Kamal Rooprai - July 12, 2026
/Transcript
Hello. Good morning, everyone. How you guys doing today? There's going to be a lot of stuff happening and stuff.
Yeah, I was thinking of which stories to share before I start, you know, the integrity topic of proverbs. As you guys know, soccer, fever going on right now for the past month. And my son, Roman, he's all into it. He's a big soccer, you know, fan.
And my other one, Rohan, he's more like a tech guy. He's always into gaming and stuff. And all that, you know, games and stuff. But I was thinking, you know, how the world get into excitement, you know, when something exciting comes in, all the, you know, population, everybody else, you know, viewership throughout the world.
They all started, you know, engaging into it. And, you know, rather, you know, they tried to support by reading the gear like, you know, shirts or whatever in the cups or mugs. So I was thinking, it's kind of funny when you think about, you know, a stadium full of guys, you know, 11 guys. I'm actually not much of a soccer, you know, follower and stuff.
Maybe I think I've played only a few times out of my whole life, you know, soccer. But, you know, when you look at those 11 guys, you know, chasing a ball and people paint, you know, flags, you know, on their faces and stuff, you know, lose sleep for it, you know, watching the game and get excited, you know. And I'll go over, you know, stuff, hours and who's going to win, who's the best player, you know, they're starting, you know, betting on, you know, different apps and stuff, you know, match the match or whatever, player of the match. But the offer of forgiveness, purpose and eternal life, barely, you know, gets the shrug.
Maybe it's because soccer has a scoreboard where people can see, you know, final, you know, whistle blows and you can hear who's the winner. You know, while faith asks you to trust something, you can watch, you cannot watch, unfold in 90 minutes. Game can go over as well, you know, penalties and extra time and stuff like that over time. A goal gives an instant hit of joy.
Grace asks for patience and surrender, which is a harder to sell in the world, addicted to, you know, instant replays. People, you know, aren't excited about Jesus, not because the story, you know, so boring, but because nobody's shown them it's the real game of life. The one with actual, you know, stakes played for keeps where the final score decides something a lot bigger than a trophy. So I was thinking like, wow, you know, that's insane.
How come, you know, people aren't excited about Jesus like that? Or they can, you know, wear their gears or, you know, talk about whoever they come in contact, display on the car. I mean, now you actually barely see when you drive on the road, you know, Jesus symbol or I love Jesus. Matter of fact, I can share another small story when I go for a, you know, haircut at a barber.
I saw him, you know, posted in front of his mirror or something. Follow Jesus bro like that, you know, so he's trying to connect with the young generation follow bro. So that got me talking into him and stuff like that. So what he does, what type of church he goes.
But he was saying in a good work and I keep it up, you know, it's kind of good to see the encouragement, you know, I actually forgot to mention my name. I know there are a lot of new folks here. My name is Kamal Rupra. I came from you know, Punjabi Sikh Hindu type kind of background.
And I got baptized 17 years ago. So everything changed. So I decided to follow the real deal, you know, there's so many people out there, you know, they're stuck in the instant excitement instead. They want something right away, but they can be happy.
And they want you know, something they can see so they can believe, then talk about Jesus to them, they just kind of ticked off, you know, they got ticked off or just like start making fun of you or something behind your back or rather in front of you as well sometimes. So you guys can see the chapter in integrity when no one's watching. It's based on Proverbs, as Brother Paul already mentioned. So let's get into it.
What does it mean to walk with integrity? Have you ever been completely alone when no one's watching and no one listening? No cameras, no boss, no neighbor and ask yourself this question. Would I behave the same way right now if everyone could see what I was doing?
That's a simple statement, a question, but it's very powerful. It can lead to so many questions or small statements. Some people might think, you know, for me it's my first impression when I come in contact. How do I people, you know, judge me within a few seconds?
Some people might think, you know, I actually don't really care, you know, I care about, you know, being, you know, looking good in front of people. So that question gets right to the heart of this lesson. Integrity is not about what we do when people are watching. Integrity is about what we do when no one is watching.
It's kind of person, your rent, the lights goes off and the crowds goes home. As Proverbs 10, 9 states, whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. This verse from the book of Proverbs says it all. A person who walks with integrity walks securely like a person walking on solid ground who does not have to look behind them, but the person who takes crooked paths.
