WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:03.160 Jesus says, there are eight things that bring God's blessing 2 00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:05.559 in your life. I want your life to be blessed. 3 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:09.080 I want my life to be blessed. And Jesus says, 4 00:00:09.080 --> 00:00:13.679 these are the keys to being blessed by God. Now 5 00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:21.000 you know, our culture is absolutely obsessed with appearance, how 6 00:00:21.160 --> 00:00:21.920 you look. 7 00:00:22.199 --> 00:00:24.239 We're all about image. 8 00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:28.760 And if you're beautiful, then you're considered bright and you're 9 00:00:28.800 --> 00:00:32.960 considered the best, which leaves most of us not in 10 00:00:33.000 --> 00:00:37.640 the brightest and best. Now you could be sexy like me. 11 00:00:41.719 --> 00:00:45.039 But the Bible says God couldn't care less how you look. 12 00:00:45.679 --> 00:00:49.119 God is not into appearance. God couldn't care less about 13 00:00:49.159 --> 00:00:54.759 your achievements, your accomplishments, or your acquisitions. God isn't interested 14 00:00:54.799 --> 00:00:55.920 in how educated you. 15 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:57.280 Are or how wealthy you are. 16 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:02.240 God doesn't care about how popular or how famous you are. 17 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:07.319 What God cares about is not your image. But he 18 00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:12.359 cares about your health and your heart and what's inside you, 19 00:01:12.879 --> 00:01:16.200 the real you, the Bible says. In the Book of 20 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:19.519 First Samuel, chapter sixteen, it says this in verse seven. 21 00:01:20.480 --> 00:01:25.120 Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks 22 00:01:25.159 --> 00:01:28.680 at the heart. And so today we come to the 23 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:32.359 sixth of Jesus eight beatitudes of ways to be blessed, 24 00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:35.519 And in Matthew chapter five, verse eight, talking about heart, 25 00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:40.840 it says this, God blesses those whose hearts are pure, 26 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:44.920 for they will see God. 27 00:01:45.079 --> 00:01:47.040 Now, what in the world does that mean. 28 00:01:47.319 --> 00:01:49.840 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will 29 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:50.239 see God. 30 00:01:50.280 --> 00:01:52.079 First, what does it mean they will see God? 31 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:57.120 This verse says, the people whose hearts are pure, they're 32 00:01:57.159 --> 00:02:00.359 the ones who get up close to God, get to 33 00:02:00.359 --> 00:02:04.480 experience the presence of God. They get to feel the 34 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:08.520 power of God. They get to know the purpose of 35 00:02:08.560 --> 00:02:11.960 God for their life. They get to live in the 36 00:02:12.039 --> 00:02:17.560 peace of God. They experience the pardon of God. These 37 00:02:17.560 --> 00:02:20.520 are the people who really have it, he says. God 38 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:23.439 blesses those who are pure in heart. They're the ones 39 00:02:23.680 --> 00:02:27.479 that God says. This guy, he's my friend. This woman, 40 00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:31.520 she's my friend. So what does it mean to be 41 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:35.280 pure in heart? That's not a term we use in 42 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:37.759 today's language. We don't talk about saying, oh, she's got 43 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:41.240 a pure heart. The word for pure in heart today 44 00:02:41.360 --> 00:02:45.919 is the word integrity. Integrity. Now, the Bible uses the 45 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:48.280 word integrity a lot, but it actually even uses. 46 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:49.159 The word blameless. 47 00:02:49.719 --> 00:02:53.919 More. Now, what does it mean to have integrity? Because 48 00:02:53.919 --> 00:02:56.599 if God says I bless those who have integrity, what 49 00:02:56.599 --> 00:03:01.080 does it mean to have integrity doesn't mean sinless, and 50 00:03:01.159 --> 00:03:03.280 it doesn't mean perfect, Then it doesn't mean you don't 51 00:03:03.319 --> 00:03:06.240 make any mistakes. If you have to be sinless to 52 00:03:06.240 --> 00:03:09.280 have integrity, nobody's got integrity. 