Hi, everybody. I'm Pastor Rick, and today we're going to continue in
our study through the Book of James called the Faith that Works when Life doesn't,
and we're looking at principles for living through a pandemic. We didn't think
the series was going to go this long, but the pandemic keeps going,
so we do too. Specifically, we're going to look today at what James
says about how to have a faith known for integrity, how to have a
faith known for integrity? And we're in James chapter five, and I want
us to consider the implications of just one verse. We're just going to look
at one verse out of the Book of James today, James five, verse
twelve. But before we look at that verse, I want to explain something
that gives a little bit of context to this theme of having a faith known
for integrity. You know, for right or wrong reasons, you may have
certain stereotypes or images in your mind about different religions. Okay. For instance,
you might think of one kind of religion or one kind of faith as
rigid and legalistic, and you might think of another faith as being passive and
otherworldly. Maybe another faith that you think of might think make you think of
terrorism and other faiths might bring to mind hypocrisy or selfishness, or being out
of touch with today's world. When I know that that's true of all of
us, that makes me wonder what do people think who know me? What
do they think about Christianity? What are they people who know you think about
Christianity? If you're the only Bible they ever read? What do they think
about our faith? What is our faith known for most today? If you
ask the typical person, what do you think of when I say the word
Christian these days? Is what we're known for? Accurate? Is what we're
known for in society today? Negative? Does it match what Jesus wants us
to be known for? Or have we gotten off course? You know,
if I were to ask the non believers who know you, what do they
think of the Christian faith? Knowing you, what do you think they would
say? Knowing you? You know, you don't have to read very much
of the Bible to figure out pretty quickly that God cares deeply about his reputation,
and all throughout scripture the phrase for my glory is used over and over
and over. But God doesn't just care about his reputation. He also cares
deeply about your reputation. Did you know that because you are his child,
He's your heavenly father, and you're in the family of God. The Church
is the family of God. You're a part of his family. And like
all good fathers, your heavenly Father wants his family to be respected. He
wants his church, his family to be respected. He didn't want any of
his children, that's you and that's me, given his family a bad name
because the way we speak or act. He doesn't want our lives to bring
him dishonor Now, this theme that I'm talking about this weekend, protecting God's
glory and reputation and also protecting his family's reputation. The church's reputation is literally
taught all through the Bible. God wants you to realize that you represent him.
If you call yourself Christian, you're a little Christ. You represent Him
here on earth. And He wants us to realize that any of us,
me I can do this. We can bring shame to his name when we
don't act in christ Like ways to the people and to the events around us.
Now, I've said many times, if you've been at Saddleback, you
know that I've said this many times that there are two big reasons that unbelievers
reject Jesus Christ. The first one is they've never become a friend of a
Christian, so I don't really know any Christians. And the second reason that
they have is that they have met a Christian and they were turned off by
our attitudes or by our actions, or by our hypocrisy or whatever. We
have to realize that the way we respond to all that's happening around us,
the pandemic, the politics, the fires, the floods, the unease in
society, all of the way we respond to what's happening around us racial inequality.
That has eternal implications because people's eternal destinies are in the balance. You
see, we're either a good witness and a good testimony for the loving grace
of God. We're a bad one. We can be a stepping stone to
Jesus Christ and salvation, or we can be a stumbling block and we can
actually be a barrier to people. You don't want to be that. I
don't want to be that. You don't want people to reject Jesus Christ.
You don't want people to reject God's offer of salvation because they don't want to
be like you. No, So let me show you just a couple of
scriptures where God talks about this theme that we're looking at this weekend. You
know that NJB Translation as an interesting translation of Proverbs twenty seven to twenty one.
It says this a person's worth a person is worth, what is reputation
is worth? Whoa a person is worth? What is reputation is worth?
That's in the Bible. Now this verse isn't talking about your worth to God.
