Keeping your heart prepared for worship--

Love God & Love your neighbor;

The conscious awareness of God's presence;

being pure in heart; pitfalls to avoid

PREPARING THE HEART *

TEMPLE WORSHIP-- *

FORGIVENESS *

GETTING RID OF BITTERNESS *

NOTE THAT THIS IS A CIRCULAR PROCESS. *

REST *

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE PEACE IN YOUR HEART: *

First and greatest commandment--

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'

31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

(NIV)

Let's break this into two parts and discuss each one:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.

This means what it says. Love God with everything that you have. When you love God with everything that you have to love him with, you become aware of his presence in your heart. He loves you and you love him, within your innermost being; AND YOU REALIZE THAT HE DOES. You become aware of his presence.

Jesus talks about this:

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever--

17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

(NIV)

21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

(NIV)

23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

(NIV)

25 "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.

26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

(NIV)

John talks about this:

24 Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

(NIV)

Again, the connection between obedience and fellowship with God.

Paul talks about this in Ephesians:

16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

(NIV)

SO when we Love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength, we become aware of His presence in our heart.

The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Now superceded by:

34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

(NIV)

Notice that he effectively REPLACED "love your neighbor as yourself" with "love one another as I have loved you." Why? Because sometimes we don't love ourselves! But Jesus always, always loved us and continues to love us. So that is the commandment-- sacrificial, constant love.

For starters-- if we love God with ALL our heart, ALL our soul, ALL our mind, and ALL our strength, how can we have anything left over to love our neighbor with? Should we divide our love between God and our neighbor like this: 90-10? 80-20? 60-40? What?

No, if we love God with all of our hearts, then HIS love will overflow out of us to the people around us and then we will love our neighbors.

So we see that to fully love our neighbors we must fully love God.

However-- if we do not love our neighbor we cannot love God fully:

20 If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

21 And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

(NIV)

Here we see that failing to love our brother will hinder our love for God. As worshippers this concerns us!!!! I extend this to neighbors as well. "Love your neighbor as yourself" becomes "love one another as I have loved you" becomes "love your neighbor as I have loved you"-- sacrificially and without expecting anything in return. Why? Because that's how Jesus loved his persecutors-- "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." "Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not." …

How do you do this?

First and foremost ASK GOD FOR HELP. You have not because you ask not; ask and ye shall receive.

"Lord, help me to love you more."

Hindrances:

Lack of love for neighbor

Dealing with any sin

Unconfessed sin robs you of your conscious awareness of God's presence.

23 "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

(NIV)

What did Jesus mean by "Leave your gift"?

1. Accept Jesus' sacrifice for us

2. Confess our sins, and be washed and cleansed in his blood

3. Enter within the veil by the new and living way that he made for us

Only steps 1 and 2, and then wander off rejoicing "I am clean."

Do step 1, skip step 2, and wonder why can't I get within the veil.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

The rabbinical teaching of the day was that you had to forgive your brother if he sinned against you three times in one day. (The fourth time you could stay mad.)

So Peter, feeling generous, asked Jesus this:

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

(NIV)

The difference between acceptance of a person and approval of their actions:

You can, and must, accept a person-- love them, befriend them, bless them, pray for them-- without approving of or supporting their sin. When Jesus ate with tax collectors and prostitutes, he fellowshipped with them but did not condone their lifestyles. "Go now and sin no more." He accepted the person but not their sin.

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

(NIV)

The scripture says we are to turn from every form of evil; it also says we are to love our neighbor. The two must operate hand in hand. Be aware that you need to listen to God's prompting in order to determine whether to talk to a person about their sin or not. If God tells you to, then do it, sensitively and carefully. If he doesn't tell you to, then keep your mouth shut. Above all-- don't judge-- don't condemn.

While you need to be aware of what is right and wrong, and able to defend your position from scriptures, we are to judge actions, but we are not to judge people. It is one thing to say, "That action was inappropriate" or "That behavior is wrong and harmful." Much different than saying "That person is evil." Hate the sin, love the sinner. (And by the way, that includes you. We are saved by grace.)

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

(NIV)

Why? Because these things ROB YOU OF THE MANIFEST PRESENCE OF GOD.

Confess, repent, and GET INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD. The PRESENCE OF GOD is what deeply purifies us, heals us, cleanses us, encourages us, refreshes us, gives us love for others.

Bitterness comes from anger and unforgiveness against people who have hurt you at any time in the past. Bitterness robs you of your conscious awareness of God's presence.

Confession & repentance of your anger and choosing to forgive that person-- inner healing.

It goes like this:

(A period of mourning may be involved if there was extensive abuse.)

That's it. Most of the time, it's simple. Quick. All it takes is an act of the will. Emotions probably follow, but are not the central focus! All the counseling and three months of nuisance normally associated with inner healing is external to these seven lines of prayer.

Write them in the back page of your bible. Keep them in your wallet. Memorize them. They are seven lines of prayer which will restore your freedom to enter into the Most Holy Place through the new and living way that Jesus has made. (Hebrews 10:19)

--essence of inner healing is choosing to forgive and ASKING GOD for help in doing so

--simple formula

--usually quick and easy unless God deems otherwise

--do by default whenever somebody hurts you-- rattle it off immediately and MEAN IT

--use both for getting rid of old bitterness AND for preventing bitterness from forming

Instead of forgiving the best and believing the worst, forgive the worst and believe the best.

Usually we say-- "Well, they probably didn't mean it, so I can forgive them." Meanwhile, inside, we suspect that they really did mean it, and if so, it will be a lot harder for us to forgive!

