robe has to be given first, doesn't it? Because if you haven't got the robe, the ring and the sandals are useless. First you must be covered by the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ and then given the ring of authority and then given the sandals, the shoes which will prove that you have a possession in God's land. You can't have the sandals before you're covered by the sacrifice and the righteousness of Jesus. So the orderliness, there you are, young brethren, if you're looking for something into which to get your teeth to bring to the Ecclesiastes, have a look at the orderliness in the word of God and the way things are presented. And that brings us back to Philippians chapter 2 and the order that brings us to exaltation and there is no deviation from it. And the first word is in verse 8 he humbled himself. And that's where it all starts. We cannot come to God and bang the table and demand our rights, we might just possibly get it and it's called death. It begins with humility and the Lord Jesus Christ clothed himself with it. And after that, the next word, again in the same verse, he became obedient. And he became obedient unto death, that's the third word. Wherefore God also has highly exalted him. And there is no deviation from that divine recipe. It goes humbling, obedience, death in baptism and exaltation from the Father himself. This is the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ and we are encouraged to put it on ourselves. Would you like to see the other side of the coin? Would you like to see the other four steps that bring us from life to death? These four steps in Philippians too bring us from death to life. Let's have a look at the other side of the coin because it's one or the other that bring us from life to death and for this we need to come to the book of Ruth and chapter one. Ruth chapter one, the story will be well known to you, how that a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah went down to the country of Moab a place where he should not have been. God had said thou shalt not seek their possessions or their wealth all thy days forever. A Moabite and an Ammonite shall not come into the congregation of Israel until the tenth generation have nothing to do with them. They are evil people. They are the epitome of sin. But Elimelech said to his wife Naomi, there's a famine in the land I suggest we go down to Moab. We won't stay we'll just go there until the famine is over in Israel. Verse one, now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled that there was a famine in the land and a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to sojourn in the country of Moab. There's the first word he went to sojourn. When you sojourn somewhere it implies that you're not going to stay. I am sojourning in the United States of America for a few days I'll go back home by God's grace on Sunday. And the name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, the name of his two sons Marlon and Chilian Ephrothite of Bethlehem, Judah and they came into the country of Moab and continued there. It's not a bad place after all this and the people are half decent. The boys have met two very nice girls I suggest we hang around a bit, we'll stay here. So first he went to sojourn which implies impermanence now he continues there. Verse four and they took them wives of the women of Moab the name of the one was Orpah, the name of the other Ruth and they dwelled there about ten years. If when they went down you'd said to Elimelech or to Naomi because you're going to dwell there about ten years they said don't be silly. It's a filthy place. We wouldn't catch me being there for ten years, we're just going down there until the famine's over and they sojourned there and continued there and dwelled there and Marlon and Chilian died and her husband died also. Do you see what's happened? They left the house of bread and praise, Bethlehem, Judah and went down to sin downhill, it's ever so easy to go down that way and they went to sojourn but continued and dwelled there and died there. Four steps you see. If we want to flirt with sin, that's the way to do it. Why do you think, brethren and sisters that Israel failed so abysmally when they went into the land? And they did. I know what you're thinking oh for the years under Joshua they were godly people and for the elders which outlived Joshua they were good people, fighting the Lord's battles, I know that. But on a time scale, relatively speaking it wasn't five minutes before they could teach the bailites a thing or two about his worship. God is on record as saying you're worse than the people, you're dispossessed. They hadn't been in there by a few years and they were showing the Molechites how to sacrifice their children. Why is this? Why should the people with the most noble calling in the world go to such depths of depravity as to scorch their children in the fire to Molech? There has to be a reason. I ask you to come with me to Deuteronomy chapter 6 please. We need Deuteronomy chapter 6 and verse 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently, that's the words and the commands thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up there. Talk about these things when you're in your house when you walk by the way when you lie down and when you rise up now then. Most people in this house this evening are well acquainted with the seminar. During the course of the seminar teaching the students there are asked to listen to Bible echoes. We say to them don't we I mean they're your notes that I've been using so you better know them better than I do. We say to them don't we that the people who come to the seminar learn to listen to Bible language and listen for Bible echoes. You read something here and you say ah that reminds me of something over here. Don't