Rev. David Holwick ZE First Baptist Church Ledgewood, New Jersey August 21, 1994 James 5:12 A CHRISTIAN IS TRUSTWORTHY ========================== I. The search for integrity. A. It was 416 years before Christ was born. The philosopher Diogenes was making himself very unwelcome in Athens. He trudged around the city carrying a lantern while it was still daylight. His reason? He would thrust the lantern in the face of people and say, "I am looking for an honest man." #36 B. Honesty still in short supply. Especially during income tax time. A few years ago the IRS became suspicious about a deduction claim on a pastor's income tax form. He had put down $450 for a "clerical collar." - That's the little white band some ministers wear so they won't get speeding tickets. Even though the cost of living goes up all the time, the IRS agents thought this was a little out of line. When they brought him in to explain it, the minister said he had made an innocent mistake: the $450 should have been $4.50. Sympathetic IRS men let him pay the extra tax, plus 6 percent interest. Proof that ministers may make mistakes, but they're not bums. Or are they? One shrewd auditor had second thoughts. He looked at the minister's past income tax returns and found that he had consistently misplaced decimals. For 3 years in a row things like $4.50 came out $450 in the deduction column. The red-faced pastor paid the added taxes, 6 percent interest - and a 50% penalty for fraud. #37 C. According to an investigation by James Patterson and Peter Kim, 90% of Americans believe in God. And 91% will lie, at least occasionally. #1474 -2- D. Dishonesty is a trap. 1) Use in tight spot, and it becomes a habit hard to break. a) Generally it is found out. b) We lose respect and trust of others. 2) We become separated from God. Isaiah 59:2-4 II. Are there any standards? A. The influence of situation ethics. 1) Nothing is always right or always wrong. a) Sometimes it is acceptable, even good, to lie. b) Situation ethics sounds reasonable, but usually ends up as a philosophy of "anything goes." 2) Situation ethics assumes we can predict the future. a) But God can intervene miraculously. B. The Bible presents moral absolutes, and condemns lying. III. Radical truthfulness. A. James says honesty and integrity should define us. 1) We say what we mean, we mean what we say. 2) Everything we say should be truthful. a) We don't need to back it up. b) Backing it up shows that something is wrong. 1> "I'm really telling the truth now. Honest." B. Does honesty need to be backed up? 1) Does placing hand on Bible in court make a difference? a) Obviously a lot of people are lying. 2) Oaths have a long heritage. -3- IV. Do you solemnly swear? A. Old Testament encouraged oaths. 1) Oaths are good. a) God himself takes them. Num 14:21; Deut 4:31; 7:8 b) He orders us to do so. Deut 10:20 2) Not keeping vows is bad. Num 30:2 a) Also, rash vows are bad. (Judges 11:30) b) Vows were abused by minutia. 1> Omission of God's name made breaking vow okay. B. Jesus taught that we should always be truthful. 1) Oaths should not be backed up (gold, temple) because God is behind everything. Matt 5:33-37; 23:16-22 2) Swearing by our own heads implies that failure to comply with the oath would bring some catastrophe upon him, but this is not within man's control. Matt 5:33-37 3) Yet Jesus himself accepted an oath at his trial. Matt 26:63 C. James is in agreement with Jesus. 1) "Yes" should mean yes, without embellishments. 2) Oaths are unnecessary. D. No oaths at all? 1) All oath-taking seems to be forbidden. a) Mennonites take seriously, and won't give oaths in court. b) Jesus made an oath, but he was divine. c) Old Testament usage is superseded by Jesus' command. 2) Some allow official oaths, but main point here is uncontested: believers should be truthful. Always. -4- V. Christians should be different. A. Commitment to honesty makes genuine Christians stand out. Emmanuel Kant was one of the greatest thinkers of the 1700's, if not all time. His father was a very godly man. At an old age his father went on a dangerous journey through the forests of Poland to his native country of Silesia. On the way he ran into a band of robbers who demanded all his valuables. Finally they asked him, "Have you given us everything?" He answered, "Everything." They had his money, his horse and even his prayer book. So they let him go. When he was safely out of their sight his hand touched something hard in the hem of his robe. It was his gold. He had sewn it there for safety and had completely forgotten about it because he was so afraid and confused. At once he hurried back to find the robbers. He said to them, "I have told you something that was not true. I didn't mean to. I was too terrified to think." "Here is the gold that was hidden in my clothes." To his astonishment, no one offered to take his gold. After a long silence, one went and brought back his money bag. Another got his horse and helped him on it. Then they gave him back his prayer book. They then begged him to say a blessing on them before they would let him go. #39 B. We are honest because it is right, not because it "works." When Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn concluded his Nobel lecture on literature, he closed by quoting a Russian proverb: "One word of truth outweighs the whole world." #1614 C. The motivation for honesty is that God expects it. 1) It is part of his character. Titus 1:1-2 a) God is truth, as Satan is father of lies. 2) Christians must be people of the truth. -5- VI. Implications of honesty. A. Honesty is important. Matthew 12:34-37 1) We will be judged - each word and action matters. 