That person may seem to be getting ahead, as we can see from our eyes all the time. That person may seem to be getting ahead all the time, but God promises that sooner or later they will be find out in their face. Yes, but not all Proverbs are promised. The word integrity means from the same root word as "integre" in mathematics, which means a whole number.
A person of integrity is a whole, undivided, consistent. They are the same person at home as they are at church. They are the same person in dark as they are in light. So what you see is what you get.
Proverbs is not just about being polite or nice. It's about living in a way that shows the very character of God. And God above all things is a God of truth. So the big idea is a good name is more desirable than weird riches, and integrity is the foundation that builds that good name.
So we are going to walk through three big truths from the book of Proverbs backed up by the New Testament, an example of Jesus Christ himself. So integrity protects the soul. That's number one. Justice reflects God's character.
God delights in honesty. So by the end of this message, my prayer is that you will have, you will leave not just with knowledge in your head, but with a deep conviction in your heart to be a person of integrity, whether anyone is watching or not. Part one is integrity protects the soul, the man who walks blamelessly. So let's begin with one of the most beautiful and reassuring promises in all of the book of Proverbs.
Let's look at Proverbs 28, 18. It shows on the slide there. The one who walks in integrity will be delivered, but the one who takes crooked paths will suddenly fall. So this verse draws a clear picture.
There are two roads. One is straight and honest and the other one is crooked or deceptive. So the person on the straight road will be delivered. That word means rescued, means safe and protected.
And the person on crooked road, they may run fast for a while or for a long time. They may even look successful from outside, their big houses, cars, anything you can imagine, they have parties going on every weekend. They might be above the sky. That's what kind of seem like to us.
But Proverbs promises they will suddenly fail or fall. Notice the word suddenly. There's often no warning when a life built on deception collapses. We see that in the news time to time, especially nowadays we see that a lot.
A politician who built a career on lies, a businessman who cheated for years, a preacher who lived one way in public and another way in private. So when it falls, it falls fast. And the crashes, so devastating, not only one for the person, but for everyone around them. But the person who walks, blamelessly, they do not have to carry the weight of secrets.
They do not have to remember what lies they told to which people. They do not have to look over their shoulder. Their life is an open book before God. And that is a place of deep peace and security.
So therefore Proverbs 27 gives us an even wider vision of the blessing. Can someone read that Proverbs 27 please? Thank you David. So integrity is not just for you.
It's a gift to your children and grandchildren. When a father or mother lives with honesty and righteousness, something powerful is passed onto the next generation, not just an example, but a legacy. Your children are watching even when you think they are not. And the integrity the model today becomes the character they carry tomorrow.
Let's look at the next slide. Joseph, a man of integrity under pressure. Perhaps the greatest Old Testament example of integrity under pressure is the story of Joseph. So Joseph was sold into slavery, as you guys know the story, by his own brothers taken to Egypt and eventually put in charge of the household of a powerful man named Parfar.
He had every reason to be bitter. He had every reason to cut corners, to look up for himself, to take what he could while he could. But that's not what Joseph did. He served Parfar faithfully.
He worked hard and the Bible tells us that God was with him and blessed. Everything he put his hands to. So then the test came. Parfar's wife began to pursue Joseph.
Day after day she tried to tempt him and one day when they were alone in the house, no one's watching, no one nearby, she grabbed his robe and said, "Come lay with me." So Joseph's response is one of the most powerful statements of integrity in all of scripture. Genesis 39 verse 7. Sold into slavery, tempted in Parfar's house alone, no one's watching.
How then could I do this great wickedness and sin against God? So notice what Joseph did not say. He did not actually realize totally, but he did not say that I might get caught. What do people think?
And he said, "How could I sin against God?" But Joseph's integrity was not based on what people could see. It was based on what God could see because God sees everything. Faithful integrity is the steady path that lets us and God truly enjoy deep fellowship together.
Joseph was thrown into prison for doing the right thing. Things got harder before they got better. But God was with him and eventually Joseph was raised to the second highest position in all Egypt. His integrity was the foundation of everything.
God built in his life. So the question is never just will I get caught. The real question is always will I honor God? So what happens when we compromise?
On the other side of integrity is compromise. The Proverbs is very honest about compromise just to a person's soul. I don't think any read the Proverbs 17, 15 please. Thank you.
Yep, sorry. Thank you. This verse is talking about justice but the principle applies to our life. When we are behind the rules for the wrong reasons, when we let the guilty go free because they are men and you look the other way at sin because it's convenient.
