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The Pure Heart #4
Milton Green

Milton Green (1943 - 1987). American evangelist and Bible teacher born in Tennessee. Raised in a troubled home with an abusive father, he spiraled into alcoholism, drug addiction, and homelessness, suffering a major heart attack at 43 that left doctors predicting his death. Converted in 1972 after crying out to Jesus, he was miraculously healed and began studying Scripture intensely. A carpet cleaner by trade, Green preached across the U.S. from the late 1970s to 1987, often alongside James Robison and Leonard Ravenhill, focusing on repentance, holiness, and spiritual warfare. He authored The Great Falling Away Today (1986), warning against carnal Christianity, and recorded hundreds of sermons, widely shared online. Married to Joyce, a Christian who prayed for his salvation, they had no children. His teachings, emphasizing victory over sin through Christ, stirred thousands at seminars, though some criticized his focus on demonic influence. Green’s words, “God’s Word is the only standard for truth,” underscored his uncompromising style. His ministry, marked by humility, continues to influence evangelical circles globally
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of surrendering to God and walking in righteousness, highlighting the need to overcome selfish ambition, jealousy, and double-mindedness. It stresses the significance of bearing fruit through abiding in Christ, purifying the heart, and resisting the devil. The message encourages repentance, humility, and seeking God's presence to receive His grace and healing.
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It's triumph in the name of Jesus, don't we? We let the high praises of God be in our mouth, a two-edged sword in our hand. We execute vengeance upon the heathen, punishment on the people. We bind their kings with chains, their nobles with fetters of iron. We execute upon them the judgment written. This honor has every saint. You see that? So our weapons are mighty in God to turn down strongholds, casting down imaginations and every thought that exalts itself against the Word of God. We bring every thought captive into the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ, His Word. My Father's Word is forever settled in heaven. My Father's Word is of final authority. My Father's Word will never pass away. My Father's Word will not return void. My Father's Word, He said to heal me. My Father's Word is life to me, is health to all my whole flesh. My Father's Word sanctifies us, renews our minds, separates us from the world into righteousness. And we rule and reign in life through the gift of righteousness and the grace of God through Jesus Christ. We are more than conquerors. We take dominion. We rule and reign in the name of Jesus. We're righteous if we practice righteousness. You remember that, don't you? So God is our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is our Lord and we are a product of His love. We have love, we have joy, we have peace. We have long-suffering, goodness, gentleness, meekness, temperance, and faith. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We're strengthened in all power of the might of the Lord. The Lord has torn down all the works of the principalities and powers and given us authority as a covenant word and covenant name. Write down the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We separate and seal by the blood all those... Didn't we have more freedom last night? Let's get rid of them again. In Jesus' name we expose by the blood, seal by the blood all these works of confusion, doubt, unbelief. Do you know through doubt and unbelief that the powers of darkness ride into when you resist the word? The powers of darkness can ride back in. Doubt and unbelief we separate and seal by the blood. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ it's removed. We separate every work of heresy, every work of suspicion, every work of legalism, traditions, restlessness, all mind-binding spirits, all religious strongholds, every work of spiritual pride in the name of Jesus, every spirit of error is removed in the name of Jesus, every work of tardiness, we have liberty and freedom. The word and the blood we hold against these, all the rulers assigned against this city and against this campus, against this meeting are separated and sealed by the blood. You're under my authority and I bring under authority all the works of darkness. Under you in Jesus' name they're assigned to be in a hindrance here. Every stronghold in the name of Jesus is separated and sealed by the blood. It's removed in Jesus' name. It's removed by whole the word and the blood is a hedge. Every reinforcement is bound in Jesus' name. And now I speak blessings, peace, grace, love, healing, deliverance. Hug somebody before you sit down in Jesus' name. Amen. I'm beginning to wish I lived here. I'm enjoying being with you. I'm serious. I've met some of the most precious people with the most precious hearts. It's love and Jesus and compassion that I've seen anywhere. The rest of you repent. And Luke 6. Luke 6 please. Now we started out on Sunday with something right here. We're going to look at it again and see if it's changed any. In Luke 6 verse 36. Be merciful. Judge that your Father is merciful. May I ask you something? Can you tell when mercy is coming out of someone's mouth? You can also tell when they're unmerciful. Is that right? Absolutely. Well, I'm just going to... If you want to write this out beside the Scripture right there. In James 2.13. Judgment will be merciless to the one who has shown no mercy. And in the next part we see right there. Do not judge and you will not be judged. You might want to write out from that Matthew 7.1 and 2. Do not judge unless you be judged. For in the way that you judge, you will be judged. By your standard of measure, it's going to be measured to you. And I don't mean next week. When you judge right then, you've got a problem. Right then. You're in torment. When it comes out of your mouth. The next part. Do not condemn and you'll not be condemned. You might write out from that Romans 2.1. Every man who judges another, you condemn yourself. Pardon and you will be pardoned. You might write out from that Matthew 6.14 and 15. If you forgive men their trespasses, your Father will forgive you. But if you will not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive you your trespasses. In other words, right there it is in verse 