2) Our words reveal the condition of our soul. B. No exaggeration or deception. 1) Avoid "spin." a) Popular with government officials. b) Truth, but one-sided and self-serving. c) What we may not want to say, is just as important. 2) Don't embellish the truth, or yourself. C. Do not wrong others. 1) Cutting down others behind their back is a form of dishonesty. 2) False testimony is a sin. 3) Tact is not a sin. a) Be honest, but loving. b) Spare people unnecessary pain, especially if the bald truth would do them no good. D. Be honest in every area of life. 1) Honesty within your family and among friends. a) Keep your marriage vows, not just when your wedding band is on your finger. b) Model honesty before kids. 1> Admit your errors to them. c) Speak plainly and stand by your words. 2) Honesty within your business. a) (Man calls to help unemployed work "off the books.") 1> Indignant when I challenged the practice. 2> Business is cut-throat, but no excuse for you to compromise. -6- b) Honest can cost you. 1> Don't be honest just when it benefits you. 2> Build a reputation of honesty and it will serve you. A> God honors it. A few years back the Karen Berney wrote an article in the Readers' Digest that looked at integrity in business. She listed examples of companies which risked losses to stay honest. Medallion Const. Co. turned down a bid from a subcontractor which was too low, but got the overall contract anyway. A year later, the subcontractor gave him another bid, with a discount because of the way they were treated. Empire Southwest, a Caterpillar distributor, refused to give bribes in Mexico. They were shut out of market, but gained a reputation for honesty. People now seek them out. Hilby Wilson, Inc., bought a hotel in El Paso. Found it would not be profitable, and told investors before they lost money. As a result, Hilby Wilson lost money, but have had many offers for new deals. The author's conclusion: In the end, honest pays. #88 3) Be honest with God. a) Have you come clean with him? b) Any secrets? c) Face up to how you are serving him. VII. Truth cannot be a thin veneer, but must come from the inside. A. God desires truth in our inmost being. Psalm 51:6 B. Conversion should break the cycle of dishonesty. C. Become a person of integrity, with God's help. ================================== Original sermon: February 7, 1988 ================================== I. Diogenes, the searching philosopher. A. Searched for truthful person, couldn't find any. B. Honesty still in short supply. 1) (illust- tax cheating pastor.) 2) Dishonesty is nothing new. C. Dishonesty exacts a price. 1) Isaiah 59:2-4 - separation from God. II. The influence of situation ethics. A. Nothing is always right or always wrong. 1) Sometimes it is acceptable, even good, to lie. 2) (Illust. of Lying Baptists) B. Situation ethics assumes we can predict the future. 1) But God can intervene miraculously, as many have testified. C. The slippery slope to amorality. 1) Situation ethics sounds reasonable, but usually ends up as a philosophy of "anything goes." 2) The Bible presents moral absolutes, and says we never have to lie. III. Keeping God in the picture. A. Commitment to honesty makes genuine Christians stand out. 1) (Illust. of Emmanuel Kant's father.) 2) It does not always work out like this. B. The motivation for honesty is that God expects it. 1) It is part of his character. Titus 1:1-2 2) Christians must be people of the truth. IV. What honesty is. A. What you do. 1) Speaking the truth. B. What you don't do. 1) Rip others up behind their back. 2) Lying about them. 3) False testimony. C. Inducements to honesty: Oaths. 1) Old Testament full of them. a) Led to abuse. b) Does placing hand on Bible in court make a difference? 2) Jesus taught that we should always be truthful. a) Perform your oaths. Matt 5:33-37 b) (Oaths often show warped spirituality. Matt 23) 3) James is in agreement. a) Yes should mean yes, without embellishments. b) Mennonites take seriously, and won't give oaths in court. 1> But Jesus seems to have given one at his trial. 2> Paul also gives oaths (figure of speech?) 2 Cor 1:22 V. How honesty shows up in our lives. A. Taking Lord's name in vain. B. Swearing. C. Being agreeable even when you don't mean it. D. Be honest even if it is painful. E. Honesty in everyday business. F. Truth cannot be a thin veneer, but must come from the inside. VI. Dishonesty is a trap. A. Use in tight spot, and it becomes a habit hard to break. B. Conversion should break this cycle. 1) Psalm 51:6 - God desires truth in our inmost being.