WEBVTT 00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:01.679 Amen. 00:00:01.760 --> 00:00:02.319 Let's pray. 00:00:02.479 --> 00:00:08.880 God, we uh come before you so, Lord, thankful for our freedom that we have in Jesus Christ. 00:00:08.960 --> 00:00:16.800 Lord, I pray that as we get into your word, we talk about Psalm 101, Lord, would you help us to understand the freedom that we have, Lord? 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:21.120 I pray that it would cause us to live for you with full abandon, Lord. 00:00:21.199 --> 00:00:28.000 We're just going for it here when and recognizing that your grace and your spirit will continue to go with us. 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:29.760 So, Lord, uh teach us now. 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:32.000 Uh we pray these things in Christ's name. 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:32.640 Amen. 00:00:32.880 --> 00:00:33.200 Amen. 00:00:33.520 --> 00:00:33.920 Thanks a lot. 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:35.039 You can take a seat. 00:00:35.200 --> 00:00:41.359 And uh as you are doing that, you can turn to Psalm 100, uh Psalm 101. 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:42.399 Psalm 101. 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:46.399 We were in Psalm 100 last week, uh, but Psalm 101 uh today. 00:00:46.560 --> 00:00:55.679 And uh as you're getting uh flipped over uh to there, um one of my favorite pastimes uh is people watching. 00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:57.119 You ever you ever do this? 00:00:57.280 --> 00:00:58.479 You ever watch people? 00:00:58.560 --> 00:01:06.000 You're sitting like in an airport or a mall or something, and you're just like, you I mean, people are so interesting and weird, aren't they? 00:01:06.159 --> 00:01:06.719 They really are. 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:12.959 Like you ever watch, you ever sitting in your car and you look over at somebody in traffic and they're just like singing their guts out, right? 00:01:13.120 --> 00:01:17.760 Just giving her and like hands out and just screaming at the top of their lungs. 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:18.799 I mean, it's it's weird. 00:01:18.879 --> 00:01:20.640 They're like picking their nose or something like that. 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:23.599 I mean, again, people, people are interesting. 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:32.480 And I think, I think the reason, okay, I think the the reason that people uh do these kinds of things is that they forget that they're not in private. 00:01:32.640 --> 00:01:32.879 Right? 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:37.280 They forget that they're very much in public and and everyone can see what they're doing. 00:01:37.439 --> 00:01:39.439 And uh they they kind of lose sight of all of that. 00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:49.439 And I think if they realized that like my family and I were like dying laughing at them, um they would probably um kind of alter the way uh that they're acting. 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:51.599 I think that's uh what would happen. 00:01:51.840 --> 00:01:53.200 And hey, there's this thing here. 00:01:53.359 --> 00:02:01.599 There's often a difference between how we act, how we behave in public versus how we behave uh in private. 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:03.760 I think that's probably true. 00:02:04.000 --> 00:02:21.919 Now, obviously there's nothing morally wrong uh with singing in the car, unless maybe you have a terrible voice or something, but but but sometimes there are things uh of a moral nature, so right versus wrong, good versus evil, that kind of thing, um, that we would never dare do in public. 00:02:22.240 --> 00:02:27.039 Uh, but we seem to be okay doing these things in private. 00:02:28.560 --> 00:02:32.639 You know, maybe it's for you, you know, how you talk to your spouse. 00:02:32.960 --> 00:02:37.599 You know, in public, when people are around, when people are watching, you're you're kind, right? 00:02:37.759 --> 00:02:39.759 You're you're you're lovey dovey. 00:02:39.840 --> 00:02:42.240 You know, it's that that sort of approach that you have. 00:02:42.319 --> 00:02:49.919 But when when it's just the two of you, when it's you know within the safety of your own home, um maybe you're cold. 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:53.360 Maybe you're harsh, maybe you're distant. 00:02:53.759 --> 00:02:56.479 Or perhaps it's with sexual purity, right? 00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:58.879 That's an obvious one uh to point out. 00:02:59.039 --> 00:03:16.479 You know, we put a good front on publicly, and maybe when people talk about sexual purity, you're like, yes, you know, and we we have our pious face on, and we can talk a good game, that this is so important, and we need to be, we need to be strong in this area, you know, but in private, we're like Sodom and Gomorrah, right? 00:03:16.879 --> 00:03:17.919 It's not good. 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:21.919 Well, our passage today is about integrity. 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:29.919 It's about integrity, uh, which is about the kind of moral character uh that we have as Christ followers. 