38. Given it will be given to you. This is not just a take up an offering. It's a good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over. They will pour in their lap. It's going to pour in your lap. It's coming all over you. For by your standard of measure, it's going to be measured to you in return. You get the spirit of the devil or the spirit of God all over you. Depends on where your heart is. Now, in verse 39. He also spoke a parable of them saying, a blind teacher cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into the pit? A pupil is not above his teacher, but everyone after he has been, what? You have been fully trained. If your heart's falling out, there's only one teacher. His name is Jesus. And you better hear his voice and you better know his voice. And after you're fully trained, whoever trained you, if it's going to be Jesus, you'll be like him. If it's going to be some man, you will be just like your teacher. That's how the blind follow the blind. And they go to the pit. Now, look with me in verse 43. For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit. I'm telling you again, a lot of folks wish that wasn't in the Bible. Now, on the other hand, is there a bad tree which produces good fruit? For each tree is known by its gifts. Each tree is known by its fruits. That's the way you know where the gifts are coming from. Remember the man in Matthew 7, who did miracles. Now, verse 45. The good man of the good treasure of his heart. He has a good heart. I mean, it's God's field. He receives all the word of God. He brings forth what is good, which is the fruit of the Spirit. And the evil man, out of the evil treasure of his heart, he brings forth what is evil. That's that lust rebellion. Now, watch very closely. I want you to mark this verse good in 45. For his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. What is ever in your heart is going to come out. This is how you know the heart of one another. And if it's anything that doesn't line up with the word, this wise man will receive correction and he will turn from it and he'll repent from it. A scoffer, a mocker will not come to the light. He follows aphorist's lust, he'll defend it. Now, after you see the two different kind of trees, you see the two different kind of trees explained to you, and then verse 46, why do you call me Lord, Lord and don't do what my word says? Is that plain? Now, hold your place right there and turn with me over to Revelation 12. Once again, we talk about how every heart is tested. God has permitted the heart of everything he's ever created to be tested. In Revelation 12, in verse 9, we see the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old, who is called devil and Satan, and he deceives the whole world. How does he deceive the whole world? Exactly the way I've told you he deceives the whole world. Now, look at me. Everything that God has, Satan has the counterfeit of, the opposite of, and you have a choice to make right there. God, does God have a river that flows from his mouth right here? Is this a river? Is it a river that flows from the throne of God? Is that right? And then it was coming out of my mouth a while ago, wasn't it? The living is called the living word. Let me tell you something right here, that Satan also has a river, and it's a direct contradiction of the word, and it's a direct contradiction of love. It's selfishness and self-centered. It's that lust nature, and you know what? You know all the different kinds of demons, and that's what they specialize in, the fruit of the devil. And that is a river that comes out of Satan's mouth, all right? Now, you see this very clearly. It's called a flood. They're a flood of words. Verse 15, And the serpent, Satan, he pours water like a river out of his what? Mouth. And we know what those words are. That's the fiery test that comes to test you, and it comes after the who? Who's this river of water come after? After the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with a flood of words. Now, let me tell you something. Let me show you right here exactly how you overcome again the powers of darkness. It's right there in verse 11. And they overcame him. They overcame Satan. How do they overcome Satan? By the blood of the Lamb. There's a victory at Calvary. And then by the word of their testimony, by speaking the word of God, that's a shield of faith to stand in the word of God. And they do not love their life. They do not love their flesh. They do not love these cartons until death. Is that plain? When you love this, he's got you. Front row, back row, platform, when you love your flesh, your flesh loves the world, and you've got chains. Hang in there or get free. Now, you don't have to get in and run and start. Just decide in your heart you're going to do it and you'll be free. Now, turn back to Luke 6, verse 47. Now, we saw the two different trees. No good tree produces bad fruit. The bad tree doesn't produce good fruit. Each tree is known by its fruit. We've already seen in Matthew 7 that false teachers are going to lead people to bear the wrong kind of fruit. They're going to say, Lord, Lord. And he says right here, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and don't do what I say? Now, you're going to see these two trees again, and you're going to see the difference of them, why one bears good fruit and why the other one doesn't. In verse 47, everyone who comes to me, they first come to Jesus. Put a little one right there. Number two, they hear the words of Jesus. A little two there. And number three, they don't analyze the word. They act upon it. Number three, I'm going to show you who he's like. He's like a man built in a house who dug deep. He lays his foundation upon this word of God, which is a rock. He's standing on this word, not somebody's words, not another gospel, not another Jesus. He's standing right here, and when the flood rose, do you know who those are? That's them. And when they come to test, to come against him, he's standing on the word of God. Do you see it? And then the torrent, there's the river. It burst against that house, and it can't be shaken. It can't be shaken because it's been well built. Now, here's the other man right there. This man does what Jesus says. He's Lord. Now, he operates on the word of God. He acts upon it, 49. But the one who hears the word of God, number one, and he does not act accordingly, would have another gospel. He has another tower he's building in heaven. It's like a man, he builds upon the ground without any foundation. He might take the sum of the word of God to build nickels, noses, numbers, or straw, brick, whatever. It's not the foundation of Jesus. You know you can use God for a season. You know that, don't you? But he doesn't have any foundation, and then there, the river. It burst again, immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great. Anyone that's not resisting the devil is in rebellion in their hearts. Anyone that's not resisting the flesh is in rebellion in their hearts. Amen? I'm not mad. I love you. Once again, I'm telling you, your house is on fire. As nice as I can say it, right? Okay? Now, turn to James 1, please. James 1. James 1, verse 2. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials. That sure don't sound like the flesh, does it? James 1, verse 2. Does that sound like the flesh? Absolutely not. That's supernatural. You can count it joy when you run into trials. Knowing that the testing of your faith, the testing of your faith, whether you're going to pull up the shield of faith or whether you're going to give in to these trials, it's what it's going to produce. It's going to produce endurance. We see right there in verse 7 and 8 that a double-minded man does not receive anything from God. Is that right? Double-minded men receive nothing from God. What do you think double-minded is? Trying to walk the ways of the flesh and the ways of the spirit, which you'll quickly see here. By the way, the title of this message is A Double-Minded Adulteress. Now, verse 12. Blessed is a man who perseveres under the trials. For once he has been approved, he's been approved, he's been approved, he's been approved. Any of you want to do some word studies, you go back through and you check all the being approved and the opposite of it there and see where you find them there in the New Testament. He will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love him. We know the ones that love him will obey his commandments. Is that right? They love the light and they'll come to the light. Verse 13. Let no one say when he's tempted, I'm being tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted by evil and God himself does not. He doesn't tempt anyone. The one that does attempt is the one we've been looking at all week, the powers of darkness. And who is he talking to? Verse 16. He's warning you right there in verse 16. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren, because beloved brethren can be deceived if they don't receive the word of God and receive this warning right here in Jesus' name. And the powers of darkness are going to try to bring rebellion to their heart. Now in verse 14. But each one is tempted when he's carried away and enticed based on lust. The powers of darkness come to tempt you and entice you to make this lust nature come alive which you repented from. It's supposed to be dead and they tell you, come alive, pride. Come alive, spiritual pride. Come alive, selfish ambition. Come alive, jealousy. And when you're not in the war, they bring rebellion into your heart and then they start building fortresses and then they come to kill, steal, and destroy. Then they start building sickness and disease and destroying you. That's the price of rebellion of God in your heart while you make a name for yourself or whatever. Now, then verse 15. Now, I want you to remember in verse 14 in the very middle right there, it says, you get carried away by these things. What do you get carried away from? God and from the faith, amen? The same thing that doctrines of demons, 1 Timothy 4, 1, carries you away from the faith in the last days. Now, then when the lust is conceived, you receive the words of Satan, it gives birth to sin, that's rebellion, and when this rebellion is accomplished in your heart, it's bringing forth death to you. Is that plain? All right, now, look with me. Do you remember that Eve was warned, you shall surely die? Now, I want to just remind you a little of what we shared last night. Is it possible to find a false security in a doctrine which has been a deception of Satan that say you sure can eat off the tree of death, you surely shall not die? Well, we see that death is working here. Now, I'll just tell you something, another way to say it. If you're receiving Satan's words in your heart, they're going to come out of your mouth. Now, in James 1, the enemy comes to attempt you after this slander. He tries to get you. He suggests this slander, condemnation. He criticizes people in your mind. If you receive these things, you let them in. Yeah, they are devil, sure slander, sure unforgiveness, sure resentment, sure criticism. All this thing gets down in your heart. It's going to be coming right out of your mouth. That's the way it's going to spread, too. Rebellion will spread. You become a tree of death when it comes out of your mouth. There's no life in it. And so, verse 19, we are warned. This you can know, my beloved brethren, but let everyone be quick to hear. You better be quick to hear. You better be quick to hear. I said you better be quick to hear, but you better be slow to speak. You had better watch your mouth. And when you learn something about the fear of God, you will watch your mouth. Slow to speak and slow to anger. Now, hold your place right there and back up to Ephesians 4 with me. In Ephesians 4, in Ephesians 4, we see in verse, Ephesians 4, verse 22, that in reference to your former manner of life, your former manner of life, there's that former manner of life. You've laid aside the old man which is being corrupted in accordance with these lusts of deceit. You've laid them down. Now, in verse 26, be angry and yet do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger. You are warned. You better not let the sun go down in your anger without you made it right for somebody. Don't let that day pass when you've been angry with someone and you haven't made it right for them because this is what's going to happen to you in 27. And do not give the devil an opportunity because he'll have a place if you don't, if you're obeying to God. Now, verse 29, let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth. This God in your Bible to do, not analyze. Only such word is good for edification according to the need of the moment. Are we to speak as oracles of God? Amen. Now, that it may give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you've sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, let all wrath, let all of this anger, let all the clamor, let all the