A Picture of God’s Servant for 2024

I hope you had a blessed Christmas. As we reflect on our lives in the living hope of our Lord Jesus Christ it’s imperative for us to not only live and delight in our justification before God in Christ, but to work hard in excelling in our walk before Him whom we have to do.

With that in mind, let’s look at…

4 truths for the servant of God pursuing integrity in 2024

I. Our God is a God of integrity

Psalm 15:1 O LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?

God is characterized by holiness.

Can I put it another way? God is holiness. When we talk about the attributes of God, we are describing a quality/attribute that describes who God is. Now God is the sum of his attributes – holiness is one of them described for us in Scripture.

Well – what does holiness mean? It means to be set a part. That is to say, God , by virtue of who he is set a part from his creation – he is wholly other than us, don’t you agree?

And heaven is suited for God because its his home/dwelling place. It is suited for his holy angels – but it is also suited for those who are…set a part – holy.

So when David says who may abide in your tent or holy hill, he has in mind heaven – the place where righteousness dwells.

A place set a part or suitable to the conditions and standard that God has set in place not just for himself, but for the people of faith – and the people of faith must be made saints – holy – in order to be granted entrance into his holy hill.

Within your tabernacle, Lord,
who shall abide with thee?
And in your high and holy hill
who shall a dweller be?

And if God has saved you, it follows he has set you a part. If he has set you a part, it follows that…

He requires His people to be like Him

Perhaps a good illustration of this is Moses and the Exodus – you remember what God did during the Exodus, don’t you? In a supernatural display of power, God removed Israel out of Egypt – they were the superpower in the Middle East of that day.

Then God had to begin the process of teaching his people to think and act different out of the sea of nations they were taken out of. He began to bathe them in His Word and providing for them through the hand of Moses, the Torah – (1) Genesis 1 – referring to the book of beginnings – (2) Exodus – referring to their redemption and deliverance from Egypt – (3) Leviticus - referring to how they are to be holy out of the world they were taken from and his instructions for holy living, then (3) Numbers, pertaining to a history of wandering in the Wilderness and entering into the Promised Land, and (4) Deuteronomy – referring to a remembering of the Law.

All of these books were important, but the point of reference for us today is a picture of God’s servant in light of Leviticus 19 – b/c its this book that would so instruct God’s people to learn how to live a life of sobriety, but most importantly – a life of integrity.

So God speaks to Moses – the leader of Israel – and he said to…

Leviticus 19:1–2 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to all the congregation of the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.”

And what God requires is not burdensome, especially in light of his promise to complete the work begun in you and in me. That requirement to live in holiness is not without God’s enabling power wrought about by the Spirit of promise who resides in His people – which is hope for you and I, because left to ourselves, we are a people most to be pitied.

Notice what God said to his people in the next chapter of Leviticus 20:7-8

Leviticus 20:7-8 “You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.”

Our progress in sanctification is what theologians call synergistic. This has nothing whatsoever to do with our salvation. Salvation is monergistic – I’m teaching you theology here, folks. Meaning, God saved me by his grace through alone. God justified me through Jesus Christ and his work on the cross, alone.

You and I contributed nothing to our salvation, except the sin that made it necessary for our salvation! But when it comes to the progress of our sanctification – pay attention now – We work out what He works in.

Meaning, while we are command to work out our salvation, we are so reminded by what Paul said to the church at Philippi –

Philippians 2:12-13 “work out your salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

That is to say, the ground for our striving in our salvation is based on God working in us what we are working out!

So then our God is marked by holiness and integrity. He has called us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of his Son, he set us a part out of the nations to be a people for himself

As one hymn writer would put it

"Called unto holiness," Church of our God,
Purchase of Jesus, redeemed by His blood;
Called from the world and its idols to flee,
Called from the bondage of sin to be free.

Who may above in Heaven, the Psalmist says. The answer is those who have been born from above.

II. Our integrity is a mark of the whole person

Psalm 15:2 He who walks with integrity, and works righteousness, and speaks truth in his heart.

King David has in mind lip and life qualities

Our works

communicate that we have been born from above. Our works communicate that we’ve been set apart by God out of the nations of the world – our works communicate lives that are changing and growing in holiness and integrity. Life and lip qualities.

Are we earmarked by these qualities to a dying world? And in our moments of being with other believers in the family of faith, may our prayer be to enable us to communicate with our lips and lives the truths born out of the heart of the Psalmist.

That ought to be our daily prayer – Lord, enable us to walk with integrity. Enable us to work out what is right. Enable us to speak truths out of a heart that is born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3)

James the half brother of our Lord knew that our works demonstrated a changed life – he knew that there were those did in fact profess Christ, but you couldn’t tell at all if they were born from above because their lives did not at all communicate Psalm 15:2 – He couldn’t tell that they were even set a part by God from amongst the unregenerate nations they were taken out of.

So he wrote about this and said to the church to…

James 1:22 “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.”

In other words, the fact that James said to be doers of the Word was proof positive that the entire personality is to be characterized that way.

James picked up on what Christ said in Matthew 7 – that “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”

And Just as a footnote: Being a doer of the Word demonstrates an overflow of a changed life set apart by God, not that our works justify us before a holy God. The overflow of our

Our hearts

– springs forth the issues of life, which is why we are told to be diligent in working out what God is working in us – is it any wonder why our Lord excoriated the Pharisees.

Matthew 23:25–28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

And if that is what a person is characterized by, then our profession doesn’t make a lick of sense by any stretch of the imagination because we don’t look like a servant of God – we don’t act like a servant of God, let alone bear out the living waters of Psalm 15 – we are not

• We are not walking with integrity.
• We are not working out righteousness in our lives.
• We are not bearing out the truths of our profession from our hearts.

