Genuine Worship Series: The Words We Speak

Genuine Worship Series: The Words We Speak

Let's take our Bibles and turn together, please, to Colossians chapter 3. Colossians chapter 3, verse 17. We saw this morning that loving our brethren is an act of worship, and love has to be seen in action, doesn't it? Jesus modeled that love for us in the form of practically washing the feet of others, ministering unto them, serving them by love. That was part of that worship to God. And we also, I mean, what is it, we read in the scriptures that as you've done it unto the least of these, you've done it unto me, right? As we've done it to the least of these, we've done it unto the Lord. And so we must not think, I mean, most of our lives are tied up with the mundane things. Most of our lives are not in the house of God. Most of our service to the Lord is outside of the doors of the church, actually, and a lot of it's in our home or maybe in our job or, you know, even in our leisure. So we want to worship the Lord in how we serve one another by love, but tonight I also want us to see that we are to worship the Lord with our words.

In Colossians chapter 3, verse 17. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. You know, sometimes we might say something like, I'd be ashamed to have my name on that. You know, I would be ashamed if there's a job, a poorly done job, a cutting corners job, a halfway job. I'm sure brother Kiki would hate to have his name on, you know, some new construction that's out there, we might say, or some repair work that had been done.

If Keke Stamper was up there and it looked like somebody didn't care, he wouldn't want to have his name attached to that, or Brother Ronnie wouldn't want to have his name attached to some something that was wired in a way that's going to burn the house down or whatever. We don't want to have our name put on that. Well, think about the Lord. The Lord doesn't want his name attached with that which is dishonoring, right, to Him. And I think about this here. This is the whole spirit behind what this verse is saying.

Whatsoever you and I do, whether it be in word, that's what I want to focus on tonight, in word or in deed, we ought to do all, because we're representing Him. We're ambassadors of Christ. We ought to do all in the name or literally to say in our words, all in the name of the Lord Jesus. We ought not to be, we ought to be able to wholeheartedly and freely, you know, glad to if the Lord was even there in the room with us if we were saying it. Because He is. He sees, He hears all I say. He sees all I do. Do it all, say it all, in the name of the Lord Jesus. Boy, that's a big thought. That's a big truth right there now.

Giving thanks to God, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Whatsoever you do in words, do we worship the Lord with our words? First of all, as is true with anything regarding worship that we've already seen, we must acknowledge the Lord is, He's our master, right? He's our rightful owner. This tongue, this mouth, these lips, they're not really ours, are they? They are His by creation and doubly His by redemption. He has created us and bought us with a price. These are His. These are His. Everything, all of this is His.

We saw in this Undo School Hour this morning that the prayer that the Lord would sanctify us and spirit, soul, body, holy, all of it. You know, don't hold back any part, but all of it might be set apart for His purpose, His use. That's the prayer that Paul was praying for the Thessalonians. Now the wicked do not acknowledge that this belongs to God. The wicked do not acknowledge that. In fact, those who do not fear God say quite the opposite. Let's look in Psalm 12. Psalm 12 verse 3, what does it say there?

Psalm 12 verse 3 is a promise of what the Lord is going to do to those who do not fear Him, to those who do not trust in Him. In Psalm 12 verse number 3 we read, the Lord shall cut off all flattering lips and the tongue that speaketh proud things, who have said, With our tongue will we prevail? Our lips are our own. Who is Lord over us? In short, we hear people say it all the time, nobody's gonna tell me what to say. Nobody's gonna tell me what to do to say, right?

Well, I mean, there is a certain sense in which we don't, yes, as Christians we don't fear men, but somebody better be telling you what to say, right? And that somebody's the one who made you, the one that died on the cross for you. But as believers, I'm reminded of what the Lord said to Moses, remember in Exodus chapter 4 and verse 10, well Moses said into the Lord first of all, Oh my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore nor since thou has spoken unto thy servant, but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. That's a lot of I and me going on there, isn't it?