00:03:30.159 --> 00:03:38.080 So are we the same people in private that we kind of cast ourselves or project ourselves in public? 00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:42.560 You know, it's way easier to do the right thing when you know people are watching, isn't it? 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:51.520 It's a lot harder to do the right thing when no one's watching, when it's just you and the Lord. 00:03:51.759 --> 00:04:02.000 Okay, or another way of putting it, another way of looking at it is are you the same person on the inside as you show yourself to be on the outside? 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:03.759 Are you consistent? 00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:04.240 Right? 00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:05.840 Consistency is a good word here. 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:15.759 Kind of no matter no matter where you are, no matter who's around, no matter what's going on in your life, I'm the same person, whether people see me uh or they don't. 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:19.600 Okay, key question for us this morning is how's our integrity? 00:04:19.839 --> 00:04:21.120 How's your integrity? 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:26.720 Okay, the Lord cares about this all-important area of life a big time. 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:28.160 Okay, He really does. 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:32.319 And so this is what we're gonna be tackling here as we go through this. 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:34.079 So hopefully you're in Psalm 101. 00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:38.319 I want you to f follow along with me um as I read this. 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:42.959 It says this I will sing of steadfast love and justice to you, O Lord. 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:46.720 I will make music, I will ponder the way that is blameless. 00:04:46.959 --> 00:04:48.800 Oh, when will you come to me? 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:52.079 I will walk with integrity of heart within my house. 00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:55.759 I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:59.519 I hate the work of those who fall away, it shall not cling to me. 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:03.439 A perverse heart shall be far from me, I will know nothing of evil. 00:05:03.680 --> 00:05:07.360 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. 00:05:07.600 --> 00:05:12.399 Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure. 00:05:12.639 --> 00:05:16.879 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me. 00:05:17.120 --> 00:05:20.560 He who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:27.759 No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house, no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. 00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:37.360 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord. 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:41.519 I read this uh this great line this week. 00:05:41.600 --> 00:05:42.240 I love this. 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:54.560 It's it says this biblical integrity uh is not just doing the right thing, it's a matter of having the right heart and allowing the person you are on the inside to match the person you are on the outside. 00:05:54.639 --> 00:05:55.680 And then I love this. 00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:59.680 This is how God is, and this is how people should be. 00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:00.319 Right? 00:06:00.560 --> 00:06:03.120 A great, a great quote there for sure, and I love it. 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:07.759 And what we see there is that integrity originates with God. 00:06:08.000 --> 00:06:13.199 It originates with him, and it kind of reminds me of 1 Samuel 15, 29. 00:06:13.279 --> 00:06:14.240 I'll just read it to you. 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:23.519 It says, He who is the glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind, for he is not a man, that he should change his mind. 00:06:24.079 --> 00:06:29.360 Okay, God is perfectly consistent in his integrity. 00:06:29.519 --> 00:06:30.959 He's never compromised that. 00:06:31.199 --> 00:06:34.319 He's never uh fallen off the map in any of that. 00:06:34.560 --> 00:06:36.560 Um, he is perfect. 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:44.879 And as his followers, which many of us are here uh this morning, we are are attempting to be like him, aren't we? 00:06:45.040 --> 00:06:49.040 We're growing towards Christ-likeness, and integrity is a big piece of that. 00:06:49.279 --> 00:06:52.800 And so you might be thinking, you know, how do I get there? 00:06:53.279 --> 00:07:00.879 You know, how do I become a person who is filled with uh this integrity that the scriptures talk about? 00:07:01.040 --> 00:07:03.759 What does integrity look like? 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:09.439 You know, how do I be a person or a church that is filled with this? 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:10.639 Well, here's the first thing. 