Honoring God In Our Thoughts
Honoring God
In Our Thoughts
God is not satisfied with outward obedience alone.
He requires a pure, God-centered heart that guides every thought and action.
He sees your motives, intent, and desires — not just your outward actions. (Matthew 5:28)
It reflects a heart that has drifted from God's holiness. The spark precedes the fire.
Jesus used radical hyperbole because radical sin requires radical response. Cut it off. (v.29-30)
Discipleship requires long-term vision. What is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18)
“Keep your heart with all diligence — the Bible says guard it. The world says follow your heart. Don’t do that. The heart is the most deceitful thing because the body wants what it wants. You must be honest about what you allow your eyes and mind to dwell on.”
— Tony Padgett, February 8, 2026Honoring God In Our Thoughts
Sermon Title: Honoring God In Our Thoughts — Salt and Light in a Dark World Preacher: Tony Padgett, Brookfield Church of Christ Date Preached: February 8, 2026 YouTube Video: Watch the Full Sermon (Length: 45 minutes) Key Scriptures: Matthew 5:27–30; James 1:14–15; Proverbs 4:23; Colossians 3:4–5; Romans 13:14; 2 Corinthians 4:18
The Question God Is Really Asking
What if the most dangerous sins in your life are the ones nobody else can see? You haven't done anything wrong — not technically. You haven't acted on it. Nobody got hurt. So it doesn't count, right?
Jesus disagrees. In His Sermon on the Mount, He moves the conversation from the courtroom of public behavior to the courtroom of the heart. And in that courtroom, every thought is evidence.
God Sees the Heart, Not Just the Action
Tony opened with this stunning truth drawn from Matthew 5:27–28: "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
The scribes and Pharisees had built an entire religion around outward compliance. As Tony put it, they rang a bell when they gave. They wore their prayer faces in public. They had mastered the performance of righteousness. But Jesus wasn't grading the performance. He was examining the script — the thoughts, desires, and intentions behind every visible act.
Tony drove this home with a vivid illustration: "I can put on the latest greatest suit and all of that — but if my heart ain't right, that ain't going to matter at all."
We often say "God knows my heart" as though it gives us a pass. Tony flipped that phrase around. God knowing your heart isn't a shield — it's an exposure. He knows why you do what you do. He knows your motives, your intentionality, the desires you've never spoken aloud. As Tony reminded us, you can fool people any day. But God is omniscient. He sees.
The Chain Reaction You Can't Afford to Ignore
Tony introduced one of the most memorable frameworks from this message — a chain reaction rooted in James 1:14–15:
"Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. And desire when it is conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death."
He illustrated this chain with a glass of water. Pour in sediment, set the glass on the table, and it looks clean. But shake it — and suddenly the water is cloudy and dirty. The stuff was already in there. The shaking didn't create the problem. It revealed it.
The chain Tony laid out is sobering in its simplicity:
- Sow a thought → you will reap an action
- Sow an action → it becomes a habit
- Sow a habit → it shapes your character
- Sow that character → it determines your destination
Heaven or otherwise. The chain always leads somewhere. Tony's point was not to produce guilt but to produce vigilance: "What you do with temptation matters. All sin starts in the mind."
Decisive, Bold Action Against Sin
Jesus doesn't soften His language in Matthew 5:29–30. He says if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out. If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off. Tony was quick to clarify the figurative, hyperbolic nature of this language — but he refused to let us defang its intent.
"He uses this very strong language to emphasize the seriousness of sin — and how if you continue to do it, you can lose your soul."
Removing an eye doesn't stop sinful thoughts. The heart is the source. What Jesus is saying is this: whatever is feeding sin in your life — cut it off. That might mean installing accountability software. Changing your route home. Ending a friendship. Stepping away from certain platforms. Romans 13:14 says it plainly: "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
Don't plan your failures. Don't engineer your access to temptation and then act surprised when you fall.
Eternal Eyes in a Temporary World
Tony closed with the truth that reframes everything: eternal priorities must outweigh temporary pleasures. He pointed to 2 Corinthians 4:18 — "We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen, for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."
Advertisers spend $8 million for 30 seconds during the Super Bowl because they know that what you see shapes what you want. Satan works on the same principle. Tony's question cuts deep: "Am I making decisions based on what feels good now — or what honors God forever?"
A heart surrendered to God isn't a perfect heart. It's a devoted one. As Tony said in his closing, "It's not about perfection, but it's about devotion." You will get tempted. You will fall. But you don't have to stay in the mud. Get up. Clean yourself off. Keep your eyes on eternity.
📖 A Word from Barry
Having preached at Brookfield for 23 years, I know this congregation has always responded to truth delivered with love — and Tony delivered both on February 8th. What strikes me most about this message is how timely it is. We carry devices in our pockets that deliver every possible temptation directly to our eyes. The battle for the heart has never been more intense, or more personal. This congregation — like every faithful church — needs this teaching not just once, but woven into the fabric of daily discipleship. Tony didn't just preach at us. He preached for us.
✅ This Week's Challenge
This week, I challenge you to audit your daily inputs. Following Proverbs 4:23 — "Keep your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life" — identify one specific source of temptation you have been tolerating: a streaming service, a social media account, a habit, or a relationship. Choose one. Take one decisive step to remove or limit that access before next Sunday. Write it down, pray over it, and report back to someone you trust. Let Tony's message move from your mind to your daily choices.
💬 Small Group Discussion Questions
Tony used the image of a glass of water to explain that sin is revealed rather than created by circumstances. Reflecting on James 1:14–15, what does it mean that we are "enticed by our own desires"? How do we honestly evaluate what's already in our hearts?
Jesus says in Matthew 5:28 that lustful looking is already adultery in the heart. How does this teaching challenge common cultural messages like "there's no harm in looking"? Where do we draw the line between temptation and sin?
Tony's chain — thought → action → habit → character → destination — is a sobering framework. Can you identify a positive version of this chain in your own life? What righteous thoughts have you intentionally cultivated, and what habits and character have they produced?
In Colossians 3:4–5, Paul commands believers to "put to death" earthly passions. Tony mentioned that honoring God sometimes means removing relationships, habits, and influences — even when it feels uncomfortable. Where do you feel resistance to making those cuts? What holds you back?
Tony ended by asking: "Am I making decisions based on what feels good now or what honors God forever?" How does keeping 2 Corinthians 4:18 in mind — focusing on the unseen and eternal — practically change your decision-making this week?
Living This Out
The Sermon on the Mount was never meant to discourage us. It was meant to show us the depth of God's holiness — and the height of His grace. Because none of us can maintain a pure heart on our own. That is exactly why we need Jesus Christ. He was tempted in every way we are, yet without sin. His righteousness covers our failures. His Spirit empowers our obedience.
Surrender your thought life to Him. Guard your heart. Sow righteous thoughts today — and trust that the harvest will follow.
📺 Watch Tony Padgett's full sermon here: Honoring God In Our Thoughts — February 8, 2026
Barry's Bureau | Inspired by Tony Padgett's sermon at Brookfield Church of Christ *Visit BarrysBureau.org for more resources
Honoring God In Our Thoughts
Quiz Complete!
— Proverbs 4:23
Guard Your Heart
A Category Sorting Game • Matthew 5:27–30 • February 8, 2026
How to Play
You will be shown 10 situations or behaviors one at a time. Sort each one into the correct category:
✅ Guarding Your Heart — Actions that honor God and protect against sin
🚫 Making Provision for the Flesh — Actions that open the door to temptation or sin
“Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” — Romans 13:14