Seasons

Knowing the Season – Ecclesiastes 3:1-14

Intro: I’m excited to talk to you today about the idea of seasons. I think we will start this morning by referencing previous sermons where we’ve talked about the idea that each of us has different gifts and talents. We’ve talked about the fact that not everyone has the same gifts and talents, and our differences is what makes the body of Christ so beautiful as we complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. We’ve talked about the fact that we cannot be prideful in our own gifts or envious of others. In the same way we must recognize that in this life we are always in a season, which we will discuss further in a second, but being in a different season than someone else or comparing seasons, is not what we are called to do. Instead we are to understand that life has different seasons, discern what season we are in, then learn how to be content and potentially even thrive through differing seasons of this life.

Let’s look at our text

Ecclesiastes 3:1–9 “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven— A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear 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 throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace. What benefit is there for the worker from that in which he labors?”

Ecclesiastes 3:10–14 “I have seen the task which God has given the sons of mankind with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, without the possibility that mankind will find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it. And God has so worked, that people will fear Him.”

PRAYER

Alright let’s talk about 3 questions today and start with this one…

Question #1 What is a season?

Most think of this… a set or sequence of related television programs, sports… Do you know how many times a year Allison and I say, is it football season yet? We flipped on the tv Monday afternoon, Lacrosse people! I mean I love Notre Dame sports and they won the national lacrosse championship, but it was still lacrosse.

each of the four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) marked by particular weather patterns and daylight hours, resulting from the earth's changing position with regard to the sun.

Sometimes as changing as the physical seasons around us. Sometimes seasons can be something that a whole generation or multiple generations live through. As our text says it may be that our entire existence could be placed within a season of war, or a season of peace. It could be a time to remain quiet, or a time to cry out… Understanding that life is made up of both short term and long term seasons will help us relate to and prepare for the seasons at hand.

Just before we transition to consider what season we are in let me give a handful of examples. If we are children we could be in seasons of daily learning and physical growth, as we get older we can be in seasons of dating or finding a career, we have seasons of raising a family, we have seasons of being empty nesters, and seasons of grandchildren. We have seasons of failure, and seasons of confession. We have seasons of loss and gain, maybe seasons of cancer or other illness, seasons of moving and seasons of staying, seasons of beginning and seasons of ending, we have seasons of grief, season of financial hardship, seasons of financial gain, we have seasons of marriage, and seasons of divorce, we have seasons that cause depression and anxiety, seasons that cause us to celebrate, and 1,000 other things.

Talk about what a difficult season of life could be like, give a few examples without leaking to next point

Question #2 What season am I in?

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to overplay the relationship between physical and spiritual seasons today. But relating the two is so incredibly convenient and makes it easy for us to consider.

We look at a calendar and know the seasons, we check our weather app, we look out the window… Does anyone ever get frustrated with the weather forecasters? How many times have they disappointed us with their prediction about our day. They say sun, we get rain. They say cold, we get warm… Yet regardless of their inaccuracy, we continue rely on them as our source of truth for the weather… Then we could go to the news they give us right? Everyone remember “fake news” if you bought into what was fake or real news, I have news for you. It’s all fake. Jonathan I know the story they showed last night on the news was real, because that tornado hit my cousin’s farm. No, no I get it. They have to give you enough truth to keep you watching, but rest assumed they show portions, or false representations of reality To make sure you leave the house every day thinking or talking about what they want you to. I’ve had days where I’ve had a couple meetings and one person talked about all the trouble in the world and another where the person talked about the Bible. If you had to guess how each started their day I wonder what you might say? Again there’s that reminder, when we read the Bible God fills in the blanks, and when we don’t we do, or we let others inform our reality, so…

How do you recognize the seasons then?

Consider the forecast

that’s not on at 6, 10, or 11 o’clock on NBC, ABC, or CBS, it’s found in the Word of God. The Word of God speaks to us greatly on understanding what season of life we are in. We might not be able to specifically pinpoint where we are currently residing in the timeline of this life but we can get a pretty good idea by seeing things through the filter of God’s word. Revelation from the word of God helps us know the current state of the culture in which we reside, it can show us how well we are maintaining Godly standards versus slouching towards the areas of our culture that are pulling us away from Him. The scriptures help us…

Keep our eyes open

We’ve perhaps heard the saying red sky at night sailors delight, red sky in morning sailors take warning. Many of you may not know this but the first time we have that saying recorded in literature is in Matthew chapter 16, Jesus quoted this thought… without the rhyme of course, although it may have rhymed in their language… but Jesus said in verse 3 of Matthew 16, you know how to look at the sky and discern the weather but you can’t discern the signs of the times?

Then he calls them wicked and adulterous.

We need to balance our inward focus with the outward chaos that is taking place.

Are your eyes open to your children’s influences?

We question why our children act the way they do when their peer groups are filled with teenage alcoholism and promiscuity. By the way even more than knowing where they are, it’s knowing what they are looking at. It’s going to get really direct here for a minute, can you handle it? Our kids are learning sex from snapchat. Parents if you aren’t aware of this They can send/receive pictures and messages of each other that then disappear without you ever knowing about it, and they are smarter than you when it comes to these things. And it takes just a few seconds for that picture, that image, or that video to stick with them for years, maybe a lifetime. I know you have good kids, but you’re not telling them no because of them, you are telling them no because of who is out there waiting for them. If I just may parents, I want to remind you it’s perfectly ok to tell your kids no. Speaking of telling your kids no, you need to tell yourself no ever now and then as well.

Are your eyes open to the way you spend money?

We question why we struggle with money when we continue to make unnecessary purchases to spoil ourselves and our families. You and your kids don’t need to have the newest things that comes out with whatever the idea might be. All of us already have more than we need of everything.

