Rabbi Schneider - Why Do the Words You Speak Matter?
We're talking about prayers that move the heart of God. And 1 John, 5:24, tells us, if we ask anything according to his will. We know that he hears us and that we'll have the answers to our prayer. And so we've been talking about how can we pray according to the will of God. I know that whenever I pray for myself or other people, I want to examine my heart and my words according to Scripture. I want to pray according to the truth, because the truth is what sets us free. And when our prayers line up with the Bible, then we know that the prayers that we're praying are Biblical, that God hears them, that we're praying according to his will, and we can have the confidence that he's gonna answer.
The way that I have confidence in the fact that God's gonna answer my prayers is when I know I'm praying according to his will. And once again, how do you know if you're praying according to his will; if you're praying according to his Word. Jesus said the words that I speak are spirit and are life. His word is truth. So if we're gonna have confidence in our prayer life, we need to know that we're praying Biblically. We need to know that we're praying according to the truth, and we need to know that we're praying according to his will. And we know that, we're gonna have expectation when we pray knowing that the prayers that we're asking, the requests that are being made are gonna come to pass. God is gonna answer these prayers.
And so we've been approaching this subject by examining the prayer life of Biblical heroes of the faith, men and women that are written about in the pages of Scripture that walked with God. We see how God cared for them, how God answered their prayers, and by knowing that our prayers are similar, that the heart that we have is similar to the heart of these in Scripture that God showed such favor to, we can have confidence then, beloved ones, that we're praying again according to his will and that he's gonna answer.
We began several weeks ago, this is again now the third part in the series, and I encourage you to get the entire series. It's online or you can purchase it through the contact information here at the end of our broadcast today. I want to get you the entire series because it will really help you. We began by looking at David. David is a man the Lord said, was after his own heart. David was a man that had the heart of God. Jesus said that he was the offspring of David. Se we began several weeks ago by looking at Psalm 51. We looked at the fact that God is gracious in nature. That helps us to approach him, when we know that he loves us, that he wants to do us good.
We looked last week we as we continued in Psalm 51, that David called out to God for God to cleanse him. I want to pick up there. I'm gonna move forward today but I just want to pick up to put us in a frame of reference. David said in Psalm 51:2, he said: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. He said: purify me, in verse 7, with hyssop and I shall be clean; Wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Do you know one of the deepest longings of our heart should be, get this now, listen to me, restoration to innocence, to bring us back, beloved, to a state of the innocency we enjoyed when we were children.
You know, we move through life, and as we age and move through life, the world has an effect on us, the things that come into us because of the defiled world that we live in. Even the prophet Isaiah, when God appeared to Isaiah in Isaiah, chapter 6, the Bible says Isaiah fell on his face. And he said, woe is me for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live amongst a people of unclean lips. Jesus said, get this now, that the things that defile us are the words that come out of our mouth. When the Pharisee began to question Jesus as to why his disciples washed with unwashed hands, Jesus said, eating food with hands that are unwashed does not defile a man. But what defiles a man are the evil words that come out of his mouth.
David recognized that he needed to be washed and he needed to be cleansed. And no doubt he realized that one of the main things that had defiled him were the words that had come out of his mouth. Of course we know the sin that he committed with Bathsheba and David was calling out for restoration and from cleansing from this sin. But I want you to know that all of us need to be washed and cleansed. And one of the main things, beloved, that has defiled us are the words that we've spoken throughout our life and the words that we've heard the world around us saying. Even as Isaiah said, I am a man of unclean lips and I live amongst a people of unclean lips, and he looked to the Lord to wash him and cleanse him.
The Lord graciously responded to Isaiah's plea, when an angel come and touched his mouth and cleansed him and Isaiah's iniquity was taken away. You and I, in order to have peace in our hearts, in order to have restoration, in order for us to walk with God with the spirit of joy, we need to be washed and cleansed and transformed. David, who was a man after God's own heart, he realized this. And so he said, wash me and cleanse me. He said wash me with hyssop. And I don't know about you, but I know that one of the deepest needs that I have in my life is to be restored to innocency.
Now all of us, the Bible said, were even born into sin, so we were never completely innocent. But when we were children, most of us if we didn't, you know come from a real broken background, as children we were much more innocent than we are as adults, and we need to be washed and restored to that place of innocency. And you know what? God's supernatural, transforming Spirit will do that. The Bible says that we are washed, in Titus, 3:5, not by the deeds that we do, but by the washing, regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. In Titus, 3:5, we read: Not according to deeds of righteousness which we have done, but according to the washing, regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.