Now you're priceless to God. That's why Christ died for you on the
cross. What is talking about is what other people think of you. That
a person's worth is what is reputation is what your reputation is talking about what
other people think of you. And it's saying that your self worth is far
more important than your net worth. Now your value and your valuables are not
the same. Here's another verse. Ecclesiastes seven, verse one says a good
reputation is more valuable than the most expensive perfume. You know, just for
fun this week, I decided to find out what's the most expensive perfume in
the world. So I looked it up. You know what it is.
It's made in to buy, and it costs one point eight million dollars a
bottle. Hello, can you imagine any perfume costing one point eight million dollars
a bottle? So now you know what to get your you know friend who
has everything this Christmas? All right? Now again, God says this Proverbs
twenty two, verse one, choose a good reputation over great riches. So
if you have to choose a lot money and a good reputation to choose,
the reputation being held in high esteem is far better, far better than having
a pile of silver of gold. Now you may be thinking, Rick,
Okay, should I be concerned at all about my reputation? I mean,
I'm a Christian, I'm saved by grace. Should I be concerned about my
reputation as a Christian? The answer is definitely yes, you should be tewod.
Corinthians chapter eight tells us eight verse twenty one the message paraphrase. Paul
says this, You know, we are being as careful in our reputation with
the public. We're being as careful with our reputation with the public as we
are in our reputation with God. Wow. You know this matters, he
said. In fact, God says that one of the qualifications that you must
have to be a lead in the church, either as an elder or as
a deacon, is that you must have quote a good reputation not just with
believers, listen, but with unbelievers too. You're not supposed to be an
elder or a deacon in a church unless you have a good reputation, not
just with the church, but with unbelievers. Let me show you a couple
verses one Timothy chapter three, verses two and seven says this, an elder
must be a man whose life cannot be spoken against. Whoa an elder must
be a man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must be faithful to
his wife. He must exhibit self control, he must live wisely. He
must have a good reputation. That's talking about with believers. Then down in
the next verse he says, also he must have a good reputation with people
outside the church who speak well of his so that he can't be disgraced and
trapped by Satan. Then Paul says, if you want to be a deacon,
you have to be have the same requirement. By the way, what's
a deacon anyway, because we don't use that term so much at Saddleback.
Deacon is just the Greek word for minister. It's the Greek word for servant.
Diakonos means servant or minister. To be a deacon is to be a
servant. To be a deacon is to be a minister. If you serve
in any capacity in ministry at Saddleback Church, you're involved in any ministry.
Guess what. You may not realize that you're a deacon. Okay, you're
a deacon. You're a minister. You're a servant of Christ. Maybe you
didn't know that, but here's what the Bible says about you serving in ministry
one Timothy three, Verse Satan ten, New Living Translation. In the same
way, deacons must be people who are respected and have integrity. Have integrity.
First, they must be evaluated. Then if they have a good reputation,
there's that phrase again, then they can become a deacon. You have
to have a good reputation, and God wants you to work on your reputation,
particularly with unbelievers. They say, okay, what does God want me
to do? What does he want me to be known for? Well,
did you Notice the little word in that last verse that I just read.
God wants you to have integrity. Integrity. God wants us to have a
faith that is known for integrity. Integrity sums up all the christs like qualities
that God wants you to exhibit in your life. He wants all of the
qualities love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness,
meetness, self control, all the fruit of spirit. He wants all these
qualities to be integrated into a hole in your life that's called integrity. He
wants the inside of your character to be exactly the same as the outside of
your conduct. Now, let me be clear. Having integrity doesn't mean you're
perfect, because nobody's perfect. Okay, nobody's perfect. Having integrity doesn't mean
you never mess up or you never make a mistake. If that were true,
no one would ever have integrity. No, No, it doesn't mean
you're perfect. Doesn't mean you don't make mistakes. Integrity means more than anything
else. You want your life to be truthful, not deceitful, not wishy
washy. But you treat everybody the exact same way. That's integrity. You
don't treat the Queen of England one way and the bum on the street another
way, and your grandkids another way. No, no, he says,
what you see is what you get. Now, friends, to live with
integrity in this day and in this age and in this culture, well it
just requires a whole lot of special effort, because right now in our culture
are witnessing the death of truth in society. It's everywhere, the death of
truth. There are many people who don't even believe objective truth exists anymore.