slander be put away along with all malice from your mouth. And then you're going to be kind to one another. You're going to be tenderhearted. You'll be forgiving one another. Just God in Christ also has forgiven you. The words are going to separate folks. You don't have to do it. They'll run. They'll run. I mean, light all. I mean, darkness always takes off from the light. It'll take off. And I want you to know that the Lord Jesus Christ destroyed darkness everywhere He went, and that's what you do. The works of darkness everywhere you go, you destroy. Sickness, disease, lies, you expose them. Amen? We don't please Jesus, not folks. Is that plain? Now, back in Ephesians. Ephesians, no, I mean back in James, I'm sorry. Back in James. We look in verse 21. Therefore you're putting, James 1, 21, therefore you're putting aside all, all, all filthiness, and all, all, all that remains of wickedness put aside. In humility, now you're humbling yourself. You're receiving the Word of God implanted. In other words, you're taking the Word of God to heart. You've laid aside all wickedness, and this is what? Well, being born again with the Word of God, which is going to save your souls. And then verse 22, you're going to prove yourself as doers of the Word. You're going to, when Jesus said, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? When you don't do what Jesus says, you bear the wrong fruit, and he's the one who's going to say, in the last days when you say, Lord, Lord, I don't know you. You didn't do the will of God. But prove yourself doers of the Word, and do not merely hearers who delude themselves, deceive. Verse 23, for if anyone's a hearer of the Word and not a doer, he's like a man who looks at his natural face in the mirror. Is that what we are? Before Jesus Christ becomes Lord of our life, heart of our heart, we go and walk in the natural. What we see, smell, taste, hear, and feel, we're not led by the Spirit of God. And this is what people make an exercise just reading the Bible. It never does change one thing. They reject the Word of God. Their heart keeps being hardened and hardened and hardened and hardened and hardened. Folks, I'm going to tell you what. We're going to deal with the Spirit of Harley to you this week. You might fly through one of these walls right here, and that stuff comes off of some of you. Now, so you come and look at the Word of God just like you come and look in a mirror. Verse 24, for once he's looked at it himself, he's gone away, and immediately, he just forgets what kind of person he was. He doesn't even deal with the sin. He doesn't look at it. But here's the one who's a doer of the Word, verse 25. But the one who looks intently at this perfect law, the law of liberty, and he abides by it. He walks in it. He receives it. Not having become a forgetful hearer, but he is an effectual doer. This man shall be blessed. The blessings of God is on this man. He'll be blessed in what he does. Now, verse 26, if anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet he does not bridle his tongue, he doesn't bridle his tongue with this slander and gossip and judgment and condemnation and whispering, he deceives his own heart. May I say this again? If you don't bridle your tongue, your own heart's deceived. You've deceived your own heart. This man's religion is worthless. Chapter 2, chapter 2, verse 12. So since you know all these things, your Bible warns you, you better speak. Circle speak about four times. You better speak and then you better so act. Look at me. Look at me, folks. You better speak, your mouth better line up with God. Since you know this, your mouth better be saying what God says. And you better so act, your walk hath better, you better speak and you better act. Your fruit, you're fixing to be warned something. Your fruit right here as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. Well, now let me ask you something. If you want to put out from that 1 Timothy 1, 9, who was this law written to? It was written to ungodly, sin, rebellious people, unholy, homosexuals. It was written to sinners. And why? To tell them that this law, they are placed under judgment if they don't repent and turn from it. Amen? All right, now, does it say you judge by the law of liberty? I don't want you to turn there because I'm going to share something with you in Galatians. We saw that if you're led by the Spirit of God, you will not. You will not carry out the desires of the flesh. Verse 16, we saw in verse 18, if you're led by the Spirit of God, you're not under the law, you're not under judgment. Now, what do you think? Where are people that are not led by the Spirit of God? They're under the law and they're under judgment. Is that plain? I don't care what they joined. They're under the law and they're under judgment if they're walking and practicing rebellion to God. Amen? So, you better so speak and you better so act as those who are judged by this law because what's going to judge you in the last days? The Word of God. Amen? Isn't that right? The Word of God. It's not how we appear to others or how we help God out. The very motives of our heart, God's going to do it with the Word of God. Now, verse 13, for this judgment is going to be merciless to the one who has shown no mercy. And when it's coming out of your mouth, it's in your heart, no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Now, you remember we saw in Colossians 3, 5 through 8. I wish you'd just write that after that. We don't have time to go there. But it said, You put aside all abusive speech from your mouth because the wrath of God is coming on those because of these things. Is that what we read earlier? Shake your head. Okay. Now, in chapter 3, verse 2. Now, if someone never tells you, you hear this part of the message and someone never tells you what to do, you're fixing to be told what to do in this next verse right here. Verse 2, For we all stumble in many ways. If one does not stumble in what he says, his mouth, he is a perfect man. And that's what you're called to be. Able to bridle a whole body as well. When you start resisting these things with your mouth, that's a way you overcome. This is how you're sensitive. This is how you learn to take every thought captive. You don't, you watch, I'm telling you the biggest trap there ever was is talking on the telephone with somebody. People just feel like they have to talk. And I'll tell you something that'll help your mouth too is start and read Proverbs. It'll read different to you