Wholeness Journey The Purified Heart

Adapted from

What the Bible Teaches about Mercy

by Rex B. Andrews

1

The Purified Heart

Blessed Father, we come again to Thy wonderful and holy Word. We want to be obey-ers. We have found in ourselves an inability both to believe and obey. And You have said, “Without me (apart from) ye can do nothing.” We want to not-want to DO anything apart from You, or BE anything apart from You. Teach us fully the meaning of Thy Word from the lips of Jesus, “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye (abide) in my love.” We believe that You are teaching us that very thing. So we thank You. Amen

2

The Purified Heart The purpose of my instruction is that all the Christians there would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith.

NLT 1 Timothy 1:5

3

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• The purified heart, like Jacob’s ladder, or stairway, is an open way from the place where-we-are to Heaven, where God is enthroned • The place-where-we-are is always where our heart is and what it is • Our heart is what we really are • The Bible teaches the necessity of a pure heart • A pure heart is a place for God in the place-where we-are • God is the source of a pure heart, and also the keeper of it • He wants an open way from His Heavenly throne to, and into, our Earthly dwelling , as the extension also of His Throne 4

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• However, by fallen nature the throne-place, our heart, is fully occupied with self • Self does not want God to rule as King, but only to serve as a slave-servant • This situation shuts us out of “the knowledge of His glory” • To change this situation the heart must be purified, which only God knows how to and has the ability to do • God’s obstacle is getting us to WANT (hunger, and thirst after) His righteousness and its peaceful effect of a heavenly pure heart • Human “purity” and God’s pureness are not the same thing 5

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Jesus, the Lamb of God who took away the World’s sin, IS the true image of God • We are called to believe in The Lamb and to love and worship Him • As we do that, the Holy Spirit changes us into the same image - from glory to glory • NKJ 2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

• Changed from the love of our own glory to the love of God’s glory • Changed from the love of honor for ourselves, to the love of honor for Jesus 6

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• This changing process is the purifying of the heart • A purified heart is one in which the ruling love is utterly changed from self to God • Our wisdom is to see our utter helplessness because only God knows such a purity, or how to produce it • Our wisdom is to also realize God’s desire and pleasure, to do that for us and in us • That is His calling to and for us: • NKJ Ephesians 1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, • There is no such thing as holiness apart from that love 7

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

What constitutes a pure heart? One to which God alone is totally and purely sufficient: to which nothing relishes, or gives delight, but God alone William Law 8

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son

to be

the propitiation for our sins.

• Our wisdom is to understand this love (i.e., the knowledge of the Glory of God) • Again, our wisdom is to see our utter helplessness AND God’s desire and pleasure in purifying our heart • Where does this “our wisdom” come from?

• By hearing and doing the sayings of Jesus!

• NKJ Matthew 7:24 " Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: • We are wise or foolish according to one thing: whether we hear and do (wise), or hear and do not do (foolish) 9

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• All things are the direct result of God’s blessings • Whatever God blesses has all provision for all increase and all fruitfulness – NKJ 2 Corinthians 9:8 And God sufficiency in all

things, is

able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all may have an abundance for every good work. 10

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Furthermore, all growth in divine things results from His blessing • Jesus pronounces nine blessings in Matthew Ch. 5 • The first seven are knowledge’s of what God IS, or, in other words, are seven branches of what LOVE is • The last two describe the effect of triumph in the soul when any of the first seven result in persecution and injustice • NKJ Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great

is

your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

• That effect is joy - great joy!

• The joy of the Lord is the consciousness of triumph in the strength and freedom of His life 11

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• A reason we do not enter more easily, and more fully into these “Blesseds” is that we think of the words as human words • Consequently, we try to understand them in a human way • But Jesus’ words were not simply human ideas but rather they are SPIRIT • NKJ John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and

they

are life.