What is truth? I don't even believe it exists. The only thing that
matters is what you feel, is what we're told today, and if I
feel it, it's true. And truth is relative for many people. They
say, well, maybe true for you, but it's not true for me,
Or maybe true for me, but it's not true for you, as
if truth is an opinion. We're living in an age where political leaders call
obvious lies that everybody knows is a lie, they call them alternative facts.
Well, the Bible doesn't call them alternative facts. The Bible just calls them
lies. And what matters is to them is not the truth, but it's
whatever I want to believe, even if it's false. So there is a
shortage. There is a crisis of integrity today in our society. There's a
shortage of leaders with integrity in the world today, which makes it even more
and more important that you and I, as followers of Jesus, really are
different. That we have a faith known for integrity. God wants us to
live with such integrity, not perfection, but with such integrity that the world
can say about us. You know, I may not agree with those guys,
those Christians, but they're honest and they're not deceptive, and they're not
deceitful, and their word is good and they keep the promises and they do
what they say they'll do. That's what we need to be in today's world,
a faith that is known for integrity. So you say, okay,
I want that. I want my life to represent Jesus truthfully. So how
do I grow in that area? Well, I'm glad you asked. Let
me show you four ways to work on integrity in your life from scripture.
All right. You might write these down. You can always download the message
notes outline either saddleback dot com or at Daily Hope pastorick dot com. But
let's look at four ways to become known for integrity. All right. Here
they are number one, to be known for integrity, to have the reputation
that's a woman of integrity, that's a man of integrity. Number one.
I must speak the truth plainly. I must speak the truth plainly, not
you know, flowing in all kinds of embellishments and things like that. This
is where we start with the text today from the Book of James. James
is encouraging us to live with integrity when he wrote this in James chapter five,
verse twelve. Let me read it to you, just one verse.
We're looking at James five twelve. He says this. He says, above
all my brothers and sisters, don't swear by heaven or by earth, or
by anything else. Okay, don't swear by heaven or earth or anything else.
Just let your yes be yes, and let you know be no.
Just say what you mean. Do this so you can't be judged and condemned.
Now, let me explain. When James tells us not to swear,
he's not talking about cussing. He's not talking about profanity. He's not talking
about potty mouth or vulgar talk, you know, our obscenities. That's not
the kind of swearing. He's talking about he's talking about making an oath by
referring to something else, as if you don't have enough integrity in yourself to
keep your own word, you have to promise on a stack of Bibles or
whatever. He staying, don't say things like I swear to God. It's
the truth. You should never say I swear to God. The Bible says,
don't do that. It's taking God's name in vain. I swear to
God on a stack of Bibles, or I swear on my mother's grave.
James says, don't do that. He says, you cheapen your own integrity
when you have to appeal to something besides your own character. I swear based
on you know, something else out there. No, no, don't do
that. Don't say I cross my heart, hope that ies stick a needle
in my eye. Don't use any kind of oath. You don't need it.
You're a follower of Jesus, so your word should stand on his own.
He says. Just let your yes be yes, and let you know
be no. Say speak the truth plainly, all right, don't embellish it,
don't shade it, don't twist it. Just speak the truth plainly.
If you mean yes, you say yes. If you mean no, you
say no. You know. Sadly, it just seems today that there are
very few people in the media or in politics who know how to do something
this simple. Did they say yes or no? They always have to shade
it. You get asked the question, you ask no question, and they
answer it with something else. Now, when James brings this up as the
foundation of all integrity, speaking the truth plainly, he's not the first person
to say this. He had a half brother named Jesus Christ, Remember,
and Jesus said it in the Sermon on the Mount, and Paul said it
too. Now listen, anytime God says something three times in scripture, you
better know it's important to God. And so this thing is said three different
times. Here's what Paul said. Second Corinthians, Chapter one, verses seventeen
nineteen. Paul says, am I like the people of the world. Listen,
What are the people of the world like? Am I like the people
of the world who say yes when they really mean no? As surely as
God is true, I am not that sort of person. My yes means
yes because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, never wavers between yes and
no. That's powerful scripture. Jesus never wavers. Paul says, I want
to be counter culture in my integrity. When nobody else has got it,
I want to have it. I don't want to be like unbelievers who never
quite say what they mean, and when they say yes, they really mean
no, and vice versa. He says. And my motivation for my integrity
is because I want to be like Jesus, who never wavers between the yes
and no. So James says, let your yes bs, your no be
no. Paul says, let your yes bs and your no be no.
