Is It Ever OK to Use Explicit Language in Our Prayers to God?

Is it ever okay to use explicit language in our prayers to God best is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity high on Bill Meyer along with pastor Gabriel Sanchez and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. We would love to hear from you and our phone lines are open right now you can call us for the next 25 minutes at this number 833 the core that's 1-833-843-2673 also post your question on one of our social media sites course you can always email us at questions at core, Christianity.com burst up today.

A voicemail from one of our listeners named Saul Bill oh St. say looking for price do question is will they be generated with a what we call one again. So that's my question.

So what an excellent question. There is some confusion out there on on this because it there are some some Christians who think well you know people in the Old Testament and the old covenant were saved by their obedience to the law by their works and then God progressively got more gracious and now wooden time of the New Testament.

You know it's forgiveness of sins. It's the grace of Jesus Christ.

That kind of thing.

But the reality is believers in the Old Testament and New Testament were saved in the exact same way. In fact, the apostle Paul in Romans chapter 4 text I bet you're familiar with that.

He says that Abraham was justified by faith, that is, he received justification is accounted righteous in Christ.

Even looking forward to the promises of God in the Messiah, the spoken of throughout the Old Testament. He was counted as righteous by faith and so one thing that we are to be really careful that we don't do this is suggested. Old Testament believers were saved. One way and New Testament believers are saved another way, and if he was saved by faith then then yes I would say that he was regenerated that that the regeneration might be a helpful thing to to just define that for a moment, because that's that's kind of a technical word theological word were talking about the work of the Holy Spirit in an individual's life, giving them up in a brand-new heart giving them life raising them from the dead spiritually speaking, we might, we might say this is the work of the Holy Spirit in an individual's life and it happens through the word through the proclamation of the word and is as the word whether it was prophetically looking forward to the Messiah. Salvific work in the Old Testament are now looking back on Jesus is that word is being proclaimed the spirit of of God is at work in the hearts of individuals to tip to raise them from the dead to bring them to new life and so Romans chapter 4 would be that the first text that I would go to and I think that it does confirm that believers in the Old Testament were indeed regenerated. Now that doesn't mean that their experience of the Holy Spirit is exactly the same as believers under the new covenant think there's something distinct there as foretold by the prophet Joel in Joel chapter 2, but that we were talking about salvation and and how it is that an individual is saved, I would say that were were saved they were saved under the old covenant through faith in the same way that we are in. So thank you for your question Saul, and I'm glad that the broadcast is an encouragement to you. I Saul thanks so much for listening to core Christianity. We really do appreciate you. By the way we receive a lot of questions here about heaven on this program and to answer those questions were actually offering an excellent free resource to you today yeah Bill were excited to share a helpful resource on core, Christianity.com called seven things you need to know about heaven. I think it was CS Lewis who said you know there's some people say you don't want to be so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good. But the reality is that those very people who have bought the most about having about the goodness of God in the world to come, or are those same individuals who have been used mightily by the Lord to to to be, you know, agents of change in society today in serving their community in loving their neighbors. Why because they have this heavenly hope, given through Jesus Christ and we want you to understand that heavenly hope for yourself because we know will have such an impact on your life and so again this resource is called seven things you need to know about heaven is created it to encourage you in your walk with the Lord so that you can have a biblical view of heaven to it's absolutely free and we would love to get that your hand you can go to our website@corechristianity.com/offers to download seven things you need to know about heaven again. Core, Christianity.com/offers a course you can always call us for that resource or any one of our resources. Here's our phone number is 833. The core let's go back to the phones. Robert is on the line from Memphis, Tennessee.

Robert what is your question for Israel.

I was wondering how can you truly put away your heart have a hard time to be a part of the equation. Well, Robert, God bless you one in the fight against sin and it sounds to me what you need to believe in Jesus Christ, to experience the conviction of the Holy Spirit when you sin and you don't want to sin but but but it's a struggle first. You can't do this right.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit.