• They are God’s Words, the communication of God’s will and power, of His pleasure and purpose • It is absolutely essential to our faith to know the WORDS of Jesus are SPIRIT - not just ideas as humans think of ideas 12

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Jesus’ words are SPIRIT and LIFE • We understand such things by faith, not by human reasoning • We do not understand such knowledge by figuring-it-out but by opening the heart to hear, and to see God • NKJ Hebrews 11:3a By faith we understand… • NKJ 2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. • Human reasoning says that I will believe it when I see it • God’s reasoning says that believing is the key to seeing, and to receiving His blessings!

• NKJ John 20:29b Blessed

are

those who have not seen and

yet

have believed.” 13

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Jesus’ words form the understanding in our spiritual hearts • True understanding is of the knowledge of God (i.e., knowing God intimately) • To know God is Life - ETERNAL LIFE!

• NKJ John 1:4 In Him was life [zoe], and the life [zoe] was the light of men.

• Zoe (z  ) is the Koine (common) Greek word for the life of God or rather “the God kind of life” • NKJ John 10:10b I have come that they may have life [zoe], and that they may have snatch them out of My hand.

it

more abundantly.

• NKJ John 10:27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. 28 "And I give them eternal life [zoe], and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone • NAU Luke 8:8b As He said these things, He would call 14 out, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ Matthew 5:3 "Blessed

are

the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

• This is the Spirit of Poverty • The word poor means: afflicted, pauper, beggar • It refers to those that have nothing in themselves • Especially no riches of ability or intellect, in addition to no love of wealth • Because they have chosen to have nothing in themselves then they must ask God for everything • Consequently, the poor in spirit are the askers, seekers, knockers • NKJ Matthew 7:7 " Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

• What is so blessed about that?

• The Kingdom (dominion) of Heaven is theirs!

15

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• This means that their riches, ability, attainments are Divine Dominion (i.e., to be utterly indwelt and ruled by God) • The poverty of God is an inability to lust or covet • An utter lowliness of knowing how to give all and the knowledge of having nothing at all of one’s own apart from God • God, in His Spirit, is poor, utterly poor, and lowlier than all His creatures • He covets only their perfection and pleasure by giving all He has to them • The Spirit of Poverty (the Holy Spirit) produces that lowliness and dominion over all lust-love coveting • Lowliness is the PURE LIGHT of God 16

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ Matthew 5:4 Blessed

are

those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.

• This is the Spirit of Suffering, the division of life • It is one of the deep mysteries of the being of God • The lowliness of suffering is losing, being divided from, or deprived of something • It is being separated from what is one’s own • We mourn for that which we LOSE, or that which is taken, or separated from us • This is a knowledge IN and OF God • We know the things of God by the Spirit of God 17

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ 1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed

them

to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

• The blessedness of such lowliness is in the comfort, the consolation, of the Comforter!

• KJV John 14:26 But the Comforter,

which is

the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

• The Spirit of Suffering (the Holy Spirit) is the comfort of the mourners who suffer loss • The Spirit of God comforts by the fullness-of-God filling all the voids 18

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• He can do that because God KNOWS our sorrows, sufferings, and losses • NKJ Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all

points

tempted as

we are, yet

without sin.

• NKJ Hebrews 5:8 though He was a Son,

yet

He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. • NKJ Isaiah 53:3 He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

• The fullness here is Jesus replacing self or Jesus the all in all • He is the fullness of the Godhead in the form of a human body • NKJ Colossians 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of 19 the Godhead bodily;

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• The mourner is blessed by the working of the Holy Spirit who shows and reveals to the human heart the one supreme loss - to be separated from Jesus • This is lowliness that is light!

• NKJ 2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed

be

the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

• The blessing of mourning the loss of our life (i.e., the death to self) is the reward of the Comforter’s comfort!

20

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ Matthew 5:5 Blessed

are

the meek, For they shall inherit the earth.

