Sermon for 5/22/2005
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
Introduction:
The difference between Jason and me, we are in different seasons of life.
WBTU:
A. Our Scriptures today talk about times and seasons in every life.
B. There are times and seasons that all of us will pass through. There are times and seasons that are unique to certain individuals.
C. Most of us are not satisfied with the season where we are in life. I think of the past with nostalgia. I think that the future will be better than this season.
D. Let’s look at Solomon’s descriptions of various seasons in life:
1. A time to be born- None of us asked to be born; it was something done to us, apart from us. The dates and circumstances are all different, but all of us have gone through birth and to live life as a baby. One season.
2. A time to die- None of us ask to die; it is something done to us by God. The dates and circumstances are all different, but we reach a season when we go through the valley of the shadow of death ourselves and with our loved ones.
3. A time to plant- This is a season where we are preparing for something in the future. A farmer plants the seed in preparation for the harvest. Seasons of preparation, of learning, of developing, of growing.
4. A time to uproot- This is a season where we reap what we have sown. A farmer spends all of his time preparing for the harvest and now it is here and he reaps what he has sown.
5. a time to heal- When we talk about healing, we also have to talk about times of sickness. There are seasons where we have physical limitations. Some have handicaps and some have lingering diseases. However, there are seasons where we have few physical limitations. There are times when we are healed of that physical problem and what a relief that is.
6. A time to break down (tear down), a time to build up- Youth is the time for building up. Muscles grow, abilities increase, coordination gets better. Then, if you hang on long enough there is a time when everything starts to fall apart -- "a time to break down."
7. A time to weep- Jesus was "a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief," (Isaiah 53:3b). In a fallen world there will be times of hurt, of sorrow and weeping. Some times it lasts for years and some times for just a few days.
8. A time to laugh- there will be times too when it is right to laugh, to be happy and carefree.
9. A time to mourn- At funerals and for the spouses, family and friends of the departed. Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus.
10. A time to dance- a time to celebrate and to enjoy a festive occasion. Jesus attended the celebration of the wedding at Cana of Galilee. He entered into it and even provided part of the feast.
11. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing- This particularly has to do with our social structures, our relationships with others. There is a time when we need to embrace others, to show our support for them. But there is a time when we ought to refuse to embrace them. This could refer to bad friendships. This can also refer to our children. When they become adults we need to let them go and let them live their lives. However, even after they leave the nest there might come a time when they need support and encouragement beyond the ordinary.
12. A time to search, (a time to gain)- Work, marriage, children, new friends.
13. A time to give up, (a time to lose)- Retire or quit work, say goodbye to a spouse because of death or infidelity, let our children go, move to another house or location, say goodbye to new and old friends.
14. A time to be silent and a time to speak- There are times when we know something, a piece of gossip, and we should not say it; we ought not to speak. There are times when we ought to speak, when something we are keeping secret would deliver someone or bring truth into a situation; a time to speak up. As a preacher, I speak every Sunday and if I live long enough there will come a time when I will be silent on Sunday morning.
15. A time to love- There is "a time to love," when it is right that we should extend our love to somebody who is hurting, someone who is feeling dejected or rejected, lonely or weak.
16. A time to hate- We as Christians are to hate sin. A time to crusade against the evils of society.
17. A time for war and a time for peace- When dictators have no concern for the rights of men there is a time when a nation properly makes war. But there is a time when war is absolutely the wrong thing. This affects many people and puts them in dangerous seasons.
E. The Four Spiritual Laws, the first of which is, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life." Solomon has identified many things that we will go through in life; it is part of God’s plan for our life. The problem, of course, is that it is not our plan for our life.
F. Vs. 14 tells us that what God does will endure forever. We need to revere him with our lives.
Thesis: In this regard, we need to identify obstacles and opportunities in our individual season of life so that we will honor, revere God.
For instances:
1. Obstacles
A. As we look at these seasons of life, we go from one to the next through a change. Sometimes the change is pleasant and it is a smooth transition. Other times the change is traumatic and it is a rocky road.