We are not just failing to other people. We are offending the very character of God. Compromise always caused us more than you think. I mean I can give my own personal examples as well.
A while back when I was working at the Hotel Marriott, I think I was talking to my boss about a certain position and stuff and he promised me that when the right time comes, we will be the next in the line. So I had to compromise some stuff there, working long hours and stuff, staying late, go to work early. And I think that by the time that opportunity came and he moved to a different department, a different property of the Hotel Marriott here in Orlando. So I had to wait for another few years for the opportunity to come.
And finally I thought, because it kept happening to me, bosses come and go and stuff like that. So realize that do not put your faith on a man, even though he looks good from outside. Always trust in God. So that relates perfectly.
It starts from small, a little dishonesty here and there, and small shortcut there, looking the other way once or twice. It's like a small crack in a foundation. It slowly spreads. It doesn't fall, the building doesn't fall within a few months or so.
It takes years sometimes, decades. And one day the whole house comes down. So the apostle Peter warns us about this in the New Testament. And he writes about false teachers promise freedom, but not themselves, slaves to corruption.
As we can see, time after time the corruption is huge in the history as well. All the wars happen, all the belt, soul happens with the power and money. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. Has Peter to 19 states.
When we compromise our integrity, we think we are gaining freedom. We get so happy, but we forget the truth behind it. We are putting ourselves in chains, in cages. Next slide here.
Justice reflects God's character. God hates dishonest scales. In the ancient world, business was done with scales. A merchant would place weights on one side and goods on the other.
If you were dishonest, you could secretly use heavier weight on your side to cheat your customer. They would walk away thinking that they got a fair deal, but they were robbed. So God has a very strong response to this kind of dishonesty. As Proverbs 11, 1 states here.
A false balance in an abomination to the Lord, but just wait in his delight. Notice that word abomination. That is one of the strongest words in the Hebrew Bible. It means something that is deeply offensive, morally disgusting to God.
God does not dislike dishonest scales. He is discussed by them. So now think about that in your life today. We may not use literally scales, but we use all kinds of scales every time.
We measure time. Do we work the hours we are paid for? We measure efforts to re-give our full best or just enough to get by. I've seen people at work, they just do little here and there just to get by.
I try to get buddies with the bosses and stuff, as you guys all see nowadays or at your job and stuff. They do minimum and expect bonuses and promotions and stuff like that. We measure our words, but do we tell the truth or do we shade? Shade is just a little to make ourselves look good.
So therefore in Proverbs 11, 1 is surrounded by verses about humility and honesty, showing that dishonesty in business is connected to pride, the belief that I deserve more than what honest work would give me. But God sees the heart and God delights and just waits in honesty, in fairness, in giving people what they genuinely deserve. So Proverbs 16, 8, Proverbs 16, 8, better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice. Less money is earned, honestly better than more money.
It's earned dishonesty. I remember my father was saying when I was little that if you do the right thing, you'll be happy in life. And at that time, I didn't understand that when I was little, but I wasn't working and stuff at that time. I was in school, I think I was 14, maybe 13 or 14.
But at the time progresses and I realized that doing the right thing is the way to go, a peaceful life. This is a principle that goes completely against the way the world thinks. The world says more is always better. Two houses are better than one.
You have cars and stuff, more cars are better, more worldly things, more stocks are better, stuff like that. But they always pushes the model that more is better. God says righteousness is always better. A small paycheck with a clean conscience is worth far more than a large paycheck built on deception.
So we live in a world obsessed with numbers. How much do you earn? They always like comparing, like keeping up with Genesis. They like to compare.
They have a million, they want 10 million. They want to see how much do you earn. There's always a competition going on, even though you might not realize, but there, but in the back of their mind, there's always a competition, even with the family and whoever you go, of friends and stuff. How big is your house?
How fast did your business grew from last year? From the time we are young, the message we receive from culture is simple. More is better, bigger is better, faster is better. But God operates on a completely different accounting system.
He does not measure wealth by the size of your bank account. He measure it by condition of your soul. So when the two come into conflict, when you can have more money built only by cutting a corner or two, bending a truth or cheating neighbor, God says without hesitation, take less, keep your integrity. That's not naive.
That's not impractical. That's the wisdom of ages written by the wisest man, whoever lived, inspired by the God who created the very concepts of value. Solomon, a man who had more wealth than most nations, looked at all and said, righteousness is worth more. He knew what great riches look like up close and he still said a little with righteousness was better.
