GOD S DEMAND FOR INTEGRITY

Transcription

1 GOD SDEMANDFORINTEGRITY 4 25 Therefore,gettingridoffalsehood, letuseachspeakthetruthwithhisneighbor, becausewearememberswithoneanother[ofthesamebody]. 26 Beangry,butdonot sin. Donotletthesunsetonyouranger; 27 donotgiveaplacetothedevil. 28 Hewho has been stealing must no longer steal; rather, let him labor, doing honorable work withhisownhands,sothathemayhavesomethingtosharewiththeonewhoisin need.(eph.4:25 28) Introduction EveryoneintheofficeknewthatLillianwasdifferent.Shehadsomethingtheothers didn thave.asamatteroffact,lillian sdailylifeconvictedthosearoundher. One day one of Lillian s co workers brought to the office some little craft items paperweights,earrings,etc. shehadmadeandhopedtoselltoherfellowworkers. SheapproachedLillian. Lillian,youdon thavetobuyanyofmythings.butitwould helpifyoujustputyournamedownonmyordersheet,indicatingyouweremaking apurchase. For a moment Lillian said nothing. Then she replied, I couldn t do that if I didn t actuallybuysomething.tohelpyouout,i llpurchaseapaperweight.putmyname downforthat. AfterwardsLillian sco workerthoughtabouttheincident.lillianwassavingevery penny in order to go back to school. She couldn t afford to casually purchase a paperweight.whywouldshemakethesacrificejusttoavoidaminordeception?it wasamatterofintegrity.shewouldnotallowherselftohaveanypartinanything thatwasdeceitfulandlessthanhonest. SometimelaterLillianhappenedtopresentthatsameco workerwithagospeltract. HavingseentheLordJesusChristinLillian,asmanifestedbyherintegrity,thatcoworkersurrenderedherlifetoChrist.(POWER,4/18/93,p.8) AsChristians,bythegraceofGod,wearecommandedtoputofftheoldandputon the new According to Ephesians 4:25 28, that means exchanging the sinful attributesoffalsehoodanddeceitforthegodlyattributeofintegrity. I.BecauseofGod sdemandforintegrity, LetUsPutAwayFalsehood(4:25a,28a) The Christian is commanded to get rid of falsehood. We are called to be done withfalsehood;torenounceitasawayoflifeandhavenothingmoretodowith it,notevenasacasual,part timepracticetoberesortedtoonlyin emergency situations.

2 Mostobviously,falsehoodinvolvesspeakinglies,asColossians3:9exhortsus, do notlietooneanother. Butfalsehoodisnotlimitedtojustthetellingofoutright lies. What is in view here is every form of deceit; literally, we are here commandedtoputaway thelie. Thisdemandsthatwedistanceourselvesfrom every form of deceit: half truths, exaggerated claims, understatements, misleadingstatements,etc.whateverisspokenwiththeintentionofmisleading or intentionally misrepresenting the situation all such practices are to be put awayfromthechristian sspeech. We must also take note of Ephesians 4:28a, He who has been stealing must no longer steal. Besides the practice of outright stealing, this commandment includes such things as shoddy workmanship, prolonged breaks on company time, shady business deals, dishonest tax returns, cheating on exams or homework,cheatingatsports,andanyothersuchpractice. Whydopeopletellliesandengageindeceitfulpractices?Onereasontheydosois in order to selfishly gain an unfair advantage or profit, note Proverbs 11:1, A falsebalanceisanabominationtojehovah;butajustweightishisdelight. Rather than putting money and financial success as the foremost thing in our lives, as Christians we are to put Christ first. We are to be like Him, in serving others ratherthanusingothers;andwearetorelyuponhimtomeetourneeds,rather thanresortingtoourowndevices,betheyhonestorotherwise. Anotherreasonpeopleresorttodeceitistheefforttoconcealguiltandthehope of escaping judgment for their misdeeds. Note Exodus 32:21 24, a passage that records Aaron s reply to Moses when the latter questioned him concerning the constructingoftheidolatrousgoldencalf: Moses asked Aaron, What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin? 22 Do not be angry, my lord, Aaron answered. You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, Make us gods who will go beforeus.asforthisfellowmoseswhobroughtusupoutofegypt,wedonot know what has happened to him. 24 So I told them, Whoever has any gold jewelry,takeitoff.thentheygavemethegold,andithrewitintothefire,and outcamethiscalf!(ex.32:21 24) We must take our sins to Christ, honestly confessing them to Him and to those whomwehavewronged.wecanneverconcealoursinsfromhimandeventually He will cause those sins to become openly manifested to all. It is far better to refrainfromsininthefirstplace,ratherthatseektofutilelyconcealoursinsby meansofdeceitafterwehavecommittedthem. Yetanotherreasonpeopleresorttodeceitisinanefforttomakeotherslikethem or think highly of them without going through the hard work or sacrifice that would merit their good opinion and favor. Note Acts 4:36 5:4; a passage that