I really am good at talking. I'm not really good at speaking. I'm not a good speaker. And the Lord said unto him, Who made man's mouth? I think that's a pretty easy question to answer, isn't it? Who made man's mouth? Or who maketh the dumb or death or the seeing or the blind? Have not I the Lord? Now therefore go and I will be with thy mouth and will teach and teach thee what thou shalt say." The Lord explicitly tells Moses that your mouth belongs to me. I'm the one that made it. I made your mouth just as I did with everyone.

And so I, Moses, we need to submit our mouths gladly to the Lord and say, this is not my mouth. this is your mouth tell me what to say Holy Spirit guide my words my wife was blessed recently by that a sister in Christ that was Susan invited to hear and speaking about apples of gold and pictures of silver you know even in our common words like apples that they may be golden words and they may be framed in pictures of silver, that's what the work of the Holy Spirit giving us the right words at the right time to say.

And that's very needful. We need Spirit-filled speech. We need the Lord to guide us in what we say and when we say it and how we say it. And he will do that. He will put thoughts in my mind and words in my lips to say at the time that I need to say it. Now let's look at Ephesians chapter 5, if you will. Verse 18, Ephesians chapter 5, verse number 18. In verse number 18 we read, and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess but be filled with the Spirit. A command, right?

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Well, the speaking starts with what we're saying in our hearts, doesn't it? What comes out here is going start with what we hide in our hearts that we might not sin against him right what we sang tonight the choir sing giving thanks well we see that we saw that in Colossians 3 17 right giving thanks to God and the Father by him well we see it here giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ so spirit led speech to the the glory of God, in the name of Jesus Christ.

We want our speech to be clearly identifiable as that which the Lord could put His name on, that would bring glory to His name. And certainly the Holy Spirit will never lead us to say things that are going to bring shame to the Lord, that's for sure, that are not going to glorify Him, are but only those things that are going to to exalt Christ. We notice though that as it says here we're to speak in psalms and hymns and spiritual psalms. The idea even here is that we're to be exhorting one another with words of truth.

In fact parallel over in Colossians says we're to be teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. So this exhorting and speaking words to edify one another in the form of, well we even are supposed to be conscious of that as we're singing. Some of the songs we sing are prayers. Some of them are words of exhortation and it may just be that as we're talking. I mean you hear when I preach, I was raised in I was raised in church and so I've had a lot of time to absorb as some of us have the words of these hymns the words of hit Psalms hymns spiritual songs and you know by God's grace he brings some of those things back to my mind but we just need that every day don't we not just a message we need it in our lives every day as we're as we're going a long life's way we might be facing some trial and the Lord just you know in the heart he implanted the song, as one of the songs says.

He puts a song there. He reminds us of truth via some spiritual song. And then we can share that with someone else. We can speak a word in due season to someone who's weary. We can speak a word that will not corrupt but will build up. A word that will encourage. A word that will It may even bring sobriety to a situation, but it will bring encouragement ultimately because it is true and because it's necessary. And so in this passage here in Ephesians 5 we see that we're to edify one another even as we need to edify our own selves, making melody in our hearts to the Lord. Making melody in our hearts to the Lord.

How many times has the Holy Spirit brought a word of truth back to our hearts and minds when we needed it most? And then we're to give thanks in every situation, right? Giving thanks always. Giving thanks to God, always. Whatever we have to say, it must always have this note of thanks to God. Thank you, Lord. It was probably not easy for Job to say the Lord had given and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Thank you Lord. I don't know why you did that but thank you for your control and your wisdom over the situation. Thanksgiving is pleasing to the Lord when we give thanks. It's His will is what He desires for every one of us.

The Holy Spirit will not lead us to speak corrupt words, as we said. He will not lead us to say things that are going to, what does the passage say? The power of life and death are in the tongue, right? The Holy Spirit is not going to lead us to say things that spread deathly things. he's not going to lead us to say things that are going to destroy and deceive and hurt other people. That yes, people may be offended by truth, but it certainly should not be because we had even our tone in the way that we said it. We certainly should not say it in such a way that, you know, the Lord would rebuke Jonah. I hope these people don't repent basically no that's not to be our spirit no we're even if we have to bring a hard message like Jonah had to bring we we need to pray that people would would repent that they would hear the message not not willing that any should perish our Lord is not willing think of thankfully he's not willing that we should perish he's not willing that willing that any should perish but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth so we're also told in Hebrews 13, if you'll turn there with me, Hebrews 13, if this is not a clear picture of how our words are supposed to be worshipful to the Lord, then I don't know, I don't know if you're gonna find one. Hebrews 13, verse number 15, Very clear, very clear that our words are to be worshiping the Lord.

