hold the mic in his hand is that actually many years ago we got him in the second hand shot but
hope it will get better than that as we go through but at any rate we we come to to look at
god's word this morning and um i don't know whether you like myself uh like some of those
adverts on on television um i particularly like the spec saver adverts and i always find them quite
quite amusing i like that one with the older couple and they sit down to enjoy their cheese sandwiches
and suddenly they're caught in in a cage and they're on some ride which absolutely terrifies
them and you see them wobbling away at the end and he's saying to his wife i don't know what you put
in those cheese sandwiches and the advert is of course you should have gone to spec savers they
sat down in the wrong place because they couldn't see properly i wonder what kind of glasses you're
wearing this morning whether you're seeing things clearly and indeed if we look at the book of
ecclesiastes we can see there that the uh solomon who was a writer of this uh looks through the
spectacles of unbelief and he also looks through the spectacles of belief as he looks through the
spectacles of unbelief as so many people do nothing makes sense if you leave god out of the equation
nothing is seen clearly all is vanity meaningless a chasing after the wind
a number a couple of years ago i went to a funeral i'd never been to a funeral like it before it was
a secular funeral there was no mention of god and it struck me because the lady who was leading that
funeral actually quoted from this particular book ecclesiastes i don't think she knew she was
quoting from it and she quoted the word there is a time for everything and it's a time to be born
and a time to die she didn't say anything about heaven but she said there is a time for everything
a time to be born and a time to die what she didn't realize was ecclesiastes taught the futility of
life without god no substance in this life it's just like the morning mist it vanishes away if we look at
life through the spectacles of unbelief looking at the world in that way we come to the conclusion of
ecclesiastes 1 and verse 14 i have seen all the things that are done under the sun all of them are
meaningless a chasing after the wind that's the spectacles of unbelief but if we look through the
spectacles of belief we see god is we see god's hand in all things and his purpose is being worked out
and if we look through the spectacles of unbelief of course we'll reach a different conclusion
ecclesiastes 2 and verse 24 a man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction
in his work this too i see is from the hand of god for without him who can eat or find enjoyment
or ecclesiastes 3 and verse 14 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 men may revere him
so solomon reaches a conclusion that men ought to seek god from their youth and he comes to the end of
the ecclesia the book of ecclesiastes he says to young people in particular remember your creator
in the days of your youth before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say
i find no pleasure in them so always look through the spectacles of belief do it constantly from youth
upwards for that will lead to a happy and blessed life so i ask you the question this morning what
spectacles are you wearing are they the spectacles of belief or the spectacles of unbelief and if your
particular circumstances this morning mean that you're not seeing clearly i trust that this message
will enable you to see that all things are indeed in god's hands and his ecclesiastes 3 and verse 1 says
there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven so what do these verses
teach us that we read together this morning well the first thing i want to do is to lay down a principle
which i think he does in his that first verse there is a time for everything and a season for everything
every activity under heaven and the principle is surely this that time is in god's hands time
is at the heart of this section of scripture solomon wants us to know that god ordains all events
and that everything happens according to his timetable there is an appointed period for every activity
for all that happens in life it was true in solomon's day and it hasn't stopped being true that time
is in god's hands and the principle is not just here indeed it is right throughout scripture for isn't god the
creator of time go back to genesis 1 and verse 1 and we have a beginning a beginning of what the beginning of time
before that there was eternity but in the beginning at the start of it all when the clock began to tick
it was by the hands of an almighty all-powerful god in the beginning god created the heavens and the earth it was god
who ordained that the clock would begin to tick it was in the hands of eternal god the days the nights the seasons
were all ordained by him he himself of course remains outside of time he is the eternal i am he is the eternal
ever present god he's not restricted by time as you and i are restricted by time we read that one day with him
it is a thousand years and a thousand years are as one day god ordains time
there is a time for everything and god ordained at that time if it's true that god is a creator of time
it is also true that god will bring time to an end we see that in our own individual lives we are told
