When Life’s Dream Turns Into a Nightmare

Although no one was near enough to hear it / word of it echoed around the world / The passengers in the DC-4 never knew what happened / died instantly / February 15, 1947 / The Avianca Airline flight bound for Equador, crashed into the 14,000 foot-high towering peak of El Tablazo not far from Bogota / Dropping a flaming mass of metal into a ravine far below / A young New Yorker / Glenn Chambers was one of its victims / He had planned to begin a ministry with the Voice of the Andes / a lifelong dream that suddenly aborted into a nightmare / Before leaving the Miami Airport earlier that day / Chambers hurriedly dashed off a note to his mom on a piece of paper he had found on the floor of the terminal / That scrap of paper was once a printed piece of advertisement with the single word WHY written across the center / But between the mailing and the delivery of that note he was killed / When the letter did arrive / there staring up at his mom was the haunting question--WHY? Of all the questions it is the most searching / most tormenting / No single truth removes the need to ask Why like this one. This is what he wrote on the back: GOD IS TOO KIND TO DO ANYTHING CRUEL … TOO WISE TO MAKE A MISTAKE …TOO DEEP TO EXPLAIN HIMSELF. Mrs. Chambers stopped asking Why when she saw the Who behind the scene / All other sounds are muffled when we claim His absolute sovereignty / Even the deafening sound of a crashing DC-4.

Have you ever experienced that gut wrenching moment when your dream become a nightmare / you have the starring role? / We all have! / Ever asked "Why?" as you looked at the shattered remains of your plans / dreams? We all have at one time / another

This morning I want to show you a better alternative than asking "Why?" / I want to point out a man by the name of Joseph / He saw all HIS dreams fall into a million pieces at his feet / What happened in his life is worthy of investigation

It may help you and me when life goes sideways / When Life’s Dream Turns Into a Nightmare

Matt 1:18-25 18 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. 19 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. 20 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. 21 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.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

I. Heartbreaking Discovery

A. They were planning a wedding / exciting time / engagement period / in those days / just as binding as marriage itself

1. Surely excited / thinking about their future together

a. Time of expectation / no doubt thinking about a family / how many kids

1. 18 His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together…

a. No doubt counting down the days to the honeymoon

B. Shocking Embarrassment

1. During this time / they were to both keep themselves physically pure / for their future spouse

a. In these days / people actually entered into marriage as virgins

1. Yet / he finds his bride to be pregnant

b. 18 but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

2. No doubt / great embarrassment / to Mary / Joseph / families

a. Joseph’s dreams / shattered by the devastating news

C. Isn’t this how life is at times?

1. We make plans / set things up just the way we want… then something happens / our hopes / dreams fall to ground

a. Our hearts break / these were unplanned / unwanted

1. However / we like Joseph / are blind to the fact / God is at work behind the scenes

a. In fact / it was God who shattered our dreams / may be hard to believe / but it’s true

2. Bible is clear on this matter

a. Is 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

1. God works his will in ways we cannot begin to comprehend / Rarely what we would plan for ourself

a. But His plans are for the best / even when they hurt us deeply (Job lost everything)

3. We may not like when God interrupts / shatters our dreams / when all is said / done / we will see His perfect plan

a. Another Joseph – Went from favored son / pit / head of Potiphar’s house / prison…

1. In the end / he would end up in place of power / but not before God shattered his dreams

II. The Deliberation and Declaration

19 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.

A. Joseph’s Character Revealed

1. In the midst of incredibly difficult situation / he never lost himself / he was man of God before / through / and after

John Beverle “Trials in this life will expose what is in your heart – whether the offense is toward God or others. Tests either make you bitter toward God and your peers / or stronger. If you pass the test, your roots will shoot down deeper, stabilizing you and your future. If you fail, you become offended, which can lead to defilement with bitterness.”

a. Life has a way of exposing who we really are / who we are in the worst time / REALLY WHO YOU ARE!

1. Who he was came out in the trial / “a just man”

2. Job – who he was came out

a. Job 1:20 At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” 22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

1. Anyone can rejoice when life is good / but who you are comes out when life is not so good

a. How you respond in crisis / reveals depth of your commitment to God / to His will

3. Joseph had three choices / 1. Have her stoned / 2. Put her away quietly / 3. marry anyways raise him (rarely chosen)

a. Not great choices / but has to pick one

1. Life can be this way / we want none of the above / but we have to pick A, B, or C (takes seeking God)

B. His Compassion Revealed

1. He chose an option / that was in the best interest of Mary / even suspecting unfaithfulness / does right by her

a. Says A LOT / how we respond / even when wronged / reveals great deal about the depth of our walk with God

1. How we respond to those who have hurt us --- indicator of our spiritual walk

a. Too often we have been offended / so we often offend others / As saying goes / “hurt people… hurt people”

b. Never let hurts of others cause us to retaliate / we need to respond to hurts with compassion

C. A Satisfying Declaration

Interesting fact / God did not send Jospeh an answer / until after he reached a decision on his own / At times God will allow us to exhaust all our human reasoning / before giving us divine insight in a situation we are facing / others times / God allows us to make a decision / then blesses a right decision

