Praise God in the seasons of life.
After everything he has said about the vanity of our existence, we probably expect the
Solomon of Ecclesiastes to say something discouraging about time.
That time is short and thus we never have enough time to do all of the things
that we want to do. Or he might mention the tyranny of time, the way time
controls our lives right down to the millisecond. Solomon might remind us that
time is fleeting and that we are running out of time and once gone time can
never be recovered. The French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote, when I consider the
short duration of my life swallowed up in the eternity that lies before it and
after it, when I consider the little space I feel and see engulfed in the
infinite immensity of space of which I am ignorant and which know me not, I rest
frightened and astonished. But there is no reason why I should be here rather
than there. Who put me here? Pascal asks, why now rather than then? Stephen F.
Olford, the man Billy Graham said most influenced his ministry, said that time is
a fragment of eternity given by God to men as a solemn stewardship. Solomon
celebrated the orderliness of God by writing the world's most famous words
on the subject of time. Nothing happens outside the will of God. He rules all of
our moments. He rules all of our days and there is a definite orderliness what to
what he does and his sovereignty has a chronology. In the divine economy there
is a season for everything. A suitable occasion. There's always a suitable
occasion. There's always an appropriate opportunity for everything that happens.
The initiation, the duration and determination of our earthly existence
are all under God's divine authority. There is a time to matriculate and there's
a time to graduate. Let me run that by you one more time. You don't want your
students to become eternal in college. You don't want them to be in high school
until they're 27. There's a time to matriculate and a time to graduate. There's
a time to get a job and a time to retire from a job. Amen. There's a time to visit
somebody's house and there's a time to go home.
My daddy said if you stay at somebody's house long enough to use the restroom
it's time for you to go home. There are times in life to start something but
there are times when something is supposed to come to an end. Be it a
project or a relationship or even a ministry. Knowing the difference brothers
and sisters takes wisdom because these are some of the hardest decisions in
your life. Solomon emphasizes the scope of God's sovereignty with pairs of
related opposites. Each pair forms what is called rhetorically a merism. A
merism is an rhetorical term for a pair of contrasting words or phrases used to
express totality or completeness. Perhaps I may best get it across to you by
asking you to envision a corn maze. You've seen a maze of corn. These corn
fields where they where they draw or make or a furrow a maze inside a corn field.
If you consider the maze from the outside it looks like a harmless corn field. The
view is very different from the inside trying to discover a way out. And of
course an aerial view from a drone or a helicopter gives one a much broader view
with the unique perspective of seeing the beginning to the end. So one's
perspective in life is an aphorism from real estate location location location
where you stand determines how you see life. Look with me in verse 2 and 3 at
life the view of life from the outside looking in. A time to be born and a time
to die. Time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted. A time to kill and a
time to heal. A time to break down and a time to build up. If you look carefully
you will see that these eight opening verses gather around three major
divisions that correspond amazingly enough to the three divisions of our
humanity. Body, soul and spirit. From the outside looking in as it relates to our
body or the physical world none of us asked to be born. It was something done
to and for us apart from us. None of us asks to die. It is something that God
determines. But as sure as you had a cradle you will have a grave. As sure as
you had an entrance you will have an exit. God is not holding you responsible
for your birthday and you have nothing at all to do with your dying day but
between your womb and your tomb you ought to redeem the time. Brothers and
sisters this matter of time as it relates to God is not either or. God is both and.
God is both at our birth and at our death. God is with us when we plant and when we
pluck up what is planted. There are some things in our life God wants to kill and
then there are some things God wants to heal. There's a time in life when things
break down and then there's a time in life when you have to build up. Looking
at life from the outside looking in when you look at it from the outside looking
in it's positive because life starts with everybody being young. But then you get
in your 40s and then your 50s and then your 60s and I'm not going any further
than that. And you start breaking down because everything will eventually run
down and you need to know what time it is in your life. What season you are in
determines how you live your life because there's nothing more unsightly
than somebody trying to live out of their season.
When you when you start having children it's time out for you to find
yourself. You should have found yourself 30 years ago. As over you have a family
now you have responsibilities now you got to go to work now you can't find
yourself now you got to find a job you got to find a house you got to find a
way to pay your bills you've got to find a destiny you've got to find find your
niche find your happy place find where God wants you to be and listen it
doesn't matter who likes you or who does not like you who's on your side who's
not on your side put some blinders on and have tunnel vision for your life and
watch God move on your behalf.
