all right if you got your Bibles let's
go to proverbs chapter 3 verse 3 and 4
we're in our series on the wisdom of
Solomon and proverbs and we've been
talking from the message out of the
series right now we're talking about
what makes you baby what makes you
valuable as a person and I'm gonna try
to get to a little story here a little
bit and I can't wait to share with you
now and then make me think about I was
privileged this week that Mason got to
kick around with me a couple days this
week and I don't know whether that's a
good thing or not
mm-hmm but because I seem to get in
trouble with his nanny and sometimes
with his mom and but I just tell him
it'd be okay and he just thinks that's
hilarious when I get in trouble with
name and but we had a good time and so I
want to kind of share maybe thinking in
this weekend I don't get the word I can
share a story not about him or me it
just made me think about it
so proverbs chapter 3 verse 3 and 4 and
I'll go along slow this morning as
always I want your comments at any point
that you would like to jump in since
it's just us and your Bible says let not
mercy and truth forsake thee bound them
about my neck write them upon the table
of thine heart so shalt thou find favor
and good understanding that aside and
God in man and you know I'm gonna read
it I don't really actually I'm gonna
actually climb a whole lot to this
series but you got every once in the
mall that verse 5 comes up in my life it
does I mean it just like sometimes I'll
be scratching my head and I'm a little
touchy you know I'm saying it's a ring
Lord just wants me you ever find
yourself
scratching your head saying Lord I don't
exactly understand what's going on and
how come I can't get this prayer
answered how come I can't get that door
open how come this doesn't work out
and everyone says while I turn around
and some or another this verse trust in
the Lord with all thine heart and lean
not to the whole and understanding and I
can remind myself I can only seek to the
corner of the building God can see
around the corner and he knows what's up
ahead ain't that the truth
amen so let's go to the Lord in prayer
father thinking for a reading of the
word use me to feed your people today
Lord may we leave here saying it's good
to be in the house of the Lord would
after all the request again to you Lord
go in touch eat you wanna be a corn you
oppression will thank you for each one
that's here today forgive us what we've
been using me to feed your people in
Jesus name we pray amen
hey ma let me read that to you I've
another translation and it says never
let loyalty and kindness get away from
you where are them like the necklace
right there deep within your heart and
then you will find favor with both God
and people and you will gain a good
reputation and remember last week and
we'll cover it again in a minute
remember I told you last week it seemed
like we're living in a day in time or
many people don't care what their
reputation is like that that's the thing
of the past we've been talking about
what makes you bangee boarding and if
you aren't here remember I use the
illustrations of what makes one employer
keep an employee and let you go what
makes one person stay in a relationship
and then they walk out of it typically
you don't walk out of something that you
value that you put value on and we
started talking and got in last week
and into all the way into what makes a
good reputation and I spent last week in
some of the week before especially
talking about integrity haven't living
in a day of having integrity and I you
can some integrity in one sentence it's
basically being the same in product as
you are in public would you agree with
that that's having integrity be what you
are 24 hours a day seven days a week and
the real truth of the matter is we don't
Hall and I say this rigor we don't
always act on a week-long like we do on
our Sunday morning version our church
version would you agree with that we all
mess up and we all do great things that
are wrong and Sullivan says we are to
have integrity and kindness as a vital
part of our lives now when we got
integrity and kindness what does it do
well number one it brings favor with God
and man okay it gives you favor with God
in man and the Hebrew word here means
cherished approval for if perennial
treatment and in other words what he's
saying here is it you get a big
advantage in your life when you've got
integrity and kindness over people who
don't as a leader you value people who
will do what they say they'll do does
the best wind they say they'll do it and
be people that you can depend on and be
responsible that stage the contract I'll
bet you if I was a bettin man I'll bet
you Steve uses people that he can depend
on that's gonna be there
the job whether they say they're going
to do the job who wants to hire a person
knowing that they may show up they may
not show up huh so and well how can that
benefit well that can get the guy that's
dependable motive two men can be sent
there needing work needs not need to
make a living
and one can be have integrity and
kindness and beat it up and be there
like you says the other one can have a
bad reputation and a good reputation
will get demanded job would you agree
with that so it brings in fact net
number two is it creates secure and
treasured friendships
there's nothing like having a secure and
trusted friendship your integrity has
parts in that that when you say this is
between me and you with your integrity
they understand that they can trust you
that what they say we'll stay in
confidence just with them and they can
give it to you with confidence and
honesty provides a strong relationship
would you agree with that I had a guy
called me this week and said he needed
to talk to me and I said yeah and he