1. Still confused / still hurting / God sends an angel

a. 20 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

1. God gave him clarity

2. He began to see his nightmare / was really a miraculous work of God

Our vantage point works against us! I describe the way we look at life as watching a parade go by while standing between two buildings. All you are able to see of the parade is that portion that is passing directly in front of you at any given moment / You have a memory of what has already passed / no idea as to what is coming down the street / You just have to wait until it gets to you. However / if you were to climb on top of the building / you would be able to see the parade in its entirety / You could see the beginning / middle / end all at the same time. There would be no surprises!

a. We can only see the present / how it feels / but God sits above it all / no surprises

1. Best we can do / is simply trust Him to bring the best into our lives day by day

a. Even when life feels like it’s out of control / dreams shattered / God is still in control

b. He may lead us through some dark / desolate places / but He will not forsake you in any of them

D. Think about the miracle / so big / yet much of the world still has not grasped it

1. 21 She will give birth to a son, you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

a. No ordinary baby / Son of God! / Salvation to the lost / through His death / resurrection

1. Never forget / Its from the wreckage of our greatest hurts / where God builds greatest blessings

2. Jesus was to be the end of the Law / fulfilment of prophecy / but more than that / GOD in human flesh

a. Joseph is allowed to see that his hurt / anger /confusion / necessary to bring about the greatest miracle the world has ever known

1. In the present I can’t see my future / not sure why facing some things in the present / one day I will

b. See / while you are toiling today / He has already planned your tomorrow

1. Therefore just walk one step at time / You will arrive / questions are answered / needs are met

III. The Decision

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

A. Joseph’s Quick Reaction

1. He quickly reacts in faith / in his heart / takes her as his wife (still not sure how it will work out)

a. But he knows God is working… that’s enough!

In the midst of what you are facing / God is still working!

b. Joseph even takes on the shame / that comes along with it

You don’t have to right every wrong / or make things better just so you look good to others

2. His Restraint

a. He takes her into his home / but refrains from any sexual relations / lays aside his “right” as husband

1. He respects the plan of God / for a virgin birth / also a response of faith

a. True faith willingly puts aside its own desires / to do the will of God

3. Often God's call on our lives will be hard to accept / even hard to do / but faith doesn't seek the easier road

B. Quiet Resolve

1. He took care of Mary / took on the role of a father once Jesus was born / even though not his son

Joseph is saying this: "I had my life all planned out! Mary and I were to be married and we were going to life together for many years. We were going to have lots of children and be very happy. Then, I found out she was pregnant. I knew the baby wasn't mine, and I did not know who's it was. I was hurt! All my plans and dreams were shattered. But, then the Lord showed me that He had a better plan for my life! He called me to be the surrogate human father to the Messiah! What I thought was a great tragedy was in fact the greatest blessing of my life!"

a. If you don't get anything else out of this message, please get this:

1. The worst things that happen to you / will often turn out to be your greatest blessing!

2. Some people don’t trust God / therefore never rise above their circumstances / always defeated

a. Others trust Him / even through the worst / therefore they experience His best / even in difficult times

C. Conclusion

1. Have you ever had a dream turn into a nightmare before your very eyes? / Something didn’t work out how we would have planned it / maybe in the middle of questioning things right now

a. We’ve all been there before / We will all go through things like this again

b. Question: When your dreams turn into nightmares what are you doing about it?

1. Some try to go it alone / fix it themselves / won’t work / only gets worse

2. Others quit / that won’t work / life still goes on

3. Others get angry on God / others / but you only really hurt yourself (none of these end well)

2. Very few / take the pieces of broken dreams / lay them at feet of God

a. Those are the ones who walk in victory / even in their worst nightmare (Shadrach/Meschach/Abegnigo)

1. What kind of person are you? What are you doing with your broken dreams?

b. I invite you to bring your life to Jesus / mess and all / let Him do with it as He wants to / His plan is better

Maria and her daughter, Christina, lived in a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of a Brazilian village / Maria's husband died when Christina was an infant / she never remarried / When Christina was old enough / got a job to help out

Christina spoke often of going to the city / Dreamed of trading her dusty neighborhood for exciting avenues / city life Just the thought horrified her mother / who knew exactly what Christina would have to do for a living / Her heart broke She couldn't believe it when she awoke one morning to find her daughter's bed empty / Knowing where her daughter was headed / she quickly threw some clothes in a bag / gathered all of her money / ran out of the house.

On her way to the bus stop she entered a drugstore and got one last thing / Photos / She sat in the photograph booth, making lots of photos of herself / With a purse full of small black-and-white photos / she boarded the next bus to Rio de Janeiro.

Maria knew Christina had no way of earning money / She began her search / Bars, hotels, nightclubs / Any place with the reputation for street walkers or prostitutes / At each place Maria left her photo / bathroom mirrors / hotel bulletins Fastened to a corner telephone booth / On the back of each photo she wrote a note / Finally her money and the pictures ran out, Maria went home.

A few weeks later young Christina descended the hotel stairs / Her face was tired / Dreams had become a nightmare / But as she reached the bottom of the stairs / her eyes noticed a familiar face / She looked again / There on a lobby mirror was a small picture of her mother / Her eyes burned as she walked across the room / removed the small photo. On the back "Whatever you've done, whatever you have become, it doesn't matter. Please come home." And she did.

If your dreams are lying in shattered pieces around you right now / turned into nightmares / please bring them to Jesus

Let Him turn them into a source of glory and rejoicing

Story of Joseph ends with greatest ending / because he stayed the course / didn’t get bent out of shape / just as yours will / if you trust God / because God STILL works in mysterious ways / works all things together for GOOD for those who believe