“My Story Has A Mission”
Series Title: The Story That Speaks Pastor Jim Lowe III
Sunday Morning, 9:30am Stream 07/26/26 (4th Sunday Message)
hashtags:
#guidinglight #pastorjim #givingthanks #hearinggod #hearing #voiceofGod
#faith #whatdoesGodsay #forgiveness #Godworks #savedtoserve #overflow #protector #Expectation #worry #Favor #deliverance #listeningears #Godspeaks #blessings #servingGod #heartafterGod #treasure #tithesandofferings #money
{All scriptures are “NIV84” unless stated}
New Series:
The Story That Speaks
Each of us has a story.
We’re going to talk about what that story means. and the power of sharing it.
Why you should be sharing your story.
Message Title:
“My Story Has A Mission”
We’ve been talking about the story that speaks.
How our story is powerful and life changing…when we tell it.
Today we’re talking more about silent testimonies…
those things the Lord has done for us we have yet to share.
Because the Lord has done some mighty things for us.
Creative Diary:
I wanted to tell my story. I don’t remember everything the way other people tell it. There are parts of my story that feel like shadows. Pieces. Sounds. Moments I wish I could forget and moments I can’t fully explain. But I remember feeling alone. I remember people being afraid of me. I remember the looks. The whispers. The distance. I remember when people stopped seeing me as a man and only saw what was wrong with me. At some point, I it was too much living among the people. My new home became a place nobody wanted to visit. The graveyard. No one bothered me there. It was a place for dead things. A place for forgotten things. A place where people could keep their distance and feel safe from what they did not understand. And then came the treatment. They tried to restrain me. They tried to control what they could not heal. But chains could not fix what was broken inside of me. Nothing could hold me. No one could help me. I begin to see less and less of me and I knew they did also. Maybe they thought, “This is just who he is now.” Maybe they thought my story was over. But one day things changed. Someone came. He came to the place other people avoided. And when I saw Him, something in me knew He was different. I had been living among dead things and had been surrounded by voices and torment, but it was like peace was standing in front of me. I had lost my voice for so long that what came out of me did not even sound like me anymore. But he was not confused. He knew there was still a man underneath all of that pain. He knew there was still a son underneath all of that torment. And with one command, everything that had held me had to let me go. The noise stopped. The voices stopped. The torment broke. The darkness lifted. And for the first time in a long time, I could breathe. When the people came out to see what happened, they found me sitting there. To their surprise I had clothes on. I was calm…
in my right mind. The same man they had been afraid of was now sitting at the feet of Jesus. I wanted to go with Him. But Jesus gave me an assignment. He told me to go home. Go back to my people. Go back to the ones who knew what I had been. Go back to the ones who remembered the screams, the chains, the fear. And tell them how much the Lord had done for me. Tell them about His mercy. So I went. Because when Jesus gives you your life back, your story does not get to stay in the graveyard. He gave me my mind back. He gave me my name back. And then He gave my story a mission.
This is a story about the Demon Possessed Man from Mark 5:1-20 Let’s read through this story and see his story.
Mark 5:1-4
They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. 2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.
When Jesus got out of the boat.
a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. he lived there and was insanely strong.
they tried to tie him up for his AND their safety. but he broke loose each time.
even chains and iron shackles couldn’t hold him.
But even with this strength that many could have admired… came a pain no one could understand.
The bible says all day and night he could cry and torture himself.
We look at this and each week have come up with a parallel to some of us today.
While people may NOT be screaming in graveyards… they very well may be still crying out internally.
These are people who are isolated not physically. but spiritually, emotionally, or relationally.
They might come to church and smile, but internally are suffering in a place of pain.
Some People Suffer Loudly In Private But Silently In Public
When we look at the man…
the bible says he was living among the tombs.
we all know that tombs are not where people should live… that’s where dead things are.
but pain, torment and rejection pushed him into isolation.
there are people today who live emotionally where they shouldn’t.
those places of shame, fear, depression, grief, bitterness, loneliness… On the outside they may look happy…
been married 20, 30, 40, 50 years… but they can’t find acceptance…
they can’t communicate like they should with their spouse. they can’t communicate with their children/parents.
Again an outside look doesn’t show what’s really happening. And people would never know.
This goes back to sharing YOUR story.
because sometimes your testimony becomes what’s necessary to reach those who have been suffering in silence.
Mark 5:6-8
6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.
7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!”
When the man saw Jesus at a distance…he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.
we might think that the things that haunt us at night won’t go away: the negative thoughts, the labels, the failures…
the letdowns from others.
the things others say and speak over you… they can get loud at times.
But in Mark 5 we see that every single one of those things has to bow down to the one who speaks life into you.
Every Thought, Word, Or Action That’s Come Against You Has To Answer When Jesus Speaks!
Mark 5:9-10
9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.
But we know Jesus did heal the man.
He allowed the demons to go into some pigs in the area…and they ran off into the lake.
Mark 5:14-16
14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well.