now. Read in Proverbs. You just mark the Scripture. You go through there and see if you don't get blessed and see if you don't see some things there. You'll see where the road to hell is. Verse here. All right, now. Verse 6, And the tongue is a fire, the very world of sin and iniquity. The tongue is set among our members, as that was it do. It defiles your entire body because when you have a divided heart, you're going to be speaking curses, cursing men. And it sets on fire. When you do this, the whole course of your life is set on fire by hell. Is that plain? That's what brings ammonia is your rebellious heart and a rebellious mouth. Amen? All right, now. We'll see if it's a little plainer in just a second. Verse 8. It is already pretty plain. But no one can tame this tongue. It's a restless evil and it's full. It's full of deadly poisons because with it, we bless our Lord and Father. Oh, how I love Jesus. And with it, we slander. We criticize. We judge. We curse men who've been made in the likeness of God. Are you hearing me, folk? Show no mercy. From the same mouth come both blessings and curses. That's double-mindedness. My brethren, my brethren, brethren. Please circle brethren. Brethren, I want you to know, brethren, these things are not the way it's supposed to be. It's not supposed to be this way. Brethren, a double-minded, when you're that way, you're not going to receive nothing from God. Nothing, zero, with a rim off of it. Now, verse 11. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Do you know why this comes out? Listen to me, folks. Do you know why curses come out of people? Because they're in selfish ambition, greed, living for themselves, selfishness, self-centeredness, self-worship, jealous, envy, want to be king, wants to be the king instead of Jesus be the king. Selfish ambition. The next verse, verse 12. Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Now, it's talking about your mouth. Neither can salt water produce fresh. The good tree bears good fruit. The bad tree bears bad fruit. Now, let's see what's the source of all of this. If you look very plainly in verse 14, you'll see it. If you have this bitter jealousy and selfish ambition, that's this selfish nature that's working in you where you're speaking blessings and cursing. If it's in your what? I can't hear you again. If it's in your heart, if this is in your heart, don't be arrogant, proud, and conceited, and wise in your own eyes, and lie against this Word of God. If it's there, say it's where it. Don't lie against the Word of God if it's in your heart. If that's selfish ambition and jealousy, it's double-mindedness, this curse that's been in your heart, don't lie against the Word of God because it's where it comes from. This wisdom that you received in your heart is not that which comes from heaven above, but it's a world, it's a flesh, and it's demonic. It's worldly, the world. Natural senses, see, smell, taste, hear, and feel, that's the flesh, and plain old demonic demons. That's who's working in your heart. That's why you're in torment. That's why you don't have peace. That's why you don't get your prayers answered. You're going to see in just a minute. Now, I want to ask you something. Hold your place and turn to me, Jeremiah 9, in just a minute, please. Let me show you how this works. Jeremiah 9, Jeremiah 9. Now, I want you to hold Jeremiah 9, and I want to show you back over there in James 4, at one verse, who he's talking about right there. Do you know what he's calling people like this? Do you know what your Bible calls people like this? Look at verse 4. 4.4, you adulteresses. That's what we call this today, the double-minded harlot. Amen? You adulteresses. Do you not know, now, when you love the flesh, the flesh loves the world. The heart is not on things above, it's on things of the earth. All right, now, you adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? See, flesh is hostile to God. It will not subject itself to the Word of God. Therefore, if we wish to be a friend of the world, his heart goes after the world. He becomes an enemy of God. Do you know what happens when the enemy is God? May I just go ahead and tell you? They're all destroyed. Now, hold your place. We're talking about adultery. It's double-minded. It's a double heart, a divided heart. You can live off the tree of death and walk in rebellion to God and find a false security in it. Turn back over there. I mean, we're in Jeremiah 9. Let's start in verse 2. Oh, that I had in a desert a wayfarer's lodging place that I might lead my people and go from them. All of them are adulterers. They're assembly of treacherous men, and they bend their tongue like bows. Listen, I want to ask you something. Look here. Do you see how your mouth is shaped like a bow right here? And then here your little arrows come out. They shoot people. Amen? They bend their mouth like their bow. Lies and not truth prevail in the land. They perceive from evil to evil. It's not glory to glory. And they do not know me. Right in capital letters, lost. They don't know me, declares the Lord. Now, here they are. They're getting together here for a little worship and fellowship in verse 4. Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor. Don't trust any brother, because every brother deals craftily. You have to watch all the angles right here. We've got a bunch of wolves. Every neighbor goes about as a slanderer. Everyone deceives his neighbor. He does not speak the truth. They've talked their tongues to speak this lustful rebellion lies. They weary themselves committing iniquity. Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit, and through this deceit they refuse to know me, declares the Lord. Verse 8, their tongue is a deadly arrow. It speaks deceit with its mouth. One speaks peace to his neighbor, but inwardly, right in his heart, he's setting an ambush for him. That's how the false teachers who lead people out of the flesh exploit them. They're saying the things of God, but they're using them. They're setting an ambush for them. Now, verse 9, shall I not punish them for these things, declares the Lord? On a nation such as this, shall I not avenge myself? I want you to know that judgment of God is all over. And I want you to know there's never been a time that powers of darkness have been turned loose like they are right now. When you folks go back to your hometown, and you've been there some time lately, you go back and you look at their face, and people used to be smiling, not smiling like they used to be. They're not laughing like they used to be. I'm telling you the judgment of God's already turned loose. Their smiles are getting wiped away. It's just not as much fun around there as it used to be because of sin and rebellion. Now, we're back in James 4. So, if you have this jealousy and selfish ambition, don't lie against the Word of God. This wisdom, this is the way the world walks and talks out there. This is the way that people who walk out of the flesh comes out of their mouth. That's where their heart's at. And the demonic are controlling that. They stir it up. Now, verse 16, for where jealousy and this selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and there is every evil thing. Now, I want to just remind you of something, folks. Folks, you remember, I don't have time to turn to Revelation 18, verse 2, that Babylon, you know Babylon. Look at me, folks. Look at me. You know Babylon? Somebody's not looking. Babylon is a mother. Mother is church, produces. We're supposed to be the bride, Jesus is the groom, right? But Babylon has a harlot's forehead. You know what the opposite of a harlot's forehead is the mind of Christ. But she produces harlots. That's the church of the last day, produces harlots with people with divided hearts who walk in this manner right here. And that's why they become a dwelling place of demons, Revelation 18, 2, because the demons have been invited in there and they love them. Just like we saw over in John 8, he says, why can't you understand my word? Why can't you understand what I'm saying? It's because you can't hear my word. You've got yourself another gospel. You want to do the desires of your father, Satan, because you've changed the word of God and you perverted it so you can walk in ungodliness and in unholiness. So what we find there in Revelation, if you want to look at it later on, Revelation 13, 11, we find in the last days there's going to be a beast come out of the earth. I want to tell you plainly that is Babylon. And that is that beast that come out of the earth. Now look at me. She's going to look like a lamb. She's going to look like the church. But she's going to speak as a what? Dragon. Curses. That's the words of the devil. Slander and gossip and hate and anger and murder. That's how you speak as a dragon. Are you hearing me? Hey, folks, do you realize this is what discernment is? Discernment is seeing when you ever try to help anyone, you're hearing what comes out of their mouth. And what you hear out of their mouth, you're getting them repent of what's in their heart so you can set them free from that. All over this stage right there is several people last night. I like to wait toward the end to pray for people, but I forgot to tell you because I like for them to get more of the words so they have a better understanding. Then they can stand better against the powers of darkness trying to come back on them and everything. But all over this stage last night there were people who've been speaking slander and gossip and condemnation and all these things are being broke. They're weeping and crying all over the place right here. I tell you, they always have to fall down. Didn't have one to fall last night. And they got free all over the place weeping and crying and praising Jesus. Amen? So they look like a lamb and speak as a dragon. That's why you're going to know them by the fruit because they're very elect. We don't want the elect to be deceived, do we? All right, now, so here's what you find in 16. Where this jealousy and selfish ambition exists, there are disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom, this opposite wisdom, is from heaven right here in verse 17. It is first what? Pure, that you'll have a pure heart, amen? It's a pure wisdom. It's not double-minded. It's peaceable. It's gentle. I'm going to tell you what the title of that is love and compassion and mercy, amen? For one another. It's full of mercy. Do you see that? And full of what? There's the good proofs. It's unwavering, without hypocrisy, not saying one thing and waffling another. And the seed, that's the words, whose fruit is righteousness, is sown in peace by those who make peace. May I ask you something? When you walk in a room, does it bring peace? Come and look in the mirror. See if peace followed you, amen? All right, now, so you want to know? Well, I've heard these things. Now, how do I deal with them? Well, I thank the Lord for at least ten more minutes to show you. Verse 4. Let me show you why your prayers don't get answered. Never. What is the source in the quarrels of conflict among you? It's not the source, your pleasures. That's your flesh and yourself. That's waging wars in your members. Now, we already saw in Galatians 5, 17, that the spirit is in opposition to flesh. The flesh is in opposition to spirit. Did we already see that? And so these pleasures are the same pleasures that you saw over there in 2 Timothy 4, verse 3, that in the last day, people are not going to endure sound doctrine, but they're going to go find them teachers so they can find security with their pleasures, amen? Or if their desire's in place. That is the same thing right there. So this is what's called the disorder of never even thinking. Now, tell me, how can you get a bunch of people together and be in unity, be in one heart and one mind when everybody's in self-love and self-worship? Tell me. Let me tell you something, the Book of Acts wasn't that way. They were one heart and one mind because Jesus stood in the middle and they wanted Him to have credit for everything and a glory for everything. And that's how they become one heart and one mind. Amen? There was no selfish ambition there. There was no jealousy there. And what do you think happens then? Well, I'm telling you what. We'll get to the good part in a minute. You lust, verse 2, is that plain? Draw a line from there to pleasures. You lust and you don't have your way, so you commit murder. When you're separating yourself from people, you're committing murder. When you hate, you're committing murder. And you are envious. That envy is the flesh and the demons. And you cannot obtain your way. You can't have your way, so what do you do? You just fight and quarrel. There's the slander, gossip, condemnation, and all those things, there's the curses that come. You don't have because you don't ask God's way. Is that plain? Now, get your big pencil ready for this next verse. People who walk in this way, don't get your prayers answered. Don't pray until you