And now, as I said, Jesus taught this exact same truth in the
Sermon on the Mount, and his brother half brother James just repeats it in
his book in the Sermon on the Mount Matthew five, verse thirty four thirty
seven. Here's what Jesus said, I tell you, here's Jesus. I
tell you to never swear by Heaven, which is God's throne, or by
the earth, which is God's footstool, or by Jerusalem, his great city,
or even by the hair on your head, because you can't turn one
white hair, turn one hair white or black. Well, you can today,
but in those days they didn't have hair color. But he says,
you can't change your hair just by wishing it. Just say, this is
Jesus talking. Just say a simple yes if you mean yes, or no
when you mean no. Your word should be enough. Anything more than that
is from the evil one. That's Jesus Christ talking. So now we've had
James say it, We've had Paul say it, We've had Jesus say same
thing. Said. If you're gonna be my disciple, the disciple of Jesus
Christ, you got to have integrity. And it starts with having a faith
known for integrity. And he says, to have a faith known for integrity,
the first step is it just have to speak the truth plainly. Here's
number two. How to have a faith. How to get a reputation for
integrity? Share the truth completely. I speak it plainly, but I share
it completely. What do you mean by that, Rick? Well? By
definition, lying is an intention to mislead by either falsifying or by concealing.
You know, you can by lie falsify or you can lie by concealing,
And that means you deliberately hold back part of the truth you know, you
share half the truth you know half a truth can be a whole lie.
But God says, if you want to have integrity, you don't play games
like that. You be straightforward. You share the truth completely. You speak
it plainly, and you share it. You share it completely. Proverbs ten,
verse ten says this someone who holds back the truth causes trouble. Anybody
want to give a testimony on that when you've held back the truth and it
caused trouble. Now, you know, there are a lot of ways that
we can hold back the truth. Okay, think about this. We can
hold back the truth by not saying what we mean. We can hold back
the truth by by you know, well being silent okay, not saying anything.
We can do it by not meaning what we say. God says,
holding back the truth always causes trouble. What kind of trouble? Resentment?
Mistrust, superficial relationship. Now I want to take this second principle sharing the
truth completely, and I want to apply it in three different ways. First,
let me speak to those of you who are business owners for just a
minute, because one of the areas that we often hesitate to share the full
truth is when somebody is being let go or laid off or being fired,
and you think you're being kind by not telling them the real reason they're being
fired, and you're holding back the truth. Do you know what I've learned
after forty years of leadership? That always backfires? It just doesn't work.
Job thirteen, verse seven says this, why are you lying? Do you
think your lies will benefit God? Do you think your lives will benefit God?
Do you think you're being more loving by lying to them? What I've
found out is this The truth often hurts, but dishonesty leaves lasting scars.
Truth doesn't leave a lasting scar. The truth often hurts, but dishonesty leaves
a lasting scar. And when you don't tell the complete truth, you don't
go that last ten percent. You don't tell somebody why they're really being laid
off, you're creating mistrust and all resentment and all those other things. Proverbs
twenty eight, verse twenty three says this, in the end, people appreciate
frankness more than flattery. It's true, it hurts, but it doesn't leave
scars like dishonesty does. Now, I once you notice the phrase it says
in that verse. Proverbs twenty eight says, in the end, people appreciate
frankness, did you notice that phrase? In the end, speaking the truth
completely can be unpleasant at first, but in the end it's better. See
what am I saying. What I'm saying is that in theory, everybody agrees
honesty is the best policy, but in reality, when faced with potential conflict,
we're just not so sure honesty is the best policy. In other words,
everybody believes in the principle of truth, but we don't always believe in
the practice of it, and that makes us a bad witness to the world.