This is why Paul says in Romans chapter 8 that it's by this spirit that we mortify that is put to death the sinful deeds of the body. The spirit of God is central here in the fight against sin and sought one text of Scripture and is often times we get these questions, Robert. I encourage people hey camp out in Romans chapters 6 through eight at their Paul is talking about me sometimes referred to as sanctification growth in the Christian life, the mortification, the putting to death of sinwould be at the wonderful passages for you to look at another thing, I think it's important is just just thinking about God's wording of the psalmist says in Psalm 119. Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you or someone 19 verse nine how can a young man keep his way pure by guarding it according to your word with my whole heart ICQ. Let me not wander from your commandments to get out by quarter.

Verse 11 already. I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. And so II think it again.

These things are tied together. You are talking about the filling of the Holy Spirit and of the spirit of God puts to death the sinful deeds of the body in us will. How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit the filling of the spirit comes comes through the word of Christ as the word of Christ is is dwelling in us richly. We are filled with the spirit so encouragement for you, brothers, one pray with confidence that God would sanctify you that he would help you in this because this is God's will for you brother to go to the word.

Make sure that your under the ministry of the word that you're in a good church where the Bible is preached where it's taught where you can. We can sit down and listen to the sermon, your encourager built up in your face but but don't don't limit your intake of the word to just that you know 30 minutes on a Sunday morning I would encourage you then go to the word every day when when the Lord gives you time and meditate upon it, and in its through that as is were growing and that so often, the Lord gives us gives us grace in the battle and one more thing that I'll just say from you in terms of strategy for fighting sin confession is is key ring able to bring your sins into the light. This is why church community is so important. Having people around you that that you trust to organist speak the truth in love to you that you can go to insight and wrestling with this arm struggle of the feds need bring this into the light and ask for God's grace would you pray for me was wiping out the pastors and elders in your church can be really helpful with this that so often. I think one of the one of the means God uses to help us as were as were walking in the Christian life and seeking to grow in grace and so brother may the Lord bless you in the fight.

Keep fighting the good fight and know that there is grace for you in Christ and through his blood, thanks. Forgiveness call MM some great words of assurance. Thank you for that Israel scrape for all of us to hear that on a regular basis. This is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez and our phone lines are open. If you have a question about the Bible, the Christian life doctrine theology how your Christian walk intersects with what's happening in today's world. Feel free to give us a call 1-833-843-2673.

That's 833 the core by the way we do receive emails here and you're always welcome to email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com here's one from Caleb. Caleb says is it ever okay to use explicit language in our prayers with God. For instance, there's a Christian band called Kings kaleidoscope and they use the F word in one of their songs. I've heard defenses for using this language because the writer was in a time of grief after the loss of his son. I bought this for a while until I found a YouTube video of a concert where they sang the song and there were a whole bunch of young people belting out the F word is it okay to publicize or publish or repeat a word like that just because it's genuine and heartfelt, while a very practical question and really just one about prayer and the kinds of prayers that God accepts or the kinds of prayers that I think are are offensive and that God rejects me to say something really quickly here.

There are prayers that can sound really pious and all the wording can be right me to be old King James English you know thou, the all that their prayers like that, that God hates that I think about what Isaiah said in Isaiah chapter wander what God says to the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah chapter 1 is disease busy speaking to his people, and this is this is a heavy word because he sees bringing the sort of judge Mrs. when you spread out your hands. I will hide my eyes from you even though you make many prayers, I will not listen. Listen to what he says next your hands are full of blood washed yourselves, make yourselves clean.

Remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, correct depression, bring justice to the fatherless to lead the widows because no why do I bring that up because I die. I think that the deeper thing here move were talking about the prayers that God accepts think I think God actually is more concerned with the heart behind prayer.

We can we can have a very pious sounding prayer.

But if our hands are stained with blood.

God hates it right and this is just hypocrisy. And so the first thing is I think coming before the Lord. Sincerely, now it's interesting as you have a lot of sincere prayers in Scripture that are kind of shocking when I look at the Psalms, especially the Psalms of lament. They are a fool of emotion, sometimes even it is sometimes found that the psalmist even sounds and he's questioning God like God, why have you abandoned me. Why aren't you being faithful to your promises me at times it can sort of make us uneasy reading these Psalms and thinking is it okay to pray like that.

