Sermon Series: Jesus: 

Everything We Need

 Detours Ahead! 

Philippians 1:12-14

CBC Bishop 2-23-03 AM

In a nutshell: God gives us detours in our lives. We call them troubles, trials or difficulties. He does this for 3 reasons. He is investing in us. He is looking for results. And He delights in us. Paul is a good example of the right kind of response to a detour.

I. Introduction

A. Sturgis adventure

Last summer I went on the adventure of a lifetime. I went on a two week 4300 mile roundtrip motorcycle ride from Palm Springs to Sturgis, South Dakota for the annual Black Hills Motorcycle Rally, where over 500,000 bikers from all over the world congregate for a week. I traveled through the back country of northern Utah and Wyoming, the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and the Black Hills of South Dakota. I saw scenery and had experiences that made that trip something I'll never forget.

I spent weeks and months before the trip, plotting out my route and ride plan. One of my goals was to ride on as few freeways as I possible could. Choosing to travel on roads with scenic routes and as many twisties as possible.

Well, on my 2nd morning out, just outside of Ogden, Utah, I was planning to take Highway 39 through some of the back country of northern Utah. It looked like an interesting road, and I was very excited because my first day and a half, had been spent on freeways, and was really quite uninspiring.

But as I approached the exit I was to take, I saw a sign that caused me to burn. It said, ROAD CLOSED, DETOUR AHEAD. On this particular day, the Utah highway workers had both exit ramps leading to Highway 39, closed for road repair. There was no way of reaching highway 39 from the freeway. So, I had no choice, I had to continue on the freeway to the next exit which was about 12 miles up the road, where I could pull off and look at my map.

I have to tell you friends, I was "ticked". How dare those Utah highway workers have so little respect for my vacation plans. I was angry for being inconvenienced. And I was angry that I couldn't travel the road that I had chosen to travel.

Well, when I got to the next exit, I pulled off the freeway and went into a small "mom and pop" gas station to fuel up and look at my map. That's when I met Ron, a business man from Connecticut. Ron was on a new Harley, and was heading to the Sturgis rally like I was. In talking with him, I found out that he had flown in from Connecticut the day before, rented a Harley Davidson motorcycle in Salt Lake City, and was planning on meeting up with some college friends in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This was the third time he had made this same trip.

I started telling him about my frustration of not being able to get off at the Highway 39 exit ramp, but he soon stopped my complaining. He said, "Man, you're lucky. Highway 39 is OK, but it's no where near as good as this road that you're on. This is Highway 89. It's going to take you up to Big Lake, near the Idaho border. It is the most gorgeous setting you'll see outside of the national parks. If you would have taken 39 you'd have missed it. But now you'll get to see it." And he was right. The rest of that day, I rode through some of the most beautiful and picturesque countryside I had ever seen. The detour proved to be a very good thing.

B. Transition

Friends, how do you react to detours? And I'm not talking about road detours, I'm talking about the detours in your lives. You know what I'm talking about- …those times in your life when the circumstances of life seem to throw you a curve; …those times in your life when you face really difficult circumstances that you just didn't anticipate; …those times in your life when things don't go well, or are just plain discouraging.

This is a particularly important question for followers of Jesus Christ, because we are told by God that we are going to face difficulties…in fact, we can count on it. Trials are part of our destiny as Christians.

1 Thessalonians 3:3 3 so that no one would be unsettled by these trials, …you know quite well that we were destined for them.

Also, toward the end of the first chapter of Philippians, Paul writes…

Philippians 1:29 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him,

So, when we face these inevitable times of difficulty, discouragement, persecution, suffering, and just plain tough times…how should we act… how should we react?

If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to the first chapter of Philippians. Today we're going to be looking at the apostle Paul's example of how he handled a major detour in his life.

Philippians 1:12-14 12 Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

II. What Had Happened to Paul

A. Not Easy

In these verses, Paul is telling his friends at Philippi that they shouldn't worry about all the things they were hearing about his situation in Rome.

You see, at this time in his life, Paul was a prisoner, under house arrest in Rome, waiting to see Caesar, so he could defend himself against charges that were brought against him back in Jerusalem, for preaching the Gospel.

Now, if you know anything about Paul's life, you know that this was just one more in a whole string of hardships and problems that he had to endure as he preached God's Word and started churches all over the Roman empire. He went through shipwrecks, beatings, muggings, criticism, taunting, persecutions, hunger, thirst, poverty, and defamation of his character.

Plus, his very worst problems came at the hands of those who called themselves followers of Jesus Christ. Some of his biggest critics were church leaders who turned entire congregations against him. Some of these leaders criticized his lifestyle, or mocked his preaching, or misrepresented his message, or questioned his authority. Everywhere this guy went, he seemed to attract trouble. Yet he still said in the book of Acts…

Acts 20:24 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.

