Preaching on The WorldRace

 

(Myself and Pastor Tespo sharing the message at church)

Here’s the story:

I was asked to preach the morning after we arrived for the first Sunday of our stay, it was Friday. Honestly I was hesitant but my leader said she had prayed and heard God say “Ask Sav”. How can I refuse the call of the Lord?

I went out to an overlook and prayed and heard the whisper of the Lord say “The Splendor of the Lord Shall Not be Forgotten”. It was repeated over and over agin in my mind as I sat there. I spent the next six hours studying to try to figure out what to say. The next six hours turned into the next 2 days writing and studying. Here’s what I shared, what I learned about the Splendor of the Lord:

“The Splendor of The Lord Shall Not Be Forgotten” 

1. The Splendor of the Lord is His Glory being revealed to us and through us. 

2. Psalm 33 gives us perfect insight of what the splendors are:

The Word: vs 4 

• By recounting the numerous acts of His hands in times past. 

• He is the Word: John 1:1-5

• He is our Healer: Matthew 8:14-17

• He is our Savior & Provider: Exodus 15-16

Creation: vs 6-7

• He is the Creator: Genesis 1

• All of Creation was made and it was good: Genesis 1

Fear of the Lord: vs 8-9 

*Not to be fearful of the Lord or be scared but to know He is all-powerful, all-knowing, able to do anything. 

• He can cause giants to fall: 1 Samuel 17

• He can cause the whole Earth to flood: Genesis 6-8

• He can call the sun to stand still: Joshua 10

Redemption & Forgiveness: vs 18-19

• He is the living redeemer: John 1:14-18

• For all who repent: Acts 2:36-39

• We can find forgiveness and redemption not only with God but with others: Matthew 6:14-15

His Promises & Truth: vs 20

• He will never leave us: Deuteronomy 31:16

• He has good plans for us: Jeremiah 29:11

• He will bless our generations to come: Deuteronomy 7:9

  3. How do we avoid forgetting?

Proverbs 4:1-6 tells us:

• Hold fast His Word – Memorize It: vs 4
• Keep His Commandments: vs 4
• And Live – Walk it Out: vs 4
• Get Wisdom, Get Insight & Do Not Turn Away: vs 5 

1 Timothy 4:1-10 tells us how some fall away, believing lies and being deceived.

  4. Therefore we must share and live out the splendor of the Lord. 

“God is glorified not only by his glories being seen, but by its being rejoiced in.” – Jonathan Edwards

1 Timothy 4:11-16 tells us how we must live this out: 

By Living as An Example in: vs 11

• conduct, faith, love, purity 

• With our families, communities, co-workers

By Being God’s Children: vs 14-15

• walking in His ways

• Knowing the Word

• Giving back the glory due Him

By Working as for the Lord: 1 Corinthians 10:31

• Sharing the splendor with those we work with

• Treating others as God would treat them

• Praying for them and pointing them back to God

  5. Ultimately, we do not worship the splendor of the Lord, but the one who made it all. Look back and you will see in Psalm 33:1-3 how we give back the glory due our Creator. My prayer is that we will daily enjoy the splendors of the Lord we’re living in. Recount those of the past, prevent them by being forgotten by sharing them. Finally, glorifying the Lord through our words and deeds in response to His goodness and splendor.

 

Here’s the rest of the story:

The morning of the service I was asking God about nervousness and where it comes from and He said pride. Exchange that for trust. Trust that the words will follow and the thoughts will be there. Trust that the content will fill the time frame. Trust what I have given you. Okay, God. I choose to trust and there was no more nerves or stress. In fact, as we entered worship and the service began, I was brought back to when I first shared a small word in Jamaica many years ago. Tobin was sitting behind me proudly crying. I just couldn’t get that same picture out of my head as I walked faithfully into preaching. I wish you all could have been there. The Pastor here, a local, translated my words with much passion and I enjoyed sharing. 

Following the service the pastor called me back into the church to minister to a 19 year old with relational pains and hurts, as I had briefly shared about my past pains and God’s freedom in forgiveness.  It was such an honor to be called upon to speak life and minister to her, Venny. I was able to hug her multiple times and pray over her before she left. I was praying that she would feel the comfort of the Lord as she sits in loneliness or as He collects every tear she cries. It was a moment so pure I didn’t even want to share with anyone what had happened. Yet here I am sharing because this is a beautiful depiction of how God works through each one of us when we walk in obedience. This is a testimony of sharing God’s Word and my testimony for His goodness. This is living in the Splendor of the Lord.