get it right. That's the reason you're told before you go to the altar, you have things right before God. You don't have anything. You come to him, who shall ascend to heal the Lord? Who's going to come in the presence of God? He that has clean hands and a what? A pure heart. All right, now, in verse 3, you pray, you pray, you ask and you do not receive because you're praying and asking with the wrong motives. You want me to cooperate with your selfish ambition. You want me to cooperate with your envy. You're wanting me to cooperate with your murder. You want me to cooperate with your jealousy. I'm not answering nothing you say. You're rebellion. I'll destroy you if you keep practicing it because you ask with the wrong motive because you want to spend and use the things of God for your pleasures, your flesh. You still want to live there in rebellion. All right, you adulterous. No, another way to say that, you pretenders. You're pretenders. You know what's in the New American Standard, Psalm 81, 15 says? Those who hate the Lord are the ones who pretend obedience to him and their time of punishment is forever. I'm going to tell you something. May I tell you something else before we get through this one? Not only does your heart get hardened when you're resisting the Word of God, but God lets deluding influences come over you so you'll believe a lie because you won't come back. He lets you believe a lie. In the last days and second Thessalonians 2, he's going to let people's hearts go after signs and wonders, false signs and wonders, because they're not looking for fruit. They love to follow after signs and wonders. They go with a man with signs and wonders before they go with a man that has a fruit, see, because that's where their heart is, see. And so, he said, they are perishing. Write it down and say it tonight. Read 2 Thessalonians 2. They are perishing. They are perishing. Why are they perishing? Because they never did receive a love in their heart for the truth and the Word of God. Their heart is over somewhere else. So therefore, God says, I'll let a deluding influence come over them and I'll let them believe a lie. May I tell you that's what's happening today? A deluding. Can I tell you those deluding influence are religious demons? Now, you adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Now, we saw there that the person didn't get his prayers answered. Now, we're going to see the man who does get his prayers answered, but I want you to hold, James. Turn with me back to John 12, please. I want to show you the opposite, how you get your prayers answered. Jesus said in Mark 8, whoever wishes to follow after me, he's going to deny himself. He's going to deny himself. He's going to deny himself, take up his cross and follow me because whoever wishes to save his life is going to lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel is the one that's going to save it. That's all about dying to selfishness and self-will. So, we see in verse 24, John 12, 24, "'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and it dies, it remains by itself alone.'" If it doesn't die, it remains by itself. It's alone. It has to die. And then, "'But if it dies,' circle that, "'if it dies, when the wheat dies, it will bear much fruit.'" Who is that comparing? You and I. Look at me. The outer, the outer, that cursed nature, the nature of Satan has to be put to death and then the inner will come forth to bear much fruit to God. And if it's not being put to death, if it's not being overcome, then you're walking in blessings and curses. Do you hear me? All right, the next verse. "'He who loves his life or loves his life in this world will lose it, but he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.'" Now, the flesh loves the world, and if your heart is living to the flesh, you're an enemy of God. Colossians 3, 1 through 4, you put a note out beside of that where you can look at all the place where your heart is to live for things above that the wrath of God comes on those who practice the ways of the flesh. Now, folks, I want to tell you something. When you get to something like this, look at me. It's not popular for your ministry, but who you want to please. Now, let me ask you something. It better be popular to you because it's in your Bible unless you want that other gospel and another Jesus we talked about last night. Now, you decide, and you will. You're deciding your heart, and there are people right here all over that's come to the Word of God and come to your heart, and you're getting free all over the place just sitting there because the Word of God is setting you free. Hey, folks, do you understand what I've been doing here these days? I've been... This has not been my opinions. I've been reading the Bible to you. He doesn't watch over my words before me. Now, let me ask you one other thing. Look, let me ask you this thing. Who is Jesus coming... What kind of bride is he coming on? Those who eagerly what? Awaiting. Now, those whose hearts are living for things above are going to eagerly await the Lord. Is that right? Can I tell you the opposite of that? Those who love the flesh, like me, stay a little longer and not come quickly. Lord Jesus, because their hearts, they know their hearts. Because when you see him, when you become like him, that's when you see him, because you'll be like him. Amen? You better be like him. You better be like him. All right, now, we're going to see about getting your prayers answered. We talk about bearing much fruit. Is that right? You die to rebellion to bear fruit. Now, in verse 4, John 15. Boy, I'd go back and read that all over again. All of it. Verse 4, Abide in me, and I in you, as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself. Do you ever say... Look at me. Do you ever see a branch by itself just try to bear fruit? Huh? Not going to happen, is it? You're not going to bear fruit of its own unless it abides in the Lord Jesus Christ divine. So neither can you unless you remain in me. Verse 8, By this my father's glorified that you're going to bear much fruit. And if you bear much fruit, you're going to prove yourself to be my disciple. I have your heart. Those who love me will obey my commandments. Amen? You're a doer of the word, not a hearer. You're a factual doer. Amen? Now, in verse 16. Many are called, but few are chosen. You did not choose me, but I chose you and I appointed you that you should go and bear fruit. And not only did you bear some fruit and then turn away from it, but