sermon June 1 2025

What Season are we in?

Genesis 41:47–49 NIV

During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.

Genesis 41:53–57 NIV

The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.” When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.

2 Timothy 4:1–5 NIV

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

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In life there are different seasons.

—> in the wisdom of Solomon it is said,

Ecclesiastes 3:1–14 NIV

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, 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 do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.

—> We stay busy

—> whether in preparation or in service

—> no season of rest

—> never just exist

—> Always doing something

—> Joseph had 7 years to prepare for what was to come.

—> He wasn’t sitting back just because times were good

—> how many times when things are going well or when life is easy do we set our relationship with God on cruise control?

—> We don’t feel a challenge so we don’t feel the need to rely on God, or seek God,

—> So instead of building up our relationship, instead of growing our faith by seeing that God is the source we rely on ourselves.

—> But just as easy as the good times come they also go, and we enter in to seasons of famine.

—> if we haven’t been building on our relationship with God these seasons can set us back.

—> Instead of being prepared for what comes our way we are caught off guard

—> instead of being prepared to rely on God we spend time wondering what we should do.

—> instead of immediately seeking God’s help and provision for the situation, we spend our time worrying and doing things our own way.

—> The truth is no matter the season we are to put our faith in God.

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