Biblical Integrity Part I

Biblical Integrity

Before we get started this morning we are going to work together to answer a question.

What is integrity?

I have set up large sheets for you to fill out together as a group and then we are going to display them up front here and work together to define this topic.

As a group you need to define integrity and also come up with three synonyms (something that means the same thing) and three antonyms (something that means the opposite)

Lets practice really quick: synonym of yummy? Delightful, Good, Appetizing

Antonym of yummy? Gross, Unappetizing, Bland

I’m going to break you into groups and I have assigned 2 leaders in each group who is responsible for directing the conversation and making sure you get all this done in the next 10 minutes.

(GROUP WORK)

(REVIEW ANSWERS)

We are off to a good start on what we think it is. I am going to give you three definitions and these go on your outline.

Google: “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles, moral uprightness”

John Piper, “our inner beings align with our outer beings”

Unknown (not mine) “Doing the right thing at the right time for the right reason; even when no one (except God) is watching”

Synonyms: honesty, virtue, ethic, morals/morality, goodness

Antonyms: immorality, evil, wickedness, dishonesty, indiscretion

Before I move on let me give you two examples. These are both real scenarios.

Picture with me this situation. A man has a coworker, a colleague, they don’t work in the same department but at different times they have had the same job and know lots about each other, they even both applied for the same job at the same time at one point. They don’t like each other very much.

So let’s say Mike and Steve, they don’t like each other very much and so they are always looking for ways to get back or make fun of the other one. So Steve thinks he obviously is better than Mike and wants everyone to know that.

Recently it has been known throughout their work place that Mike had misplaced some very important company documents. He was given some important papers and he lost them, perhaps he knows where they are but when the boss and coworkers were looking for them, they couldn’t find them anywhere. Turns out Mike took them on vacation with them and left them where he was staying on vacation. Well Steve has been waiting for this, he just crushes him.

How could this happen. Steve says, “How could this possibly happen? How could anyone be that irresponsible. And to think the data that was in there that may compromise sources and methods... And it's just totally irresponsible."

Obviously Steve can’t believe that Mike would do something liek that. Whether it was a mistake or on purpose, he lost or misplaced those documents and everyone knows about it, and Steve is quick to make fun of him for it. He even goes as far as saying how could this possibly happen?

Well guess what. Mike is actually named Donald and Steve is actually named Joe. And I know bringing up politicans and talking about integrity is silly, they don’t belong in the same sentances. But Joe Biden literally made that quote word for word about Donald Trump in September and just three months later in November it turns out that Joe did the exact same thing—he had similar documents in his private home where he shouldn’t have them.

Let me make a little more personal example. I apologize this may offend some of you in this room but you need to hear it. I have an internal problem. I absolutely cannot stand when people don’t park correctly. Now listen there are two kinds of people who don’t park correctly. The first is those who can’t drive very well. Either their new or their rushed or they just don’t pay attention. You know who I am talking about. They park on the lines or their rear end is halfway in the driving lane or they are so far forward they take up both spots. Those are just bad drivers—those are annoying but they don’t bother me.

No I am talking about the other kind. These people will literally just park their car wherever. Sometimes its halfway in your yard, half on the street. Sometimes its literally going the opposite direction of the parking spots. Perhaps its literally just in the middle of a parking lot no where near any lines. It may be against a building or the pavilion or whatever. It literally makes my skin crawl, at times I get agitated. I cannot stand it. It is so against every order we have ever come up when it comes to parking. Its not because of ability or the openness of spaces—its a conscience decision to park wherever I want and not care.

Sometime last year, I think I may have been heading down here for the men’s conference. It was early in the morning and I needed to get my Starbucks—the essentials. i ordered on the app—pro tip, worth it everytime. I had my order in, I got there, and I don’t go through the drivethrough if there are any cars there because one car can take 20 minutes. But also I was in the church van, and it doesn’t fit in the Starbucks drive through right now because there sign is bent and it will hit the top (don’t ask how I know that—no worries there is no damage). So I pull around to the front and I park the van and I run in, grab my coffee and run back out (probably 30 seconds). And as I am getting into the van a guy yells out to me. I don’t remember exactly what he said but something like “excuse me, is that your car”. He said it in an agitated and annoyed tone for sure. I’m getting into the car, yes its mine. I didn’t respond that way, I just said yes.

He looked at me (he was in the drive-through waiting with his window down) and very seriously said, “I think its awful rude you blocked the handicap space.” I looked and sure enough, in my rush, I couldn’t find a spot and so I pulled up the curb and threw my flashers on and ran inside (I’ll admit I have done this before). I mean it was only gone 30 seconds and i have seen plenty do it and I’m not blocking the drive at all. But the van is long enough that it stuck out past the end and partially blocked the hanicap space. I could argue of there was another available or they could still get in, etc.

But there was an immediate humility, pie in the face. I responded with you know what, you are right. How inconsiderate of me. I’m sorry and I really appreciate you pointing that out, I will make it a point to not do that again. He let his guard down some, I think surprised a little by my reaction. But to be honest I was totally embarrassed. First of all he was totally right. Secondly I’m in the church van and its very clearly marked. I just thought I ruined our reputation with this individual was something so silly. He had never seen me before and for all I know has never seen me since and his image of me and the church is in that 30 second interaction.

