What time is it?
Now don't look at your watch.
I'm not talking about that kind of time.
What time is it in your life right now?
What season of life are you going through?
If we measured our life in terms of the four quarters of a football game,
here's a picture of it.
Here's what it might look like.
In the first quarter, that's from birth to 20 years old.
So that's when you grow up.
That's when a time of learning, of exploring.
It's also a time of joy and pain.
There's also good times, but bad times as well.
The second quarter is when you're 21 to 40 years old.
That's when you're trying to find your place, making your place in this world.
This is when you really should be looking for that mate, settling down, establishing roots, having children.
Really now, this is the time when if we're going to mature, we mature.
Truth is, we don't really and truly grow up in what you call be mature until the second quarter of life,
this 21 through 40 years of age.
Then there's the pains and sorrows, good times and bads in the second quarter of life as well.
Third quarter would be 41 to 60.
This is when you're established.
This is when you are most focused.
You know who you are.
You know where you are.
You know what you're doing.
This is when you launch your children.
When you launch your children out on their own and have the empty nest.
This is when you have grandchildren.
This is when you have joys and pains.
This is when sometimes you have to start looking after and caring for your aging parents.
The third quarter of life.
There's good times and there's bad.
Then the fourth quarter, 61 to 80 years old.
Generally speaking, this is when we're closing out our career.
And for a lot of people, they're launching a second career.
It's amazing how many people in their 60s and on up start new careers.
Do things that they want to do, haven't been able to do in the past.
Maybe do some things they don't have to get paid for like they had to during their working days.
But as you get on up into the fourth quarter, most people have to adjust to a slower paced lifestyle.
That's when you have recognized health issues.
That's when you start realizing your mortality.
It's in the fourth quarter of life that you really have to come to grips with the fact that everything doesn't work like it used to work.
There's more pain physically.
You realize you're wearing out.
You realize your mortality.
There's joy.
But there's pain.
There's good times and bad.
Not many people live beyond 80.
And I know we've got a lot of people in this room that are beyond 80 and doing well.
But if you live past 80, you're beyond the life expectancy.
And so if you're beyond 80, we're going to call that overtime.
Or we could say sudden death.
If you're 81 and up, and I hope I live to be that.
You're winding down.
Not all the way, but you're winding down.
A lot of people this age are struggling to stay active that want to stay active.
Unfortunately, there's increasing loneliness because people you're close to die.
Unfortunately, there's decreasing independence because you just can't do what you used to do.
There's more health problems.
And you really do have to face death.
But even in overtime, there's joys as well as sorrows.
There's good times and there's bad times.
I want you to think about it.
All the emotions and experiences that we have as we go through these quarters of life.
The book of Ecclesiastes actually summarizes them in poetic form in chapter 3.
I want you to turn there with me this morning.
Ecclesiastes chapter 3 is the most well-known chapter in this book.
What we're going to read in verses 1 through 8 to start with is considered the world's most famous poem on the subject of time.
I want us to look at what we see here, this poem about time.
A time for everything.
A lot of Bibles will have at the top as a caption.
This morning I want us to think about how God intends for us to understand and experience the times or the seasons, if you want to call it that,
in which we live and make progress through in this world.
Let's read verses 1 through 8.
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 seek and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to cast away.
A time to tear and a time to sow.
A time to keep silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
He's telling us there's a time for everything.
Notice in verse 2, the preacher, as he refers to himself, the writer, he begins by stating the big picture of life and death.
There's a time to be born and a time to die.
And the rest of these verses, if you think about it, just look at them, glance through there.
They move through the different experiences of life.
All the varied human activities and emotions that we encounter personally or experience personally.
Or we observe it in people we know.
Verse 2.
A time to be born and a time to die.
And really the rest of those sort of explains, summarizes in poetic form all the things that happen.
All the kinds of things.
Everybody doesn't experience all of them.
But all the kinds of things that happen in people's lives from birth to death.
I want you to note how the poem expresses the complexity of life by pointing out the polar opposites in emotions and actions.
