Want Security? Find integrity.
Notes
Transcript
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3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
Definition
Keeping your word
How do you rest and work?
No one starts out to betray their loved ones
7 When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you.
8 The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’
9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’
10 And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’
11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’
12 And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’
13 But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’
14 Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’
15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’
3 The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.
Being the same inside and outside
Crookedness - the war of desires
Treacherous - not keeping your word
29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
Marathon of life
Fun
Starting late - No comparison, running your own race
Cramping up - Life is hard, finish running well
1. Avoid crookedness
1. Avoid crookedness
6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.
11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.
1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.
6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.
19 The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.
20 A man of crooked heart does not discover good, and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.
26 with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the crooked; whoever guards his soul will keep far from them.
Pros and Cons
Insecurity
Insecurity
Legacy of destruction
Legacy of destruction
Captive to Our Desires
Captive to Our Desires
Life is harder than it naturally is
Life is harder than it naturally is
Confused and misunderstanding what’s going on
Confused and misunderstanding what’s going on
Simple vs Fool vs Lazy
The simple believes he can have integrity easily or that giving in to competing desires won’t have problems
The fool thinks that he can choose his desires AND his consequences
The lazy person thinks he is smarter at having integrity and made it easy
The scoffer thinks mocking those who work at their desires is more profitable than looking carefully at his own
Crookedness leads to betraying your word to others. It’s the parent who says yeah I’ll be there. I won’t be that work-a-holic no show and then doesn’t show up to something important. It’s the friend who says yeah I can keep something confidential but in a spurt of desire to be liked by someone spills secrets that poison and kill relationships. It’s the spouse who says yeah, I’ll be faithful but when things turn rocky looks elsewhere for emotional or physical comfort.
2. Pursue the alignment of integrity
2. Pursue the alignment of integrity
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
7 The righteous who walks in his integrity— blessed are his children after him!
2 Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord, but he who is devious in his ways despises him.
21 For the upright will inhabit the land, and those with integrity will remain in it,
18 Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered, but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.
11 Even a child makes himself known by his acts, by whether his conduct is pure and upright.
18 The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the traitor for the upright.
29 A wicked man puts on a bold face, but the upright gives thought to his ways.
4 “Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith.
20 My son, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Heart, mouth, eyes, Feet (path)
Desires not at war but curious and acknowledging the competition
Insecurity - wounds of insecurity make it hard for you to trust in God or other’s love and leading to misalignment. your eyes are always searching for evidences of security
Narcissism - you either have to right or wrong. There’s no willingness to live with an awareness that people see things differently at times. Your speech tends to squash other people or yourself.
Money - Your heart knows you can’t buy happiness. Your speech isn’t boastful about the toys you possess or always scheming about what the next raise is going to get you. Your eyes look carefully based on a budget you set yourself ahead of time. You ponder what your financial decisions will lead to aware that some purchases have further ramifications. You are aware that various financial decisions will bring some joy… that the joy of having money in the bank and the joy of having things bought by money need to be subservient to the joy of pleasing God and loving others generously.
20 Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.
21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.
24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,
25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,
26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
You can have integrity without being Christian but a Christian integrity flows out of grace.
3. Follow grace into integrity.
3. Follow grace into integrity.
Unconditional acceptance, security
1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?
6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Waiting on God is knowing that me fulfilling my desires without living in obedience to God’s ways leads to destruction. I’m willing to please God first rather than my desires but I’m not destroying my desires rather trusting God with my desires. I’m willing to work at believing and seeing God’s grace in order to pursue true happiness.
Rhythm = Amazing Grace
Train yourself in grace.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Finish your race well.
Community Group questions
Where have you seen a lack of integrity cause problems?
If we picture integrity as having our heart, mouth, eyes and path line up, which one most often goes crooked for you? Why do you think that happens?
If waiting on God is so important for integrity, what do you find delightful about it?
What are some ways you work to harmonize desires you have rather than wage war against them?
How does God’s unconditional love and grace strengthen your desire for integrity?