Four Seasons of Life – Part 1
Scripture: Genesis 8:20-22; Matthew 24:12; Ecclesiastes 4:9-11
On Monday September 28th I was drinking my coffee on my deck and just thinking about life and the changes of the seasons. It was a quiet, fall morning and there was a slight chill in the air. As I sat there thinking about life and the message that would come out of my time of reflection, the Spirit spoke to me about the seasons of life. As He spoke I looked around and noticed how the trees were starting to lose their leaves. I noticed the position of the sun as it came through the screens on the deck. I noticed the chill in the air and how the humidity was much lower than it had been just two days before. As I looked at all of these different elements of the seasonal changes, the spirit said to me – “You go through seasons just as the earth does.” Now this was not a new revelation to me as I know we go from one season to another, but the Spirit was not done. He then told me to look up the four seasons and the reason the change throughout the year. Once I had done that He said the following: “The further you are away from Christ the colder you are and the colder you become. Remember, love is warm.” The title of this series is “Four Seasons of Life.”
I’ve heard people say for years that as we get farther and farther into the last days that you will not be able to tell one season from another. I am not sure where this teaching came from but the Bible makes it clear that this is not the case. In the eighth chapter of Genesis when God brought Noah and his family out of the ark, the following is recorded in verses twenty through twenty-two. It says, “And Noah built an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled a sweet odor; and the LORD said in His heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:20-22) God declared that He would never destroy everything on the earth again with water and that as long as the earth existed, so would seasons. So even though we are living in a time when it seems like the seasons are running together, believe me when I tell you that where we live there will always be four seasons. Now notice I said “where we live.” So let’s begin with what the Spirit showed me as I briefly examine “our” four seasons. In this series of messages I will utilize our understanding of the earth’s natural seasons to illustrate our spiritual seasons.
Let’s start with the definition of a season. A season is a period of the year that is distinguished by special climate conditions. The four seasons, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, follow one another like clock work. Each has its own light, temperature, and weather pattern that repeat annually. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter generally begins on December 21 or 22 and represents the time of the year with the shortest periods of daylight. Summer begins on June 20 or 21, which represents the days with the most daylight. Spring and Fall, or autumn, begin on equinoxes, which have days that have equal amounts of daylight and darkness. The seasons in the Northern Hemisphere are the opposite of those in the Southern Hemisphere.
Now listen to the reason that we actually have seasons. Seasons occur because the Earth is tilted on its axis relative to the orbital plane, the invisible, flat disc where most objects in the solar system orbit the sun. Earth’s axis is an invisible line that runs through its center, from pole to pole. Earth rotates around its axis. In June, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward the sun, the sun’s rays hit it for a greater part of the day than in winter. This means it gets more hours of daylight. In December, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, there are fewer hours of daylight. The tilting of the Northern Hemisphere towards the sun determines how much daylight there will be in a given season. If you are a gardener you know that seasons have an enormous influence on vegetation and plant growth. Winter typically is cold, with little daylight, and limited plant growth. In spring, plants sprout, tree leaves unfurl, and flowers blossom. Plants grow quickly in the summer because it is the warmest time of the year and has the most daylight. In autumn, temperatures drop and many trees lose their leaves. All of these changes take place on an annual cycle or rotation as the earth tilts towards or away from the sun.
Now I want stress a point here. Remember at the beginning I said “where we live” we will continue to have four seasons? I said that because the four-season year is typical only in the mid-latitudes. The mid-latitudes are places that are neither near the poles nor near the Equator. The farther north you go, the bigger the differences in the seasons. For example, Helsinki, Finland, sees 18.5 hours of daylight in the middle of June. In mid-December, however, it is light for less than 6 hours. On the other hand, places near the Equator experience little seasonal variation. They have about the same amount of daylight and darkness and warmth year-round. Near the Equator, regions typically have alternating rainy and dry seasons. Finally, the polar-regions experience “seasonal variation,” although they are generally colder than other places on Earth. Near the poles, the amount of daylight changes dramatically between summer and winter. In Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost city in the U.S., it stays light all day long between mid-May and early August. The city is in total darkness between mid-November and January.
I shared this information with you as a foundation for where I will be going in this series. There are two points I want to make with you today to assist you in following me in this series. The first point I want you to think about is that as the Northern Hemisphere tilts towards or away from the sun, we have more or less daylight. The second point is that the farther away we live from the equator the more seasonal differences we will experience. Now, for the purpose of this series, I want you to think about the “sun” and “equator” as spiritually representing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This will help you visualize the variation of our “spiritual seasons” and how the extremity of them is based solely on how we shift or tilt towards Jesus or away from Him. Here’s where I’m going with this New Light: the farther away we are from Christ, the more extreme our seasons will be. This morning I want to start with Winter – representing the season in which we have shifted farthest away from Christ.
