Integrity
INTEGRITY
(21st century look at the big 10)
4/28/01 and 4/29/01
Exodus 20
15 "You shall not steal.
16 "You shall not give false testimony against your neighbour.
Psalm 84 (NASB)
10 For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. (The reference says with integrity)
-We are looking at these two commandments and combining them into the term INTEGRITY.
-I want to bring to your attention that we are dealing with relationships and how we treat others.
-Remember Jesus summed up the commandments with our love for God and our loves for others.
Mt 7:12 ¶ So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 22
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
37 Jesus replied: "`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: `Love your neighbour as yourself.'
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
-Let’s define some terms.
-What do we mean by LYING?
-Of course lying means not telling the truth.
-We do it for several reasons:
CRUEL LIE-TO HURT PEOPLE
COWARDLY LIE-YOU ARE AFRAID –LIKE ADAM IN THE GARDEN
CONCEITED LIE-FROM INSECURITY-THIS IS BRAGGING
CALCULATED LIE-THIS IS TO MANIPULATE OTHERS BASED ON SELFISHNESS
CONVENIENT LIE-YOU ARE JUST TOO LAZY TO TELL THE TRUTH.
“Someone who holds back the truth causes trouble.” Proverbs 10:10 GN
“In the end people appreciate frankness more than flattery.” Proverbs 28:23-LB
“Let our lives lovingly express the truth in all things-speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly.” Ephesians 4:15-Amplified
-It is very much a part of our culture to lie.
-You and I don’t have a good enough memory to be good liars.
-This specifically relates to bearing false witness against our neighbors.
-A slanderer can murder with their tongue.
-I remember hearing something about someone in the church and only years later to find out it wasn’t true.
-It affected the way I thought about that person for years.
-We joke about preachers lying and call it “evangelistically speaking”.
-That is a cute way of saying- THAT MAN IS A LIAR.
-I always say that one of the reasons I married Becky is that she tells me the truth.
-Someone who speaks the truth to you really loves you.
Ephesians 4
21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour, for we are all members of one body.
26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
-What do we mean by STEALING?
-It can be done in many ways.
EXAMPLES:
CHEATING CUSTOMERS
“(They) overcharge, use false measures, and fix the scales to cheat the customers.” Amos 8:5 GN
DEFRAUDING WORKERS AND LABORERS
“Don’t take advantage of anyone…Don’t hold back the wages of someone you’ve hired, not even for one night.” Lev. 19:13 GN
NOT PAYING BACK LOANS
“The wicked man borrows and never pays back…”Psalm 37:21 GN
DECEIVING THE GOVERNMENT
“…the authorities are working for God…Pay what you owe them; pay your personal and property taxes…” Romans 13:6-7 GN
BORROWING STUFF AND SELLING IT IN A GARAGE SALE BECAUSE YOU HAD IT SO LONG YOU THOUGHT IT WAS YOURS
BY NOT TITHING-MALACHI SAYS YOU ARE ROBBING GOD
BY DEFRAUDING EMPLOYERS
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” Colossians 3:23
-You get the point. It is easy to justify something for our own advantage when God just calls it stealing.
-Let me go on from the obvious to a bigger all encompassing attitude.
-What about INTEGRITY?
-What is integrity?
-Websters says it means:
AN UNIMPAIRED CONDITION/SOUNDNESS/FIRM ADHERANCE TO A CODE/THE QUALITY OR STATE OF BEING COMPLETE OR UNIMPAIRED
-The 1828 Websters says:
WHOLENESS/ENTIRENESS/UNBROKEN STATE
-A good way to define it is to look at Scriptures.
Ps 86:11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.
Eze 11:19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.
1Co 7:35 I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.
Lu 11:34 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness.
(KJV)
-The point here is to be the same through and through.
-It is to have an undivided heart.
-It means you don’t have one face for business and another for church.
-In the world we call someone TWO-FACED.
-Integrity is being undivided.
-The consequence of being more than one person is NO PEACE.
-Righteousness brings peace.
-Integrity is the state of being complete or consistent.
-YOUR REPUTATION SHOULD MATCH YOUR CHARACTER.
-REPUTATION is what others think you are.
-CHARACTER is what you really are.
EXAMPLE FROM PREACHER GIVEN TOO MUCH CHANGE.
GUM EXAMPLE AT GAS STATION FROM PRE-CHRISTIAN DAYS
-Peace is the result of a reconciled heart.
-Peace is knowing that even though you aren’t perfect, you are honest.
-This is the theology of popeye-I YAM WHAT I YAM AND THAT’S ALL THAT I YAM.
-WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO WALK IN INTEGRITY?
-YOU ARE BEING WATCHED:
BY GOD
“God carefully watches the goings on of all mankind; he sees them all. No darkness is thick enough to hide evil men from his eyes.” Job 34:21-22 LB
BY YOUR CHILDREN
“It is a wonderful thing to have an honest father.” Proverbs 20:7 LB
Proverbs 20
7 ¶ A righteous man who walks in his integrity--How blessed are his sons after him. (NASB)
BY THE WORLD
-You have to earn the right to witness to those you encounter in the world.
1Pe 3:15 But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
(NIV)
-Who wants to follow people who don’t live what they say?
THE ADVANTAGES OF WALKING IN INTEGRITY:
Ps 25:21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.
IT PROTECTS YOU
Pr 10:9 ¶ The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
Pr 13:6 ¶ Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
YOU WALK SECURELY
Pr 11:3 ¶ The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.
YOU ARE LED BY OR GUIDED BY INTEGRITY BECAUSE IT GIVES AN OBVIOUS RIGHT AND WRONG
-If you are guilty, join the crowd.
-Grace came by Jesus Christ.
-I am guilty…my conclusion is….I NEED A SAVIOR.
REPENT/MAKE RESTITUTION/ASK FOR MERCY/
MAKE A COMMITMENT TO INTEGRITY
Mic 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.