DO WE IDENTIFY SEASONS…
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
TEXT: Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
SEASON: divisions of time marked by certain patterns caused by change. Daily living comes in seasons. Seasons bring CHANGE. Some seasons seem long. We must recognize CHANGE IS COMING… Seasons bring CHANGE AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES.
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y, WHAT HAVE WE GOT: VICTORY… DELIVERANCE.
THE HUMAN MIND CAN NOT ALWAYS COMPREHEND AND UNDERSTAND GOD’S PLANS AND THE SEASONS OF HIS PLANS. WE NEED TO COME AND WILLINGLY SURRENDER.
Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y: I LOVE DIVINE DELIVERANCE… KING HEROD LOVED TO PLEASE THE PEOPLE… JAMES, ONE DOWN… PETER YOU ARE ON DECK… WHAT A WONDERFUL SEASON OF DELIVERANCE.
Acts 12:2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
THANK GOD FOR PEOPLE THAT KNOW WHEN TO PRAY AND HOW TO PRAY.
Acts 12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
PETER TRUSTED GOD ENOUGH, HE LAYS DOWN AND IS SLEEPING SOUNDLY. GOD ANSWERS PRAYERS. GOD DISPATCHED AN ANGEL TO MAKE A JAIL BREAK!
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y: THE A TEAM: I LOVE IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER. THE DARKNESS OF JAIL YIELDS TO THE LIGHT OF GOD.
Acts 12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
THE PRAYER MEETING GETS INTERRUPTED… WHO KEEPS KNOCKING ON THE DOOR? WHY BE SURPRISED WHEN THE ANSWER TO YOUR PRAYERS KNOCKS ON YOUR DOOR.
Acts 12:16-17 But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.
JOHN, WE ARE BLESSED WHEN WE REFUSE TO BE OFFENDED. ANOTHER V-I-C-T-O-R-Y: SEEMS WE LOVE TO WIN… PAUL AND SILAS ARE DOING GOD’S WORK AND THEY FIND THEMSELVES IN LOCK DOWN IN A PRISION. NOT TO WORRY MY FRIENDS… PAUL AND SILAS WERE NOT SLEEPING, THEY WERE SINGING PRAISES UNTO GOD.
Acts 16:23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.
The Preachers trusted God had a plan. The Preachers sang… MUST HAVE HAD THE ANGELS DANCING AND CAUSED A GREAT EARTHQUAKE… V-I-C-T-O-R-Y. I love it when a plan comes together. Give me a v-i-c-t-o-r-y!
SEASONS OF V-I-C-T-O-R-Y… JOHN THE BAPTIST HAS STEPPED OUT OF THE PULPIT AFTER PREACHING AN ANOINTED SEARCH AND HE CALLED OUT SEXUAL SIN. JOHN BOLDLY PROCLAIMED GOD’S WORD AND TOLD THE KING THAT HE WAS SINNING WITH HERODIAS …
See Herodias was married to Philip. Herodias is offended, bitter and angry. John saw Herodias was using marriage to move up the ladder. SO HEROD MADE THE CHOICE OF SIN…
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y? JOHN CAN’T UNDERSTAND THE BIGGER PICTURE AT THIS SEASON... JOHN HAS A SEASON OF SOME SERIOUS QUESTIONS.
John’s crowd of followers is getting smaller and smaller. Many are leaving John to flocking to Jesus. At best this chain of events is crushing.
Matthew 11:2 Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, 3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? 4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: 5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
TELL JOHN WHAT YOU SEE… BUT REMEMBER TO TELL HIM: BLESSED ARE THOSE THAT REFUSE TO BE OFFENDED.
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y… PETER IS SET FREE BY AN ANGEL. PAUL AND SILAS ARE SET FREE BY AN EARTHQUAKE. JOHN THE BAPTIST WOULD YOU COME FORWARD TO THE WITNESS STAND… DO YOU PROMISE TO SPEAK THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH.
JOHN SAYS: MY PRISON BREAK IS MUCH DIFFERENT: I GOT OUT OF JAIL HEAD FIRST. Matthew 14:10 And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison. 11 And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother. 12 And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.
