Walking in Integrity

INTRO

If you’ve got your Bibles, and I hope you do, open with me to Proverbs 11:3. We’re gonna start there and then walk into a story that’ll sting a little, but also heal a lot. “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” Now integrity’s one of those words that sounds real noble… until it costs you something. Like when you’re by yourself in the change rooms at a department store, and the little security lady gives you the full TSA pat-down to make sure you’re not smuggling socks. So a while back, me and tayla were at this store to get some new clothes I was trying on a few shirts—just minding my business, probably humming a Hillsong chorus—and as I walk into the change room, the attendant gives me that look. You know the look. Like I’m about to walk out with six shirts layered under my hoodie. I’m like, “Ma’am, I’m a pastor. The wildest thing I’ve stolen lately is a sermon illustration off YouTube” Anyway, I try on the shirts, nothing major, and then we head to the counter to pay. I’ve got three shirts in my hand. It’s the same lady from the changing rooms, still rude as. We pay, get a good deal start to walk out. I check the receipt wanting to see how good a deal we got and then I noticed she only scanned two Now I’m standing there with this holy war raging in my soul. Part of me’s like, “Aha! The Lord has provided.” And the other part is like, “Bro, that’s theft. That’s not a blessing—that’s a felony with a receipt.” And I wish I could say I was instantly noble and floated back to the register glowing with righteousness. But no, I had a moment. I considered walking. I considered saying hey I did all the right things this isn’t my mistake. But eventually I turned to Tayla and said it’s not a good deal we gotta go back. We walked up to the lady she looked even more annoyed and we told her about the missed shirt. She was genuinely thankful—like overly thankful. And I’m standing there thinking, ‘Alright, let’s not make a big deal out of it… let’s just stay humble here, no need to go telling a whole room full of people about it… on a Sunday… during church But honestly? It felt good. Not like, “Look at me—I’m the Integrity King.” More like, “Whew, I didn’t flunk the test this time.” Because let’s be real—there’ve been other days where the scale tipped the wrong way. Integrity isn’t about being flawless. It’s about choosing truth, one tiny moment at a time. That’s what Proverbs says—it guides you. When things get foggy, when emotions get loud, when culture says, “Just do what works,” integrity becomes your compass. And more than that—it reveals something way deeper: who you trust, and who you follow. So today, we’re gonna look at someone who walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, did ministry in Jesus’ name—and still got lost. Not because he wasn’t gifted, but because he wasn’t guided. POINT 1: INTEGRITY GUIDES – Proverbs 11:3 “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” Let’s talk about this verse—because it sounds pretty… “Proverbsy.” Like the kind of thing you cross-stitch on a pillow. But y’all—this verse will mess with you if you let it. Let’s start with the word “integrity.” The Hebrew is tummah—which sounds like my name, so clearly God is trying to say something here. But it means wholeness. Completeness. Like… no hidden compartments. No “church version” of you and then “when-the-group-chat-is-private” version of you. Single in mind. Integrity is when who you are in the light matches who you are in the dark. It’s when the person your spouse sees, your coworkers experience, and your small group hears from… all sound like they know the same guy. Proverbs says integrity guides you. Not with Google Maps turn-by-turn clarity. It’s more like a compass in a fog. Just enough to help you take the next right step but not knowing the full picture. Now let’s get practical—because it’s easy to nod at this in theory, but in real life, this gets tested in some wildly mundane places. Like when the café accidentally gives you back $10 too much in change. Or when you’re tempted to claim that full hour on the timesheet even though you spent 20 minutes scrolling Instagram… for “research.” And we tell ourselves little lies, don’t we? “Well, they overcharge me sometimes…” “Well, I was thinking about work during that scroll…” “Well, the Lord has provided!” (Oh no He didn’t. People just make mistakes) See, integrity isn’t usually tested in massive, headline-grabbing decisions. It shows up in the small stuff. The Tuesday morning stuff. The “this will never make it to Instagram” stuff. And what’s the opposite of integrity? Duplicity. Double-mindedness. It’s trying to live two stories at once—one you tell the world, and one you hide under the surface. Duplicity is like trying to walk two dogs going in opposite directions. One’s chasing a squirrel, the other’s sniffing a lamppost, and you’re just stuck in the middle getting nowhere and looking