Sermon 7-20-14 neglected virtues -
honesty
There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil,
19 a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
Proverbs
16:28 A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends
Proverbs
28:6 Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways
are perverse
Proverbs
20:23 The Lord detests
differing weights, and dishonest scales do not please him.
Proverbs
10:9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out..
but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out..
Proverbs
12:22 The Lord detests
lying lips, but he delights in people who are
trustworthy.
Series
continued – neglected virtues –
Tom Goddard’s car – im gonna tell a little
story about it
Today
- honesty
A
commentary on the times is that the word “honesty” is now preceded by
“old-fashioned.”
Proverbs
are the collective wisdom of the Jewish people
What
do we know about honest?
George
Washington- I cannot tell a lie
We
all have our moments with dishonesty…….A few personal stories
The
hand grenade
The
IRS
What
im not talking about
Do you like my new hairdo– we are not talking
about that
Does not excuse - Little white lies
Much in proverbs re honesty
·
God
is annoyed with bad behavior: lies, wickedness, evil, stirring up conflict
God is not the cosmic killjoy. Sin is
bad for us
·
Gossip
separates friends
·
Better
to be poor and honest
·
Unfairness
in business is on his list – espn cheers and jeers
Laying asphalt for Forbes Construction
·
Ultimately
there are no secrets in Gods economy - You will be found out
·
God
delights in the trustworthy
Dishonesty tempts us - it is the human
way?
·
We
think life is about money so we cheat to get more
·
We
try to make ourselves important by stepping on the necks of others
·
Or
by putting them down via gossip
·
We
trust in our selves instead of god – pride. Aren’t I something?
Doesn’t that just rub you the wrong way?
If you have to tell someone how great you
are, what does that say?
·
Dishonesty
- Its just our natural human way
·
Dishonest
doesn’t work – good people sniff it out and stay away
Teddy
Roosevelt was known for being completely honest. A story is told from
before he was president…… his men were out on the range, crossing lands
belonging to one of Roosevelt’s neighbors. They came across a steer which had
not yet been branded and, lighting a fire, the cowboy prepared the irons and
got ready to apply the brand. Roosevelt stopped him.
“Wait, it should be my neighbors brand,” he said.
“That’s all right, boss,” the cowboy replied, applying the brand.
“But you’re putting on my brand,” Roosevelt protested.
“That’s right,” said the cowboy, “I always put on the boss’s brand.”
“Drop that iron,” Roosevelt demanded, “and get back to the ranch and get out. I don’t need you anymore. A man who will steal for me will steal from me.”
“Wait, it should be my neighbors brand,” he said.
“That’s all right, boss,” the cowboy replied, applying the brand.
“But you’re putting on my brand,” Roosevelt protested.
“That’s right,” said the cowboy, “I always put on the boss’s brand.”
“Drop that iron,” Roosevelt demanded, “and get back to the ranch and get out. I don’t need you anymore. A man who will steal for me will steal from me.”
If
you want to run with good people then life an honest life.
I. HONESTY IS
THE better WAY.
1.
to live a life of character is its own reward – contentment
One
time a teacher was passing out a trigonometry test, and just before the test
was received by the students, the wise teacher spoke these words:
I'm giving you two tests today, one in trigonometry and one in honesty. I hope you pass both of them. But if you pass only one, be sure it's the test in honesty because there are a lot of good men who don't know any trigonometry, but there are no good men who are not honest.
I'm giving you two tests today, one in trigonometry and one in honesty. I hope you pass both of them. But if you pass only one, be sure it's the test in honesty because there are a lot of good men who don't know any trigonometry, but there are no good men who are not honest.
2. honesty - it is god’s way
There
was once a rabbi in a small Jewish village in Russia who vanished every Friday
morning for several hours. The devoted villagers boasted that during these
hours their rabbi ascended to heaven to talk with God. A skeptical newcomer
determined to discover where the rabbi really went.
