The Unexpected Blessing of the Greatest Disruption in History

Introduction

Calendars, agendas, planners...many of us have them, many of us use them. Many of us can look at our smart phones and tell you what we have planned Thursday at 2pm.

We use these things to plan our work trips, our vacations, our finances, and making sure the kids are picked up from various activities. If you are like me you like your life nice and tidy...

BUT THEN LIFE HAPPENS...

The phone rings and you find out someone in your family has passed away and suddenly all those things on your to-do list don’t seem as important as they were.

The check engine light comes on at the most inconvenient time while in stalled traffic on the interstate

Your boss calls you into his office for an uncomfortable performance review and gives you an ultimatum.

WE ALL HAVE DISRUPTIONS IN LIFE. Sometimes we refer to them as obstacles, tragedies, and sometimes annoyances depending on what kind of disruption it is. We get frustrated because our neat little plan has to be trashed and we have to start over.

Then I think about the DISRUPTION of the Christmas story. Leading up to the birth of Jesus was not the way Mary and Joseph had planned their life. Their life, and the life of others were completely thrown upside down...everything was topsy-turvy.

Today we will look at TWO massive disruptions—a priest whose worship was interrupted, a young girl whose wedding plans looked far different than she could have ever imagined, a carpenter whose reputation was on the verge of being destroyed.

Sometimes we have this mistaken idea that God works within our “comfort zone,” when in reality He is almost ALWAYS at work in the INTERRUPTION!

Today we will find...

Disruptions Often Come at the Most Unexpected Times

Just ask Elisabeth and Zecharias

Luke 1:5–13 NKJV

There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

I want you to think about the INCONVENIENCE in timing that Zecharias and Elisabeth experienced. The Bible says they were “well advanced in years.” While we do not know their exact age from this passage, it is clear they didn’t have babies on their mind, especially after the fact that for Elisabeth’s entire marriage she had been unable to conceive.

God disrupted their old age to bless them with an unexpected, but prayed for gift.

Did you notice that? The angel said, “Zecharias...your prayer is heard.” I think we may forget that God doesn’t always answer our prayer on our schedule. Sometimes God says YES, at the very time we’ve given up hope, or assume the answer was no!

Notice what happens next...

Luke 1:18–20 NKJV

And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

Yes disruptions often come at the most unexpected time...

Just Ask Mary & Joseph

Luke 1:26–36 NKJV

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

This situation is the exact opposite of Zacharias and Elisabeth’s scenario. They had been praying for a child, no doubt trying for a child for years and years and years and NOTHING happened.

Mary and Joseph on the other hand were not married and they had been waiting until marriage to consummate their relationship. They had not tried for a baby, and I’m positive that the furthest thing from each of their minds is preparing for a baby, because biologically speaking it was IMPOSSIBLE!

But we know what is impossible with man is VERY possible with God!

Notice what happened...Mary changed her “HOW” into a “YES.” She first asked “HOW SHALL THIS BE” and then she said, “LET IT BE TO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD.”

We may not see the PLAN, but we can TRUST the PLANNER!

While you and I may not go through something as EXTREME as what Mary and Elisabeth experienced, there are many people in this room that have dealt with DISRUPTIONS IN LIFE AT UNEXPECTED TIMES. The truth of the matter is YOU will continue to deal with DISRUPTIONS at unexpected times...that’s why they are called “DISRUPTIONS!”

But there is something we need to remember as we contemplate these Scriptures:

GOD’s TIMING IS PERFECT, even if it seems untimely.

You may think God’s will is too late or too early, but God not only knows WHAT we need, but He knows WHEN we need it!

In the middle of LIFE’s DISRUPTIONS, no matter what they are...TRUST HIS TIMING!

Mary and Elisabeth EMBRACED the Disruption and Found Joy

What if you and I learned to do the same, we may find...

Disruptions Sometimes Come with Unexpected Blessings

Just Ask Elisabeth and Zecharias

Listen to what the angel tells Zecharias...

Luke 1:14–17 NKJV

And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Even though they had an unexpected disruption, the angel says it is going to result in JOY and GLADNESS!

Elisabeth is going to give birth to a son who will be GREAT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD! So great in fact Jesus said this about John:

Luke 7:28 NKJV

For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

God in His foreknowledge knew that John would stay away from intoxicating beverages and instead of being filled with those would be set apart even from his mother’s womb and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

He would also be used of God to point many to the coming Messiah and bring reconciliation not only between men and God but also men and their own families!

WHAT AN UNEXPECTED BLESSING TO RECEIVE IN ONE’S OLD AGE!

While Zecharias was disrupted during his ministry, he came to find out the DISRUPTION WAS HIS MINISTRY.

Maybe the disruption that has come into your life is a blessing in disguise, or a MINISTRY opportunity you are missing because you are focused on the disruption instead of the God of the disruption.

Instead of fighting where you are or what you are experiencing, maybe you should ask, “God here I am, this is not what I planned, but how do you want to make lemonade out of these lemons I’m holding?”

Unexpected blessings come...

Just Ask Mary & Joseph

Matthew 1:18–23 NKJV

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

What a blessing Joseph and Mary would receive by this disruption! They would serve as the parents to the Messiah. They would live with the SON OF GOD. They would get to experience what is was like to raise, nurture, and be with GOD ROBED IN HUMAN FLESH! They would have the privilege of having a front row seat to the one who would provide salvation from sin for not only themselves, but all who by faith would call upon His name and be rescued from the power and penalty of sin!

WHEN YOUR LIFE, YOUR PLANS, YOUR TIME, YOUR HEALTH, YOUR WHATEVER gets disrupted ask God to show you the RAINBOW in the rain, the Lilly in the valley, the TABLE that God has prepared for you in the presence of YOUR enemies, the lemonade that can be made from these lemons.

Don’t waste your disruption. Hand it to God and ask Him to turn YOUR PANIC into His purpose!

Look for the blessing that ALL THINGS WILL WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE GOD AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE!

Has the Greatest Disruption in History Disrupted Your Life?

Jesus disrupted the universe when He stepped into human flesh and became a man.

Jesus disrupted Bethlehem when his cries rang out from the stable on that first Christmas night.

Jesus disrupted the shepherds as they were watching their sheep on the Judean hillside.

Jesus disrupted Herod when the wise men came to worship the King of Jews.

Jesus disrupted the religious leaders when He was twelve years old as he was about His Father’s business.

Jesus disrupted Matthew when He invited him to leave his life of dishonesty and come and follow Him.

Jesus disrupted Peter and Andrew when He invited them to leave their father’s fishing business and come and follow Him.

Jesus disrupted John on the Isle of Patmos when He gave him the vision of what was to come.

TODAY JESUS IS DISRUPTING YOUR LIFE, YOUR COMFORT ZONE, YOUR STATUS QUO AND HE’S CALLING YOU TO HIMSELF!

He’s calling YOU to take up your cross and follow Him.

Christian He is calling YOU into a more personal and deeper relationship with Him and that means YOUR life will be DISRUPTED.

But, Oh, what a disruption it is! While it may come at an unexpected time it will always lead to UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS!

Will YOU say yes as Mary & Joseph did and what God birth things into YOUR life that YOU never dreamed possible....

...or will YOU continue in YOUR oblivious state, being selfish, saying no to God’s disruptions and miss out on the greatest blessings in life...

The choice is yours.

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