Integrity Crisis:
1. Character, displayed in the lives
of leadership (religious, professional, political,
educators), is swiftly disappearing in our world today.
A) Admitted practicing
lesbians appointed to high governmental positions.
B) President who is
an admitted womanizer, draft-dodger, and various other
sandals. (Leaders who are liars, cheats, thieves,
murderers, whoremongers, abusers, and dishonest.)
C) Leaders get blamed
when things go wrong.
D) I listen to young
people talk. All across America I am hearing the samething.
We don't trust our leaders.
E) Leadership bashing
is the "in thing" now.
F) I have asked myself
the question, "Why is this?" You have heard
about the energy crisis, the inner city crisis, and
the racial crisis. In America, in the ministry we
are faced with an integrity crisis.
2. Society no longer trust the very people
who they once trusted.
A) According to a recent
survey the clergy no longer enjoys the high level
of trust once received from society. (Have not been
#1 since 1985.)
B) The word "integrity"
means "the state of being complete, unified."
When you have integrity your words and your
deeds match up.
C) "Teach me thy
way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart
to fear thy name" (Psalms 86:11).
D) I am, who I am,
no matter, where I am or who I am with.
3. We've found that just because an individual
is filling a position in the ministry, that does not
automatically mean he is a person of character.
A) David asked the
Lord two important questions in Psalms 15:1-5 "LORD, who
shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in
thy holy hill?"
I. The subject of the 15th chapter of Psalms is character
and integrity. It's only five verses long, but five
of the most powerful verses in the Bible.
A) In these verses
David ask the most important questions of life: "LORD,
who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell
in thy holy hill?"
1. As Christian leaders we've asked God
many questions:
* Who should I marry?
* Where should I live / purchase a home?
* Will I be a preacher / teacher / evangelist / missionary?
* What subject should I speak on next time I have
an opportunity?
* Where should I put my ministry to use -- Home or
Foreign, Pastor or Evangelist, Preaching or Music???
2. Because we are a leader we ask so
many BIG questions that we often overlook asking the
most important ones.
3. Too often now we're seeing men and
women of God fall into sin and compromise the Word
of God. Why?
(a) Their priorities
are not right:
"LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who
shall dwell in thy holy hill?"
(b) Their calling is
obviously unimportant to them:
"Esau despised his birthright."
(c) They lack integrity
(the character quality which is essential in the life
of a minister of the Gospel).
II. What is INTEGRITY?
A) The Single Most
Important Ingredient of Leadership - INTEGRITY.
(1) It has been said, "A person
of integrity is one who has established an unchangeable
system of values against which his entire life is
judged."
(2) "The measure of a man's real character is
what he would do if he would never be found out."
(I heard an amusing, but true story recently)
On a job application one question read, "Have
you ever been arrested?" The applicant printed
the word NO in the space. The next question was a
follow-up to the first. It asked, "Why?"
Not realizing he did not have to answer this part,
the honest and rather naive applicant wrote, "I
guess it's because I never got caught."
B) So, integrity is not what we do so much as who
we are. And, who we are, in turn, determines what
we do.
(1) We are all faced with conflicting desires. Each
of us face a battle, daily, between good and evil.
No one, no matter how "spiritual," can avoid
this battle.
(2) Integrity is the factor that determines which
one will prevail, the good or the evil. (Like 2 dogs
fighting - the one you feed will win!)
(3) We struggle daily with situations that demand
decisions between what we want to do and what we ought
to do. Integrity establishes the ground rules for
resolving these tensions.
(4) Eighty-nine percent of what people learn comes
through visual stimulation, ten percent through audible
stimulation, and one percent through other senses.
As a leader -- You teach some by what you say -
More by what you do - But most by what you are!
III. True Leadership can only function on the basis
of trust.
A) Dwight D. Eisenhower said: "In order to be
a leader a man must have followers.
And to have followers, a man must have their confidence.
Hence, the supreme quality for a leader is unquestionably
integrity. Without it, no real success is
possible."
* One novice said - I don't care if the people trust
me or not. . .
(1) "He who thinks he's leading, and hath no
one following, is only taking a walk!" -- John
Maxwell
(2) If you see a turtle on a fence post, you can know
for certain he didn't get there by himself. Integrity
is the ability to see that you had help getting there.
Without the faithful support of others we can not
achieve our greatest potential.
B) If our people understand us, we'll get their attention.
If our people trust us, we'll get their action. People
who trust their leaders will follow them anywhere!
(1) For a leader to have the authority to lead, he
need more than the title on his door. He has to have
the trust of those who are following him.
(2) According to one thousand three hundred senior
executives who responded to a recent survey,
integrity is the human quality most necessary to business
success. Seventy-one percent put it at the top of
a list of sixteen traits responsible for enhancing
an executive's effectiveness.
(3) Why? - Without integrity people will not follow
the leader.
IV. Leaders are to live by a higher standard than
followers.
A) John D. Rockefeller, Jr., said, "I believe
that every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity,
an obligation; every possession, a duty."
(1) You set the standard because you're the pastor.
(2) You example the standard because you're a shepherd/leader.