Paul was constantly reminding the Christians of the first century that they shouldn't be surprised when the difficult times come into their lives. They shouldn't be taken back when they are persecuted, or criticized, or have detours in their lives. This is part of being a follower of Jesus Christ. Nobody ever said it was going to be easy.

B. Wrong Theology

But there is an attitude, and even a theology going around in the American church today that says that if you are really following God and giving financially to certain radio, TV or church causes, you won't suffer for your faith. In fact, you'll be prosperous and will never have any troubles, trials or detours in your life.

Well, friends, I'm here to tell you this morning that that's a bunch of garbage. No where in the Word of God are we promised an easy time of things. In fact, if we are truly following Christ and are making a difference for Him in our church, our community and the world, we are guaranteed to face detours in our lives.

In fact Paul said about himself, that every day he woke up…,

Acts 20:22b-23 22b …not knowing what will happen to me…. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.

C. Paul's Life

Do you understand what Paul is saying? Here he is, a godly, committed, Christian man, called by God to take the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. He was obedient, self-less, and a true model for anyone in the early church to follow. And every single day, when he got out of bed, the Holy Spirit whispered to him, "Paul, the next stop isn't going to be easy. You're going to face opposition, you're going to have to endure hardship and there are going to be major detours in your life."

Friends, if you ever studied Paul's life, you know it was absolutely amazing. At every turn in his life, he faced troubles and hardships. -The Holy Spirit told him to take a specific ship for a missions trip-and the boat ended up sinking and Paul had to swim for his life. -Then on his way to his next assignment…he was robbed of everything he had. -Finally, Paul reached his next stop-and instead of hearing his message, the people mocked him, beat him and threw him into prison.

But God delivered Paul from that jail cell. And when he was released, he shook the dust from his feet and started out for his next assignment. That's when the Holy Spirit told him, "Get ready, Paul -- because you're going back to jail. And then you're going to be stoned"-not something he had planned-yet another detour.

But, Paul continued on to the next place-and sure enough, he was stoned and left for dead. But God revived him. And, he hobbled on to his next assignment.

His next assignment was at a church he had planted earlier. But, when he arrived, he found that Alexander the coppersmith was now their pastor. Alexander told him, "We don't need you, Paul." And this new pastor turned the whole church against Paul-the very guy who founded this church and who had limped for miles just to see them.

So Paul went to his next assignment-and again the Holy Spirit told him, "Things won't be a piece of cake. I've got more detours for you. It won't go as smoothly as you would like."

D. Me too?

At this point you might be saying, "Wait a minute, Tom…you're talking about Paul's life, not mine, thank goodness. That was God's plans for Paul, but not for me. Right?" WRONG! The Bible says in…

Ps 34:19 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. (NKJV)

That phrase, "many are the afflictions" applies not just to Paul, but to everyone of us who are part of God's family. And count this, friends…, the more we are involved in doing what is right-being obedient to God-doing the things that are most important to God…, the more of those afflictions, or detours, we are going to face.

E. The "What"

But too often, when those tough "detour times" come in our lives, we want to get rid of them as soon as possible, rather than accepting them. We pray, "God, you said you wouldn't give us more than we can handle. Well, God, I don't think I can handle any more. Cut this detour short. Take these problems away." And we look for a quick and simple solution or deliverance from the tough times in our lives, without being willing to learn the "what" of the situation. What is God trying to accomplish in this?

Friends, let me tell you, if God didn't permit troubles to come in our lives, that would represent the worst form of rejection we could possibly imagine. It would mean that God was saying to us, "You're not important to me. I don't want you involved in the things that are most important to me. You're useless. And I don't care about you."

III. Understanding Your Detours

This morning, in the time that's left, I want to give you three things to understand about the detours-those hard times that have come into your life…, or that will come into your life-guaranteed!

A. They are investments made by God

First of all, they are investments made by God, into your life.

Illustration: When I was a student in college, my friend and suite-mate, Steve, received a full-ride ROTC scholarship from the United States government. They paid for his tuition, his room and board, his books, and even gave him a stipend on which to live each month. But in return for their investment, the United States government expected Steve to serve as an officer in the army for the next four years of his life. Afterall, they had invested in him, so they expected him to serve and make the investment pay off for them.

Well, friends, that's the way it is with the detours that God lets into our lives. That's the way it is with the trials and troubles we're guaranteed to experience in this life. Those things are an investment by God, into our lives. He didn't save your soul so you could simply sail through life on a cruise ship. He brought you into His family so your could be of use to Him in doing His Kingdom work and accomplishing His kingdom purposes.

In fact, the moment you accepted His free gift of salvation, God enrolled you in His Harvest University. And not only is training in serving Him part of the curriculum, but so are trials, hard times, sufferings, criticisms, and detours from what you want, to what He wants. -Some Christians are in their freshman year. Their detours aren't hard to understand. Their tests and trials are much easier to handle. -Others are in their sophomore year. Their tests are a little tougher. Their detours are more severe and difficult. -Still others are juniors or seniors. These brothers and sisters have had a lot of hard times and difficult detours behind them, and they still have a lot of difficult tests ahead. They face some of the most difficult times of their lives, and they realize that unless God gives them strength, they are going to fail.