• This is the Spirit of Obedience or Meekness • The lowliness of meekness is submission of will, to obey and endure the will and authority of another • With God, this means voluntary not forced submission • The meek do God’s will wherever they find themselves to be • NKJ Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to

the point of

death, even the death of the cross. 21

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Divine light reveals a difference between lowliness and humility • Meekness or lowliness is the quality of God in which He serves all and can approach every one of His creatures on the level of their own existence to impart life and not to consume • Humility is a voluntary submission of obedience to another’s will • A person can be humble without grasping what lowliness really is because they are involved in the learning of voluntary submission to law • This view makes humility appear as a destination or goal 22

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• The lowliness of poverty is the knowledge of self nothingness • Those that are meek inherit the Earth (i.e., all that life contains) • NKJ Romans 8:17 and if children, then heirs -- heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with

Him,

that we may also be glorified together.

23

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ Matthew 5:6 Blessed

are

those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

• This is the Spirit of Faith-righteousness which is the righteousness of God • God’s righteousness, or faithfulness, is the balance of the whole creation from the largest to the smallest • It is the justness that maintains every creature’s personal rights • It is the power and dominion over all intelligence's, by which to adjust them to all other creatures • God’s righteousness is not self-righteousness • It is the righteousness or justness of maintaining the rights of others, and that at the cost of one’s own rights 24

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Science (i.e., mathematical reasoning) can never arrive at the meaning of the creation, nor the true understanding of it, without first finding faith righteousness • This is simply because faith-righteousness is basically faithfulness • Faithfulness is the love of the Creator in His care for the very least-of-all • Hunger and thirst for righteousness is the same as hunger and thirst for God’s Word, and drinking of His Spirit • We learn to have the love of not having mine own righteousness 25

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Self-righteousness is the determination to advance self as being right in one’s own ways, doings, achievements, aims, etc.

• All of this is faith in self • Self-righteousness is blind to God’s righteousness • The Spirit of Righteousness reveals the truth of God as one’s food and drink • The Spirit of Righteousness (the Holy Spirit) produces a divine craving for the Holy Word which out-craves all other cravings • The blessing pronounced upon such hunger and thirst is that it will be satisfied FULLY!

26

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• That is satisfaction - full, true, and complete satisfaction - of all the hungers and cravings which the child of God has • Blessed are those that do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be fully satisfied by God imparting to them Himself!

27

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ Matthew 5:7 Blessed

are

the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.

• This is the Spirit of Grace, Mercy, and Compassion • This is the universal supply system by which the Just One supplies all the creatures with what they need for the fullness of life • The Lowly One, “The Servant”, who is the Just One, The King, died on the cross, as God’s mercy to supply LIFE, even unto “lost” souls 28

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• If we will receive Him so, and partake of that mercy, then we enter His supreme Dominion-of Grace, and sharers in His compassion's for His creatures • Blessed are the mercy doers (merciers) who give God’s supply freely to others • Blessed for they shall be always supplied with and by God • NKJ Psalm 18:25a With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; • The Great Mercier mercies them!

29

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ Matthew 5:8 Blessed

are

the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

• This is the Spirit of Holiness, which is the Spirit of purifying, fire, separation from all that is not God • NKJ Matthew 3:11 "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

• The blessedness of the understanding open and alive in the knowledge of God is is the ability to see God as He really is 30

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• To see God, means to be opened to Him, and alive in His light, and to see as He sees - in LOVE • We view others the way we view ourselves • Without a purified heart we will see God in our image • We must submit to God’s cleansing fire, becoming merciers, in order to have our hearts purified • NKJ Isaiah 48:10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

• NKJ 1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 31

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ Matthew 5:9 Blessed

are

the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.

• This is the Spirit of Peace or completeness • Peace is the completeness-in-God • When God has His own place in us, then we are complete • The whole creation is awaiting those complete in God who in turn seek to fill and complete others even at the cost of their own lives • They know what the will of God is and do that will • Through Christ Jesus they are complete in Him 32

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• They neither need, nor seek completion in self or in things • God completes them, that is peace 33

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ Matthew 15:18 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.