B) THE LAW OF FIRST USE:
(1) The encounter between Abraham and Abimelech in
Genesis 20:5 reveals the first use of the word "integrity"
in the Bible.
(2) "Said he not unto me, She [is] my sister?
and she, even she herself said, He [is] my brother:
in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands
have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream,
Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity
of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from
sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not
to touch her."
C) ALIGNMENT WITH THE PURPOSES OF GOD
(1) THE WORD FOR INTEGRITY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IS
"PEACE"
(2) Unity is kept in the bond of peace according to
Ephesians but in Colossians it is called the bond
of perfectness.
(3) "Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose]
mind [is] stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in
thee" (Isaiah 26:3).
(4) "The LORD shall judge the people: judge me,
O LORD, according to my righteousness, and according
to mine integrity [that is] in me" (Psalms 7:8).
D) RECEIVING AN AUTHENTIC WORD FROM GOD
(1) Integrity means "perfection" the plural
form of the word is "thummim."
(2) The thummim was used to determine what the will
and purpose of God was.
(3) Integrity provides a "means of communication";
an authentic word, the sword of God speaking the same
thing.
(4) Integrity provides a "way of escape";
the ability to walk on troubled waters. "Let
integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I wait
on thee" (Psalms 25:21).
V. A scourge of modern day ministry is the tendency
to work harder on our images than on our integrity.
A) Image is what people think we are. Integrity is
what we really are.
(1) Two old ladies were walking around a somewhat
overcrowded English country churchyard and came upon
a tombstone. The inscription said: "Here lies
John Smith, a politician and an honest man."
"Good heavens!" said one lady to the other.
"Isn't it awful that they had to put two people
in the same grave!"
(2) Two Indians sending smoke signals saw the mushroom
cloud of an atomic blast in New Mexico. One signaled
to the other, What was that? the other answered I
don't know, but I wish I could talk like that.
(a) The secret to integrity is to "BE YOURSELF".
(b) Its when you try to be like someone else you become
destructive.
(c) Socrates reminds us, The first key to greatness,
is to be in reality what we appear to be.
B) Use these questions to determine when you are image-building
instead of integrity-building:
(1) Are you the same person no matter who you are
with?
(a) Many preachers loose their own kids because they
don't practice integrity at home.
(b) Integrity is the essence of what you value and
what you think is important. We must discipline ourselves
to cause our conduct to match our conversation.
(c) Being honest with yourself is very important.
Because God desires truth in the inward parts. Can
you be honest with yourself?
(2) Do you make decisions that are best for others
when another choice would benefit you?
(a) Story of ten boys running 100 meters in Special
Olympics.
(3) Are you quick to recognize others for their efforts
and contributions to your success?
VI. Integrity means living it myself before leading
others.
A) A charismatic personality will draw people; only
integrity will keep them.
B) The generation we're ministering to today hates
hypocrisy!
(1) Don't preach things you don't live...
(a) Tithes and offerings
(b) Church attendance -- "The average preacher
will travel half way around the world for a chance
to preach, but wouldn't walk across the street to
hear preaching." -- George Glass Sr.
(c) Honor your leadership.
(2) The old adage is applicable here -- "Practice
What You Preach!"
Billy Graham said, "Integrity is the glue that
holds our way of life together. We must constantly
strive to keep our integrity intact. When wealth is
lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something
is lost; when character is lost, all is lost."
VIII. Character (or integrity) is not . . .
> How you live when others are following.
> How you talk when others are listening.
> How you react when others are taking note.
> How you conduct yourself when others are watching.
It's not . . .
> The clothes you wear.
> The friends you run with.
>The level of your education.
> The extent of your abilities.
> The amount of success you've attained.
> The people you know.
In fact, you can have all of the above and still not
have integrity!
IX. David ask the Lord to tell him who can stand before
you?
In essence, his question was - "What kind of
character must a man or woman have to be able to stand
before God?"
A) God's answer is recorded in verses 2- 5:
"He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness,
and speaketh the truth in his heart. 3) He that backbiteth
not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor,
nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. 4)
In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth
them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own
hurt, and changeth not. 5) He that putteth not out
his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the
innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be
moved."
B) In these verses we find six things we should do,
and five things we should not do if we want to be
used of Him:
First, we should...
1. Walk integrity.
> Be of a good report within and without.
2. Work righteousness.
> Live what you preach.
3. Speak the truth in his heart.
> Note the words "In his heart."
You can fool men - but you never fool God.
4. Don't appreciate vile person.
> Hate unwholesome, revolting, vile acts.
5. Honor them that fear the Lord.
> The real heroes in the body are the Christians.
Not singers,
musicians, or preachers - but True Christians!
6. Swear to your own hurt.
> Live by the old adage, "I'll tell the truth
if it kills me!"
Second, we should not...
1. Backbite.
2. Do evil to your neighbor.
3. Take up reproach (strong disapproval) against his
neighbor.
4. Put his money to usury.
5. Change.
X. Look at the promise of Psalms 15:5 "He that
doeth these things shall never be moved."
A) Follow this list and you'll have character. The
kind of character that can stand in the presence of
a holy God.
B) "Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine
integrity: I have trusted also in the LORD; [therefore]
I shall not slide" (Psalms 26:1).