1) The problem with change is not change itself. We were designed for change. Physically, socially, mentally, emotionally we grow and develop.
Rather, the Problem With Change Is How We React.
2) They look to the future, but it seems so overwhelming they retreat to the safety and familiarity of the past. The past is gone never to be repeated and so people do not honor God with what they have today.
3) Change is all around us. And, as the people of God we are certainly not exempt from its force. "Perhaps one of the most significant questions the people of God face in the midst of rapidly changing times is, "How are we to face the challenge of a changing world?"
4) Some get angry. Some worry. Some are afraid. All of these things paralyze them.
5) Many just go on without acknowledging that something has changed and…
B. They get stuck in a rut.
1) They do the same things as before but they get different results. Many times those results do not bring happiness to them or others. Many times the same things as before produce nothing but emptiness and no positive results.
2) God is doing something different in their lives and they do not recognize it and so they go on as before.
3) They do not change and the opposite of vs. 12 happens. They are not happy and they are doing no good.
4) "That’s not how we do it!" "We’ve never done it that way before!" "If it’s always worked, why change it?"
C. They go from getting stuck in a rut to fighting the new season of life.
1) The more things change the harder they dig in.
2) If we try to fight the seasons of life rather than accept them, we will miss the blessings God has for us and we will fail to mature. We need to embrace life and the wonder of being human.
D. They go from fighting to getting mad at God. God is the one who has done this to me.
1) There are some things in life we’ll never know because we are not God. I don’t know why God would withhold dreams and ambitions from someone, but He does. There are times when we will have to fly in the dark on some things. What I do know is that every moment comes to us with a divine meaning and many things we will not be able to figure out this side of eternity. These moments are fully understood by a God who transcends time. Furthermore, we were made for eternity, so we will not understand everything in our temporal world. Living with unfulfilled expectations is a part of life.
2) God makes all things beautiful in His time.
2. Opportunities
A. Each new season contains obstacles but it also contains new opportunities. How can we know the opportunities?
1. Pray to God.
a) Leave it there, leave it there, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there. If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out. Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
b) God will help you to deal with the changes in life and he will show you how these can be used for his glory and in his service.
c) Went from a bachelor life to a wife and then 4 children in 6 years.
c) We might have to wrestle with him like Jacob did. We might have to wrestle with him like Jesus Christ did in the Garden of Gethsemane but he will help us and show us. He will give direction and purpose.
2. Find beauty, purpose, meaning in every season of life.
a) Sometimes the beauty is pleasure and enjoyment. Easy
b) Sometimes the beauty is development and growth
c) Sometimes the beauty is giving to others. These two are more difficult.
d) Sometimes it is a test of faith. The most difficult but needful!
e) This is the day that the Lord has made!
3. Work with the grain, not against it!
Remember your possibilities; forget your limitations.
Remember your potentialities; forget your seeming restrictions.
Remember your abilities; forget your disabilities.
Remember your assets; forget your liabilities.
Remember your strengths; forget your weaknesses.
Remember your joys; forget your sorrows. William Arthur Ward (1812-1882)
4. We need to submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Even though we may not understand the season we are going through, even though we want God to change our situation and he doesn’t, we need to submit to God. We cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. We do not know all of the reasons why and it is not for us to know all the why’s because we are not God. We do know that God is good and that he will make everything beautiful in His time.
4. We need to change to bring glory to God.
a) The Christian faith is all about change, repentance. Like a clay pot on a potter’s wheel. Growing in our faith, changing our thoughts and actions, and become more like Christ.
b) God does not change but we change all of the time. Every 7 years the cells in our body die and our bodies make new ones, we are changed every 7 years. IF we do not change, then we die. Spiritually if we do not change then we die.
Conclusion:
A. Talking about different seasons in life and how we change. If we do not want to change, then we will not like heaven. Everything will be changed there.
C. This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue, the angels beckon me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.
D. Vs. 11- Enjoy the eternal perspective.
