I Have A Reason, I Got A Right
Our church is a place where God speaks to us. It’s a place where we come to find strength and receive new hope. For the hungry and the thirsty, it is a place where God satisfies. Service began with a prophetic Word that was given through a dream of one our youngest members. Through his dream, God told us that there is no darkness that Jesus can’t deliver us from. After the opening prayer, the choir followed and helped us invite God to fill our sanctuary and lives with His presence and power. We gave thanks to God for supplying our needs and giving us victory. We proclaimed that the Lord is good now and always. Additionally, we petitioned the Lord’s help to run our race and not lose our faith when we face hard times.
Pastor Denny began the sermon with a recap of the previous messages in the #ThankYou series. He recalled the first sermon about the lepers’ ingratitude because of their anxiousness to resume their lives. In the second sermon, he encouraged us to adopt a posture of gratefulness with a “my pleasure” attitude toward serving and giving. Finally, in the third installment, Pastor Denny brought attention to keeping our lips full of thanks despite our circumstances. In all these sermons, we were taught that praise is a natural response to a Good God.
Sunday’s message continued these themes but offered a fresh perspective. Our pastor came from Jonah 1:15-17 and 2:1-8. The first Scripture is about disobedient Jonah being overthrown from the ship and swallowed by a whale. The second passage is about how God rescued him through prayer and, ultimately, thanksgiving.
Pastor Denny likened us to Jonah in that his story is about a man who fell from grace, but God still gave him a way out. Our pastor told us that we may have had moments where we messed up or even woke up in the wrong bed, but God still sent a great fish. He said that the whale may seem like a death sentence, but it is really a blessing. We learn that while it may seem like a punishment, it’s really God’s rescue. Pastor Denny told us that we should make better decisions and learn to be sober when faced with temptations; nevertheless, we have a reason and a right to praise God because He snatched us out of the enemy’s hand. Our experience about God’s salvation becomes our testimony.
When we think about our testimony, we must thank God. We can tell God, “Thank You” for sending people for us; “thank You” that we landed in a good place; and “thank You” that You didn’t throw us away; “thank You” that You didn’t let us die that way. Pastor Denny didn’t just talk about having a testimony, but he also shared a story of God’s personal deliverance. Our pastor believed this vulnerability was necessary to help those who may be going through, for it is truth that sets us free. Pastor Denny told us that the church must quit hiding the truth about who God has been to us. He stated that transparency is key if we’re going to help a Jonah who’s drowning in the sea. The Word says that we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the power of our testimony. We’ve got a reason and a right to thank God by sharing what He’s done. Let’s.