What If The Detour Is The Point

Plans don’t fall apart politely. They break your timeline, mess with your reputation, and hit you when you’re already tired. We start with a raw confession: preaching can feel strange when people assume the person up front has everything figured out, and turning 40 has a way of dragging every unanswered question into the light.

From there, we follow a thread through Scripture that most people try to skip: God’s best work often comes packaged as disruption. Abraham waits decades for a promise and still faces an impossible test. Joseph does the right thing and lands in prison anyway. Stephen serves and gets stoned. Saul becomes Paul and pays for it with his life. Following Jesus doesn’t erase hardship, it often clarifies it.

Then we sit in Matthew 1 and 2 with Mary and Joseph, a young couple whose world gets “derailed” by a miracle they didn’t ask for. Joseph tries to protect Mary, an angel reframes the whole story, and suddenly the Messiah arrives alongside fear, gossip, and a king who wants a baby dead. If you’ve been saying, “God, this wasn’t the plan,” you’re not alone, and you’re not abandoned.

Listen, share this with someone who needs steadiness, and if it helps, subscribe and leave a review so more people can find it. What part of your life feels most off-plan right now?

Transcript

Honest Thoughts On Preaching

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Amen. You know, my my least favorite part about preaching is oftentimes standing up here, believe it or not. It's I don't know, it it it's part of it. I know that, but like I'm I'm really big on like I'd rather sit down and have a conversation about things. Um, especially when it comes to my relationship and people's personal relationship, because it's really easy to assume that that the person standing in the pulpit is just somehow has it all figured out. You know, we we elevate preachers to a weird status, like celebrity status sometimes, and and it drives me nuts. But then there's part of me that struggles with that because I I want to be known. Not that I need to be known, but but I look and I pray that God gives me opportunities to to teach and do things and to change people's lives. Like I want to know that my life at the end of my life has has a significant impact. You know, it's funny when I know it's my birthday and I'm excited about that, but there's something about that turning 40 that that forces you to kind of evaluate what you've done. And then I've had a good 40 years, man. Like I'm coming up on like this year's huge. Uh Danny and I will be celebrating 15 years married, 17 years together, right? Right? I love it. If you look at at the history of my family, most marriages didn't make it that long. They didn't. My grandparents were the only ones. My grandparents made it 55 years, and that was after their second marriage. No fault to them. But like when you look at our life, when I look at my kids, and and every goes into middle school next year, which I can't even fathom this. The other day he was talking about when he's gonna get a car, and I'm like, when are you gonna get a job? Like, I don't know, like, but but I love it because like my life is is

Turning 40 And Taking Stock

SPEAKER_01 2:10

it's been crazy, and and we lived in Columbus for a couple years, and by the grace of God, we we helped plant a church, and we worked at a church, and I worked in a warehouse, and and it was crazy, and and like just it's been 40 years of of watching God consistently work in my life, and yet for some reason, as much as God has done, I am not immune to the impact of life has on you. You know, the the last couple weeks we've been looking at at several different people in scripture, and Abraham was a man who was seeking after God, and and God built an entire nation on him, gave him a son at a hundred years old, and then turned around and said, Hey, listen, sacrifice your son. And and Abraham was like, Okay. But he he trusted God. You know, that kind of faith doesn't come overnight. That that kind of faith comes from decades of walking and listening to the Lord. What what an incredible journey he had. So at 40, when I when I struggle with my faith, I realize that according to the Bible, I still have 60 years to figure it out. Because I'm still an infant in the way that my mind works. And and yet then we come to Joseph, a man who was full of integrity, a young brother who did the right thing, said, didn't always say the right thing, got himself in trouble with telling his brothers his dream, but but he did the right thing and he still found himself in prison. He still found himself forgotten and accused of uh of trying to rape a woman that wasn't his wife. Like he tried, he went through life and life through everything it could at him. And yet at the end of it, he still rose to the right hand of Pharaoh and he saved his family. Not only his family, but he saved an entire nation of people. And then he saved them and they went into slavery. And you're like, what is happening here? And then last week

Faith Lessons From Abraham And Joseph

SPEAKER_01 4:35

we talked about Stephen and Philip and Paul. Stephen was a table waiter. In the New Testament, he he was a man who was serving widows, and and yet he found himself standing in front of Pharisees, correcting them, reminding them that they were the ones who killed Jesus and and they stoned him. And at his stoning was a man named Saul who was overseeing the killing of these new believers. And then we talk about Philip, who found himself sharing the gospel with a eunuch who would go on, and we don't know what happened. We we don't know the impact that that had. And then we get the Saul who becomes Paul, or he's now known as Paul, and and this man who was literally at the death of Stephen, this man who was condoning it, or you know, allowing it to happen, encouraging it, was the same man that blinded the resurrected Christ. And his life, his entire life shifted. He he went from being in opposition to God to being the biggest champion for it, so much so that he died because of it. One of the things that I think we we forget oftentimes is that following Jesus is never easy. We are I I I hear people stand in pulpits like this all the time. Just give God everything, it's all gonna be good. You're never gonna be sick, you're never gonna struggle, you're you're never gonna struggle to find everything will be given to you. And then we look at scripture, and it's quite literally the opposite of that. Those who live for Jesus are accepting and choosing to walk into a life that is gonna become significantly harder. And I'm no exception to that. This last week has been weird in our house. A lot of things have happened, and I know it's not just me. There's a lot of people that are affected about things that have happened. I was in Columbus yesterday and I did the funeral for a lady that I used to work with when I worked up at in the candle company. She passed away in in November, and her husband held off her service till yesterday. It was weird.