we? Well we do and they're your printed papers so presumably you're singing the same tune. Listen for the Bible echo, that's that what does it remind you about? Come on I'm asking you, I know you're not going to tell me, you never do. We've read this in Deuteronomy chapter 6 what is the echo in the New Testament and the answer is brothers and sisters it's in Mark chapter 13. Keep your hand in Deuteronomy we might possibly go back there if we have time. Mark chapter 13 this cannot be a coincidence. Remember what the father said through Moses you must talk talk, that's the word you must not forget the word talk. Talk when you're in the house, when you walk by the way when you lie down and when you rise up. Now listen to the Lord Jesus Christ verse 35 of Mark 13. Hey, it's exactly the same times the same times in Deuteronomy as it is in Mark, that cannot be a coincidence. God said talk about these things when you're in the house. Jesus says at even most people are in their house at even time. I know that, look I know what you're going to say to me afterwards, I work nights brother Peter I'm never at home at night. I know, I've been down that road I'm talking about ordinary people you know, people who work ordinary, ordinary hours as they did in the time of the Lord Jesus Christ, agricultural folk so that at seven o'clock in the evening they're sitting down. And God said talk about these things when you're in your house, and Jesus said at even, same time. The Father said talk about these things when you walk by the way, the Lord Jesus Christ says in the morning. And in the morning in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ, people were walking to work. The Father said talk about these things when you lie down. Jesus says at midnight. Most normal people are lying down at midnight. And the Father said, when you rise up, and the Lord Jesus Christ says at cock crowing. Now I ask you, is that a coincidence? And the answer is no, it is not. I don't believe in them. The Father and Jesus reiterates it. What are they asking us to do? Talk, talk, talk. Do you know why, brethren and sisters? Ask yourself this. Which do you know best by rote or by heart? The Bible or the If you were given a paper now and a pencil and I said to you, write down as many verses as anyone, it doesn't matter, you don't have to tell me the number of the hymn, just write down the hymn verses you can. I would be surprised if on the other side of the paper when I said to you, write down as much scripture as you can, there was as much scripture as there is hymn book. And do you know why that is? Of course you do. Because we verbalise the hymns. The only way to get things into there is through here. Which is why the Father said, talk, talk, talk. But do we? Do we talk about the things of God or are we prepared to turn a switch and be entertained? Kick the radio out of your motor cars, brethren and sisters, you don't need that. Get shot of the box that produces pictures and calls itself entertainment, you don't need that. Talk, a bit violent, I know, I know, and nobody will do it, I'm well aware of that. I've been down this road before and people say, nice talk brother Peter, and do nothing about it. I've been there. You don't need people in your motor car to tell you what you ought to think. I was quite a way away, not all that far away from here a little while ago in somebody else's motor car and because they were the driver and it was their car I was compelled to listen to the radio and we had two minutes news and three minutes music. And then two minutes news or announcements and then three minutes music and I said to the driver, why does the music, I don't mind Mozart or Beethoven, I don't like any music that's less than about 300 years old but that's just the way I am. I quite like this music, why do we keep being interrupted? And he said, ah well the important thing is the words, the verbals, the news. scientists in this country, it's not the United States don't worry, scientists in this country have proved beyond reasonable doubt that we can only concentrate for about two or three minutes at a time so they give us two or three minutes words and then they give us two or three minutes music. God help us and I really mean that if we fall into that category. We are not born able to concentrate, it's something which we have to work at. I take my turn sitting where you are and I know it's difficult sometimes to concentrate on what the speaker's saying you wonder where he's going and if there are hymns behind you you're tempted to add them up and multiply them all. I've been down that road I know that, I know that. But we don't find concentration easy we have to work at it brethren and sisters and my submission to you tonight is that we give in too easily really I'm deadly serious we give in too easily. God says talk, talk, talk, talk you wake up in the night talk about the things of God, even if you're talking to yourself, talk about the things of God you're in the motor car by yourself talk about the things of God read the Bible before you get in the car and think about that the mind has to be changed vicious, violent hard to do didn't think he was quite that strange thought he was a bit more gentle than that well he's not and that's what we ought to be doing brethren and sisters our lives are at stake talk, talk, talk the father said this to Joshua I tell you what, I'll leave a word out I'll leave a word out, you see whether you can put it in will you? Listen to this, I want to tell you where it is this book of the law shall not depart out of thy but thou shalt thou shalt meditate that sounded like an echo thou shalt meditate there in day and night this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate in it day and night Joshua talk about it, will you? never mind the weather or where