So one of the areas, as I said, is if you're a
businessman, tell the truth completely. Number two. Second area that you can
apply this idea of sharing the truth completely is in your marriage, because if
you're hiding your true feelings, you are all ready the undermining your marriage.
You need to share the truth complete. You need to go that last ten
percent and deal with what the problem is. Painful, yes, helpful,
yes, healing eventually. Third area I just want to mention is in every
election, and we're getting ready to go into one of those seasons right now.
In every election season, your home will be flooded with advertisements and with
flyers that are filled with half truths. They don't tell the complete thing.
They're only telling you the part of that law or the part of that candidate
they want you to hear. They're not giving you the full story. They
may not be lying, but what they're doing is they're given. They're covering
up all of the facts. And if you listen, as your pastor who
loves you, if you only listen to advertisements for propositions and new laws,
you're going to be confused because you're going to hear ads that say the exact
opposite thing, one rite after the other. What each of them sharing half
of the story. They're not sharing the whole story. You can't rely on
advertising to make your vote count. You have to read the explanations in the
sample ballot, that impartial stuff, and you have to decide based on the
facts. Never base your votes on anything based on advertising. That's not very
smart. So let's go back now. To develop a reputation for integrity,
you got to speak the truth plainly, and then you've got to share the
truth completely, not half truth, but the whole truth. Third, this
is really important. You must use the truth tactfully. Use the truth tactfully.
In other words, in love, there is no place in scripture.
There's no place in this book where God wants you to use the truth as
a club to beat people on the head. He didn't want you to beat
people up theologically. He didn't want you to beat people up politically. He
doesn't want you to beat people up personally. He never wants you to use
truth as a club. In fact, Ephesians four point fifteen says, speak
the truth in a spirit of love. Now, that's a big one.
Speak the truth in a spirit of love. I want you to think of
somebody right now, okay, wherever you're seated or listening to this, maybe
even in your car. I want you to think of somebody that you would
really like to help make a change. You know, they really need to
make a change, and I bet I could help them. Okay. Now,
I want you to realize that people change faster and people change easier when
the truth is wrapped in love. You got to wrap it in love.
Truth without love is always seen as an attack. If you don't love somebody
and you're telling them the truth, don't even tell because the Bible says without
love, I'm nothing, I'm a sounding brass. And Tinkling said, well,
it doesn't work. Any truth shared without love is seen as an attack.
It is resisted. And if you say something offensively, guess what it's
going to be received defensively. That's why God tells us to always speak the
truth in love. Let me say, well, Rick, how do I
know when I'm speaking the truth in love? Well, it's really quite simple.
Who are you trying to benefit with what you're saying? For? Whose
benefit are you saying this. If you're saying it for your benefit, it's
not in love. If you're speaking the truth for their benefit, well then
it's a different issue. Ephesians four twenty nine. Speak only listen to this.
Only speak only. This is the only thing you should speak. Speak
only what is helpful. Okay, is it helpful? It's not helpful.
Don't speak it. Speak only what is helpful for building others up. Now
yourself up, others up. Speak only what is helpful for building others up,
according to their needs, not according to my need. According to their
need. That it may benefit those who listen, not my benefit. But
then, if you want to just get something off your chest, don't call
it speaking the truth in love. If you want to put somebody down and
club somebody with the truth. Don't call it speaking the truth and love.
You speak only what is helpful for building them up according to their needs that
it benefits them. Those are the four qualifications of speaking the truth and love.
Now, just because you're ready to share the truth doesn't mean they're ready
to hear it either. You need to ask yourself, are they ready to
receive this truth? That's part of love too, Okay, that's part is
that you use the proper timing. You need to remember this next verse Proverbs
twelve fourteen. They're on your outline. Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as
any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal. So you want a wound,
you want to heal. You want to help, You want to hurt.