But you know what the Lord is near to all those who call upon him who call upon him in truth. Now I'm not saying you know if it's okay or if it's not okay. Just try to get to the heart of the matter here in terms of coming before God in prayer. Sincerely, with faith with repentance them. Those are the prayers that are honoring to the Lord. The prayer may not sound all that perfect, but you know what, what, when it comes from a heart of faith from a child of God saying to God father, help is what you think of you think of Peter right as he was, as he was walking on the water and he begins to sink and and he reaches out, you know, to our Lord to Jesus doesn't say all, thou Almighty, Creator of the earth and the sea. I remember how thou didst me know make the oceans and so on and so forth. He just says help and sometimes brothers and sisters. That's all we have. And sometimes we can barely even say it just it just is from this deep place in our souls.

And you know what even that prayer is honoring to God when it comes from that that place of brokenness. That place of need that place of faith and so I want to say that you know there are some prayers that can sound really pious and well put together and and whatnot but still are not pleasing to God and their other prayers that maybe don't sound like that at all, but which are pleasing to the Lord and it's an encouragement for all of us offer our hearts to God in prayer to come in humility and repentance in honesty.

That's the prayer that God wants from you and for me thanks for your question. Thanks that I drill this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez would love to hear from you. If you have a question regarding the Bible or the Christian life. You can call us at 833-843-2673. That's 833. The core phone lines will be open for the next 10 minutes or so, so hop on the phone right now let's go to Chris in Missouri. Chris what your question for pastor. Israel hey Chris, yeah, good. How are you young and the Lord now. He came to me and it cried for a guy like her father while she and her pastor told her until the Holy Spirit.

You're not going wrong, I can't because you're you are killed. You have to be back at night. If you are if you get any before you die you get to go to Chris. The answer to your question is, is yes, if an individual comes to Christ on his or her death bed and the delight of the Lord is shining on them in and they realize man I've seen.

I need God's grace God's grace extends even even to that person and of course you know I that I would say when you're talking to your to your niece one.

One place you can sure is just that that text the well-known text in Luke 23 verses 39 to 43 where you have the thief on the cross on his deathbed, if you will about to die. And yet Jesus says to him today you will be with me in paradise.

It sounds to me like maybe the church that your your niece is a part of has some teaching.

That's not that's not all together accurate units is suggesting that while you have to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. You're right Chris that the individual who believes in Jesus Christ. Is it me, this is a work of the Spirit pulse hasn't been to the Corinthians. You can even you can even confess that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. So all Christians are, you know it in in wasn't baptized into the Holy Spirit filled with the spirit given the gift of the Holy Spirit were called throughout the Christian life to be filled with the spirit more and more, and that that happens. As I mentioned earlier on the broadcast is the word of Christ dwells in us richly. This week we grow together in in gracing God's word in Christian fellowship but II think it would be wrong to to say that you know this individual who who came to faith on their deathbed that that you know they can be saved because they haven't experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Yet in more or gone through these other things you know it it in a situation like this in an extraordinary situation like this, but were maybe even water baptism can be administered by. I don't think that individual would be kept from the grace of God, because ultimately comes first and foremost, primarily through the word and through the preaching of the gospel and so that's what I would say to you, and that's what I would say your niece as well. Chris, thanks so much for your call and a great question. This is core Christianity, we have this a question from Esther. She called and said does the last chapter in Ezekiel teach that there will be a new temple after Jesus. That will still have sacrifices yeah hey Esther thank you for that question it. It really is that the latter part of the book of Ezekiel, it talks about this this temple. This end times temple that Ezekiel has a vision of and of course, and you get to the book of Revelation the very end of the book of Revelation be essentially the whole world becomes the temple of God in need of the temple of the true living God descends upon earth, and that the world is is glorified and so we are looking forward to that.

But there isn't going to be up a brand-new Temple that's built where there are animal sacrifices. In fact the New Testament is is explicitly against that read the book of Hebrews Jesus Christ is the once for all offering for sin. Any any sort of attempt to go back to the animal sacrificial system is is undermining the truth of the Gospels as it is a denial even of the redemptive work of Jesus.