We see multiple groups of people talking about what they had seen. Those TENDING the pigs went to the town and countryside.
those people came to see what happened.
When the people came to Jesus…
they saw the man…dressed and in his right mind.
Then THEY told others what happened. They are sharing stories of what they saw.
No one there had the same testimony as that man.
they were not the ones living in the tombs. they weren’t the ones breaking chains.
THEY weren’t the ones delivered by Jesus at that moment.
but when they SAW what happened…they had something to say about it. This also goes to show how EACH of us has a story to tell…
If We’ve Seen It, We Can Say It!
I’ve asked some of you recently what your story was. some of you don’t know if you have one.
But you know someone who does.
Some of you may not have gone through the exact sickness traumatic season
that abusive relationship
the addiction, grief OR health scare.
But you DID see the Lord bring someone through it. you saw them weak and broken…
and NOW you see them strong and restored.
And you can say it.
Your Testimony May Be Personal, Or An Eyewitness. But When God Moves, Someone Out To Tell It!
But it doesn’t just stop there.
It’s not just about what you’ve seen.
Mark 5:18-20
18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.
As Jesus was about to leave…
the man wanted to go with him. instead Jesus gave him a directive.
“Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you…and how he had mercy on you.”
He told the man that the BEST thing for him was to speak. He gave him a directive.
why?
because words are important!!
The Lord Tells Us To Tell Our Story!
but it’s said in other places as well.
Psalm 107:2 (NLT)
2 Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.
What does redeemed mean?
Has anyone been recovered or rescued? Has anyone been forgiven of their sins?
Has anyone been delivered from themselves?
Then you are to speak out!
Tell someone what he did for you…for your family…for your friends. WHY??
Because there is someone out there who NEEDS your story! We mentioned this last week.
Revelation (not acts - my bad) tells about a war in heaven.
Revelation 12:9-11
9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his
Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Verse 11 - they overcame the accuser…SATAN by two things:
Satan Was Defeated By The Blood Of The Lamb AND The Word Of Their Testimony!
In Exodus the Lord tells Israel to tell their children and grandchildren about his mighty acts… Your voice…
your story…
your testimony has power!
The Lord Said Tell It! That Is Where Power Comes From!
Psalm 78:4
4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, his power, and the wonders he has done.
We will NOT hide it.
We will tell our children… we will tell others…
because THAT is where our power comes from! and someone else NEEDS that story!
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
The Lord Doesn’t Bring Us Through Just So We Can Survive In Secret - Sometimes It’s So Someone Else Can See Deliverance Is Possible!
So here are 4 quick points on why we should share our story.
Telling your testimony protects your memory
It doesn’t mean that the next test won’t be scary… but when you remember what the Lord has done… it gives you courage to know he’s fighting for you.
Think about David - The Lion and Bear Principle
When people hear your story… it can be inspiring
because you’re just telling them YOU trusted God… and he responded.
what will happen if THEY were to trust God?
We have people who have looked death in the face and walked away. it provides encouragement to know where to look.
“I will look to the hills from which comes my help.” SOMEONE had to tell the psalmist that
A testimony doesn’t make you the source of help; it points people to the one who helped you.
Sometimes we have people who don’t want to talk about what they’ve been through…
they don’t want others to know what they’ve had. they don’t want to “speak it back up.”
This isn’t about celebrating trauma. You are giving God the glory of what he brought you through!
those stories tell others the power of God.
It tells them that no matter what they hear somewhere else…never give up hope. because there is nothing that he can’t handle.
Matthew 19:26 - with man it’s impossible - with God all things are possible
We Talk To People Who Are Going Through All Types Of Situations - Some That Seem Impossible - Your Story Proves It’s Not!
People might not listen to a sermon…but they might listen to you.
There are people who have been hurt by the church in the past… they don’t want to hear from a pastor or minister…
but they can’t deny your story.
they can’t deny your breakthrough… ESPECIALLY if they know you!
The Lord has delivered people from addictions, unhealthy attachments, diseases, sicknesses… things others might still be dealing with…
but you story proves SOMETHING happened to you.
People have a tendency to believe YOUR story because they know YOU!
{closing}
This month, we heard about a man who said:
“One thing I know…I was blind, but now I see.”
We’ve heard a woman who had her faith built off the story of someone else.
Today we’ve heard of a man WITH a story who was told by the Lord… don’t hide this.
go tell it.
Because the enemy was defeated… he lost.
we WON.
By the blood of the Lamb…
and the WORD of your testimony!
I’m asking you to use your words. How?
Each week I’ve asked you to think about your story. Here is how we can share it.
Commit To Writing This Down:
We are going to start putting our faith where our voices are. How do we start?
Start With This Sentence:
“If God had not helped me, I would not have made it through….”
And THERE is the start of your story. Each communion we take praise reports. Those are testimonies.
Your Story Is Your Story - No Matter How Big or Small Don’t Hide What The Lord Did For You!
mystory@guidinglight.org
