[SERMON] Very Merry Messengers: Finding Clarity and Obedience in Chaos

This message explores the story of Joseph and the role of angels in the Christmas narrative, focusing on how God brings clarity and direction in the midst of confusion and chaos. Drawing from Matthew 1–2 and Old Testament prophecies, the sermon highlights Joseph’s obedience, the affirmation of God’s word through angelic messengers, and practical steps for trusting God in uncertain times. Listeners are encouraged to respond with faith and obedience, even when the next step is unclear.

Transcript

Very Messy Christmas

[00:00:00] 

Introduction & Series Theme

Speaker: So I'm here today and, uh, Cyle's in New Orleans on a much needed time away with his son. And, uh, so I am kicking off a brand new series that we're doing here called, uh, very Merry Messengers. Okay. And I think. That it's important for us to talk about the things that are in the Bible, and guess what?

What Are Angels?

Speaker: Angels are in the Bible, believe it or not. Okay. Just so you know. Okay. Anybody? Anybody know that? Anybody knew that? Okay. Oh my gosh, you guys are Bible scholars. It's great. Uh, yep. And, uh, here's the deal. I think the reason that it's important to talk about is because either you think that an angel is a little tiny baby in a diaper with wings or some horrific creature, okay?

That comes outta science fiction. All right? Those are the two things. Now, the truth is somewhere in the middle, okay? And the [00:01:00] reality is. That angels were important in God's story, and this is something you might not fully know, but when angels show up, it's kind of a big deal, okay? Right. In fact, every time angels show up, most of the time what they're saying is do not be.

Right, right. Because there's something terrifying and magnificent about their arrival. So when an angel shows up in scripture, we have to take note and go, this might be an important part. Okay. I might wanna pay attention. So in the Old Testament in Hebrew, there's angels throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament in the Old Testament, right?

The word for angel is Malach. Can you say Malach? Alright. And in the New Testament it's Angelo. Can you say Angelo? All right. And those both mean the same thing. They mean messenger. Okay. That is the role of angels in the Bible. Now when we talk about what [00:02:00] Angels do, and this is in reference to us because angels also have a host of other purposes when it comes to scripture and how scripture identifies what they do.

But when it talks about what angels are communicating, it's important to note the who. Who are they talking to? Why are they talking to them, and how are they appearing? We know there's a couple different ways that angels have appeared in scripture to people, right? Whether that's in dreams, whether that's in real life, but the truth is, or as messages like disguises other people, there's a handful of different ways, right?

But there's a couple things that we know for sure when it comes to angels and the message that they bring, it always aligns with God's existing word. Amen. All the time, every time that an angel came down and spoke and was doing the bidding of God, they were preaching or telling them something that God had already affirmed.

Angels Affirm God's Word

Speaker: The only other time in scripture we see an angel not do that. It's the [00:03:00] devil in Genesis. Okay? And just so you guys don't, in case you don't know, he was a fallen angel, alright? So that's the only time. So when God's angels, right, the angels of the Lord. Come and speak to humanity. They are affirming something that God has already said.

That's a really important thing, and I, I think it's really important because as we think about angels and the interaction that people say they have with angels, right? Right. Like this angel came and told me that I could talk to my, my dead grandma, and it's like. No. Okay. That you should get an exorcist.

Okay. Like that's not, so we need to make sure that whatever, uh, we're taking in when it comes to angels comes from what God has already provided to us with in scripture, because Angels do a handful of things and First Angels bring God's message. That's said first and foremost, it's the most simple thing.

And [00:04:00] today I actually, because of the fact that we're talking about Christmas, I wanna focus on somebody who I don't always think gets the most, uh, attention when it comes to Christmas time. And that would be Joseph. And I wanna tell you, Joseph had a very unique encounter with Angels that I think. You, uh, when we go through this, you might have a different appreciation for it.