As I just mentioned, in the natural Winter represents the farthest tilting of the Northern Hemisphere away from the sun. And, the farther away you are from the equator, the colder your winters will be. So let’s look at a few of the things that happen in the winter that makes it very distinctive from the other seasons. For those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere (north of the equator) our winters consist of cold temperatures, depending on where you live. In some areas, the winters consist of freezing cold temperatures. Plant life dies or it grows slowly during the winter depending on whether or not it is an annual or perennial. During the winter, the days are shorter and the nights are longer. This seasonal change, for some people, can cause depression which is defined as a seasonal affective disorder or SAD. A person experiencing SAD typically has an adverse reaction to winter’s reduced sunlight and disrupts their body’s internal clock which can lead to feelings of depression. These are just a few of the things that happen in the natural as it relates to the winter season. But what about our spiritual winters?
In order to understand spiritual winters, we must first know and understand that God’s love produces warmth – just as the Holy Spirit shared with me. Do you recall what Jesus said about what would happen with Christians in the last days? When Jesus described to His disciples what would happen He told them “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold.” (Matthew 24:12) The only way that love can grow cold is that it must have at one time been warm. Now remember, Jesus is teaching about life in the kingdom of God. So, He’s talking prophetically to us, His Church. That’s why I said God’s love produces warmth. And it’s that love that we receive when we are born again into His family. The word “abound” in this verse means ‘to increase at an excessive speed.” Jesus said because of the growth of wickedness is going to spread at an unprecedented rate in the Church, the love and compassion that Christians had for one another and the lost is going to grow cold. When our love begins to grow cold, we will begin to shift away from our Lord and Savior. What will that shifting or tilting look like? We will find ourselves increasingly questioning, and in some cases, disagreeing with what the Bible says about the issues of the day like abortion, same sex unions, sex outside of marriage, rebelling against authority, and talking ugly about our leaders, etc. We will find ourselves relying on our own version of truth versus what the Bible says – I will share more insight into this next week.
The novelist and playwright Oscar Wilde said, “The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and a richness to life that nothing else can bring. Who, being loved, is poor?” This is a very true statement and scientific studies have proven this to be the case. If you’ve ever felt a warm glow inside when in love or a hot head when angry, then you have experience the body’s physical response to the experience. For years scientists have suspected that emotions are connected to a range of physiological changes and a study has shown that emotional states are associated with specific sensations regardless of a person’s culture. The research visually shows that heartbroken people really do feel an ache in their chest, weak with sadness or feel happiness spreading over their entire body. Being in love produces a warm feeling inside of us doesn’t it? On the other hand, sadness leaves our limbs feeling weak and we are extra-aware of activity in our chest – and heart. My point with this is that when we are experiencing a spiritual winter, it is because we are farther away from Christ – that feeling that we are on an island by ourselves. Sometimes it’s because of situations we are experiencing and other times it’s because of the sins we allow in our lives. Turn to Ecclesiastes chapter four.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-11: “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falls; for he has not another to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?” Solomon gave several reasons why two are better than one. They have more reward for their labor; one can lift the other up if he falls; and both can keep each other warm. When you think about this in the natural, people are most unhappy when they are alone with no support system – family, friends, etc. And this is especially true during the winter months for the person who lives alone. Now I know there are people who prefer to be alone, and that’s okay, but God did not originally design for us to live out our lives this way. Solomon said two are better than one and the first reason he gave was because, together, they would have more reward for their labor. In other words, he’s telling us that there are benefits a person gains when working with another that he doesn’t get by himself. When I read this, I think about hitting a good shot when I am on the golf course. If I am playing with others, they congratulate me and tell me that what a great shot it was. However, if I am playing by myself, I am the only one who knows. I hit a great shot and even when I tell others about it, their response is not the same as it would have been had they witnessed it. When Nikki and I had our deck rebuilt at our old house, we needed to contract with someone who specialized in building decks because we didn’t. They were able to help Nikki and I visualize what was possible because all we had were ideas. The three of us working together in unison was able to create a screened in porch that we both loved. That is a good example of what Solomon said about the reward of our labor. Then he gave the example that if one person falls but he or she is not alone, then the other person can pick them up – how many times have we witnessed that? The next example Solomon gives are two individuals keeping each other warm and being able to join together to fight off a foe. What he was doing was speaking a natural truth that has a spiritual application.
I want you to think of what it feels like when you are alone naturally and then apply it to being alone spiritually. I have said many times that Satan wants us to feel alone and separated from God and from one another because then he can attack us in our weaken state. Spiritual winters are very similar to the natural winters. There is a feeling that no one cares including God. We feel useless and of very little worth. Our gifts are not being used; we experience disappointment; we leave the Church and thus withdraw from fellowship with other. We experience the feelings of being alone in our experience – thinking no one else understands. The warmth of love from companionship is not as strong because you are experiencing your battles alone. And one of the reasons people battle things alone is because of pride. They don’t want to be seen as vulnerable. And this is especially true for men. There is a coldness as you push people away because you feel God has turned His back on you. Our spiritual winters can cause depression just as surely as natural winters can. In the natural our bodies need the sun to keep our emotions level and in the spiritual we need the SON to keep us level. Turn to First Thessalonians chapter three. I will read this from the Amplified version of the Bible.
