Integrity: Don't Leave Home Without It

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Matthew 5:8Matthew 5:8 says, "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”It seems every institution nowadays is touched by scandal and problems, and underneath it all is an integrity crisis. This is why it is crucial that we are men and women of integrity, and we dare not leave home without it.The definition of the word “integrity” has to do more with unity or singleness of the heart or mind. In this context, Matthew 5:8 means: “Blessed are those who have integrity, without divided hearts.” This is the principle of integrity: those who are single-minded, not double-souled, are blessed.Integrity takes place in the heart, at our very core.Our hearts are the control center of our emotions. When we speak of our hearts, we speak of total commitment. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”But on our own, our hearts are diseased, deceitful, and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). The cause and desire to sin comes from within. All the diet and exercise in the world will not cure the spiritual disease of our hearts. In spite of any reformation on the outside, we've not dealt with the problem of the heart. Adrian Rogers says, “Everything that you see wrong in the world today has originated in the heart of men.”God is the Great Doctor.The good news is that God is faithful to make a formal diagnosis of our hearts. If we will let Him, He reviews our conditions and reveals what He finds on the inside. God allows circumstances to come into our lives to see how we will react because our reactions speak the loudest of what’s in our hearts. He is the one who transplants a new, pure heart in us.Sin blinds us, and the world is desperate to see God. But it is only with a pure heart that we can receive the eyes of faith.That is the promise of integrity: when we get our spiritual hearts right, our spiritual eyes will see God.Apply it to your lifeMatthew 6:22 says, “When your eye is single, your body will be full of light.” Are you a person of integrity? Do you have a single-minded heart, devoted to serving God?