you've been for your holidays talk about the things that are important and meditate you've still got some room on the paper that you wrote down various things for me now here's something else for you to write down on this imaginary paper how would you describe the word meditate? I mean if you had a sentence to write down a description of the word meditate what would you put? going to a nice dark room, not necessarily dark, but yeah sometimes dark, quiet room or maybe get your books out and you've got your concordance and your bible and some note piece and you think seriously about the things of gaudi, is that how you describe meditation? or serious bible study? those of you clever people with computers, you put the disc in and all the answers come flashing back at you, I'm much too old fashioned for that now I just use the bible and a note paper and I have two concordancies, I'm happy with that old fashioned, I know that but that's me so how are you going to meditate? what are you doing to meditate? the Chinese these people have a strange way of describing it they say you must get yourself into try to ask them, you must get yourself into a very comfortable position so that you can try to get as much out of your mind as you can to do with the world and get things into your mind that you really want there that's meditation not bad, good try but that isn't what it means to meditate means to talk so when we meditate on the things of god we're talking about it we have the hymn don't we, 22 is it I think it's 22 sister so I'm not very good with numbers in the hymn book oh how love I thy law it is my study all the day it's straight from Psalm 119 verse 97 but we had to stick the word study because the word in the psalm is meditate and there are too many syllables for us to sing we can't sing oh how love I thy law it is my meditation all the day we can say it but we can't sing it so we take out the word meditate and put the word study in and it's wrong oh how love I thy law it is my study it is my meditation all the day and we all sing it flat out lovely tune nice tune hymn 22 we can only sing it if we're thinking of the lord Jesus Christ brother and sisters because it was his meditation all the day and it isn't ours oh how love I thy law I talk about it all day long and he did every word that's recorded that the lord Jesus Christ spoke is to do with preaching oh how love I thy law talk talk talk Colossians chapter 4 please this is such a very very serious matter brethren and sisters just two verses from here a little comment about them it's very hot and sticky tonight I know that and then we're free to go out into the cool Colossians chapter 4 verses 5 and 6 walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time let your speech be always with grace seasoned with salt that you may know how you ought to answer every man ah this is vitally serious and if the proposition that I'm going to put to you in just a couple of minutes is to be taken seriously and is to be believed and I may very well be wrong the implications are staggering walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time if you think brethren and sisters that by good example we can win souls for the lord Jesus Christ forget it at funerals which we attend and sometimes take you often hear the facts stated that he or she was living proof of a Christian life good time keepers at work honest diligent people saw this person in this box and knew that Jesus dwelt inside them forget it I mean it should be when we're in a box at the front of the meeting room or at the cemetery wherever it is you hold yours that ought to be said of us people ought to know that we're different people ought to know that Jesus Christ lives inside us people ought to know that it's our ambition to be like him but good works never brought a knowledge of salvation you can be the kindest sweetest most diligent person in the world and by example alone people will never learn of salvation you know what's missing the words you have to open your mouth and talk which is what God said talk talk talk and the lord Jesus Christ said watch watch watch watch redeeming the time says the apostle walk in wisdom toward them that are without redeeming the time it's an expression straight from the marketplace it means to buy how can you buy time you can't go to a shop and buy yesterday afternoon can you would God you could but you can't you can't buy time redeeming the time it doesn't mean that what he means is use it wisely it's impossible to put the clock back once an opportunity is lost it's gone forever time is irretrievable so use it with care and then verse 6 let well here we are again let your speech be always seasoned with grace it's a cracking bible word isn't it grace I love it oh it's a real bible word the apostle loved it so much he began all his letters with it and concluded them the grace of the lord Jesus Christ be with you all we don't use it today when did you last use the word grace you might write me a letter saying your brother or your sister by grace yes that's very nice thank you I like that you know why we don't hear the word grace mentioned because we don't live in a gracious society that's why the first time we read of the word grace in the word of God important principles are expressed and it's in the time of Noah that's the first time we hear of grace but Noah found grace in the eyes of God and these are the two principles set in stone brothers and sisters which cannot be moved the first is this grace is always shown to the people of God on an undeserved basis you'll never perform works and then receive grace ever God said to Noah here's my grace now go and build the ark he didn't say that's a fine ark you've built I'll show you some grace never first grace it's given on trust you see whatever it is and then you're supposed