Are your eyes open to the way that you manage difficult situations?

We wonder why we struggle with anxiety when scriptures prescribe prayer and dependency on God before all the things we turn to to medicate it.

I asked one of my preacher friends this week if I could reference anxiety medication from the pulpit, their reply was I don’t know if you can, everyone I talk to now is on them. So at first I hesitated, then the Spirit came upon me and said, doesn’t that mean it’s even more important that you do? So with great sensitivity I share the next couple of paragraphs with you.

A little greek lesson today. The word pharmaceutical comes from the greek pharmakia.. This was the word for medicine, but also for which craft and demonic sorcery. I’m not at all standing here to judge what medications you may or may not take but a Christian should always exercise great discernment in these areas. While there are physiological conditions that certainly require medical attention, I’ll still error on the side of believing that the primary cause of anxiety is living outside a healthy spiritual life that is seeking God and shunning sin.

It is a blessing to feel our feelings. In the same way that physical pain signals to us that we should not continue participating in that activity, so anxiety should cause us to start by seeking spiritual adjustments. If i use ANY means to suppress my emotions, and we do it sooo many ways, drugs And alcohol are popular methods but so are staring at screens for hours. But if I use any means to suppress my emotions could I not potentially be running the risk of not allowing the Spirit to transform me to be more in the image of God? I walked in this building today with a great sense of tension in my Spirit, I think you could even say an anxious Spirit and as I knelt at this altar to pray as I often do Sunday morning, God said Jonathan what if anxiety is my signal to you that you are trying to do something or concern yourself with something that you cannot do without me. What if anxiety is a reminder that you are trying to manage too much on your own. He calls us to give it all to Him in 1 Peter 5:7 “cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you.” We all memorized as cast cares, today’s versions say anxiety because that’s how we’ve identified cares. Do you believe He cares that much about you that you can just throw your anxiety on Him and He will handle it for you?

Are your eyes open to ANY sin that might might remain?

We continue in ANY sin hoping to control the outcome. When we need to understand that sin activates the law of unintended consequences whereby chaos is caused that we would have never imagined possible.

We have to be aware of our seasons in order to properly manage and thrive in those seasons…and that is our 3rd question to consider this morning.

Question #3 How do I manage and thrive in seasons?

Preparation just as we do for weather, so spiritual weather as well…

Me in Medina Snow blowers, sunscreen, mowers, umbrellas

Fruit of spirit… are you prepared to be peaceful in the midst of chaos, joyful in the midst of trials, are you prepared to be gentle in a world that is full of cynicism and harshness.

Let me remind you today that criticism is easy and convenient, but prayer takes time and energy (REPEAT)... We will manage and thrive in seasons as we prepare and as we keep proper perspective.

How do we keep proper Perspective?

From our text Ecc 3:14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him. What GOD is doing will last forever.

Psalm 73 wicked prosper for a season but that ends in eternity, Asaph discovered in God’s presence that everything change and we see that what God is doing will last forever!

2 pet 3:8-9 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

What we are doing will come and go But what GOD is doing will last forever.

Focusing on the season rather than God can leave us enslaved to the ever changing climate. Didn't say it's not going to be freezing cold, scorching hot, or raining and sleeting some days, but our life cannot be dictated by these factors

2 Timothy 4:2 tells us that we need to be ready in season, and out of season to preach the word of God.

Each day we must surrender a new to the Spirit of God and His control. Many of us are trying to control our surrender, rather than surrendering our control. (Repeat)

As I have navigated certain seasons in my life there are some things that God have revealed to me that have put me back on course

Me “knowing” (Not really) God’s will

Jeremiah I know the plans that I have for you (GOD knows) (Maybe I’m wrong) 1, 2, 3

Peter waves – we are walking on waves in the middle of the storm and want to blame other factors… Lake Erie, 2 other guys sick, 1 of them wanted to blame it on McDonalds. Stormy seasons don’t come from what we put into us, but they do reproduce what we have put into us.

When storms clouds are looming…

INVITE COLTON

Make sure the intensity of your praise is equal to or greater than the cloud that that may be over your head.

STAND THIS MORNING (END GOAL COMMIT EACH SEASON TO GOD, WE SAID LAST WEEK IF YOU AREN’T HAPPY WITH GOD EVERYWHERE YOU WON’T BE HAPPY ANYWHERE.)

PARKING LOT:

1. Reflect on the past season.

The Bible calls us to reflect and remember. In the book of Joshua, twelve stones were removed from the Jordan River so the people would understand God’s provision. Reflecting on the past, helps us better understand the present. What season are you leaving behind?

2. Recognize the current season.

In 2 Timothy, Paul knew his season. He was imprisoned in Rome, and his departure from this world was at hand. He was nearing the end of his race. This recognition instilled in him an urgency to deliver a letter to Timothy. What season are you currently experiencing?

3. Identify the next season.

You may be in a Winter season, but Spring is coming. You may be in Spring, but the hard work of Summer is coming soon. Summer will give way to Fall, and Fall will give way to Winter. Knowing your current season allows you to anticipate the future. What season will you enter next?

“If you find your identity in a specific season, you will likely lose it in another.”

Be prepared. If you only celebrate the Fall season of harvest, you won’t be able to recognize the hidden blessings of Winter or Summer. If you revel in the newness of Spring, the hard work of Summer will come as a surprise.

God has a purpose for each season of life.

POST RESPONSE:

Say Goodbye to online, Invite Stacey and Bruce to stage to sign up for landscaping help this Saturday? See proposal.

35 people for 30 minutes, how about 35 for 35 stacey?