WOUNDED BY WORDS" | Colossians 3:8-10 | Dr. Bill Sims - Sunday AM, 7/26/2026

Paul turns in Colossians 3 from the supremacy of Christ to the surrender of the saint. Colossians 1 and 2 lay down the doctrine, dealing with legalism, asceticism, mysticism, and every other thing that tried to rob Christ of His rightful place. Colossians 3 and 4 bring that doctrine into daily devotion, where the Christian life must be lived under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul keeps pressing two little phrases: put off and put on. “Put off” comes like a runner taking off anything that hinders the race, anything that weighs down the walk with Christ. “Put on” points to the new man, renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him. The old man belongs to carnality. The new man belongs to Christ.

Colossians 3:8 names the things that must come off: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and filthy communication out of the mouth. Paul does not write that to the lost world, but to believers in the church at Colossae. The tongue, then, becomes one of the first places where surrender must show up. Words can honor God and help people, or words can bury people, lower people, and discourage people.

Paul makes wounded words a heart issue before making them a mouth issue. Inconsiderate, rude, ungracious, impolite, and disrespectful words are inward signs of a spiritual heart problem. Christ or carnality controls every word. Words without control, compassion, consolation, and composure show that the old man has not been put off.

The results of wounded words are serious. The tongue becomes fruitless, like James says, “an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” The testimony becomes fractured, because a believer cannot say, “I can say what I want, when I want, and how I want,” and still speak as the new man in Christ. Jesus never skirted truth, but Jesus spoke with holy purpose, grace, and righteousness.

Paul’s remedy is to think before speaking. The question is whether the word is timely, helpful, inspirational, necessary, and kind. Proverbs says a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver, and pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones. Christ calls the mouth to point people to Jesus, because for some people, a believer may be the only Bible they ever read and the only pulpit they ever hear.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Wounded words reveal heart trouble Paul’s command to put off filthy communication reaches deeper than manners or personality. Unchristian words come from an unsurrendered place, where the old man is still being allowed to speak. The tongue does not merely slip, it often exposes what has not yet been brought under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. [46:12]
• 2. Christ or carnality controls speech Every word has a master. Paul’s call presses the believer to see speech not as neutral sound, but as evidence of who is governing the heart in that moment. A mouth ruled by Christ ministers grace, while a mouth ruled by carnality wounds even when it claims to be “just telling the truth.” [47:03]
• 3. Think before the tongue moves The remedy for wounded words begins before the sentence leaves the mouth. Timely, helpful, inspirational, necessary, and kind speech requires prayerful restraint, not quick reaction. A word may be true and still be premature poison if it has not been bathed in wisdom and love. [54:50]
• 4. Jesus is the model mouth Christ never used words carelessly, and Christ never hid from truth. Jesus could expose sinners fully, yet He spoke with mercy, conviction, and holy purpose. The new man learns speech from Him, not from irritation, pride, sarcasm, or the old way of talking. [58:41]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [33:37] - Colossians 3 and Daily Surrender
• [34:40] - Put Off the Old Man
• [36:24] - Paul Names What Must Go
• [40:52] - Words Can Wound Deeply
• [42:38] - The Spiritual Health of the Tongue
• [44:52] - Reasons for Wounded Words
• [47:03] - Christ or Carnality Controls Speech
• [49:39] - Results of Wounded Words
• [53:17] - Put On the New Man
• [54:50] - THINK Before Speaking
• [58:41] - Jesus as the Model for Speech
• [62:06] - Let the Light Shine in Conversation
• [63:34] - Invitation to Receive Christ

1. Colossians 3:8-10

1. Ephesians 4:29

1. James 3:8

1. Proverbs 25:11

1. Proverbs 16:24

1. In Colossians 3:8-10, what specific sins does Paul say must be put away, and which of them are directly tied to the mouth? [36:24]
2. What contrast does Paul make between the old self and the new self, and how is that contrast connected to the way a believer speaks? [37:08]
3. According to Ephesians 4:29, what kind of speech should be rejected, and what kind of speech should take its place? [47:03]
4. What five word-tests are used to slow down speech before it is spoken? [54:50]

1. Paul gives commands about speech to believers in the church, not just to the world. Why does that matter, and what does it suggest about how serious God is about the tongue in the life of a Christian? [43:10]
2. Wounded words are treated as a heart issue before they are treated as a mouth issue. Why is that an important way to understand sinful speech? [46:12]
3. “Christ or carnality” controls every word. How does that sharpen the way a believer should think about everyday conversations, jokes, arguments, and quick reactions? [47:16]
4. Jesus spoke truth without speaking carelessly. What does that show about the difference between being bold and being harsh? [58:56]

1. Which kind of speech named in Colossians 3:8 shows up most easily in your life right now—anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene talk, or lying? What usually brings it out? [36:39]
2. Are there certain places where the old way of speaking tends to come back—at home, at work, in traffic, in texting, online, or when you are tired? What patterns do you notice? [58:34]
3. Can you think of a recent moment when your words tore someone down instead of building them up? What would it have looked like to give grace to that person instead? [46:54]
4. Before speaking this week, which part of THINK do you most need help with: timely, helpful, inspirational, necessary, or kind? Why that one? [55:06]
5. Some words are true but still become “premature poison” when spoken at the wrong time or in the wrong spirit. Have you seen that happen in your own life? What would prayerful restraint have looked like in that moment? [55:44]
6. A fractured testimony often begins with unguarded speech. Has there been a time when your words made it harder for others to see Christ in you? How did you respond afterward? [52:18]
7. Your words may be the only Bible some people ever read and the only pulpit they ever hear. Who in your life especially needs to hear speech from you that is gracious, steady, and full of Jesus? [01:02:06]