Sermon Audio: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ministrybymail

“Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; ³ meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, ⁴ that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. ⁵ Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. ⁶ Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

Dearly Beloved Fellow Believers,

Last night, while most of our city slept, there were some who were awake and at work. Police officers were on duty. In hospitals, nurses were caring for patients. In supermarkets, stockers were refilling the shelves for today’s customers. And there were surely many others whose work we weren’t aware of, for there is a lot of necessary work that has to be done during the hours of the night.

If you have ever worked the night shift—or known someone who did—you know that it is hard to do. There are a few who seem to thrive on it, but most people find it difficult to keep it up over time. I have heard that night shift workers tend to burn out; after several years of it, they just can’t do it any longer. And it is no mystery why this should be so. Night shift workers have to keep a schedule that is the opposite of what the rest of the world keeps. They no doubt find themselves out of sync with family, friends, and neighbors. They may find it hard to attend church. They have to try to get their daily rest when the sun is shining and when the rest of the world is up and making noise.

The situation of the believer in this world is something like that of the worker on the night shift. The world in which we live is mostly sleeping in a spiritual sense; just as those who sleep are unconscious of the world around them, so the unbelieving in our world are unconscious of the true God and the Savior, Jesus Christ. But in the midst of a mostly sleeping world, we who believe are to be awake, striving to maintain awareness of our God, remembering the grace He has shown us, and wanting to do what is pleasing to Him. The Scriptures speak of the Christian life in these terms. Paul writes, “It is high time to awake out of sleep…The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore, let us cast off the works of darkness…Let us walk properly, as in the day” (Rom. 13:11-13).

Also, here in our text, the apostle speaks in this way when he urges us to be “vigilant” in our praying. To be vigilant is to keep a vigil, to stay awake and keep watch while others are sleeping. This is hard to do because spiritually it is nighttime in this world: darkness seems to reign, and the people around us are mostly asleep. Yet our vigil is of the utmost importance and urgency. Let the Word of God that is before us this morning stir us to wakefulness and alertness.

Continue in prayer.

As we keep our watch in this world that is heedless of God and His salvation in Christ, it is essential that we continue in prayer. Notice that the apostle here takes it for granted that his readers are already praying, for that is what Christians do. He counsels us to continue in our prayers, not to become discouraged about them or give up on them; no, not even to slack off from them in the slightest. He urges us to intensify our prayers, to “continue earnestly in prayer.”

Prayer is necessary for our staying awake and keeping watch because it is in our prayers that we maintain our awareness of God. In this, prayer is second in importance only to the hearing of God’s Word. In His Word, God speaks to us. He teaches us that we are accountable to Him, so that we are led to repent of our sins and trust in Christ for forgiveness. In His Word, He tells us of His love for us in Christ Jesus, how He willingly laid down His life for us to redeem us. In His Word, God gives precious promises to those who believe in Him: resurrection from the dead and eternal life with Him in heaven. The hearing of His Word encourages us to speak to Him, so we respond with prayer. In this way, there is a constant, ongoing conversation between God and the believer. As long as that conversation continues, we are very much aware of the presence of God in our life. If the conversation grows sparse and the exchanges become few and far between, then awareness of God is also declining, and the godless thinking of the world and our own flesh is gaining ground. But if our devotional life not only continues but grows, the conversations growing more frequent and earnest, then we are growing in our awareness of God; we are staying awake; we are keeping watch.

One thing that helps to nourish our devotional life is a spirit of thanksgiving, Paul says. We should not only continue earnestly in prayer, but also be vigilant in it “with thanksgiving.” Whenever we come to God to ask for something, it is good for us to remember how He has helped us in the past and how He continues to help us every day. That’s appropriate, first of all: we ought to remember God’s goodness to us; to fail to do so would be gross ingratitude. But thanksgiving also benefits us: as we remember how God has been true to His promises, we gain confidence that He will hear and help us again. When we remember what great things He has done for us, we are assured that He is both willing and able to do great things again.