I'm gonna pray a supernatural prayer over our lives right now. I'm gonna believe that as I pray, God is gonna supernaturally wash us. We're gonna call out now, beloved one, to the Lord. We're gonna call out to God supernaturally with the same heart's desire that David said when David cried out to God, Lord, wash me and cleanse me. Create in me a clean heart. Wash me with hyssop and I shall be whiter than snow.
Father God, right now I want to thank you that you love us. I want to thank you that you sent Jesus into the world because you love us; Father God, that you desire for us to be restored; Father, that you have made a way for us to be washed. Father, your Word says that through the blood of Jesus, through your Word, and through the supernatural transforming power of the Holy Spirit that we are washed and conformed to your image. Father God, right now I reach out to you with my heart today. On behalf of myself and on behalf of these beloved ones of yours that are watching that desire, Father, to be washed, that desire to be returned to innocence again.
Father, now I'm speaking over the women, Father God, that feel they've been defiled because of the illicit sexual relationships that they've engaged in throughout their life. Father, I want to thank you that through Jesus, through his blood, through your Word and transforming power, they can be restored to a place of innocency and virginity in the Spirit. Father God, I ask you to wash them right now. These beloved brides of yours, Father God, that were defiled by their choices and by the world. Father God, right now I want to thank you for the provision that you have made to restore them to your virgin brides.
Father, I ask you to wash them right now by your Word and by your Spirit and to restore each one that's crying out to you right now for restoration, Father, to restore them to innocency and to the virginity in their spirit. Father, I pray for the men out there. Father God, the words that we've spoken that are defiled us; Father, the egos, the machoism, Father, the things that we've said that are critical of other people, the judgments, the accusations that have come forth from our mouth. Father, I ask you to forgive us through the blood of Jesus and wash us, Father God.
As David prayed, Father, we ask you to wash us with hyssop and make us whiter than snow. Holy Spirit, I ask you to wash us now through the regenerating power that is in you. Thank you, Father God, for you supernatural, transforming power; thank you, Father God, that we're being re-created, that old things are passing away, and behold, all things are becoming new in the love of God. Father, we call out to you today like David. Father, wash us and create within us a new heart; Father God, that our joy would spring forth and that we would, Father, rise up as eagles with wings in Jesus's name, Amen and Amen.
Father, now I'm speaking over the women, Father God, that feel they've been defiled because of the illicit sexual relationships that they've engaged in throughout their life. Father, I want to thank you that through Jesus, through his blood, through your Word and transforming power, they can be restored to a place of innocency and virginity in the Spirit. Father God, I ask you to wash them right now. These beloved brides of yours, Father God, that were defiled by their choices and by the world. Father God, right now I want to thank you for the provision that you have made to restore them to your virgin brides.
Father, I ask you to wash them right now by your Word and by your Spirit and to restore each one that's crying out to you right now for restoration, Father, to restore them to innocency and to the virginity in their spirit. Father, I pray for the men out there. Father God, the words that we've spoken that are defiled us; Father, the egos, the machoism, Father, the things that we've said that are critical of other people, the judgments, the accusations that have come forth from our mouth. Father, I ask you to forgive us through the blood of Jesus and wash us, Father God.
As David prayed, Father, we ask you to wash us with hyssop and make us whiter than snow. Holy Spirit, I ask you to wash us now through the regenerating power that is in you. Thank you, Father God, for you supernatural, transforming power; thank you, Father God, that we're being re-created, that old things are passing away, and behold, all things are becoming new in the love of God. Father, we call out to you today like David. Father, wash us and create within us a new heart; Father God, that our joy would spring forth and that we would, Father, rise up as eagles with wings in Jesus's name, Amen and Amen.
This is so critical, beloved ones, to be washed, to be regenerated, to be renewed, and when we look at this man of God, when we look at David, when we look at David we see, beloved, that this is of the essence. Let me read it again before we move on. David said: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. And then he said: Behold, You desire, he said, Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make known wisdom.
Let's think about David's cry to God, that David is actually asking God to examine him. Did you know that the, David said to the Lord, Lord, examine me, examine my innermost being. David wanted God to remove all iniquity from his life and he placed himself in a position before God and before the Holy Spirit, that God would examine him to see if there would be any impure way in him. David said, know me and examine me. Look into my inner part and see if there be any impure way in me. And David said, Lord if there is, forgive me and wash it.
See, these, these, my heart, beloved, is communicating to you the deepest issues of our need in our walk with God. Let's read that again: Behold, David said to the Lord, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You'll make known to me wisdom. Purify me with hyssop. Do you know that God knows everything in your heart and in my heart, that he knows every word that you've ever said, all the critical words, all the judgmental words, all the cruel words, all the mean words, all the evil words that defile us? And do you know what? When we speak words like this, we speak them because of an evil heart. Jesus said, out of the abundance of the heart the man speaks.