53 00:03:09.639 --> 00:03:11.639 Because we all blow it. 54 00:03:11.639 --> 00:03:14.319 It doesn't mean perfect because if you have to be 55 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:18.479 perfect and never do anything wrong to have integrity, then 56 00:03:18.520 --> 00:03:22.039 none of us will ever have integrity. It doesn't mean 57 00:03:22.759 --> 00:03:25.639 you never make any mistakes. If that were true, none 58 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:29.400 of us would ever have integrity. So it's not talking 59 00:03:29.439 --> 00:03:33.000 about being perfect being sinless. What does it mean to 60 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:39.000 be pure in heart? Let me explain something to you. 61 00:03:39.080 --> 00:03:42.240 God is more interested in the direction of your heart 62 00:03:42.360 --> 00:03:46.000 than he is in the sins you commit. He's more 63 00:03:46.039 --> 00:03:49.479 interested in your attitude even than your actions. He's more 64 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:52.120 interested in why you do what you do than what 65 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:57.360 you do. In the Bible, there are many examples of 66 00:03:57.639 --> 00:04:01.360 people who did the right thing for the wrong motivation, 67 00:04:01.520 --> 00:04:04.759 and God says doesn't count. It doesn't count at all. 68 00:04:05.879 --> 00:04:07.840 On the other hand, the Bible tells us about a 69 00:04:07.919 --> 00:04:11.560 number of leaders different kings of Israel who actually didn't 70 00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:13.719 always do the right thing and actually did some sin, 71 00:04:13.800 --> 00:04:14.520 and yet God. 72 00:04:14.360 --> 00:04:16.879 Said they're okay, They're okay. 73 00:04:17.639 --> 00:04:19.600 They didn't remove all of the idols that were in 74 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:23.120 the thing, but they were a good king. And so 75 00:04:23.240 --> 00:04:27.839 God is actually more interested in your heart the direction 76 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:32.199 of your heart, than he is in your actual sins 77 00:04:32.319 --> 00:04:34.480 and what you do and don't. So what is integrity. 78 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:38.319 The Bible says that Noah had integrity. The Bible says 79 00:04:38.360 --> 00:04:43.959 that Abraham had integrity, that David had integrity, that Moses 80 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:47.920 had integrity, that Paul had integrity. Yeah, none of these 81 00:04:47.959 --> 00:04:50.959 guys were perfect. I mean, let's just take David an example. 82 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:55.079 God says about King David, there is a man who 83 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:57.199 has a heart like mine. 84 00:04:57.399 --> 00:05:00.360 He's a man after my own heart. You read that. 85 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:00.879 You know what. 86 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:03.800 This is a guy who committed adultery and murdered the 87 00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:08.160 girl's husband one time. He pretended he was mentally insane 88 00:05:08.360 --> 00:05:09.240 to get out of a thing. 89 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:10.800 He did all kinds of weird things. 90 00:05:11.160 --> 00:05:13.720 He was not perfect in any sense, and yet God 91 00:05:13.720 --> 00:05:16.959 says that guy over there, yeah he's really messed up, 92 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:22.160 but he's got a heart like mine. I want you 93 00:05:22.240 --> 00:05:24.279 to have a heart like God's. I want to have 94 00:05:24.319 --> 00:05:26.360 a heart like God. I want us to be people 95 00:05:26.920 --> 00:05:39.879 of integrity. So excuse me. Wow, that felt good and 96 00:05:39.959 --> 00:05:42.399 you didn't even have to say God, bless you. Oh 97 00:05:42.439 --> 00:05:46.439 you did, Thank you, God bless you too. You have integrity. 98 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:48.959 Thank you? All right? 99 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:51.959 Write down three words, three words that define what it 100 00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:54.560 means to be a man of integrity, what it means 101 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:57.240 to be a woman of integrity. The first meaning of 102 00:05:57.240 --> 00:06:03.480 integrity is wholeness, whole. It means your life isn't divided 103 00:06:03.560 --> 00:06:04.720 up in the compartments. 104 00:06:05.040 --> 00:06:07.279 It's not divided into segments. 