In Hebrews 13 verse 15 we're told concerning Christ, by him, by Christ, therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise. Well, in the Old Testament they offered animal sacrifices, right? But by Jesus Christ, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. Not only on Sunday, not only on Wednesday, but in the middle of the day, in the middle wants us to offer up this sacrifice of praise continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. The fruit of our lips. The Lord is well pleased with this kind of sacrifice. The Lord is well well pleased.

Oh it may be in a corporate setting but it may just be in the in the privacy of our own walk with him in our devotion time in our in our closet we offer up the thanks, the praise to the Lord. And sometimes it really, like we said with Job, it really is a sacrifice in the sense that if we were to rely on our feelings, we would probably not be offering up praise. We would be complaining, wouldn't we? We would be complaining because we would say, but why me? Why now? Why so much? Why so hard? Why why? I wish it wasn't me. But we are not to live by feelings. We're to live by faith in the promises of God's Word.

Our faith in God's Word and our understanding that we are simply stewards of this right here are to help us in this matter the Lord has told us he wants us to do, that informing and helping our speech to be what it ought to be, if we have the right mindset, if we have the right view, we said the other week, looking unto Jesus, right, will keep us from sin. If we fail to look unto Jesus, though, we're going to fall in sin. If we fail to look away, if we get our eyes on other things, and we get our eyes on the circumstance, it'll be reflected in our speech. It'll be reflected in the things we say or the things that we don't say. We'll say harmful things, won't we? We'll say things that do great damage. The only way that we can say the things we ought to say is that we must let the Lord take the reins of our own speech, we might say. To take the reins of our speech and, Lord, control my speech, control my thinking, control my meditation, let the words in my mouth but also the meditation in my heart be acceptable in thy sight. And we'll say and only then will we not say the things that bring shame to him but the things that bring glory to him when we are thinking the right way.

Remember what we read in James 3 before? James 3 verse number 2 it says there, for in many things we offend all If any man offend not a word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." Well, the only perfect man was Jesus Christ. I can't bridle my own tongue. I can't control my own tongue and none myself. Verse 6 in that passage says, the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. So is the tongue among our members that it defileth the whole body, and seteth on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire of hell. But the tongue, verse 8 says, can no man tame. That's pretty exclusive speech, isn't it? Very exclusive. It's kind of like saying there is none righteous, no, not one. The Full of deadly poison We said the power of death power of life power of death are in the tongue The potential is there and if God is not given the reins of my tongue, so to speak The effect of my speech will be death It will be what we read here it will be deadly poison It will be deadly poison.

But if God's Word governs my speech If His will, I bow to His will, and say, yes. Even, we taught our children early on, you know, it's a, what do, we have to, we, each one of us, mommy and daddy, the children, we all have to say, have to be willing to say yes to the Lord and no, no to the devil, but no to self. No to our own will. That's what Jesus did. He said, not my will, not that he was even sinful, but not what he wanted, but what the Father wanted. And so, the tongue can no man tame, but God can. God can tame our tongue.

We read in verse 9 of that passage, James 3 verse 9, it says, therewith bless we God and therewith curse we men which are made after the similitude of God out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing my brethren these things ought not so to be now isn't that a perfect picture of what we've been talking about here recently we've been talking about worship is not confined to the house of God oh it's very easy it's very easy in fact to speak well of the Lord at his house, isn't it? God is so good. God is so gracious. God has been so faithful. Thank you, Lord. And that's all well and good. But let's be sure that we don't say that in the Lord's house and then go home and curse someone or say let corrupt communication proceed out of our mouths to our own family. Let's be careful that we don't, that we realize it's just as important to speak words of good words, life-filled, Spirit-led words to our parents, to our children, to our spouse at home as it is to come in the Lord's house and say praise Him, praise him

you know when we sing the hymns it's just God sees that just as much as he sees when we lift up our voices and we pray to him in his house he sees the posture of our heart if we will if we truly bow down and worship to the Lord Almighty who is worthy of our honor who is worthy of our worship then if that's if that's the true posture of our heart that our words are going to be right aren't they? Our words will be what they ought to be.