said glass boy he said I went to my boss
to talk about a couple of problems and I
felt like we're on the job
and his plant person manager hire you
want to say that it's over the whole
group when this guy went into this to
this his boss's office
the he asked he said is this like an
employee to boss talk or is this like a
person to person
oh and the boss say it either way
it's not going nowhere it's gonna stay
in here and he said but you know I will
take the concerns but they don't have to
know everything I will just take the
concern so this person began to pour his
heart out to his boss totally everything
I mean laid it all out on the line and
said things to this boss that he would
not have wanted the other boss - no but
he was laying it out like he was
supposed to do he was going into order
protocol like he should do the bad part
was that boss went out and told
everything broke his confidence with
this employee okay
messed it told them this employee will
never ever trust this guy
it'll be a long time if it does and in
fact it's so not this employee he
actually said I was almost ready to just
quit and walk out after I found that out
now has anybody ever had that happen
anything like you ever tell somebody
something and they said don't tell
nobody this is between me and you and
then they broke that confidence and I'm
go over it again I keep pounding this
point I will say it again when you give
you a word of confidence and you say
this goes no further that does not give
you the right to go to your next best
friend insane I know you won't say
nothing but let me tell you and you keep
this between me and you when you get in
your word of confidence and said this is
not to go nowhere that's what that meant
now if you go home and tell your wife
you gonna get home tell your brother you
can fight a bad friend you when that
said it's just gonna stay between me and
you you should have said yeah it's gonna
stay between me and you and my wife your
word is your work now for those you
don't understand
how much confidence is what a big deal
there he is now how many y'all remember
today's Ebola when you went into the
doctor's office I had a clipboard later
Burt he just signed your name on it what
doctor sit down y'all remember them days
all right now when you go into that
doctor's office and take LT when you go
into that doctor's office and you sign
your name they only have a certain
number of minutes before they have to
block your name out on that reason and
that's so they keeping your confidence
in between even though you're sitting
there with everybody talking to
everybody the law says they got to keep
that confidence in between and when that
doctor says this is tween me and you
that's exactly what it means when Trust
is broken how many y'all understand you
can turn on a 20-year trust in 20
seconds huh talk to me somebody yeah hey
man what it takes 20 years to do what
act of non trust broken trust can bring
it all down number three truth kindness
and integrity provide and build
self-esteem when you are honest when you
back up what you say when you do what
you say it builds your self-esteem
it builds your confidence and it also
will build the self-esteem and the
confidence of the people that you are
dealing with other words let me put it
to you this way how many of you feel
special when you figure out that
somebody values your time your energy
how many of you feel more special when
you figure out that persons taking their
time and their energy and invested in
you one of the greatest compliments you
will ever give anybody is to invest your
time into them and show them that they
are valuable and help them to build
their self-esteem and their confidence
and when you do that it also helps to
build yours amen
it's been said people don't care how
much you know until they know how much
you care would you agree with that
number for truth and kindness increase
commitment loyalty and motivation when
you show truth kindness and loyalty it
will motivate them it will raise their
level of commitment to you and it
motivates them to return that kindness
and that favor and that integrity back
to you I closed last week with saying
you reap what you sow if you don't like
what you're reaping change what you're
suing yeah and so now that leads us over
in if we're going to be people of
integrity and be truthful and eyes well
then let's think about the culture and
society which we living in now how many
y'all agree that we've almost gotten to
a point now where dishonesty is a thing
of the normal
and why is it so easy now to just
exaggerate being the truth
or tell why is it that people tend to be
dishonest you ever talk about that what
are the reasons that people tend to be
dishonest well they actually come up
with what they feel is three main
reasons that people are dishonest okay
number one is to promote themselves to
promote themselves let me put it to you
this way how about the politician who
says I spent five years doing this and I
spent four years doing that and then I
was involved in three years and I helped
do this and I was a part of that and
kind of find out after they get going
they wasn't involved in those things
they really didn't do those things at
all and he find out that what they were
telling was a lie but what they were
doing was trying to promote themselves
and in the campaign and they were being
dishonest in the process of doing it
would you agree with that number two and
we've all met people on this and we've
all done ourselves some time or another
we've all done it even if it was nothing
but Toni mom and daddy a lot while he
was late getting home that night number
two is some dudes we become dishonest to
protect ourselves huh not to get in
trouble not to look bad in situations
trying to cover up things we've done are