One Friday morning the newcomer hid near the rabbi's house, watched him rise, say his prayers and put on the clothes of a peasant. He saw him take an ax and go into the forest, chop down a tree and gather a large bundle of wood. Next the rabbi proceeded to a shack in the poorest section of the village in which lived an old woman and her sick son. He left them the wood which was enough for the week. The rabbi then quietly returned to his own house.
The story concludes that the newcomer stayed on in the village and became a disciple of the rabbi. And whenever he heard one of his fellow villagers say, On Friday morning our rabbi ascends all the way to Heaven, the newcomer quietly added, if not higher. (4)
One Friday morning the newcomer hid near the rabbi's house, watched him rise, say his prayers and put on the clothes of a peasant. He saw him take an ax and go into the forest, chop down a tree and gather a large bundle of wood. Next the rabbi proceeded to a shack in the poorest section of the village in which lived an old woman and her sick son. He left them the wood which was enough for the week. The rabbi then quietly returned to his own house.
The story concludes that the newcomer stayed on in the village and became a disciple of the rabbi. And whenever he heard one of his fellow villagers say, On Friday morning our rabbi ascends all the way to Heaven, the newcomer quietly added, if not higher. (4)
Cleanliness
is next to godliness? Honesty is next to godliness
4. when we are honest - our hearts are
clean –
21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not
condemn us, we have confidence before God 1 jn 3:31
you know when your heart is right
you don’t need to tell anyone that you are ok
when you are doing right
if you are here today and your heart is not
ok – don’t leave without praying to make it right.
honesty tells us that You can be
yourself. No masks. No pretending. People respond to authenticity
people will be able to relate to you
when you are honesty
Jesus was himself
That
is why the Pharisees hated him
Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken
Dave
Thomas founder of wendy’s - I was born out of wedlock in New Jersey in
1932. A Michigan couple adopted me just after I was born. My adopted mother
died when I was only 5, but I had the good fortune to have a wonderful adoptive
grandmother, Minnie Sinclair, who looked out for my welfare and helped shape my
beliefs. I did not discover that I was adopted for many years, and, I have to
admit, this made me angry and resentful for some time. I wish I had known from
the beginning.
Yet after I learned the truth, I didn't always share it with others. One day, an African-American Wendy's manager buttonholed me and said, Dave, when you gave your speech today, you left out the part about being adopted. Why did you do that? I always related to that because I was adopted myself. The comment hit home. From that point on, I made it a practice to be fully honest and proud about my past.
Yet after I learned the truth, I didn't always share it with others. One day, an African-American Wendy's manager buttonholed me and said, Dave, when you gave your speech today, you left out the part about being adopted. Why did you do that? I always related to that because I was adopted myself. The comment hit home. From that point on, I made it a practice to be fully honest and proud about my past.
True love does not exist until we know
the other persons warts
You will never be spiritually engaged
with this church until you see the parts of it that are less than perfect and
say, ok. This is still my place.
7. honesty brings great gain
6 But godliness with contentment is
great gain. 1 tim 6:6
There is
a reward
in this life and the next
An
old Chinese folk tale tells of an emperor who summoned children from all over
the empire and announced that one of them would become the next emperor. “As
you leave today,” he explained, “you will be given a seed. You must nurture and
care for it. In one year’s time, you will return here with your plants, and by
looking at them I will know who is the new emperor.”
Each child received a special seed and hurried home with great excitement to plant it. One boy, Ling, faithfully planted his seed, tended and watered it. But it failed to sprout. He listened with dismay as his friends all boasted about how large and beautiful their plants were becoming.
A year later, Ling still had nothing to show for his work. He was afraid to go back to the emperor, but his mother convinced him it was his duty to obey the emperor’s command. By the time he arrived at the palace, the great hall was already filled with beautiful plants and even some small trees. Ling stepped quietly into the shadows, holding his pot of bare earth.
