Time Undone - Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

INTRO

Basilica St. Louis.

(RIFF) Beautiful. I was really caught up in one piece in the foyer.

I remember a friend stopping me and saying Billy look at the whole thing.

I thought I was enjoying the whole thing until boom

It is magnificent. Even this picture only captures part of it.

To try and take it all in is nearly impossible.

Zoomed in it’s just a small jagged stone, zoomed out this breathtaking mosaic.

Ecclesiastes shows us that this is how time is.

You and me...We only see in part.

We get glimpses.

But the whole picture, well that escapes us.

Today we get to a really well known part of Ecclesiastes.

This is one of the most quoted passages at funerals.

It’s rich poetry.

But it is also stark.

Once again the preacher lays before us a somber reality that we must grapple with.

The reality of time...And our lack of control.

We will walk through the rich poetry and the stark prose together.

Here is what I want you to grab on to:

Big Idea: God’s providence turns vanity to victory

With this in view lets see first

1. Endless Cycles (v.1-8)

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 (ESV)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a 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;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

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.

We have the preachers poetry about the cycle of time.

We might call this the same old routine.

28 extremes.

14 opposites.

14 pairs that add up to our total and utter lack of control.

It talks about a time for this and a time for that - a rhythm, a season for every single activity of our lives.

So, why does life seem to have this rhythm, this pattern of highs and lows, joys and sorrows, building up and tearing down?

The passage isn’t just throwing random life events at us; it’s showing us something deep, something real about our human experience.

Life doesn’t allow us to just pick the good moments, does it?

We can’t schedule our days saying, “I’ll take three hours of happiness today, and maybe I’ll pencil in some sadness next week when I’m more prepared.”

It’s not how it works.

In all these seasons - from the ones that make us dance to the ones that bring us to our knees in tears - they're not isolated.

They’re wrapped up in our relationships with others, aren’t they?

From being a child to perhaps becoming a parent or a grandparent, our relationships define our times and seasons.

You can’t untangle the joy of love from the pain of loss. They come hand in hand, don’t they?

The preacher sets this in the context of relationships.

We are relational beings. We don’t look back at time by pulling out our old calendars.

We look at photos and family videos.

Through it all we see the highs and lows.

And here’s the complexity of it all: we have real, genuine choices to make every day, but we don’t get to control the grand design.

The preacher shows us that we have absolutely no control.

The seasons of life, they’re out of our hands.

We might find ourselves laughing with joy at a wedding and then, at some point, weeping at a grave.

Both are threads of the same tapestry - our human existence.

So here’s the question: how do we navigate through these unchosen seasons, especially when they refuse to unfold according to our plans?

Can’t we just enjoy this lyrical musing without getting so serious, so stoic?

A time for every activity under the sun.

Sounds nice and fitting.

But let me level with you: taken by itself, this poetry, as beautiful as it is, can actually be a bit misleading.

"How so?"

Picture this: you've lived your life, danced through all these seasons - good times, bad times, highs, lows, moments of love and heartbreak - and then what?

If you live to be 70 years of age and youe the average person, you spend:

—20 years sleeping

—20 years working

—6 years eating

—7 years playing

—5 years getting dressed

—1 year on phone calls

—9 years of screen time

—2½ years in bed

—3 years waiting for somebody

—5 months tying shoes

—2½ years for other things

The Preacher hits us hard in verse 9: “What gain has the worker from his toil?”

That's the gut-punch.

It’s like life’s grand song has ended in a dissonant note.

You see, anyone can write or talk about the rhythm of life.

I mean, these verses could be read by anyone, religious or not, to describe the human experience.

I've even heard them read at funerals of folks that were absolutely not Christians.

Why? Because they’re universally relatable.

Everyone knows we have these seasons in life.

But when it's all said and done, after all the joys and sorrows, the big question hangs in the air: "What's the point?"

Because, let’s face it, whether it's a believers funeral or not, the end is still the same.

Someone lived their life, experienced its ups and downs, but now... what have they gained?

From a purely earthly perspective, it seems bleak.

The real problem isn't that we can’t stop time. It’s that our time seems so insignificant.

Now, some might say, "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."

But that’s not the heart of Ecclesiastes.

As we’ll see, this book isn’t about embracing nihilism.

The message is deeper, richer, and more profound.

So, how do we reconcile this seemingly bleak poetry with hope and meaning?

Let's start into the prose section of chapter 3, where the Preacher starts to shed light on this very question...

Let’s see second

2. Sovereign Shift (v.9-11)

Ecclesiastes 3:9–11 (ESV)

What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

Now we get to a whole new perspective.

The preacher tells us that we have a God-given burden in our heart.

We are made for eternity.

And we know it.

In fact we are born with an innate sense of God.

Romans 1:19 (ESV)

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

Even the most devout atheist has sewn in their heart, in the midst of their denial of God a long for the eternal.

There is a doubt to the rejection of the divine.

We know there is a God.

But so often we deny this reality.

What happens when you choose to live in the dark?

You cannot see.

What the preacher wants you to see is that you are made for eternity.

He wants to turn the lights on.

For many of us we are sitting in a dark room.

