Integrity + Humility = Unity

Well, brethren, we are named the United Church of God. I think we have an emblem here, don't we, that says United Church of God on it? I believe so. I don't know, I didn't look, but I think we have one down there. We are the United Church of God. Hopefully you're in the right place. This is where you plan to be today. Personally, I like the name because God's Church really should be united as united as possible, plus all the other names were taken.

Just kidding. I believe we became known as the United Church of God back in 1995 because God really does want us to focus upon unity in His Church. We know that the Bible says, Christ says, I and my Father are one. I and my Father are one. And when you give glory and honor to one, you glorify the other one. Like this song was called Christ alone. But when we give glory to the Son, we also give glory to the Father.

No one can come to the Son unless the Father draws Him. And Christ came to reveal the Father. So they work together in tandem. They're totally unified, completely harmonious. So what is unity? And what brings unity? Of course, I've thought a lot about this topic for a long time in God's Church, and I would imagine that you have as well.

If you've been a member of God's Church for very long, this topic's come up in your mind. What is unity? What is it all about? What does it mean? And I think I've deduced a short formula. Actually, some original thought. I don't have much original thought. But as far as I know, I didn't pick this up from anyone else. Now, that may be...

there could be a lot of danger in that as well. So if you don't agree with me, please let me know. But I have deduced a short formula that I think and hope will actually make sense to you. And it's fairly easy to remember. The formula is I plus H equals U. I plus H equals U. So do you know what that stands for? The I stands for integrity. Integrity. The H for humility. And of course, the U stands for unity.

Integrity plus humility. Now, probably someone's already thought of this. I probably should have Googled it to see if someone has this formula out there already. I wouldn't doubt it. But as far as I know, I didn't pick it up from them. So at least there were two or three of us that had the same original thought, perhaps. But to me, humility plus humility equals unity. At least to a large degree. That formula may break down somewhere, but I'm not sure where.

It seems to fit quite well. If everyone would have more integrity, if all of us would have a tremendous amount of integrity, coupled with true humility, there's no way we wouldn't have a lot more unity in God's Church. And also in our own individual lives. So think about that for your own life, for your marriage, for everything that you do. The more integrity you have, the more humility you truly possess, the greater unity you will have in your life. So consider that as we go through this sermon today. And I have a good feeling that we're going to go... it's going to be a two-part sermon.

I don't think there's any way I'm going to get through all this in one sermon and actually it's good that we'll make it into two because I can hopefully cover it better. So the formula again, integrity plus humility equals unity. That's the title of this sermon. Integrity plus humility equals unity. Integrity is a particular word that has always fascinated me personally.

It's a word that I've often thought about in regard to my own life. I've asked the question many times, am I a man of integrity? Is that how people look at me? As someone who has integrity? Someone a person can count on? Someone they can believe? Someone they can put a little trust in? Although the Scripture tells us not to put much trust in mortal men. And I understand that. And I know that any integrity I have comes because I serve the God I serve. Period. There's nothing good dwells in me except God's Spirit and God working in me through the power of His Holy Spirit. Are you a man, a woman, a child of integrity?

Now I realize that integrity is a word that many people don't fully understand its meaning. And many people, frankly, just don't have a lot of integrity. Now I don't believe that to be true for all of you. You are striving to be a man, a woman, a child of integrity. And look, I will say too that there are a lot of people out there that do have integrity. I mean, there are some tremendous examples in the world of people who have integrity. In certain aspects of their life, for sure, they have a lot of integrity.

And we can learn from other people because that's a fact. There are many, many people out in the world that have integrity in certain areas of their life. And we can learn from them by seeing their example and the integrity that they actually have. And I believe, again, it's God's Spirit. That's a powerful force in the universe. God's Spirit is powerful. The Scripture says that God is everywhere. God is composed of Spirit. His Spirit is everywhere. So if someone truly has integrity, I don't think it's because they're so great. I think it's because God is great.

