The Greatest
Quality Of A Leader
Steve W. Reeves
stevesermons.blogspopt.com
INTRODUCTION
A. For
years there was a television commercial for the investment firm E.F. Hutton that used the tagline, “When E.F. Hutton speaks, people listen. “What E.F. Hutton
was to investments, Warren Wiersbe is to Christian scholarship. When he speaks or
writes, people listen.
When he speaks, people listen.
1. As I have studied the scriptural qualifications for elders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1
there is one quality that leaps from the page. It is inclusive of every detail penned
by Paul through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the word, “integrity.”
2. In his book, The Integrity Crisis, Wiersbe notes that the word integrity comes from
a Latin word, “integritose” meaning wholeness or completeness. The root of the
word is one that will be familiar to those in the fields of science or math. “Integre”
is that which is complete, untouched, unspoiled or undivided.
3. Wiersbe says, “Integrity is to personal or corporate character what health is to the
body or 20/20 vision is to the eyes. A person with integrity is not divided (duplicity)
or pretending (hypocrisy). Life is put together for that person. Things are working
harmoniously for them. People with integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to
fear. Their lives are open books.”
B. I was surprised to learn that the word “integrity” does not occur in the New
Testament. It is, however mentioned 27 times in the NASB.
1. Proverbs 10:9 – “He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his
ways will be found out.”
2. Proverbs 11:3 – “The integrity of the upright will guide them, But the crookedness
of the treacherous will destroy them.”
3. Proverbs 13:6 – “Righteousness guards the one whose way is blameless, But
wickedness subverts the sinner.”
4. Proverbs 20:6-7 - “Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, But who can find a
trustworthy man? 7 A righteous man who walks in his integrity— How blessed are
his sons after him.”
5. Psalm 78:70-72 –“He also chose David His servant And took him from the
sheepfolds; 71From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him To
shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. 72 So he shepherded
them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful
hands.”
C. We need people of integrity in our lives: parents, grandparents. We need teachers
with integrity. We need government officials with integrity. We need church leaders
with integrity.
1. Whenever a church is selecting leaders, the preacher is usually asked to present
lessons about the qualifications of elders found in 1 Timothy 3 or Titus 1.
2. You may think there is nothing further to learn from these verses.
3. Have you considered the foundation upon which each of these qualifications
stand? I am talking about the bedrock of integrity.
I. PERSONAL INTEGRITY
A. Notice the character of the man Paul writes about. He is above reproach,
temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable. He is not hot tempered (pugnacious)
but gentle. He is peaceable, and not addicted to wine.
1. All of these characteristics can be summed up with one word: “Integrity.”
2.The Old Testament prophet, Micah asked, “He has told you, O man, what is
good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
2. Micah was speaking of the same thing Paul said much characterize leaders:
integrity.
B. We do not have to guess about what integrity looks like. The book of Daniel is
filled with examples.
1. In Daniel 1 four young Hebrew men were taken into the court of
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. The intention was to change their identity.
They were given new names and offered the king’s choicest foods. It would
have been easy to compromise their faith in God and eat food forbidden by the
law of Moses. These young men remained committed and declined the king’s
food (Daniel 1:8-21).
2. In chapter 3 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow before the idol
constructed by Nebuchadnezzar. The result was that they were thrown into a
fiery furnace with heat so intense it killed those nearest to it. God saved them
because of their integrity.
3. Much later, when Daniel was about 80 and the empire had passed into the
hands of Darius an edict went out from the king prohibiting anyone to make a
request of anyone other than the king. Daniel continued his practice of praying
three times a day resulting in his being thrown to the lions. God protected him
because of his integrity.
II. DOMESTIC INTEGRITY
A. Elders are to be men who model God’s plan for marriage and the family.
1. The phrase, “husband of one wife” in verse 2 means he is a “one-woman man.”
This is a man who has demonstrated integrity in his marriage. He understands
God’s plan for the home. He loves his wife as Christ loved the church and gave
Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25).
2. In verse 4 Paul went on to say, “He must be one who manages his own
household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity.”
B. Integrity is the hem that keeps the fabric of the family from unraveling.
1. Many years ago I knew a preacher and his family. This man, though he was well
known and in frequent demand as a speaker was secretly involved in immoral
behavior. Eventually this immoral relationship was discovered. His wife left him
and his children’s lives fell into disarray. The fabric of their family unraveled
because of a lack of integrity.
2. Children learn the proper values of life through the integrity of their parents.
III. FINANCIAL INTEGRITY
A. Paul adds to these qualifications in verse 3, “free from the love of money.”
1. Suppose someone found your bank statement and looked through it. What
would it reveal about the priorities of your life?
2. Would it reveal that your income came from honest means? Would the
expenditures reflect a commitment to Christian principles?
B. As Paul wrote to Timothy the principle of financial integrity was obviously at the
forefront of his thinking. In 1 Timothy 6:6-10 he wrote, “But godliness actually is a
means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. 7 For we have brought
nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. 8 If we have food
and covering, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who want to get rich fall
into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge
men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil,
and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced
themselves with many griefs.”
IV. SPIRITUAL INTEGRITY
A. By “spiritual integrity” I am referring to faith that is solid and whole. Faith without
duplicity or hypocrisy. Faith that is the same on Friday evening as it is on Sunday
morning.
B. Paul refers to this in verse 2 when he says an elder must be “able to teach” and in
verse 6 by saying “not a new convert” or novice.
1. Both of these statements deal with a man’s spiritual integrity.
2. Shepherds are to “watch over the church of God which He has purchased with
His own blood” (Acts 20:28). They must have the knowledge and spiritual
maturity to protect the church against potential threats.
CONCLUSION:
A. George Washington, our nation’s first president, said, “I hope I shall possess
firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles,
the character of an honest man “
B. A life without integrity is a life on the verge of disaster.
C. At the end of your life what really matters? Will it be the possessions you leave
behind? Will it be money, privilege, power or prestige? The thing that will matter
more than any other is integrity. This is the one thing that will be remembered more
than anything else.
D. I challenge you to commit yourself to being a person of integrity in all that you do.
Spiritual integrity means being transparent enough to admit your sins, to seek God’s
grace and forgiveness through Christ and come to Him in faith, repentance and
baptism. Why not today?
