2-9-20 Sermon Notes
“Honesty and Integrity” Proverbs
Last week, we examined what Proverbs says about relationships. This is week five of our series “Heavenly Wisdom” and we will be looking at some verses in Proverbs that deal with honesty and integrity.
Introduction
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated “integrity” means “the condition of being without blemish, completeness, perfection, sincerity, soundness, uprightness, wholeness.” Integrity in the New Testament means “honesty and adherence to a pattern of good works.”
Honesty is truthfulness. An honest person has the habit of making accurate, trustworthy statements about life, self, others and God. An honest person represents himself just as he is and tells others the truth about themselves.
Message
Let’s take a look at nine verses about honesty and integrity in Proverbs.
Rather than expound on each one, let the words speak to us individually to remind each of us how honesty and integrity lead to better relationships and outcomes.
Proverbs 10:9 New International Version (NIV)
“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.”
Proverbs 11:1 New International Version (NIV)
“The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him.”
Proverbs 11:3 New International Version (NIV)
“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”
Proverbs 12:17 New International Version (NIV)
“An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies.”
Proverbs 19:22 New International Version (NIV)
“What a person desires is unfailing love; better to be poor than a liar.”
Proverbs 21:3 New International Version (NIV)
“To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”
Proverbs 24:26 New International Version (NIV)
“An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.”
Proverbs 27:6 New International Version (NIV)
“Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.”
Proverbs 28:6 New International Version (NIV)
“Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.”
Concluding Remarks and Application
Jesus is the perfect example of a man of integrity. After He was baptized, He went into the wilderness to fast for forty days and nights, during which time Satan came to Him at His weakest to try to break His integrity and corrupt Him. Jesus was wholly man and wholly God at the same time, and He was tempted in every way we are, yet He never sinned (Hebrews 4:15); that is the definition of integrity. Jesus is the only one who was ever without blemish, perfect, completely truthful and always showing a pattern of good works.
“Integrity” in our world today implies moral incorruptibility. Christians should be those who cannot be bribed or compromised because we serve God rather than men (Colossians 3:17, Colossians 3:23; Acts 5:29). We are to be people who keep our word (Matthew 5:37; James 5:12). We are called upon to believe in God and therefore to follow Him in all our ways (John 6:19).
Living with integrity in a world where the corrupt seem favored, not to mention our battle with our own sin nature, is challenging. To live with integrity is to follow the example of Christ. And we can only live with true integrity by His power, which He graciously and freely gives to all who are His John 16:33; Phillippians 1:6; Ephesians 1:13-14).
Honesty is not “expressing everything that goes through your mind.” That’s transparency, and a person can be honest without being transparent. However, no one can be consistently honest without a commitment to the truth. Honesty will, at times, hurt someone’s feelings, but that does not mean that dishonesty is preferable.
While it is sometimes tempting to lie, misrepresent ourselves, or downplay uncomfortable truths in an effort to avoid conflict, dishonesty is never good for relationships. Speaking dishonest words in order to avoid conflict is flattery (Psalm 12:2). Again, at times honesty will hurt the feelings of others. It’s inevitable. Remember the words of the wise: “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:6). A friend is willing to wound with the truth; sweet words, if lies, are the enemies of our soul.
That said, honesty should always be accompanied by gentleness. An honest person is motivated by love, not by an obsession with relaying accurate information (Proverbs 19:22). Above all, the honest person is concerned with telling the truth about God and fostering the spiritual growth of other people (Ephesians 4:29). Those who follow Jesus, the Truth (John 14:6), will speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Let’s sum this up with an often-quoted saying “Honesty is the best policy.”