not done has I hate anybody in the
church you know three DS and number
three is to manipulate the thoughts and
feelings or actions or others in other
words to get their way to get people to
go along with them to gain sympathy
to give in to I'm counting I've been
doing this for 29 years and sometimes I
honestly think not so much here but
years past at churches sometimes I
actually think some people thought I had
a big they had a big stamp and they had
stamped the word sucker right on my head
right and they would they would miss
their there would miss church that we
miss her sadness in this whatever they
closed today and and they would begin to
explain to me why they wasn't there why
they didn't get it done why they were
out and after this great long
explanation I'm standing there thinking
to myself I've got that word sucker
wrote right on my head because do you
actually think I'm believing what you
said this is so far-fetched and number
two is after all of this X big
explanation there still didn't have a
thing to do why you wasn't it Church why
you couldn't be here and then they
become gets totally dissed eyes about
and and a lot of times people think
being dishonest will bring gate well
sometimes I have to be honest sometimes
it will bring you short-term gain but
the long-term effects of it the crashes
of it far outweigh any benefit that you
think you might get right now a man that
so why are pink white people more kind
what would more kind each other what are
we going what kind in our churches why
aren't we more kind in our workplaces
why aren't we more kinder to each other
in a family and I don't mind telling you
did support I get in trouble with people
you want to have for comments or good
get in the right place get in the right
church and somebody would get mad
getting their seat you park in their
parking spot I've been parking in that
spot for 42 years
I'm gonna sitting in that same seat and
they just come in and got right in my
sleep and just step right down right
there
and they've been sitting there so long
the only thing they need to do is put a
metal box on that view they can get your
mail there I walked into a store while
back and y'all y'all are too nother
being a Baptist preachers you gonna eat
chicken and I know Noah wasn't a bad
dish cause if he had a bad name chicken
foot and made it on that boat there days
they'd have been eating I walked in the
store while back was going to order from
the counter in there and I got my order
and I walked up to the counter and the
lady sitting at the counter was there
and I said when to pay for my order and
I said well I really appreciate that and
I hope you have yourself a great day she
never said nothing she didn't looked at
me like this sulky handful of and I just
said well thank you you got a good one
too I have some four and walked out the
door and I mean hi I mean look thank you
you never going to I don't know where
they go back about three or four weeks
another day I went when I want to know
she was smiling it's nice you can be
canasta been nice
sometimes I mean y'all never felt what
I'm getting up to this sometimes if
you've ever felt like I'm trying as hard
as I can to be kind and I'm getting
tired of being kind
and grew this show back to me you
already given up one you feel like I'm
just about ready to quit well you have
to understand that calmness is not a
natural product of our nature you know
what is a natural product of our nature
selfishness greediness it's all about me
it's my desires it's my wants it's what
I need and when we typically don't get
those things then sometimes it's hard
for us not to be as nice as we are be
now while I'm talking I want four of you
to grab your Bibles
I want you to read some scripture for me
can I can I get y'all ready at me for a
minute
somebody find Ephesians 4:31 and 32 did
how about you find it yet Luke 6:31 who
wants to find it raise your hand if you
find Jeremy's gonna do Luke 6:31 first
Peter 4 and 9 who wants Joe leaves got
it and one Lord Galatians 5:22 and 23
somebody won't find it who won't see it
Galatians I get it heavens gonna do
Galatians questions what's in Ephesians
chapter 4 verse 31 and 32 he visions for
first Corinthians 2nd Corinthians
Galatians Ephesians Ephesians chapter 4
look
6:31 mark Matthew Mark Luke verse Peter
4 9 in Galatians 5:22 and
Wow
would be senator be kind to one another
many and here's the thing that verse 31
you know what he was saying
Ricki sand I need you get rid of these
things because you got every one of
these I'm just being honest with you
Ricki some help but then he said I want
you to be kind and tender-hearted
forgiving one another as Christ has
forgiven you and so when somebody says
to you I could never forgive them for
what they've done to me then turn around
and say well I hope you never need
forgiveness from God huh all right let's
go to the next one look six do to others
as you would have them do to you simple
do you want people to be count to you
yes or no
yeah he's bled yep all right Danny beat
out of him treat him the way he want to
be treated you reap what you said all
right first Peter hore done
hospitality calmness use it one two
enough laughs but the fruit of the
Spirit is love joy peace longsuffering
gentleness goodness faith meekness
temperance against such there is no law
all of them is basically got one thing
in common from 1 to n one more Thomas
Thomas is Jesus come to you God to me
Jesus said my words are spirit and life
huh some I read proverbs 19:2 22
from verse 19 to 22 the desire of a man
is his kindness and a poor man is better
than a liar Wow desire the desire of a
man is as kindness and a poor man is
better than a lie when you study when
you read God's Word this selfish
greediness thing begins to be replaced
