BEYOND INTEGRITY

Dr. Richard J. Henderson June 1, 2008

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Psalm 46 (responsive)
Matthew 7:21-29

Introduction

We built a house several years ago. We especially realized then how important the foundation to that house was. We had heard stories of people whose houses began to sink, their walls crack, their floors settle because the foundation wasn't done right. If the foundation isn't solid there are almost continual problems.

So it was reassuring to see deep footings and thick concrete walls with steel reinforcing rods poured when we built our house.

Jesus tells a simple parable about two people who built houses. One built his house on flat sandy land, probably a wadi - a dried-up river bed. It's hot and dry most of the year so it made the house easy to build. But when the spring rains came, the winds blew, and the flooding water beat against that house it was demolished.

The other man built his house up higher on a rock. It was solid ground and when the rains came and the winds blew and the water beat against that house it stood strong.

We've seen the effects of terrible storms lately. Apparently well built houses fell apart like match sticks. The foundation is critical.

In San Francisco foundations are required to be able to withstand earth-quakes. They have to build solid foundations, but ones that are flexible. How the foundation is built affects how strong the building will be.

I

Jesus says that the one who built his house on the rock is like the person who hears his words and acts on them. To have a solid foundation, according to Jesus, involves two things: hearing and doing - knowing and acting on what you know. The one who builds a solid life is not just one who hears what Jesus says and likes what he hears, or one who hears Jesus and agrees with him. A solid foundation comes from hearing and doing. The person who lives what Jesus teaches has that foundation.

The great Presbyterian theologian Robert McAfee Brown once wrote, "The fatal error is to read the Bible as a spectator rather than as a participant, to make the faulty assumption that we can sit in a box seat watching the drama, when actually we are on the stage taking part in the drama." Jesus doesn't tell us to observe or even agree; he tells us to act. Information isn't enough; involvement is required.

A PhD student did a study of college mission statements. He found that in the early 1900's schools spoke of instilling wisdom in their students. In the 1950's they spoke less of instilling wisdom and more about providing knowledge. In the 1980's colleges didn't mention wisdom but talked about providing information. The PhD candidates predicted that the day would come when colleges would just say, "Come study with us, we'll give you a lot of data."

Data, information, and even knowledge aren't much good if you don't integrate them into your life.

II

A firm foundation is not just learning values, it is developing character. It isn't just learning about what's right, it is integrating morality into your life. There is lots of talk these days about teaching values, about clarifying values, and teaching ethics. That's very important, but a person doesn't have character until those values become part of who he is.

Character is internalizing Jesus' teachings so that it is your life. You don't have to think about what's right, it's second nature. You don't have to weigh whether an action is wrong - like cheating on a test or cheating on your taxes - you know and naturally stay away from it. You don't have to spend a lot of time questioning what to do, you know what's right; and you do it because that's who you are. That's character.

The recent incident with Eliot Spitzer is an example of this. It wasn't that he didn't know what was wrong; he prosecuted people all the time. The problem wasn't knowledge, but character. Your character is who you are - what kind of foundation your life is built on. Storms will come, but if your foundation is built on rock, you will weather them better. That is not to say life is going to be easy, but you are more likely to endure.

People of great character sometimes fail - they know what's right but don't do it. Then they feel the pain of what they've done.

A middle aged woman was diagnosed with a severe neurological disorder. She went through several surgeries. As she fought against it, she lived with grace and a positive outlook. Her pastor asked how she kept so upbeat. She said, "It's like I prepared for this fifty years ago. My mother took me to church every Sunday. Growing up we didn't have what other people had, but I learned at church that God loves me and will stand beside me no matter what, and God has plans for me. I haven't needed to draw on that until now, but now I'm so glad I can reach down and see what I'm made of." She drew on her developing character.

III

Jesus calls us to move beyond integrity. Our culture, as most cultures, teaches honesty, truthfulness, and fairness. Be upstanding. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. Keep everything above board. These are all accepted standards. Good people will do these things. That's what it means to have integrity.

Jesus asks us for more than integrity. He teaches us things that our world thinks are crazy - like forgiving, turning the other cheek, letting go of possessions, and giving yourself without getting anything in return.

Would the Rambo movies, for example, have been such huge hits if they were about forgiveness? What would happen to video game sales if they weren't about violence and killing, but finding peace and reconciliation?

Jesus teaches us to go beyond integrity to a passionate concern for people who are hurting or abused or starving. Followers of Jesus find it difficult to be content when other people are in pain.

The masters of this faith are the Mother Teresas, who give their lives to ease the suffering of God's children, and the Desmond Tutus, who risk their lives to bring peace and reconciliation to situations of hatred.

The trouble with naming the masters of our faith is that most of them live without fanfare. They don't make the headlines. Imagine a church member who gave an average of $5,000 each year for the 50 years he was a member. When his church honors a person who gives a one time gift of $250,000, he joins in the celebration. Maybe he realizes that he gave the same amount over the years. His great gifts are not recognized but they were consistent. He gave regularly, but never spectacularly.

Jesus draws us even beyond integrity to a selfless, compassionate life.

IV

Where do we learn this life? How do we lay this solid foundation? It starts right here. When you show up at church, it can be like putting another block in the wall of your foundation.

It goes like this: we come together with other people who are constructing their foundations. They support us, encourage us, and teach us. Maybe they even help us see some weaknesses in our foundation.

We sing songs of praise to Another who is greater than we are. We get outside ourselves and rely on a power beyond us. We learn about Jesus' word by hearing it in scripture and sermons. We begin to see how that word applies to our lives today.

We spend time in church reflecting on our lives, examining how our foundation is going, praying for help in the difficult places, asking for greater strength.

We go to a Bible study and discover the reasons behind our values. We learn about Jesus' teaching, and see how God's son lived out what he talked about.

Being involved in church is helping while God patiently constructs the foundation of our character brick by brick and piece by piece.

Conclusion

William Willimon tells of two college students who were talking. One says, "I'm really not into religion, but you're Christian and that works for you; that's great."

"You don't know much about being Christian, do you?" answers the other.

"What do you mean?"

"Being Christian isn't working for me, it's working on me! It's hard being Christian. The church causes you to change; you become a different person than you once were. I'm not working this faith for my personal advantage; it's working on me."

That's what it does, doesn't it?

Amen

© Richard J. Henderson 2008