TEXT: PROVERBS 10:9
INTRODUCTION:
Hello everyone, how are you?…through grace and only by His grace, we can able to stand and move again in this journey. Wherever you are right now and whatever situation you’ve been through, remember that God is always on your side. He listens and speaks in a special way, He loves you and sincerely He cares.
Today, I want you to know that God looks for men and women of integrity who live holy lives that are accountable to God and to the body of Christ. Integrity that glorifies God.
TRANSITIONAL:
This message will encourage us more to seal the heart of a person a commitment to integrity in all circumstances.
"Only a person of integrity will gain people's respect." Bro. Paul
"A man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will slip and fall." (Proverbs 10:9 NLT)
"Ang namumuhay ng tapat ay pinaghaharian ng kapayapaan, ngunit ang may likong landas ay malalantad balang araw." (Proverbs 10:9)
If we are not true to people around us we are living in chaos…
Integrity means; honesty, soundness, completeness of being the same hearts mind and actions.
The greatest challenge of a person is to maintain integrity. Even in the secular world of business, the issue of character is recognized as a major issue for leaders. Christians are called to be holy and live a life of purity.
When a person fails to maintain integrity, their character and family and even the work suffer the consequences. It’s so easy to misplace our integrity but hard to gain it.
"An essential goal for any spiritual leader/person is to gain people's trust through genuine integrity. Trust is hard to earn and easy to loose." Al Vom Steege (Senior International Director, ILI)
QUESTION:
1. What are the greatest challenges to integrity in our nation? (Social media, fakes news are rampant nowadays)
2. Where in your life do you find the greatest challenges to maintaining integrity?
Who may ascent 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)
ILLUSTRATION: ANCIENT HISTORY ABOUT MAKING A POTS
and there are 2 ways to dry it up:
First; dry it through slow fire
Second; by placing it under the sun
The challenge here is to get the exact heating of the clay, if it is too much, it will cause damage.
The word sincere comes from latin for “without wax.” In ancient world, dishonest potters would disguise cracks in low quality clay pots by covering them with wax and make it looks good. The pots looked perfect (hamis), but when exposed to heat, the wax would melt and uncovered the cracks.
Psalmist shows us that integrity has inward and outward aspects.
1. Inward- integrity begins from within and is based on holiness and sincerity ( a pure heart, SONG)
2. Outward- integrity includes our behavior which is to blameless. We should do nothing to cause others to stumble ( clean hands and a truthful mouth ).
Remember, that one of the greatest accomplishment of a person could ever had in life is accompanied without arrogance. It includes our behavior which is blameless.
What does integrity means to you?
Let us put it in simple terms, integrity is being the same in heart, mind and actions.
"Integrity is who you are when no one is around." BM Nigeria
Who are we when no one is around? When we are alone? Who are we if don’t see ourselves in Christ?
Internet are the most damaging or effective to human...
WHAT I AM: WHOLE
God desires that we be complete in Christ. Integrity means that my beliefs, attitudes, words and actions are consistent with God’s nature.
- God is Sovereign, that is, He is THE BOSS, period
- He is Holy- God is separate from all other things, and is 100% pure in everything
- God is all-powerful
- God is omniscient- he knows everything
And Jesus models’ integrity by living a complete and integrated life in which His inner life intimate relationship with the father and outer life, the life the world saw was consistent.
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. (Mark 12:14)
"Integrity is the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness. Integrity comes from the word "integer" which means "whole or complete". It is the opposite of hypocrisy." MacArthur: The Power of Integrity; Building a Life Without Compromise
WHAT I STAND ON: A COMMITMENT TO OUR PROMISES
Simply let your “YES” be “YES” and your “NO, NO”; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. (Matthew 5:37)
"Integrity in its simplest term is keeping promises. The person of integrity is one who when he or she says something, can be trusted. When he or she gives their word, you can count on it." McCartney: What makes a man: Promises That Will Change Your Life
WHAT IS DO: ACTIONS CONSISTENT WITH OUR PROMISES
Our belief must be reflected in our words and also our actions. It is critical that our actions be consistent with God’s command for integrity.
Not everyone who says to me, “Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew7:21)
Remember, wrong belief leads to wrong behavior…..
Illustration:
Daniel and his companions are an excellent biblical example of integrity.
1. Daniel 1:3-8 – Integrity in the kitchen
- these young men are undergoing training to be in king’s service but Daniel requested to give them vegetable and water only for 10 days. Then the outcome was so amazing that Daniel and his team looked healthier and better nourished than any young men ate the royal food.
- Daniel isn’t trying to defile any order of the King
- Daniel isn’t the man trying to impress other.
- Daniel isn’t the man who wants to be somebody
- But He is the man following the Lord and maintains integrity.
- Let us learn to say YES or NO, let us learn to say no to bad and yes to good….
2. Daniel 6:1-13 – Integrity in the face of Lions
- He was thrown into a lion’ den because of his faith. That even facing death he still chose to serve God and give him his superb life.
- God will give you a reward you never experience in your life if you let God works in you.
Like the characters of the book of Daniel, we are God’s people in a fallen world, under circumstances that challenge our integrity daily. We have the opportunity to make a strong and lasting impact, but that is only going to happen if we seal in our hearts a commitment to integrity and don’t allow circumstances to determine our actions.
Integrity is living Christianity because it is right and the best thing to do no matter what the circumstances. The choices of the Christian life are determined by the values we have learned from God, not the circumstances that happen to us. We accept the certainty of circumstances but also exercise the responsibility of human choice.
Who are we in the sight of God?
Give to God your life, in your decision making, in anguish, in ups and downs and trials. He is the only one you need in this journey and He can help you to stay in life that full of blessings. Leave all your consequences to God and maintain your integrity to Him. You are not alone with your struggles, He is with you!
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