The angel's announcement to Joseph reminds the hearer that God moves in perfect timing to bring salvation into the world; it was not by human effort but by divine orchestration that the Child would be called Jesus, “the Lord is salvation.” This truth invites celebration, not routine, and calls the congregation to remember that God's timing brings rescue when people need it most. Reclaim the wonder of that announcement and let it reshape how this season is lived. [02:17]
Matthew 1:20 (Amplified Bible)
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
Reflection: When have you treated the birth of Jesus as routine rather than rescue? What concrete practice can you adopt this week to celebrate his arrival as the decisive act of God’s salvation?
The prophecy quoted—Behold, the virgin shall be with child—points to Emmanuel, God with us, a truth that brings comfort in seasons of sorrow and confusion; God did not come from afar but pitched his tent among humanity. Remembering Emmanuel reframes hardship: God is present in the manger moments as much as in the mountaintop ones, and his presence declares that no situation is outside his perfect timing. Let that truth steady the heart when circumstances feel bleak. [02:39]
Matthew 1:23 (Amplified Bible)
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall give birth to a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel (which translated means, God with us).
Reflection: In what specific situation right now do you feel alone, and how would living with the assumption “God is with me” change one practical choice you make in that situation this week?
Joseph awoke in the night and obeyed the angel’s command even while fear and uncertainty were present; faith is not the absence of fear but the decision to move when God speaks. His example encourages believers to get up and do what God has called them to do, even if the path ahead is unclear and emotions are heavy. Trusting God’s timing means taking small obedient steps, trusting that he has already worked things out. [03:08]
Matthew 1:24–25 (Amplified Bible)
Then Joseph being aroused from sleep did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took to him his wife; and he did not have marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he called His name Jesus.
Reflection: What is one step God has been asking you to take that you’ve delayed until you felt certain, and what is a realistic first action you can take tonight toward obedience despite lingering fear?
“All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet,” reminds the congregation that God weaves even small, painful, and confusing details into his redemptive plan; nothing is random to him. The timing of Jesus’ birth was not accidental but purposeful so that rescue, restoration, and presence would arrive exactly when needed. This conviction frees the heart to trust God’s sovereignty when “all” (the whole of life) includes hard things. [19:07]
Matthew 1:22 (Amplified Bible)
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet.
Reflection: When life has felt like “all”—including pain you didn’t ask for—what evidence can you point to that God has been at work even in the difficulty, and how might you intentionally thank him for that this week?
The message that “faith is not the absence of fear” calls the listener to move forward while anxiety bubbles in the spirit; faith looks like getting up and doing what God said even when certainty hasn’t arrived. This is the pattern of Joseph and the ordinary people God uses—people who act despite trembling, trusting that the King still has moves. Practically, faith asks for small, faithful steps and a posture of gratitude that says, “It was perfect timing.” [31:08]
Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified Bible)
Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].
Reflection: Identify one anxious belief that keeps you from acting (name it in a sentence). What is one tangible, small step of obedience you will take this week to demonstrate faith in spite of that anxiety?
Joseph’s dream in Matthew 1 steadies my heart in a season that can be both beautiful and bruising. I read the angel’s words—You shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins—and I hear more than a birth announcement; I hear God’s precise orchestration. This time of year can tempt us to treat the story as routine or numb us with grief over who is no longer at the table. Yet into both familiarity and ache, God whispers: perfect timing. I told a simple story about carrying heavy items to a storage unit with no way to open the door—until someone walked out at the exact moment I arrived. I didn’t plan that timing, but I benefited from it. The birth of Jesus is God opening the door we could never open while our hands were full, and our strength was failing.
It was perfect timing because Emmanuel—God with us—rescued us from death. We don’t have to work our way into salvation; we confess and believe because Jesus has already done the work. It was perfect timing because He rescues us from falling: all things really do work together, even the “all” we never asked for. He was born in a manger to show us that God’s greatness enters humble places and lifts us there. Joseph had to set aside his ego to cover what God was doing in Mary, and Mary had to carry a call that would overshadow every other plan. That’s a holy tension many of us live—honor, humility, support, and obedience woven together.
