Untitled Sermon (3)

Merry Christmas

What Do You Do When The Hits Keep Coming

Like you feel like you just keep getting pushed down

Like you have done everything you could do to succeed, and then it doesn’t happen?

or you do everything you can raising your kids and they choose a different path ?

Maybe, you didn’t plan on dealing with depression, but you cannot seem to shake it?

Whatever is going on that you feel like you were let go? What is it?

Today we are going to look at the Christmas Story, but in a bit of a different way

Set up Joe’s story

Gabriel came and told Mary about Jesus

Let’s think about this for a moment, Joe see’s that his soon to be wife is with child

the logical conclusion is that she cheated on him

Matthew 1:18–19 NIV

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

His whole world seems like it is crashing down, the woman he loves betrayed him

Then

Matthew 1:20–25 NIV

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

In the midst of what seemed to be a heartbreak for joe, God was working

So now Joe is most likely doing pretty good, his pain faded away but then the next hit.

He has to take a 90 mile journey to Beth— through

dangerous terrain

freezing temps

robbers

all while taking a pregnant woman that could give birth at anytime

I mean, Marry and joe were most likely thinking about where they are going to put the baby’s bed and getting ready for the arrival of little Jesus.

but now they have to through this dangerous journey, once again Joe most likely feels like the hits keep coming.

Then Jesus comes the very night they cannot find a place to stay.

Then Jesus is born but in a dirty place

and this little drummer boy won’t stop hitting his drums

(Sorry, dad joke and pastor joke all in one)

Joe is most likely feeling pretty let down at this moment

But it did not end there,

as they were getting ready to go home they find out that Hared wants to kill Jesus so now they have to flee to another country.

At this point Joe is thinking most likely thinking God left us.

maybe you are feeling like this, like the hits keep coming and you just don’t know how much more you can take.

Maybe you are feeling abandoned, or disappointed

Maybe this has been going on for a while and it’s starting to weigh you down.

in the midst of my hits God was doing a mighty work, I thought I was going to be an Air Force Chaplian

Everything lined up

I started the process with just enough time to get in

My Church at the time believed in me and Ordained me

I just got the right education

i was in good shape

The Air Force already had a post that was in need that I would be able to fulfill

Then I got a blood clot.

My life changed

no more USAF

no more combat sports

on meds for life

had constant fear it would get worse

But God had other plans and in those moments he was working on bringing me here

We talked a lot about Joe, but lets talk about Mary for a moment, She went through many of the same things, BUT, she went through one that for whatever reason that we do not know that Joe didn’t go through

John 19:25–26 NIV

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,”

Mary was there, as the Romans instilled their most gruesome, torturous death Mary had to watch her Son endure it. In that moment she went through so many different emotions, and feeling the biggest hit of her life

However, Amidst Our Trials, God is Often At Work.

God is doing something that we are not seeing

God’s plan did not include me going into the Air Force, God planned for us to come here

in That moment He was doing something That I did not understand

Where are you right now?

Are you going through a time of disappointment?

a time of questions?

A time when you feel like the hits keep coming

Maybe you went through that time already, but there was no resolution

Maybe you just haven’t felt God for a while and it is leading to a disappointment or questioning

Whatever it is, its time to let it go

How do we keep going in the midst of what seems is chaos

Find Peace in Knowing God is in Control

John 14:27 NIV

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

We Need To Understand That We Don’t See The Whole Picture.

Psalm 33:11 NIV

But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

God has a plan and His plan is so much better, because he knows all.

So point 3 is

We Need To Align our will to God’s Will

a way we can avoid disappointment, or come out of it is to align our will with Gods

Proverbs 3:5–6 NIV

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

It is so easy to try to hold on to control, try to make things happen on our own

We have to let go and lean on the God and Trust that He is in control and we are not.

Maybe today is that day that we need to start putting all of our trust in God and let go of the feelings of disappointment and bitterness that we are holding on too, Maybe today is the day that we stop trusting ourselves and putting that trust in the one that has the plan and knows that plan.

Maybe today we let go of our will and align with God’s will

Mary in those moments as she watched her son pass away, the son she gave birth to in the manger saw grow up and do things that she could only dream of, those moments only lasted a short time, because on Sunday her son was back. and because of those moments we now have the ability to have a relationship with God

Maybe you are feeling weighed down, its time to give Him your burden