105 00:06:07.720 --> 00:06:10.120 You don't have your life all divided up in little, 106 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:13.879 little categories. Your life is one large hole. We get 107 00:06:13.920 --> 00:06:18.720 the word integrity from the word integer or integer. You 108 00:06:18.759 --> 00:06:23.160 remember in math, an integer is a whole number. It's 109 00:06:23.160 --> 00:06:25.319 not a fraction, it's not a part of a number, 110 00:06:25.319 --> 00:06:26.319 it's not a decimal. 111 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:28.240 It's a whole number. 112 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:32.959 And integer means whole, and integrity means your life is 113 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:38.399 a whole. We get the word integration from the word 114 00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:43.959 integer or integrity. Integration is the opposite of segregation. Segregation 115 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:47.079 means you you divide things up, or divide people up, 116 00:06:47.160 --> 00:06:52.279 or whatever into different categories. Integration means no, no, we're 117 00:06:52.319 --> 00:06:56.000 all part of the same family. We don't think the same, 118 00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:58.360 look the same, smell, the same, act the same, don't 119 00:06:58.360 --> 00:07:01.079 have the same background, don't have the same skin. 120 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:03.000 Color, don't have but we are all in. 121 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:07.160 The same family. We are integrated. That's part of integrity. 122 00:07:07.959 --> 00:07:13.480 When you segregate your life, you don't have integrity. You see, 123 00:07:13.800 --> 00:07:15.879 it's like this. A lot of people they think of 124 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:18.480 their life as like a pie, and the different things 125 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:20.399 in their lives are the different parts of the pie. 126 00:07:20.600 --> 00:07:23.240 And I see, this slice of the pie is my career. 127 00:07:23.319 --> 00:07:26.040 That's my work life. And then this slice of the 128 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:29.480 pie this is church. This is my spiritual life. And 129 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:33.279 then this is my family life. That's the slice. And 130 00:07:33.319 --> 00:07:36.879 then over here this is my social life, my sports life. 131 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:39.639 And then here is my sex life. That's a part 132 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:43.800 of my pie. And then over here is my secret life, 133 00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:47.040 my compulsions, my addictions are the things that nobody else 134 00:07:47.079 --> 00:07:48.560 knows about my secret life. 135 00:07:48.639 --> 00:07:53.279 And then over here this is my my friendship life. 136 00:07:54.800 --> 00:07:59.639 If you segment your life like that, you lack integrity 137 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:03.040 because it's the exact opposite of your life being a whole. 138 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:05.639 Integrity is not the parts of the pie, it's the 139 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:08.920 filling in the whole pie. And it means you're exactly 140 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:11.759 the same with everybody you talk to. You no matter 141 00:08:11.800 --> 00:08:14.759 which part of your life you're dealing with, you don't change, 142 00:08:14.759 --> 00:08:16.959 You don't wear a mask, you don't pretend. And that's 143 00:08:17.000 --> 00:08:19.519 the second word I want you to write down. Integrity 144 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:26.120 means authenticity. Authenticity. It means you keep it real. It 145 00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:29.120 means you're the real deal. You're not a fake, you're 146 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:32.320 not a phony. You're not blowing people off with some scam. 147 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:35.919 You're not faking it till you make it. You're not pretending, 148 00:08:36.559 --> 00:08:38.840 you're not copying anybody else. You're not trying to be 149 00:08:38.919 --> 00:08:42.360 somebody you're not. You are exactly who you appear to be. 150 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:46.240 And if you have integrity, you act the same no 151 00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:50.080 matter where you are. That is, I act the same 152 00:08:50.360 --> 00:08:55.000 way with my grandkids as I do with you, as 153 