00:07:10.720 --> 00:07:24.319 If you've got uh notes in front of you, by the way, just as a side note here, we hand out bulletins uh every week uh when you guys come in here, and inside is uh a sermon uh insert, which gives you kind of the outline of the message, everything that you see on the screen, and that's to help you. 00:07:24.399 --> 00:07:27.519 That's just an aid for you to take notes as the Lord's kind of stirring things up in you. 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:28.319 You can take it home. 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:33.920 I know people that stick them in a binder and they can go back and look through them and see what the Lord kind of chart their progress and their growth. 00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:40.000 It's something for you to uh so you have uh something to pray through uh this weekend, or this week rather. 00:07:40.160 --> 00:07:42.240 Um, but again, anyways, side note over. 00:07:42.399 --> 00:07:43.199 Okay, here we go. 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:44.160 First thing. 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:50.560 Okay, walking with integrity uh means I'm committed to cultivating a heart that loves what's good. 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:54.079 It means I'm committed, I'm committed to cultivating a heart that loves what's good. 00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:55.839 Verse one, take a look at that now. 00:07:55.920 --> 00:08:02.480 As we work through this verse by verse, it says, I will I will sing of the steadfast love and justice to you, O Lord. 00:08:02.639 --> 00:08:06.399 I will make music, I will ponder the way that is blameless. 00:08:06.639 --> 00:08:08.399 Oh, when will you come to me? 00:08:08.639 --> 00:08:11.759 I will walk with integrity of heart within my house. 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:13.120 You should underline that line. 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:14.959 Key verse there. 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:26.480 But hey, I don't know if you realize this or you picked up on it in the time that we read it, but ten times in this passage, ten times in Psalm 101, uh you see the phrase, I will. 00:08:27.199 --> 00:08:27.680 I will. 00:08:27.759 --> 00:08:29.600 You see it ten times, only eight verses. 00:08:29.759 --> 00:08:31.920 And so it's it's it's in there and it's important. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:40.480 And what it does is it is it shows us David, King David's um fierce commitment uh to integrity. 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:44.399 He's like, I I I will work towards this, right? 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:51.600 I I will I will by God's grace be the person that you have called me to be, God. 00:08:51.840 --> 00:09:04.559 Like I will do it again, no matter what time of day, no matter what issue is happening in my life, whether people are around or I'm in private, no matter what. 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:14.000 So, hey, what's what's your integrity and integrity or commitment to integrity uh been like lately? 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:30.320 I think far too often, you know, somewhere within us, on some level, we we desperately desire um to be people who have strong character and and strong morals and strong integrity. 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:47.840 But I think our approach, rather than being committed to it and having a plan and going for it, I think we would rather sometimes just sort of accidentally stumble our way backwards into this commitment with very little effort on our part and just kind of hope it works out. 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:54.159 You know, and and if not, well, maybe you know, next time I'll show stronger integrity. 00:09:54.320 --> 00:09:56.879 But I don't know, I I guess. 00:09:57.200 --> 00:10:14.799 Right again, rather than no, roll up our sleeves, put forth some concentrated effort, have have a plan and some determination to invest in our spiritual growth in this area, to really develop ourselves uh in Christ. 00:10:15.519 --> 00:10:19.759 Okay, so again, notice the commitment all throughout this uh as we read it. 00:10:19.840 --> 00:10:20.480 And I love David. 00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:26.960 He wants to cultivate this heart that that loves purity and loves righteousness. 00:10:27.440 --> 00:10:28.879 It's what he longs for. 00:10:29.600 --> 00:10:31.039 It's his goal, it's his aim. 00:10:31.120 --> 00:10:37.519 In verse 1, he says, you know, I'll sing, I'll sing of the love and justice, I'll sing of your love and justice, I will make music. 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:47.519 He he's he's focusing on on the goodness and the character of God, specifically with his love and and how he is steadfast, how he is a God of justice. 00:10:47.600 --> 00:10:50.960 He's he's focusing on those things. 00:10:51.039 --> 00:10:54.879 And you know, he's doing that through song and and music. 00:10:55.120 --> 00:10:58.000 He says, I will ponder the way that is blameless. 00:10:58.159 --> 00:11:00.080 Okay, so he's he's thinking deeply. 