Joseph's Encounter: The Christmas Story

Speaker: So we're gonna hop in. Matthew one, uh, eight verse 18 says this, this is how the birth of Jesus the Mess Messiah came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to, that's right. But before they came to together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Okay, I wanna pause for a second. I don't know what denomination or.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18–19

Speaker: Uh, tradition of faith you came from, but we're just gonna say that's a miracle and nobody knows. Okay? Because I don't know what you've heard about that passage right there. We don't know. Okay. It's just kinda like stork spring babies. That's what we're gonna say. I'm not inferring anything. We just don't know.

Right. Some people have different views on this. All [00:05:00] we know is that when God said Mary would have a child, she had a child. Okay. So that's really important. And verse 19 goes on to say this, because Joseph, her husband was That's right to the law, faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

That's right. 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. Now here's the deal. It does not specify which Angel Joseph is interacting with.

The Angel's Message to Joseph

Speaker: Now, the tradition suggests, right, and a lot of people would believe that it's Gabriel, but I actually think there's a reason that there isn't a name associated with the angel that interacts with. Jo, uh, Joseph. It just says an angel of the Lord. Because the most important thing is not who the angel is, but who [00:06:00] he's speaking to and what happens next.

And I think the reason for that is because there is a lot of chaos happening in Joseph's life right now. I have to. When I read the Bible, I have to do certain things so that me an idiot can understand it. Okay? I don't know if you feel that way. I'm not a super smart person, but there's things that I go, okay.

And I imagine in my head, sometimes they're right, sometimes they're wrong. And the more information I get, the different the, uh, the better I can imagine what scripture is actually identifying. And the more I do research on the culture and the history and the way that things are talked about, the more I get a.

Joseph's Confusion and God's Clarity

Speaker: Better picture of what might have been happening. And I have to tell you that the scene with Joseph and Mary, where Mary says, Joseph, I am having a baby, had to play out a little bit like an episode of Maury. Okay. I just, in me, like in me, all I think is like you. Oh, [00:07:00] okay. Mary. I'm a virgin and I have a child.

I know one of those things is true, okay? For a fact, right? Because there's a lot of chaos and confusion surrounding Mary and what is going to happen, and Joseph has already made up of his mind that this is not what he has signed up for and he is ready and made peace with it. And so the angel comes and says, this is what's gonna happen.

And the angel is bringing clarity and confirmation to Joseph's life. Because this is really, and this is really important. God is not a God of confusion or false hope. That's right. He's not. When I hear people say, well, I know the Lord is telling me this and it's false hope, I know that's not the Lord.

When, when people say, oh, I, I, I'm just so confused about life and I dunno where to go. I dunno what to do, and I'm not sure which way God's, God's leading me. And, but I, I'm really confused about this and, but this seems like it is like a slam dunk, but I really wanna do this. I go, I know, know [00:08:00] which one God's pushing you towards Clarity.

From the moment of creation until now, God has been a God of of complete and total order and not chaos. He is a God of clarity that brings a light into the darkness and cuts through the confusion of our lives to give us hope, peace, and organized thought that is the truth. Amen. And the reality of Joseph's situation is that there was a lot of confusion about what was happening.

So God sent a messenger to help bring that clarity. And here's why this is important. When we talk about what do angels do? Well, they affirm what God has already said. Joseph was a Jew. It's not a shock. Joseph was a Jew and would've known the Old Testament prophecy surrounding the Messiah and what was happening in that time, and exactly what was being said to him by the angel.

[00:09:00] And it would've confirmed what scripture already said because it said it in Isaiah seven 14. It said this, therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will conceive and give birth. To a son and we'll call him Emmanuel. Okay. Wait, wait. We try that again. Okay, let's, I'll take the blame for that.

Scripture Fulfillment: Isaiah 7:14

Speaker: I read fast. Okay, we'll try it again. Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and we'll call him Emmanuel. There we go. You guys did great. Yeah, we. So this is important because here's the deal, the angel is not. What the angel is not doing is making life more chaotic.