• The scribes and Pharisees were offended by Jesus, because His disciples did not ceremonially wash their hands when they ate their food • They were offended because He did not “keep” the tradition of the elders • However, Jesus pointed out that they transgressed God’s commandments by their traditions • One such tradition was that they could designate support that should go to their parents as “corban” (Hebrew for gift, offering, or oblation) and give it 34 to the Religious Leaders

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• By declaring it corban they could supposedly be exempt from honoring their father and mother as stated in the Ten Commandments (5th Command) • NKJ Exodus 20:12 " Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

• Their tradition rendered the Word of God of no effect • NKJ Mark 7:13 "making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do." • They were hypocrites, RELIGIOUS ACTORS 35

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• They honored God with their lips but their heart was far from Him • Such worship was and is vain, empty, useless • It was teaching, as rules for life, the commandments of men - their heart was wrong • These religious actors (hypocrites) were scrupulously attentive in seeing ceremonial observances, but stone blind to the one important thing which they were doing - making the Word of no effect • The reason for this level of blindness is a defiled heart 36

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Jesus corrected their error concerning eating with ceremonially unclean hands by stating that it was what came out of the person that defiled not what goes into them • NKJ Matthew 15:11 "Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man." • Jesus later explained that it was what came out of the heart of person that defiled them • NKJ Matthew 15:18 "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.

• Point 1 of a purified heart: It is what comes out of the heart that defiles the heart 37

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• A defiled heart is caused by what proceeds out of it • What does proceed out of a defiled heart?

• NKJ Mark 7:21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 "thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 "All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” • Covetousness is the central name on the list • Covetousness is lust (Romans 7:7) • Lust, or coveting, is the source of the corruption which is in the world (2 Peter 1:4) • Covetousness is idolatry (Colossians 3:5) 38

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Idolatry is the love and worship of something in God’s place • Therefore, coveting is the root of all evils • The breaking of the tenth commandment is what causes the other nine to be broken • NKJ Exodus 20:17 " You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that

is

your neighbor's.” • Point 2 of a purified heart: covetousness-lust proceeds out of the heart and defiles the man 39

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

Blessed Father in Heaven, we have tried to reason out Thy holiness, and hoped to attain to some of it in order to be free from our troubles. But we are not seeking it that way any more. We are now seeking THEE. Grant unto us that we may seek Thee with the whole heart. Guide us Blessed, Eternal Spirit into that purity where we may see God. Please help us so that we shall not just teach or learn ideas about a pure heart. Grant us the true freedom of lowliness, so that we can walk out in to the light in which You dwell. For Your Word has said, “Be you holy for I am holy.” And we have read also the words, “pure as He is pure.” And again, “perfect as He is perfect.” And that is Thy nature, not ours. By exceeding great and precious promises You have opened to us a way of faith into what-You-are. We ask to be guided there. Amen.

40

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

NKJ Matthew 23:25 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 "Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead

men's

bones and all uncleanness. 28 "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 41

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Jesus declares four times, in these four verses, that those directly named (the religious leaders or clergy) are defiled WITHIN • However, this was not truth without mercy for in Christ Jesus mercy and truth have met together • Jesus was not venting an overflow of aggravation or angry like we regular humans get angry • He was pointing to the one and only hope left to them and by so doing was extending mercy • The mercy is found in the words, “Cleanse first that which is WITHIN…” 42

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Again, four times with unerring aim, Jesus points to the ONE thing wrong: they were unclean WITHIN • Any one of them, then or now, who would be willing to ACKNOWLEDGE the truth of what He said, AND appeal to Him for deliverance, would find that the truth was with MERCY, for that was what He had come to do • He was not just closing the matter but rather was opening the way out: CLEANSE FIRST THAT WHICH IS WITHIN 43