The solution if you're in a conflict right now with somebody, the solution,
because you're having a conflict, The solution is not deception, but tacked
tact. You might want to write that down. The solution to my conflict
is not deception, it's tact. You have a choice to either hurt or
heal. You have a choice to either make a point or make an enemy.
A lot of people when they go out witnessing they're more interested in proving
a point than winning somebody to Christ, do you want to make a point
or do you want to make it and make an enemy? Or do you
want to make a friend and a convert? What are you more interested in?
Now? What I want to recommend is that if you've got a conflict
going in with somebody, here's what integrity. Does. You plan your presentation,
okay, especially your introduction. Okay, you know there's something between you
and somebody else, you plan out what you're going to say, and then
you choose the right time that's best for them, Not when they're tired,
not when they're pressured, not when they're hurried. Proverbs sixteen twenty three says,
intelligent people think before they speak. That's another verse our leaders need to
learn. Intelligence people think before they speak. You don't just run off at
the mouth. Now, this verse you've seen many times for Ecclesiastes eight nine,
there's the right time and the right way to do everything. So Love
says, I'm going to do it at the right time and the right way.
Now, let's review to develop a reputation for integrity. You speak the
truth plainly. You'll let your yes b yes and your no be no,
and you don't go swearing on a stack of Bibles and having to call other
people, and you just let your own character be the witness. You speak
the truth plainly, you share the truth completely, you use the truth tactfully
and lovingly. And here's number four. Live the truth consistently. Oh my
goodness, that's the one we all need to work on. Live in the
truth consistently. How different would people think of Christianity if we all live the
truth consistently? See being honest eighty percent of the time, that's not integrity.
It's like faithfulness ninety percent of the time. Isn't faithfulness? So honey,
I'll be faithful you all, but one day a month that's partial.
Faithfulness is unfaithfulness. Partial honesty is dishonesty. Being honest is all the time
integrity. Phesians four fifteen says this, let our lives lovingly express the truth.
Okay, this is living the truth. Let our lives lovingly express the
truth in all things, speaking truly, feeling truly, living truly. If
we would do that as Christians, if people like what they saw, they
would listen to what we say. You see when you live without integrity,
you're only hurting yourself. Proverbs eleven three says this. People who can't be
trusted are destroyed by their own dishonesty. People who can't be trusted are destroyed
by their own dishonesty. Now, I mentioned earlier that integrity is a requirement
for leadership. In other words, in scripture, in order to be a
leader, you are required to have integrity. Why because all leadership is based
on trust. People don't trust you, you can't lead them. If you
don't trust me, I can't lead you. People must have trust in the
leader in order to be led, and all trust is built on truth.
If you don't tell people the truth, I'm gonna trust Now. The Bible
says this about one of the greatest leaders in history in Psalm seventy seventy eight.
It was about David the King. Psalm seventy eight. This is one
of my life Verses seventy eight seventy two says this, David shepherded the people
with integrity of heart, and with skillful hands he led them. He shepherded
the people with integrity of heart, and with skillful hands he led them.
This verse tells us the two reasons David was an effective leader. Character and
competence. Character and combinists. He shepherded them, okay, with a pure
heart, integrity of heart, and with skillful hands. He led them.
Character and combetists. Both are absolutely essential to leadership. One without the other
disasters be a good person still be an incompetent leader. On the other hand,
you can have really great gifts and skills and not have good character,
and you suck. David had both. David had both. He shepherded them.
That means he cared for them. That word shepherd's word pastor he pastored
them with integrity of heart. That's character, and he led them with skillful
hands. That's competence. So let me just say this, since we're getting
close to election. Anytime you vote for a leader, these are the two
things you need to look keep in mind. Who's got the best character and
who's the most competent Who's got the best character and competence combination. By the
way, personally, I'd like to ask you to pray for me that these
two qualities will be true in my life as I seek to lead you through
this pandemic or in anything else. I want to lead you with integrity of
heart, and I want to sheperd for you with integrity of heart and lead
you with skillful hands. Why was David so effective in competence and character because
of his commitment to personal integrity. In fact, he wrote down his commitment.