3 reportstheeffortsofananiasandsapphiratogainthesametypeofreputationas thatofbarnabas,butwithoutthesacrificeandserviceexhibitedbybarnabas: Joseph,aLevitefromCyprus,whomtheapostlescalledBarnabas,(whichmeans SonofEncouragement), 37 soldafieldheownedandbroughtthemoneyandput it at the apostles feet. 5 Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira,alsosoldapieceofproperty. 2 Withhiswife sfullknowledgehekept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles feet. 3 Then Peter said, Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heartthatyouhaveliedtotheholyspiritandhavekeptforyourselfsomeof the money you received for the land? 4 Did it not belong to you before it was sold?andafteritwassold,wasnotthemoneyatyourdisposal?whatmadeyou thinkofdoingsuchathing?youhavenotliedtomenbuttogod.(acts4:36 5:4) As Christians, we should find our identity and significance in our relationship with God in Christ, rather than seeking to gain significance from human relationshipswhethertheybelegitimatelyearnedordeceitfullycontrived. Whyarewerequiredtorenouncedeceitasawayoflifeandasapracticetowhich wemayresort? First, we are required to renounce deceit because such a life and practice is characteristic of the devil, note the Lord Jesus description of his evil character: thedevil wasamurdererfromthebeginningandisnotestablishedinthetruth, becausethereisnotruthinhim.whenhespeaksalie,heisspeakinginaccordance with his own [nature], because he is a liar and the father of lies (Jn. 8:44.) The devilengagesinoutrightlies,daringeventofalselycontradictthewordofgod, ashedidwhenhefirsttemptedadamandeve.thelordgodhadexplicitlysaid, youshallnoteatfromthetreeoftheknowledgeofgoodandevil,forinthedaythat youeatofityoushallsurelydie (Gen.2:17.) Buttheserpentsaidtothewoman, You shall not surely die (Gen. 3:4.) The devil deals in all forms of subtlety; in Genesis3:1heisdescribedasbeing moresubtlethananybeastofthefieldthat JehovahGodhadmade. TheveryfactthatthedevilapproachedEveintheguise ofaserpentbearswitnesstohissubtletyanddeceitfulness.in2corinthians11:3 Pauldeclares, Evewasdeceivedbytheserpent scunning. Second,wearerequiredtorenouncedeceitbecausesuchalifeandsuchpractice is an abomination to the LORD. In Proverbs 12:22 we read, Lying lips are an abominationtojehovah;buttheywhodealtruthfullyarehisdelight. Deceive,inall ofitsforms,iscompletelycontrarytogod sholycharacter: Godisnotaman,that heshouldlie;norasonofman,thatheshouldchangehismind.doeshespeakand thennotact?doeshepromiseandnotfulfill? (Num.23:19.) TheChristianlifedemandsintegrity,thereforewemustputawayfalsehoodinall ofitsformsandforwhatevermotivation.