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• It is true that “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7b) • It is equally true that if we walk IN THE LIGHT, as He is in the light, we have fellowship” with Him (1 John 1:7a) • THEN, in that WALK, there is a continual purifying, cleansing of the heart from all sin, by the blood of Jesus • This is how the heart may be cleansed (cleansed within) and kept free from defilement 44

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

NKJ Luke 11:37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. 8 When the Pharisee saw

it,

he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. 39 Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. 40 "Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? 41 "But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. 42 "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

45

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• The Pharisee was faultfinding with the True Light because he did not conform to one of their ceremonials of exterior holiness • This holiness in forms (e.g., ceremonials and symbols) is “that which is outside” and is the way the whole world worships • The world ascribes holiness to the office of priests, symbols, vestments, writings, etc. THINGS OUTSIDE • However, there can never be any deliverance of mankind from the power of the devil (i.e., deception) except as the heart is opened up and exposed • God’s Kingdom must come WITHIN - Lord Jesus reign!

46

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Jesus stated, directly, in words, that their inward part - their heart - was full of lust, uncleanness and all wickedness • They did not refute that directly but wanted to kill Jesus • People do not like having their heart exposed • But Jesus said that He who made the outside, made also that which is WITHIN • Jesus sought to focus their attention on the heart, by the expressions “inward part” and “that which is within” • Then He declared the MERCY 47

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ Luke 11:41 "But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. • The Greek phrase for “such things as you have” is “ta enonta” where “ta” means “the things” and “enonta” is a compound word meaning “within” • NAU Luke 11:41 "But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.

• Jesus was talking about things outside and inside, without and within 48

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Jesus was talking about what they have and do WITHIN the heart, and what a terrible condition of defilement they were in • This was true even though they were exceedingly religious - Jesus called them religious “ACTORS” • A “hypocrite” is an actor - one who performs outwardly what they are not within • However, Jesus shows them the key to overcoming this inward defilement 49

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Give alms from the heart (from within) and you are truly cleansed, and are not defiled by things outside of you • Jesus has declared that as truly as the evil thoughts defile from within that from within can come forth cleansing • This cleansing will clean the inside (the heart) and the outside (our relation to all things) of the man • This giving must be of “things that you have” 50

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• There are three vital keys here: – Such as you have (you can not give what you do not have) – What you have WITHIN – We are to give that • NKJ 1 Corinthians 4:7b And what do you have that you did not receive?

• NKJ 2 Corinthians 4:1b as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.

• NKJ Titus 3:5 according to His mercy He saved us 51

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• What we have received freely from God we are to give freely • NKJ Matthew 10:8b Freely you have received, freely give.

• Mercy is what we have all received and it is within us by the Spirit of Mercy (the Holy Spirit)!

• Jesus is saying that if we give mercy it will cleanse us on the inside and purify our view of things without 52

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• The evil heart pours out that which defiles the man • The good heart pours out that which purifies the man • Our hearts are purified by faith, we are cleansed by the blood of Jesus, we are made holy and righteous by His grace, and through Jesus Christ we are made a new creature • And it is all, literally all, MERCY!

53

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• What does the new heart do which purifies instead of defiles?

• It gives that which it has received - MERCY!

• How can we abide in a purified heart?

• By doing that which purifies!

• NAU Luke 11:41 "But give that which is within as charity, and then all things are clean for you.

• However, you can not understand this teaching except by doing it 54

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• God earnestly desires you to be “more than conquerors through Him that loved us” • However, you can not be this apart from a purified heart • NKJ Matthew 5:8 Blessed

are

the pure in heart, For they shall see God.

