Wisdom at Work: Without Wax
Proverbs 10 -15
Let’s begin the message this morning by looking at Psalm 15. We don’t know the circumstances surrounding the writing of the Psalm. Some suggest it may have been when David was preparing to move the Ark of God to Jerusalem and wanted to make sure they did it correctly (they had tried it once before and did it wrong and someone died because of it).
David asked a question of God at the beginning of the Psalm that should be on the heart of every believer: “Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord? Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?” David is not asking “How can I get to Heaven?” He wasn’t asking for a list of do’s and don’ts that would earn him a place in God’s Kingdom. We can’t earn a place in God’s Kingdom; it is something given to us by grace through God’s promise which was fulfilled in Jesus. The question David is asking is: how should a God-follower live? In other words, “How do we live a life of integrity and faithfulness?”
Integrity is a major problem in our culture, and it is also a significant issue for believers. As representatives of Jesus Christ our inconsistency and lack of integrity destroys our testimony before a watching world. If you don’t think integrity is a major issue, consider the following behaviors.
Christian leaders involved in scandal
Politicians who take bribes and commit indecent acts
Employees who steal from their employers
Students who cheat on exams
Athletes who gain an edge through drugs
Witnesses who lie on documents
Politicians who start campaigns which are designed to undermine another's character
People who claim to be Christians but can’t be trusted in business
Co-workers who never arrive to work on time (and often leave early)
People who are prominent in a church but don’t live lives any different from the pagans around them
David gives some characteristics of the person who can come into God’s presence after the opening question, “Who may worship in your sanctuary?”. We also find some important integrity characteristics in the Proverb passages that we will look at this morning.
David and Solomon are both operating from a different reference point. They believe there is a standard of truth and there is a right and a wrong that is the same for everyone. It does not change with the individual; it is set by God. We find that standard of truth in the Bible. A person of integrity is one who lives consistently with God’s standards. They are people who DO what is right rather than merely TALK about it.
In Bible times it took many hours for a potter to shape, fire (in a handmade kiln), and cool a piece of cookware. Unfortunately, because of the uneven heat of a wood-fired furnace, cracks would often show up in the clay during the cooling process. If you were a true craftsman, you would shatter the piece that had cracks and start over. However, some potters just filled in the cracks with wax and then painted over everything. The pot looked good. That vessel might hold up the first few times it was used. However, if something hot was placed inside of it, the wax would melt and expose the defect. This is why honest potters began putting the inscription “Without Wax” on the bottom of their pots. It meant it was a “Vessel of Integrity”.
The person who leads a blameless life and does what is right is living “Without Wax”. They are not pretenders. Such people are not perfect, but you know that they are consistently moving in the direction of full obedience. Let’s look at the Proverbs.
Proverbs 10:9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
Proverbs 11:10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.
Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.
Proverbs 12:14 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.
Proverbs 14:2 Whoever walks in uprightness fears the LORD, but he who is devious in his ways despises him.
Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
Proverbs 14:14 The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.
Proverbs 14:21 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.
Proverbs 14:29 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
Proverbs 14:34 Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
The man or woman “without wax” will:
Live without regret
Know God’s peace
Have a clear path to follow
Be respected by the world (even by those who may resent you)
Become a person that others “go to” when they face a time of crisis
Be used by God to communicate the life-changing message of life and grace
We cannot “make ourselves” into a person of integrity but God can and desires to develop this characteristic in us. As we allow ourselves to be more and more controlled by His Spirit, we should be seeing these qualities growing in our lives.
So here is the question: Do others view you as a person of integrity? Are you living “without wax?” Christians are called to be like Jesus. We are Christ followers. In Christ, we are new creations and can be considered without blemish before God. In Christ, we also have the indwelling Holy Spirit at work in us, sanctifying us and making us more like Jesus. We are also to strive to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12–13). It is by God’s power that we become increasingly people of integrity. We are called to obey God and, in so doing, be people of uncompromised morality and integrity. Christians should be those who adhere to the truth and who do good works.
“Integrity” in our world today implies moral incorruptibility. Christians should be those who cannot be bribed or compromised because we serve God rather than men. We are to be people who keep our word. We are to love those around us in both word and deed. We are called upon to believe in God and therefore to follow Him in all our ways. Are you a “Vessel of Integrity?”