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:59.399 I would with the Prime Minister of England. It's what 154 00:08:59.440 --> 00:09:01.159 you see is what you get. It's warts and all. 155 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:03.240 It's not like I'm trying to be one way here 156 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:04.519 and one way there in one way here. 157 00:09:04.600 --> 00:09:06.720 Now, you're just who you are, for good or for bad. 158 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:13.360 Thousands of years ago, during the great Greek culture, when 159 00:09:13.480 --> 00:09:18.399 Plato and Socrates and Aristotle and Euripides and Aristophanes and 160 00:09:19.000 --> 00:09:21.840 all these guys are writing these plays, these classic plays, 161 00:09:21.879 --> 00:09:25.240 Homer and the Iliad and the Odyssey, all of these things. Well, 162 00:09:25.879 --> 00:09:30.559 they used to have in Greek plays multiple roles. 163 00:09:30.279 --> 00:09:31.080 By one actor. 164 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:34.320 And what is a guy would come from backstage out 165 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:36.480 into the forum to play a part, and he would 166 00:09:36.480 --> 00:09:38.519 hold up a mask, and he'd wear a mask, and 167 00:09:38.600 --> 00:09:40.799 he would say certain things and play that role. Then 168 00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:44.519 he'd walk backstage, get another mask, come back out, and 169 00:09:44.559 --> 00:09:48.240 he'd play another role wearing another mask. Then he'd walk backstage, 170 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:51.120 change it, get another mask, and come back out. And 171 00:09:51.159 --> 00:09:53.879 in Greek plays, one guy could have multiple roles in 172 00:09:53.960 --> 00:10:00.240 many masks, and he was called in Greek the hohopocretos, 173 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:03.879 the hip. We get the word hypocrite from it. What 174 00:10:03.879 --> 00:10:05.679 does it mean to be a hypocrite. It means you're 175 00:10:05.679 --> 00:10:08.759 not the same with everybody. It means you talk one 176 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:10.480 way with this group, and you talk another way with 177 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:12.240 this group, and you use this kind of language over there, 178 00:10:12.240 --> 00:10:14.679 that kind of language over there, and you actually are 179 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:19.320 wearing masks. That is the exact opposite of integrity. You 180 00:10:19.440 --> 00:10:25.799 lack authenticity. You're not the same with everybody. Integrity means 181 00:10:25.840 --> 00:10:29.159 you don't pretend to be something you're not, so it's 182 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:32.159 wholeness and authenticity. The third thing that antigrity is write 183 00:10:32.200 --> 00:10:37.440 this down is it means unmixed motivation. It means you 184 00:10:37.519 --> 00:10:39.919 do the right thing, but you do it for the 185 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:46.480 right reason. Unmixed motivation, it means you're sincere. It means 186 00:10:46.559 --> 00:10:50.159 you're straightforward. It means you are pure in heart. 187 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:51.039 Pure in heart. 188 00:10:50.919 --> 00:10:53.279 Means you don't have a mixed motive. In other words, 189 00:10:54.080 --> 00:10:56.480 you're doing it for the right reason. You can pray 190 00:10:56.720 --> 00:10:59.279 to talk to God, or you can pray to impress 191 00:10:59.320 --> 00:11:05.080 other people. One has integrity and one doesn't. Integrity is 192 00:11:05.159 --> 00:11:09.919 what you are when nobody else is looking. Integrity is 193 00:11:09.960 --> 00:11:12.960 what you are in the dark. Integrity is what you 194 00:11:13.080 --> 00:11:16.279 really think, act and do when nobody else will ever 195 00:11:16.399 --> 00:11:21.879 find out. That's the real you. Integrity. You see, we're 196 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:27.720 more interested in image, but God's interested in integrity. We're 197 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:33.360 interested in reputation. God is interested in character. Reputation is 198 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:37.440 what everybody thinks you are. Image, I mean, integrity is 199 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:42.039 what you really are. Reputation is what you are in public. 