Sometimes we fail to see how affluent we have become—​​​better food, better healthcare, better education, better communication, better climate control, better entertainment, better transportation—​​​all of that.

Yet, when sociologists do their surveys, and people in America indicate where they fall on the satisfaction scale, they are only “slightly satisfied.”

It’s a condition some have termed affluenza—​​​ the fundamental problem is that this fallen world cannot satisfy anyone.

What we really need, and what we are really looking for, whether we know it or not, is a relationship with the living God.

David expressed it well when he said:

Psalm 63:1 (ESV)

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

We are created with an eternal longing

He is sovereign

Look back at verse 1

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV)

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

Under heaven.

The preacher is shifting our focus, moving our prospective Godward.

Every event is ordained, but you don’t ordain them .

Let's bring it a bit closer to home now.

A lot of the little frustrations my son has come from a pretty relatable place.

My wife and I, we see a bigger picture that he just can’t see yet.

We're navigating things for him – what to eat, wear, bedtime routines, places he can explore.

We're creating rhythms and patterns, a safety net if you will, to give him not only security but also a genuine, stress-free kind of freedom.

He doesn’t have to coordinate, plan, or tie up loose ends - we've got that covered.

Think about it.

Aren't we all, in a way, like children when we consider our lives in the grand design of God’s planning?

Here's the kicker: God doesn’t operate on our timetable.

What He does “endures forever” (v. 14).

He sees from the beginning to the end and manages to make “everything beautiful in its time” (v. 11).

Even though our lives are sprinkled with different seasons and times, we're part of a larger, beautiful picture that, while we might not see it fully, is crystal clear to our good and wise God.

This is where wisdom enters our world.

It comes when we accept that our access to the grand scheme of things is kinda limited.

Yeah, we crave the full picture - after all, God has “put eternity into man’s heart” - but the crux of the matter is we “cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” (3:11).

So, where does this leave us in our daily walks, in our struggles and joys, as we navigate through the times of our lives?

David Gibson on our limited picture says this:

God is not being unkind to us by not sharing it; the point is that we are not built to understand the big picture, precisely because we live in time and God does not. If we could see the end from the beginning, and understand how a billion lives and a thousand generations and unspeakable sorrows and untold joys are all woven into a tapestry of perfect beauty, then we would be God. _David Gibson

Really this comes down to trust.

My two year old hops in the car not knowing where we go, happy as a clam because he trusts his Dad.

Do we?

The Preacher invites us into a similar trust, to lean into God with all our seasons, all our moments.

Ecclesiastes 3:15 (ESV)

That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.

The depiction of God “seeking what has been driven away” (v. 15) paints the tender image of a shepherd, steadfast, gently searching for that one lost sheep, ensuring it’s safely brought back into the fold.

Our moments, swallowed by the abyss of the past, are not lost to God.

He recalls each one, ensuring nothing is truly gone, holding each one in His eternal present.

How many of us have wished, even for a fleeting moment, to travel through time?

Our culture, laden with tales like 'Back to the Future' and 'Interstellar', reflects our fascination with revisiting yesterdays or peering into tomorrows.

Ecclesiastes presents us with a compelling thought: to live abundantly now is contingent upon God's ability to transcend time, to envelop every moment of every generation within His eternal now.

Think about an old photograph, capturing a singular moment from the past.

Those candid smiles at the beach, the warmth from a Christmas long ago...they remain just out of reach, encapsulated in a bygone moment.

The Preacher, though, provides an assurance: God isn’t hemmed in by time.

While we might feel a sentimental pull towards the past, we know we cant go back.

There are instances, fragments of time, that I yearn for God to resurrect, to redeem…but I can’t go back

Life, with its shattered narratives, unexpected joys, suspended relationships, and looming questions, unveils itself amidst God's unmerited favor and mercy, leaving some chapters yet to be written.

But remember, our story is enveloped within The Story.

A coming judgment awaits, and believers rest in the serene trust that divine, ultimate judgment will prevail.

And here, the Gospel whispers its beautiful truth into our narrative.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd, embarks on a relentless pursuit for each lost sheep, leaving the ninety-nine, venturing into the wilderness to seek, find, and lovingly carry back the one that has strayed.

Every little piece of our stories, even the rough parts, gets scooped up into Jesus’ bigger story of love, sacrifice, and redemption.

And that’s the hope we have – not in time travel, not in trying to fix our past, but in a Savior who redeems every moment, every mistake, and makes all things beautiful in His time. (SAY THIS SLOWLY AND INTENTIONALLY)

God is unbound by time.

He will make it beautiful.

This presents us with 3rd point...

3. The Choice (v.12-22)

Look at just verse 12-15 first

Ecclesiastes 3:12–15 (ESV)

I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.

The choice that is presented is joy or despair.

Either we look to the eternal God with joy.

Or we can despair.

Look at verse 22

Ecclesiastes 3:22 (ESV)

So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?

I can read that like - bah humbug

Or with a humble heart to work for the glory of God.

You see when I trust in the Lord I can say not passively but with passion, I live for someone other than myself.