it begins to be transformed jesus said
my spirit my words are spirit and life
and they get down into your spirit his
words and they began to transform you
and then it's replaced and then all this
bad start disappearing and being
replaced with the good stuff would you
agree with that woman at the well Jesus
would come to her life yeah he didn't
jump at her and say well I'll tell you
right now you've had more - more suit
Philadelphia lawyer you know you need to
get your life together he would just
come to the one there at the whale his
word cleanses you washes you changes you
would you agree with that amen
no that's where I wanted to get to there
was a little boy who spent a lot of time
with his grandpa and his every morning
his father would get up and set the
table for them to eat breakfast when he
was there and that Paul would get his
Bible and set out and read that Bible
and that grandson wanted to be just like
his papa and he would imitate him when
they were out working and doing the
things he would imitate him and he said
I read this Bible but a whole lot of it
and to be honest but sometimes I've read
this Bible and a little bit I don't even
remember what I've read it I guess for
God what it was and I read it say Mike I
need to get a whole lot out of it is
that ever happened anybody him possum
come on men live in in the Virginians
and work in coal mines up there just pop
off sick come on he bought yeah he
picked up a dirty old cold
basket I mean he was a dirty hit all
kind of holes in it it's covered up with
all that black everything off the bat oh
and he said I want you to do me a favor
won't you take this basket go down to
the creek I want you to fill it with
water and bring it back to down to the
creek II plan
filled that basket up and back up very
when to come to see his pop off when he
got a bird it was empty
his pop off the water got out of it
pop I said well when she go back he's
got a little faster this time now back
he went back down there where that
basket scooped you down in that Creek
get the ball get me that bird got back
up burn here pop off it was in oh oh oh
yeah yeah it will it will this now would
you go down and fast get up and I mean
you gonna have to boot to get here
whenever he filled that little basket up
with everything that he could get up
there and he got back up bird and he
look and the basket was empty he's a
pump off I know that it wasn't gonna
work
that it wasn't gonna hold that water
that it was a waste of time I lost
everything and I just got up the water
seemed like it just disappeared
Papa said look at the basket
the baskets clean it's been washed from
the inside out it was washed a little
bit at the time over and over it got in
there and it began to wash and break up
all of that old dirt and now it's clean
hmm pop off said see that's what God's
Word does a little bit at the time is
you keep reading and studying and
meditating and following God that word
gets in and it begins to watch it from
the inside out
okay now what happens when you and I on
a close here give you a couple things
what happens when you and I are
dishonest and we're not truthful
number one it produces a never ending
stress you have to live under the stress
of being found out the hard experiment
one time a guy did he wrote a letter to
four different people and said sign his
name and see it I want you to know I
found out what he did that was it
three of those people left ham the
fourth one morning to meet with him and
talk to him he didn't have an idea all
he done was that experience so see when
you're dis eyes you have to live with
the stress of being father let me put it
t this way thinking the person who
commits a crime but it's not immediately
caught and it looks like they get away
every day they get up they have to live
under the stress of what they need they
have to live under the stress of is
today the day I'm going to be found out
about is this debate that it's all
coming out and sometimes some live with
that weight on their shoulders day in
and day out week in and week out year in
and year out and it robs them of their
joy their peace their health their
happiness and it causes health problems
number two it creates unexpected crashes
in your life
how many God ever said you know what I
think I'm gonna be dishonest don't tell
this lie will cheat here I'm gonna steal
this and I won't do that simply because
I would just like to destroy the life
I've got you got a good life going
everything's going good but I think I'll
lie here I like only dishonest here only
gonna be untruthful I'm gonna do what
I'm not supposed to do because I just
like to crash my life and mess it all
but see that's what happens when you to
be as honest it causes things to come in
on you at some point or the other
dishonesty catches up now somebody right
quick look at proverbs 11 chapter
chapter 11 verse 24 or 25 somebody are
y'all getting anything out of this y'all
get 11 24 25 yeah says well one person
gives freely yet gains even more another
withholds unduly but comes to poverty a
generous person will prosper
whoever refreshes others would be
refreshed now we're finding out and just
four started finding out things that
won't make you baby okay one of the
things and I don't have time to finish
this today and we'll get back on a
little bit later down down the road one
of the things that does make you
valuable is being a generous person now
let me clear something up right off the
bat when we say generosity 99% of the
people think in terms of money that is
one of them
but it's not all okay
be generous how about this being
generous with your time with other
people be generous with your talents
would you agree be here's one I bet you
even think about this being generous
with encouraging words how many y'all
know somebody that seemed like almost
