Sermon
June 18, 2017 – Father’s Day
Lanier Christian Church
David Simpson
Living With Integrity SLIDE #1
Proverbs 10:9
My dad is 88 years old. If I were to define him in one simple sentence it would be, “He is a man of integrity”. What exactly does the word “integrity” really mean? From Merriam-Webster’s dictionary I discovered that integrity is defined as “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values: incorruptibility”
The student edition of that same dictionary defined integrity as: “total honesty and sincerity.” That’s my dad.
Integrity is a trait that cannot be earned overnight. It is developed over time. In fact, someone once said: “A person is not given integrity. It results from the endless pursuit of honesty at all times.” (Unknown) Integrity is not something you claim to have, but a characteristic you simply demonstrate. Integrity is not a rarely used behavior; it is, instead a conduct that you live out daily.
To have a father with life-long integrity is a gift indeed. My family recently attended the concert of a well-known country singer. In the second half of the concert, between songs, he told stories about his father. He had nothing good to say about his dad. In fact, one story involved the singer’s days when he worked at a pizza restaurant. His dad called him late one night at work and asked him to bring home a couple of pizzas, but to drop them or figure out a way to get them home without paying for them. So, sure enough, the pizzas were made and a story was concocted about someone ordering them but not picking them up. The manager said, “Go ahead and take them home, then.” He did, but it was at the expense of a lie. My dad has never asked me to lie. His integrity and faith has always been of greater value than any lie.
Dad started his banking career as a teller at Exchange Bank and worked his way up to become executive vice-president of that same bank. He remains to this day, at 88, a director emeritus of the bank. I worked with my dad for three summers at the bank. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, from customers to fellow employees respected my dad for his friendliness, his concern and his attentiveness. I saw it every day when I worked with him, but, the trait that defined him most then, and continues to define him now is integrity.
On one occasion, I was responsible to mail out the monthly bank statements. This was not an easy process. It involved the cancelled checks being placed in an envelope, then placing them into a machine to seal the envelope, which would then weigh and stamp the envelope with the proper postage. However, on this day, things went awry! The envelopes got jammed in the machine. Checks got bent and red ink smeared all over numerous envelopes. I could not repair the problem, so, I had to resort to doing most of the statements by hand. This was a long process. When dad checked on me, it was late in the afternoon and the statements were supposed to be on their way to the post office. Rather than say, we’ll deal with this tomorrow, he stopped what he was doing and helped me get them done, saying: “The customers expect their statements in the mail on a certain day and we WILL get this done today.” I thought one day late would not make any difference, but not to him. To this day, no one knows the feverish effort this father/son duo made to get those statements stuffed and delivered to the post office in time on that hot summer non-air conditioned room back in 1975.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once said: “It takes less time to do a thing right, than to explain why you did it wrong.”
The Bible says: “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” (Proverbs 10:9)
Out of many blessings in my life, having parents of integrity is a treasure that I will never take for granted. Because of them I have more security in who I am today. Just think, I could have had a dad that taught me to lie, but my dad has taken the high road every time and for that I am grateful and blessed!
Former Congressman J.C.Watts once said: “Character is doing the right thing when nobody’s looking. There are too many people who think that the only thing that’s right is to get by; and the only thing that’s wrong is to get caught.”
Let’s talk about character on this Father’s Day:
Integrity is pleasing to God. SL#2
1 Chronicles 29:17 (NIV)
17 I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity.
There is one simple truth about integrity that we all must understand. Character is doing the right thing when nobody is looking…except for one person…Almighty God. He is watching our every move. If we are not honest; If we are cheating; If we are insincere, then God knows every time.
You might can fool many of the people most of the time, but you can never fool God at any time.
God is pleased when he examines our hearts and finds a person of integrity. You see, there is no insincerity with God. There is no dishonesty with God. There is no “just getting by” with God. Therefore, a person with a heart of integrity is one nearest to the heart of God.
Oprah Winfrey said one time: “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”
As long as we know that God is the witness to all that we do, we should seek to live a life of integrity, even when nobody else is watching. But, I have a caution for you.