ridiculous And duplicity might help you blend in for a while. But long term? Proverbs says it will destroy you. Not because God’s out to get you—but because a divided life eventually collapses under its own weight. Here’s the deeper truth: integrity isn’t just about behavior—it’s about trust. When you trust God with your outcomes, you don’t have to manipulate your image. You don’t have to perform. You don’t have to edit the truth just to stay impressive. You can be real. Flawed, but faithful. Not polished, but present. I heard someone say once, “Integrity is doing the right thing when no one’s watching.” But I’d add: integrity is doing the right thing when everyone’s watching… and your reputation might not benefit from it. It’s when you say, “I’ll walk in the light—even if it costs me… because I trust the One who sees it all.” And just like that—integrity becomes a guide. Not like a megaphone shouting directions from heaven, but like the Spirit whispering, “This way, son. One more step.” So let me ask: what’s guiding you? Convenience? Applause? Self-preservation? Or are you letting the Holy Spirit set your compass? Because Proverbs 11:3 isn’t just a verse—it’s a path. And every step you take shapes who you become. POINT 2: INTEGRITY ON DISPLAY – John 12:1–8 So we just talked about how integrity is a guide—it’s the compass that keeps you whole when life wants to pull you apart. But here’s the next piece: integrity doesn’t just stay hidden in your heart. Eventually, it shows up in how you live. It gets put on display. And one of the clearest, sharpest contrasts of this in Scripture happens just a few days before Jesus goes to the cross. It’s in John chapter 12. A dinner party. A moment of extravagant worship. A room full of people who all look “spiritual.” But underneath? Very different hearts. Let me set the scene. Jesus is at the home of Lazarus. Yeah, that Lazarus. The guy who was very dead, and then Jesus shows up and says, “Come out,” and Lazarus is like, “Alright,” and boom—resurrection Tuesday. So needless to say, people are gathered. There’s food. There’s celebration. You don’t just casually raise someone from the dead and not at least have cake.

John 12:1–3 “Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”

And in the middle of this dinner, Mary—Lazarus’s sister—does something wild. She takes a bottle of pure nard. Now, that sounds like something from an essential oils starter pack, but this stuff was no joke. It was imported, expensive, the kind of thing you might hand down in your family. She takes it, breaks it open, and pours it out at Jesus’ feet. Then she wipes His feet with her hair. And the whole house is filled with this fragrance. Now hold up. That’s weird, right? Like, even in first-century culture, this was a moment. This wasn’t just expressive worship—it was shocking. Costly. Vulnerable. Mary didn’t care what it looked like. She wasn’t performing. She wasn’t calculating. She saw Jesus, and she responded with her best. Her first and finest. And it filled the room. That’s what integrity looks like when it’s lived out loud. It’s wholehearted. It’s not half-in, half-out. It doesn’t keep receipts. It doesn’t say, “How little can I give and still look generous?” It says, “Jesus is worth everything.” But not everybody in the room felt that way. Because then Judas speaks up. “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” Now pause here. Because on the surface, this sounds righteous. Noble, even. Sell the perfume, give to the poor? Who’s gonna argue with that? Would you argue with that? Johns gospel is called the gospel from the sky sometimes because it he tells you what characters are thinking. For my younger folk, he is like the office of gospels constantly looking at the camera and breaking the fourth wall so John pulls back the curtain for us once again. “He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.” There it is. Two people. Two hearts. One room. One Jesus. Mary gives everything in worship. Judas hides selfishness behind a speech. Same setting. Same Savior. Totally different responses. And this right here is a picture of how integrity—or the lack of it—always shows up. It may start in the heart, but eventually, it leaks. Into your words. Your decisions. Your reactions. And what’s so wild is that, to everyone else in the room, Judas probably sounded like the responsible one. The practical one. The guy who “cares about justice.” But Mary’s act made him uncomfortable—not because it was wasteful, but because it was real. And real worship always exposes false loyalty. Let me say it this way: Mary’s integrity was a spotlight. And Judas couldn’t hide in it. Can we just be honest? There’s a little Judas in all of us. That part that wants to appear spiritual… without surrender. That part that’s more comfortable calculating than worshiping. That part that’d rather sound generous than actually give sacrificially. That part that wants to look like we are serving