FROM PASTOR TIM JOHNSON:
Well, it’s been a while since I’ve received so many cool comments on the sermon, and really very helpful.
One saint wished I would have ended the Benediction in the same way I started the sermon by declaring…Merry Messiahmas! Would have been a nice bookend…sorry saint! And thanks Jeannie for the idea ?
Speaking of bookends, some were really taken by the dreams in Matthew that bookended Jesus’s life; that of Joseph and then the one by Pilate’s wife. It’s so interesting that only Matthew recalls those dreams; all four from Joseph and the Magi, and then the one from Pilate’s wife.
Remember, unlike my weird dream about antique shopping (forgive me if that was too much of an indulgence!), when God speaks through dreams to move His people, it will be crystal clear. You will not need a Psychologist or “Dream Expert” to unpack what God mean. He leaves no ambiguity.
And, I think it’s important for us to see that God was likely using dreams, as He is today, to communicate to those who do not really know Him. Now, one saint indicated that Joseph seemed to be a faithful and honorable man. That is true, but I know many faithful, honorable people who are church attenders that don’t know Jesus personally.
So, if I had to pick a pattern, I’d suggest God uses those very specific, unmistakable dreams in the lives of people who do not know Him well such as the Magi (Gentiles “from the East”), Pilate’s wife, Muslims all over the Middle East today, and perhaps, maybe likely (?), Joseph.
Thus, those who do know Jesus do not need dreams to understand God’s will because we have, know and understand His word through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us to help us understand it.
And finally, remember in my weird dream I said I was going to get charged $17 to shop, and therefore moved on to a different store? And then I said I have no reason to think the number 17 had any biblical significance.
Well…another brother said that number indicated “overcoming the enemy” and “complete victory”. Hmmm.
The flood came on the 17th month (Gen 7:11), and Noah and his family found refuge from the flood on the 17th of the month (Gen 8:4). Some suggest that Jesus was raised from the dead on the 17th day of the Jewish month of Nisan in 30 A.D.
Who knows? I thought $17 was steep a price to pay, and the woman in the store was flat out mean. So, I left….
Here’s to better dream; dreams of joy, peace, comfort and rest for your Advent Season. So, get in your Bibles today, and listen to God’s direction for your life.
Thanks for those who shared feedback; it was an absolute feast for me!
Merry Christ…ahhhh…Messiahmas!
Pastor Tim