Time to born, time to die.
Some of the opposites can be grouped together into a basic pattern of bad times and good times.
It's obvious.
Look at verse 3.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war in verse 8 and a time for peace.
That's obvious.
Total polar opposites.
Bad times and good times.
But they're all not that way.
All the seasons of life, all the times of our lives are not necessarily good or bad.
Look at some of these.
Number 3.
Verse 3.
A time to break down and a time to build up.
Most of the sports fans in here, and even if you just watch the news,
we have seen how many NFL, Major League Baseball stadiums over the years being torn down,
being imploded in order to build a new facility.
We see it all the time.
Neither good nor bad.
It just is.
A time to break down.
A time to build up.
A time to embrace.
A time to refrain from embracing.
Everybody needs to understand that.
There's some people in your life,
top of the list,
your spouse,
your children.
Where it's just natural and spontaneous.
You see them,
maybe you haven't seen them for a while,
you embrace them.
We don't need to embrace everybody.
You don't need to even think in terms of,
I need to hug everybody.
Sometimes it's not appropriate.
Sometimes it's not appreciated.
There's a time to keep silent and a time to speak.
And we all could benefit from thinking about that more, couldn't we?
Each of these can be good when done at the right time and in the right way.
This poem shows the complexity of life as well as the variety.
Just glance through there.
It's telling us that life is full of good times,
hard times,
and then in between times.
If you read that,
it shows that life requires us to make many choices.
We have to make many decisions
that are difficult.
That are complex.
Some we just,
we don't know.
We just do the best that we can.
Now,
some of the things you see in that list,
we could think of,
they just happen to us.
Things like war and peace.
That's not an individual thing.
Some of these things that happens,
talking about happens maybe to a nation,
to groups of people,
as well as individuals.
But,
most of what we see in this takes place in relationships with other people.
just look at it.
Think about this.
If you danced
with your spouse
at your wedding,
one of you
is going to mourn
when they die.
that puts it in the context of a relationship,
a person.
We might laugh together with a friend,
but then weep later on
when the one we used to laugh with
betrays us.
without thinking,
we might reach out
and embrace
some people.
It's just spontaneous,
like I said a moment ago.
But we,
deep down,
we know,
we instinctively
don't embrace other people
because it's just not appropriate.
and think about this.
Let's just be real honest now.
Over time,
we grow to love
some people,
maybe a lot of people,
and we come to hate
some.
It happens.
He's not talking about
what's right or wrong,
good or bad.
The preacher here,
he's just talking about time.
He's talking about the seasons of life.
He's talking about how life really is,
and there's all kinds of emotions
and experiences
that we have
as we go through life.
You know,
how do you measure time?
How do you measure
the seasons of life?
Personally,
think about it for just a moment.
We don't really look
at the calendar that much
as far as measuring our life,
times of our life.
We certainly don't look at a watch.
We measure time
and seasons of life
more by our relationships
than anything else.
You look back over your life,
first quarter,
second quarter,
third quarter,
wherever you are.
You think about how you think
of yourself.
We identify more
along the lines of being a son
or a sister
or a mother
or a teacher
or a grandfather
or a something friend
or a widow.
We think in terms
of our life
mostly
in terms of relationships
with other people.
these are the times
or seasons
that God gives us
that matter most.
Time
with people.
Time that involves
people.
That involves
true relationships
with people.
Now look over the list
one more time.
Just glance at these things.
Look at them quickly.
there's one common
element
about
everybody's
times
or seasons.
We have no control
over most of these things.
We have no control
over most of what
he's talking about.
We don't determine
the day we'll be born.
We don't determine
the day that we will die.
Surely you don't choose
the days
that you will weep.
If it was up to us
we would not.
If it was up to us
we would
just make sure
that all our days
were filled with
laughter
joy
not
weeping
and pain.
You know we
we make decisions
every day.
I'm not talking about
we don't do anything.
We make decisions
we're supposed to make decisions
we're held responsible
for our decisions.