but haven’t put the heart into of giving it all to God And let me say this—Jesus didn’t rebuke Mary. He didn’t say, “Whoa there, that’s a bit much.” No, He defended her. He received it. He said, “This is beautiful.” Because to Jesus, true integrity—wholehearted, unfiltered love—is never wasted. Now here’s a question to sit with: When’s the last time your devotion to Jesus made someone else uncomfortable? Not because you were weird or loud. But because you were all in. See, integrity isn’t always about resisting sin. Sometimes it’s about releasing worship. Letting go of what’s costly. Breaking open the jar. Saying, “Jesus, You’re worth more than what I’ve been holding back.” And here’s something else—Mary didn’t just give a gift. She gave her trust. This jar was likely her inherentance and insurance for a rainy day. But if she ever needed that perfume again, it was gone. She didn’t tithe a percentage. She poured out the whole bottle. That’s integrity. That’s faith. That’s when your insides match your outside—and your Savior is worth more than your savings account. Now I’m not saying give everything away today, but we should be willing to. So where does that leave us? Maybe with this challenge: what’s the perfume you’re holding onto? What’s the thing that would be hard to lay down—but would fill the room if you did? Because when integrity gets put on display, it’s not always neat or calculated. Sometimes it’s messy. Risky. Lavish. But that’s how Jesus loves us. That’s how He gave Himself. And when we live like that—not measured, not half-hearted, but all in—it turns heads. Not for our glory, but because people catch the scent of something real. Something costly. Something Kingdom. POINT 3: INTEGRITY UNMASKED – John 13:21–30; Matthew 26:25 Alright, let’s go to the upper room. It’s the night before the cross. The room is dim, the table is spread, and Jesus is sharing a final meal with His disciples. He’s washed their feet—yes, even Judas’s feet. He’s told them that His hour has come. And then He drops the bomb: “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Silence. Now imagine sitting at that table. Bread in hand. Wine in the cup. And the Rabbi you left everything to follow just said someone’s gonna stab Him in the back. Confusion sets in. The disciples start looking around and see Peter, surely it’s him he messed. Up so often. That’s not in the bible I’m making that up And here’s what’s wild, that we rarely catch. They all start asking Jesus and important question. Peter probably goes first, “Lord is it I?” Then John Lord is it I? Matthew Lord is it I? James Lord is it I? And on and on Til it gets to Judas Judas stands up “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Matthew 26:22 “And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?”” ,Matthew 26:25 “Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, Rabbi?” He said to him, “You have said so.”” And right there—the mask slips. Everyone else calls Jesus Lord—a title of surrender, worship, allegiance. Judas? He calls Him Rabbi. Just a teacher. Just another voice in the mix. Now, is that a big deal? Yeah. It’s massive. Because integrity starts with who Jesus is to you. If He’s just a life coach, then yeah—you’ll pick and choose what you obey. But if He’s Lord? If He’s King? Then even the hard stuff… you follow. Even when it costs you. Even when it exposes you. Because you listen to a life coaches advice and decide, but you obey the King and it’s only obedience when it’s uncomfortable. See, Judas’s betrayal didn’t start in the garden. It started in his theology. In his heart. In the quiet moments when he stopped letting Jesus be King and started using Him for gain. And y’all—this is where it hits home. We can follow Jesus with our feet, and still withhold our hearts. We can be close to Him, in proximity, and still miles away in obedience. And what’s scary is—Judas did miracles. He cast out demons. He preached the Kingdom. He managed the money. He was in all the staff meetings. He knew all the prayers retreats everything. But there was a split inside him. A duplicity. And when you live long enough with a split soul, you get real good at pretending. You learn how to nod at the right times. How to say, “I’ll pray about it,” when really you mean, “I’m never doing that.” How to lift your hands during worship but hide your heart on Monday. But eventually? The mask cracks. It always does. And in John 13, we watch it happen. Jesus tells them, “It’s the one I give this piece of bread to.” He dips it, hands it to Judas—and Judas takes it. And then the text says, “Satan entered into him.” Which is terrifying. But don’t miss this—Jesus still gave him bread. That was love. That was a final offer. That was Jesus saying, “Even now, you can turn back.” But Judas took the bread and walked out to do what he had decided And John writes, “And it was night.” Like, duh. We know it was night. The sun went down. But John’s not talking about