55

How It Works

NKJ 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Spirit

Spiritual Heart

Soul

Brain

Body

Holy Spirit’s Holy of Holies Spiritual connection between our Spirit and Soul It is the incubator for our thoughts. Hebrews 4:12, Luke 8:11-15 Contains: Mind (logic) Will Emotions Physical connection between the Body and Soul Has 5 senses: Hearing Sight Smell Taste Touch 56

New Christian without Renewed Mind

The Holy Spirit “knocks” on the door of our heart desiring to fill it with mercy for them & us

Spirit

“Something” tells us we should not tell them off. This is our conscience which is the “hidden man” or voice of our heart

Spiritual Heart

The soul calculates a response by our mind (logic) and/or emotion

Soul

The brain converts sight and sound into pictures and speech they are being unkind Brain The senses detect someone talking to us

Body

The Holy Spirit is grieved and respecting the choice of “our will being done” - goes silent We “sow” anger into our spiritual heart causing it to harden or be “seared” to receiving the Holy Spirit’s voice (via our spirit) and anger starts growing in our heart The person is being unkind to us and based on a mind “conformed to this world” we “will” or choose to return anger our justice!

The brain converts the thoughts into signals to operate the body We give them “a piece of our mind!” 57

Learn the Bible to Renew the Mind

• NKJ Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what

is

that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. • NKJ Proverbs 4:20 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21 Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22 For they

are

life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it

spring

the issues of life. 24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 58

Learn the Bible to Renew the Mind (cont.)

• NKJ Joshua 1:8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

• NKJ 3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. • NKJ 2 Peter 1:4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption

that is

in the world through lust.

59

Christian with a Renewed Mind

The Holy Spirit “knocks” on the door of our heart desiring to fill it with mercy for them & us

Spirit

“Something” tells us we should not tell them off. This is our conscience which is the “hidden man” or voice of our heart

Spiritual Heart

The soul calculates a response by our mind (logic) and/or emotion

Soul

The brain converts sight and sound into pictures and speech they are being unkind Brain The senses detect someone talking to us

Body

The Anointing -Mercy- floods us and them The Holy Spirit is pleased with God’s will being done (i.e., mercy) and fills our heart with mercy We “sow” mercy into our spiritual heart causing it to remain sensitive to receiving the Holy Spirit’s voice (via our spirit) and mercy starts growing and enlarging our spiritual heart The person is being unkind to us but the renewed mind knows Jesus has already paid for this sin, we listen to our conscience and “will” mercy!

The brain converts the thoughts into signals to operate the body We ask the Lord to

flood them with mercy to meet all of their needs!

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The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ John 7:38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39a But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, • NKJ 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit

who is

in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

• NKJ 1 John 2:27a But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, • NKJ Proverbs 18:21 Death and life

are

in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

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The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ Mark 7:21 "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 "thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. 23 "All these evil things come from within and defile a man." • Evil thoughts are from evil desires of “anti-mercy” • Evil thoughts are the images of those evil desires • Evil desires are made strong and able by the thoughts which make a place for them and a way for them • What we think about grows in our heart to become 62 intentions and then actions - for good or bad

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• We are to stop thinking anti-mercy thoughts and start thinking mercy thoughts • NAU Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

• Thoughts of good are from desires of mercy • Mercy is: – a passion to do the good that another needs – the infinite supply of pure love for every need • Again, this giving of mercy purifies the giver 63

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• For every case of the works of evil thoughts, mentioned by Jesus the purifying opposite is found in the thought and prayer of mercy •

Flood them with mercy fulfilling all their need

• The strength of this prayer is the BLOOD of Jesus • Our very knowledge of what mercy is comes by the blood of Jesus • The power of the blood of Jesus is God’s mercy overcoming evil!

• NKJ Revelation 12:11 "And they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb [mercy] and by the word of their testimony [mercy], and they did 64 not love their lives to the death [all mercy].

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• The evil thoughts and temptations of adulteries and fornication’s can all be overcome by persistently praying the mercy prayer • Again, it is the giving of what we have within MERCY - that purifies and overcomes evil with good • NKJ Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

• That is God’s truth, God’s method, God’s plan • God’s way to overcome evil is to overcome it WITH GOOD 65

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Adulteries and fornication's are covetous desires of evil • Do the opposite good and it (i.e., mercy) overcomes them • We can overcome evil with good because it is the Holy Spirit who does the doing through us • NKJ Ezekiel 36:27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do

them.