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:04.799 He's he's considering all of the facts, he's observing all of the anger uh angles here. 00:11:04.879 --> 00:11:10.080 He's like, I want to make wise decisions, I uh you know, I want to be careful about this. 00:11:10.240 --> 00:11:12.080 He's he's thinking deeply. 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:14.960 He doesn't want to compromise his integrity. 00:11:15.200 --> 00:11:17.840 He says, Oh, when will you come to me? 00:11:18.080 --> 00:11:19.039 When will you come to me? 00:11:19.120 --> 00:11:24.080 I love that part maybe most because he's he's concerned with just the Lord's presence, right? 00:11:24.159 --> 00:11:25.919 He wants God's presence in his life. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:29.440 He wants to be uh close to him, he wants it desperately. 00:11:29.759 --> 00:11:33.679 He says, I will walk with integrity of heart within my house. 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:48.879 So again, when he is all alone, when he's in private, he wants that consistency of of character, he wants to be honorable, he and he wants that to spring up, to well out from a heart that's that's genuine. 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:52.080 He's not just trying to put on the mask and and pretend. 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:55.759 He's like, no, I want to really want this, Lord. 00:11:56.799 --> 00:11:57.360 So good. 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:11.279 I mean, you see the desire here for what's good in in David and his desire to cultivate that, to nurture that, to foster that in his heart, to love the things that the Lord loves. 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:19.840 And he does it by continually putting himself in a good position for the Lord to move, for the Lord to uh work in his life. 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:29.120 He you know, he he worships, he he ponders, he thinks about the things of God, he prays for that intimacy, he he commits to having strong character. 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:29.600 Right? 00:12:29.759 --> 00:12:32.240 He's again, he's putting himself, he's like, Lord, just do this. 00:12:32.320 --> 00:12:32.960 This is what I want. 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:34.399 Would you do it in me? 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:46.000 Listen, some of us, uh, quite frankly, um, are too afraid to make commitments towards our integrity. 00:12:46.240 --> 00:12:49.919 Or for many of us, it's yet another recommitment, right? 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:52.480 We've done this so many times, time and time again. 00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:57.360 The reason that we're afraid of it is because we have a fear of failure. 00:12:57.600 --> 00:12:58.159 Don't we? 00:12:58.320 --> 00:12:59.759 We have a fear of failure. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:06.000 You have this kind of nagging sense in the back of your mind, this whisper. 00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:09.519 Or maybe for you, it's not even a whisper, it's like this loud, screaming voice. 00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:11.440 You're just gonna screw up again, man. 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:13.600 You know, why why take the step? 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:16.159 Why make the the commitment? 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:19.039 You know, why why bother? 00:13:19.279 --> 00:13:26.399 You know, you know, you you you sense within you your complete lack of of ability to live up to the commitment. 00:13:26.639 --> 00:13:32.559 So why take a step forward when you kind of feel like, well, probably by later tonight I'm gonna take two steps backwards? 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:33.279 Right? 00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:34.480 You feel like that? 00:13:35.519 --> 00:13:40.480 You don't want to be disappointed uh by another one of your failures. 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:46.559 Okay, well, here's something that I know will encourage you uh deeply. 00:13:46.879 --> 00:13:48.000 You ready for this? 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:51.200 Of course you're a failure. 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:52.720 Right? 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:54.159 Like, no laughter with that. 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:56.159 Tough crowd here today. 00:13:57.440 --> 00:13:57.759 Right? 00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:01.679 But of course, of course you're a failure. 00:14:01.919 --> 00:14:03.519 You know, isn't so good to come to church sometimes? 00:14:03.840 --> 00:14:05.919 Like, man, why don't we like sleep in today? 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:06.960 I gotta come and hear this. 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:08.960 I gotta hear that that I'm a failure. 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:11.759 Well, you know how I know this? 00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:14.799 Because you're not Jesus. 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:16.799 Okay, you're not neither am I. 00:14:16.879 --> 00:14:18.480 Like we're we're all there. 00:14:18.799 --> 00:14:19.679 We are all there. 