Integrity is often challenged by others SL#3
Yes, there are people who are jealous of your integrity. They don’t see how anyone can live in this world and not lie and cheat and skim their way through every situation.
Job 27:5 (NIV)
5 I will never admit you are in the right;
till I die, I will not deny my integrity.
Job was responding to a guy named Bildad. Bildad was a “wet blanket” type personality. You know, the kind that is filled with negativity. The kind of person that looks for the easy way, not the dedicated way. The kind of person that sees nothing good in any situation. The kind of person that is first in line to bring you down and never builds you up. That’s Bildad. He had nothing good to say to Job. He challenged him and his stand on integrity. He basically said to Job that his suffering was caused by (his opinion) that mortals are just mere maggots and worms before God.
That really fired up old Job, who was suffering so much at the time. So for several chapters he responds, yes even with questions about what God was doing in his life – but never denying God and never giving up on hope…and never caving in on his integrity. He said: “I will not deny my integrity.” And he never did.
My friend, there are people around you who see it as their goal to challenge your integrity. It somehow makes them feel better to know that they found a weak spot in your life.
And they will be more than happy to point it out to you. Don’t let the “Bildad’s” of the world get to you. Don’t let them cause you to cave in on your integrity.
Larry Hagman, the actor famous for “I Dream of Jeannie,” and “Dallas” fame, where he played the dastardly “J.R. Ewing” once said: “Once you get rid of integrity, the rest is a piece of cake!”
Beware of those who want to challenge your integrity!
But, here is some good news….
Integrity is protection when your reputation is at stake. SL#4
Psalm 25:21 (NIV)
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope, Lord, is in you.
Perhaps you’ve heard someone say: “All I have left is my reputation.” There are trying circumstances in life. We can experience suffering, both physical and emotional. We can experience weakness, both physically and spiritually. We can experience theft, both materially and emotionally. We can experience challenging circumstances, some brief and some more long-term in nature.
But, no matter what you and I face in life, it is important to be true to God and yourself throughout the process. I must say that I am not very well versed in Shakespeare, but I do know that in Hamlet he wrote the words of Polonius to his son Laertes (Father/son advice on this father’s day) : To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.
When faced with false accusations, your integrity is what protects the truth. Not only that, it is the Lord’s strength that gives you hope no matter what valley of circumstances you may encounter.
In High School I was given three demerits one time for “kicking high in the hall.” That’s right, and to this day my dad has never let me forget it. I was not guilty as charged. I happened to walk out of the band room door into the hallway when I encountered two students kicking a penny from one end of the hallway to the other. Mrs. Walden walked out of her room at the same time, saw me and the two other students and falsely charged me with “kicking high in the hall.” Since I had never been in trouble before and it took five or more demerits to get any punishment the administration wouldn’t do anything about it. Don’t worry about it they said, but it still went on my report card and I graduated high school with only that one blemish …”kicking high in the hall.” Thankfully, I was really pursuing my Christian faith at the time and let it go – but my fellow classmates knew my character and knew I was not a “kicking high in the hall” kind of guy.
But, every now and then my dad will say, “have you been kicking high in the hall” lately?
My friend, integrity is protection when your reputation and character is at stake. Integrity gives you a second chance. Integrity allows you to be heard. Integrity helps you to stand firm. Integrity points to the one who is your strength and help for every day. Which brings me to this last point today….
Jesus is the perfect role model of integrity.SL#5
Mark 12:14 (NIV)
14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are a man of integrity. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
For all of us gathered for worship on this Father’s Day – men and women alike, we must look to Jesus as our ultimate example of integrity. Unlike any man or woman here today, he never sinned. All of us have shown a lack of integrity at times, due to sin, but not Jesus, our Savior. He is the truest picture and role model of integrity that we will ever see. He speaks truth, he shows not favoritism, He isn’t swayed by the schemes of others. His integrity led him to say: “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
Today, as we honor our dads, may we also honor the one who set the example of integrity and shows us the way to live life, the truth that should guide our lives and sacrificed His life, that we might have life.
