The Integrity of a Christian

Psalm 101

Theme: The Bible gives us the meaning of integrity and its affect on our daily life.

Integrity: firm adherence to a code of moral values; unimpaired condition; soundness or quality of being complete and undivided.

Intr: Integrity is at an all time low in our society today.

WORKERS' COMPENSATION INSURANCE FRAUD PROGRAM During the 1920s, most states, including California, accepted a new social insurance program known as workers' compensation. In California, workers' compensation insurance is a no-fault system. Injured employees need not prove the injury was someone else's fault in order to receive workers' compensation benefits for an on-the-job injury. The National Insurance Crime Bureau estimated in the year 2000, workers' compensation insurance fraud was the fastest-growing insurance scam in the nation, costing the industry $5 billion per year by what many people consider a victimless crime. Often white-collar criminals, including doctors and lawyers, dupe the system through fraudulent activity and insurance companies "pick up the tab," passing the cost onto policyholders, taxpayers and the general public.

During Fiscal Year 2007-08, the Fraud Division identified and reported 4,973 SFCs, assigned 515 new cases, made 375 arrests and referred 432 submissions to prosecuting authorities. Potential Loss amounted to $292,390,871.

It is estimated that workers compensation fraud costs the state of CA between 1 to 3 billion dollars a year.

Identity theft has now become a major problem and estimates are there is almost at 100% chance you will be a victim. The reason: because there are so many people in the world that lack integrity. What is really sad is the lack of integrity among Christians. We need to stop being Sunday Christians and start being everyday Christians. I believe if the Bible teaches you to be a tither and you don’t, you lack integrity.

However, when you receive Christ as your personal Savior, your life should change. There should now be integrity in your life.

The Bible gives us the meaning of integrity:

We acknowledge the holiness of God

We internalize the purity of the Gospel

We exhibit the truth of God’s Word.

Today I want to give you what God means by integrity.

I. We acknowledge the holiness of God v.1

A. Through the mercy of God

1. David understood and knew of God’s mercy—God forgave him in salvation but God also forgave his sinfulness

2. Because David acknowledged the mercy of God, he knew God’s mercy would be indicative of God’s holiness.

3. Much of today’s contemporary music speaks of God more as a buddy than as God and Savior I Peter 1:15-16 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, be ye holy, for I am holy.”

4. When God grants you mercy, you know in your heart you owe Him your life—Paul calls it your responsible service Rom. 12:1 “I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

B. Through the judgment of God

1. Realizing God is holy and His judgments are right, a man of integrity will want to line up His life under God’s direction.

2. The Bible becomes His authority and guide—recognizes God wants our lives to be holy which means complete Prov. 20:7 “The just man walketh in his integrity, his children are blessed after him.”

3. Integrity is used 16X in the Bible-it is vitally connected to truth-truth is of God and we can only have integrity as we allow God’s truth to rule our heart and our lives.

Integrity means we acknowledge the holiness of God. As we focus on this holiness, we internalize the purity of the Gospel.

II. We internalize the purity of the Gospel

“What you think about God affects how you will live your Christian life.”

When the citizens of High Wycombe, England, elect a new mayor, all the town councilors are weighed in public, following an ancient custom. Those whose weight is less than or at least not more than when they took office are warmly applauded—they have not grown fat at public expense.

A. Purifies his behavior

1. As the Gospel reaches our heart, we will internalize this purity.

Illusrated Phil. 1:10 “That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ.”

Sincere—refers to the wax statutes which occupied public squares in the first century. As the sun would shine through the wax figures, it would reveal the internal imperfections. As the Son shines through our life, the internal imperfections are revealed in us. “Sincere” is from a Greek word which means “distinct, unmixed, pure, unsullied.” There is no hypocrisy about such a saint. His life is open like a book waiting to be read. [1]

“To walk in integrity means to maintain a course of life regulated by godly principles. He who walks in integrity “lives with the fear of God as his principle, the Word of God as his rule, and the glory of God has his end.”

B. Purifies his desires

1. The integrity of the heart is best seen in Job 1:1b—upright-word for integrity—means Job’s faith will be the same regardless of what he is going through.

2. Integrity means a completeness and in relation to the heart as the seat of reasoning or thought, it means that the heart or mind is rightly guided Job 2:3.

3. This man has the desire to please God regardless of the circumstances in his life.

4. A man of integrity knows the position he has been placed in, and exercises the responsibility of truth and discretion.

C. Purifies his relationship

1. David knew the most important relationship he had was with the Lord.

2. Even when David had sinned and was rebuked by Nathan, he admitted to his sin.

Bible integrity means we acknowledge the holiness of God, integrity means we internalize the purity of the Gospel, and we exhibit the truth of God’s Word.

III. We exhibit the truth of God’s Word

Jesus teaches whatever is in the heart will come out into our lives. David knew to live right you must have the right things in your life. Psalm 119:10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments. [2]

Reputation is what man thinks you are, character is what God knows you to be.

A. Within his home

1. A man of integrity is the same whether in the home or outside the home.

2. David states in verse 2, his walk in home will be with a perfect (integrity) heart.

3. No place will a man’s integrity be known any better than in his own home.

B. Within his community

1. There should be truthfulness as we walk in our community and be honest in our business dealings in stores, products we purchase, and places we go.

2. There should never be any place we go that we would be embarrassed to return because of our attitude.

Years ago a pastor was preaching to his people on living a life that is honest in the community. He preached eloquently of the need to live right no matter what the cost. Later that week he boarded the bus to head into his office for study. When he sat down he realized the bus driver had given him back the incorrect change. Should he return it or ignore the error and keep it for himself. He rode the entire trip to his office wrestling with the thought and decided when he left the bus he would return the change. As he got off the bus, he stopped and gave it back to the bus driver. The driver refused the change back. He said, “I gave it to you on purpose because I heard your sermon this past Sunday.”

C. Within his church

1. David lived his life right in church also v. 1.

2. His heart was fixed to serve the Lord.

Conc: When I think of integrity what does it mean to us? What does God want us to do? What does God mean by integrity. He means we are to acknowledge the holiness of God, we are to internalize the purity of the Gospel, and we are to exhibit the truth of God’s Word.

In ancient China, the people desired security from the barbaric hordes to the north. So they built the Great Wall of China. It was too high to climb over, too thick to break down, and too long to go around. Security achieved!

The only problem was that during the first hundred years of the wall’s existence, China was invaded three times. Was the wall a failure? Not really—for not once did the barbaric hordes climb over the wall, break it down, or go around it.

How then did they get into China? The answer lies in human nature. They simply bribed a gatekeeper and then marched right in through a gate. The fatal flaw in the Chinese defense was placing too much reliance on a wall and not putting enough effort into building character into the gatekeeper.716[3]

[1]Wuest, K. S. (1997, c1984). Wuest's word studies from the Greek New Testament : For the English reader (Php 1:10). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. [2]The Holy Bible : King James Version. 1995 (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version.) (Ps 119:10). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. [3]Michael P. Green. (2000). 1500 illustrations for biblical preaching (204). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.