Sheryl Brady - Consistent In Complications

Pastor Sheryl Brady speaks about the consistency of Mary and Joseph in their complicated situation in Matthew 1:18–25. Mary was chosen by God to bring forth a son, and although Joseph was initially stunned and confused, he did not walk away. Mary teaches us how to be consistent, calm, committed, trustworthy, and determined in the face of fear and confusion.

Despite the obstacles, Mary was determined to bring joy to the earth and complete her assignment. She rode out the process and was able to say, «I lost him, but I got it all back.» Tune in to be encouraged to be in it to win it, stand up to challenges, and trust God to give it all back.

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Today, I want to tell you what I loved about Mary and Joseph: they knew how to be consistent in complications. They understood how to maintain their composure when times got complicated. I’m going to point out just a few things to you in a moment, but they knew how to be consistent. I love consistency; I love people you can count on to be in the right place at the right time, doing what God has told them. Anyone can be consistent when all is well, but can you be consistent in complicated times? Look at someone and just tell them, «Be consistent in complications.» Tell your other neighbor, «Be consistent in complications.» What that really means is to be steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.

Spirit of God, I love you. I thank you for this moment. I ask you to bless everybody under the sound of my voice, whether they’re here or at home, wherever they’re watching from. Let your word leap off the pages today and help us as we tell your story, Lord, and we’ll give you glory. In Jesus' name, Amen. On your way down, hit somebody and tell them, «Be consistent in complications.»

There is something special about Christmas. I walked out here today, and all of a sudden, I saw such a beautiful sight—red everywhere! It’s beautiful. There are so many wonderful things about Christmas; it’s a wonderful season, but it is also a very stressful one. I say this because I don’t know if y’all have noticed, but you should never go to HEB the day before Christmas Eve! For whatever reason, I went thinking I would just get a card and pick up five or six things. Well, it was about an hour later, and I felt like a church usher at HEB, smiling and maneuvering a huge cart, saying, «Oh no, you go ahead, I’m so sorry!» That was a lot!

Lord bless HEB, but it was overwhelming for me. Everywhere seemed to be crowded—stores are crowded, parking lots are crowded, flights are crowded, our schedules are crowded, restaurants are crowded, and the roads are crowded—all of this during the season we call Christmas. It’s hard to get anywhere quickly, so be prepared. But I say it’s wonderful also because it’s the season that God, the God who made us, came to Earth to redeem us. He came to save us; He came to purchase our salvation. There is no Easter without Christmas, right? There can never be an Easter without Christmas. This is where it all began. He came to Earth to purchase our salvation; He came to pay the price for not only every sin I will commit but also for every sin I have ever committed or even thought about committing. He paid the price for that.

Yes, the Bethlehem baby became the king who was nailed to the cross, and He left His home in heaven to walk among you and me. He came into our world because He wanted to see our world from His perspective. Let me tell you about loving someone: husbands and wives, hear me today—you can’t truly love someone if you don’t understand them. There’s something about understanding that enables you to love someone. If you’re trying to love someone based solely on that little feeling or just thinking, «Oh, you are cute, you are fine,» that’s nice, but we change. I said we change.

So it’s about growth. The good thing about God is that most of the time He pairs you with someone, and you get to know them really well while you’re still looking good. All right? I mean, we always look okay; we just sometimes have to work a little bit harder at it later in life. But you have to understand your partner. There are certain things I can look at Bishop and laugh about—why? Because I understand him. I’ve been with him for 47 years, and I should understand him by now. I’m pretty hopeless if I don’t!

He came to Earth to understand me; He came to experience what it feels like when my heart is broken. He came to face what you and I would face, and therefore He knows what we feel. He knows what being weak feels like; he knows what being strong feels like. He knows what being overwhelmed feels like; He knows what facing a test feels like. He knows what failing a test feels like; He knows what facing rejection feels like. He knows what facing racism feels like; He knows what it feels like to cry until you can’t cry anymore.

He knows what it is like to be me; He knows what it is like to be you. He understands us like nobody else can because He has been us. He came to Earth as a gift for us. Make no mistake about it; He didn’t just come—He came as a gift! You cannot buy the gift of Jesus.