Detours
PPT 1 Series Title Slide
PPT 2 (Image change ahead, and definition of a detour)
A detour is an unexpected event that changes the course of your life.
Today I want to talk about God's involvement in the detours of life. There are many, many examples we could use from scripture but I want to focus our attention on is found in Exodus 13:17, 18.
PPT 3 (Scripture)
Ex 13:17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not [through] the way of the land of the Philistines, although that [was] near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:
Ex 13:18 But God led the people about, [through] the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt.
The text tells us that the Jews were going from point A to point B, but God made them detour and go the long way for their own good. So to begin I want to talk about detours in general, and as we go we will work our way back into the text.
A detour is an unexpected event that changes the course of your life.
A pink slip
A death/or illness
A pregnancy
A job offer
A best friend moves away
A child gets engaged
Pastor Andy did a great job 2 weeks ago, sharing how detours impacted his life in very unexpected ways, and how God gave him the gift of song to help him during some very difficult days. Music is a wonderful gift from God, especially when your seas are rough. How many can say that in a difficult season the song, "Blessed be the name of the Lord," has helped you? "You give and take away, my heart will choose to say, Blessed be the name of the Lord!"
In fact we are going to sing that song at the end of service today, and let the devil know that even if the sun doesn't shine, we are still going to praise the Lord.
Consider the following traffic control devices and think about how you think about them:
PPT 4 (various traffic signs)
Reduced Speed Ahead
No Right on Red
Yield
No Parking Zone
Dead End
Detour
Red Lights/Stop Signs
PPT 5 (school bus)
The dreaded School Bus and last especially for us here in Michigan:
PPT 6 (Michigan left)
The Michigan Left. Why do I have to go right, before I can turn left???!!! Grrr
Each one of them, in one way or another, cause us to slow down on our journey. We don't like slowing down. We don't like things that hinder or change our plans to use the most direct route possible.
Detours are put up by the relevant authority because some danger or obstruction is ahead. God gives detours for the very same reasons, but He doesn't usually bother to tell us why.
But in our text, we are told the reason for their detour. Basically God said, the Jews are not ready for a fight, they would turn back and return to Egypt at the first sign of trouble. So the detour was to save them some trouble, and to keep them on God's path.
PPT 7 (Image right path and text point 1)
That brings us to our first point:
1. Detours are a course correction that God uses to keep us on the right path.
Not our path, but the right path.
We want to get from A to B, God wants us to get from here to the crucified life, the life of holiness, the upward call of God in Christ, that is the path that God is concerned with.
Not the path to a physical location, but a path to keep us walking with Him.
We are told to pray, deliver us from temptation, and here we have an example of God doing it.
The detour you may today be fussing about, might just be God's answer to your prayer for Christ likeness!
Eternity will only tell all the messes God kept us from.
PPT 8 (Image child holding fathers hand and text of point 2)
2. Detours send us on an unfamiliar route and require that we trust the sign makers.
When we are traveling away from home and come to a detour, it usually sends in a direction we know nothing about. Detours require us to pay strict attention and keep looking for signs on the way we should go. One of the blessings about detours is that help us to be very diligent about seeking God and His direction for our life.
PPT 9 (small emergency route sign, while on a detour we pay closer attention!)
Twice in our text it says God led the children of Israel. The text makes it very clear, God was in charge of this detour.
The first time it says the way He didn't lead them, and the second time it says the way He did lead them. Detours involve the canceling of the known, and moving into the unknown.
Events happen in our lives that are jarring or disorienting, they can knock the wind out of you, and knock you off your feet. Events can rattle your cage, and send your mind reeling. You get a bad diagnosis or a pink slip or divorce papers and what happens is those things cause our life's compass needle to spin out of control, so much so, we're wondering which way is up? We move into unchartered territory and we are not sure of where we are going. Just like people trust the detour route signs, we have to trust that God will lead us, and He will. Just like on real highways, you may not get a sign from God every 50 feet, but He will make sure to get us where He wants us. If we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He WILL direct our paths.
Next point:
PPT 10 (Image flight delay, and text for point 3)
3. Detours involve a time delay, and a longer trip. It is important we don't let impatience move us off the route God has chosen. We need to remind ourselves from the passage in Exodus that the shortest trip, was also the shortest trip to trouble. We don't do delay very well. We prefer to get in the end zone as soon as possible, patience may be a virtue, but we tend to avoid it at all costs.
PPT 11 (Poem, image of man fishing)
Waiting
Waiting for a phone call frets him,
Waiting on his wife upsets him.
Almost any kind of waiting
Starts his temper activating.
But he's the guy who finds delight
Waiting for the fish to bite!
Sometimes in life the best course is just to slow ourselves down.
Detours involve a longer trip. You can see a shorter route, just beyond the sign, but are denied access to it. Can you say "frustration!" Have you ever tried to find out if the bridge was really out?
I have, it was, don't waste your time I already did. God always has a good reason for detours.
PPT 12 (GPS showing turn, and text for point 4)
4. Detours involve routes that seem to go in the wrong direction. Our internal GPS has a hard time
dealing with detours. Have you ever had an argument with your GPS because it wanted you
to make a U-turn and you knew that way was blocked? I have yelled at my GPS even though I knew it was just a machine. It still made me feel better yelling at it. Sometimes we are the GPS arguing with God! Its about as dumb a thing to do as yelling at your GPS.
PPT 13 (Do not enter sign, and text for point 5)
5. Sometimes detours are not from God but are caused by the sins of others, but we have great promises to guide us in those times.
In Numbers 20 while enroute to the promised land the Jews wanted to pass through the land of Moab, but the Moabites refused to show them any kindness, but instead threatened them with military action, a result of which their journey had another detour. Some detours are caused by the sins of others. Remember the storm Jonah caused the innocent sailors!
Joseph, Mary and Jesus had to go to Egypt because of the murderous intentions of Herod.
In Acts 27 Paul is in transit to Rome by ship as a Roman prisoner. He tells the Romans and the ships captain that they were in danger if they continued. They ignored his Godly counsel and set out. A fierce storm almost kills them, after that they followed Paul's advice and they are saved. They wind up on Malta where a great revival takes place. God worked even the sinful disobedience of others out for good.
Paul writes in Philippians about his illegal incarceration:
Php 1:12 ΒΆ But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things [which happened] unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;
In Psalm 23 we read:
Ps 23:3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Let me break down for you the last part of the verse: He leads me in the right and good path for the honor of His own name. He leads us in the good path, because in part it is a reflection on His character. God isn't going to sit by and do nothing when evil men do their worst. He will bring good out of the worst things the world can hurl at us.
Close: We are going to close with the chorus: Blessed be your name, as we sing it why don't you release to God your frustration with any detour you are facing, and instead give Him praise knowing He is working all things out together for good... Do like the old hymn says, "all to Jesus I surrender..."
PPTS 14-18 Matt Redman, "Blessed be Your name"