there a time to be born and a time to tithe since time is in his hands it follows that it is his prerogative
to bring time to an end it's true for us as individual but it's true also for the whole of time
an old hymn puts it like this when the trumpet of the lord will sound and time
will be no more a time will be ushered in the bible calls it the day of judgment eternity will then
come time will come to an end and eternity will be ushered in
paul makes this very clear when he preaches at athens in acts chapter 17 and verse 31
for he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice an eternity which will be heaven
for those who have put their trust in the lord jesus christ or hell for those who have not put their
trust in the lord jesus christ and remember that it will be at that time eternity an eternal life
death or an eternal death there will be no end now if god is the creator of time and god who will also
bring time to an end it surely follows and we're still looking at the principle of time that all things
in between are according to his timetable chapter 3 and verse 1 makes it clear and particularly in the
authorized version it puts it like this a time for every purpose under the heaven it is his purpose that
we're talking about here that solomon is mentioning we mustn't think of god as a kind of divine watchmaker
who made the watch at the beginning of time who wound it up and left it to run on its own sweet way
no god is intimately involved in his creation in the timing of events and scripture is clear about this
right from genesis through to revelation we see god working out his purposes in time individuals are involved
nations are involved but it is his purposes that are being worked out in time
sometimes this comes across very clearly when god announces his plan remember that
time when nebuchadnezzar had a dream in daniel chapter 2 and he read of a statue whose head was of gold and
so forth right down to the feet part of iron and part of clay nebuchadnezzar didn't know what it meant
but daniel by the hand of god is able to interpret the dream and this is what he says in daniel 2 and verse 45
the great god has shown the king what will take place in the future in the time of those kings
the god of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed the parts of the statue represented
various kingdoms various empires they would all come to an end but the time would come when god would set
up a kingdom he announces his plan because time is at his in his hands and of course we read
in the time of those kingdoms a kingdom was set up for galatians 4 and verse 4 tells us when the time
had fully come when god's plan had been brought to fruition god sent his son born of a woman
made under the law and even as we look at the life of the lord jesus we again see god ordaining time
there were occasions when jesus was taken by men or could have been taken by men and thrown over a cliff
or stoned to death but the bible tells us his time was not yet but then jesus prays in john
17 and verse 17 and verse 1 father he says the time has come and he hangs on the cross according to god's
timetable because time was in god's hands there is a time for everything and a season for every activity
under heaven that is the principle god is a creator of time there will come a time when god will bring
time to an end and usher in eternity and all that happens in between are according to his perfect time
table and you say to me well that's all right we've seen the big picture but you don't know what's going on
in my life am i my is my life in god's hands indeed our life is in god's hands and that's our second point this morning
every person born into this world is born according to god's timetable
oh i know we could look at this biologically two people come together and nine months later a child
is born but nothing but nothing happens outside of his control he is the giver of life
paul preaches to the people of athens from one man he made every nation of men that they should inhabit the
whole earth and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live
for in him for in him we live and move and have our being we are his offspring and paul wasn't preaching
there to christians he was preaching to a heathen people but he says your times ultimately are in god's hands
they have been set by him he has determined your times and the exact places where you should live
you are he says ultimately god's offspring
and when solomon pens these lines he says very clearly that a time has been set for all men
and women a time to be born and a time to die
psalm 139 and verse 16 all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be
and isn't that what solomon is saying here to us all
everything that happens in between our birth and our death
is part of god's plan for each one of us
look at verses 2 down to verse 8
and solomon gives a list of contrasts
he gives them
so that we might know that everything takes place according
to his
appointed
timetable
one writer has put it like this
every detail of life
serves an overall purpose
and plays its part in bringing that purpose
to pass
seemingly chance events
are all tied up
in his
eternal plan
all of these activities
all of these happenings that he lists
there are according to his purpose
there's a story told
of a man who was sent on a horse
to bring reinforcements