Corrupt leaders and the price of injustice. The Bible has a great deal to say about leaders who use their position for personal gain at the expense of others. That's not just a politician problem, a political problem. It's a spiritual one.
So the New Testament is equally direct. The apostle Peter describes corrupt and deceptive leaders in his second letter as people who promise freedom while they themselves are in a bondage. They look good on the outside. They say the right things, but behind closed doors, their lives are characterized by corruption and self interest.
So when the leaders in the home or workplace are in government operation or entity without integrity, the people under their care suffer. Families are broken, employees are exploited, they have revolving door model, congregations are deceived, communities are weakened. The Bible holds leaders to a higher standard clearly because the damage they can do is so much greater. But there is good news.
God raises up leaders of integrity. He raised up Joseph. He raised up Daniel. He raised up Nama, and he's still raising up men and women of integrity today in living rooms and boardrooms, in classrooms and courtrooms, and the neighbors who will do the right thing simply because it's right.
As we can see, judges as well. There's so many corrupt judges that you can see in the news. They try to overturn their decisions based on whoever giving them support or bag of money. You can see time after time, doing the right even when it costs you.
So the hardest test of integrity is when doing right costs you something. That means you are doing something. When all the big techs, all the CEO, all the people who are in charge of the world, who run the world, when they come after you, try to paint a picture in the media, something to get you out from the race or whatever you are doing, running for a high position, then you know you're doing the right thing. So the hardest test of integrity is when doing right costs you that I mentioned earlier.
But listen to what Apostle Paul wrote in the Corinthians when he was taking up a collection for poor believers in Jerusalem. 2 Corinthians 821, "For aim at what's honorable, not only in the Lord's sight, but also in the sight of man." Paul was handling a large amount of money and he wanted to make absolutely sure that everything was done above board, not just because God could see it, but so that people could see it too. Real integrity means we are not afraid of the light.
We invite accountability. You welcome transparency. So the integrity doesn't hide in the shadows. It welcomes the light because it has nothing to fear from the light.
God delights in honesty, lying lips or an abomination. As Proverbs 1222 gives us one of the clearest and most direct statements about how God feels about lies. Proverbs 1222, "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight." So that two words stand out in this verse, abomination and delight.
These are not mild words that represent the extremes of God's emotional response to human behavior. Lying lips, God is deeply offended. Faithful lips, God is generally delighted. So think about that, you know, when it choose to tell the truth, especially when it's hard, especially when a lie might seem easier or safer, God is delighted.
Your honest words, spoken in faith, bring joy to the heart of God. So why does God feel so strongly about this? Because God is truth. His very nature is truth.
John's gospel tells us that Jesus is full of grace and truth. Psalm 31. 5 calls him the God of truth. Titus 1.
2 says that God cannot lie. Truth is not just something God values, truth is who God is. So when we lie, we are doing more than breaking the rule. We are acting in a way that's totally opposite to the nature of God.
So when we tell the truth, we are reflecting the very image of God in which we were made. Jesus, the perfect example of truth. The greatest argument for integrity is Jesus Christ himself. He's not just a teacher who told us to be honest.
His truth incarnate truth. That put on flesh and walked among us. So John 8 states, verse 4, 46, John 8 46. Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?
This is one of the most remarkable statements Jesus ever made. He looked at his enemies, people who hated him, who were searching for any reason to discredit him. And he dared them to find even one sin, one lie, one moment of dishonesty in his entire life. And they could not.
So a pastor Peter, who walked with Jesus for three years, who saw him in every situation, in private, in public, under pressure, under at peace, wrote this from 1 Peter 2 21 22. For to this you have been called because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. So no deceit in his mouth, not a single word that was designed to mislead, misled, manipulate, or deceive.
Jesus spoke truth to the powerful and truth to the humble. He spoke truth all the time. When he was welcomed, and truth when it cost him. He's our example.
He's our leader, Saya. The gospel emphasizes that Jesus walked in perfect integrity between his public teaching and his private life. There was no gap, what he taught, he lived, what he required of others. He demonstrated himself.
This is the Christological foundation of all Christian integrity. We are not just following a set of rules, we are following a person, a living savior. Living integrity in everyday life, let your yes be yes. Jesus gave us a simple and powerful standard for honest communication in the Sermon on the Mount.
David, can you read Matthew 5. 37, please? Thank you. Matthew 5.
