6/18/22 Heart of Integrity

Summary: This is part of the sermon series on a Christian's Heart. In this sermon we explore a heart that's filled with integrity including integrity being an inside job, it's about the small things and not circumstances, and finally it has both costs and benefits

A Christian’s Heart

“An Integrity Filled Heart”

When talking about the qualities that are necessary for a Christian heart, integrity is one quality that cannot be ignored. The reason is because that’s the type of heart God desires and uses.

Of King David it says, “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” (Psalm 78:72 NIV)

It was with such an integrious heart that God commended David saying that He was a man after His own heart, Acts 13:22.

If David had a heart after God’s heart, and if David’s heart was integrious, therefore it can be concluded that integrity is an integral part of God’s own heart, in other words, integrity is one of God’s qualities.

This is seen in something Moses said about God’s character.

“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19 NKJV)

And so a Christian’s heart needs to be an integrious heart because an integrious heart, a heart filled with integrity is part of God’s own heart.

I think it’s safe to say that integrity is needed just as much today as it’s ever been. Not only are we a society drowning in lies, but we are living in a world that is living more by the lie than by the truth, and the sad part is that most people don’t even think it’s that big a deal

But it is a big deal and the Bible calls it sin. In fact it’s such a big deal to God in how it hurts our relationship with Him and others that He makes it one of the big ten, the ninth to be exact.

“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” (Exodus 20:16 NKJV)

So what is integrity? Integrity is about being honest, fair, and a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong. It’s adhering to moral and ethical principles, and goes directly to a person’s character, that is, who they truly are.

Integrity is not so much about what we do as it is about who we are. It means we live according to what we say and believe in.

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Integrity is about who we are on the inside more than what we portray to others. It’s doing right when no one else is looking, and who we are in the dark more than what we do in the light.

Integrity is best defined by how it’s fleshed out in our lives.

• It’s about keeping our word even when it hurts.

• It’s about being honest in all our dealings.

• It’s practicing morality in both our bodies and in our minds.

• It’s about admitting mistakes and doing what’s necessary to make them right.

Integrity of heart, therefore, is something that God is searching for in His people.

King David said that it’s only with an integrious heart that we can dwell in God’s presence. So if you want to dwell in God’s presence you have to have integrity.

“Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart.”(Psalm 15:1-2 NKJV)

In fact, God is pleased when we do walk with integrity in our hearts. In Proverbs 11:20 the Lord says that while He detests people with crooked and twisted hearts, He does delight, however, in those with integrity.

Job was such a man with a heart filled with integrity. Listen to what Job said.

“As long as my breath is in me … my lips will not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit … Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.” (Job 27:3-6 NKJV)

In fact, not only is God pleased with such an integrious heart, but He also brags on it. When Satan came before God’s throne the Lord said,

“Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:8 NKJV)

And so God looks for integrity and it’s an integrious heart that He desires for His leaders to have. As we talked about earlier, it’s what distinguished the leadership of King David.

“And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” (Psalm 78:72 NIV)

While an integrious heart is manifested in our lives, it’s really an inside job.

Integrity Is An Inside Job

Jesus in speaking about the hypocrisy of the religious leaders said,

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also.” (Matthew 23:25-26 NKJV)

The term “hypocrite” in the Greek language comes from the theater. In Greek theater one actor would often play more than one part, so they wore masks to cover their face for the different parts. Hypocrisy therefore means someone wearing a mask to hide his or her true nature; therefore hypocrisy is in direct opposition to integrity.

Integrity is therefore an inside job and Jesus tells us to cleanse the inside, and when we do we’ll be clean on the outside, or in how we deal with others.

If integrity is an inside job, and seeing how within the heart of man there exists nothing but evil and wickedness bent upon doing nothing more than deceiving, Jeremiah 17:9, how can we possibly clean it? We can’t wash it out with soap and water, but we can confess and repent.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NKJV)

So a heart of integrity is a heart that is free from hypocrisy and a heart that is honest about it’s true condition before a holy and righteous God. It’s a heart that doesn’t put on a mask to hide its true indemnity making people think that it’s something that it’s not, but rather openly confesses it’s faults, shortcomings, and sins, and actively seeks to turn away from them.

Another aspect of integrity is that while it starts on the inside, what erodes our integrity on the inside isn’t the one time in your face sin, but a combination of small things, sin here and there that’s not being dealt with, that is, confessed or repented of, or those little mistakes we allow without making them right.

Integrity Is About The Little Things

Integrity isn’t built nor is it destroyed in one fell swoop, but in little bits and pieces. In Solomon’s song he says that it’s the little foxes that spoil the vine, and therefore they must be captured, Song of Solomon 2:15.

Rome was never built in a day, and neither was it destroyed in a day. It was over an extended period of time, especially in it’s downfall as it decayed from the inside from moral and ethical perversion.

And it’s this same moral and ethical decay we’re seeing in our own country. America is no longer the shining beacon to the world, instead it’s been decaying little by little, year after year, and the cracks are getting bigger and bigger crumpling the integrious foundation laid by our founding fathers.

Someone I know in Las Vegas bought a really nice house in an exclusive neighborhood, but the foundation of the house wasn’t laid correctly, the concrete didn’t have enough rebar. And so the house has cracks not only in its foundation, but also throughout its walls and into the ceiling. With one really good shake the house could conceivably come down.

