Say What?!

Any one listen to Christmas music? I love Christmas music and like the traditional songs and a lot of new songs as well. And even though Karen Wheeler begged me to play my favorite non-traditional song, Dominick the Donkey, I have chosen to play a different song.

I like a few of Josh Groban’s Christmas songs, but not very many. This one I love. I turn it up and listen to it really loud in my truck. It is so powerful. Not only the way he sings it but the words are powerful also.

The second verse,

“Truly He taught us to love one another

His law is love and His gospel is peace

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother

And in His name

All oppression shall cease

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we

Let all within us praise His holy name."

We let all within us praise His holy name. But do we? Last week I mentioned that one of the gifts that we have to offer to the Lord is our worship, but worship isn’t just in the church setting singing songs, lifting our hands, or even shedding a tear. If we are going to “Let all within us praise His holy name”, then we need to let all….

Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, with ALL your mind, and with ALL your strength. Not part. Not when it feels good. Not when other things are not distracting you. All.

Not only do I love Christmas music, but I also love the Christmas story, which is so much more than the birth of Jesus. So much went into the First Noel, (The first Christmas) that we may talk about it next week too. So many things that we can learn.

The first one that I want to talk about today is…

1. What God says may not be what you want to hear.

Matthew 1:18-21

A guy that hadn’t been a Christian for very long, was talking with his pastor and he asked, “How do I know when God is speaking to me?” His pastor told him that the more you read your bible, the more you pray and the more you learn about God will help you distinguish God’s voice.

So the man, started reading his bible more, praying more and studying more. In his prayers, the man asked God to speak to him and guide him. But he didn’t feel like he had actually heard from God.

One day, while playing golf alone, he was on a very difficult hole about to tee off, when he heard a voice saying, use a new ball. He looked around and saw no one. He lined up and heard, “Use a new ball.” Looked around and saw no one still. So, he thought this must be God. So, he teed up a new ball and got ready to hit, when he heard, “take a practice swing.” So, he backed up just a little and took a practice swing.” Feeling good about himself, he stepped up to the ball and he heard, “Use the old ball.”

Joseph was going to divorce Mary because she was pregnant and they had not consummated the marriage yet. He was a godly man and didn’t want to disgrace her and was going to do it privately, probably thinking he was doing the right thing. God sent an angel to tell him to stay with Mary. That probably wasn’t what Joseph wanted to hear.

Have you ever heard God telling you something you didn’t want to hear? Like quit doing this, don’t be dishonest, pray for your government or maybe something like that. God will tell you things that you probably don’t want to hear from time to time, be ready and be ready for point 2.

2. What God says may cause uncertainty.

Luke 1:26-34

Some of you know my story and some of you do not. I have only been a pastor for 4 years as of last Sunday. In 2015 or 2016, I was the president of the Missouri Churchmen of the Church of God. We go to Man Camp every year in September and that is put on by the Missouri Churchmen.

Being in the position, I held a position on a board with the Missouri Ministries of the Church of God, that is our state leadership for the churches in Missouri. They are kind of like a regional office of a business.

In the meetings that I was a part of, everyone in that group was an ordained minister except me. After a couple of meetings and some prodding of the Holy Spirit, I felt led to become ordained as well. Which I was not sure what the plan was in 2016, but it is almost obvious now.

But why get ordained, God? I can fulfill my duties without being ordained. I don’t know what Abraham felt like when God told him to go and then I will show you where, but I kind of had an idea.

Mary had a lot of uncertainty as well. Even though the bible didn’t talk about her thoughts on how Joseph would feel about her being pregnant and it not being his, I am sure that it probably gave her some concerns as well.

The bible says that Mary was “confused and disturbed” the NIV says “Mary was greatly troubled” because of what the angel said.

Can you imagine the uncertainty in Abraham’s mind, about where is the Lord leading me? With Noah, when God said, “Build an ark” or with the disciples when faced with the 5000 hungry men, Jesus says, “You give them something to eat.” Uncertainty can happen when God speaks, but so can point 3.

3. What God says may bring great Joy!

Luke 2:8-14

I know that many of you are detail oriented. That many of you need every detail that you can get before you can make a decision about nearly anything. You want to know the details because you are a planner and you don’t like to be caught off guard. Some of you don’t like surprises and don’t do well with surprises. I don’t understand that. I don’t usually need details and I don’t ask very many questions. Not because I don’t care, just because if I need to know, someone will tell me.

3 different types of situations of an angel coming to people concerning the first Christmas story. I don’t normally concern myself with the details of hardly anything, but I find it interesting that the only Angel that is named in the first Christmas story is Gabriel. The angel that spoke to Mary. Why?

Was Gabriel’s message more important than the angel that proclaimed the birth of Jesus to Shepherds? Or the one that had to talk Joseph down off the ledge? I don’t know why and when I am in heaven and I am not worshiping and praising God, I might just ask, but at that point what difference does it make?

Can you imagine the joy that the crippled man that was let down through the roof of a house that Jesus healed? Can you imagine the joy that the shepherds felt when they got over their fear and believed what the angel had told them? I mean what a production, right? Suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those whom His favor rests.”

Church that is us! We are those whom God’s favor rests. We should have great joy. Not just on Christmas, not just on Sunday, but every day, every hour, all the time.

That is the time when God speaks and it brings great joy, because point 4 tells us.

4. When God speaks it will be decision time.

Matthew 1:24-25, Luke 1:38, Luke 2:15-20

All of these people, that God spoke to, had a decision to make. Listen to God or do their own thing.

What if Mary would have said, “no”? What if Joseph would have said “No.”? What if the Shepherd would not have believed and stayed watching their flocks? What if they would have gone, but after they got there, they really didn’t accept that this really was the Messiah? The whole Christmas story would have been different.

I think back to the story of Jonah. Jonah was told to preach a message to the Ninevites, that God would destroy them if they didn’t repent and turn from their evil ways. Jonah didn’t want to and he ran away. You can’t run from God. God caught up to him, let him get swallowed by a huge fish and he stayed there for 3 days before Jonah changed his mind and then the fish spit Jonah out on the shore next to Nineveh. When Nineveh heard the message, they repented and God saved them from destruction.

God wants to save you from destruction also. It takes obedience. It takes repentance. If you are feeling like God wants you to change something in your life, now is the time to get it changed. If you would come down to the altar on your left, we can pray together. If you want to come to the altar on your right, you will be left alone, I will know that you would like time alone with God.