Imitating The Integrity Of The Faithful

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. ³⁹ These were all commended for their faith… Hebrews 11:32-39a (NIV)

Some of the faithful got a _________ & some of the faithful got __________.

Blessed [anticipating God’s presence] are the pure in heart [those with integrity], for they will see God. Matthew 5:8 (AMP)

You supported me because of my integrity and set me in Your presence forever. Psalm 41:12 (HCSB)

Integrity of faith is not measured by ___________ but by _______________.

I CAN IMITATE THE INTEGRITY OF THE FAITHFUL WHEN…

1. I ____________ My ______________ For My __________________.

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again… Hebrews 11:32-35a (NIV)

For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 1 John 5:4 (NLT)

When they were fed, they became satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; as a result, they forgot me! Hosea 13:6 (NET)

You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” ¹⁸ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth… Deuteronomy 8:17-18a (NIV)

The integrity of my faith is revealed by my ______________ in ___________.

2. I ________ Onto My ________ During My __________________.

…There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground. Hebrews 11:35b-38 (NIV)

Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. ¹¹ Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. Revelation 2:10-11 (NIV)

Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. 1 Peter 1:7 (MSG)

The integrity of my faith is revealed by my ________ in _________________.

PERSONAL INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT:

Is My Faith A ____________ Faith Or Merely A ___________________ Faith?

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21 (NIV)

My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don’t do anything to show you really do have faith? Can this kind of faith save you? ¹⁹ You surely believe there is only one God. That’s fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear. James 2:14, 19 (CEV)

Removing action from faith is like removing breath from a body. All you have left is a corpse. James 2:26 (VOICE)

Rate Yourself Honestly In Each Area.

1 = Rarely True Of Me     10 = Consistently True Of Me

When God blesses me, I remain humble and give Him the credit. _____ / 10

When life becomes difficult, I continue trusting God’s promises. _____ / 10

I care more about God’s approval than people’s applause. _____ / 10

I praise God rather than complain when hardship comes. _____ / 10

My Greatest Threats To The Integrity Of My Faith Are:

□ Success     □ Suffering    □ The Approval Of Others    □ Apathy

□ Discouragement    □ Pride    □ Fear    □ Comfort    □ Insecurities   

□ Hidden Sin    □ Something Else: __________________________

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test? 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)