the weather. He’s telling us what was happening in Judas’s soul. It was night. Darkness had taken over. Integrity had collapsed. The double-life caught up. And now he was walking, not just out of the room, but out of the light. And if we’re honest—some of us know that feeling. We’ve sat at the table. We’ve heard the teaching. We’ve served. We’ve sung. But inside, we’ve been split. One foot in the Kingdom. One foot in control. And friend, that kind of living will wear you out. Trying to please Jesus and keep your image intact? Trying to look spiritual while guarding your secret sin? Trying to be generous while still managing the applause? It’s exhausting. It’s soul-crushing. And here’s the truth: Judas wasn’t destroyed by a moment of betrayal. He was destroyed by years of pretending. That’s the danger of duplicity. You can fool everyone but Jesus. And Jesus still loves you enough to hand you the bread. One more chance. One more invitation to come clean. But make no mistake—duplicity will always lead you into the night. So how do we stay out of the dark? We walk in the light. We tell the truth. We name the mask. We confess early. We repent quickly. And we call Jesus what He is—Lord. Even when it hurts. Even when it humbles us. Even when it costs us reputation, position, comfort. Because I’d rather be exposed in the light with Jesus than celebrated in the dark without Him. So here’s the invitation today: where have you been calling Jesus “Rabbi,” but not “Lord”? Where have you been playing the part, but avoiding the surrender? It’s not too late. The bread is still on the table. The light is still shining. And the King still says, “Come home.” POINT 4: INTEGRITY REVEALS LORDSHIP – Matthew 26:25 Let’s zoom in on a question we often skip right past. Judas says, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” And we talked about how he chose the word “Rabbi” while the others called Jesus “Lord.” But here’s where we turn the page: What does it look like when someone actually does call Him Lord—and means it? Because integrity—real, soul-deep integrity—flows out of that single decision: Who is Jesus to me? Is He a helper? A backup plan? A spiritual Siri when I need directions? Or is He Lord? Because here’s the thing—when Jesus is Lord, He doesn’t take part-time shifts. He doesn’t just want your Sunday mornings or your pre-meal prayers. He wants the whole schedule. Lordship touches everything. Your inbox. Your bank account. Your tone with your spouse. Your browser history. Your priorities when no one’s around. And the scary part is—He actually knows it all already. Now, for some of us, that sounds threatening. But hear me: that’s not condemnation—it’s invitation. God isn’t out to expose you to shame you. He’s inviting you to surrender so He can free you. Because what sits on the throne of your heart will shape the trajectory of your life. Lordship isn’t just a belief—it’s a direction. When Jesus is truly Lord, integrity follows. Not perfection, but direction. Not a flawless track record, but a surrendered path. It’s the mom who stops mid-laundry to pray over her kid’s future. It’s the guy in sales who walks away from a lucrative deal because it’s built on a lie. It’s the retiree who uses their time and wisdom to serve others, not just count down rounds of golf. It’s the teen who decides popularity isn’t worth their soul. Lordship shows up in everyday decisions. It shows up when you stop trying to be enough and start trusting the One who is. You ever try to teach a toddler how to do something they think they already know how to do? Like tying their shoes—except it’s a mess of loops and frustration? That’s us with God. We’re fumbling with the laces, insisting, ‘I’ve got this!’ while Jesus is just waiting patiently for us to hand Him the mess and let Him lead Here’s a gut-punch truth: You can’t say ‘Lord’ and ‘no’ in the same sentence. If you say “no,” He’s not Lord—you are. And if He is Lord, then the answer is always “yes,” even before you know the assignment. And y’all, it’s freeing. Because when Jesus is Lord, like I said last week you don’t have to chase approval—you already have it. When Jesus is Lord, you don’t have to manipulate outcomes—you just obey. When Jesus is Lord, you don’t have to hide your mess—you bring it into the light and let Him redeem it. Now there’s a line in Philipians 2 “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow… in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth…” There’s a pastor I respect a lot called Joby Martin who says you’re either gonna bow, or you’re gonna bow but timing is everything. Because that moment’s coming for all of us. Every influencer. Every president. Every preacher. Every barista. Every boss. Every back-row Baptist. Every big-shot and every broken heart. Every knee will bow. So the smartest thing you can do in this life… is get low early. Bow now. Let integrity begin there—at the foot of the cross, with your crown in the