And that's that's what the author the Hebrew says and he's he's pretty strong about that. And so what we have in Ezekiel is this picture this prophetic picture is highly symbolic. I think of one. The ministry of the church which is now the temple of the living God on earth spread throughout the whole world, but also you know picture of the new creation and what we see in the book of Revelation as well and so that side I answer your question Less your listing to core Christianity.

Steve is on the line from Springfield, Missouri Steve what your question for a drill appeared to him. Consequently, he shows Thomas to hold an old time. They don't mention anything about all the rest of his wounds, the crown of thorns been put on the scourging of any significance to that ST's excellent question is, it seems like obviously Christ is still marked by those wounds that the scars are there, he's able to show Thomason in John chapter 20 even even the vision that John has in the book of Revelation he sees the Lamb standing, as though as though slain is still marked by death but risen from the dead and so so is it we do see that but here's one thing that's really interesting to me and I was just a means obvious coming off of Eastern and preaching on the resurrection recently. This is one of things I was most struck by looking at John chapter 20 and in thinking about the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus. How many people saw Jesus but didn't realize it was Jesus. Initially you got Luke 24 right were Jesus is on the road to Emmaus with a couple of his disciples, and he's talking to them and they're having a full on conversation right face-to-face, and yet they don't recognize that it's Jesus they don't recognize it's Jesus until until he opens up the Scriptures to them. In particular, in Luke 24. It's in the breaking of the bread.

Their eyes are opened and the breaking of the bread and then I was struck by it. Also in John 20 where earlier before before you had that seen with Jesus and Thomas Mary Magdalene.

She sees Jesus homage and she sees him. She doesn't realize that it's Jesus. In fact, John 20 says that she she mistook him for a gardener. She thought he was showing up to the doomed bull weeds years gears Jesus the Lord of heaven and earth, the King of Kings and Lord of lords and Mary thinks he's there to clean up a little bit and what isn't, and what strategy action was interesting in in that text in John 20. As Mary realizes that Jesus is Jesus, when he calls her name when he says to her.

Mary and Ennis dared that she she gets it. Now I bring all of that up because right you did have Jesus as their bodily risen from the dead, he still gets let these marks on him.

You know in his hands in his sizes. Thomas you can you can feel here. I don't know you know how we how did his forehead still have Meno born marks it out. I don't know exactly what is glorified resurrected body look like entire. I know I know people had a hard time recognizing in one since it was that it was Jesus. But here's right. What I do know that's not the most important thing really and in these passages. What seems to be the most important thing is the ability to hear his voice to understand his word. It's almost as if the gospel writers themselves are emphasizing or showing us a look at these people saw him ram even says to Thomas you seeming you believe a Blessed are those who have not seen and have yet believe that's us.

We can't see the risen Christ with our eyes right now. He's ascended seated at the right hand of the father, but you know we do have we do have the word in Jesus Christ is still speaking to people today right now through his word and by his spirit and Jesus himself said in John 10 my sheep hear my voice and I call them by name, and they follow me. The question is not written in it for them.

It was the primary question was, what do you hear the voice of Jesus speaking to you through the Scriptures the risen Christ bodily risen from the dead 100%. Is this a real appearance of bodily resurrection. That's what we have the hope of the resurrection of our body system. Just like at some some spiritual resurrection or or some hallucination that are having a Jesus is physically bodily risen from the dead, but they need to hear his voice and in the risen Christ is still speaking today, and I think that's what's emphasized in these post-resurrection accounts as we can still encounter the grace the goodness the glory of the risen Christ through his voice speaking to us now primarily in the Scriptures, and so the significance of the marks that they see. I think it's indicative of the fact that he's truly risen from the dead, along with so many other things right like they're having meals together and and this confirms right that the Jesus truly has conquered death. That's, that's, you know, reiterated by Paul in first grade. In chapter 15 so that that's important it's it's I'm central to the Christian faith. At the very heart of the Christian faith, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, and it was a glorified body and so I is that that could be one of the reasons why some of the disciples had a hard time recognizing that it was him early on their godless brother. Thanks for listening to core Christianity request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers in the menu or call us at 1-833-843-2673. That's 833 when you contact us. Please let us know how you been encouraged by this program and be sure to join us next time. As we explore the truth of God's word together