The emperor arrived but seemed oddly unimpressed by the thriving plants. Then his eye fell upon Ling, and he commanded his guards to bring the boy into the royal presence. Laughing at the spectacle of this boy with his empty pot of earth, the guards brought him forward.
Ling was shaking with terror, certain he would be put to death. He listened in astonishment as the emperor declared, “Today I have chosen your new emperor. Behold! It is this boy!”
“I don’t understand,” said Ling. “I failed to grow anything from my seed!”
“That is exactly the point,” said the emperor. “I gave each of you a boiled sweet, not a seed. No one could have grown a plant from any of them. Only this boy had the courage and honesty to return today and tell me the truth. He alone has the makings of an emperor!”=-0998
Each child received a special seed and hurried home with great excitement to plant it. One boy, Ling, faithfully planted his seed, tended and watered it. But it failed to sprout. He listened with dismay as his friends all boasted about how large and beautiful their plants were becoming.
A year later, Ling still had nothing to show for his work. He was afraid to go back to the emperor, but his mother convinced him it was his duty to obey the emperor’s command. By the time he arrived at the palace, the great hall was already filled with beautiful plants and even some small trees. Ling stepped quietly into the shadows, holding his pot of bare earth.
The emperor arrived but seemed oddly unimpressed by the thriving plants. Then his eye fell upon Ling, and he commanded his guards to bring the boy into the royal presence. Laughing at the spectacle of this boy with his empty pot of earth, the guards brought him forward.
Ling was shaking with terror, certain he would be put to death. He listened in astonishment as the emperor declared, “Today I have chosen your new emperor. Behold! It is this boy!”
“I don’t understand,” said Ling. “I failed to grow anything from my seed!”
“That is exactly the point,” said the emperor. “I gave each of you a boiled sweet, not a seed. No one could have grown a plant from any of them. Only this boy had the courage and honesty to return today and tell me the truth. He alone has the makings of an emperor!”=-0998
There
is something about honesty. Goodness
The
fruit of the spirit is love, joy peace patience gentleness goodness.
Goodness.
CONCLUSION:
True
character is what you do when no one's looking.
• Golfer Ray Floyd, in contention for a golf championship some time ago, addressed the ball to putt it into the cup. The ball moved. Although no one had noticed, he called the penalty on himself, bogied the hole and lost the championship.
• Golfer Ray Floyd, in contention for a golf championship some time ago, addressed the ball to putt it into the cup. The ball moved. Although no one had noticed, he called the penalty on himself, bogied the hole and lost the championship.
1.
Being honest is a matter of the will. It’s a choice. No one forces you
2.
Being honest is a matter of training and habit
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true,
whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such
things. 9 Whatever
you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into
practice. And the God of peace will be with you. Phil 4:8-9
3.
An honest person is a blessing… a credit:
an
honest person is a credit
1)
to their family.
2)
to their employer.
In
the early days of ford motor company a machinist got into the habit of carry
tools home with him. Although it was against company policy, everybody
did it, and management did nothing about it.
One day, however, the machinist was converted. He was baptized and became a believer. The day after his baptism, he gathered up all the tools he had collected over the years, loaded them into his model A, took them to the plant and presented them to the foreman with his confession and request for forgiveness.
The foreman was so overcome by his honesty that he cabled Henry Ford himself, who was visiting a European plant. After explaining the entire event in detail, Ford immediately cabled back this response: Dam up the Detroit River, he said, and baptize the entire plant.
One day, however, the machinist was converted. He was baptized and became a believer. The day after his baptism, he gathered up all the tools he had collected over the years, loaded them into his model A, took them to the plant and presented them to the foreman with his confession and request for forgiveness.
The foreman was so overcome by his honesty that he cabled Henry Ford himself, who was visiting a European plant. After explaining the entire event in detail, Ford immediately cabled back this response: Dam up the Detroit River, he said, and baptize the entire plant.
3)
to their employer, to their country. to their church.
5)
to their world and To their God
Lets
pray
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