But on top of that, I got in the van and began the drive down here and another emotion came over me. Guilt. Not for what I had done, but for my hypocrisy. See I get agitated and annoyed and have even expressed to some how much it annoys me they park like that. And yet here I am, in my selfishness and convenience, in some ways committing both offenses—bad parking because my end was sticking out and totally just parking where I wanted. To be honest you could probably make an argument I broke a couple traffic laws.

Whats to point of both of these—put your money where your mouth is. Okay thats an old phrase and your like what? Both Joe and I said one thing and did another. We were not honest with ourselves and with others. Its easy to say X, Y, and Z but we were doing something the opposite at the same time.

And so what is integrity?

Its being undivided, true to ones standards.

Doing the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons, even when no one (except God) is watching.

And that includes doing the same thing that you say others should be doing.

I want to make a distinction here though. We purposefully named the weekend Biblical Integrity and not just integrity.

And I will tell you to define biblical integrity I would not change my definition at all. I would use that some one. So whats the difference? Well how do you know the right thing.

The problem with the world’s integrity is that it is a moving target. If you take anything away from this weekend I hope that in part it is that the world standards are ever moving. You can be true to ones standards, holding fast to what you believe and what you are being told is right. Those standards are changing. We see that so much in our culture today. What is “right” is different by the day.

Let me give you a clear example using the British monachry as an example. I don’t think they are necessarily a good example of any sort of moral rightness but I do think they represent a snapshot of what our society thinks is right.

King George V reigned for over 25 years, through World War 1, dies from bad health. Well the throne goes to his oldest son which was Edward the VIII. His reign as King only lasted for about 6 months. Why did he have to leave the throne? He actually abdicated the throne which meant he gave it up and was officially no longer allowed to be part of the royal house.

His offense wasn’t committing a crime, it wasn’t breaking some law or even some tradition. His offense was falling in love with a women, Miss Wallace SImpson, who get this, was divorced. She was actually divorced twice, and both her ex-husbands were still alive. Your thinking—so what? Well in 1936 that was an absolute no-no in the Church of England and in England as a whole. He absolutely could not marry this women it was literally against the doctrine. You could not hold an official leadership position and violate this principle—the principle of marrying a divorced women.

Well fast forward—he leaves the throne and so George VI suddenly is king—never ever expected to, it was almost impossible for him to be and yet here he is. That transfer the line to his family, his daughter Elizabeth II takes over after he suddenly dies and she is just 21 years old and would go on to be the longest tenured monarch ever on the British throne.

Her life was not all sunshine and roses, her husband Prince Philip was far from a moral man, she was famously known for a lack of emotion.

They had children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. Theres a lot we can get into there—they all are surrounded by scandal, Andrew has been allegedly involved with an international trade of abusing women in various ways I won’t get into that.

Heres the point. Charles, there son, is the King of England today, currently, in 2023.

He is married to Camilia Parker Bowles who was married when they met and started seeing each other. As a matter of fact they were both married, he was married to Princess Diana and they were having an affair.

1936 King Edward had to give up the throne for the women he loved (thats how they would pitch it now) but the reality was he had to give up the throne for violating the clear truth and standard of marriage.

2023 Charles III is king of England despite his indiscretions with women for years and years, for divorcing his wife and marrying a divorced women, and yet he is not only King he is celebrated as King.

The standard has changed. In 90 years it has moved so much that not only has marrying a divorced women been allowed so is being divorced and violating all of the marriage coventants that all parties made.

The standard is moving, it changes.

And yet the bibles standards do not. The standard that Moses was held to is the same that Jonah was held to. That John the Baptist was held to. That Paul and Timothy were held to. That you and I are held to.

And so in our remaining time I want to point out what that standard is and why we need to meet that standard and how we can meet that standard.

Here is the simplest way I can put it; Jesus is the essence of integrity.

I know that sounds cliche and a quick simple one liner. But the bible clearly communicates Jesus is the essence of integrity.

John 14:6 ESV

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

We have been covering John on Wednesday nights and I have brought up a couple times these great “I AM” statements that Jesus makes. There is all sorts of confusion about who Jesus is, “is he this or that, is he from here or there, is he going to do this or that?” The people was confused and the pharisees were intentially poking at the bear trying to get him to violate some scared Jewish law. and in a series of bold statements Jesus boldly fires back with firm, dogmatic statements about who he is.

I am---the way, the truth, and the life.

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus left his throne, left the right hand of the father to join us, to commune with us and be with us. He was full of grace and truth. He is the truth, the standard.

But what does this mean, why does this matter to me and why do I need Jesus? This really is the only thing that matters. Because of we try to keep this standard on our own we will fail. We cannot do it. But you see we are called to meet this standard. So we need to meet it and yet we cannot meet it, so how does that work?

We believe very strongly that the bible presents a very clear and concise worldview. In a culture where you can find as many worldviews as McDonalds (or genders), they all fail to really answer the four basic questions.