200 00:11:44.960 --> 00:11:48.240 Integrity is what you are when you're all alone with God. 201 00:11:48.360 --> 00:11:52.279 It's just you and God. And God says, God blesses 202 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:56.720 those who have integrity. They get to be the friends 203 00:11:56.919 --> 00:12:00.200 of God. Now what does God say about this this 204 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:03.279 verse up here on the screen Proverbs chapter three. The 205 00:12:03.440 --> 00:12:08.320 Lord hates people with twisted hearts. What's a twisted heart, 206 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:12.200 a perverse heart, a perverted heart, a deceitful heart, a 207 00:12:12.279 --> 00:12:17.159 demeaning heart, a fake, a phony heart. It's not you know, 208 00:12:17.200 --> 00:12:19.120 you don't really, you're not the real you. The Lord 209 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:24.279 hates people with twisted hearts, but he delights. He delights 210 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:31.399 in those who have integrity. I want God to delight 211 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:35.519 in you. So what we're gonna do this weekend is 212 00:12:35.559 --> 00:12:37.600 two things. First, I want us to look at some 213 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:40.279 of the benefits of being a man of integrity or 214 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:43.799 a woman of integrity. And Tom is gonna come and 215 00:12:43.840 --> 00:12:46.519 share in just a minute two or three benefits. There 216 00:12:46.519 --> 00:12:49.279 are many, many benefits in scripture. We just don't have 217 00:12:49.320 --> 00:12:50.879 time to cover them all, so we'll only look at 218 00:12:50.919 --> 00:12:53.759 three of the promises that God says, if you live 219 00:12:53.799 --> 00:12:56.559 with integrity, then this is what's going to happen in 220 00:12:56.600 --> 00:12:58.639 your life, and then I'm gonna come back and we're 221 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:00.720 going to look at a little checklist on how to 222 00:13:00.759 --> 00:13:04.039 get started and how even this week you could start 223 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:08.480 working on becoming a woman of integrity or a man 224 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:19.759 of integrity. Hi, everybody, I'm Pastor Rick Warren. You know, 225 00:13:19.799 --> 00:13:22.639 when I started Saddlebacked Church over forty years ago, just 226 00:13:22.679 --> 00:13:25.720 a handful of people in our living room. I also 227 00:13:25.879 --> 00:13:30.080 began writing a simple devotional just for the people in 228 00:13:30.080 --> 00:13:33.399 our church to help them start each day with hope 229 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:38.120 and with truth and with peace that comes from Jesus Christ. Well, 230 00:13:38.159 --> 00:13:40.440 you know that little devotional grew and grew and grew 231 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:43.919 in today, Daily Hope is one of the largest email 232 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:47.720 devotions in the whole world, and each day people all 233 00:13:47.759 --> 00:13:52.039 around the globe are reconnecting with God's promises and finding 234 00:13:52.159 --> 00:13:56.080 fresh strength in his word to face whatever comes their way. 235 00:13:56.720 --> 00:14:00.399 Here's the best part. It's absolutely free. Okay, we don't 236 00:14:00.399 --> 00:14:02.879 have any charge for this. Every day you'll get a 237 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:07.720 quick devotional read and a podcast that you can listen. 238 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:08.480 To on the go. 239 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:12.840 Now, you know, in a world it's more distracted and 240 00:14:12.919 --> 00:14:16.840 uncertain than ever, I want to help you start your 241 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:22.120 day centered on what never changes. And what never changes 242 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:25.879 is a God's love is unconditional love for you and 243 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:29.519 his promises to you. You know, if you'll just spend 244 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:31.960 just a few minutes a day in the morning with 245 00:14:32.120 --> 00:14:37.120 the Lord, it can bring so much more clarity, more purpose, 246 00:14:37.360 --> 00:14:42.360 more peace to everything that happens in your day. Particularly, 247 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:44.720 a psychologist has said that what you do with the 248 00:14:44.720 --> 00:14:49.600 first five minutes of your day pretty much sets the tone. So, friend, 249 00:14:49.799 --> 00:14:53.080 you were never meant to go through life alone. I 250 00:14:53.120 --> 00:14:56.279 want to personally invite you to just sign up for 251 00:14:56.360 --> 00:14:59.960 the Daily Hope devotional. Do it today. I think it's 252 00:15:00.080 --> 00:15:04.679 going to bring fresh encouragement to your walk in God, 253 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:05.679 God bless you. 254 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:10.799 Would you like to sign up for Pastor Rick's email devotional. 