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:27.759 We're we're all in the failure, uh, can't figure it out, slow to learn, keep messing up camp. 00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:28.240 Right? 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:28.960 That's all of us. 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:30.080 That's our wheelhouse. 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:30.480 Right? 00:14:30.559 --> 00:14:32.240 That's where we live. 00:14:32.639 --> 00:14:37.279 Okay, David himself, who wrote this, he failed miserably. 00:14:37.600 --> 00:14:38.480 He failed miserably. 00:14:38.559 --> 00:14:40.000 It was like six weeks ago here. 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:45.519 We talked about Psalm 51, and repentance and coming to Christ. 00:14:46.000 --> 00:14:46.240 Right? 00:14:46.320 --> 00:14:55.600 And and we saw that that he sinned with Bathsheba, he committed adultery, he got her pregnant, he had her husband killed, he tried to cover the entire thing up. 00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:57.919 It was it was ugly what came out of him. 00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:00.559 And this is the guy that wrote this. 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:05.279 Okay, listen, Jesus knows you fail. 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:07.600 And he loves you anyways. 00:15:08.799 --> 00:15:10.240 He loves you and I passionately. 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:12.639 I mean, that is the heart of the gospel. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:14.399 That is that is it. 00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:16.559 God, God knows that we are broken. 00:15:16.639 --> 00:15:18.559 That's the entire reason that he came. 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:32.480 He came to fix us, he came to give us his perfect record to cover, to wash out, to replace our broken record, our wrecked record, our failures. 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:35.519 He came to be perfect for us. 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:39.600 Do you realize that here today? 00:15:40.320 --> 00:15:58.720 Do you realize that Jesus died for you to take away your record of sin, to cover over your failures, to begin to continue to work in you so that you don't carry the the nagging guilt, the nagging shame, the nagging sense that man, I'm I'm a screw up. 00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:02.000 He's here to show you that no, I have lived in your place. 00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:05.039 I have I have pleased God for you. 00:16:06.559 --> 00:16:11.600 Do you realize that you can be on the beginning of that journey today if you would trust Jesus Christ as Savior? 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:26.559 If you would realize that Him going to the cross, paying the penalty for sin was for you, and then if you would admit your brokenness, if you would admit your sinfulness and ask him to be your savior, you would know him forever. 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:27.200 Right? 00:16:27.279 --> 00:16:28.480 That is the gospel. 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:32.159 He came for sinners, he came for failures like you and like me. 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:33.919 That's what he did. 00:16:35.039 --> 00:16:48.399 You know, and we don't have to just keep walking around carrying that sense of failure with us, and and life as a Christ follower is coming to grips with the gospel in a deeper and deeper way. 00:16:48.879 --> 00:16:51.919 It's coming to understand that Jesus has done it all. 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:52.480 Right? 00:16:52.559 --> 00:17:02.000 We sometimes we understand this on a head level and we know the truth, and we could reverberate it, we could regurgitate it out, but do our hearts understand it? 00:17:02.399 --> 00:17:09.519 If you feel a sense of failure, do you understand that it's because you haven't applied the gospel deeply enough to your soul? 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:14.480 You don't truly believe on a deep level that Jesus did it for you. 00:17:14.720 --> 00:17:17.519 And you feel like probably somewhere that you need to do it. 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:19.359 I need to add to the works of Jesus. 00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:20.960 That's not the way it works. 00:17:21.279 --> 00:17:23.119 Your salvation is a gift of grace. 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:26.319 You can't earn it, you can't make up for it, you can't add to it. 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:27.519 None of that. 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:29.359 It's a gift. 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:31.200 It's a gift. 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:51.039 Listen, making a commitment or a recommitment to integrity is not to say, you know, okay, Lord, you know, from from here on, starting today, I'm I'm gonna have this perfect record of awesomeness in blank area of life. 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:53.359 Okay, that's not what a commitment is. 00:17:53.599 --> 00:17:57.039 Okay, again, only Jesus has the perfect record of awesomeness. 