Tragedy Comes And God Stays God

SPEAKER_01 7:36

We used to sit around in my office and and talk about faith all the time.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

She had a lot of questions. She's a great friend, though.

SPEAKER_01 7:52

And we we found out some things earlier in the week that they kind of shifted our you know our entire life a little bit. And the reality is life life doesn't care who you are. The unexpected still happens. We we can plan and plan and plan and do our very best. And at the end of the day, you still might get sick.

SPEAKER_00 8:27

Someone still passes away. At the end of the day, you might lose your job. Your income shifts dramatically.

SPEAKER_01 8:42

That relationship you've had for years starts to fall apart. Your kids start to grow more and more rebellious. No, no matter how hard you try, life is it's just is it just feels like an onslaught. And and that's what we've seen so far, is that the the men that we've talked about, and if you read through the scriptures, there's only two things in life that I have found to be certain. And that's tragedy will come. And that God is still God. Those are things that never change. And so this morning, we're gonna find ourselves in the book of Matthew. And no, it's not Christmas. But we're gonna talk about one of the one of the biggest moments in the history of the world. And the man and the woman, the the mother and father who faced unforeseen circumstances. Life would throw a curveball at them. They would change the world. Matthew 1, starting in verse 18, says this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came

Mary And Joseph’s Unplanned Story

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together, she is found to be a child through the Holy Spirit. Now, because Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man, and he did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had every mind to divorce her quietly. Joseph was a man of character. He was trying to protect her. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife. Because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. That's where this the beginning of the New Testament, that's that's where it starts. This this young couple, they're not even married yet. They haven't even figured out life yet. They have a plan in place, and God shows up, tells Mary, you're going to give birth to a son. This is going to be Emmanuel. This is going to be me with you. And so Joseph, he's honorable, finds out that she's pregnant, and thinks to himself, oh, this isn't good. We're not even married yet. She's she's supposed to be a virgin. Like, like, how do I explain to people that my wife, future wife, is currently pregnant? I mean, talk about a curveball. Their whole life gets derailed completely. Not only is he worried about how the people will see her, and he doesn't want to disgrace her, but he himself is a man of a good reputation. He doesn't want to be disgraced. So he decides to quietly handle the situation. And an angel comes to him and says, Joseph, don't do that. I can imagine the conversation Joseph has with the angel, assuming he's talking to him. And he says, But but this wasn't the plan. And the angel said, Not your plan. That's not what you thought was going to happen, but I need you to understand that this is what God has decided, that your wife will give birth to a son. And this child will save his people from their sins. Joseph, I'm sorry that your life has been derailed. I'm sorry that your five-year plan didn't work out. But Joseph, I'm not sorry. Because what you don't understand, and you will, is that this child will save humanity. But that's not the plan. That's not what anyone was thinking was going to happen. You go all the way back to the beginning of Matthew 1, to the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. All the way back to Abraham. When Isaac was born, and as he was being brought to the altar to be crucified, or not crucified, to be sacrificed. At the moment that this is happening, God understands that from the line of Abraham is going to come the child of Jesus. Because the plans of God are perfect. And to you and I, it doesn't make sense. How do we get from Abraham and then Jacob? And then Joseph, he was thrown in prison, and then the story of Daniel and David. And you read the Old Testament again and again, all these men and women used by God for incredible things when they go through some of the most difficult things in their life. Because the plan was to get to the Christ child, the savior of the world. In order for Jesus to come about, everything that happened before had to happen. So Joseph and Mary, I am sorry that your life didn't turn out the way that it was supposed to. But God is going to use you to do something incredible. Your son is going to come into the world. Verse 22 says, All of this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son. And they would call him Emmanuel, which means God with us. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home with his wife, but he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And she gave him, and he gave him the name Jesus. And this birth would lead them down a path of, again, life is about to become hard for them. Chapter 2, the the birth of Jesus sparks the interest of those around him. When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed. This grown man was worried about

Herod’s Fear And The Flight

SPEAKER_01 16:40

a baby. And all in Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. In Bethlehem of Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written. But you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel. Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find them, report to me so that I may too go and worship him, which is a lie. After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them, until it was stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. And coming in the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and they worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and incense of myrrh, the gifts of a king. And having been uh warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. Because Herod's intention wasn't to worship this child, Herod wanted to kill him. Herod was so worried about his role and being king, he refused to let Jesus, this child, remove him from his throne.

SPEAKER_00 18:21

So Joseph and Mary are now on the run.