255 00:15:11.440 --> 00:15:14.240 You can just scan the QR code or go to 256 00:15:14.399 --> 00:15:17.600 dailyhopetv dot com. 257 00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:19.879 So let's have Tom come and talk about some of 258 00:15:19.919 --> 00:15:22.519 the blessings that happen when I get this quality in 259 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:23.000 my life. 260 00:15:24.519 --> 00:15:32.000 One of the great blessings, one of the great blessings 261 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:34.440 that comes when we have integrity is the blessing of 262 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:37.320 personal confidence. You just live with a different kind of 263 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:39.759 confidence because you're not trying to be a phony all 264 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:41.679 the time. You're not trying to make sure that you're 265 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:43.759 putting the right front with the right person all the time, 266 00:15:43.879 --> 00:15:46.360 so you're able to have a different kind of confidence. 267 00:15:46.600 --> 00:15:48.879 When you have integrity, you become the kind of person 268 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:51.639 that other people like to be around because you know 269 00:15:51.679 --> 00:15:54.440 who you are, you know where you're going. You're even 270 00:15:54.480 --> 00:15:57.360 able to be upfront about your faults. You're not to 271 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:59.679 be a phony. And there's just something about that kind 272 00:15:59.720 --> 00:16:02.799 of confidence that not only is it attractive in others, 273 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:06.519 it's relaxing, it's strengthening in our own lives. I've always 274 00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:08.919 loved this picture Proverbs ten to nine, of the kind 275 00:16:08.919 --> 00:16:12.639 of confidence that integrity brings. It says here, people with 276 00:16:12.679 --> 00:16:16.399 integrity have a firm footing, but those who follow crooked 277 00:16:16.519 --> 00:16:21.799 paths will slip and fall. So when I have integrity, 278 00:16:21.879 --> 00:16:24.840 I'm standing on solid ground. But when I don't have integrity, 279 00:16:24.879 --> 00:16:28.120 it's like back east in a snowstorm. That path is 280 00:16:28.159 --> 00:16:30.720 all icy, and you're trying with all your might not 281 00:16:30.840 --> 00:16:33.399 the fall, and every bit of energy is making sure 282 00:16:33.559 --> 00:16:34.840 you don't slip and fall. 283 00:16:34.960 --> 00:16:36.799 That's what it feels like not to have integrity. 284 00:16:36.799 --> 00:16:40.039 You're putting too much energy into making sure that you 285 00:16:40.120 --> 00:16:41.240 put the right fault. 286 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:43.279 Front when you could just be honest, just be yourself. 287 00:16:44.039 --> 00:16:46.720 I'll never forget talking to a business guy years ago 288 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:49.799 and I asked him, what's the number one thing that 289 00:16:49.919 --> 00:16:51.759 changed in your life now that you've become a follower 290 00:16:51.799 --> 00:16:54.960 of Jesus. He just started following Jesus a few months before, 291 00:16:55.320 --> 00:16:57.480 and he said, the number one thing that's changed, said 292 00:16:57.519 --> 00:17:00.000 it right away is the way I answer the phone. 293 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:00.879 He said. 294 00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:03.000 I used to answer the phone and I would tell 295 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:05.480 a different lie to everybody in my business, and I'd 296 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:07.559 have to look at their name and realize what lie 297 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:10.200 did I tell this guy? And before I answer the phone, 298 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:12.359 know what lie in my mind. But now I can 299 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:14.279 just answer because I tell them the truth. I can 300 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:16.119 just answer and they not even have to look at 301 00:17:16.119 --> 00:17:18.720 the name. That's what integrity does for you. It gives 302 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:21.240 you this different kind of confidence. The Bible says in 303 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:25.799 Problems eleven three, let's read this one together. The integrity 304 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:30.640 of the honest keeps them on track. So integrity shows 305 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:32.880 you the right way to go. It also shows you 306 00:17:32.920 --> 00:17:36.119 what to do next. Sometimes you start to wander through 307 00:17:36.160 --> 00:17:37.880 life you're not sure what to do next, maybe in 308 00:17:37.920 --> 00:17:40.759 a transition, maybe when your kids, is going off to college. 