Because if God is on your side and if you are on God's side if God be far off I
wish I had a witness here when you know who you are and who's you are you don't
need no likes on Facebook. Take yourself to the movies take yourself to dinner
I wish I had somebody to help me preach it be satisfied with how God made you
with what God gave you shout over God's blessings in your life you don't have to
have what somebody else has God will bring you to your season
to everything there is a season there's a time for every matter every purpose
under heaven that's outside looking in but let's get a view of life from the
inside looking out look with me in verse four and five a time to weep and a time
to laugh a time to mourn and a time to dance a time to throw away stones a time
together stones together a time to embrace and a time to refrain from
embracing now we walk deeper into this text and surround ourselves with the
context and we discover that the world once you get on the inside of the maze
we find out that the world is not so neat it's not so positive the searcher
who is none other than Solomon himself wants to know as the author Peter
Creft puts it Solomon wants to know how to avoid getting all A's in every
subject but flunking life
he moves into the realm of the soul now leaving the body moving into the realm
of the soul with its functions of thinking feeling choosing the social
areas of life and all the interrelationships of life that flow from our
soul he explores every pleasure every bit of wealth and power work and leisure
even he explores a basic kind of religion he hints that the he hints at
the truth that it is possible to spend a great deal of time climbing the ladder
of success only to discover that is leaning against the wrong building as
one of my favorite actors Jim Carrey said in an interview for Reader's
Digest Jim Carrey said I think everybody should get rich and famous and do
everything they ever dreamed of so that they can see that it is not the answer
without Christ Shakespeare is correct life is a tale told by an idiot full of
sound and fury signifying nothing without Christ I would have to chime in
with the philosopher Schopenhauer that life is an endless pain with a painful
end without Christ I would have to go in with Paul Lawrence Dunbar who said a
crust of bread in the corner to sleep in a minute to smile and an hour to weep in
a pint of joy to a peck of trouble and never to laugh but the moans come
double and that is life if that was the end of this sermon we would all get in
line to commit suicide but thank God we don't have to be on the outside looking
in we don't have to be on the inside looking out we can be up above looking
around look with me in verse 6 and 7 and 8 a time to seek and a time to lose a
time to keep and a time to throw away a time to tear and a time to sow a time to
keep silence and a time to speak a time to love and a time to hate a time for war
and a time for peace the last of these opposites relate to the spirit of each
individual here to the inner decisions the deep commitments that you and I
daily have to make the view of life from the outside is positive the view of
life from the inside is negative but the view from above is ultimate in Jesus
incarnation and resurrection we see one who meets us on the outside walks with
us through the inside and transforms and makes life beautiful inside and outside
Dallas Willard the author Dallas Willard purports that the greatest danger
listen to this the greatest danger for people who come to church may not be
blatant rebellion but they're living such busy lives such overcrowded lives that
we practically guarantee we will never realize how beautiful life is because
it's passing us by the devil does not care how busy you are the question is
what are you busy being because you are not a human doing you are a human being
how much time are you spending being something I don't help me preach it I'm
not talking about being a preacher or being a church member or being a husband
or being a daughter or being a caretaker how much time you spend being with God walk
with me talk with me sit down with God and just say father I don't need nothing
this morning I just want to tell you how much I appreciate what you've already
done God I don't have any problems I'm not complaining I'm not sick I don't
have no trouble I just want to get in your presence and let you know I'm glad
I am that you brought me all the way now let us have a little talk with Jesus let
us tell him all about our trouble he will hear your faintest cry he'll answer
by and by and if you stay that long enough you'll feel a little prayer wheel
turning then you'll know a little fire is is burning I need somebody here who
shout even when it ain't Sunday you you just praise God in the car by
yourself because you remember when you didn't have a car I wish I had
one or two more showers here you just walking around in the house giving God
glory and giving God praise and the people riding alongside of you on the
highway thinks something wrong with you put your window down and say God it
ain't nothing wrong with me I'm just grateful God let me live one more day I
should have been dead sleeping in my grave but he had mercy the steadfast
love of the Lord never cease his mercy never comes to an end
hallelujah there are new every moment the reason why they are new every morning
because I messed up yesterday's grace I messed up yesterday's mercy I messed up
yesterday's goodness thank God when I got up this morning before my feet touched
the floor he decided to give me one more thank you for your grace I'm through
choir taking all my time singing two songs we ain't gonna pay y'all but for
one the place where we see God's timeless most clearly is in the person of
Jesus Christ relations chapter 4 and verse number 4 says but when the fullness
of time was come somebody ought to help me preach it God sent forth his son made
of a woman made under the law adjust the right time when the Gentiles were tired
of serving pagan gods when the Jews were weary of trying to keep God's law when
the Greeks had given the world a common language and the Romans had established
safe and easy travel across the Mediterranean Jesus came with a message
of salvation at the right time he wasn't born before time he was born in the
fullness of time when when time was ready for him to come he was born into
the world not only was he born on time but he was crucified on time that was a
day appointed for him to be crucified and those of us who read the Bible we
remember that Jesus upset the Pharisees and the Sadducees and the scribes so