And God's Spirit is powerful and mighty. So on the other token, though, there are a lot of people in the world that don't have a lot of integrity, too. Correct? I think we would all agree with that. There are many, many people that don't have a lot of integrity. There are thieves, there are murderers, you know, there are all kinds of evil and wickedness that goes on in this world today.

So it's important that we live in reality. I'm a realist. I believe in living in reality.

The more we live in reality, the better off we're going to be, especially if we know who God is and we serve Him and we are His children. But we have to live in reality. So, you know, it's interesting, but this word, integrity, is one of the most googled words year by year. I know back several years ago, it was the number one word that had been googled by people. Over 200,000 people googled integrity. I think it was because the media was talking about integrity a lot that year. I'm sure they're talking about integrity quite a bit now, with the political climate that we have and everything. So this word comes up and people Google it. So let's go to Webster's dictionary and see how this word is defined. What does it mean to be a man, a woman, a child of integrity? Well, integrity comes from the Latin word integer, which means untouched or whole. Perhaps you remember this word from your first algebra class. I actually do. I remember integer. It was kind of a weird, weird word. And I don't think I'd ever heard it before. And I was in algebra class and the word integer was used. The first definition given in Webster's of integer is anything complete or whole in itself. In a sense, you are an integer.

I don't know if you knew that. You are an integer. You're a complete person, one complete person from a physical standpoint. You're not half a person. Even if you don't have a leg or an arm, you're still a full person. You're not two people. You're not one and a half people.

You are a one, you're one person, an integer. You are all complete in yourself from a human standpoint. You can't be anyone else either. Have you ever tried to be someone else?

I remember once when I was a kid, I was thinking, I'd like to be so-and-so, and I could never make it happen. I guess I was coveting this person's life a little bit.

You know, the tall, handsome quarterback of the football team, that sort of thing.

You know, I tried to project my mind into what it would be like to be him. I really couldn't do it.

You can't do it. You are who you are, and be grateful for it. Be thankful for it.

God knows what he's doing. You are stuck with you. You are stuck with you. And that's okay.

The second definition given of integer is any whole number or zero as distinguished from a fraction. No, one-third, one-fourth, one-eighth. That's not a whole, is it? That's a fraction.

Now, the word integrity comes directly from this word integer.

Webster's gives three definitions, and all of them apply to you becoming a man, woman, or child of integrity. Number one, it means a complete being. Like I said, one being, a complete being.

Secondly, having an unimpaired condition. Having an unimpaired condition. Again, being whole. W-H-O-L-E. Being whole. It means soundness. That's also part of the second definition. Soundness. And thirdly, it means uprightness. It means honesty and sincerity.

Uprightness, honesty, and sincerity. A person of integrity is an upright person. He's an honest person. He's a sincere person. You can trust him to some degree if he truly has integrity. And also, to me personally, integrity is having the character to do the right thing, that which would be most pleasing to God at any given moment. Let me say that again. To me, personally, integrity is having the character to do the right thing, that which would be most pleasing to God at any given moment, under any circumstance, whatever it might be, the thing that would please God the most. That's having real integrity. That's pleasing God and doing what He would have us do in our lives. The Bible has quite a lot to say about this word, integrity.

The word itself is used 16 times throughout the Bible. Not a lot, not a lot of times compared to a lot of other words, certainly, but it is used 16 times in the Bible. But the Bible has a lot more to say about integrity than just 16 verses. In fact, the entire Bible, in one sense, is all about integrity. Can you believe this? This book has integrity. You can believe what's written here, what's been inspired by God. So there's tremendous integrity in God and in His Word. So we'll turn to some of those verses, those 16 verses that are translated to integrity, but we'll also consider a few others and maybe a few examples that speak of integrity without using the word itself. To be a man, a woman, or child of integrity, you must strive to live by every word of God. You can't really have a lot of integrity if you're not really striving to live by every word of God. You can have a certain amount of integrity, yes, but I'm talking about really having integrity. Those of us who call ourselves Christians, who say we are followers of Jesus Christ, then we should walk the walk. We should walk as He walked. If you are going to claim for yourself the name Christian, then follow Christ. Put on the mind of Christ. Be like Him. That's integrity. As we've already seen, integrity means wholeness.

