Redeeming the Time: Timing
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Intro
Our lives flow to the rhythm of time. God created seasons to make life possible.
What is a season?
A season is simply the correct conditions at the correct time.
Look at eccl 3:
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.
Let us make a list:
One list contains joyful events and the other contains sorrowful events.
Here is the key: Do not see these 2 columns as “good” and “bad”.
The right event in the condition/action season is always good - even if the condition is sorrowful.
likewise:
The wrong circumstance/action in the wrong season is always bad - even if the condition is joyful.
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Its not what happens, its when it happens.
We are disturbed when things happen “out of due season”.
Look at:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
Dying is always sorrowful.
BUT:
A person who takes their own life out of due season leaves behind devastation, brocken spirits, brocken minds, pain.
But an elderly person who has lived for the glory of God, who has run the race, who has fought the good fight and now welcomes death as the door they pass through to enter into eternal glory in God presence - that death, because it is in due season is still sorrowful, but does not leave devastation in its wake.
It does not leave guilt, remorse, broken minds behind.
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Let me give you another example:
Having hands laid on you in commission of ministry and leadership.
That is always a joyful thing.
However:
22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.
To promote a person and lay hands on them IF they are to young and immature will, instead of producing joy, will produce sorrow and pain as they fail and are swept away in sin, worry and stress of the ministry.
BUT
To lay hands on one who has proved themselves:
10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.
They will experience joy, strength, grace and power from the Holy Spirit.
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Again: This is not a list of “good” and “bad” events.
Yes it is a list of joyful and sorrowful events but whether they are good or bad depends on their SEASON - depends on their TIME.
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Does everything always happen in the right season?
No.
Human free will means that we can and often do step out of God’s perfect timing.
You can absolutely do the right thing in the wrong time.
14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, It shall be counted a curse to him.
It is right to bless others, but even blessing others at the wrong time results in a curse rather than a blessing.
This means 2 things:
1: We must trust in God’s timing.
1: We must trust in God’s timing.
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
2: We must frequently wind our clocks up to stay in step with God’s timing.
2: We must frequently wind our clocks up to stay in step with God’s timing.
25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.
You can wholeheartedly Trust in God’s timing and seasons.
Do you trust that God so loved the world that he gave...
Do you trust that Jesus will never leave you or forsake you?
Jesus’s incarnation, your salvation was a product of God’s timing.
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
3: We can turn wrong seasons into right seasons by redeeming the time.
3: We can turn wrong seasons into right seasons by redeeming the time.
God is able to turn bad to good. This is a fact of scripture.
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
One of the most powerful miracles Jesus did was “out of season” but he still worked it into wonderful good.
His first miracle of turning water intro wine, when Mary asked Him look at his response:
3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.
4 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.
“The time is not right”.
Yet Mary insisted and through faith the wedding was saved.
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A lot of times however, its not our actions but the actions of others that hurt and wound us.
Ecclesiastes deals with this:
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
To these people there life was controlled by the seasons. You had to sow in the right season. You had to harvest in the right season.
A spiteful tactic that was used was to sabotage either the harvest or the sowing by scattering rocks in your enemies field right before. This meant that they would miss the right season.
19 And ye shall smite every fenced city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all wells of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.
Stones have a dual purpose:
Stones are needed in order to build and grow and expand.
God has the power to take the stones your enemy sowed to hurt you and to use them to help build you.
Again the scripture says:
20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Why do you think the scriptures say:
6 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: What can man do unto me?
7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.
Why do you think the bible calls Christians MORE than conquerors?
If you are attacked and defend yourself: You are a conqueror in that you have NEUTRALIZED the attack.
But the christian is MORE than a conqueror which mean that the evil used against you is not just neutralized, it is baptized and added to you as a blessing!
The more evil the attack the greater victory in its defeat.
Conclusion:
He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
Justin
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