much that on several occasions they tried to take his life and Jesus just
walked through the crowd as though he were invisible because his time had not
yet come somebody ought to help me preach it Jesus decided to die they
didn't kill him he decided to die because on the cross a thief said if you are
a Christ save yourself and us but the other thief said leave this man alone
he's done nothing wrong he said to him when you come in your kingdom remember
me Jesus postponed dying Jesus put death on hold Jesus stop dying to tell a
thief today you shall be with me in paradise Jesus went to Calvary to save
a wreck like you and me that's love that's love they hung him high they
stretched him wide he hung his head for me he died that's love he had a time to
be born he had a time to die but he had a time to be resurrected from the grave
because that's not how the story three days later hey he rose again he got up
from the grave on time and listen one day he's coming back on time and so since
he was born on time died on time got up from the grave on time coming back at
God's time it's time for you to make up your mind I said it's time for you to
make up your mind I've decided to follow Jesus somebody help me close here I'm
not gonna let no preacher do all my Bible reading for me I want to know God
for myself I'm not gonna let the deacons do all the praying for me I'm not gonna
let the choir do all the worship and singing for me I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm I'm free his eye is on the sparrow and I know I'm not guessing
about it I'm not I'm not maybe so about it I know this morning at 10 59 in
Houston Texas at Lily Grove Baptist Church he's watching over me and when I
leave here and go home he's gonna be watching over me when I go to lunch
he's gonna be watching over me when I drive on 6 10 and 59 he's gonna be
watching over me when I go to bed tonight he's gonna keep the robbers and
the thieves away from my house while I slept last night somebody could have
broken on me but the Lord had his angels camped around my house I wish I
had a witness here I need somebody knows who knows that you're not here
because your alarm clock woke you up you are not here because you've been so
good or so kind you're not here because you have a large print Bible you're not
here because you teach Sunday school or singing the choir you're here because the
Lord has been merciful to you you're here because he looked beyond your
faults he looked beyond my faults he looked beyond my sinful disposition he
looked beyond my mean and stubborn ways he looked beyond my wicked and evil
deeds and he gave me one more opportunity to come up to his house to
give his name worship and praise I'm not gonna let you out do me praising God if
you don't want to praise him just stay right there in your seat but I made up my
mind that every time I get a chance I'm gonna praise God because I don't know
how much time I have left I want to thank God for Monday I don't know if I'm
gonna live till Tuesday and then when I get in Tuesday I want to thank God for
Tuesday because I don't know if I'll get a chance to shout on Wednesday and when
Wednesday comes I want to raise my hand because it's almost time for Sunday and
if God lets me live till Thursday I want to praise him all day Thursday and if
God gives me strength on Friday I want to open my mouth on Friday if God lets
me live on Saturday I want to tell him thank you that I made it through Monday
I made it through Tuesday I made it through Wednesday I made it through
Thursday I made it through Friday and here it is Saturday and I'm getting
primed I'm getting all pumped up because I know Sunday is coming and when I get
the Sunday morning and get with my brothers and sisters who knows how good
God is who knows how many doors God has opened who knows how many ways God has
made who knows how kind God has been we will get together and tell God thank you
you got my permission right now if you're in a dead section if you're around
some people who don't know what time it is you got my permission to find you
another section find you some people who look like they came to praise God find
you some believers who look like they know what time it is it's time to praise
the Lord it's time to shout hallelujah it's time to give God glory it's time to
tell God thank you it's time to live glad hands it's time to open your mouth
it's time to let the world know that Jesus he died didn't he die but Sunday
morning I said Sunday morning he got up from the grave with all power in his
hand you're gonna help me praise him won't you
all hail the power of Jesus name let angels cross
straight full bring forth the royal die at him
crown him crown him he's worthy he's worthy he's able he's a weight maker he's
He's a problem solver.
He's a rock in a weary land.
He's a shelter in a time of storm.
Do you know him?
Have you tried him?
Won't he make a way?
Say yes!
Yes!
Ah!
Ah! I know you know him!
Yeah!
He kept me.
He never left me.
He's been good to me.
He's been merciful.
Tell him thank you for all you've done for.
Thank you for giving me some more time.
Thank you that you let me live.
Thank you for my mother.
Thank you for my father.
Thank you for my church family.
Thank you.
I know he's alright.
I'm trying to quit here now.
But you saw on television,
these people got in this vessel
and went down to the bottom of the Atlantic.
They spent $250,000 to get in a little minivan
and go to the bottom of the Atlantic
to take a look at a failure.
The Titanic is a failure.
It's a wreck at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
They got in this little minivan,
went down to the bottom.
It imploded on them.
Every life was lost.
There is no mechanism to raise the debris.
There is no pulley.
There is no device
to raise that vessel.
But I was seeking deep insight.
Far, far from the peaceful shore.
Very deeply, stayed within.
I was seeking to rise normal.
But the master...
Hey!
But the master of the sea,
he heard my despairing cry.
From the water.
Hey!
From the water.
He lifted me.
I said,
said,
I know he's alright.
I almost died at MD Anderson Hospital.
But God gave me some more time.
And while I have a chance,
I'm gonna tell God, thank you.
I'm gonna give God glory.
And if you don't want to praise Him,
don't hinder me.
If you around here talking about it, don't take all that.
Speak for yourself.
It don't take all that for you.
But you don't know what God has done for me.
You don't know how many doors God has opened.
You don't know how many tears God has brought.
Hallelujah.