I shared the story of the “Checkmate” painting and the grandmaster’s correction: the king still has one more move. That’s what Christmas insists upon—when it looks like loss, the King is still on the board. And when tears come, Joseph teaches us how to obey with uncertainty still in the room. Sometimes the 3 a.m. awakening is not anxiety; it’s God inviting you to write, to move, to trust. Like that woman at the Omaha gate who quietly paid a child’s ticket—provision, on time, no spotlight needed—God is setting up intersections you can’t script. So lift your head. Practice gratitude. Walk forward. The door you cannot open is already being opened for you.
But as I am walking to the door, unbeknownst to me, as I get to the door, somebody comes out, open the door, and let me in without me having to drop this down. And as soon as he opened the door, I said, oh, my gosh, perfect timing. He said, and you know that's right. And as I thought about that, dear brothers and sisters, I thought about how we carry things around, and we're trying to figure out how we're going to handle it, how we're going to get through these doors. And then all of a sudden, oh, y'all better catch me in the spirit. All of a sudden, a door opens, and God is sitting there saying it was perfect timing.
[00:09:31]
(53 seconds)
#DivinePerfectTiming
And the birth of Jesus, dear brothers and sisters, happened at the perfect time. Come on. Y'all better catch me in the spirit. It was perfect timing that he was born. But he is also saying this season, I'm trying to set somebody up for a perfect timing for things that come into your life where you was trying to figure out how you was going to work it out. But God said, I've already worked it out. It's perfect timing.
[00:10:54]
(31 seconds)
#GodAlreadyWorkedItOut
Had he not been born, they would have still tried to earn the right to be saved. And then, brothers and sisters, if Jesus had not have been born, we would have been still trying to work to get saved and to get into heaven. Come on. But his birth, sister, says, you don't have to work it at trying to get saved. All you got to do is confess with your mouth and believe in your heart. He has already orchestrated everything else. Because all you got to do is just walk in the promises and the grace of God.
[00:12:02]
(34 seconds)
#SavedByGrace
So, again, dear brothers and sisters, please understand, Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary. And it allowed him to come into this world and save us from the penalties of sin. Come on. So, he was born so that we could live with him in eternity. Come on. His birth rescued us from death, allowing us to realize that no matter what the enemy does and how things look, we win in the end. Come on. And please understand this, dear brothers and sisters, we have to understand that God is on our side.
[00:13:54]
(57 seconds)
#GodIsOnOurSide
So even if, dear brothers and sisters, it looks like you're cornered, long as the king is still on the board. Long as the king is still playing, dear brothers and sisters, he's still got some moves up his sleeves. See, that's why I call it perfect timing, because it looks like you're losing. But he's just waiting to show up and to show out at the right time. And whatever you're carrying, you're going to start saying it was perfect timing. Come on.
[00:18:09]
(33 seconds)
#KingStillHasMoves
So, please understand this, dear brothers and sisters, and I know y'all get tired of hearing this and get tired of people saying this. But all things work together for your good. I know you get tired of hearing this, but all things work together. Well, I ain't trying to hear that. Because the problem that we have is we don't like the all in it. Because all sits there and says everything. And the problem that we have is we don't know what all is. Come on.
[00:19:38]
(45 seconds)
#AllMeansEverything
Because when he says all, and we like, yeah, all, we don't know what all is. So, when all comes, we get mad when all comes. And we sit there and say, I didn't ask for all that. Come on. Y'all know it. You didn't ask for your call to start acting up. Come on. You didn't ask for this bill to come in the mail. Come on. You didn't ask to lose your job at the time that you, you didn't ask for all. You didn't ask for you and your mate to be on separate pages. You didn't ask for all.
[00:20:23]
(39 seconds)
#IAskedForSomeNotAll
He got you up at that time so that you can handle stuff before you go to your job that you don't like. So, he's speaking to you at three or four in the morning and is sat there and said, and Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel told him to do. So, you up, but are you doing what it is that God told you to do?
[00:30:39]
(24 seconds)
#WakeUpAndObey
I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Dec 08, 2025. Do you have any questions about it?
Add this chatbot onto your site with the embed code below
<iframe frameborder="0" src="https://pastors.ai/sermonWidget/sermon/gods-timing-miracles" width="100%" height="100%" style="height:100vh;"></iframe>Copy