He wrote it down and put it in a psalm. It's called Psalm
one oh one. And I want to encourage you to make Psalm one oh
one your personal covenant to live a faith that is known for integrity. I'm
gonna read it to you, Psalm one oh one, Verses one to seven.
This is David's personal commitment to integrity, and I would encourage you to
make Psalm one O one one to seven your personal inory covenant. Here's what
he says, Psalm one oh one. This is my song of commitment to
your love and justice. Oh Lord. First you start with commitment to love
in the world and justice in the world. Will you commit to those two
things. I want to see love in the world and I want to see
justice in the world. Okay, he says, this is my song of
commitment to your love and justice. O Lord. And here's what he says.
And I listen to all these things, I will lead a life of
integrity in my own home. Well, that's where it starts, and that's
where it's hardest. I'll lead a life of integrity in my own home.
I will refuse number two. I will refuse to look at anything degrading or
demeaning. Now you probably thinking, oh, that's pornography. Yeah, it
includes pornography. But let me tell you what else. It is a lot
of social media that are degrading and demeaning of other people, and other racists
and other religions. I will refuse to look at anything degrading or demeaning.
That's a lot. Are you getting your vision from God or you getting your
vision from television? If you're spending more time on television than in God's vision,
I know where you're getting your worldview. I will refuse to support anything
shameful or corrupt. Wow. I will not be dishonest, and I will
have nothing to do with anything evil. This is Psalm one on one.
I will silence anyone who spreads gossip and slander about others. This is David
talking Psalm one on one. This is his covenant of integrity. I will
silence anyone who spreads gossip and slander about others. And I will not tolerate
anyone who looks down on others. Instead, he says, I'll keep my
eyes on the godly of the land, and they will be my heroes.
Only those with integrity shall minister to me. David is the King, He's
don't nobody's going to serve in my court who doesn't have integrity. Only those
with integrity shall minister to me. No one who cheats or lies will ever
have a position in my royal court. That was written easily twenty five hundred
years ago, but it is relevant today as a newspaper. In fact,
it's more relevant. I want to challenge you to get this outline, get
that verse on one on one, and make it your covenant of integrity.
All right, that's a power for prayer. Father. I want to thank
you for your word that it's piercing of our hearts, and it discerns all
of our motives and our mixed motivations. And Lord, we don't want to
be a bad reputation for your family. We don't want our name to bring
shame to your name. We don't want people to reject you because they reject
us. Help us to live with integrity. Now, you pray, say
God, help me, help me Lord, to speak the truth plainly,
to let my yes be yes and my no be no. To not say
I swear on a stack of Bibles, or I swear to God or anything
else, but to just let my own character be enough to say yep or
no. May we be known for that kind of integrity. And then say,
Lord, help me to share the truth completely, Do not do the
half truths, to have the courage the fortitude to go the last ten percent,
realizing that it may be painful, but what's more painful of the scars
of deception and deceit. Help me to speak the truth in love. Help
me to share not only completely, but to use the truth tactfully. Give
me for the times I've clubbed people with the truth and that I have not
been loving. Help me to be tactful, to look at when they need
to hear it, to only speak, only speak those words that build up,
that benefit those who listen, that meet their needs, not what I
need, but what they need. And then Lord, help me to live
with integrity, that I speak and I live, and I think and I
act, and I realize that no matter what I say or do, whether
it's on social media, or whether it's in a business deal or in anything
else that I represent. You, May you raise up leaders in our church
in a world that's filled with leaders without integrity. I pray you raise up
a new generation of leaders that are committed to speaking, living the truth in
love. If you've never opened your life to Jesus Christ, he will give
you the power to do this. And you can say, right now,
Jesus Christ, I don't understand it all, but I want to become a
person of integrity and I can't do it on my own without you. You
to say, Jesus, come into my life. Oh, I open myself
to you. I don't want to be a deceitful person. I want to
be a woman of integrity, a man of integrity. I want to stand
with the truth, but I want to share it in love. So accept
me into your family and teach me what I need to do. I humbly
ast this in your name, Amen,