in order that a battle might be fought
it was an important battle
but the blacksmith hadn't done a very good job on the horse's shoe
a nail hadn't been placed properly
so on the way
the man
the horse became lame
because the shoe was loose
so the reinforcements were not brought
the battle was lost
and the kingdom was lost
and somebody wrote a little rhyme on it
for want of a nail
the shoe was lost
for want of a shoe
the horse was lost
for want of a horse
the rider was lost
for want of a rider
the battle was lost
for want of a battle
a kingdom was lost
and all for the want
of a horseshoe nail
the little things in life
that seem so unimportant
are all working
according to his purpose
those times in our lives
the planting
the uprooting
the weeping
the laughing
the mourning
the dancing
the war
the peace
they're all part of the fabric
of our everyday lives
all ordained by God
because our times
are in his hands
what he is saying
surely
the good times
and the bad times
the highs
and the lows
of everyday life
our health
our illnesses
our birth
and our death
for the believer
they are part of those
all things
that work together
for good
to those that love God
and to those
that are the code
according to his purpose
all that takes place
between our life
and death
happens
under his
sovereign hand
our times
have been
ordained
for us
and of course
there are
so many
applications
to this truth
that help us
today
help us
today
as we
meet
the demands
that are placed
upon us
in our day
to day
life
that will help us
in the weeks
that lie ahead
and I want to close
with a number
of applications
the first application
is surely this
that life
has meaning
as we remember
these truths
the unbeliever
looks as everything
as luck
or chance
que sera
sera
whatever
will be
a fatalistic
approach
he may have
but the believer
says
with Solomon
in Ecclesiastes
chapter 3
and verse 11
the latter part
of it
he has set
eternity
in the hearts
of men
yet they cannot
fathom what
God has done
from the beginning
to end
but the believer
can recognize
the hand
of God
and he knows
that his life
has meaning
everything
you see
is meaningless
if we leave
God out
we can work
but what do we
work for
to leave
any money
that we may
earn
to someone
else
but the Christian
believes
that seemingly
chance events
are all tied up
into God's
eternal plan
he knows
that he's not
a mere cog
in a wheel
but here
for the glory
of God
to be pleasing
to God
and the sad
times
and the hard
times
work for his
good
and the glory
of God
and he's able
to say
with the psalmist
my times
are in
your hands
he has
you see
this confidence
confidence
in God
a confidence
that God
is able
to work
his purposes
out
a confidence
that God
works out
everything
according to
the counsel
of his
will
do you
recognize
then God
as being
the author
of time
do you
recognize
that God
is working
his purpose
out
in your
life
today
life
has meaning
if you
remember
these
truths
the second
application
is surely
this
we should
not be
anxious
regarding
our
times
William
Freeman
Lloyd
wrote
a hymn
and this
is what
he said
in his
hymn
my times
are in
thy hand
why should
I doubt
or fear
a father's
hand
will never
cause
his child
a needless
tear
doesn't mean
to say
we won't
cry
as different
things happen
to us
in time
but there
won't be
a needless
tear
we should
not be
anxious
about
our
times
and we
are anxious
at times
aren't we
we worry
about
the past
which we
cannot
alter
we worry
about
the present
because
things happen
to us
that seem
to be
outside
of our
control
I've been
reading in
my own
quiet time
through the
book of
Job
what a
difficult time
that man
had
he doesn't
understand
what is
happening
to him
and even
as we
come to
the end
of the
book
he doesn't
fully
understand
what God
is doing
and yet
behind it
all
there's
this
trust
in the
living
God
and we
can have
that trust
too
we should
not be
anxious
concerning
what is
happening
to us
in the
present
but also
we worry
don't we
about the
future
as we
see
problems
arising
yes
we enjoy
the
planting
but perhaps
we don't
like
the
uprooting
perhaps
there's
those
times
when we
like to
build
but we
don't
like
the
tearing
down
the
difficulties
that come
into our
life
and we're
worried about
what might
happen
in the
future
so that
we live
not as
those who
recognize
that there
is a
purpose
to every
activity
under
heaven
but we
live our
lives as
practical
atheists
failing to
put into
practice
what we
say
we
believe
but
God is
in
control
no season
no event
no time
is outside
of his
control
and we
can trust
him
it is
this
attitude
that gave
Paul the
contentment
that he
had
you remember
how he speaks
in Philippians
4 and
verse 11
he's received
a gift
and he
thanks the
people for
their gifts
but he
says I'm
not speaking
in respect
of want
because I
says he
says I've
learned in
whatsoever
state I
am
whatever the
circumstances
I've learned
to be
content
and the
secret of
contentment
is surely
to recognize
the hand
of God
in our
times
we should
not be
anxious
about
those
times
a farmer
was once
asked the
question
what was
the reason
for his
contentment
well he
said it's
like this
he said
when it
rains
I let
it
and there's
a lot of
truth in
that isn't
there
there are
things that
we cannot
alter
but though
that we
might learn
to be
content
whatever
happens
to our
time
God
ultimately
knows
what is
best
for us
you may
say to
me
what happens
then
regarding
the problem
of sin
we may
