Rev. David Holwick ZL James series #17
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
November 25, 2007
James 5:12
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I. Language isn't what it used to be.
A. President Clinton's infamous deposition on Monika Lewinsky.
1) He had previously testified, "There is no sex."
2) When asked about it at a later hearing, he stated:
"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is."
3) The rest, as they say, is history.
B. A modern trend.
1) Everything has a slippery meaning.
a) We don't want to get pinned down on anything.
b) As a result, we stand for nothing.
2) Appearances matter more than inner reality.
When it comes to integrity, most modern people seem to follow
the advice from the famous movie producer Samuel Goldwyn.
He once said that the most difficult part of acting was being
authentically honest before the audience.
He went on to add, "Once you can fake that, you're in."
#12269
C. Christians must take a stand for integrity.
1) Integrity is what you are on the inside showing up on the
outside.
2) A popular term for this these days is "transparency."
3) It should be especially evident in the way we speak, but
it goes beyond our words.
II. We love the color gray.
A. Relativism is pervasive.
1) Survey of our attitudes.
A Gallop Poll in the 1990s asked people to agree or
disagree with this statement:
"There are a few moral absolutes; what is right or wrong
usually varies from situation to situation."
70% of respondents agreed.
Only 27% disagreed.
#26626
2) Who assesses these "situations"?
a) We do -- usually in our favor.
b) Situationalism plus self-centeredness results in
moral disintegration.
c) Consider Israel in the period of the judges -
"In those days Israel had no king;
everyone did as he saw fit." Judges 17:6
1> This is not said in an approving way!
B. We must have standards.
1) The Bible lays out a foundation for morality, derived from
God's own character.
2) Some things ARE black and white.
3) Our personal values and choices should reflection this
foundation.
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.
B. Honesty doesn't need to be backed up.
1) Does placing hand on Bible in court make a difference?
a) Obviously a lot of people must be lying.
2) Backing it up shows that something is wrong.
a) "I'm really telling the truth now. Honest."
IV. Oaths have a long heritage.
A. The Old Testament encouraged oaths.
1) Oaths have their place.
a) God himself takes them. Num 14:21; Deut 4:31; 7:8
b) The Bible gives instructions on using them. Deut 10:20
2) Vows should be kept.
a) Not keeping vows is bad. Num 30:2
b) Also, rash vows are bad. Judges 11:30
3) Vows can be abused.
a) People became experts in piddly evasions.
b) For example, omitting God's name made breaking a vow OK.
B. Oaths cannot take the place of truth. Matt 5:33-37
1) Jesus: 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 our 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) James is very close to the Sermon on the Mount here.
2) "Yes" should mean yes, without embellishments.
a) Oaths are really unnecessary.
V. Christians should be different.
A. 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
B. 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.
VI. Watch your words.
A. Avoid "fudging."
We live in a society characterized by one word "Fudge".
Do you know where the word comes from?
The word 'fudge' comes from a Captain Fudge, an Englishman
who sailed in the 1600s.
He became notorious for telling all kinds of lies, tall
tales and exaggerations about his adventures at sea.
By the mid-1800's the expression "no fudging" was being
used by kids to warn their friends about cheating at
marbles.
We use it today to describe someone misrepresenting or
being economical with the truth.
Bill Hybels puts it like this:
"Let's face it, at one time or another everyone is tempted
to fudge a little.
None of us is totally honest all the time.
We occasionally exaggerate.
We tend to break our commitments from time to time.
"We can trace this kind of misbehavior all the way back to
the opening scenes of the Bible.
Adam fudged by blaming Eve for the way they had violated
God's command. . . .
Ever since the earliest days in human history, the world
has feasted on fudge.
Sadly, we still do."
Don't embellish the truth, or yourself.
#18364
B. Avoid "spin."
1) Popular with government officials.
2) Truth, but one-sided and self-serving.
3) What we may not want to say may be more important than
what we want to say.
C. "Yes" must be balanced with "no".
1) Don't seek approval by agreeing with everyone else.
a) Popularity is not more important than truth.
2) Have the guts to take stands on issues.
D. Mean what you say!
1) Don't let these be empty words:
1. I promise.
2. I'll pay you back tomorrow.
3. I'll call you back
4. It's finished and sitting on my desk
5. The check is in the mail.
6. I'll be praying for you.
7. Trust me.
2) A reputation for honesty will benefit you greatly!
VII. Be honest in every area of life.
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. Be honest with your family and friends.
1) Keep your marriage vows, not just when your wedding
band is on your finger.
2) Model honesty before your kids.
a) Admit your errors to them.
3) Speak plainly and stand by your words.
C. Be honest with your business.
1) Man calls to help unemployed, saying they can work
"off the books."
a) Indignant when I challenged the practice.
b) Business is cut-throat, but no excuse for you to
compromise.
2) Honesty can cost you.
a) Don't be honest just when it benefits you.
b) Build a reputation of honesty and it will serve you.
1> God honors it.
D. Be honest with God.
1) Have you come clean with him?
2) Any secrets?
3) Face up to how you are serving him.
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SOURCES FOR ILLUSTRATIONS USED IN THIS SERMON:
# 1614 "The Weight of Truth," by Charles R. Swindoll, Living Above The
Level Of Mediocrity, p. 123.
#12269 "How To Know You Have Arrived," by Rev. Charles Rush, Internet.
#18364 "Captain Fudge," Rev. Stephen Sizer of Christ Church; Virginia
Water, England, in sermon "How To Live With Integrity;"
www.christchurch-virginiawater.co.uk. Kerux sermon #20820.
I supplimented it with material from the Online Etymology
Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper.
#26626 "Fudging On Absolutes," Dynamic Preaching, May 10, 2004,
quoting from Gary E. Parker, THE GUILT TRIP, (McCracken Press,
New York, NY, 1993).
These and 30,000 others are part of the Kerux database that can be
downloaded, absolutely free, at http://www.holwick.com/database.html
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