Jesus said,

“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.” (Matthew 7:26-27 NKJV)

If we fail to come to belief in Jesus Christ, then our foundation won’t be built on anything solid, and when the storms of life hit, then the foundation will crumble and the house will come down.

Also, when we violate God’s word or break one of His commands, when our integrity is compromised, small cracks begin to form in our foundations as well, and if left neglected, that is, un-confessed and un-repented for, then the foundation and the house will begin to crumble around us.

How can we prevent the small cracks from getting bigger? They have to be sealed through the process of confession, forgiveness, and repentance. This will restore the foundation and make it as strong as it ever was, if not stronger.

If people can’t trust us in the small matters, how can trust us when things get serious and our help is really needed.

Jesus said,

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10 NKJV)

And so integrity doesn’t happen overnight, nor is it lost because of one mistake or sin. Rather it’s built over time, and lost the same way.

We need to be careful, therefore, not to blame our circumstances when these cracks begin to develop. This leads me to another aspect of having an integrious heart.

Integrity Isn’t Determined By Circumstances

Even though our upbringing and circumstances affect us, we still have the power to choose either good or evil. Two people can grow up in the same environment, even in the same household, but turn out completely different. One may have integrity, while the other may not. Take for instance Eli’s two sons and Samuel. They all grew up in the tabernacle under Eli’s tutelage. Samuel grew up to be a man of integrity, while Eli’s two sons were corrupt.

“But the child (Samuel) ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest. Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord.” (1 Samuel 2:11b-12 NKJV)

If circumstances really could determine our ability to be a person of integrity, Joseph would be the classic example to follow.

Circumstances weren’t too kind to Joseph as he was sold by his brothers into slavery, lied about by Potiphar’s wife and thrown into prison and forgotten by a top official in Pharaoh’s court. Yet he never allowed the negative circumstances he encountered to dictate his actions, rather he kept his integrity through it all.

Looking at the circumstances that assailed Joseph and his not wavering in keeping his integrity in tack leads me to the last aspect about having integrity.

Integrity Is Expensive

Jesus talks about what really matters when it comes to our eternity. He said,

“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26 NKJV)

Joseph’s integrity cost him dearly. It cost him his freedom, but in the end God blessed him and saved his family as a result.

There is something that I tell all the guys when we talk about some difficulties they may be going through, and that is, when we honor God, God will honor us.

Having an integrious heart will lead to problems, relational conflicts, loss of business, and possibly loss of a job. But in the end it will lead to real benefits.

Benefits of Integrity

a. Safety and Security

“He who walks with integrity walks securely.” (Proverbs 10:9 NKJV)

b. Protection

“Let integrity and uprightness preserve me.” (Psalm 25:21 NKJV)

c. Guidance

“The integrity of the upright will guide them.” (Proverbs 11:3 NKJV)

d. Family

“The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.”(Proverbs 20:7 NKJV)

And so while our integrity will cost us, in the end it will bring real and lasting benefits that money just can’t buy.

Now that we’ve determined a heart of integrity is at the heart of a Christian’s heart, what is an integrious heart suppose to do?

1. Speak the Truth

Jesus said that the mouth speaks what the heart is full of, Luke 6:45. And so a heart that is integrious is going to speak the truth.

Jesus also said,

“All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” (Matthew 5:37 NIV)

Long explanations are not necessary, a simple yes or no will do the trick. Our words need to be so reliable that nothing more than a simple statement or word is needed.

Solomon said,

“Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you.” (Proverbs 4:24 NKJV)

A person with an integrious heart won’t be found speaking from both sides of their mouth. Hypocrisy and lies would not be considered acceptable.

And while speaking the truth will cost, there is a larger cost involved when we tell a lie. It might cost us our marriage, our relationship with God, our children’s’ future, as well as friendships, career, and the list just goes on.

Paul adds a quality to our need to speak the truth, and that is the quality of love, Ephesians 4:25. The reason may well be because we have the tendency to launch the truth at people like it’s some sort of guided missile intending to blow away any and all opposition to our point of view. In the end we may feel good for speaking the truth, but the other person is just laying there with their guts splattered all over the place.

So an integrious heart speaks the truth through a loving spirit, looking to heal and not destroy.

But besides speaking the truth, an integrious heart is also to

2. Stand for the Truth

Standing for the truth is taking our need to speak the truth to the next level and put action behind our words.

“For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.” (2 Corinthians 13:8 NKJV)

Today in our society there’s a prevalent attitude that whatever someone believes in, that it is truth, whether it’s true or not. It’s called subjective truth. It means that what’s true for one person must then be true for others, whether it is or not.

What this is doing is kicking objective truth to the corner, or throwing it out the window.

Today subjective truth is going by the name of tolerance, which is anything but tolerant.

What is needed are Christians who are willing to stand up for the truth and against the wrongs of society. We’re to be people of an integrious heart and start not only speaking the truth, but also standing upon the truth of God’s word.

The Apostle James says,

“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.”(James 4:17 NKJV)

Therefore, not speaking the truth and standing for what is right is sin.

Integrity is a vital element to a Christian’s heart and one that needs to be nourished and maintained, because it’s out the abundance of our heart we speak, and it’s our hearts that determine who and what we are, therefore we need to guard our hearts, and the best defense is a heart that is totally sold out for Jesus Christ and is filled with the truth of God’s word.