Detours

Pray

Well good morning, I’m excited to be back with you this morning as we begin a new year and celebrate all that God has done for us last year and look forward to the year ahead.

You know, just to be honest with you… last week in not meeting at church… it was a little different right? A little off, a little out of the normal… I actually spoke with my former senior pastor in New Hampshire who said that they too had to host virtual service this last week due to different people in the congregation with covid.

You see, it’s certainly an interruption when things like this happen… is it not? I know too that for Kim and I. a few weeks back, we of course found out that we came down with covid.And I can tell you firsthand, as many of you can relate with… that it’s certainly not an enjoyable experience. It’s of course a very different sickness then anything I felt in the past… Aside from very low energy, or just feeling fuzzy in my thinking, Kim and I still to this day don’t have our taste or smell back to normal. Thank you / Food etc…

And interestingly enough the very day that we found out that we had covid was actually the 13th year of our wedding anniversary… and so I don’t say all of this, this morning to throw a pity party for myself… or for you to feel bad for me by any means… but instead, I think it’s just a reminder to all of us of how delicate life is.

It’s a reminder for us, even this morning… To cherish the moments like this morning, where in fact, we are together in person… and in addition, to not take for granted each moment that we have.

But many of you can relate with me this morning, on the idea of difficulties as of late. Perhaps in your own family, you’ve had covid or some sort of other sickness. Some of you this morning, are battling even for your life, and through your boldness and courage, you’ve truly been an inspiration to me personally. Some of us this morning, have circumstances that… well… don’t feel good. And we look to God and say, Lord, I know you’re good… but right now… life doesn’t feel so good… right now… things don’t make sense… right now… I’m not too happy about where I’m at with life.

And friends this morning, you may not personally be in a season of difficulty… but if you’re not in one now, the odds are that you’re coming out of one, or perhaps going into one… and the question is this. “How do we make sense, when life… doesn’t make sense?” “How can we look at our setbacks as success?” “How can we view our obstacles, as opportunities?”

You see we’re going to study this idea of detour this life… we expected life to go this way… but life went that way… We hoped for a smooth sailing ahead, but right now, things are bumpy.

There are 3 points this morning I would like to draw our attention to. Detours in life 1. Don’t always feel good but, 2. God is with us on our detours 3. Detours lead to what’s best (the best destination)

First Point: Detours Don’t always feel good… Turn with me to Genesis 37:3-10…

3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?” And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.

9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. “Listen,” he said, “I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”

10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

So, if we stop for a second, we see here that Joseph is the 2nd youngest in the family. We see that he’s born to his father Jacob in his father’s old age… and here’s the key, he was born to Rachel, the one who Jacob loved. The one, you’ll recall that Jacob worked a total of 7 years to marry. You see, Joseph was special to Jacob. All these 17 years, Josephs brothers would have seen a special connection between dad and this boy, and they hated him for it. (There’s this sense of jealousy that’s going on.)

You see just by a show of hands, can any relate with being the older sibling in your family? How about this, can any relate with being the youngest or 2nd youngest in the family?You see, I know firsthand as the only boy in the family, and the youngest of 4, what’s it’s like to be teased as the favorite of my mom. You see, my older sisters would always gave me a hard time and joke around about me being the favorite.

But here in this story, the dislike of the older brothers isn’t just because the younger brother wanted to tag along with the older brothers… It’s not simply a matter of mom and dad saying that little Joseph had to go out on a date…. No, the bible tells us that Joseph’s dad, loved him more than the other 11. In fact, of all the boys, Joseph is the only one to get this special robe.

Now, in fairness… Joseph probably doesn’t help his case very much by letting the whole family know that in his dream, they’re all bowing down to him… but can I ask us a question for a moment? “Who do you think the dream was from?” Do you think Joseph imagined this all on his own? He just dreamt it up? Or do you think this dream was from God… Here’s the point… it was God, who Gave Joseph this dream…

Now, we’re not told why he felt compelled to share this dream… but for whatever reason, Joseph saw fit to share this dream with his brothers… and when he did, it was like pouring gasoline on the fire already burning.

Gen 37:12 Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, 13 and Israel said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing the flocks near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”“Very well,” he replied. 14 So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks and bring word back to me.” Then he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron. When Joseph arrived at Shechem, 15 a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”

17 “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So, Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.

So just for a brief second, we see that Jacob sends his son Joseph to go and supervise his brothers… and inspect what they’re up to and I’m sure his older brothers just loved that… and so when Joseph shows up his brothers are burning with anger. We’re told:

Gen 37:18 But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to each other. 20 “Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.”

21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. “Let’s not take his life,” he said. 22 “Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.” Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.

23 So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— 24 and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it. 25 As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm, and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

Now out of all the brothers, Reuben and Judah are the only ones who speak up and suggest that they not kill Joseph… but guys here’s the point this morning… in this moment of life, how do you think Joseph felt??? Did he feel hurt? Did he feel betrayed? Do you think he struggled at trying to make sense of what was going on??? and yet… the story wasn’t over… God was preparing a journey that exceeded any destination that Joseph could ever imagine.

You see, God had greater things in store for Joseph… God was actually working the details out for Good… God was about to save his people and he was going to use Joseph to do so… but here’s the key, before Joseph rose to the platform… He had to start in the pit. Before he had a testimony, he first had to go through trials… but when he hit rock bottom, in the bottom of the well… He meets God there…

You see, what comes to mind is a child using there pencil… and connecting the dots from one line to the next…now before the picture comes into clear focus, a child starts out with just one dot… but yet, as they draw from one dot… to the next… and then to the next… they begin to see that the dots are painting a masterpiece that is far more then they could ever imagine.

