Sermon Title: FROM NAZARETH TO BETHLEHEM
Sermon Text: LUKE 2:1-7
Sermon Series: THE UNEXPECTED ROAD: JOURNEYS IN THE CHRISTMAS STORY
By: PTR NIC SY
SERMON NOTES
Every unexpected road is part of God’s unfolding plan.
God’s reroutes are often God’s invitations into his purposes.
Even when life feels out of control, it is never out of God’s control.
I. GOD USES UNEXPECTED CIRCUMSTANCES TO DIRECT OUR STEPS
God can use anyone and anything, even those who do not know him, to accomplish his purposes.
The road we resist may be the road God has written.
God does not need ideal conditions to bring us to where he wants.
Reflection:
1. Trust God when the road shifts unexpectedly.
2. See circumstances through the lens of God’s providence.
3. Remember that God’s direction does not always look spiritual.
II. GOD’S PATH IS OFTEN INCONVENIENT, BUT IT IS NEVER WITHOUT PURPOSE.
How was God orchestrating his purposes:
1. God was Fulfilling Prophecy.
2. The journey positioned Jesus in David’s royal line.
What felt like government control became God’s way of publicly affirming Jesus’ rightful kingship.
Reflection:
1. Your inconvenience may be fulfilling something God has purposed in your life.
2. Your inconvenience may be preparing you for future fruit you cannot yet see.
Your response to inconvenience matters as much as the purpose behind it.
Purpose isn’t revealed before obedience, it’s revealed through obedience.
III. GOD BRINGS BLESSINGS THROUGH PLACES WE DIDN’T EXPECT TO BE.
Four blessings that God pours out in this moment:
1. The blessing of God’s perfect timing.
2. The blessing of God’s humble revelation.
3. The blessing of God’s faithful provision.
Blessing is not the absence of difficulty; blessing is God’s provision in the midst of difficulty.
4. The blessing of salvation itself.
The greatest blessing of God is not a change of circumstances; it is the presence of Christ in every circumstance.
The beauty of Christmas is that God meets us as we are, not as we wish we were.