You need to be cleansed. You and I are defiled. We need to be getting down on our knees and say like David, wash me and cleanse me God, for you desire truth in the innermost being. This is not a small matter. We cannot walk with God, beloved one, unless we're walking in truth. And we can sit in all the church services we want to, but if we're leaving the services and we're speaking words of criticism, words of cruelty, words of accusation against other people, these things defile us and our religion means nothing.
Lord, we ask you to wash us and forgive us, even as Isaiah called out to you and he said, woe is me for I am a man of impure words and I live amongst a people of unclean lips. And as he called out to God and admitted his guilt, God cleansed him, and washed him, and released him from the guilt. Beloved, you and I need to be released from all the evil words that we've spoken because of an evil heart. David said, God looks in the innermost being. And you know what, if you and I want to walk with God, we've got to guard our mouths and guard our hearts.
Again, I quoted on an earlier broadcast, who shall ascend to the house of the Lord? Who shall ascend to the mount of God? In other words, how can we walk with God? How can we live in his presence? How can we enjoy his fellowship? How can we experience the fullness of his blessing? And then the Scripture writer says, he that has clean hands, that's because of our actions, including our words, and he said, and a pure heart. If you and I want to truly walk with God and experience the joys that Christianity promises, we need to be cleansed, beloved, of defiled words, and we need to be cleansed of an evil heart that causes these defiled words to go forth.
See the Bible says the Word of God is living and active and it judges the thoughts and intentions of men. God's word sees us. He sees our intentions. He sees our words. He hears, beloved, the evil things that come out of our mouth about other people. We criticize our pastors, our friends, our government leaders. It's because of an evil heart. And the Bible says the Word of God is not only living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword judging the thoughts and intentions of men, but it cuts so deep that it even separates the soul from the spirit. David realized that God is searching the inward parts and David knew that he couldn't walk with God unless he was cleansed on the inside out.
Even as Isaiah realized that because of the evil words that he had spoken, he needed to be cleansed so that his sin could be taken away, so that he could be in right standing before a holy God. Do you know that Jesus said, every idol word that you and I speak, we're gonna be judged for? Yes, you need to be cleansed of your sin. You need to be washed. You need to experience forgiveness and make a covenant with God to stop speaking evil that's defiling your inner nature. Even as David recognized that he needed to be restored and he needed a clean heart to be created within him.
So I want to ask you today, will you make a covenant before God with me today to stop speaking evil? You can speak words of destruction or you can speak words that heal. You can speak words that give life or you can speak words that tear somebody else down. Every word that comes out of your mouth is either from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit or it's not. Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and our salvation experience will never rise above what's coming out of the confession of our mouth. You and I have been grossly unaligned in the confession of our mouth.
We have not been walking with God, beloved, many of us in what we're saying. And I want to ask you today as we're looking at this prayer of David and how he desired so much to be cleansed on the inside, and how Jesus said we can determine whether our insides are pure or not by what we're saying from our mouth because Jesus said, it's out of the abundance of the mouth that the man speaks. And when a man speaks words of defilement, it defiles the entire man and there's not one of us that's not guilty right now of speaking defiled words. And there's not one of us that doesn't need to be cleansed. Even the Prophet Isaiah, himself, in Isaiah, 6, when he saw the Lord, said woe is me from a man of unclean lips.
So I want to ask you, would you get serious with God right now? Would you enter into a covenant with him right now and with me that we're gonna watch what comes out of our mouth and we're going to guard our hearts? Whenever a spirit of accusation, whenever a spirit of criticalness, whenever a spirit of hostility, of hatred, of anger, of lust comes into our heart, beloved, we resist it. We reject it. We say, get behind me Satan. We can't always control every thought that comes into our mind or every impulse that strikes our heart, but what we can control is what we're gonna do with those impulses and those thoughts. We can either let them lodge and get in, or we can say get behind me, Satan, get out of my head. If we're gonna go deep with God, if we're gonna run the race, we're gonna have to walk in such a way, beloved, that our words line up with the spirit if God.
So Father, right now I ask you to cleanse us from defilement that has resulted from the words that we spoke with our mouth. And here's the covenant I want to ask you today to enter into with God, would you be willing to say to him, beginning today, by your grace, I'm gonna let no unwholesome word proceed from my mouth. Would you say, Jesus, right now I recognize how serious of a matter this is, and I've been reckless and careless with the words that have been coming out of my mouth. I've been speaking words that have defiled others, and I've been speaking words that have defiled me. I haven't spoken those words that build up, those things that encourage, but I've been speaking words of criticism and negativity. And Jesus, beginning right now, I recognize how defiling these words are and by your grace, I'm making a covenant with you that I'm gonna guard my heart and let no unwholesome word proceed from my mouth.