Bridge Church Vancouver

We can only leave a spiritual footprint if it is seen as one by others.  Many times someone may think they  are having one sort of impact when in fact they are having another.  Like a well known environmentalist who is driving around in an SUV.  We can say we believe one thing but the actions of our lives leave a different trail. 

Integrity matters  “Genius is formed in the quiet, but character in the stream of life”  Goethe

Even in the midst of personal pain the faithful live with honor and integrity

This is a very practical picture of Abrahams life.  Integrity grows from a life of honour.  Abraham shows he respects others, wants the best for all and his integrity brings the best about. 

Abraham acted with honour – 4 "I am an alien and a stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”

This is the first piece of land Abraham owns in his promised land – the burial plot – a piece of land that he and his decendents would own for perpetuity.  This is where Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob & Leah  were buried, the tomb of the patriarchs (and tradition holds that Adam & Eve were buried here)

Abraham loved Sarah and respected others and himself, he was a man of honour

Honor; N. high public esteem; fame; glory; honesty or integrity in one’s beliefs and actions; a source of credit or distinction; high respect, as for worth, merit or rank; the privilege of being associated with or receiving a favor from a respected person; uprightness

 Abraham recognized he was not part of the community, he did not assume a position of prominence even though he had lived in the region for many years.  He did not assume liberty or position within the community.  He did not assume he could bury Sarah in the land He went to the city gate to speak with the city elders and ask they sell him his first piece of Cannanite land. 

The truly honorable are recognized; not requiring

A position may require honour – “your honour” to a judge, “the honourable Lord Mayor”, but the judge or mayor may not be honorable individuals

An honourable person is recognized – this is the process of becoming a hero – Terry Fox lived an honorable life and in the process became a hero;

John Newton, Jim Elliot, Billy Graham, Mother Teressa, Corry TenBoom, William Wilberforce, and others lived honorable lives, and God used them to do very significant things; we know about them because they have been recognized and they become heros because of their honorable life and integrity. 

Abraham was recognized as an honourable man

5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 "Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead."

“Every man has three characters – that which he thinks he has, that which he has, and that which he exhibits.”  A. Karr

Our lives are like a glass of water or muddy water or wine – you shake any one of them and what is inside the glass will splash out. 

The Hittites regarded Abraham with great respect.  “A mighty prince among us”  this was not just flattery, but he was recognized as both a man with significant personal power, for he was not a prince of a kingdom but a prince of a man.  And “mighty prince” also conveys as one who his god was blessing, God’s hand seemed to be upon.  – it was obvious to the leaders of Hebron, they knew him and could see his good life and that God was blessing his life.

They gave Abraham permission to bury Sarah wherever he chose.  Abraham had not exerted power or influence over the city, he had not become involved in their local politics,  and his business dealings were always above reproach, and so they were willing to give him his choice. 

In ancient times, business negotiations took place at the city gate where the men would sit together and talk.                   7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land

In the middle of the negotiations, Abraham gets up just to bow down.  He is an old man, about 135 yrs old but he did not assume his age or status would prevent him from exercising honour. 

12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, "Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there."

Two times in this negotiations, Abraham bows down, a sign of humble respect.  In his mourning, his own personal grief and pain, he still expressed great respect and honour. 

He was not willing to take but to give.  When we give we demonstrate the blessedness of God.

Abraham lived with open hands, in big things and small, there is no difference.

Abraham was not willing to take an easy way – no shortcuts – He will ‘pay his way’ and act with honor. 

He was going to pay the asking price, no negotiations.  Some things are worth more than money – we have no way of knowing whether this was a good price or not, but it didn’t matter; it was his Sarah, and he was going to honour her.  In his actions, he honoured the men of the city, his wife and descendents and himself.  He was leaving a spiritual trail of integrity

Abraham acted with integrity –   integrity is the strength of consistency – what is on the inside of a life is coming out in the stream of life.  He was not one kind of person here and another in a different situation and what people saw was good and honorable.  It didn’t matter what the situation was you knew who was going to show up, the kind of person that was there.

Abraham acted in the honour and character of God

This is the first business transaction in the Bible and it is a real estate transaction.  A great picture of a godly man conducting business in an honorable way.    There was no manipulation, no scheming, but honor and integrity and he did it in the midst of his own personal grief.

There is no reason for a person of God to take advantage of someone else, or to act less than honorable.

We live in a world that says it is okay to take advantage of others, to lie a bit, cheat a bit, to steal a bit, but God says that is not the way my faithful men and women operate.  We live in truth, dignity, honor, respect and integrity.  We are concerned about our image when what we want to present may be different than who we really are.  We are not always comfortable in our own skin – issue of integrity.

The message for us this morning is, God desires us to demonstrate his character in us, the character of Christ, always, even when difficulties come, when pain comes, grief,

Our difficulties are not an opportunity to circumvent the character of God, this is not an opportunity to take a shortcut towards comfort or ease.  Instead we must always live the integrity of God’s character regardless of our circumstances.

So when times are not so hard, is exactly the time to build the kind of character we want to exhibit when times turn hard.  Now is the time to build our relationship with God so His character can come out when it will count the most.

Eph 4:22-24  -  MEMORY VERSE – READ TOGETHER

…put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Abraham was considered a “mighty prince” because of his reputation of doing what is good and right and also because it was obvious God’s hand of blessing was upon him.  And even in the midst of the loss of his wife and his own grief, he still conducted himself with great honour and integrity. 

God wants the same of us, so His righteousness shines through in good times and bad.  Build that up in you now.  Sometimes we think we know what we have inside us, but we can even fool ourselves, like Karr said, “Every man has three characters – that which he thinks he has, that which he has, and that which he exhibits.” 

<  POUR INTO COFFEE CUPS  >

How do you know what is really inside you unless you have intentionally put it in there, and even then it can spoil and change into something sour.  We have this image we want to maintain and sometimes we get so preoccupied with the image we lose sight of what is really important, the stuff inside us that comes out.

Ask God to show you who you are on the inside this morning, don’t assume it will be some ‘introspective’ thing, but expect him to show up and show you just like he did with Abraham

God uses  His Word, events and people to reveal who we really are. 

Events that will shake the stuff on the inside out so you – and everyone else around you – can see what you are really made of – That is what happened to Tiger Woods, or Terry Fox

God will also use people to help you see yourself, They can see when what’s inside of you is beginning to sour or maybe it just needs to be thrown out and replaced.  Or they can say “what’s inside of you is extraordinary and good” 

Let people speak into your life, ask trusted people to speak into your life and listen to them,  trust them, God will use the flesh and blood of someone else to shape you. 

Building God’s Word into your life is the best way for God to begin showing up in your life where you are living how He says life works