00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:58.960 Only he's got it. 00:17:59.359 --> 00:18:17.119 And a commitment or a recommitment to integrity is to admit the totality of your brokenness and to invite Jesus and his perfection and his love and his grace into that, to meet you where you're at, so that he can begin to get work done. 00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:19.200 That's what it is. 00:18:19.839 --> 00:18:28.640 And the commitment that we that we see these verses encourage us to do here is to cultivate a heart that loves what's good. 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:31.839 Are you doing that in in your life? 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:37.359 Are you cultivating a heart that loves Christ and that loves what what He loves? 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:41.519 You know, understand, this is gonna take the rest of your lives. 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:42.240 Right? 00:18:42.319 --> 00:18:46.640 This is gonna take this is gonna take time because you're you're gonna mess up. 00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:48.640 You're gonna make lots of mistakes. 00:18:48.799 --> 00:18:51.119 You're gonna have ups, you're gonna have downs. 00:18:52.400 --> 00:18:53.839 You're gonna do it. 00:18:55.279 --> 00:19:03.599 You know, and you're gonna hopefully I would encourage you, don't get to the place where you're like willing to throw in the towel because you fail, because you can't do it. 00:19:03.839 --> 00:19:05.279 Of course you can't do it. 00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:07.039 That's the entire point. 00:19:07.599 --> 00:19:09.839 Jesus did it for you. 00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:19.759 He accomplished our salvation by grace through faith. 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:24.000 He will also accomplish your commitment to integrity by grace through faith. 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:25.759 That's what he does. 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:28.000 Here's the second thing. 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:32.880 Second thing, walking with integrity means I'm committed to guarding myself from all that's bad. 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:35.519 Guarding myself from all that's bad. 00:19:35.680 --> 00:19:37.039 Verse 3, take a look. 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:41.440 Verse 3 says, I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:42.720 It's pretty clear. 00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:46.079 But I I hate the work of those who fall away. 00:19:46.240 --> 00:19:47.839 It shall not cling to me. 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:50.720 A perverse heart shall be far from me. 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:53.519 I will know nothing of evil. 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:57.519 Okay, so this is kind of the other side of the same coin that we've been looking at today. 00:19:57.680 --> 00:20:00.240 You first of all, you want to cultivate a heart that loves good. 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:01.839 Well, this is the flip side of that. 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:05.279 I also want to guard myself from all that's bad. 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:11.200 Integrity means we're gonna guard ourselves from it. 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:16.240 And so this really comes down to first being aware of what our sinful tendencies are. 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:23.680 You know, if someone were to come to you and ask you, hey, what are what are like your top four or five sins, uh, we should be able to like readily list them off. 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:26.240 And maybe you're like, man, I got like 50 I could list off. 00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:29.359 Or maybe for you you're like, I don't know, I think I'm pretty good, right? 00:20:29.440 --> 00:20:34.960 But we we should we should have an awareness uh of some of the things that the Lord needs to do um in our lives. 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:37.119 And it becomes, it's all about being aware. 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:39.279 That's that's kind of the first thing. 00:20:39.519 --> 00:20:44.079 Um we know that David, if we were to look at his life, well, what are his issues? 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:47.039 Well, we know that um he had a huge lust problem. 00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:47.680 Right? 00:20:47.759 --> 00:20:48.240 He did. 00:20:48.400 --> 00:20:49.440 He had a lust problem. 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:52.160 So to maintain his sexual purity, he writes this. 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:57.039 And he says, I'm not gonna put anything uh worthless in front of my eyes. 00:20:57.200 --> 00:20:58.000 He's like, you know what? 00:20:58.079 --> 00:21:01.599 I'm not gonna watch naked women bathe on the roof anymore. 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:02.160 Right? 