every time you turn around all they can
talk about is something negative and all
they can do is tell you what you doing
wrong and all they can to you is how
it's never going to work out there's no
way that can happen
well not being generous with encouraging
words I mean y'all heard you land more
flies with honey than you do with
vinegar
well I'll be honest I
likewise we'll get into that later when
you are just be gently here's one here's
one our society could really jump on
right now be generous and patience that
even goes on Sunday morning preaching I
wish to preach it wrap it up I need to
get on I need to get out of here
don't don't don't try to fool me I used
to set out there before us do that Peter
so I knew what you think you're standing
out don't be trying to fool me Ellen
generous with hugs generous with
listening to other people can I give you
a little footnote on that one you don't
always have to fix everything for
everybody and give them your great words
of wisdom
sometimes all people need is just
somebody to talk to you know what I had
a gentleman call me again this week at a
gentleman called me if you know what he
said at the end of his conversation talk
to me you know what he said it I really
appreciate it I just needed somebody to
talk to you that's all I mean I just
needed to tell what was on my mind I
know what I gotta do
I know what I've gotta fix never want to
get on this many years ago we had a lady
in the church and I told her one day
Isis and I made this take the food from
pulpit you know if you ever need
somebody to talk to and you don't need
no advice you don't need all that yeah
just let me know anything one night
about two o'clock my phone rang she said
but I don't need your advice
she said she talked and I mean she told
me everything look at she's mad at me -
I'm mad at me so much problems and
things that she had and things that she
was dealing with and you know I listened
to her for about 20 or 30 minutes fill
her heart and then me and you know what
she said preacher I appreciate it I'll
let you get back to sleep I never bought
it up never mention it that lady was
daddy gone out but you know what she
didn't need my break words wisdom she
just needed one what's in there is
somebody telling this and Jesus says no
more closely I'm doing another study to
finish up this generous Paul
Jesus and is saying it and he's using
Solomon here to explain that when you
are generous God will make sure that you
don't like he will make sure that you
are taking care of that your needs are
met when you are generous when you are a
generous person is Jesus not generous
does he not free of yield amen and when
we want a big like Jesus when we are
generous then people start saying wait a
minute there's something different about
that person there's something stands out
you need and gener me and generous now
is in such short supply that to be
generous now and i use this as a clothes
and lastly in case you forgot when you
are generous now people people will look
at you like special
this day a time is they got something
they want something they need being nice
for no reason at all they want the Sun
but when they find out I'm being
generous just because I care for you
I'm being generous just because I love
you and here's the thing the more you
become like Christ the more you want to
be generous the more you want to give it
just starts coming back any closer
communist me appreciate
I can't exactly remember how it went our
product trying to get it across things
people setting in eating at the table
and somebody said can you tell me the
meals and stuff all the meals that your
wife has cooked over the years for you
and he said no i can't remember those
this each one of them each one of them
got me through each one of them strength
and he said you see that's the way God's
Word is not sometimes I can't remember
what Scripture went with that time in my
life and something to keep remember in
the book but I do know God uses it
defeat during that time and it got me
through it
hey man anything else one more time you
getting anything out of this now let's
move this up and I'll have a prayer
BJ something I've done this thing on
kindness I like a home down there it's
like I'm running right off the bat into
three of the most rudest people and by
the time I got the number three I'm not
ready to just take this preaching cut it
off and lay it down for a while and just
be ready and and and then it reminded me
wasn't that rig
wait a minute you got to keep being
generous you got to keep giving you got
to be keep being kind don't flip out
remember sinners act like sinners would
you quit thinking quit thinking about
Rick and start thinking from their side
in your season
kind of people exactly see that's a hit
and they only you know you can be kind
to people it easy but it's tough to be
kind to people that make it real tough
real nasty people to deal with and you
know what sometimes to help yourself
sometimes you have to distant yourself a
little bit so you can keep yourself or
group together okay you've got to have
time to regroup and deal because I'm
gonna be honest with you they are days I
don't deal with things as good as I do
the other day yeah
tell me y'all of everything I'm just
being honest I'm being rigged in front
of yo everybody's showing and family for
being honest about this and secure
discover make it look babe I will be
honest with you about there are some
days I have to say to myself you know
what my patience ain't real good today
of dealing with people I'm told Tina for
this is one day I need to stay by myself
and stay away from people today and yes
the whole deal because right now I'm
just not in a real kind of mood today
I bet I don't tell anybody
huh don't tell anybody I'm telling I
give you got
