A Time and a Purpose 11/6/24
Notes
Transcript
There is a time for everything
There is a time for everything
Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 (KJV 1900)
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which 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 get, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, 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 of war, and a time of peace.
I. An Appointed Time
a. Birth
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Physical. Jeremiah had an appointed birth date.
Spiritual
Jesus says that we need to be born again. John 3 “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said u…”
Do you have a time of Second Birth? You have a First Birth date and time, or you wouldn’t be here. but do you have a second birth?
b. Death
We are all sinners and the wages of sin is death Rom 6:23
We all will have a time of death, unless the rapture happens first.
Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”
And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Even Jesus died. He didn’t have to. He didn’t sin. But He died for our sins so that we may live with Him.
You see, God has appointed times and seasons. We may not always understand them. We may not always like them. But God does have a plan.
II. An Appointed Order
God has a plan and an order for which He does things.
Have you read Genesis lately? Have you considered the way God created everything?
Day 1: Light (to see and for day/night)
Day 2: Firmament/Water above the air/Atmosphere (to protect and control the temperature/humidity for the plants and give a place for plants and animals and people)
Day 3: Dry land and plants (to help make and clean the air to breathe and for food for animals and humans)
Day 4: Sun, Moon, and stars (for days, years, signs, and seasons)
Day 5: Birds and water creatures (to fill the seas and skies)
Day 6: land animals and insects and man (to fill the earth and for man to keep it and steward it for God and fellowship with Him)
Day 7: Rest because everything was very good
God did things in a specific order for a specific reason. God always has been and always will be a God of order. God made time for us, but He exists outside of it. And His timing is not the same as ours.
III. An Appointed purpose
There is a reason a purpose for every season we face. John 11 :4 Lazarus was sick, Jesus waited two days then goes. Lazarus ends up being dead for four days. Jesus was four days too late to heal him. But we know the rest of the history. Jesus was four days late, but still right on time to raise Lazarus from the dead. According toGod’s time and God’s plan.
There is a purpose, a reason for our being. God has something He would like us to do. a role to fill. God told Jeremiah that God had ordained Jeremiah to be a prophet before God even formed him.
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
Or what about Esther? Esther 4:13-16
Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Isaiah 55:8–9 (KJV 1900)
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth,So are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
EXAMPLE OF ME GOING TO COLLEGE AND COMING BACK WITHOUT GRADUATING.
So if God has a set time and plan for everything, why don’t we? God is a God of order. God is a God of plans. But we…..we are not always very ordered. we arent alwasy very organized. We don’t always do things with a purpose. it’s just a I fell like it decision. or a I like this so I choose this.
God has given us His Spirit. We have the ability to plan and, as Paul told Titus in Titus 1:5
For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee:
So if God is a God of order, and we are to be following Him, it stands to reason that we too should be people of order. Not of chaos and confusion. God is not the author if confusion. Why do we do what we do? Is there an actual purpose to what we do, or how we do it?
SERVICE ORDER ILLUSTRATION
Colossians 3:23–25
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Whatever we do, we should have a purpose and a plan to do it for God and His glory
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
We all will die someday, and once we do we can’t go back and finish or redo and change things we may not have done right.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
Let all things be done decently and in order.
We should do things in order. Order is necessary. Without order, there is only chaos.
Have a purpose for what you do. Why do we have a sound ministry? because Romans 10 tells us that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. If there is a hinderance to hearing the Word of God, there will not be faith growing and strengthening. the sound ministry is important because it allows us all to hear God’s word, and by hearing we can know God’s Word and know faith. Why do we have a service order? because this verse says to do things decently and in order.
So what is your life’s purpose statement? do you even have one? why not? It would be helpful to list our your purpose statement for yourself at home and state what your goal for your life is and why you do what you do. In the business world, they call that the brand statement. so what is the reason you do what you do? why do you do it when you do it? is it last minute, spur of the moment? is it scheduled and planned? do you just wing it? whatever we do should be for the glory of God, and should be done decently and in order.
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
Don’t be unwise. Redeem the time. Be in season with God. Don’t let your relationship and your purpose be like an out-of-season fruit—hard to find and not available.