Friend our first point this morning is that, detours don’t always feel good… sometimes, in life… when we’re drawing dots… we don’t see the grand picture… we loose sight of the forest for the one tree… and yet… if we understand that there is thismetanarrative taking place… this continuation from one dot to the next… we see a sovereign creator, behind it all… who is working all things out for our God and for His glory.

When Joseph was in the pit… it didn’t feel good… I promise you that… and yet… God wasn’t done with his story… This morning friend, God isn’t done with you… Where you are this morning… it may not feel Good. When you’re driving down the road, no one wants to see a roadblock, no one wants to take a detour… and yet… these detours, are so often keeping us from hitting a dead end… or driving off a cliff.

That takes us to point 2 this morning which is God is with us in our detours…

We recall that Josephs brothers sold him into slavery to the midianite merchants… and here Joseph’s life takes a huge turn… He ends up leaving his homeland of Canaan and is sold into slavery in Egypt. He becomes the property of Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s high-ranking officials… Then if things weren’t bad enough, Potiphar’s wife tries to sleep with Joseph… and after he refuses, he soon finds himself in prison. And yet, here’s the key, God was with Joseph the entire time.

You see in Genesis 39:1-10 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there.

2 The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned; the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, 7 and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, “Come to bed with me!”

8 But he refused. “With me in charge,” he told her, “My master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. 9 No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” 10 And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. (Do you need all of this scripture? Shorten down a little or not?)

You see friends, day after day, Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph into sleeping with her. Now evidently, he’s not a Steve Urcle… in fact, this man is well-built and handsome… and you can imagine that Potiphar’s wife is not used to getting her way… and yet, despite her persistence Joseph refuses to give in to her efforts.

In the course of time, we see that Potiphar’s wife is persistent. She doesn’t give up on trying to sleep with Joseph. And because of Josephs faithfulness to God and his owner, he ends up being thrown into prison… and yet while he’s in prison what becomes of Joseph? We’re told:

But I want us to catch something Gen 39:20 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. 23 The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. (yehowah ayth Yosef)

You see friends, I think of my daughter Taylor earlier this week. It was very early on Thursday morning,and she woke me up… which I didn’t love… but she told me that she had a bad dream that night and was scared… and guys can I tell you something, In those moments. I could feel her sadness. You see, I went and laid down next to her and her sister harper who share the same bed… and I told Taylor that I was right there with her…

You see friends… God is with you… And more so… he goes before you… And because of this, we don’t need to be afraid, or discouraged. Instead, we can have confidence and encouragement knowing that he is with us and that he goes before us.

In in your own life… this morning, we see as Deuteronomy 31:8 8 The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

You see, in the pit, and in slavery, and in prison… God was not only with Joseph… but listen, he was actually going before Joseph. In these detours of life, God was leading the way.

That takes us to our final point this morning which is that Detours lead to the best destination.

Who here would say that you love to take detours in life? Right? You’re driving down the road and running late for a meeting or some sort of event. That when you see the sign that reads “detour” that just super your excited?

No, none of us… none of us want detours. They add time, they cost us oftentimes. And they seem like a waste. And yet, suppose this detour was necessary because the road that you were traveling on before lead to a dead end? Would it not be worth the detour for the sake of keeping you and your family safe?

In the instance of Joseph, he was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, put in prison, and probably hurt and disappointed through much of what happened in his life… and yet… God was working out all of this for Good.

You see friends, we won’t cover it in detail. But if you go back and read genesis 41… you’ll find that when Joseph was in prison, God put him positioned him next to the chief cupbearer and the chief baker… we see in scripture that both of them had difficult dreams, and yet God revealed to Joseph the meaning of the dreams…

Later we see that 2 years has passed where Joseph remains in prison… and yet, God didn’t forget Joseph. The bible tells us that the that the Pharaoh had 2 difficult dreams of his own which none of the pharaohs wise men or magicians could solve. And yet, in these moments we see that the chief cupbearer after all this time, remembers Joseph.

You see God had used this entire experience in Joseph’s life to prepare him for what was next. If you recall the story, you’ll remember that Egypt was about to experience 7 years of plenty… followed by 7 years of feminine… but yet here’s the key… God was going to use Joseph in a mighty way. In Gen 41:33-40 Joseph speaks to Pharaoh and says 33 “And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. 36 This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”

37 The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God[a]?”

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

Friends, in the course of time… Joseph would go on to become second in command of all of Egypt. Joseph would be given a wife. And great wealth, and power and a platform… and yet… it all started in the pit…

Life didn’t always make sense to Joseph I’m sure… things didn’t always seem fair… and yet, as he was rejected by his brothers, and sold into slavery, and later put into prison… all of these detours to lead to the destination.

You see at the end of the story. His entire family and millions of other people came to Egypt in search of food.The famine was so bad that it had devastating affects… and yet, what many would have seen as setbacks, was the entire time the provision of God.

You see, towards the end of Genesis, after Jacob has died… we see that the brothers go before Joseph and plea for their lives… we’re told Gen 50:18-21 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

Friends, this morning… you may find yourself in a midst of a detour. You may find yourself on a road that you didn’t expect to be on… Perhaps there’s been a loss of a loved one recently. Perhaps you’re dealing with sickness of some sort. Maybe you have a situation at home or at work that doesn’t make sense… and yet… God is with you this morning…

Friends this morning… God meets you where you are… In your difficulties in life… they don’t always feel good… sometime our detours are awfully painful… yet friends, God is with us in these moments… and so often he’s working out the course of our lives for our God and his glory.

As we get ready to close out I would just ask you this… what detour are you on right now? Where does life not make sense right now? Hebrews 12:3-4 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Consider him… Pray