309 00:17:40.799 --> 00:17:43.440 Maybe you just change jobs. What do you do next? 310 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:46.839 Well, the Bible says that when you have purity of heart, 311 00:17:46.839 --> 00:17:50.079 when you have integrity, you see God better. When you 312 00:17:50.119 --> 00:17:51.960 see God, you know what to do next. Because God 313 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:54.079 has a purpose. God has a plan for your life. 314 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:57.680 Integrity helps you to see God's plan and purpose for 315 00:17:57.720 --> 00:17:59.559 your life better. That's one of the things that gives 316 00:17:59.559 --> 00:18:01.400 you a greater confidence to live with. One of the 317 00:18:01.400 --> 00:18:05.680 great blessings of integrity, a second blessing of integrity is 318 00:18:05.960 --> 00:18:07.480 a lasting legacy. 319 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:09.599 You get this lasting legacy. 320 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:12.599 In fact, if you think about your life, your greatest 321 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:17.440 legacy is in your integrity, because it's a legacy that 322 00:18:17.480 --> 00:18:22.279 will last from generation to generation to generation. Everything else 323 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:24.480 that we do, it gets lost. The money that you 324 00:18:24.599 --> 00:18:26.960 earn in the end, it's going to get divided amongst 325 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:29.279 your kids. If you have any money left, and it's 326 00:18:29.319 --> 00:18:31.799 going to get spent the work that you do, it's 327 00:18:31.799 --> 00:18:33.519 going to be given to somebody else, and then you're 328 00:18:33.559 --> 00:18:36.319 going to be forgotten. All the trophies that you've earned. 329 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:38.279 It's going to be thrown in the trash someday and 330 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:40.839 taken to the dump. Isn't this encouraging about our lives. 331 00:18:42.119 --> 00:18:45.799 But the integrity that you have, the character that you have, 332 00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:48.440 it's going to be translated into the lives of the 333 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:50.279 people that are around you, and then into the lives 334 00:18:50.319 --> 00:18:52.880 of the next generation and the next generation. It is 335 00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:57.519 a lasting legacy. Next verson you're outlined. Proverbs twenty seven 336 00:18:57.599 --> 00:19:01.200 is especially encouraging for parents. It says a righteous person 337 00:19:02.079 --> 00:19:05.119 lives on the basis of his integrity. Blessed are his 338 00:19:05.319 --> 00:19:08.880 children after he is gone. It's the blessing, moms and 339 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:11.640 dads of the character that you've given. I know there's 340 00:19:11.640 --> 00:19:13.839 no such thing as a perfect parent here, but you've 341 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:16.359 made some good choices, and in those good choices, you're 342 00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:19.519 passing them on. And you might think, not me, I 343 00:19:19.519 --> 00:19:23.680 haven't made any good choices. I mean, I messed up 344 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:26.960 on this one. I did not show integrity in my relationships, 345 00:19:27.160 --> 00:19:30.599 and because of that, I guess I don't get this blessing. Well, 346 00:19:30.640 --> 00:19:32.279 I just want to say to you, the story is 347 00:19:32.279 --> 00:19:35.680 not over. You can still have integrity in your life, 348 00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:38.920 and sometimes the greatest integrity you show is in a 349 00:19:38.960 --> 00:19:41.480 time when it seems like there's no blessings. A lot 350 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:43.440 of us know the story of job if you're brand 351 00:19:43.519 --> 00:19:45.480 new in church, you might even know that story the 352 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:49.799 guy who lost it all and he decided to have integrity. 