What the angel is not doing as a messenger of the Lord with God's message is not contradicting what scripture already says. So that is vital information for us all to have as we interpret the [00:10:00] value of the angel in this story, because Joseph already knows what he needs to be obedient to because it's already been laid out.

The angel is just shedding light on the next step in giving him hope. That's important. Here's the other thing. Angels warn. Angels warn, we've seen the story of Joseph in Matthew two, that the angels are warning him of what has happened. So Jesus is born and the angels, uh, this, it says this, when they had gone and angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, get up.

He said, take the child and his mother and escaped to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him. Now, here's the other thing. This also was a prophecy because in Hosea 11 it says this, out of Jesus, I called my son. So in the warning is another affirmation of what God has already said.

Angels Warn: Flee to Egypt

Speaker: So now the pieces are aligned and [00:11:00] Joseph is going, okay, I can trust you, God, I can trust you. Jesus came, this happened. I trust you. This is crazy. These shepherds showed up outta nowhere. We were in a barn and this all happened, and now it's time to go to Egypt. They've been warned because they're protecting.

Here's the other thing. Angels confirm. They confirm, says this in verse 19. Matthew two 19, after Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said. Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead Now, they didn't have social media.

Okay? And I don't know if you know this, but Egypt is kind of far away from Israel. So the news that they're getting is pretty unprecedented, and the fact that it's happening in real time is even crazier. That's a miracle in itself. And so when Joseph receives this information, he's like, [00:12:00] well, listen, there's already been two times that this has been told to me and the crazy things have happened and God confirmed it.

Angels Confirm: Return to Israel

Speaker: So guess what I I, there's probably something to this 'cause the angels are there to help protect and affirm. Here's the other thing, angels redirect. Angels redirect, but it says this. It goes on to say this. They're on their way back to Egypt, it says, but when he had heard that Archis was reigning in Judea, in place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there.

Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of gile and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets that he would be called a Nazarene. Now I'm gonna say something, okay? And I don't want you to get all excited that the sermon is ending quickly, but what does this mean for you?

Angels Redirect: Settle in Nazareth

Speaker: Okay, I wanna put it here. Instead at the very end, because I think it's important for us to break down what does this all mean? Because sometimes when we think [00:13:00] about angels and, and demons and spiritual things like it, it gets misconstrued really quickly. Okay. And, and sometimes my thought is. That sometimes when we talk about this, we can get stuck in the weeds and scripture is full of amazing information for us to digest, to get closer to the Lord, to become more like Jesus.

And when we, when we, when we look at that, the, the intention is always what is the, what does this mean for me? What does this actually practically mean? And when we, when we use this phrase right here, what does this mean for. You. Right? That's not just for you, that's for Kyle and I when we stand up here and preach, like I'm asking this question, okay, this is great.

Application: What Does This Mean for Us?

Speaker: It's cool information. It's kind of fun. Like, wait, but I'm like, I'm not winning trivia night. Okay? But like, this is important. So why, why is it important? What does this actually have to do with me? Because I don't know about you guys, but I've never had an angel come to me in my dreams. Okay? I, I feel like I probably wouldn't sleep for a week if it happened.

[00:14:00] I'm not chanting it. I'm just gonna stay awake. Right? Not happening. Right. And I haven't had an angel come and meet me in person. Right. I how, I mean, I don't think anybody, you don't have to say though. I'm not gonna like make you raise your hand because you can tell me afterwards 'cause that's totally cool.

But I don't think anybody's seen an angel in real life and in person either. So our interaction with this is, is like we we're just reading scripture and going, okay, we take out your word, but there's something so much more important I think in the story of Joseph and the angel than just the angel itself.

Just this celestial being, because here's the truth, that celestial being is just in obedience to a God who created the entire universe and holds it in the palm of his hand, and that same God speaks to us every single day. Whenever God speaks to us, we need to listen [00:15:00] and obey. No, the story of Joseph is, I think is amazing to me because Joseph was faithful and obedient.