It means completeness. It means soundness. So it stands to reason that you can't pick and choose what part of the Bible you want to live by. You can't take chapters here and there and decide you're going to live by that, but let's tear out a few pages here and there that we don't want to live by. You've got to live by every word of God if you really want to be a Christian who has integrity.

To be a man, woman, or child of integrity, again, you have to strive to live by every word of God. So that means you have to be a student of the Bible. It doesn't just happen. You have to know what the Bible says, what it teaches, and God is talking to you when you read the Bible. You know, there's so much that you can learn from studying the Bible.

In Matthew 4, it says, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. That's right from Scripture. We need to learn to live by every word that proceeds from God's mouth. In Genesis 18, let's go to Genesis 18. Genesis 18, verse 19.

Now this is what God says about Abraham. He says, For I have known him, I have known Abraham, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Eternal, the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord, the Eternal, may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him. And the Eternal said, Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is great, he's going to go down, check it out, and you know how that goes. Abraham negotiated with God.

He tried to do the best he could do to save his nephew Lot. And you can read all about it. Abraham was a man of integrity. No, he was pleasing to God. You know, when Abraham told Lot, Take your pick. Take your pick. Whatever land you want is yours. The land was not enough for both of them, because God was blessing them greatly. And they had to separate, to some degree, anyway. And so he said, Choose whatever. And so Lot really didn't make the best choice. I mean, it looked like it was the right choice, but it didn't turn out to be the right choice. But Abraham was a man of integrity, and he gave him the choice. He was the oldest. He could have said, Well, I'm going here, and Lot would have had to go wherever he said. He had the power.

He had 318 trained men or servants in his household. I mean, he was a powerful person who had a lot of wealth, and he could have certainly taken whatever he wanted to. But he gave Lot that choice. To me, that's an example of a man of integrity. Someone who would put the interest of someone else above their own interest and know that God's going to work it out for them regardless. Also, in Genesis 26.5, a memory verse for a lot of us, Because Abraham obeyed my voice, kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws. That's why God chose Abraham. Because he kept his commandments, his laws, his statutes, he was an obedient person who took God at his word and believed God and also obeyed God. Abraham was not a perfect man. We know he messed up with his wife, you know, saying that she was his sister, which was partially true. But had he really been full of integrity on that one, he would not have gone there. And that didn't turn out so well either.

That caused problems. You know, the more integrity we have, the better off we are.

Abraham wasn't perfect, but he was a man of integrity. You don't have to be perfect to be a woman, a man, a child of integrity. It has to be your overall way of life, though. If you're truly to be considered a person of integrity, that has to be your overall way of life. The Hebrew word translated integrity is tom or tome. That's in the Old Testament. So let's look at a few scriptures where this word is translated integrity. 1 Kings 9 is one place where it talks about David.

So let's take a moment to look at it. 1 Kings 9, verse 4. 2 Kings 9, verse 4. Now, if you walk before me, as your father David walked in integrity of heart.

He's talking to Solomon here, and he's talking about David who walked in the integrity of his heart. The Bible says that David was a man after God's own heart. God looks on the heart.

David was not perfect. We certainly understand and know that. I mean, the scripture exposes two major sins, as well as a few others, of David. So he was far from perfect, yet he was still considered a man of integrity because that was his overall lifestyle.

That was his way of life. Most of the time, he was a person of integrity.

That's the way he lived. That's the way he rolled. You might say in vernacular today, that's the way he rolled. He was a man of integrity. David was a man after God's own heart. He loved God's law. Just go to Psalm 119. Read it a few times. I mean, he was wholehearted.