Friends, David Wilkerson (front of worship folders) stated in one of his sermons at his Times Square Church in New York, and this rings so true to me, "God wants veterans of spiritual warfare-people who have been through many afflictions-to prove to the next generation His faithfulness."

I have to honest with you, I don't like detours in my life. I like smooth roads and I like things to go along just as I planned. But when I look back at what God has brought me through. When I look back at things that are still painful to me today, even though they happened years and years ago, when I look back at trials, problems, difficulties, aches, pains, and God taking me in a direction I didn't want to go in, I have to say to you in all honesty, God brought me through each and every one of them. He was always faithful to His Word.

Psalms 71:18 18 Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.

God is looking for seasoned veterans in His Kingdom's army. He's looking for people in whom His investment can and will pay off.

But there's a second thing you must know about the detours in your life.

B. Results have everything to do with your behavior

The results of the difficult times in your life have everything to do with your behavior.

Paul was in jail. The man who had started just about every church in Palestine, Europe and Asia Minor in the first century, was incarcerated, under house arrest, and chained to a Roman guard 24 hours a day.

What would you do if you had dedicated most of your adult life to serving God, and you had already suffered more than just about any other follower of Jesus Christ had ever suffered in their lives? Now, in the twilight of your years, when you should be revered, and when you should be teaching in some seminary, you have all your rights taken away from you. How would you react?

Some of us would pout. Some of us would doubt God's Word. Some of us would question the leading of God's Holy Spirit. Some of us would give Jesus the silent treatment. Some of us would complain, whimper and express doubt to our friends and family. And the detour which was designed to bring us closer to Jesus, would be wasted, and have no positive effect, whatsoever.

But not Paul. He regarded what he was going through for Christ's sake, something to rejoice in. Look again at what he said in…

Philippians 1:13-14 13 As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14 Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.

Paul's response was one of joy, and faith and hope, because this detour in his life was being used… and was going to be used… to affect a lot of lives for God. Paul's attitude and behavior contributed to good results coming from the trial he was going through..

C. Trials mean God delights in you.

But let me show you one more thing about detours and trials in our lives… …trials, difficulties, detours all show something very encouraging to us. They show that God delights in us. David wrote in…

Psalms 18:6; 16-19 6 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. 16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. 19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.

Friends, let me tell you, if you're going through tough times; if you've been given a detour in your life that is not at all what you expected, or even that you want; if you're facing a trial that would be considered big or small…be encouraged, not discouraged! It is proof that God has taken a great delight in your life. You are someone of great importance to Him. He sees your potential! You have to remember that whatever you're going through, will eventually pass.

Illustration: While I was laid up because of my kidney infection in December, I had the opportunity to re-read the journal that I kept for the first year after I left the ministry in 1988. At one point, I wrote, "O God, when will this discouragement end?" Then, about three months later, I read an entry that said, "It's over, I feel whole again. I think God has done his work."

I can honestly say that I have learned more in the difficult times in my life than I ever did in the good times. And God knows this. Prosperity doesn't teach us; afflictions do. Tough times are indications that God delights in us so much that He wants us to grow and learn.

Albert Schweitzer once said, "Happiness is good health and a bad memory." Well, I think he was wrong. I think happiness is remembering all the ways God brought us through the detours of life, and how He used those to make us into men and women who can be useful for His purposes.

IV. Conclusion

A. Don't call yourself Christian

-So, how are you reacting to the detours in your life? -Are you wasting them by doubting God's love and care for you? -Are you wasting them through whining and complaining? -Are you wasting them by wanting to get out from under them before you learned what God wants to teach you? -Or are you are you believing that … he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

The fact that you're going through difficulties is proof of your relationship with Jesus Christ. Now, if you don't believe this. If you can't believe this. Then stop insulting God by saying you're a Christian. A Christian is given the guarantee that he or she will go through trials and detours. We're told to expect it. If you don't want this, then become a Buddhist, or a Hindu, or a Taoist, or anything other than a follower of Jesus Christ. Don't insult God by saying you don't want what He said He was going to give.

But if you really believe that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion"…then cling to your faith. Obey your God. Don't complain, but learn. And encourage each other when we each go through trials, with the love and power of God.

B. Turtles on a fence post

Folks, this is what I've found to be true…The detours of our lives are a lot like turtles on a fence post. A turtle on a fence post is not there as a result of his own doing, but of someone else. His question is, what is he going to do about it?

And that's your question and mine when it comes to life's detours. What are we going to do about it?

The same God who was faithful in Paul's detours will also be faithful in ours. You can stake you life upon it.

Amen.