• Just as the evil spirit does the evil through us • NKJ Ephesians 2:2c the spirit [Satan] who now works in the sons of disobedience, 66

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• When the thoughts of adultery and fornication come we must learn to pray instead of think • That is, we oppose the evil thoughts by turning to the Lord in prayer • Turning to the Lord is turning AWAY from the evil desire • Praying to Him is putting Him and His pleasure before our eyes in place of that which tempts us to evil •

Flood them with mercy fulfilling all their need

• That means, GIVE instead of GET • Help, strengthen, BLESS, instead of defile 67

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• The opposite of looking on a woman or man to lust after her or him is to look on them with the desire and prayer for their best good • Sometimes you may have to pray the Mercy prayer repeatedly for it to take hold in your heart • But the turning to God, and the thinking of His GOoD thoughts, robs the evil spirit of its power • The answer to the Mercy prayer destroys the evil – KJV Isaiah 10:27b and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing [mercy].

• The angels go forth and separate the evil from the good • The Holy Spirit pours from us and defeats and casts down the unclean spirit and all its lusts 68

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• The whole Kingdom of God goes into action, and into motion to accomplish that mercy and to fill the need WHEN THE BELIEVER PRAYS • True lowliness prays so, and triumphs, for the Holy Spirit is the SPIRIT of prayer – NLT Zechariah 12:10 "Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on all the people of Jerusalem.

– NKJ Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

• The lowliness is the Holy Spirit, and the mercy is the passion of the Holy Spirit to do good 69

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Murders are obliterated by the Mercy prayer upon the one you hate-and-want-dead • We murder in the heart just as truly as committing adultery in the heart • The opposite of looking on someone with destroying lust in the heart is to look on that one with desire and prayer, in the heart, for their best good (God knows just what that is) • What we know is that they, like us, need MERCY • We ask God to pour abundantly overflowing floods of mercy on the object-of-evil-thoughts and-temptation and all things become clean to us • It is the purified heart overcoming evil with good 70

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Thefts, covetousness, and wickedness are all workings of desire to take away what belongs to another in order to satisfy and please ourselves • Lust is coveting desire • If you pray the Mercy prayer then God is in all your thoughts and the evil is overcome and destroyed • If you pray to give instead of steal, the theft is destroyed • It is the same way with all covetousness and wickedness 71

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Lasciviousness is the maggot like pleasure of enjoying all kinds of unclean thoughts • One of the most certain proofs that the world is “DEAD in trespasses and sins” is lasciviousness an internal pleasure in uncleanness, especially in sexual things • The Holy Spirit will purify and cleanse all things before you if you will persist in the Mercy Prayer • Mercy is a passion just as truly as lasciviousness is a passion but mercy is a passion to do good to another • It is God’s clean and holy passion of heavenly love, to GIVE instead of GET 72

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• An evil eye desires to see evil happen to another and often is the retaliating spirit at work • It means to project evil from the heart • What will pluck out the evil eye, as Jesus said?

• Changing it at the root by projecting good • Praying the Mercy Prayer upon whom your eye is set will cause it to be swallowed up in the GOoD eye - MERCY • God’s eye is not an evil eye for that is the devil’s eye, the destroyer and the thief: – NKJ John 10:10 "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have

it

more abundantly. 73

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• God’s eye is good – NLT Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

• If you will pray God’s thoughts and His ways, by praying the Mercy Prayer, then Your eye will become good • We ask God to project good - floods - and when we do so we are seeing in His light as He sees – NKJ Psalm 36:9 For with You

is

the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.