Even when nothing else mattered, nothing made sense. It was like, okay, this is what's in front of me. This is what God told me to do. I'm gonna do it. It goes on. Look, when, when, when he finds out this is what he is. When Joseph, Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded. I mean, that's not for nothing guys.

That's not for nothing. Joseph wakes up and he goes, okay, I'm gonna do it right. He took Mary home as as his wife right away, that okay, God said I'm gonna do it. Gosh, I wish I was that great. It goes on to say this right after, after the, after Jesus had been born and the angel says, go to Egypt. So he says, so he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt.

It wasn't just like, oh yeah, I'll get [00:16:00] this to the when, when it's convenient. It was like, okay, now we're gonna obey God. Now let's go. Let's do it. God told us we're gonna go do it. I feel like Mary is probably like, we don't even have flights. Those won't exist for 1800. The judge's like, no, we're going.

Right? So he got up, he goes on to say this about coming back. It says this. So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. I mean, that is an obedient man, if I've ever heard one. Some of the wives are nudging you right now. Okay. I am just saying.

I love this so much. I love this so much for so many reasons. One, I love this because it shows that the person who fathered, who the, the earthly father of Jesus was a faithful, obedient man who loved the Lord gosh. And he [00:17:00] is just as vital in this process as Mary. Yes, because he, he was there to serve and protect his wife and his newborn child.

He was there to be faithful to what God had called him to do, even when things were uncertain and even when he didn't know what was gonna happen. 'cause here's the deal, Joseph didn't know the next step. He just didn't.

I think that this is, this is, this is cool because I sometimes feel, at least in my life, like if I don't have all the pieces or information that I can't make a decision or I'll go, God, I want to do big things. And I want to go change the world. And God's just like, okay, can you be faithful with tiny things?

Oh, I want the big stuff.

Or how about, how about when God goes, Hey, there's this coworker that you, you need to go talk to about Jesus. Hey, there's this coworker in your life right now [00:18:00] who's really struggling. Can you actually practically show up for them and love them? How about that family member that you need to confront? I don't know what's gonna happen next.

Great. What does the Bible tell you to do? Joseph doesn't know what's next. He, I mean, there, there's gotta be a level of fear, but there's also a level of peace because he just did what God had told him to do, and guess what? He just trusted it was gonna be okay. You don't pick up and move your whole family if you don't have a great deal of faith and trust that God is who he says he is and that he will take care of you.

Amen. Especially got up in the middle of the night. Left. That is so, such an important, overlooked detail. That means there's an urgency to obedience. Not only, not only did Joseph obey, but he was like, I gotta do this now no matter what. No matter how crazy it sounds, no matter how crazy it looks. There is a clarity and a peace to my decision because I know that I'm doing exactly what [00:19:00] God has told me to do.

Some of you are like, I'm just not. I'm never certain like that. My life just, it's, I don't have angels telling me like to wake up and like, go move and do all this stuff. No, but you know what? You do have an entire Bible to study and read about what you need to do to live. You

do know the sins that you have right now that you probably need to process through and work through. If you, you do know the things that you're not trusting the Lord with, 'cause you've got anxiety and you're, you're, you're wrecked and you worry all the time. You do know that.

I am not gonna get into this today. In fact, Kyle asked me to kind of collect my thoughts and share my testimony, I guess is the right way to say it, of what's kind of happened to me over the last couple months. And, uh, if you don't know, most of you would know, but, uh, if you don't know, I, I had to have a pretty crazy emergency surgery that was life altering and it changed me to the [00:20:00] core.

And I, I know that Candace Young just rang the bell on her last chemotherapy and is cancer free. Amen. Amen.