SPEAKER_01 18:28

Their son, their savior of the world. But God, that wasn't our plan. We just had a kid. What do you mean we have to leave? I don't know if you've ever traveled with kids. That's tough. And and they and they end up on this journey and they leave and they run, fearing for their lives. And again, we we see this all throughout the Bible. Again and again, the story never plays out like we expect it to. God, why why would you give them a child and then make them run from a king? God, why why would you ask Abraham to to sacrifice his son born him in a hundred years? God, why would you ask Joseph to why would you give him such a dream? Just for him to be thrown into prison and forgotten.

SPEAKER_00 19:43

Why would you do to Job? What happened? God, why why do you let? Why do you let life continue to get in the way? God, that wasn't my plan.

SPEAKER_01 20:13

Don't you understand that this is not what I wanted? God, I wanted to have a really good job, make a lot of money. Wanted to be good looking and buff all the time. Naturally, without even working at it. God, I want to eat all the cake for my birthday that I could ever eat and not one time throw up. God, don't you understand it?

God, This Wasn’t My Plan

SPEAKER_01 20:45

I like the life I have, but but do you understand this is not what I wanted.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

You know, I've had that conversation this week. And every time I can feel it, man. I I just know it. He says, I know.

SPEAKER_01 21:31

But it's what you needed. You you don't see like I do, Jason. You you don't know the plans that I have for you. I do though. I I made them. I I created you not only in the image of me, but but I created you to worship me. I gave you life. I gave you breath. I know the numbers of hairs on your head. I know everything about you. I I know I know. I know you don't want this.

SPEAKER_00 22:07

But I know that you need it right now.

SPEAKER_01 22:12

I'm not trying to ruin you. I'm not trying to break you. I'm not trying to destroy you. I'm trying to help you see that at the end of the at the end of your day, the only thing you can rely on is me. All the money in the world. All the fame, all the popularity, all the likes, all the influence.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

I think about Mary and Joseph.

SPEAKER_01 22:55

Imagine if they were only short-sighted in their belief. And Mary finds out that she's pregnant with the savior of the world and she says, no thanks. I don't want it. Imagine if that's where the story ended.

SPEAKER_00 23:16

No thanks. I don't want it.

SPEAKER_01 23:25

But if there's one thing that I've learned in my very short life, is that God's plans are always going to be better than mine. Because he always sees what's coming. He knows what I'm going through. This is what I love about it. He's not some far-off, detached God that's letting me suffer through life. In the middle of my doubts, he sits with me and says, I know this is hard for you. But I promise you, I'm not leaving. I'm not going to abandon

Trust Built By What We’ve Seen

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you. I'm not going to let you figure this out on your own. I need you to trust me with this.

SPEAKER_00 24:24

Every one of these accounts this last week has been a huge amount of faith.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

When Joseph was in prison, God, I trust you with this. When Abraham was laying Isaac on the altar, God, I trust you with this. When Stephen was standing in front of the Pharisees speaking truth, God, I trust you with this. I asked that question a couple weeks ago when we were talking about Abraham. What kind of faith does someone have to have to stand in some of the most difficult times of their life and tell God, I trust you with this? And listen, the only reason that any of us can do that today, the only reason that I can stand here in a place like this and tell you that it's going to be okay is because I've seen God do it again and again and again and again and again. You know, my favorite conversation is about the book of Revelation. We all get caught up on imagery and all of the crazy when's it gonna happen and who's the antichrist. Listen, I care, but I don't care because at the end of this, we all win anyways. When Christ comes back, every knee will bow. Every person who stands there, who anyone who thinks that they rise above will find out that God is king. I'm not saying it's not hard to go through difficult things. That's why the church is so important. There's so many people that I've called this week just to, I just want to talk about some of the stuff that's going on because that's what this is supposed to be, right? You carry my weight, I carry yours. Maybe I've never said that, but I promise if you call me because you're going through a hard time, I will talk with you as long as it takes. Because I have people in my life who willn't do that with me. But at the end of the day, the only reason that I can tell you it's gonna be okay is because I know who God is and he will not fail. No matter what life brings to my table, it'll never take away the God who died for me. Mary and Joseph were not expecting to have a child.

Why We Need The Church

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That wasn't the plan.

SPEAKER_00 27:22

But it was.

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And yet, in the midst of it all, God still prevailed. Even to the point of Jesus dying, right? What a crazy idea that even him going to the cross was still part of the plan. So I don't know what you're going through. I don't. Some of you might be walking tall right now. Everything's great, man. Life is firing and it's perfect, and nothing can go wrong. Praise God for those moments. Because victory does come in that. I'm telling you, there are times when I've never played the lottery in my life. But there are times when things are so good for me, I was like, I feel like I should play the lottery right now because who knows, right? Like I've had moments of greatness, but but I've also walked through some of the darkest valleys. So my encouragement to you this week is if you are walking on the mountaintop, praise God. But don't forget that some of us are walking through the valley. And if you're on the mountaintop or if you're walking through the valley, the God that I serve is still the same God. He does not fail.

SPEAKER_00 29:07

God, this wasn't the plan.

SPEAKER_01 29:15

This is not what I wanted. And from back to front.

SPEAKER_00 29:25

This book reminds me that's okay. Because it was mine. And I know what I'm doing even when you don't.