I mean, he was wholehearted. He truly loved God's laws and God's ways, but he was in the flesh, and he wasn't perfect. But again, considered a man of integrity and a man of uprightness.

In fact, let's go to Psalm 7, where it uses this word in relation to David. Actually, David uses it himself. In Psalm 7, we'll look at verse 8. This is rather bold on his part.

He was rather bold. Psalm 7, verse 8. David said, The Eternal shall judge the peoples. He says, Judge me, O Eternal, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to my integrity within me.

I mean, look, David blew it badly. But he was a man after God's own heart. That doesn't mean he was perfect all the time, obviously. He got sidetracked. It just goes to show that any of us can really mess up badly if we allow ourselves to. And again, this formula works well. David was puffed up in pride, and that's why he sinned with Bathsheba.

And that's why he sinned as well with Uriah the Hittite.

Is that Uriah? Wait a minute, is that right? Yeah. Yeah, you know, it was because he was puffed up in pride. Integrity plus humility equals unity.

So he lost his integrity when he lost his humility. And we'll talk a lot about that as we go through these two sermons. Hopefully not three. We'll see.

Judge me, O Eternal, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity that is within me.

For the most part, David was a righteous man.

I mean, that was basically how he walked. But, you know, again, he blew it big time. He prayed that God would not take the Spirit away from him. That's how bad it was with David. He had sinned so grievously that he was concerned that God would take the Spirit away from him. Psalm 51 talks about his repentance, his heart, what he went through. Proverbs 11, verse 3. Solomon, of course, is basically the author of most of the Proverbs.

Proverbs 11, verse 3. He says, "...the integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them. The integrity of the upright will guide them." You know, if we are walking in integrity, we will be walking the right path.

If we get off that path, then, of course, we may be destroyed. That's the danger. David was in danger of being destroyed.

The integrity of the upright shall guide them. To be a man, woman, or child of integrity, brethren, you must strive to make your word your bond. This is important. Your word is important. What you say is important. How you use your mouth is important. The Scripture says an awful lot about the tongue and the mouth. We're not going to spend a lot of time on this point, but it is very important that you make your word your bond. So be careful what you promise, be careful what you say, and follow through on whatever it is you commit yourself to doing.

Be careful of what you speak. In Proverbs 19, verse 1, again, these are words that are translated to integrity. It says, better is the poor that walks in his integrity than one who is perverse in his lips. Be careful what you say. God takes note of every word that you say.

The Bible says not to speak idle words, foolish words. Be careful what you say. Repent when you've said things you shouldn't say. Ask God to help you get better control of your mouth. I have to do that continually. And it's not usually around people. It's by myself.

You know, that's when I really have to do that. I got enough sense, usually, not to say it in front of other people. It's not that I cuss all the time, by the way. That's not what I'm talking about. I really don't have much of a problem with that. It's just, sometimes you just say stupid things that you'd be better off not saying. I mean, I take it seriously. It says, you know, don't be saying idle, foolish words. So, I mean, you can take that too far, I'm sure, but we should be sensitive to God's Word and try to live it as closely as we can.

In Job 27, let's go to Job. And we'll talk more about Job in a moment.

Job says in Job 27, let's find Job. Job 27 verse 4.

All right, let's read verses 4 through 6. Job says, my lips will not speak wickedness. Remember, Job was the most righteous man on earth.

Now, Job gets a lot of grief about being self-righteous, and no doubt there was an element of that. But the man was the most righteous person on earth. Doesn't say he was the most self-righteous. He was the most righteous person on earth. He was far from the most self-righteous. He might have had some issues that he needed to work with, but overall, he was a very righteous person. And he was set up as an example before Satan. Look at my serving Job.

I mean, I guess I would... I mean, in a way, I wouldn't want to, because Job sure had to go through an awful lot by being the most righteous man on earth. But in a way, it would be quite an honor, wouldn't it? For God to pick you and say, hey, this is the most righteous guy we've got.