Illustration: Personal Testimony & Candace's Story

Speaker: And I gotta tell you that I, I am really, you may not know this, you don't, you might not know Candace, but the way that Candace has navigated the most difficult possible situation you could be faced with has been. Breathtaking and inspirational because to be in that position and to have a lot of doubts about what the next step is and whether or not you're even gonna be able to take the next step, that is encouraging.

I'd love to tell you that I was sitting in the hospital just going like, oh, you know, yeah, God's got this. And like, I, I didn't even know what was going on. It's like it, I [00:21:00] don't, I want to dispel any misbelief you might have. I am not some amazing person. I was on morphine, so I, it's all a blur. When they were like, we're gonna go do surgery, I'm like, yay.

Like I didn't really, I wasn't really present for a lot of that, but you know what? I was after. I was after and, and, and you know what? After was where I had to wrestle with a lot of what was happening inside of me, in my heart and in my mind. And I had to make decisions. And, and when I watched Candace go through what she went through and the joy and the faithfulness that she had, I gotta be honest with you, that was an inspiration for me.

God, I don't know what's next. My life is gonna be different. Why my whole life has changed and altered and like the things that I used to do and used to like doing and, and even the things that I want to do. Like I can't, I can't physically do them anymore, and so my life is just different. But you know [00:22:00] what?

I gotta trust God with the next step, even when I don't know what it is. I gotta trust that no matter what's going on, no matter what happens, the same God that spoke the universe into existence is the same God that loves me and has me in the palm of his hand. So when we ask the question, what does this mean for you, for me, for me, what this means is that if you want to be a bigger part of God's story, you need to start by obeying him.

That's the most amazing thing about Joseph's story. I think all these stories around Jesus' birth the most significant event in history. I'm I it is the most significant event in history. That event was chockfull of people who were having their own experiences with God and being faithful to do [00:23:00] the things that God had asked them to do.

The wise men, the shepherds, Mary Joseph, their families, the rabbis, the people in Egypt, surrounded by people who were being faithful and listening to the words that God was saying and doing them. And they had no idea other than Mary. Other than Mary. They had no idea how big this was going to be, and Joseph was a part of it.

Because of his faithfulness, he was a part of it.

I don't know where you are at in your life. I don't know if you're at a place right now where you're just killing it and like awesome. And you're being faithful with what God's at you to do and you're being obedient, and if that is you, gosh, a good job. Don't be ashamed of that. [00:24:00] Like it's okay to be like, I'm, you know what?

Right now in this phase of my life, I'm being obedient to what God's asked me to do. That's awesome, right? That's amazing. But if you're struggling with that, I think you may need to ask yourself what God has already asked you to do that you've refused.

Trusting God with the Next Step

Speaker: Where have you said no to God? Where you needed to say yes. And let me, let me say this. I, I love this phrase, I say this to teenagers all the time, and I say this in counseling. Every yes you give away is a no somewhere else. Your decisions, the way that you think, the way that you live. They have consequences every single day.

You say yes to dozens and dozens of things, but it also means that you say no to dozens of other things. And I want you to understand that like your decision to be obedient starts with you saying yes to God first. You wanna have [00:25:00] a life. You wanna have a life that reflects godliness, then God should always be your first.

Obedience in the Little Things

Speaker: Yes. And everything else should follow suit. No matter what it is, I don't know. Well, I don't know what I'm gonna do for my job. Say yes to the Lord. I don't either. You might have a bunch of different options. Say yes to the Lord first. Well, I'm still confused. Well then that's not God. 'cause God is not a God of confusion or false hope.

That's right. God is not a God of chaos. Well, uh, I, I just don't know. I've got relationship, drama and dilemmas say yes to God first. In your personal relationships. I said this last service when, when people send texts, like we need to, the most feared text Okay. In the world is we need to, that's right.

Right? You can, I can just feel, oh, I could feel the anxiety just like welling up in you. Can I tell you something? I love that text. I love it and, and here's why. I don't know what that next step is gonna be. I don't know if it's [00:26:00] good or bad. I don't know if they just want to talk and get coffee 'cause we haven't caught up for a long time.