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The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Blasphemy, pride, and foolishness are all much the same thing • All blasphemy is both proud and foolish • All pride is both blasphemous - in character - and utterly foolish in truth • Foolishness is the working of folly, and the love of it • Foolishness is blasphemous in character, because it is exalting folly in place of giving thanks • The opposite of foolishness is giving of thanks and praise to God – NKJ Ephesians 5:4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 75

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• Foolishness, foolish talking, and jesting are full of pride (i.e., the desire to show off) • Foolishness is a love of the pleasure of folly • Folly is wisdom dead • In all cases the character of blasphemy, pride, and foolishness is the complete opposite of both lowliness and mercy • Giving thanks is clean and wise and light from heaven • Giving thanks is lowly • Giving of thanks is the very spirit of lowliness and mercy 76

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• In all cases the character of blasphemy, pride, and foolishness is the complete opposite of both lowliness and mercy • Giving of thanks is the very spirit of lowliness and mercy • The prayer for FLOODS of Mercy from Heaven, is the exact opposite of the flooding, pushing, overbearing quality of blasphemy, pride, foolishness, for they operate in a flooding way, too • NKJ Isaiah 59:19 So shall they fear The name of the LORD from the west, And His glory [mercy] from the rising of the sun; When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard [mercy for us] against him.

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The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• You cannot blaspheme God, or its equivalent against man, when you are praying for floods of mercy to fulfill his need • You cannot remain in the devilish exalting of pride when you are carrying through the lowliness of the prayer of mercy • You will lose the love of foolishness, and all delight in it, if you occupy your mind with the wise-praying for floods of mercy to fill needs • The needs are all around us 78

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• In this triumphing in mercy and goodness over evil, there comes also the desire to give thanks, because you know God answers your prayer • Mercy is free • The freedom and triumph of mercy over everything in this list of evil thoughts, and the proceedings of evils which defile the man, brings you to a new viewpoint • That by GIVING of THANKS you could likewise triumph over ALL of those evils • But we will not give such thanks apart from the flowing of mercy • Why? Because apart from mercy we will not think to give thanksgiving and praise 79

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• It is only a purified heart that thinks to give thanks • For only the purified heart dwells in love and triumphs in mercy • The purified heart is perfect the same way that God is perfect • The purified heart is pure in the same way God is pure • For the purified heart knows God’s mercy and gives it freely of that which is within - MERCY • The purified heart lives unto God as His child • The purified heart wants to see Him as He is – NKJ 1 John 3:3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 80

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.)

• NKJ Jude 1:20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

• The Holy Spirit will sanctify you in the sanctifying will of God, when you do God’s mercy for Him • Even as light destroys darkness, so good removes evil • However, you need to literally live in the Word of God as your strength is there 81

The Purified Heart (Cont’d.) NKJ 1 John 5:18b but he who has been born of God keeps himself [in mercy]*, and the wicked one does not touch him. * Words in “[ ]” added by author NKJ Psalm 32:10 Many sorrows

shall be

to the wicked; But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.

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Christian with a hardened Heart

The Holy Spirit “knocks” on the door of our heart desiring to fill it with mercy Our conscience by the Holy Spirit tells us we should repent (i.e., change our mind) and chose to be a “mercier” in His strength

Spiritual

Spirit

Heart

The soul realizes that the mercy message is truth and is convicted of sin

Soul

The brain converts sight and sound into pictures and speech we have been “judgers” Brain The senses have read this teaching

Body

The Anointing -Mercy- floods us The Holy Spirit is overjoyed and floods our heart with mercy We believe the truth that if we repent God will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness Ezekiel 36:26,27 We chose to repent and be cleansed from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) The brain converts the thoughts into signals to operate the body We say a prayer of repentance from the depths of our heart 83

Prayer

Show us, Blessed Father, that the continual purifying of the cleansing blood of Jesus is found by those who walk in the light as Thou art in the light. Bring us quickly to that humbling of the heart, where we can always see that we have nothing but mercy - but - that we do always have mercy as we give forth of that which you have given us. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen

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