to do something with it and the other principle is this it's always given for the benefit of other people as it was with Noah build the ark make plenty of living space so that folks might come in and they didn't force of course we teach the children nicely about grace don't we? God's riches at Christ's expense that's a nice little way for the children to learn it grace but the grace of God brothers and sisters really is the distillation of all God's goodness all God's kindness, his compassion his forgiveness especially his forgiveness in the word grace you would expect the word grace to be all over the Psalms it's only there twice and both times heavily messianic and the first time it goes like this thou art fairer than the children of men grace is poured into thy lips therefore thy God loves you forever grace poured into the lips of Jesus now what was the outworking of that? Luke chapter 4 verse 22 tells us don't look at it, the time's gone they wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth but they would, wouldn't they? manifestly you cannot get out what hasn't gone in and if you spend your time watching stupid soap operas on a television set your vocabulary will become like that and if you spend your time reading this your vocabulary will become like this you cannot get out what hasn't gone in grace is poured into thy lips and gracious words they all wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth words you see, he's talking again gracious words proceeded out of his mouth so that's grace let your speech be always seasoned with grace we're back to Colossians 4 verse 6 now seasoned with salt the Lord Jesus Christ said ye are the salt of the earth what do you think he meant? well simplistically expressed salt flavours and we should be able to flavour people's lives I suppose not much care for that thought but it's been expressed it preserves ah, that's a bit better salt is a preservative salt cleanses a bit painful when you apply it but it will cleanse it does act as a cleansing agent but I suggest to you brethren and sisters that is not why the Lord Jesus Christ said it he said it for this reason ye are the salt of the earth salt has the unique capacity to attract water and to retain it it's incredible like blotting paper now then if the Lord Jesus Christ is the water of life and he's on record as saying that he is what is he telling me? you must attract, must be attracted to me and retain me you're the salt of the earth you're full of the Lord Jesus Christ what a wonderful thing to be full of Jesus so that we speak like him and we think like him and we live like him and we pray like him but that's not all this is the bottom line this is the bottom line let your speech the apostle said be seasoned with grace and salt, always be seasoned with grace and salt and my submission to you this evening is this that all our words come before God every one of them your speech should always be gracious seasoned with salt and all your words come before God not the ordered ones with which we greet each other in the morning or as we pass each other on the paths good morning brother Ted good morning brother Peter, good to see you those words are measured not these words that I'm speaking now not rehearsed, but they've been prepared may not sound as though they have been but they've been prepared I'm not talking about these words I'm talking about the words that we might use when we're driving a nail into the wall and miss and hit our thumb that's the real you this isn't the real me this is me with the guards up giving you the impression that I'm a half decent fellow you come to my house and hear what might be said when a head is missed and a thumbnail is hit guards taken away you see those are the words that come before God just as surely as these do when the great apothecary in the days of Aaron made the incense for the morning and evening sacrifice this is what it contained and it was placed by the altar of incense in the holy place which represents our prayers this is what is made of stacti, onica, galvanum, frankincense of equal parts there shall be of equal types there shall be a measure 25% each and it was ground small and it was burned on the altar of incense and the gentle smoke ascended and that's our prayers morning and evening but we've missed something out I'm addicted to the King James version as you may well know but occasionally we have to look at the other versions or the margin and we find that something was missing if we leave it at that stacti, onica, galvanum, frankincense and salt and then it was acceptable to come before God in prayer and the apostle says let your speech always be seasoned with salt because what you say whether you like it or not is heard in heaven and recorded idle words frightening frightening brother Mike terrifies me to think of it it really does idle words prayer, morning and evening brethren and sisters if we have any sense at all if we are capable and age and infirmity often makes us incapable we should be on our knees in the morning and in the evening and I'm not talking about scratchy 30 second prayers let your speech be always seasoned with salt and as we seek brethren and sisters to introduce grace into our lives as individuals because that's what we've tried to convey this evening the world is pressing the world is attractive the world is consistent it presses you every day of your life to conform and we hear the still small voice saying don't forget that your speech should be seasoned with grace please don't forget that your speech should be seasoned with salt because it comes up to heaven and as we seek to introduce grace into our lives as individuals we shall be better people for our families and for our ecclesias which by God's grace and your patience we shall learn about in two coming evenings Amen