14th March, 2010
Written By Rev Law
Posted By Teresa Han
Main Idea: Practise integrity as a way of life.
Objectives: a. To promote strong sense of integrity among disciples of Jesus. b. To teach the 3 aspects (inner self; commitment to promise; actions consistent with your promise) of integrity in our life.
A. Introduction
- One of the greatest challenges of a Christian/ a disciple of Jesus is to maintain integrity.
- Integrity according to our bible is being the same in heart, mind and actions. Are your actions consistent with your words?
- When in your life do you have the most difficulty maintaining integrity? Even in the secular world of business, the issue of character, where integrity is part of it, integrity is a major issue. When there is no integrity, people do not trust you. For disciples of Jesus, christians, integrity is very much of holiness and purity of life. When we christians fail to maintain integrity, our position in the company, our family and ministry, and even the church suffer the consequences. We have failed to witness for Jesus, our Master.
- In the scripture below, the psalmist shows us that integrity has inward and outward aspects
B. The biblical foundation (Psalm 24:3-5)
- Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior. (Psalm 24:3-5)
- The Psalmist asked who could stand in God’s place? His answer is: he who has clean hands and a pure heart, the first part of his answer. The clean hands and a pure heart are related, what comes from the heart, the hands will do. Integrity begins from within our heart and is based on holiness and sincerity (a pure heart).This is the inward aspect of integrity. If your heart is pure in terms of thoughts, attitudes, motives, purposes, and fill yourself with godliness, you will use your hands to do the right things, it result in holiness in life.
- Now, the pure heart here refers to sincerity. The word “sincere’ comes from the Greek for “without wax”. In the ancient world, dishonest potters would disguise cracks in low quality clay pots by covering them with wax. The pots looked perfect, but when exposed to heat, the wax would melt, exposing the cracks (and the potter’s dishonesty) and rendering the pot useless.
- If your heart is pure, you are sincere, you do not need anything in life to cover yourself so that you look good. If you do so, all your pretension, will be exposed like the wax on the cracks when exposed heat will melt. Disciples of Jesus with integrity will not do that.
- Now, the outward aspect of integrity. It is the second half of Psalmist answer to the question of who could stand in God’s place. He has to be “... who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.” This is referring to the part of integrity which include our behaviour which is to be blameless. You do not swear by what is false, your souls and body do not turn to the idols to worship them. They are outward things. This has to do with your mouths which swear. What you say, people hear. People will take your word. So, to be holy in your speech, make sure you remain pure in heart and say and do the right things, then, you are a person of integrity. Now, you see the importance of being the same in your heart, mind and actions?
- Let us apply the biblical foundation of integrity.
C. Applications.
- Jesus desires you to strive to be whole or complete in Him. Integrity means that your beliefs, attitudes, words, and actions are consistent with God’s nature.
- So, your what I am is very important. Are your beliefs, attitudes, words and actions in line with Jesus’ nature?
- Jesus models integrity by living a whole and integrated life in which His inner life (intimate relationship with the Father) and the outer life (the life the world saw) were consistent. Let us see Mark 12:14 “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You are not swayed by men because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.”
- Your unforgiveness, greed, broken promises, hatred, hypocrisy are against Jesus’ nature of forgiving, sacrifice, fulfilling promise, love, sincerity, etc.
- The next time you literally want to break your promise, for example, remember, your integrity is stake, God’s name is at stake, your witness is at stake.
- Next, in integrity, what you stand is of utmost importance. It is a commitment to your promise. Integrity means you are faithful to the words that you speak and the promises you made. Matthew 5:37 “Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ your ‘No’ ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”
- Integrity in its simplest term is keeping promises. The person of integrity is one who says something, can be trusted. When he or she gives her word, you can count on it.
- Next, integrity is what you do: Your actions are consistent with your promises. Your beliefs must be reflected in your words and also your actions. It is critical that our actions are consistent with God’s command for integrity.
- Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
- You see now how your actions must be integrated with your words and hearts. Our life must be an integrated life as opposed to a segregated life.
D. Conclusion
- You see how Daniel and his friends who were men of integrity, even in the midst of persecution of fire, from the beginning till the end, they fear God, they did not bow down to the idols. God rewarded them with protection as practise integrity.
- So, as you are living in a fallen world, when you are challenged in your integrity in your daily life, at home, at work place, market place, in the society, you stand firm on integrity, you will leave a strong and lasting impact in others’ life.But this will only happen if you seal your hearts with a commitment to integrity and you do not allow circumstances to determine our actions.
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