I don't know. But what I do know is that if I put God first, that conversation is an opportunity to connect with Jesus. Amen. That conversation has the ability to reconnect and, and, and, and honor and glorify the Lord while honoring that person. If I care what they care about, if I assume the best, if I restore gently, if I release bitterness, and if I don't care so much about being right, that I, as much as I care about being loving, then guess what?

I'm gonna walk away from that conversation and guess who wins the kingdom of God. Amen. I might lose, guess what? God might be teeing me up for a big old fat, I'm sorry. I mean, it doesn't hurt as bad as it sounds, I promise. Maybe just maybe, maybe just maybe those delicate situations that you've been avoiding, [00:27:00] maybe God's asking you to be a little bit more bold with him.

Maybe the people in your life who right now need you the most, right? Maybe you're saying no because you're choosing yourself instead of the Lord.

I don't know. I'm just throwing things out there and honestly, a lot of 'em come from my own personal experience.

'cause I've been there when I'm praying with the Lord and ask him what he wants me to do. And I go like, I, I don't, I didn't mean that. God, no. What do you want me to do? No, no, no. Not stop. Okay, fine. I, I don't know. I, I feel like maybe you've had similar conversations. I'll tell you, I had a lot of conversations with God when I was sitting in the hospital bed a lot and a lot about what exactly he was trying to do through this whole scenario.

'cause I do believe God uses everything for his good. [00:28:00] I don't know yet and I'm okay with it. I love it. 'cause guess what? Just like Joseph didn't know the next step of the plan and he was obedient anyways, I'm gonna be obedient anyways to the best of my ability to the best of my completely flawed existence.

I am going to try and be faithful to what God has asked me to do. And everything else will be okay. True? Yes, because here's the deal, eventually it's all heaven.

I don't know where you're at. And I, I, my prayer today is that as you're walking through life and navigating what it means in this Christmas season to, uh, live a life that honors the Lord, I would just say this, that there are people in your life right now who desperately need you to be Christ-like. And that doesn't [00:29:00] just mean that you put on a facade that you're Christlike.

It means that you dig deep, you, you strap up your boots and you go out there and you actually do the things Jesus did. And there are people in this community who are watching you and they know that you're a father of Christ, or they know that you're self-proclaimed Christian, or maybe they just know you go to church, right?

And they are looking to you because they may have no hope right now. And the way you respond in this season, the way you respond to adversity, the way you respond to situations where you don't have the answers, that is going to be a beacon of light in the darkness for them. And so maybe the yes that God is preparing you for.

Maybe the obedient first step is to start to be faithful with the little things

and obeying God when he asks you to step out in faith and do something for him.

I, I'm gonna [00:30:00] ask you, uh, I'm gonna ask you to do this. I, I, I would love, as we pray. I would love you to do this. I, I do this sometimes. This is just a, it's a personal thing when I'm taking time to pray and like focus on what God wants for me. My, my big ask is, is just God, what are you trying to teach me right now?

So maybe that is, maybe that if, if that helps you. Maybe as we pray, maybe that's your big ask. Maybe as we close and, and worship and you have some time to reflect, maybe that's your big ask. So let's pray. God thanks.

Invitation & Prayer

Speaker: God, thank you for always giving us opportunities to be faithful

God, as we are here together as brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. God, we don't have all the answers, but God, we're kind of done with the chaos that we've brought. We want the clarity that you bring.[00:31:00] 

God, as we, as we navigate what it looks like to love you and to live for you, we just ask you would nudge us a little bit, give us a holy nudge, and, and, and point us in the right direction. How can we be obedient to you

like Joseph? God, we want to be able to say that when you ask us to do something, that we do it.

So God, give us the courage to do the right thing, the thing you've designed us for, and God, we ask all these things in your name. Amen.