First Thessalonians 3:6: “But now that Timothy has come back to us from (his visit with) you, and has brought us good news of your (steadfast) faith and (the warmth of your) love, and (reported) that you always think kindly of us and treasure your memories of us, longing to see us just as we long to see you.” Paul wrote to the church of the Thessalonians that they had been encouraged by the “warmth” of their love. Why? Because it was reported back to him that the people were thinking of them and had fond memories of them. But the first thing Paul notes is the believers’ faith and love. This is how we escape spiritual winters New Light. Paul said they had been encouraged and comforted. Now I want you to think about something. If you are alone in your winter, who do you have to comfort you? Who do you have to lift you up? Who do you have to stand with you against a foe? Are you seeing where I am going with this? Paul and those with him were encouraged because of the seed they had sown among the Thessalonians was producing fruit and they had not been forgotten. And again, I don’t want you to miss why this was happening. It was because of the people’s faith in God and the love that flowed out of them as a result of that faith. New Light, true faith cannot manifest without true love.
The four season of life. The season of winter is characterized by the feeling of cold – a drop in spiritual temperature. We lose the drive to reach out to others. The love of God within us starts to cool off. We are not as engaged in worship with others as we used to be. We are not praying like we used to. Church is the place to attend versus the place to have an authentic encounter with Christ. All of these things are symptomatic of our experiencing a spiritual winter. I want you to reflect on what Solomon said in Ecclesiastes chapter four. He said two is better than one. Why? Because we experience a greater reward from our labors when we are working with others. When I am weak another is strong. My gift might not reach some people but your gifting will be exactly what they need. Two is better than one. Why? Because when we face a foe, we have help to defeat them. When Satan rises against us and we are feeling beat down, we have others who are praying, who are standing with us, who are ready to go into spiritual battle with us. Do you think it was an accident that Jesus sent the apostles and the seventy out in pairs? No. He knew the job He was sending them to do and He knew that it would require them to have someone they could lean on and to partner with. It’s no different for us New Light. Two is better than one. Why? Because if one falls down, the other is there to lift them up. How many times and we fallen down and someone was there to lift us up? When we are experiencing spiritual winters we are like the TV commercial where the elderly person falls down and then calls 911 saying, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” Sometimes we need help getting up. Two is better than one. Why? Because two can be close together and generate more heat between them than either can alone. Solomon was talking about physically, but I believe the same will happen spiritually. Your spiritual fire could be getting dimmer, but you begin praising God and worshipping with someone who is burning hot and all of a sudden your fire is rekindled. That is why believers should continue to worship together – we pull from one another.
If you are experiencing a spiritual winter, please know that there is help. You do not have to go through this alone. Remember, two is better than one. We are never alone if we belong to Christ as He is always with us. We must never allow circumstances to separate us; first from the loving arms of our Heavenly Father, and second from each other. New Light, when we are with each other, we not only have a physical impact, but most important, we have a spiritual one. So never underestimate the role you, individually, play in the physical and spiritual health of our church family. We must allow the Spirit to bring us back to Spring which will eventually get us back to Summer.
As I close this morning I want to share something with you. Our spiritual Winter season is when we are farthest away from the Son just as it is in the natural when the earth tilts farthest away from the sun. Fall signifies the start of the shifting away both spiritually and in the natural. I want to share something with you today in preparation for the message next Sunday on the Fall season. I read an article from Cultural Research Center that talked about how American Christians are redefining the faith – it talked about how Christianity is undergoing a “post-Christian Reformation.” The summary of the article which I will go into a little more detail on next Sunday stated that Christian groups are rapidly replacing traditional theological beliefs with the culture’s secular values. My friends, this represents our entering the Fall on our way to Winter. This represents our shifting away from Christ. I want to leave you with what was recorded in James 4:7-8. It says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Next week I will share with the importance of this Scripture as it relates to what is currently happening in America with Christians redefining Christianity in a more secular way.
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
(If you are ever in the Kansas City, KS area, please come and worship with us at New Light Christian Fellowship, 15 N. 14th Street, Kansas City, KS 66102. Our service Sunday worship starts at 9 a.m. and Thursday night Bible study at 7 p.m. Also, for use of our social media, you can find us at newlightchristianfellowship on FB. To get our live stream services, please make sure you “like” and turn on notifications for our page so you can be notified when we are live streaming. We also have a church website and New Light Christian Fellowship YouTube channel for more of our content. We are developing more social media streams so please stand by and we will notify you once those channels are up and running. We look forward to you worshipping with us. May God bless and keep you.)