Have at it. Just don't take his life. Sobering to think about. Okay, now in Job 27, verse 4, My lips will not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit.

Far be it from me that I should say you are right.

Till I die, I will not put away my integrity from me. Integrity was very important to Job.

I will not put my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go.

My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live. I mean, he was a pretty stubborn guy, too. But, you know, he knew he was doing some things right, and he didn't just cave in completely, obviously. And I think God respected that in him.

He had some things to learn, yes, but the most righteous man on earth. Remember, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. That's what it says in the book of Matthew. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So, when you say something, backtrack it and consider where it's coming from. It's coming from your heart, and the human heart is deceitful above all things. So, if you're allowing that part of your heart and your mind to be actively working, you could certainly be saying some things you shouldn't be saying.

On the other hand, if you're motivated by God and his Spirit, then you can speak good things as well. Godly things. Things that God would have you speak.

So, to be a man, woman, or child of integrity, make sure that you make your word your bond, to be careful what you speak, how you use your words. Also, to be a man, woman, or child of integrity, you must establish priorities in your life, and you must become disciplined in living by those priorities. Self-control is one of the fruits of God's Holy Spirit.

Becoming more disciplined is important. It is something that we should all seek to be disciplined. Now, we don't want to go to extremes. Some people go to extremes, and they neglect other things that are equally or even more important.

But at the same time, we should make excuses for not being disciplined. We should strive to be disciplined. Now, let's go to the book of Job again. Let's go to the front part and consider some things about Job. Job 2, verse 1, Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Eternal, speaking about the angels of God, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Eternal. And the Lord said to Satan, From where do you come? So Satan answered the Lord and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.

Then the Eternal said to Satan, Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, blameless and upright, one who fears God and shuns evil. God doesn't lie, does he? This is a true assessment of Job.

He fears God, he shuns evil. And still he holds fast to his integrity.

Although you incited me against him, to destroy him without cause. So this was after Satan did his dirty work, and Job paid the price, and many things happened, but Job did not curse God.

Job still remained faithful to God. So Satan answered the Lord and said, Skin for skin, yes, and all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse you to your face. See, Satan is, you know, he's the accuser of the brethren. He's going to go after you as any way he can. You know, if God gives him an inch, in this case, this is a unique situation, obviously. God said, well, all right. The Lord said to Satan, Behold, he is in your hand. You can touch his body, but spare his life.

You can make his life miserable, but spare his life. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and he struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.

If you've ever, I've never had a boil, personally. My wife has had a boil. It looks nasty.

She did not appreciate that boil. She's only had like one in her life, but she had a boil. It looked really nasty and painful, and I know it was. How would you like to have it from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet? Completely all over your body. I probably said this, I've had poison ivy, basically, from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, and that was the most miserable week of my life. Boils had to be a lot worse than that.

So Satan struck him with painful boils, and he took for himself a pot shard with which to scrape himself. I can fully identify. I did this with poison ivy. I took bleach to it. I mean, I did whatever I could do to try to kill the itching. Scraped it, put bleach on it. I felt miserable.

So he scraped himself while he sat in the midst of ashes. Then his wife said to him, do you still hold fast to your integrity? Do you still hold fast to your integrity?

curse God and die. That was her advice.

You know, look, Mrs. Job was going through a lot, too. Her whole family had been taken away from her.

Her home had been taken away. You know, she was going through more than any of us have ever gone through before. And it wasn't good that she said this. That was not a good thing. But I hope we can identify a little bit. You know, people get angry sometimes. They get angry at God. And if you know, I mean, I mean, they didn't really know why this was happening to them. You know, they couldn't comprehend or understand it. They didn't know about all this, what was going on behind the scenes.

So it was very difficult. And she, you know, she blamed God for it. Curse God and die.

