Rooted - Week 3
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In time...
In time...
OVERVIEW:
Last week, we started a series called Rooted in which we are talking about what it means to be rooted in Christ.
OVERVIEW:
So every week I want to start by stating.
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Last week, we started a series called Rooted in which we are talking about what it means to be rooted in Christ.
So every week I want to start by stating.
As we establish our faith we are called to live rooted in Christ. That is the foundational piece of our year.
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
As we establish our faith we are called to live rooted in Christ. That is the foundational piece of our year.
Last week we answered the question: What should I be striving for? Today we will answer the question: When should I take the next step in my faith?
If you have your Bibles turn to Ecclesiasties 3:1-11
As you turn there, remember that this is being written by Solomon who is at the top of social, socioeconomic, and academic class. He is what everyone wants to be. In chapter 1 of Ecclesiastes he talks about how everything is vapor; everything on earth is meaningless when compared to God. Chapter 2 he gets in specifics about self indulgence and wisdom and work and he outlines how when goals, success and focus on those things alone they are also vanity. So we get to chapter three where Solomon first talks about something other than vanity. We are going to read through the passage and after I pray, JH you will be dismissed into small groups.
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what 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 seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, 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 for war, and a time for peace.
9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 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.
LETS PRAY. JH you are dismissed.
Ecclesiastes 1 : Seasons are not excuses
Okay so last week we talked about how earthly achievement is meaningless and how life moves in cycles of meaningless achievement.
Picking up the passage in chapter 3 Solomon begins talking about time in a way that adds value to what we do on earth.
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
He begins by telling us that everything on earth has its time. But he uses a word here that is very much christianese.
How many of you have heard someone season “I am in this season in my life right now.” I used to hate that. There still is a since of cheesiness that comes with that. Mostly because it is often misued. We talk about seasons of life in a way that indicates we cannot exit where we currently are. For example, if it is winter and it is snowing, there is nothing we can do to get rid of the snow. There are things we can do to not be cold, however. So we use this as an excuse to continue down a path that may not be one God wants you on. It is the same concept as saying “this is just the way that I am.” It indicates we cannot change, when in reality we should want and seek to change. Seasons are the same.
Growing up, this is something I heard often. People in church would use it to justify shortcoming. The amount of times I would hear people say, “I feel like I can’t serve because of this season I find myself in.” One time, someone was telling my dad that and he responded by saying, “what about the season Peter was in when he was sentenced to death and they were going to crucify him and he said he didn’t deserve to die like Jesus so they crucified him upside down? Was he in a season to be serving God?” It made me laugh, but he wasn’t wrong. A “season” of life is not a way for us to have an excuse to not do something. It is the reality of being on earth when we do not belong here.
Seasons are not excuses. They are times in our lives where the way we respond to God might look different.
Ecclesiastes 3:2-8- A matter of when
It is true that we will go through season in life that will make it difficult at times to be all the way present. As a matter of fact this is something that Solomon address started in verse 2.
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what 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 seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, 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 for war, and a time for peace.
You are going to spend some time talking about these more in depth in your small groups, but what do you notice about all of these seasons?
(THEY ARE SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISONS)
They are comparisons! They are opposites. They show that even when you are in your happiest or saddest of moments the opposite will eventually come true. But the point isn’t for us to breakdown what each individual item means theologically. The point is to expand on the point that at one moment or another in your life, you will go through these seasons. We spend so much time looking at where we are at in life and trying to get away from where we are that we do not give ourselves a chance mourn. We do not give ourselves a chance to weep or break down. We only want the good seasons.
Last week we answered the question: What should I be striving for? Today we will answer the question: When should I take the next step in my faith?
In 2015, when I was a junior at Biola, my uncle passed. He had mesothelioma which caused his lungs to just give out. Through the process my cousins and aunt spent the better part of a year at Stanford hospital. They went through months and months of grieving knowing that there was no chance he could get better barring a miracle. We were in Palo Alto when my aunt called and said they were going to take him off the ventilator. We go back to the hospital and all say our goodbyes. This entire time I am just thinking about being there for my cousin who is going through it. Now him and I are the same. He doesn’t do grieving well. After his dad passed away he cries and hugs me for about 2 minutes and then says that the only way to honor his dad is to go to Disneyland for a week. He didn’t cry about his dad again after that. I left the hospital and walked outside and did the same thing. Cried for 2 minutes then logged into my Biola account to add a class for the semester.