And if we say something to offend, if we say something that we ought not to say, then we can just confess it, get it right. We don't have to dig the hole deeper, right? We can get it right and just move forward. Oh please forgive me for that or whatever the case may be. I ought not to have said that. I spoke out of turn or I said something that I should not have said, or I said something I should have said, but not the right way. Not the right time. You know, how many times has that happened? I wanted to tell you that, but I just really didn't say it in a good timing. I wasn't, forgive me for the manner in which I said it, maybe not the content of what I said. Because sometimes, you know, I think about as husbands and wives, there's things that we really need to say to each other. but I can I think more than more than on both hands I can't remember all the times but I'm sure many quite a number of times I've said something I meant to say and I ought to have said but I didn't I didn't pick the right time so may the Lord help us with that as well.

The scripture tells us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks out of the abundance of heart the mouth speaks and that's why as we sing tonight the word must be hid in our heart so that we might not sin against the Lord the words that we speak reflect the posture of our heart toward God are they words worship filled words are they glorifying to God do they minister grace to the hearers Jesus worshiped and honored his father by speaking the words his father gave him to speak. Remember we said that this morning? He said the words that I speak unto you, they're not my words. Well, if Jesus did not speak his words, but the words that as a servant who humbled himself took on the likeness of of us as men and mankind. If he specifically made a point to say, I speak the words the Father wants me to speak, then we of all people, we ought to, we ought to be careful to speak not of our words.

Let it not be my words, but may it be God's words. We can only truly worship God and thus minister to and bless others when the words of our mouth are in line with God's words, are in line with what God would have us to say. We can, you know, our children have learned in division. You can check your division by turning it around and multiplying it, right? You can check and be sure that your thinking was right on that. Well, we can and we should test and prove even our own words by God's word. If it doesn't line up with the spirit of the scriptures and the words that God has given us, then, well, we need to do inventory then, don't we? We need to do inventory and ask that God would change us in that thing or forgive us for that speech that we said that was not right.

But whatsoever we do in word, we're focusing on that phrase there. Whatsoever we do in word, do it all. Everything we say. In the name of the Lord Jesus, will we be, can we freely affix the Lord's name to whatever we say and say the Lord will be pleased with that. Will that pass heaven's inspection? Will that pass God's approval? Are we saying it with the desire that He would approve of it were He in the room because He is. He hears everything that we say even before we say it. You remember that passage in Psalm 139, I believe it is, there's not a word in my tongue, but thou knowest it all together, right? The Lord knows. There's not even a word in my tongue, but you know everything about it. Know the motive behind it. You know the thoughts that went into that, and then when it came out of my mouth, the Lord knows it. He sees right through better than any x-ray or CAT scan or MRI could ever see. He knows it all. It's in that spirit that we ought to bow down before the Lord and say, Lord, I want what I say to be to be honoring and useful and edifying. May God help us. Let's pray.

Father, I know that in your word that it says be not many masters or teachers because we shall receive the greater condemnation. There's a lot that's said. We've got to be careful that what we say is going to point people to you and not drive them away. We can't control the results, but we must certainly be careful that the things that we say are said in worship to thee. We can't curse men with our mouths while blessing you with our mouths. if we truly blessing you from the heart, we ought to also have that burning desire, Lord, that the things we say to others will be blessing as well. There will be things that even if they may be at times more difficult to say, that they will be said in such a way that will be gracious, not corrupting, but graciously spoken. and there's times where we have to discipline our children, but we wanna do it in love, Lord. We want to speak what we speak, not out of anger and hatred, but with love. Help us to do that, Lord. There's times where we have to sit down and talk about things with a spouse or with maybe a brother or sister in Christ, but help us even in those times to be constructive and gracious in our speech. And may it be clear always that we love one another. because You love us. We pray now that You'd bless us, help us to apply these things in our lives. Help us to worship You in the way that we use this mouthpiece, this mouth, this tongue that You've given to us. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.