1. Where did we come from? (How did we get here?)

2. What went wrong? (Clearly this isn’t how its supposed to be so what happened?)

3. How can it be fixed? (How do you fix this broken world?)

4. How does it all end? (What happens at the end of the day?)

We came from God, the creator and sustainer of all things.

We as mankind were made/created as perfect—>we fell—>and now we need restoration.

We are broken cisterns. In Jerusalem it would only rain about 25 inches per a year. It was hot and dry and you had to have water to survive. The wells and springs would eventually dry up and there would be no water—you would die without water.

They would make these cisterns, these tanks that would collect and store the rainwater when it did fall so that when they ran out of water they had something to draw from and live.

The problem as Jeremiah tells us is that we have a) forsaken or left God who is the fountain of living water—no cistern needed—it is flowing constant and satisfies. We left that and b) we made our own cisterns, we made our own plan, and in our great wisdom made these tanks that are broken—they don’t even work, they hold no water, noting but mud collects in them and guess what happens now? Not only do we not have the living water we now have no water and we die.

Turn with me to 1 John

1 John 1:5–10 ESV

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

God is light, and in him thee is no darkness at all.

We are going to keep coming back to this idea of darkness and light—truth and lies. Jesus is the light, the truth, and there is absolutly no darkness or falsehood in him at all.

Everyone in here knows the truth that we need Jesus and that we need to be saved and born again and redeemed.

But listen carefully to the words of John by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Don’t miss the point here. (I am adding emphasis here)

If you (insert yourself here) say you have fellowship with Jesus, with Him, and yet you walk in darkness (in lies or falsehood), you are a liar, you do not practice the truth.

But, if you, walk in light, as Jesus is in and is the light, we have fellowship with one another, and with the blood of Jesus who has cleansed you, cleansed me from ALL sin.

We don’t get to partake in the benefits without being expected to live to the standard.

We certainly will not be perfect—if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins—he is faithful and just to forgive. This back and forth those in the darkness claim to have no darkness, they are wrong and clearly still in darkness. Those in light see the darkness in their life and ask for the true Light help rid that from their life and he will do so because he is faithful and just.

Skip down to chapter 2.

1 John 2:1–6 ESV

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Why is he writing this things to us? So that we can no sin, so that we have the standard and can live up to that standard. We are going to fall short of that standard but we have one, Jesus, who can advocate for us with with the father and through his atoning blood make it so that we are worthy in God’s sight.

How can we prove that we know the truth? By living up to the standard—by keeping his commandments.

Those who claim to know him and do not follow what he says is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Those that claim to live one way but their live shows a pattern of another way are not in the truth.

No we are going to fail. I claimed that anyone who parks a certain way is a punk and is annoying and is wrong. And yet I turned around and did the same thing. I did not lose my salvation because of my parking. However, I failed, I sinned, I needed repentance and restoration because of it. And thankfully i have a king who is faithful and just to forgive.

As we continue to think about this idea of truth or light, Jesus is the standard. He has given us his word as the revealed will of God for our lives. The scriptures are filled with not only instruction but it literally tells us this is the truth—this is the way.

Psalm 119:105 ESV

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

The word, the bible, is the light to guide and direct our path.

John 1:4 ESV

In him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Jesus is the life and the light.

John 8:12 ESV

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Another I am statement—he is the truth and he is the light. Follow Jesus and you will not walk in darkness, you will have the light.

I want to close with a narrative from the gospel of Matthew. Jesus is interacting with a young man who wants to know how can he get to heaven. Follow along with me in Matthew 19

Matthew 19:16–22 ESV

And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

What must I do to be right, to get into heaven. Jesus responds, its pretty simple—do what I say. Okay what specifically about what you said? Jesus responds, do not murder, do not commit adultery, don’t steal, etc.” The man responds, probably arrogantly—well I did all those, now what?

Sell what you have, give it to the poor, come and follow me. The man heard this and wept, went away for he had all these things. Jesus is the truth, the light and walking in the light is the only way we can be made right, that we can enter heaven.

Following the commandments and doing the right things will not make us worthy. For one we are unable to do so and fall short but even when we do we still have not moved from the guilty side to the redeemed side. Following Jesus, the true light and life, and being lavished in his rightouesness is what will make us right in God’s eyes.

I end with this because we are going to hear in the next three lessons about the standard and necessity of integrity and you can walk away from this weekend thinking we can never do that perfectly and even adequately. It can feel very heavy and overwhelming. And some of you may literally feel burdened by the weight of trying to live up to that standard. Jesus is not telling us that we should not obey those commandments or those standards—thats not at all what he is saying. He is acknowledging however that abiding by those standards don’t get us in. He knows we cannot keep them which is why in 1 John he reminds us that he is the advocate with the Father, the one who if we follow Him gives us the ability and desire to try and keep these standards.

And when we fall short he is there to forgive and cover those sins. You don’t need to walk away thinking you have to do this perfectly. But as 1 John also tells us, if you are a child of God, the pattern of your life and your desire will be to walk in the light, in the truth. Not perfectly, but the tendency would be the light and not the darkness.

Let’s pray, worship and go to small groups.

2 Corinthians 4:1–6 ESV

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.