dirt, saying, “Not my will, but Yours.” And that’s not weakness—that’s worship. That’s power. That’s freedom. Because Jesus isn’t just the Lord who demands everything—He’s the Lord who gave everything. Gospel moment Let’s zoom out for a second. If you’ve been listening today and thinking, “Man… I don’t know if I’m walking in integrity,” you’re not alone. Me too. Honestly. I’ve preached a lot of messages—but I’ve also fumbled a lot of moments. So listen: Jesus didn’t come to make you nicer. He came to make you new. He didn’t endure the cross so you could live a slightly improved, slightly more moral life. He died and rose again so that you could be forgiven, filled with the Spirit, and set free to actually live—wholeheartedly, courageously, with a brand-new heart. The gospel is not good advice. It’s good news. And here’s the news: You and I were broken, black hearted depraved wretched sinners, and spiritually dead. No amount of “being a good person” or “trying harder” was gonna fix it. You don’t need a second chance— all we’d do with is mess up a second time. Let me land this right where it hits hardest. Because for some of us… we’ve been around Jesus for a long time. We’ve sung the songs. We’ve taken notes. We’ve served in church. We’ve nodded during sermons. We’ve even posted Bible verses and clapped during baptisms. But here’s the sobering truth: so did Judas. He walked with Jesus. Talked with Him. Ate with Him. Did miracles in His name. He looked like the real deal. But deep down, he never surrendered. He never let Jesus be Lord. And when the moment came, he traded the Bread of Life for a bag of coins. He chose control over confession. Appearance over allegiance. Rabbi, not Lord. And Jesus—get this—Jesus still handed him bread. He still offered grace. Even to the one who would betray Him. Can we just let that sit for a second? Because maybe that’s you. You’ve been close to the things of God… but your heart’s far off. You’ve got the vocabulary, the church attendance, the moral polish—but deep down you know: Jesus isn’t on the throne. You are. And if we’re being honest—we’re all Judas. We’ve all loved silver more than the Savior. We’ve all kissed the King while plotting our own plan. But Jesus—spotless, sinless, full of integrity from beginning to end—He lived the life we couldn’t. And then He took the punishment we deserved. On that cross, He didn’t just die for you—He died instead of you. And three days later? He walked out of the grave like it was a rental. Alive. Victorious. Still full of grace. Still full of truth. And now—He’s offering you what you could never earn: salvation. Forgiveness. Freedom. A new name. A new heart. A new eternity. But here’s the thing: Jesus didn’t say, “Admire Me.” He said, “Follow Me.” And He didn’t say, “Believe in Me sometimes.” He said, “Deny yourself, take up your cross, and come with Me.” Salvation doesn’t come by accident. It comes by surrender. So if you’re here today and you’ve never bowed your knee to Jesus—not just liked the idea of Him, not just believed in God generally—but given your whole heart to Christ… today is your day. Romans 10 says: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead—you will be saved.” Not “might be.” Not “if you can keep it all together.” Will be. And some of y’all have been waiting. You’ve been close. You’ve been around the light, but never stepped into it. You’ve had Jesus as a backup plan, a teacher, a comforter in hard times—but not Lord. But every knee will bow, Scripture says. The only question is when. You can bow now in joy—or later in judgment. Timing is everything. And bowing isn’t a threat—it’s a rescue. It’s where peace begins. It’s where life starts. So if that’s you? You can say something like this—not magic words, but a surrendered heart: “Jesus, I believe You died for me. I believe You rose again. I know I’m a sinner. I know I need grace. I give You my life. Be my Savior. Be my Lord.” That’s it. That’s the start of everything new. And if you’ve already given Him your life—but you’ve been living divided, dulled, or discouraged—today’s the day to come back. To stop playing the game. To walk in the light again. Because you’re not saved by your integrity—you’re saved by His. But now that Christ lives in you? Let integrity be your guide. As the brand comes up let’s end with a prayer Lord Jesus, Thank You that You didn’t run from the cross, but walked straight toward it—for us. Thank You for offering bread even to betrayers, and grace even to sinners like me. Today we bow the knee—freely, fully, and forever. Let our lives be marked by integrity. Let our hearts be ruled by Your lordship. Let our steps be guided by the One who gave everything for us. And as we go, may we not just leave church… but be the Church. Shining Your light. Walking in truth. Living with open hands and surrendered hearts. We pray this in the name above every name—the name of Jesus. Amen. Let’s sing and let’s bring let’s pray anc respond