your fruit should remain. You keep on enduring and bearing more fruit. And then when you pray, you don't have not double-hearted or double-minded. You're walking in covenant. You're walking in righteousness. You're walking in holiness. And then whatever you ask in the father of my name, you're going to get it because your motives are right then. Amen? That's how you get all your prayers answered. You want to get the town saved? You want to get your family saved? Go get a little bit of the word and start thinking about them. Why don't you think about your old back sled, sinking heart, and get that thing right so God can work with you. God, I'm telling you once again that the Lord showed us in Luke 4 that how you overcome the lust of flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boast of pride of life, and the power of God comes on you. Didn't say anything about seniority, intellect, or academic, did it? You purify your heart. Now, you've been chosen out of the world. Now let's turn back over to James 4. Now we're going to see how you clean all this up now. I want you to know this right here. If these things are in your life, right here is where you are right now. Now we're just going to do this quickly. And this is where you are and this is where I pray to God that you'll be and walk at and your heart turn to right now. That you won't walk away from here and forget what kind of man you are. Now in verse 6, mark these special. And every time you minister to someone, I'm telling you right here is where the heart of it is. So now, since you know this double-mindedness is in your life and in your heart, verse 6, he gives a greater grace. Therefore, it says, God is opposed to proud folks. Now, by the way, I want you to hear all this and don't somebody think there's a fire on or something. I want you to hear this before you go, okay? Don't walk out in the middle of this because I'm going to do it quickly. Now, he gives a greater God is opposed to proud folks. That's the ones in the flesh. But he's going to give grace to the humble. So there, put you a little one right there in verse 1. If you have these things in your heart and life, first you're going to humble yourself. Then the next thing in verse 7, you submit yourself, therefore, to God. That means the whole counsel of God, amen? All right, then the third thing you're going to do, you're going to start getting into war and you resist the devil and what's he going to do? He'll flee from you, amen? He'll resist the devil and then he'll flee from you. It doesn't say ignore him anymore, right? You get back into war. Draw near to God, the next thing, and he'll draw near to you and then what do you do? You cleanse your hands, you sinners, and you purify what? Your hearts are double-minded. This all comes before James 5, 14 and 15, is that right? For you know it with all. So you cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. What happens when you have brokenness and repentance? You weep and cry, isn't that right? So then, verse 9, you're miserable, you mourn, you weep, your laughter is turned into mourning, and your joy turns to loom. There is a brokenness that comes to you. And then verse 10, you find yourself in the presence of God where He'll exalt you. Now, that all comes before the prayer of a... What kind of prayer of a righteous man? It says over there in James 5, 14 and 15, therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you can be healed because what kind of prayer? The effective prayer of what kind of man? A righteous man availeth much. And then that's when the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. Amen? There's a lot of things to consider in James before you get over to James 5, 14 and 15. One last verse, 11. Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother judges his brother, speaks against the word, and he judges the law. But if you judge the law, you're not a doer of the law, but a judge of it. I bless you and I praise you. And I praise the Lord and I just thank Him for it and I thank you how you're receiving the word. Let's just stand up quickly and just say, You're the Lord. Okay? Just stand to your feet. I hope you can come sometime when we can do this all day and we won't have to run through this so fast. Amen? We're going to spend 10 days in Oklahoma City. Folks, if you're thinking about any albums, get that Pure Heart, the last we did, and we don't have the time here to cover what we did and we have to go through these things kind of fast. So the message of the church and law book, if you're considering those tapes right there, and those scripts, you want to go over them. You're the Lord. Close your eyes and raise your hand. You are Lord. Praise the name of Jesus. You are Lord. You have risen from the dead and you are Lord. Every knee shall bow. Every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus, I just plead the blood of Jesus against every work of darkness to steal this word from these brothers and sisters' hearts. I pray for a godly repentance over them. I pray that they'll be led to the knowledge of all truth. I pray for deliverance and healing to come over them, that they'll know all the truth, that they'll be set free, that their lives will please you and bring honor and glory to you. I speak your blessings over them in Jesus' name.
The Pure Heart #4
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Milton Green (1943 - 1987). American evangelist and Bible teacher born in Tennessee. Raised in a troubled home with an abusive father, he spiraled into alcoholism, drug addiction, and homelessness, suffering a major heart attack at 43 that left doctors predicting his death. Converted in 1972 after crying out to Jesus, he was miraculously healed and began studying Scripture intensely. A carpet cleaner by trade, Green preached across the U.S. from the late 1970s to 1987, often alongside James Robison and Leonard Ravenhill, focusing on repentance, holiness, and spiritual warfare. He authored The Great Falling Away Today (1986), warning against carnal Christianity, and recorded hundreds of sermons, widely shared online. Married to Joyce, a Christian who prayed for his salvation, they had no children. His teachings, emphasizing victory over sin through Christ, stirred thousands at seminars, though some criticized his focus on demonic influence. Green’s words, “God’s Word is the only standard for truth,” underscored his uncompromising style. His ministry, marked by humility, continues to influence evangelical circles globally