00:21:02.319 --> 00:21:04.400 Probably a pretty good plan for David. 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:04.799 Right? 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:07.039 It's what he did with Bathsheba. 00:21:07.519 --> 00:21:13.279 Hey, for us though, it might be something like, you know what, I'm not gonna go on the internet when I'm home alone. 00:21:13.599 --> 00:21:14.960 I'm not gonna do it. 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:18.799 You know, I'm not gonna stare at that jogger when I drive by. 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:23.759 You know, I'm I'm not gonna go out for lunch with that co-worker. 00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:28.880 Because you know what, the the the temptations, they're just they're just too high. 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:36.799 You know what, and and these these areas and this path that I'm headed towards just leads to eventual uh destruction. 00:21:37.039 --> 00:21:38.960 Not worth it, not gonna go there. 00:21:40.160 --> 00:21:42.880 So, hey, do you have a game plan for all of this? 00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:50.079 Do you have boundaries set in place uh for your heart and for your uh eyes and for your mind? 00:21:50.160 --> 00:21:52.640 You know, are you are you willing to protect yourself? 00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:59.359 Are you willing to put up uh guardrails in place so that so that evil doesn't have a heyday in your life? 00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:01.759 Are you willing to do that? 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:03.200 Are you doing it? 00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:14.799 Listen, our world and and what's available out there to satisfy our sexual appetites, it's just so readily available. 00:22:15.839 --> 00:22:24.400 So that not to have a plan in place to guard ourselves, to protect ourselves, is to is to get swept away. 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:27.119 I don't know how to put it any other way. 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:32.559 Do you have a game plan? 00:22:33.759 --> 00:22:35.440 Are you protecting yourself? 00:22:35.680 --> 00:22:40.319 Are you protecting your spouse and your kids, your family? 00:22:40.720 --> 00:22:43.920 David says that a perverse heart shall be far from me. 00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:45.680 I will know nothing of evil. 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:50.640 What he's doing here is he's expressing his desire, as we see in Psalm 51 as well, for a clean heart. 00:22:50.960 --> 00:22:54.079 He says there, create in me a clean heart, O Lord. 00:22:54.559 --> 00:22:57.200 He wants to stay away from sin. 00:22:57.440 --> 00:23:00.000 So if you're noticing here, you know what, I don't have that same kind of desire. 00:23:00.079 --> 00:23:04.319 I don't have that same kind of passion and drive that David has. 00:23:12.160 --> 00:23:15.039 And I'm still not really seeing anything happen. 00:23:15.279 --> 00:23:16.559 Keep praying. 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:18.799 Keep asking. 00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:21.839 Lean into the people God has given you in your life. 00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:23.359 Lean into your small groups. 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:27.920 That's what they're there for, to support you and encourage you along in your walk with the Lord. 00:23:28.079 --> 00:23:29.200 And let me reiterate this. 00:23:29.359 --> 00:23:37.759 This is gonna take some time for you to develop this heart that loves the Lord and this desire to stay away from evil and wrong. 00:23:37.920 --> 00:23:40.880 I mean, that stuff, you've noticed that stuff is so deep in our hearts. 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:46.160 And it takes a while for the Lord to unearth that in us and to humble us through that process. 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:51.039 It's gonna take some time to see that change that you're looking for. 00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:57.359 One of my concerns, one of my fears is that we're so often, so many of us are looking for the magic bullet. 00:23:57.599 --> 00:23:59.839 You know, I'm looking for that one thing that I'm gonna do. 00:23:59.920 --> 00:24:02.160 Maybe it's coming and praying with the pastor after the service. 00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:05.039 The pastor prayed for me, therefore it's gonna be better this week. 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:06.400 Maybe not. 00:24:07.519 --> 00:24:09.759 You know, maybe it's gonna take some time. 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:16.480 Maybe you're like, well, I got into a small group and I've been there for like three months now, and it's it's still hard. 00:24:16.799 --> 00:24:18.160 Yeah, it is hard. 00:24:18.480 --> 00:24:21.279 The Lord doesn't promise that change happens quick. 00:24:22.160 --> 00:24:25.200 He doesn't promise that we're gonna get it immediately. 00:24:26.000 --> 00:24:33.039 It's a slow process and a grind, and we need to be aware of that, and we need to understand it. 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:35.599 Third thing. 