37, you have heard that it was said, "You shall not commit adultery." Thank you. Actually, I apologize, it was Matthew 5. 37.
I apologize. My ears are not that well, I think. But let your statement be yes, yes, or no, no. Anything beyond these is of evil.
Thank you David. Jesus was speaking in a context where people may elaborate promises and oaths using all kinds of religious languages to seem more trustworthy. But he cut right through all that and said, "Just be a person whose word is reliable." Say yes when you mean yes, say no when you mean no.
Do not promise what you cannot deliver. Do not say what you don't mean. This is a standard of a person of integrity. They do not need to swear by anything because their ordinary yes is trustworthy.
Their ordinary no is dependable. People who know, them know that if they said it, they mean it. And if they committed to it, they will do it. So Paul expressed the same spirit to Timothy when he wrote, "I thank God whom I serve as did my ancestors with clear signs."
Second Timothy 1. 3, "A clear signs, no hidden sin, no doubt life, no secrets that would have to be managed or hidden. Just a life lived honestly before God and men." Living integrity in everyday life, so far we have looked at integrity is what it's all about, what God thinks about it, but how does it actually work in everyday life?
Let us look at three certain areas where integrity is tested most often. At work and business, the workplace is one of the most common places where integrity is tested. There is a pressure time after time or everyday to hide mistakes, to take shortcuts. The bosses keep checking on you.
What the boss wants to hear, you know, rather than what's true. Proverbs 11. 1 speaks directly to this, what the image of honest scales. In the modern workplace, honest scales means reporting hours accurately, giving full effort for your pay, being honest about what you can deliver, giving credits where credit is due, and admitting mistakes when you make them.
And it's kind of hard, you know, when you make the mistake, you want to cover them up, it's hard at work, because you don't want any type of backlash at work. But if you do the right thing, God, you know, always has your back. And just tell the truth all the time. The extraordinary thing is what God did with that choice.
He turned Joseph's imprisonment into a promotion. He turned his pit into a palace. He always does more with our integrity than we could do for a compromise. Same thing goes in the home and family, in parenting.
It means, you know, falling through, when you say there will be a consequence, when you have some kind of, you know, issues with the kids, you try to discipline them, you always have to follow through. Otherwise, they'll do the same thing time after time, because they know there's no going to be any type of consequences. So you always have to have, you know, discipline mindset. When you say there will be a consequence, when you say you'll be there, you are there.
When you say you love them, you show it, and how you treat them day to day. So the home is where integrity is made, or broken. As I learned that in my household as well, when I was little, from my father and my mom. There's a discipline, and if you break it, there's going to be, you know, consequences.
What we practice in private is what we become in publics. That's very powerful statement. As you can see in all the movie stars, all the athletes and stuff, they practice behind the doors all the time, and they take that goal or shot, not one time, a thousand times. So that's a very powerful line there.
Look at the last slide here. A good name is more valuable than great riches. We come now to one of the central themes of the book of Proverbs, the profound value of a good name. Proverbs 22.
1, a good name is to be chosen rather than the great riches. Favor is better than silver or gold. In the world today, riches are everything. People measure success by how much money they have, and all the valuable things you have.
As we talked about earlier. So think about the people you respect most in your life. It's probably not the wealthiest. It's probably the most honest, the most faithful, and most trustworthy.
The person who told you the truth when everyone else told you what you wanted to hear. The one. Sorry. Just a moment here.
As we talked about in a good name as well, worth more than all the gold in the world. Why? Because a good name is built on integrity over time. The one who showed up when they said they would.
The one who kept their promise even when it cost them. The person has a good name, their influence, their trust they carry. Their lives, their effect, the legacy they leave is worth far more than any bank account. So a bad name, a reputation where dishonesty for cutting corners, for saying one thing and doing another is incredibly difficult to repair.
So once trust is broken, it takes years to rebuild. Sometimes it never fully comes back. Lastly, I apologize that I went to over 10 minutes. Lastly, we have covered all the grounds today.
So God is looking for men and women. He can trust not people who are perfect. None of us are perfect. Not people who never made mistakes.
We all do. I do. Mistakes every day. But people who, when they fall, get up and tell the truth about it.
People whose private life matches their public life. People who would make the same choices in the dark. They would make in the light. So God is looking for people like that.
Today, forever. So integrity is not a destination. It's the daily walk. Choose it today.
Choose it tomorrow. Choose it when no one is watching.