Psalm 15 portrays a picture of a servant of God. Interestingly enough, Psalm 14 is mirror opposite – it displays a portrait of the ungodly man. It’s a portrait of life and lip but in the opposite direction of Psalm 15. That it to say of Psalm 14

• Verse 1. They don’t believe God. They live as if there is no God. They are practical atheists.
• Verse 2-3. Their lives are characterized by deceit and corruption.
• Verse 4. They are incredibly selfish people who are good at taking advantage of and exploiting God’s people to their own ends. These people are described as “eating up my people as they eat bread.” One of my professors in seminary described them as “blood sucking leeches.” Some of these people learn the truths of God, but it never becomes alive in their living. But they see the many blessings in the church and they take advantage of God’s people and exploit them because they understand that God’s people have love in their hearts and they exploit it. They are “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Tim. 3:7)
• Verses 5-7. God is not with these people.

Psalm 14 describes the unrighteous. And God is with those described of in Psalm 15. And Psalm 15:3 would go on to describe that.

III. Our relationships will display our level of integrity

Psalm 15: 3-5a3 He does not slander with his tongue, Nor does evil to his neighbor, Nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 He does not put out his money at interest, Nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

Do you see that? Our relationship with our God is tied to our behavior. The way David describes this by employing participles. Meaning, that God’s people will make it our aim to display consistent behavior, not intermittent behavior, you see?

Intermittent/sporadic behavior would be more reflective of a Psalm 14. Psalm 15:3 reflects the consistent portrait of God’s holy people, making it their consistent ambition in life “whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 5:9

"Called unto holiness," children of light,
Walking with Jesus in garments of white;
Raiment unsullied, untarnished with sin,
God's Holy Spirit abiding within.

This person sees his frame, mindful that he is but dust, yet makes it his aim with the power from on high to

• Verse 3. Not slander with his tongue. This person makes it his ambition to not gossip by trafficking information to another person who is not a part of the problem or the solution to a problem, thus tearing someone down. In that sense, he does…
• Verse 3 Not do evil to his neighbor. He makes it his aim to serve his neighbor, so far as it depends upon him.
• Verse 3 Not take up a reproach against his friend. He doesn’t want to harm his fellow man. This goes along the lines of Galatians 6:10 – “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people….”

Why? Because we are…

"Called unto holiness," praise His dear name!
This blessed secret to faith now made plain,
Not our own righteousness, but Christ within,
Living and reigning and saving from sin.

Now land your mind on verse 4 – we just read verse 3, the goal of which we make it our aim to not do the things described of with reference to our neighbor because the reprobate do those things and are despised by God.

Verse 4 “In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; He swears to his own hurt and does not change.”

David is referring to a vile person who is described for us in Psalm 14 – a person who does not fear God no has any regard/remorse for their actions toward another – God has rejected that person. But to those who fear the Lord will keep their word even if it hurts them.

What does that mean? Perhaps a good illustration of this is seen in the life of a man called Amaziah – he was a king of Judah.

In 2 Chronicles 25:5-9 we read that Judah was about to come against the Edomites who had threatened them. So Amaziah went to Israel and formed a coalition with them, by giving to them 100 talents to them for help – a lot of money.

PROBLEM: Israel was steeped in idolatry! So God sent a prophet to Amaziah, saying in verse 7 “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim.”

Uh oh – So what is Amaziah to do? So in verse 9 he said, “But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” To put it simply – what about my money???

Notice the response of the prophet, “The Lord has much more to give you than this.” – In other words, cut your losses and go against the Edomites without Israel’s help. To put it simply, Trust God and keep your Word.

Amaziah made a promise – But he had to trust the Lord, even to his own hurt. and the Lord still blessed him in more ways than he ever would have thought

Application: Our aim is to please Christ. Even if we agree to something, our goal ought to hold fast to our integrity, even if it hurts us and the Lord will honor his people and bless them – how? We don’t know – but he will.

Who may ascend to heaven, the Psalmist says in verse 1. Verse 2 – those who have been saved and are set a part. Their lives are marked by a growing and holy life of integrity. The point is that

IV. Our stability in life is linked to our integrity

Verse 5a “He does not put out his money at interest, nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.” In other words, the servant of God puts people first before money. I’m telling you that people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

I knew a person in law enforcement who was a vile person. This person was sinful in their authority and power – and the people knew it, but could do little about it. There was an occasion where this person got hurt on the job.

So some tried to raise money for this officer – and they raised guess how much…$20.00

Then there was another officer who was a follower of Christ. And he cared for people. He would visit people and even pray for them when he had opportunity to do so. It came to pass that this officer had gotten hurt pretty severely – so they raised support for this officer and was able to raise 3 months of support. He had enough to pay his bills and food on the table for his family.

All he did was love and care for people, and he was not abusive with the authority granted to him by his God…he was a testimony of light to his community. And the Lord blessed him for making it his aim to please Christ.

Now take a look at the end of verse 5…

Psalm 15:5b He who does these things will never be shaken.

James 1:2–4 2 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Who may ascend to heaven, King David asked in Psalm 15?

Those who are holy – those who have been set a part for God through the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Those who have repented and have had their sins forgiven – those who have turned away from their sins and have been born from above.

And as a result of being saved by Christ who is our salvation, their lives are changed – and as a result of their being saved are committed to a life service of character change because they have made it their aim like David did to reflect the growing characteristics of Psalm 15

"Called unto holiness," glorious thought!
Up from the wilderness wanderings brought,
Out from the shadows and darkness of night,
Into the Canaan of perfect delight.

5 "Called unto holiness," Bride of the Lamb,
Waiting the Bridegroom's returning again;
Lift up your heads, for the day draweth near
When in His beauty the King shall appear.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. ³ And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. – 1 John 3:1-3