00:24:35.839 --> 00:24:41.200 Third thing, walking with integrity means I'm committed to avoiding those with destructive influences. 00:24:41.680 --> 00:24:44.079 Avoiding those with destructive influences. 00:24:44.319 --> 00:24:45.920 Check out verse five. 00:24:46.240 --> 00:24:47.759 Verse five says this. 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:52.880 Okay, whoever slanders his neighbor secretly, I will destroy. 00:24:53.359 --> 00:24:54.240 I will destroy. 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:57.599 Like, I gotta be honest, I I read that this week and I kind of laughed. 00:24:57.680 --> 00:24:58.799 Because wouldn't it be hilarious? 00:24:58.880 --> 00:25:01.279 Like, how amazing would it be if this is how we talk to each other? 00:25:01.440 --> 00:25:09.519 You know, you're out just like grabbing a coffee in the atrium after the service, and you hear like a little bit of gossip come up, and you're just like, I will destroy you. 00:25:10.480 --> 00:25:11.119 Right? 00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:13.680 You are done. 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:15.039 Right? 00:25:16.799 --> 00:25:18.240 It's hilarious. 00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:21.039 But hey, it's also it's very serious here. 00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:24.240 And and keep in mind uh the context. 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:24.720 Right? 00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:26.319 Keep in mind the context of this. 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:36.000 David's David's showing here his his heart to take this seriously, um, this stuff, and staying away from those of the destructive influence. 00:25:36.079 --> 00:25:41.119 Um, but you have to also keep in mind that he was a king over a nation at a time where there was lots of war. 00:25:41.279 --> 00:25:47.039 Okay, there was lots of war, and there were people coming who literally tried to kill him and and literally tried to wipe out his people. 00:25:47.119 --> 00:25:56.160 And he understood that God was trying to set apart a nation, that he had chosen uh the Israelites, the Jews, to be set apart and pure for him. 00:25:56.559 --> 00:26:02.160 And so he's like, Don't don't interact with outside nations in a way that's gonna corrupt you. 00:26:02.400 --> 00:26:08.640 So you have to understand, you have to read all of this through that uh filter here. 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:10.559 Okay, but keep going. 00:26:10.720 --> 00:26:11.200 Keep going. 00:26:11.279 --> 00:26:16.799 He says, Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart, I will not endure. 00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:19.519 Now skip a verse, jump down to verse 7. 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:23.599 He says, No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house. 00:26:23.920 --> 00:26:27.519 No one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes. 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:35.519 He, morning by morning, I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord. 00:26:36.160 --> 00:26:40.559 Now again, you might read this and you're right, wow, that sounds a little over the top, David. 00:26:40.720 --> 00:26:40.960 Right? 00:26:41.119 --> 00:26:42.799 A little bit intense there, pal. 00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:46.000 Um, but believe it or not, this is the appropriate action. 00:26:46.160 --> 00:26:48.319 This is the appropriate reaction. 00:26:48.559 --> 00:26:53.359 He's like, I will avoid, like the plague, those who have destructive influences. 00:26:53.599 --> 00:26:55.680 He's like, I'm not, I'm not letting them in. 00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:57.920 I'm not letting them into my inner circle. 00:26:58.079 --> 00:27:02.960 I won't let them spend significant time in my home dwelling with them. 00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:10.960 I refuse to let my integrity slide because I've been careless about who I've let into my life. 00:27:13.039 --> 00:27:20.880 Now I used to uh talk with junior highs and senior highs and young adults a lot at Harvest Berry when I was on staff there. 00:27:21.200 --> 00:27:26.240 And uh students here uh need to hear this uh as well. 00:27:26.799 --> 00:27:33.440 Um, but who you choose as your friends, they will make you or break you. 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:35.359 They will. 00:27:35.839 --> 00:27:46.960 I have seen many great students who had a heart for Christ and families doing a good job and all of that get caught up in the wrong crowd, drift away. 00:27:47.200 --> 00:27:48.240 Drift away. 00:27:48.480 --> 00:27:59.200 On the flip side, I've seen students, I've seen kids who could care less about the Lord, and once they got in with the good crowd, that started to develop and they started to grow. 00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:05.920 This is what the scriptures say. 00:28:06.160 --> 00:28:12.000 Proverbs 12, 26, the righteous is a guide to his neighbor, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. 00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:13.519 Proverbs 13, 20. 00:28:13.680 --> 00:28:18.160 He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm. 00:28:18.400 --> 00:28:19.200