be sinned
against
we may
sin
ourselves
is this
out of
God's
timetable
well we
are responsible
for our
sin
and we
will have
to answer
for our
sin the
same as
everybody
will have
to answer
for their
sin
but
ultimately
even sin
itself
cannot
thwart
the purposes
of God
he can
and he
does
overrule
to bring
about
his
purposes
those
seasons
for his
activity
under
heaven
we see
this in
the life
of Joseph
remember
his brother
sold him
you meant
it for
evil
he said
God
meant
it for
good
it doesn't
excuse
his brother
sins
but it
sees
God
overruling
the wickedness
of men
to bring
about
his
purposes
and do
not
we see
this
in the
life
of the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
God
planned
in all
eternity
the death
of his
beloved
son
upon
the
cross
of
Calvary
this
man
says
Peter
on the
day
of
Pentecost
filled
with the
spirit
I remind
you
this
man
was
handed
over
to
you
by
according
to
God's
set
purpose
and
for
knowledge
and
you
with
the
help
of
wicked
men
put
him
to
death
nailing
him
to
the
cross
wicked
men
put
Jesus
on the
cross
but it
worked
the
purposes
of
God
cannot
sin
still
work
the
purposes
of
God
today
I
know
who
holds
the
future
and
he'll
guide
me
with
his
hand
with
God
things
don't
just
happen
everything
by
him
is
planned
so
as
I
face
tomorrow
with
his
problems
large
and
small
I'll
trust
the
God
of
miracles
give
to
him
my
all
time
is
in
his
hands
two
final
points
in
by
way
of
application
we
should
all
of
us
remember
that
we
are
here
for
such
a
time
as
this
if
we
believe
that
there
is
a
time
to
be
born
and
the
Bible
says
that
is
a
time
and
if
we
believe
that
our
times
are
in
God's
hands
it
follows
that
we
are
here
now
because
the
Lord
has
planned
us
to
be
here
at
this
time
remember
the
story
of
Esther
remember
that
drunken
banquet
where
the
queen
who
rejected
her
husband's
request
remember
the
sordid
beauty
contest
remember
how
Esther
keeps
quiet
about
her
Jewish
heritage
and
she
comes
to
the
throne
remember
what
is
said
to
her
you
are
here
for
such
a
time
as
this
and
the
Jewish
people
are
saved
we
are
here
for
such
a
time
as
this
we
are
here
to
serve
our
Lord
and
Savior
Jesus
Christ
in
our
places
of
employment
we
are
here
for
such
a
time
as
this
in
our
schools
in
our
hospital
bed
in
our
university
at
the
particular
address
that we
live
in
there
are
neighbors
around
about
us
we
are
here
for
such
a
time
as
this
and
we're
here
as
part
of
this
church
for
such
a
time
as
this
we
are
to
live
our
lives
as
Jesus
lived
his
life
he
submitted
himself
to
God's
timetable
for
his
life
anything
else
is
just
so
much
meaninglessness
we
are
here
for
such
a
time
as
this
and
the
final
word
by way
of
application
we
are
not
here
forever
ever
in a
little
booklet
it
spoke
of
a
man
is
speaking
he's
writing
it
being
in
his
early
80s
and
he's
saying
there's
more
before
me
than
is
behind
me
he
was
in
effect
saying
that
there
is
an
eternity
to
face
he
says
when
I
get
together
with
my
colleagues
now
we
always
have
an
organ
recital
how's
your
heart
how's
your
kidneys
how's
your
back
it's
always
an
organ
recital
but
we're
not
here
forever
that
was
the
burden
of
the
book
we
are
ever
complaining
said
someone
that
our
days
are
few
and
at
the
same
time
acting
as
though
they
will
never
end
there
is
a
time
to
die
sometimes
the
Christian
is
accused
of
not
living
in
the
real
world
but
I
would
argue
and
scripture
would
argue
that
it's
only
the
Christian
who
lives
in
the
real
world
because
the
Christian
lives
in
the
light
of
eternity
he
always
remembers
that
his
citizenship
is
in
heaven
he
and
he
and
he
will
bring
our
life
to
a
close
it
may
be
while
we're
still
young
so
young
people
here
this
morning
live
your
life
in
the
light
of
eternity
We turn on the radio, don't we?
And we hear of a seven-year-old being suddenly struck by a truck or whatever it was
and killed, ushered into eternity.
We never know.
Death comes to us all at some time.
Day will come when God will bring our lives to a close.
Therefore, we should constantly live to redeem the time.
We should use it wisely and well.
Time, said a writer, is the deposit each one of us has in the bank of God.
And no one knows the balance.
We can check our balance in the bank,
but we can't check our balance as far as time is concerned.
So let us live our lives, as one man put it,
as though Jesus died yesterday,
rose again from the dead today,
and is coming again tomorrow.
A time to be born,
a time to die.
And all the times in between,
the planting, the uprooting,
the embracing and the refraining from embracing,
they're all part of his timetable.
So let us live our lives
remembering that we're not here forever.
Our times are indeed in God's hands,
and there is a time for everything,
a season for every activity under heaven.
Let's pray together.
Lord, thank you for your divine timetable.
Help us to be ready to submit to it,
both those difficult times
and those joyous times.
Those times, O Lord,
that we face difficulties.
May we face them,
knowing that you're still working out your purposes.
Knowing that all things are working together for good
to those that love God
and to those that are according to his purpose.
Help us to live our lives
remembering that we do not know
how many days we have left.
Indeed, how many hours or minutes we may have left.
So help us to live,
to glorify you
in all that we say and do
in all circumstances of life.
And this we pray in Jesus' name.
Amen.