4 II.BecauseofGod sdemandforintegrity, LetUsPracticeTruthfulness(4:25b,28b) WeasChristiansarecommandedtospeaktruthtooneanother: letuseachspeak the truth with his neighbor. We should also take note of Zechariah 8:16 17, Thesearethethingsyouaretodo:Speakthetruthtoeachother,andexecutethe judgmentoftruthandpeaceinyourcourts; 17 donotplotevilagainstyourneighbor, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this, declares Jehovah. Note that the passageofzechariahconnects thejudgmentoftruthandpeaceinyourcourts. By sodoingitisremindingusthatastablesocietyisonethatisbuiltuponintegrity; whereintegrityislacking,thesocietyitselfisindangerofcollapsing. As Christians, we are commanded to live a life of integrity: faithfulness to our vows, our promises, and our commitments. The righteous man who is well pleasing to the LORD is the man who keeps his oath even when it hurts (Psl. 15:4b.)Thatistosay,hefulfillshiscommitmentevenwhenitiscostlytohimand hemusttakeapersonalloss.livingalifeofintegrityalsomeansfaithfulnessin keepingaconfidence: Hewhogoesaboutasagossiperrevealssecrets;buthewho has a faithful spirit conceals a matter (Prov. 11:13.) Furthermore, a life of integrity involves earning a living by honest means: He who has been stealing must no longer steal; rather, let him labor, doing honorable work with his own hands,sothathemayhavesomethingtosharewiththeonewhoisinneed (Eph. 4:28.) Note that what is presented here is not only a change in practice (from stealing to honest work,) but also a change in attitude (from that of taking advantage of people by stealing from them to ministering to people who are in need.) WhyareweasChristiansrequiredtopracticealifestyleofintegrityandhonesty? First,wearetodosobecausewearecalledtoreflectthecharacterofourCreator and Redeemer, of whom it is written, God cannot lie (Titus 1:2) and God is light,andinhimisnodarknessatall (1Jn.1:5b.)Second,wearetodosobecause integrity and honesty are a delight to the LORD; these are things that make Him happy and receive His blessing: Lying lips are detestable to Jehovah, but he delightsinthosewhodealtruthfully (Prov.12:22.)Third,wearetodosobecause integrity produces trust and promotes stability, as noted above, Zechariah 8:16 indicatesthattruthleadstopeace: Speakthetruthtoeachother,andexecutethe judgmentoftruthandpeaceinyourcourts. What guidelines does the Bible give concerning a lifestyle of honesty and integrity?wearetoministerthetruthinalovingandgraciousmanner;weare calledtopractice thetruthinlove (Eph.4:15.)Thatistosay,wearetospeakthe truthgentlyandforthebenefitofothers,notfortheintentionoftheirhurt.note thatwearealsoexhortedtoacceptthetruthwithahumbleandteachablespirit: the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere (Jas. 3:17.)

5 Then, too, we are to speak the truth with discretion, as is indicated in Proverbs 12:18, Thereisonewhospeaksrashlylikethepiercingsofasword;butthetongue ofthewiseishealth. NotethatthewordsreferredtoinProverbs12:18maybe wordsoftruth,butthelessonoftheproverbisthatevensuchwords,ifspoken rashlyandthoughtlessly,caninflictunnecessaryharm.bywayofillustration:if your friend confides in you that he is a poor swimmer, you need not loudly announce that truth in front of everybody to his embarrassment. It would be more loving to merely inform the lifeguard in a quiet way for the sake of your friend s safety. Sometimes the truth does not need to be spoken to everyone indiscriminately, and it is wiser and kinder to remain silent, speaking only to thosewhoneedtoknowthetruth. WearecalledtolivealifeofhonestyandintegrityforthewelfareofChrist sbody, thechurch: gettingridoffalsehood, letuseachspeakthetruthwithhisneighbor, because we are members with one another [of the same body] (Eph. 4:25.) One reasonforintegrityisthefactthatweareallmembersofonespiritualbody.just as it would be unnatural and unhealthy for the hand to deceive the mouth by offering it poisonous food; so, likewise, it is spiritually unnatural and unhealthy fortheretobedeceitanddishonestyamongchristians.weneedtodevelopnot only the vertical dimension of the Christian life(our personal relationship with God), we need also to develop the horizontal dimension (our relationship with fellow believers) we must do so by being faithful, honest, and dependable towardsoneanother. Accordingtoverse28c,thereasonwearetoengageinhonestlaborissothatwe may have something to give to the one who is in need. Note, again, the whole changeinperspectiveandattitude:whereasthethiefexploitsothersforhisown selfishgain,thechristianistoworkhonestlyandbereadytoshareaportionof hisincomewiththosewhoareingenuineneed.notealsothattheperspectiveis corporate(caringforoneanother),notjustprivate(takingcareofmyselfandmy family.) We must live a lifestyle of honesty and integrity also for the witness of Christ s body. Integrity makes our witness to the world effective and compelling, (note again the case of Lillian referred to in the Introduction.) But lack of integrity contradictsourwitnessandnullifiesitseffectiveness,considerromans2:21,23b 24, a passage in which Paul refers to the negative effect of an inconsistent Christian life: You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preachagainststealing,doyousteal? 23 doyoudishonorgodbybreakingthelaw? 24 Asitiswritten: God snameisblasphemedamongthegentilesbecauseofyou. The Christian life demands integrity, therefore, we must put into practice the godlyattributeoftruthfulnessinourdealingswithfellowchristiansandwithour neighbor. Conclusion

6 Integrity. Is it a characteristic of my life? It is the commandment of Christ for His people.