Sunday, July 15, 2007

Personal integrity - Daniel 3:17-18

Title: Personal integrity
Date: October 17, 2008
Text: Daniel 3:17-18

Story

- "Some time ago there was a movie “Indecent Proposal” which starred Robert Redford and Demi Moore
- “A young couple very much in love are married and have started their respective careers, she as a real estate broker, he as an architect. She finds the perfect spot to build his dream house, and they get loans to finance it.
- When the recession hits, they stand to lose everything they own, so they go to Vegas to have one shot at winning the money they need.
- After losing at the tables, they are approached by a millionaire who offers them a million dollars for a night with the wife.
- Though the couple agrees that this is a way out of their financial dilemma, it threatens to destroy their relationship.”
- What are you willing to do for $10,000,000?
- Two-thirds of Americans polled would agree to at least one, some to several of the following:
- Would abandon their entire family (25%)
- Would abandon their church (25%)
- Would become prostitutes for a week or more (23%)
- Would give up their American citizenships (16%)
- Would leave their spouses (16%)
- Would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free (10%)
- Would kill a stranger (7%)
- Would put their children up for adoption (3%)" - James Patterson and Peter Kim, The Day America Told the Truth, 1991.

Introduction

- In life there will be times when your integrity and honesty will be put to the test.
- How will you react?
- Where will you draw the line?
- For what price would you give up your integrity?
- This morning we will examine the example of three young men, who put their lives on the line for the sake of keeping their integrity

Definition of integrity

- Merriam Webster Dictionary
- 1 : firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : Incorruptibility
- 2 : an unimpaired condition : Soundness
- 3 : the quality or state of being complete or undivided : Completeness

Daniel 3 – Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego

- they are first mentioned in Dan 1:7, companions of Daniel
- Idol – 90 feet high and 9 feet wide –
- Iraq, near present location of Baghdad
- They do not bow down before the idol
- Does not say that they made a lot of trouble about it
- No petitions or rebellion, but people accused them before the king
- They had opportunity to change their mind

They stood up for their beliefs

- verses 16-18
- examine what this means
- they are faced with being killed for their beliefs
- they preserved their integrity
- they refused to compromise their values

A choice to be made

- there is always a choice to be made
- will I stick to what I know is right or will I compromise?
- Acts 5:29 obey God rather than man
- God is more permanent than man
- Will I give up my reward for the sake of some cheap temporary thing?
- That kind of person is concerned about other people’s approval
- John 12:43 The Pharisees loved the praise of men more than their relationship with God
- We want to be more concerned about what God thinks of us

What does God think about us?

- God loves us, we are his children, he trusts us
- We cover all this in our classes
- We have been moved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son – Col 1:13
- This is from the greek word “methistemi” meaning “to transpose, transfer, remove from one place to another"
- We become changed inside
- Rom 2:29 – we no longer need to worry about what others think of us
- It is what God thinks about us that really counts

The end of the story

- Dan 3:16-18 – their response to the king
- They are thrown into the furnace
- But God delivers them
- He did so because they trusted in him – verse 28
- Psa 31:1 - In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

Conclusion

- we may be going through situations
- we may be tempted to compromise
- but God says trust me and I will bring you through
- no matter what the mountain, he says he will make it flat as a pancake
- whatever our struggle, if we trust him he will come through for us