Building Integrity – February 14, 2021

Link to YouTube Sermon

Preached by Pastor Kunle Oladebo

Proverbs 10:7 – 9 “The name of the righteous is used in blessings,[a] but the name of the wicked will rot. The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin.Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.” (NIV) 

1. Introduction 
   • The name of the righteous is used in blessing:  name is your credibility;  it is tied to your integrity 
   • Proverbs 22:1 – “A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches. “
   • Honesty, dependability and pure motives must all align 
   • If you are a man of integrity, you have nothing to hide
   • Secret indulgences undermine integrity
   • Integrity is a virtue not a skill nor a gift; You have to build it
   • Reputation is what men think you are.  Integrity tells the real ‘who’ you are. – PKO
2. How to Build Integrity 
   • Tell the truth even if it hurts; Tell the truth at ALL times 
     • Don’t exaggerate or embellish 
     • Stand for the truth even if it means you are standing alone
     • Proverbs 12:17 “An honest witness tells the truth but a false witness tells lies.” (NIV)
     • The final cost of truth is cheaper than that of lies (Ask David re:  Bathsheba — he ended up killing Uriah)
     • “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak of it.” – George Orwell
       • Corruption has become gratification
   • Keep a promise rather than breaking it
     • “People with good intentions make promises; only people with integrity keep those promises” – PKO
     • Deuteronomy 23:21 “When you make a promise to the Lord your God, don’t be slow to pay everything you promised. The Lord your God will demand that you pay it. You will sin if you don’t pay what you promised. (ERV)
     • Don’t over promise and under deliver. “There is no greater fraud than a promise not kept.”
   • Confront the problem rather than neglecting it
     • There will always be problems – search all things; hold onto that which is the truth
     • You cannot change what you cannot confront – Galatians 2:11 (Paul had to confront Peter)
     • Confront not comfort;  It is for restoration, not destruction
   • Take the right path rather than the quickest one
     • Proverbs 14:12  “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (KJV)
     • Stand for what is right rather than going with the majority