Nine times out of ten, people didn't mean to hurt you. Give them the benefit of the doubt-- but determine in your heart that even if the deed was done in full malice and venom, you will forgive it anyway.

ask God to make you willing to cast aside EVERY hindrance

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;

20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions

21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Why not? Because of unforgiven sin, you can't enter the rest of God and you can't enter into building his kingdom NOW.

The big ones:

sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; drunkenness, orgies, and the like

The "little" ones:

hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy

What's so "little" about them? They still rob us of the manifest presence of God in our hearts. These things HIDE GOD FROM US.

Be ruthless with yourself about repenting from these things. Ask God to drive them out of your soul-- and whenever they crop up, deny them the opportunity of robbing you of God's manifest presence.

Be as PURE as you can. Turn from any form of evil. Matthew 5 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

(NIV)

22 Avoid every kind of evil.

(NIV)

9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

(NIV)

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

(NIV)

Hate the sin-- love the sinner.

3 So watch yourselves. "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him.

4 If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."

(NIV)

Confess, repent, and GET INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD. The PRESENCE OF GOD is what deeply purifies us, heals us, cleanses us, encourages us, refreshes us, gives us love for others.

Repent of whatever sin you know about so that you can enter the presence of God. The act of genuine repentance usually brings you into his presence immediately.

Being in his presence helps you to grow in spirit so that you can forsake the things that pull you away from God.

Come Boldly before the throne of grace to find mercy and help in time of need.

If you know you have a bad attitude-- ask God for help with your bad attitude!

By default, our hearts should be at rest in God. We no longer have our own agenda-- we have God's agenda, one day at a time. So trust and obey and don't worry and don't strive (cease striving, be still and know that I am God.)

9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;

10 for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his.

11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest …

28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

(NIV)

5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him.

(NIV)

20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud.

21 "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

(NIV)

Why? Because of their disobedience and unforgiven sin, they cannot rest in GOD. GOD is our rest and our peace.

How do you know that your heart is pure?

Quick check-- are you at peace?

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.

One of four things is going on:

1. You have something to repent for,

2. You are under attack,

3. You want something from God, or,

4. God wants something from you.

If our heart condemns us, if we know that we've sinned, then repent and confess and get it over with!

19 This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence

20 whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God

(NIV)

If there's something un-peaceful, but you don't know why off of the top of your head, then let God test you. Ask him to show you what it is.

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

(NIV)

If God doesn't tell you something concrete, there's nothing there. Vague condemnations don't come from God, they come from the enemy. Rebuke it. Vague dissatisfactions with yourself-- "I'm just not spiritual enough"-- well, use them for good; ask God to make you more spiritual, rejoice in him, and then it's his problem.

You may be under attack from the enemy. Are you wearing your armor and standing firm against the devil?

Here is a delightful quote from "The Cell of Self-Knowledge":

And these two spirits of the flesh and also of the world are, as it were, servants or sergeants of that cursed spirit, the foul fiend of hell; so that the spirit of wickedness is lord of the spirit of the flesh, and also of the spirit of the world. And which of these three spirits that speaketh to our spirit, we should not believe them. …. (ed.-- no kidding!!!) And which spirit it is that speaketh to our spirit, the speech of that same spirit that speaketh shall fully declare; for ever more the spirit of the flesh speaketh soft things and easy to the body; the spirit of the world vain things and covetise… and the spirit of malice of the fiend speaketh fell things and bitter.

For a more direct, biblical approach consider the following:

1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

(NIV)

What to do in this case?

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

(NIV)

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

(NIV)

Some practical methods for resisting the devil:

1. Confess anything you are aware of, to remove footholds that the demon may have in your life.
2. Tell the demon to leave; every Christian has that authority in Jesus.
3. In general-- wear your armor.
4. Worship a lot-- this strengthens your spirit and increases your discenrnment.
5. Long-term-- improving your self-discipline makes you better able to resist temptation.

If you still have no peace, then either there is something you want from God, OR, there is something GOD wants from YOU.

If you want something from God-- even if it seems selfish-- ASK HIM.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(NIV)

Notice that this particular scripture doesn't guarantee you'll get the THING you want-- it guarantees you PEACE. So if you want something so much that you are restless about it, then come before God and Say So! He'll either give it to you or say No. Either way, the ball is in his court and you've gotten it off of your chest.

If God wants something from you, wait on him and listen. Like the boy Samuel, go before the Lord and say, "Here I am." And Wait.

8 The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.

9 So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

(NIV)

14 The Spirit then lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.

(NIV)

22 The hand of the LORD was upon me there, and he said to me, "Get up and go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you."

(NIV)

Note that Samuel was confused about the "call"-- he thought his old master, Eli, was calling him. But it was the Lord. Likewise, we are often confused that our old joys are calling us, but they are not; the Lord is calling us, and only he will satisfy us.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

(NIV)

8 Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

9 My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.

(NIV)

What others have said:

The God-shaped vacuum in our hearts that only God can fill

(Pasteur?)

Our hearts are restless until they find rest in Thee

(Augustine?)

The Pulley

(George Herbert)

1 When God at first made man,
2 Having a glass of blessings standing by,
3 "Let us," said he, "pour on him all we can;
4 Let the world's riches, which dispersed lie,
5 Contract into a span."

6 So strength first made a way;
7 Then beauty flow'd, then wisdom, honour, pleasure;
8 When almost all was out, God made a stay,
9 Perceiving that alone of all his treasure,
10 Rest in the bottom lay.

11 "For if I should," said he,
12 "Bestow this jewel also on my creature,
13 He would adore my gifts instead of me,
14 And rest in Nature, not the God of Nature:
15 So both should losers be.

16 "Yet let him keep the rest,
17 But keep them with repining restlessness;
18 Let him be rich and weary, that at least,
19 If goodness lead him not, yet weariness
20 May toss him to my breast."