Life: Interrupted

LIFE: INTERRUPTED Luke 7:11-17

Introduction

Interruptions. I don’t know anyone who likes them, but they are a part of our every day life. They come from other people, phone calls, even noises can interrupt our thinking.. One of the rules we learn as a child is to not interrupt adults in conversation. Sometimes a health diagnosis can interrupt our daily lives or some other significant event. Our text tonight is a story of an interruption that leads to a blessing.

Luke 7:11-17. Jesus comes across a funeral. Only son of a widow - left her without much hope. Her heart broken, her future suddenly dim, and her tears falling. Jesus interrupts this significantly sad time and creates an opportunity for God to work in an amazing way. How can we recognize the God-sent interruptions in our daily walk? Some come in the form of interruptions, some as a result of natural interruptions. We can learn something from this account.

1. When Life Interrupts Jesus Can Bring About Reversal

Everyone faces tragedies at some time or another - and they are all different. Disease, Job Loss, Financial Ruin, Loss of a loved one. We can experience loss as a nation or even as a global community.

Reversal - as in this case - He can bring about reversal, healing, health, a new job. (1 Kings 17:17-24) We know the Lord does not always work in this way, but he has been known to interrupt tragedy - even by the resurrection of Jesus!

2. When Life Interrupts Jesus Can Bring About Revision.

Revision - He can help us revise our expectations in life and deal with the tragedy that has happened. Whatever kind of interruption we have faced in our life, we will learn to think about things differently than we ever have before. Jesus May bring about Revision Through…

- The Scriptures - we begin to identify with Scriptures we previously did not notice!

- People - we see how other people have faced interruptions and how they have handled them … we learn from them both in good and bad ways!

- Prayer - our prayers are revised when faced with a life interruption …

Apostle Paul’s Spiritual Fervor was Revised and Redirected! (Galatians 1:13-24)

3. When Life Interrupts Jesus Can Bring About Renewal.

He can give us the strength to carry on through the interruptions of life. We learn to depend on God and to trust Him more when we realize that we cannot always control the paths of life we must walk. We love ‘come back’ stories of people who were at the bottom but managed with God’s help to climb back to the top. Dave Ramsey is a financial guru today to millions, but he walked through bankruptcy to get there.

Psalm 146:5-10

Psalm 30:5, 11 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night,but rejoicing comes in the morning. … You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

Conclusion

1. “The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all the unpleasant things as interruptions of one's 'own,' or 'real' life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one's real life -- the life God is sending one day by day.” ― C.S. Lewis

2. The interruption of the funeral of the son of the widow of Nain points us to what Jesus can do in difficult circumstances: Reversal, Revision, Renewal.

3. It’s not always up to us what happens, but our response is always up to us.

4. "One of the major keys to success is to keep moving forward on the journey, making the best of the detours and interruptions, turning adversity into advantage.” ~ John C. Maxwell

5. When the Spies returned from Canaan 10 of them gave a bad report… faithless really … ‘we can’t’. So easy to fall into the ‘we can’t’ way of thinking. There may be many voices telling us we’ve reached the end of our faith. Numbers 13:30 [Message] Caleb interrupted, called for silence before Moses and said, “Let’s go up and take the land—now. We can do it.”

It’s not just that ‘we CAN do it’ …. it’s that God Can see us through it. The truth is that the funeral of the son of the widow of Nain is most likely incidental…. unplanned … an interruption of Jesus’ day. He responded with “I Can” … and we should too as we face the interruptions of the coming week.