Our prayers should, of course, be for ourselves and those closest to us, but we ought also to include others. Paul here especially asks for the prayers of his readers. And his request isn’t just a general one; he asks for a specific prayer for himself and his co-workers in the gospel. “Pray for us,” he says, “that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ.” This request for prayers explains one reason it is so important for Christians to keep watch in this world. The world isn’t hospitable to the gospel message; it tries to close the door to it, putting up obstacles in its path. We rely on God to open doors for the gospel, to remove the obstacles. Without His divine intervention, the doors would remain shut, and the gospel kept out. Paul was a living example of what he is saying here, as he reminds us when he adds, “for which I am also in chains.” The enemies of Christ were trying to stop the spread of the gospel by having Paul arrested and imprisoned. But though he was restrained physically, his movements restricted, Paul still had a voice that he was able to use. When he was a prisoner in Rome, Paul was able to receive visitors. He could teach them and send them out with the gospel of Christ. There is evidence that Paul also talked with those who guarded him. And he looked forward to appearing before Caesar and making his case there. All of this depended on God’s working, which is why ongoing and earnest prayers were so important.

Today, we likewise depend on God to open doors for us to preach the gospel. This is something for which we need to pray. As you do this, you can begin by giving thanks, remembering that God has indeed opened doors for your congregation. He has given them a place where they are free to conduct worship services. This too is a kind of open door for them “to speak the mystery of Christ.” Let us also look for doors that God opens to each of us in our personal lives. Let us pray for God’s help to make good use of the opportunities He has given us. And let us also pray for more such opportunities, knowing that this is a God-pleasing prayer.

Walk in wisdom.

Part of our keeping watch in this spiritually sleeping world is that we “walk in wisdom.” To walk in wisdom is to live each day putting into practice the wisdom that we have from God’s Word. What wisdom do we have? We know the only true and living God. We know Him to be a righteous God who hates sin. We know our own sins. We know His love for us sinners, so great that He sent and sacrificed His own beloved Son to save us. This is the greatest and highest wisdom, for that is what the Scriptures call it. To be truly wise is to have that wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. So, when Paul urges us to walk in wisdom, he is telling us to conduct ourselves always with God’s divine, saving wisdom in mind.

We are to use our God-given wisdom especially with “those who are outside,” that is, those who are outside the fellowship of Christians. With them, especially, our speech should always be “with grace.” When we are talking with the children of this world, we should have in mind their need for Christ, for the forgiveness of sins, for fellowship with God. We should have in mind the grace that God offers to everyone in the gospel. Now, not every conversation is necessarily a time for presenting the gospel (though any conversation could present such an opportunity). We talk with people for a variety of reasons: business, neighborhood concerns, and many other things. But no matter what the occasion, we always want to conduct ourselves as Christians: being kind, considerate, humble, sympathetic, conciliatory, unselfish. We want to be Christ like in our conduct. Not that we ever measure up to that perfectly; we often fail in it. Yet, this is our goal.

Paul says that our speech should be with grace also in the sense that we know how to answer people’s questions about the Christian faith. We meet various kinds of people: people from all walks of life, people from many different backgrounds, young and old. When we talk to them, we want to take those things into consideration. If we are to do that, we need to take the time and trouble to get to know people. We need to be interested in them, to listen to their concerns. This is what Paul was talking about when he spoke of wanting to be “all things to all men” (1 Cor. 9:22). If we are really interested in people and care about them and their concerns, then we will better be able to answer their questions and address their needs.

The apostle speaks of the importance of “redeeming the time.” This is making the most of each day. Every day has its opportunities for serving the Lord. As each day passes, the opportunities also pass away, as Jesus teaches when He says, “The night is coming when no one can work” (John 9:4). There are only so many hours in a day, and there are only so many days allotted to us. Let us value the days He gives us and use them to serve Him and do His work.

That we may do so, let us remember who we are and what we are doing. We are the Lord’s watchmen, the Lord’s sentinels, keeping watch in a sleeping world. In this sin-darkened world, it is the middle of the night, and people are sleeping on in ignorance of God, of Christ, and of the judgment to come. But God, in His grace, has awakened us by His Spirit and called us to awaken others. God help us to keep our vigil in this world by continuing in prayer and walking in wisdom. Amen.

—Rev. John Klatt

Watertown, SD

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