Was there anything greater, as a youngster, than getting a brand new pair of white tennis shoes? Do you know what I'm talking about? Every year, before the start of the school year, my parents would buy me a gleaming white pair of shoes--usually Nikes! "Yo, Just Do It!" And they would always time the purchase carefully, so there were as few days of summer left as possible! Because you know exactly what happens when you buy a young boy tennis shoes! They're his pride and joy, he wears them everywhere, and he never changes them!
Now, there were a lot of ways for Jon Morrissette to wreck a pair of shoes. I'd wear them down at Chris Saupe's house, and scuff them up on his basketball court. I'd wear them down to the park, where my friends would inevitably try to stomp on them for sport. I'd wear them mowing the lawn, and they'd get that nice green hue. I'd wear them to the muddy lot at the end of the street where we played football.
But there was one place that would wreck a new pair of Tennis Shoes faster than any other place. Horse Creek! I can still hear my mom today, "Don't wear those shoes down to the creek. You'll ruin them." But I knew so much more than mom, and I was always so confident I could maintain their pristine beauty even along Horse Creek.
One time I was down at Horse Creek, horsing around with my brothers. They were playing this game of seeing how close they could shove me to the edge of the bank, without me falling in. You know how it goes. The louder I yelled, the further they pushed... and sure enough, it happened!
There at the edge of a steep bank, the ground gave way, and I lost my footing. I did everything I could to grab something, anything, that might prevent my slide down the steep bank. I managed to grab a clump of weeds, but sure enough, they began breaking one stem at a time. The more I kicked my feet and tried to reverse my descent, the worse my situation became!
Finally I noticed a mound of dirt near the water's edge. I thought to myself, "If I could slide to that mound, perhaps I could stand on it while my brothers get a stick or rope. Or maybe I could take my shoes off and chuck them to safety." But sure enough, my mother's prophetic words came true. The moment my glistening white shoes hit that mound of dirt, it gave way and my feet sunk into a foot of thick, black, silvery mud!
Yea, I began the school year with a pair of disgusting, stinky tennis shoes like everyone else! It's a metaphor for our lives, isn't it? God calls us to live pure and holy lives in the world, but we get muddy. We become utterly corrupted, and stained. Blemished, scuffed up, ruined. If only we could hear God now, right? 1 Thessalonians 4:7, "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life."
So what are we to do? At the top of this message I just want to say, it's an extraordinary thing to keep yourself pure and holy in this world. And even if you manage to keep yourself pure and holy, you're likely to be a target.
A few years ago, we had the farmer next door plow up a few rows of corn, and make us a mud volleyball court. We let the sprinklers run out there for days. Soon the field was ready, and dozens of teenagers barreled into the mud. It was glorious and disgusting. There's something special about splashing around in chemically saturated mud. The kids were rubbing it on their face, throwing it at each other. Students couldn't help themselves. Even Brad's Not-So-Golden Retriever, Samson, got involved.
But I noticed an interesting phenomena. Anytime someone "clean" showed up at the parking lot, the students would race out and drag them into the mud. Even when you want to maintain your own purity and holiness, people have it out for you! There's always someone eager to stomp on your Nikes and scuff them up!
Still God has this desire that his church become blameless and pure. Take Philippians 1:10 for instance. Paul prays "that [we, the Church] may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ." And why? For what purpose? In Philippians 2:15, The Word says we're to "shine like stars in the sky"... that we're to "become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in this warped and crooked generation." Were to be "bright spots" juxtaposed against all the darkness.
Nowadays, it's no longer fashionable to wear glistening white tennis shoes--nor is it fashionable to be holy and blameless. People would rather us be impure and unholy. So they test us, tempt us, trip us up, pressure us, even stomp on us. And why? Because when everyone's feet are dirty, my feet don't look so bad. But when someone has clean feet, suddenly everyone knows what I am!
Let's dig into this idea of purity. First, I think we can establish unequivocally that God want his church to be pure and holy. Our anchor text for this series is Ephesians 5:25-27, which says "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." Not only does God desire we reflect his character, but he does everything necessary to make it happen. Chris dies, he gives himself freely, to make forgiveness possible and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I read that boxer Floyd Mayweather never wears a pair of shoes twice, nor a pair of boxers. He just tosses them out. God forgives us our sin, and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. And not blot, stain, scuff, blemish is too impossible for him to remove. Having purified us, God desires that we remain pure, and only grow in holiness!
But this brings us to a second matter. Do we want what pleases God? Do we want to be pure? In Psalm 51:10 the Psalmist pleads with God, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." That is a picture of a heart fully captivated by a love for God. From a Biblical perspective, everything we do is from the heart. You're heart directs every aspect of your being. The heart can be set on pure things just as easily as it can be set on impure things.
[Let's do an experiment.] I want you to take your hand and hold it out in front of you, like this. Now open up your hand. Wiggle your fingers. Now make a fist. Now clinch your fist as hard as you can. Now what part of you is commanding your hand to obey? Is it your mind? Is your mind in control of your hand?
[Let's do another experiment] I want you imagine that you are holding a large ice cream cone. Think of the type of cone, the kind of ice cream you enjoy, the number of scoops, the toppings (if any). Now forget about the ice cream cone. Throw it on the hot sidewalk, and watch it melt. Now think of a puppy, the twinkle in its eye, its adorable wagging tail, its excitement and playfulness as it chases a red ball across the yard.
Now what was just in control of your mind there, directing it to think about that ice cream, and then that little puppy? That my friends is your heart. Your heart is the source from which you live, it's the source that directs all you think about and do.
