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. Happy Father’s Day. Men of Integrity. Defining integrity…or lack thereof. Mr. Webster - To adhere to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character, honesty; the state of being whole, entire or undiminished. Kingdom - To love and obey the Lord and His Word.
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. Happy Father’s Day
Defining integrity…or lack thereof • Mr. Webster - To adhere to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character, honesty; the state of being whole, entire or undiminished. • Kingdom - To love and obey the Lord and His Word. • A lack of integrity – to act immorally and unethically, to be deceptive and untruthful; to prefer the ease of brokenness rather than the work of wholeness and holiness. • To love self/world more than God and His Word (rebels).
Traits of men of integrity… • They love and obey God and His Word first and foremost. • They love and are devoted to their wives & children. • They love and are devoted to the church where God has planted them. • They have the Father’s heart toward the lost. • They embrace Kingdom purposes.
They love and obey God… • Mt 22:37 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind…” • Jn 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” • Lk 6:46+ “Everyone who comes to me and hears My words, and acts upon them, I will show him whom he is like…” (the man who built his house on the Rock) • A truly Godly woman will desire to be her husband’s second love.
They love their wives/children • 1Cor13: Love is patient, kind, not jealous, not bragging or arrogant, acts becomingly, does not seek its own, holds no account of wrongs, rejoices with the truth, bears, believes and hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. LOVE IS A CHOICE. • Eph 5:25 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her…” • Eph 6:4 “And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger; but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” (He whom he loves he disciplines).
They love & are devoted to their church • Ps 100:2 “Serve the Lord with gladness…” • Rm 12:11 “…not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;” • Gal 5:13 “For you were called to freedom; do not turn your freedom into serving the flesh, but through love serve one another.” • Heb 12:28 “…let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service w/reverence and awe.”
They have the Father’s heart toward the lost… • Jn 15:27 “…and you will bear witness to Me because you have been with Me from the beginning.” • Mt 10:32 “Everyone who will confess Me before men I will confess before My Father who is in heaven.” • Mt 28:19 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” • Acts 1:8 “…but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes and you shall be my witnesses…”
They embrace Kingdom purposes… You are a part of something that is greater, bigger and far more important than yourself – the Kingdom of God. Jesus spoke of the Kingdom over 100x. The church is the place where the Kingdom of heaven invades the kingdom of this world. When King Jesus walked the earth, you couldn’t ignore Him. The world shouldn’t be able to ignore the Church. Give yourself to God, to each other, to the world!
The challenge… • The divorce rate in the USA is the highest in the world. • *27 million children in the USA live in fatherless homes… • *According to Pew, 37% of pastors admit to addiction to pornography; 72% of Evangelical Christian men admit to reading their bible only once a week; 87% admit to viewing R-rated movies regularly; and 23% admit to thinking about having an affair or cheating on their wives.
The blessing… • Mt 13:45 “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” • Lk 22:29 “…and just as my Father has granted me a Kingdom, I grant you that you may eat & drink at My table in My Kingdom and you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”