INTEGRITY OF OUR HEARTS

Text: Genesis20:1-12 •1 And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. •2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

• 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, “Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man’s wife.”• 4 But Abimelech had not come

near her; and he said, “Lord, will You slay a righteous nation also? 5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she, even she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’

• In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this.”• 6 And God said to him in a dream,

“Yes, I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart. For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her. • 7 Now therefore, restore the

man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live.

• But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”• 8 So Abimelech rose early in the

morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid.• 9 And Abimelech called

Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I offended you, that you have

• brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done deeds to me that ought not to be done.” • 10 Then Abimelech said to

Abraham, “What did you have in view, that you have done this thing?”• 11 And Abraham said, “Because I

thought, surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.

• 12 But indeed she is truly my sister. She is the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.

INTRO:Integrity defined:1. Steadfast adherence to a strict

moral or ethical code.2. The state of being unimpaired;

soundness.

3. The quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness.•Lots of people had a good start but lost their integrity along the way. •Even God’s servants/people has a problem dealing with integrity.•As a result, we lost our testimony, and destroy our own reputation.

AIM:•FOR US TO KEEP THE INTEGRITY OF OUR HEARTS•Remember that heart of our problem in the problem of our heart. I. WITH THE INTEGRITY OF THE HEART FOLLOWS THE INNOCENCY OF THE HANDS-V 5•James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [you] sinners;

• and purify [your] hearts, [you] double-minded.• If our hearts are clean then our

hands will be clean as well.• We cannot make our hands clean

without cleaning the heart. • I Tim 1:15 This [is] a faithful

saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

• 1Timothy 1:13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did [it] ignorantly in unbelief.

II. GOD SPEAKS TO THOSE WHO HAVE INTEGRITY- V 3,6-7• In the New Testament God

speaks to us through:• 1 Rhima• 2 Messengers • 3 Circumstances

• In the Old Testaments:• Dreams• Visions (Because there is no

written word yet). • Prophets(Messengers)• He spoke to Abimelech knowing

he will listen and obey Him. • Matthew 16:1 Then the

Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.

• Matt 16:4 "A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." And He left them and departed.• John 14:11 "Believe Me that I

[am] in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

III. GOD IS LOOKING ON THE INTEGRITY OF OUR HEART- V 6•I know that you did this in the integrity of your heart •Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], And desperately wicked; Who can know it?•Jeremiah 17:10 I, the LORD, search the heart, [I] test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.

• For I also withheld you from sinning against Me• Therefore I did not let you touch

her. • God will help the innocent not to

commit a sin• James 1:13-15 (NIV)• 13 When tempted, no one should

say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

• 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.• Entice is a fishing term• When you put a bait• The fish goes round on it• The fish believes there is no

danger

• If there is it will believe it can manage to escape• In the end, the fish becomes

“paksiw”, fried, or cookedIV. A MAN WITH INTEGRITY IS

NOT ONLY CONCERN OF HIMSELF-V 4• Will you slay a righteous nations

also?• But if you do not restore [her],

know that you shall surely die, you and all who [are] yours."

• As a result of Abimelech’s taking Sarah all their women became barren (closed womb)• Gen 20:18 for the LORD had

closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.• When we commit a sin, our

families are affected.• Ex. David-his son died, her

daughter was raped by his own son

• Achan who hides forbidden objects • Korah, Dathan and Abiram• II Sam 24:17 When David saw the

angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd,[c] have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.”

V. INTEGRITY WILL NOT JUST STOP YOU FROM LYING, IT WILL MAKE YOU TELL THE TRUTH-V 2, 11•Gen 20:2 Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She [is] my sister.“•Gen 20:11 And Abraham said, "Because I thought, surely the fear of God [is] not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.

• Gen 20:12"But indeed [she is] truly my sister. She [is] the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife.• Gen 12:11 As he was about to

enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. • 12 When the Egyptians see you,

they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live.

• 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”• 7 When the men of that place

asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

VI. A MAN OF INTEGRITY OBEY’S GOD’S WORD- 8, 14 •Gen 20:8 So Abimelech rose early in the morning, called all his servants, and told all these things in their hearing; and the men were very much afraid.•Gen 20:14 Then Abimelech took sheep, oxen, and male and female servants, and gave [them] to Abraham; and he restored Sarah his wife to him.

• 1. Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.• 2. The state of being unimpaired;

soundness.• 3. The quality or condition of

being whole or undivided; completeness.• Gen 20:7 "Now therefore,

restore the man's wife; for he [is] a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live.

VII. THE LORD PUNISHES IMMEDIATELY THOSE WITH INTEGRITY-V 17-18Gen 20:17 So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore [children];Gen 20:18 for the LORD had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

• Ecclesiastes 8:11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.• 2 Pet 2:9 [then] the Lord knows

how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment

CHALLENGE:•Are you learning from our topic of integrity?•Do you have integrity?•Are you keeping your integrity?CONCLUSION:•Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them.

• Proverbs 28:6 Better [is] the poor who walks in his integrity Than one perverse [in his] ways, though he [be] rich.