353 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:50.559 Even though he lost it all. 354 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:52.359 He didn't know why he lost it, but he decided, 355 00:19:52.440 --> 00:19:55.359 I'm going to have integrity through this and the next 356 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:57.599 verse in your outline, Job eight five to seven, one 357 00:19:57.599 --> 00:20:00.319 of his friends gives him this advice, I pay to 358 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:03.759 God and seek the favor of the Almighty. If you're 359 00:20:03.799 --> 00:20:07.319 pure and you live with complete integrity, God will rise 360 00:20:07.440 --> 00:20:10.680 up and restore your happy home. And though you started 361 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:14.440 with little, you will end with much. And that is 362 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:18.799 exactly what happened. Job decided to have integrity even through 363 00:20:18.839 --> 00:20:21.440 a difficult time, and because of that, in the end 364 00:20:21.599 --> 00:20:22.839 he was doubly blessed. 365 00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:24.920 He was blessed even more in the end. 366 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:28.759 Some of you, you've gone through a tough time, maybe 367 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:31.839 even a loss of integrity, and because of a loss, 368 00:20:31.839 --> 00:20:33.920 you start to think, what does it matter? I already 369 00:20:33.960 --> 00:20:36.400 messed up, so I may as well just keep messing up, 370 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:38.000 because what does it matter now? But I just want 371 00:20:38.039 --> 00:20:40.440 to say to you, the story is not over, and 372 00:20:40.480 --> 00:20:43.480 the truth of the matter is your greatest integrity might 373 00:20:43.519 --> 00:20:46.039 be what you do after a loss of integrity. 374 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:47.039 You can still. 375 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:49.920 Respond with integrity then, and somebody's watching, and you know what, 376 00:20:49.920 --> 00:20:51.799 They're going to have a loss of integrity someday in 377 00:20:51.839 --> 00:20:53.759 their life, and you can show them even now what 378 00:20:53.880 --> 00:20:56.400 to do. You can still leave a lasting legacy. It's 379 00:20:56.480 --> 00:20:58.839 never too late. The story's not over. It's one of 380 00:20:58.839 --> 00:21:02.680 the blessings of integrity, a lasting legacy, a personal confidence. 381 00:21:02.920 --> 00:21:04.039 And then there's this third. 382 00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:06.240 Blessing amidst all the others that we're looking at today, 383 00:21:06.519 --> 00:21:07.279 and that is the. 384 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:10.279 Blessing of rewards in eternity. 385 00:21:11.039 --> 00:21:14.039 Now, this, in one sense is the greatest blessing because 386 00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:16.400 it's the one that lasts forever, the rewards that we 387 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:18.519 get in eternity. Look what the Bible says about this 388 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:21.359 in Matthew twenty five twenty one, God will say, one day, 389 00:21:21.920 --> 00:21:28.039 well done. You are a good and trusted servant. Because 390 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:31.240 you were faithful with small things. I will now put 391 00:21:31.279 --> 00:21:34.119 you in charge of much greater things. So come and 392 00:21:34.160 --> 00:21:38.400 share your master's happiness. Now, would you circle for me 393 00:21:38.440 --> 00:21:40.680 two words in that verse? Would you circle the words 394 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:46.079 small things? That's where the rewards are. We think that 395 00:21:46.119 --> 00:21:48.480 the rewards, the real integrity is in the big moments 396 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:51.720 of life. It's easy to have integrity, easier because you 397 00:21:51.759 --> 00:21:52.799 know everybody's watching. 398 00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:54.559 You can build yourself up for it. 399 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:58.720 But it's in the small moments that you show real integrity. 400 00:21:58.839 --> 00:22:01.200 As Rick said earlier, integrity is who you are when 401 00:22:01.240 --> 00:22:03.640