Christian Virtues - Integrity

Intro:

It has been said that integrity is doing the right thing when no one else is watching.

As we continue our series on Christian virtues, integrity is one that hopefully undergirds all of the rest of the virtues we can hope to have.

It has been said that “integrity is an indispensable moral virtue that includes acting with honesty, fairness, and decency.”

It has also been said that integrity is “the bedrock upon which good character is built.”

Back when I was in Air Force ROTC, our motto was “INTEGRITY first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.”

They realized that it takes integrity to build upon the rest.

When it comes to Christian virtues, perhaps we should have started with this one!

Let’s begin tonight by discussing a section of Scripture that I believe encapsulates the idea of integrity.

It’s found in …

Matt. 7:24-27

Matthew 7:24–27 (NKJV)

“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and DOES them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Integrity, then, is about DOING.

It is about LEARNING, first and for most, what is needed for us to live morally, and then FOLLOWING through with the doing of it.

Christianity is a DOING religion. (Listen to James 1:21-27).

Christianity is about taking what you learned IN the pews — Taking it OUTSIDE of the pews and outside of the BUILDING.

Thus, you show me a Christian who acts one way at the church building, and a totally different way (talking about sin, here) when he’s away from the church building, then you’ll show me a Christian that struggles with INTEGRITY.

Let me tell you about another ...

Man who Struggled with his Integrity for a Moment:

And that man would be … somebody who normally was actually a stand-up example of integrity.

He was a man after God’s own heart … … … David.

But he had a momentary lapse in integrity, and it cost him dearly!

(Read in Bible 2 Sam. 11:1-5 and comment as I go).

(There’s a lot more to this story of course — You can keep reading about the massive coverup that follows! And sin after sin after sin!)

But let’s take a moment and notice the aftermath …

(Read 2 Sam. 12:1-12 — Especially notice v. 6! [Mention the 4 sons that died]).

Now it is important to note that although this could have been an “off with his head!” kind of moment for Nathan the prophet, it wasn’t!

Thankfully, you can keep on reading how David’s integrity returns, and he plainly says in the next verse - “I have sinned against the Lord.”

(The correct response when Christians are confronted with our sins, along with repentance and prayer for forgiveness).

(You can also read Psalm 51 to see more of how David handled this situation).

Well, let’s move on now to …

A Married Couple Who Had No Integrity:

For this, we go to our N.T.’s to Acts chapters 4 and 5.

(Read Acts 4:32-37) — What we have here is a great example of the right way to be as Christians — Selfless and giving.

But what we’re about to see is some giving, but for the wrong reason — The reason of pride and wanting to get credit for something they didn’t really do — We’re about to see a lack of INTEGRITY from a married couple named … ANANIAS and SAPPHIRA.

(Read Acts 5:1-11).

Finally tonight, I want to talk about …

How to Build Integrity:

We’re talking about how to build integrity for ourselves as Christians, and how to help build it in our children.

Here are just several recommendations that will help us — For the complete list, read the whole Bible, right?! :)

So in no particular order:

Number 1 - Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Matthew 5:37 - Jesus said: “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

Have you ever met somebody who you never know what lie is going to come out of his mouth?

He’s always making things up, telling lies when the truth would sound better!

Or he will tell you he will do something, so you trust him to do it, and then he doesn’t do it. (In other words, he’s not reliable).

That would be indicative of a lack of integrity!

Number 2 - Always tell the truth, even when it means consequences.

Rev. 21:8 says that “all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

Yes, if you have done something wrong and you own up to it, there still may be some consequences, but if you lie and dig yourself into a deeper and deeper hole, the truth is still eventually going to come out and the consequences will be even worse!

And the ultimate consequences are the lake that burns with fire and brimstone.

So if you have a hard time telling the truth, break that habit asap!

Number 3 - Gain knowledge.

Specifically, knowledge of God’s Word!

Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”

Being doers of the Word (like we talked about earlier) starts with KNOWLEDGE of God’s Word.

We can’t be doers of the Word if we don’t know what the Word says.

If we do not hide the Word of God in our hearts, might we find ourselves sinning against God more often than not?

Number 4 - Have courage.

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the ability to do the right thing in SPITE of any fear that might stand in the way!

God has not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7).

Joshua was told to “Be strong and of a good courage” and to “Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Josh. 1:9)

Lack of courage is often the giant that stands in the way of what God would have us to do — Remember, in one of David’s strongest moments, David was COURAGEOUS against that giant when no one else would stand up to him!

And finally …

Number 5 - Remember, God is ALWAYS watching.

Recall that we said at the beginning that the ultimate definition of integrity is doing the right thing even when no one else is watching.

That is, no other PERSON is watching, because the truth of the matter is that GOD is ALWAYS watching!

And if we live with that truth on our minds, I guarantee you it will help us have more integrity!

Conclusion:

Proverbs 15:3 - “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Keeping watch on the evil and the good.”

Another way of saying “the good” would be “integrity.”

Another way of saying “the evil” would be “lack of integrity.”

So let’s make sure that we are people of virtue, people of integrity!

(Offer invitation).