Noble Experiment (2)

Integrity follows what Jesus says is best.

● How do you feel about following instructions ?

● Tossing the instructions aside is a very normal human experience.

● [Tell a personal story from your own life about a time when you or someone you know skipped the instructions.]

● Instructions are there for a reason; they’re meant to help us build things the right way.

Now, let’s think about this: How many times have you come across something that could make your life better, but you didn’t follow through with trying it?

Maybe you saved a TikTok video of a new recipe but never tried it.

Or you found a workout routine, did it for one day, and never touched it again.

Maybe you even read a self-help book and felt inspired but never put any of the advice into practice.

We get all this good information, but we don’t use it. It’s like we’re collecting tools but never building anything with them.

And here’s the question I want us to consider today:

Does having that information help us if we don’t put it into action ?

● We all seek advice, tutorials, and guidance because, deep down, we want to build something meaningful with our lives.

● I think we're actually asking this bigger question: How do we build a good life ?

Does a good life look like the ones on Instagram or Pinterest? How do we build a good life that is more than a curated social media feed or a vision board?

In this series, we’re experimenting with living nobly. All that means is we’re talking about what it means to be people of integrity in our everyday lives. The formula we’re following is pretty simple:

Integrity = Authenticity + Good Character .

My question for you is this:

What if living with integrity can help us build a great life?

● The good news is that Jesus answers these questions in one of His more famous teachings, “The Sermon on the Mount.”

● The sermon is two whole chapters in the book of Matthew and contains teachings that were probably mind-blowing for His audience.

o “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy ” (Matthew 5:7 NIV).

o “You are the salt of the earth…” (Matthew 5:13a NIV).

o “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away” (Matthew 5:30a NIV).

o “…Do not worry about your life” (Matthew 6:25 NIV).

o “…Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44a NIV).

● At the end of His message, He addresses the question we started with, “How do we build a good life?”

o “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash” (Matthew 7:24-27 NIV).

So, what’s Jesus saying?

First, if we are looking for how to build a good life, we need to start with His words. Now, when I say, “build a good life,” I am not talking about a life where you get everything you want, or everything goes perfectly. Building a good life is about honoring God, building healthy relationships, making a difference, and living authentically as the person God created you to be. And Jesus said that hearing His words and putting them into practice is like building a house on the rock. [Pick up the stapled stack of paper and shake it.]

It’s building on a stable foundation. A house on a solid foundation will withstand storms. Sure, a corner of paper or a sheet may come out of the staples; it’s not perfect, but for the most part, it holds together. Now, notice the key is putting His words into practice. Just like a recipe isn’t helpful if we don’t try it or a workout routine won’t give us muscles if we don’t workout, His words don’t transform us if we don’t put them into practice.

In fact, He describes this as a foolish man who builds his house on sand. A house on sand won’t be stable through storms or challenges. [Pick up the unstapled stack of paper and shake it, letting the paper fly everywhere.] Isn’t this how we feel sometimes when difficult challenges hit? We feel like we’re scattered all over the place. Jesus is saying, “There is a way that you can hold on in times like this.” [Point to the stack of stapled paper.] It’s not perfect, but it’s much better!

He’s also saying that there’s a difference between knowing something and doing something with it. If we hear His teachings and put them into practice, it’s like building our lives on solid rock. It doesn’t mean life will be easy; there will be storms, challenges, and struggles. But the foundation we’ve built will hold strong. It’s all about the foundation.

Last week, we talked about how Integrity = Authenticity + Good Character. 

Another way to say it is Integrity follows what Jesus says is best.

Sermon on the mount - Good place to start on Jesus’ teachings

Heres another - Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind .’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:36-40 NIV).

Did you catch it? All the Law and the Prophets hang on those two commandments. What that means is that everything God says is best–all the instructions, ideas, and commandments God has for humans–are summed up in loving God, others

It means that love is a foundation Jesus wants us to build our lives on.

So, how do we start building on that foundation? How can we experiment with building our lives on what Jesus said? What does it look like to take what Jesus says and put it into practice? Here are a few ideas for you to try:

1. Start simple. Integrity isn’t about making huge, life-changing decisions every single day. It’s about the small, everyday choices you make. Maybe it’s choosing to be honest even when it’s easier to lie or being kind to someone you don’t think deserves it. These small acts add up and strengthen your foundation over time.

2. Check what you’re building on. Think about your life right now. What’s driving your decisions? Are you basing your life on things that will last, like faith, kindness, and truth? Or are you building on shaky things, like achievements, money, or trying to impress others? It’s worth reflecting on where your foundation stands.

3. Do what you know is right. We all know what some right things are, but it’s often hard to follow through. So, this week, challenge yourself to not just hear what’s right but to do what’s right. It could be something small like showing kindness to someone who isn’t kind to you or making time to pray and connect with God.

● Living out what Jesus teaches isn’t about being perfect; it’s about making consistent choices based on what Jesus said matters most.

● The good news is that God is with you and can guide you as you practice what Jesus says is best.

● When you face big life decisions or big obstacles, you will have a foundation of faith.

● You’ll have built habits of living with integrity so that you can stay true to what’s best.

● Remember, integrity follows what Jesus says is best.

● What would it look like if you built a life on what Jesus says is best?

● Imagine what would happen if we were all known for our integrity.

● What is one way you can practice what Jesus says is best this week?