As a young man I had great difficulty understanding why angels let some out? Earthquakes let some out… WHY JOHN? WHY DID YOU COME OUT HEAD FIRST? John will you testify to this question to help us understand? John said: I was called to be a fore runner of the SON OF GOD. I am not the Messiah! There comes one mightier than I --- I AM NOT WORTHY TO UN-TIE HIS SHOES. John came to realize HE HAD TO DECREASE.
John 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
CONCLUSION: V-I-C-T-O-R-Y COMES IN SEASONS… IN SEASON--- OUT OF SEASON… SEASONS HAVE A BEGINNING. SEASONS HAVE ENDINGS. WISDOM ACCEPTS THE ROLES OF SEASONS BOTH PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY. TODAY COULD BE YOUR DAY!
Genesis 8:22 While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
GOD DECLARES AS LONG AS THE WORLD EXIST THERE WILL BE SEASONS… SEASONS SPEAK OF CHANGE. A NEW START? AND OLD FINISH? SEASONS SPEAK OF MOODS AND EMOTIONS… TEARS, LAUGHTER, WEAKNESS TO POWER,
DO YOU DESPISE WHERE YOU ARE?… REFUSE TO LOSE YOUR ZEAL AND MOTIVATION. RECOGNIZE SPIRITUAL SEASONS.
Daniel 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: 22 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. 23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.
MOSES LEARNED LIFE WAS ABOUT SEASONS… MOSES’ FIRST 40 YEARS HE WAS HOT STUFF. HE LEARNED AT HIS MOMMA’S KNEE AND IN THE PALACE. MOSES SECOND 40 YEARS WAS IN THE DESERT. HE THOUGHT HE WAS NOTHING. MOSES LEARNED IN THE LAST THE BEST SEASON OF LIFE IS WHEN GOD BECOMES EVERYTHING.
GROWTH COMES BY CHANGE, CHANGE COMES BY DISRUPTION… THE GRAPE WILL BE CRUSHED…
Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
There is a story of an old wise man that had students come to him to learn the lessons of life. The wise man saw the potential in each of his students. There was so much to learn and see. So the lessons began. Over a year the wise man had lessons that required a journey. The wise man knew where there was a great apple tree hidden in the forest. So the wise man sent one student to find the apple tree in the bitter cold winter. Later the wise man sent the second student in the spring to make his observations. Several months later the teacher sent the third student and he found the tree and observed it in the summer. The story goes that the fourth student found the great apple tree in the fall of the year.
The teacher knew it was nearing graduation and he had the greatest lesson to teach the four students. The teacher called the first student to report what he saw when he found the apple tree. The student said my observations are clear. The apple tree is dead and twisted. It is ugly and there is no hope for the tree. Then the teacher called the second student to the front and asked about his report. He said: I went in the spring, the apple tree was beautiful. It was turning green and there were pretty blooms all around the great apple tree. The third student came forward to report what he saw. The huge apple tree was full of dark green leaves and small apples were hanging. He was excited. The fourth student spent hours at the foot of the tree in the fall. The student was excited. He told there were thousands of huge, sweet, yellow apples on the tree and laying on the ground.
As each of the 4 students reported, their stories were all different. The winter was apparent death and it was ugly. The second told of new life and hope. There were green buds and blossoms. The third told of the big apple tree so green and small apples all hanging in the tree. The fourth told the teacher, it was absolutely wonderful to see all the fruit and people enjoying the apples.
The wise teacher combined all the 4 lessons and he told his students: LIFE IS ABOUT SEASONS. YOU CAN’T JUDGE THE TREE BY WHAT SEASON YOU SEE NOW. YOU MUST REFUSE TO JUDGE BY WHAT YOU SEE IN ONE SEASON. YOU MUST REFUSE TO EVALUATE LIFE ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS. YOU CAN NOT EVALUATE LIFE BY ONE DAY OR BY ONE SEASON. ONE DAY OR ONE SEASON CAN CARRY THE PAIN AND DISAPPOINTMENT OF THAT SEASON… BUT A BALANCED FOCUSED. THE TEACHER TAUGHT THE VALUABLE LESSON WE MUST KNOW THAT WE CANNOT JUDGE UNTIL THE END… NEVER GIVE UP IN A DIFFICULT SEASON… NEVER QUIT, TRY AGAIN… CHANGE WILL COME…
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