If you have your Bibles turn to Ecclesiasties 3:1-11
My whole life I have been that way. Never allowing myself to grieve. In the moments I have allowed myself to grieve I shut down and feel emotions I didn’t know I had. It is actually what happened at Wildwood in 2021. I think I cried more that week than I had a long time. And it was simply about where I was and where God had me now. I allowed time for that.
As you turn there, remember that this is being written by Solomon who is at the top of social, socioeconomic, and academic class. He is what everyone wants to be. In chapter 1 of Ecclesiastes he talks about how everything is vapor; everything on earth is meaningless when compared to God. Chapter 2 he gets in specifics about self indulgence and wisdom and work and he outlines how when goals, success and focus on those things alone they are also vanity. So we get to chapter three where Solomon first talks about something other than vanity. We are going to read through the passage and after I pray, JH you will be dismissed into small groups.
Don’t let your desire for what is next get in the way of what is now.
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what 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 seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, 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 for war, and a time for peace.
9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 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.
Ecclesiastes 3:9-14 - God’s gift to man
If we have established that seasons are not excuses and that we are to operate in those seasons and be present during those seasons, how do we live as if we are image bearers of a God who is greater than even the hardest season?
9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 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.
LETS PRAY. JH you are dismissed.
Last week I asked the question, what is the point if everything is meaningless? Why do we seek to achieve on earth if we are not citizens of earth?
Solomon answers that question here. He says that all is done in God’s time because he is allowing us to live on earth and work on earth. If you can understand for a second that though we are to live in the midst of seasons, we are not responsible for understand how and why those seasons are as long or as short as they are. The purpose to remain eternally focused. We are not meant to know everything about what God is doing and why is doing it. We were designed to be eternal beings with a focus that extends beyond the direct world we call home right now.
Ecclesiastes 1 : Seasons are not excuses
12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.
14 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.
Okay so last week we talked about how earthly achievement is meaningless and how life moves in cycles of meaningless achievement.
While you are on earth, the joy we get from recieving our reward for working is good. It is the gift that God has given us. But what God does, his work, endures FOREVER. No end. The word used for fear here is synonymous with respect. There is a respect for God because what he has done extends beyond the time we understand.
Picking up the passage in chapter 3 Solomon begins talking about time in a way that adds value to what we do on earth.
Conclusion:
1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
So what does any of this mean? How does this help us answer the question, “When should I take the next step in my faith?” The answer is simply right now.
He begins by telling us that everything on earth has its time. But he uses a word here that is very much christianese.
If you are someone who is in a stage of grieving or sadness, that is okay. The next step in your faith is to be honest and allow someone to help you get through it. If you are sitting there feeling stuck because you aren’t sure you are growing in faith, the next step is to look for something to challenge you. If you are a newer christian and you aren’t sure what comes after accepting Christ, we have baptism coming up. Maybe your next step is publically declaring that Jesus is king of your life. If you have never made a profession of faith. If you are sitting there asking what that even means, maybe this is your chance to step out in faith and experience the freedom that comes with partaking in God’s perfect love.
How many of you have heard someone season “I am in this season in my life right now.” I used to hate that. There still is a since of cheesiness that comes with that. Mostly because it is often misued. We talk about seasons of life in a way that indicates we cannot exit where we currently are. For example, if it is winter and it is snowing, there is nothing we can do to get rid of the snow. There are things we can do to not be cold, however. So we use this as an excuse to continue down a path that may not be one God wants you on. It is the same concept as saying “this is just the way that I am.” It indicates we cannot change, when in reality we should want and seek to change. Seasons are the same.
We cannot operate in as beings being pressed for time. Rather we are called to trust in God’s perfect timing for our lives. Now is the time to find a mentor or someone you can mentor. I’ll make it easy… there are 18 leaders who want to be that for you and a bunch of JH kids that you to be that for them.
Growing up, this is something I heard often. People in church would use it to justify shortcoming. The amount of times I would hear people say, “I feel like I can’t serve because of this season I find myself in.” One time, someone was telling my dad that and he responded by saying, “what about the season Peter was in when he was sentenced to death and they were going to crucify him and he said he didn’t deserve to die like Jesus so they crucified him upside down? Was he in a season to be serving God?” It made me laugh, but he wasn’t wrong. A “season” of life is not a way for us to have an excuse to not do something. It is the reality of being on earth when we do not belong here.