She wasn't hurt. She wasn't hit as badly as he was. I mean, she was hit badly with the home and with the family and all that. But then he turns on the body. And it doesn't say that her body was hit with all these boils. Only Job's body was hit with all the boils. But he said to her, you speak as one of the foolish women speak. Kind of outspoken, spoke straight to his wife.

Shall we indeed accept good from God? And shall we not accept adversity? In all this, Job did not sin with his lips. You know, maybe some of his thoughts weren't the greatest. I wondered about that. You know, some of his thoughts might have been a little bit not the finest, but it says he did not sin with his lips. So a man of integrity.

Job 13 verse 15. Job chapter 13 verse 15.

Job says, though he slay me, speaking of God, though he slay me, yet will I trust him.

Though he slay me, if he takes my life, I'll trust him. I know that God is good. I know that God is righteous and good. And God is faithful. And if he takes my life, I will trust him. I'm going to wait for the resurrection. That was his thought. Right? He even mentions it. He was looking to the resurrection. Look, if I die, I'm better off. I trust in God. So he had integrity in that. Okay, then Job 31. Yeah, let's go to Job 31. This is a very interesting few verses here. Job 31. Let's read, well, let's start in verse 1. Job 31 verse 1.

I have made a covenant with my eyes, Job says.

And that's a covenant that all men should make with their eyes.

It's not an easy covenant. It's a hard one. Very hard one. I have made a covenant with my eyes. Why then should I look upon a young woman?

Pretty good advice to any people out here. You know, if you look at a woman to lust for her, you committed adultery with her. So make a covenant with your eyes and don't stare.

You know, it's interesting that women are all the time covering themselves.

Have you ever noticed that? I mean, even if they're not showing anything, they're covering themselves because they're so used to men staring.

It's so habitual in this society with people, with men, that, you know, we haven't made a covenant with our eyes. And so we stare at things we ought not stare at.

It's not rocket science. I mean, the Bible is a very blunt book in many ways.

I have made a covenant with my eyes. Why then should I look upon a young woman? For what is the allotment of God from above and the inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

Is it not destruction for the wicked and disaster for the workers of iniquity? Isn't that what ultimately will happen? We will reap what we sow. An evil person is going to reap what he has sown.

There will be destruction.

Does he not see my ways and count all my steps?

God sees our ways. He counts all our steps. That's what he's asking. You can't hide from God.

God sees everything. He knows every thought that you have. He is omnipotent.

He knows all things. Omniscient, omnipresent, all of that. God is there.

So we can't hide from God. If I have walked with falsehood, or if my foot has hastened to deceit, let me be weighed on honest scales. Again, he knows that God is honest.

Let's all be weighed on God's scales because God is true. God is faithful. God looks on the heart. So if we are truly repentant, we will be forgiven. But if we're not, be sure your sins will find you out. Many scriptures that we should take to heart. Let me be weighed on honest scales that God may know my integrity. God surely does know our integrity or lack thereof. If my step has turned from the way, or my heart walked after my eyes, or if any spot adheres to my hands, let me sow in another eat. Yes, let my harvest be rooted out. If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door, then let my wife grind for another. Now that's pretty blunt, isn't it?

Yeah. Pretty blunt.

And let others bow down over her. For that would be wickedness. Yes, it would be iniquity, deserving of judgment. No, Job had thought this through. Job had thought this through.

I hope we've thought it through.

The Scripture says, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Seek first the kingdom and God's righteousness. That's what we should be seeking first and foremost.

It does say that all these things will be added to us if we are truly seeking God first. Uh-oh.

It's 328. And you know, I'm right where I wanted to be at 328.

We've talked a lot about integrity. We've talked a lot about the importance of integrity.

We'll probably talk a little bit more about integrity, then we're going to get into humility and unity. And I'm thinking three. I'm thinking three. And that's only fair, because one sermon on integrity, one on humility, and one on unity. Because remember the formula.

You do remember the formula, right? Think about it this week. The formula is integrity plus humility equals unity.