The heart is the stronghold of your life. God can forgive you and cleanse you, but if he doesn't have your heart, you've never be forgiven and clean. Why? Because you'll keep running down to the creek in your glistening white Nikes. And you'll keep mowing your lawn, and playing in the muddy lot, and dabbling in the world. Until your heart desires what God desires--to be pure and holy--you'll never really change.
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Create in me a pure heart, and help me keep wanting the purity you desire day after a day after day. Renew a steadfast spirit within me, Lord! Did you know that in Matthew 15:19 Jesus said, "For out of the heart come evil thoughts--murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." The heart is a stronghold. You've asked for forgiveness, but have you given you heart over to God?
For many religion is a way of relating to God without ever giving him your heart. I say and do these religious things while my heart remains far from God. We can have a form of godliness while denying its power. You want to know the power of God in your life, give him your heart. Pray what the Psalmist prays.
2 Timothy 2:22, "Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." See, don't neglect the heart! Only if God gets your heart, does he get all of you.
Now allow me to explore this third matter. A dear professor of mine was always fond of saying that the battle for the heart is in the mind. The heart is the stronghold, but the mind is the vast battlefield, where war is waged daily for governance of heart. For God to gain lasting victory, he must possess both your heart and your mind.
This is Jesus commanded us, in Matthew 22:37, to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'" If God doesn't have your heart, he doesn't have you. If God has your heart but doesn't have your mind, your mind will eventually seduce your heart, and soon you'll find yourself up a creek again!
Listen to the biblical testimony about the power of the mind. Romans 8:5-6 says, "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace."
This is why Acts 4:32 says "All believers were one in heart and mind..." For us to experience lasting transformation, God must have both!
This is why Jeremiah, looking to the day of Lord, prophesied, "This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time," declares the Lord. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." (see Jeremiah 31:33). What good is to have one but not the other?
Paul in Colossians 3:1-2, speaks of the necessity of God possessing both. "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."
I don't doubt that many of us have given our hearts to God. But have we also given God our thoughts? Please let the Scriptures continue to instruct us. Matthew 9:4 is quite instructive: "Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?" Think for a moment of all the impure thoughts you entertain in a given day. No, actually, don't think of those thoughts. Don't entertain them at all! In your heart, direct your find to think differently! Proverbs 15:26, "Lord detests thoughts of the wicked."
In 2 Corinthians 10:5, Paul says, "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" Hebrews 3:1 says, "Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest."
Just because a thought enters your head doesn't mean you're obligated to entertain it. You see, this is what I don't understand about people, and it's the battle I fight daily in the Lord. Your mind is not your master, and you are not a slave to your mind. Just because a depressive thought enters your mind, doesn't mean you have to entertain it. Just because an anxious thought, a perverse thought, an angry/hostile thought, an impulsive thought, a self-centered thought, a greedy thought, an ugly thought, self-deprecating thought, ... or any thought ... enters your mind doesn't mean it deserves a shred a consideration.
Philippians 4:4-9 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
Set your heart. Set your mind. If you had a puppy, would you keep it on a leash or would you let it loose to roam the neighborhood? No, you would put it on a leash. You would at least put up a fence, to keep in restrained. Your mind isn't any different.
You want to scare yourself, let your mind roam, let it chase every thought, every desire, every craving, every ambition, every idea, every emotion and feeling, every dark/cultic aura, every demonic presence, every self-deprecating thought, every addictive thought, every vile lyric, viral video, vengeful impulse, perverse image. . .
People come to me and they say, "I'm having these thoughts." And what I say is, "Stop, Stop thinking that way." There is right thinking and wrong thinking. Some thinking is going to unlock every good treasure within you. And some thinking will rob you of life. You are not a slave to your mind. Your mind is a tool, it's your servant, make it obey. Because if you let your mind be your master, oh what a cruel master is will be.
Again, its Romans 8:5-6: "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." [Which do you have? Life/peace?]
In 2 Corinthians 11:3, Paul says, "I'm afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ."
So don't let your mind go astray! Put it on a leash, give it boundaries and guardrails, give it discipline, make your mind obey you. Be at least be as good to your mind as you are to your dog. If you can train a dog maybe you can train your mind. Where is this sermon even going!
I know what some of you are saying. "Jon, I don't have control over my mind. I can't stop these thoughts, I've been going to a counselor, even medication isn't helping." Then bring in the big guns! Introduce the Word of God to battlefield of mind!
Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that they man of may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
And don't forget our anchor text for this series. How does God make us beautiful? How does he transform us? Ephesians 5:25-27, says "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."
Water? What is this water that cleanses? That water is your baptism! Baptism? What baptism? Don't you know your baptism was that moment you gave your heart to God? Your baptism was when you pledged to live before our Holy God with a clean conscience. Some of you have never personally given your heart to God in baptism. Can you be assured that the decision of some priest you don't even know the name of... or the decision of your parents will carry the same weight as you personally making that decision? God wants your heart. What's keeping you from giving it to him?
And what is the Word? The Word is the not-so-secret weapon God uses daily in the battlefield of your mind to ensure the Evil One never seizes your heart, nor your very soul. Into the Word. Into Prayer. It's the best advice you'll ever get. That's how you win the battle. Let the Scriptures be your counselors. Let the very Words of God direct your mind.
Let the Word of God replace every other word. The words of the Evil One. The words of impure spirits. The lyrics of your songs. The words of a person, an enemy, a parent, a family member, an old friend... who wounded you. Let's God's words eclipse any other words in your minds.
Pray. "Dear God, create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."