Embrace the season you are in
Seasons are not excuses. They are times in our lives where the way we respond to God might look different.
Trust God’s Timing
LETS PRAY
Ecclesiastes 3:2-8- A matter of when
It is true that we will go through season in life that will make it difficult at times to be all the way present. As a matter of fact this is something that Solomon address started in verse 2.
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what 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 seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, 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 for war, and a time for peace.
You are going to spend some time talking about these more in depth in your small groups, but what do you notice about all of these seasons?
(THEY ARE SIDE BY SIDE COMPARISONS)
They are comparisons! They are opposites. They show that even when you are in your happiest or saddest of moments the opposite will eventually come true. But the point isn’t for us to breakdown what each individual item means theologically. The point is to expand on the point that at one moment or another in your life, you will go through these seasons. We spend so much time looking at where we are at in life and trying to get away from where we are that we do not give ourselves a chance mourn. We do not give ourselves a chance to weep or break down. We only want the good seasons.
In 2015, when I was a junior at Biola, my uncle passed. He had mesothelioma which caused his lungs to just give out. Through the process my cousins and aunt spent the better part of a year at Stanford hospital. They went through months and months of grieving knowing that there was no chance he could get better barring a miracle. We were in Palo Alto when my aunt called and said they were going to take him off the ventilator. We go back to the hospital and all say our goodbyes. This entire time I am just thinking about being there for my cousin who is going through it. Now him and I are the same. He doesn’t do grieving well. After his dad passed away he cries and hugs me for about 2 minutes and then says that the only way to honor his dad is to go to Disneyland for a week. He didn’t cry about his dad again after that. I left the hospital and walked outside and did the same thing. Cried for 2 minutes then logged into my Biola account to add a class for the semester.
My whole life I have been that way. Never allowing myself to grieve. In the moments I have allowed myself to grieve I shut down and feel emotions I didn’t know I had. It is actually what happened at Wildwood in 2021. I think I cried more that week than I had a long time. And it was simply about where I was and where God had me now. I allowed time for that.
Don’t let your desire for what is next get in the way of what is now.
Ecclesiastes 3:9-14 - God’s gift to man
If we have established that seasons are not excuses and that we are to operate in those seasons and be present during those seasons, how do we live as if we are image bearers of a God who is greater than even the hardest season?
9 What gain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 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.
Last week I asked the question, what is the point if everything is meaningless? Why do we seek to achieve on earth if we are not citizens of earth?
Solomon answers that question here. He says that all is done in God’s time because he is allowing us to live on earth and work on earth. If you can understand for a second that though we are to live in the midst of seasons, we are not responsible for understand how and why those seasons are as long or as short as they are. The purpose to remain eternally focused. We are not meant to know everything about what God is doing and why is doing it. We were designed to be eternal beings with a focus that extends beyond the direct world we call home right now.
12 I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.
14 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.
While you are on earth, the joy we get from recieving our reward for working is good. It is the gift that God has given us. But what God does, his work, endures FOREVER. No end. The word used for fear here is synonymous with respect. There is a respect for God because what he has done extends beyond the time we understand.
Conclusion:
So what does any of this mean? How does this help us answer the question, “When should I take the next step in my faith?” The answer is simply right now.
If you are someone who is in a stage of grieving or sadness, that is okay. The next step in your faith is to be honest and allow someone to help you get through it. If you are sitting there feeling stuck because you aren’t sure you are growing in faith, the next step is to look for something to challenge you. If you are a newer christian and you aren’t sure what comes after accepting Christ, we have baptism coming up. Maybe your next step is publically declaring that Jesus is king of your life. If you have never made a profession of faith. If you are sitting there asking what that even means, maybe this is your chance to step out in faith and experience the freedom that comes with partaking in God’s perfect love.
We cannot operate in as beings being pressed for time. Rather we are called to trust in God’s perfect timing for our lives. Now is the time to find a mentor or someone you can mentor. I’ll make it easy… there are 18 leaders who want to be that for you and a bunch of JH kids that you to be that for them.
Embrace the season you are in
Trust God’s Timing
LETS PRAY