If you were to ask me today when I was saved, I would answer, not entirely humorously, "about two thousand years ago." Indeed, because I have been predestined for salvation by the one who foreknew me before I was born or had done anything good or bad, and because the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world, I don't need the security of the date of my new birth. I only need the security of knowing he whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to safeguard my life for all eternity. _ Jared C. Wilson

When I preached at a little country church in Winigan, Missouri we’d have a volunteer choir and take requests.

When it came time to request songs from the Hymnal with out fail one elder would yell out hymn #229 - His Eye is on the Sparrow

Why should I feel discouraged Why should the shadows come Why should my heart feel lonely And long for heaven and home

When Jesus is my portion A constant friend is He His eye is on the sparrow And I know He watches over me

I asked him why this was his favorite hymn. He said, “Because He makes everything beautiful in it’s time. And as long as I remember that, I can smile.”

The providence of God is the antidote to a life of vanity in a broken world.

God’s providence is how we go from vanity to victory.

Every single moment we live, God is right there with us.

Not one second gets lost or discarded – every joy, every pain, it's all held by Him.

He sees each piece, even the tiny, seemingly insignificant ones, and fits them into a beautiful, complete whole.

Nothing is wasted.

Remember Joseph?

His life was a mess at times – betrayed by his own family, sold into slavery, thrown into prison for something he didn’t do.

But God... He was at work even in those dark times.

He turned all that pain and injustice into a pathway for Joseph to become a leader and savior during a famine. Joseph tells his terrified brothers, Gen 50:20

Genesis 50:20 (ESV)

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

We look at history and we see God’s people navigate through this tough, often painful world, there remained a promise of a Redeemer from Genesis 3:15, a dream of the day when there would be access to the source of life again.

God’s people have always held tightly to the belief that there's something infinitely better awaiting us.

And then, at just the right moment, God steps into our story, sending His Son Jesus into this broken, cursed world.

Jesus experienced every season of life we do.

He knew when it was time to heal, to challenge old systems, to celebrate with the outcasts, to mourn loss, and yes, even when it was time to face death.

He absorbed all of our world’s pain and suffering, all the brokenness, and took the curse upon Himself.

He transforms the ugliness of the cross – a moment of brutal, unjust murder – into our salvation.

And Romans 8 reassures us that our lives, with all their ups and downs, are wrapped into this divine plan, where every experience, whether of joy or pain, is shaping us to become more like Christ.

Ecclesiastes 3 tells us that God is the one setting up all the seasons.

And then Ephesians 1:10 chips in,

Ephesians 1:10 (ESV)

as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

whispering that everything, literally everything, is going to find its place in Christ.

There's a method to this seasonal madness, a heartbeat in the rhythmic change from sowing seeds to reaping harvests, from the chill of winter to the bloom of spring.

God didn't design seasons just to keep us on our toes or give us a varied Instagram feed.

No, He crafted every phase of nature to point us towards Jesus.

Think about it.

In the brittle cold of winter, we're surrounded by lifeless trees, a dormant world... but it’s not the end.

In just a short while, life erupts again, leaves burst forth, and suddenly everything is vibrant and alive.

This isn’t just a cool natural process.

It’s a symbol, a divine metaphor.

God embedded the cycle of death and rebirth into creation to give us a glimpse of what He would do through Jesus.

Jesus, who was dead and then - oh, the joy of that moment - brought back to life, making all things new!

A story that captures this is from Corrie Ten Boom - The Hiding Place - Cared for jews during Nazi occupation of the Netherlands

One night I tossed for an hour while dogfights raged overhead, streaking my patch of sky with fire. At last I heard Betsie stirring in the kitchen and ran down to join her. She was making tea. She brought it into the dining room where we had covered the windows with heavy black paper and set out the best cups. Somewhere in the night there was an explosion; the dishes in the cupboard rattled. For an hour we sipped our tea and talked, until the sound of planes died away and the sky was silent. I said goodnight to Betsie at the door to Tante Jans’s rooms and groped my way up the dark stairs to my own.

The fiery light was gone from the sky. I felt for my bed: there was the pillow. Then in the darkness my hand closed over something hard. Sharp too! I felt blood trickle along a finger. It was a jagged piece of metal, ten inches long. “Betsie!” I raced down the stairs with the shrapnel shard in my hand. We went back to the dining room and stared at it in the light while Betsie bandaged my hand. “On your pillow,” she kept saying. “Betsie, if I hadn’t heard you in the kitchen—” But Betsie put a finger on my mouth. “Don’t say it, Corrie! There are no ‘ifs’ in God’s world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety—Oh Corrie, let us pray that we may always know it!”

Every season, every time-slot in our lives is a signpost, nudging us towards Jesus, whispering to us about rest, and hope, and a future where every broken thing is made whole.

So make a choice.

Bury our heads in the sand and deny the eternity written on our hearts.

Or look up and behold the one who makes all things beautiful in time, the one who will make all things new.

Application Questions

Where can I see God turning my personal trials into triumphs?

Where in my life do I need to trust God more like a child trusts a good parent?

How am I surrendering my timeline to trust in God’s eternal perspective?

Where have I seen God bring life and resurrection in my own 'dark' seasons?