But the fact is
the kind of things
he's talking about
here in this poem
these things
in the seasons
of our life
are almost
completely
out of our hands.
we can't
control them
we can't
predict them.
There's a time
for everything
but we don't
get to decide
when those times
will be.
I want you to
understand that.
Young people
may need to
especially understand
this but
others as well.
There's a time
for everything.
There's a time
about planting
and plucking up
killing
healing
weeping
laughing
mourning
dancing
but
so often
we don't get
to decide
when we dance
when we weep
when we mourn.
that leads us
to the next
major point
in this whole
section.
We do not
control our
times
God does.
I want you to
look back
at verse 1
for everything
there is a season
and a time
for every matter
under heaven
that is significant
so far
the preacher
has been
talking about
life under
the sun
and he's
been talking
about the
futility of
life under
the sun
a lot of
things about
life in this
world is
pointless
and he talks
about life
under the sun
he's talking
about life
where we
leave God
out
where he's
not involved
things we
do and so
forth
where we
don't even
bring God
into our
thinking
or into
how we
act
our relationship
we have no
relationship
with him
well this
phrase
under heaven
most likely
is calling us
to not think
of life under
the sun
like we've
been doing
but to change
our focus
now
life under
heaven
life under
the eye
of God
now it could
be let's be
honest
some people
believe that
under heaven
is just another
way of saying
under the sun
but
if you read
all that's left
in this chapter
and we're
going to read
verses 9
through 15
in a moment
it seems
that Solomon
is giving us
a different
perspective on
life now
he is
he's bringing
God into
the equation
he's talking
about what
God does
what God
knows
what we
can and
can't know
about him
ourselves
we don't
control our
time
God
does
and in
the context
of this
chapter
especially
verses 11
through 15
we're talking
about now
life before
God
life under
heaven
note in
verse 14
what God
does
look at the
phrase
endures
forever
and God
is the one
who
look at
verse 11
has made
everything
beautiful
or beautifully
fitting
it's not
beautiful in
terms of
the picture
of loveliness
but beautifully
fitting
or appropriate
appropriate
is the
translation
a lot of
times
besides
beautiful
God is
one who
has made
everything
fitting
appropriate
beautifully
fitting
in its
time
now think
about it
because God
lives forever
he works
in ways
big picture
ways
that will
accomplish
his purpose
and he's not
really working
just in the
little confines
of our
experiences
or even
our whole
life
we don't
see everything
God sees
we know
that but we
didn't let it
sort of sink
in we
don't and
can't see
everything
that God
sees
therefore some
of the things
that happen
in our lives
don't make
sense
I want you
to hear that
from Ecclesiastes
other places
in the Bible
some things
happen to us
in this world
some things
happen around
us in this
world that do
not make sense
to us but that
does not mean
that they are
not without
purpose
we can't
see as God
sees because
we're not
God
we don't
have that
eternal or
heavenly perspective
as he does
some of the
things not only
don't make
sense but they
just don't
seem right
they don't
seem good
this is where
faith comes
in
the Christian
I want to
use I'll use
the word
religion but I
don't like to
Christian religion
is a life
of faith
it's supernatural
it's not just
what we see
and can touch
and feel
we have to
know God
by faith
trust him
Hebrews chapter
11 tells us
in a big way
we have to
trust that our
sovereign and
good and wise
God is working
according to a
bigger picture
than we can see
and we need
to trust
we've got to
trust that his
picture of our
lives will turn
out the most
beautifully fitting
they could possibly
be
see think about
God has a
picture in mind
of your life
of what he
wants you to be
how he wants
your life to turn
out who he wants
you to influence
and all these
kind of things
and God is
working through
all circumstances
people
everything in your
life God's
working to bring
that about
good times
bad times
sad times
happy times
let's look at
some of the
very things
that disturb us
here for a
moment
number three
we will always
have unanswered
questions about
what God is
doing and why
he's doing it
now let's look
at verse nine
what gain has
the worker
from his toil
I have seen
the busyness
that God has
given to the
children of man
to be busy
with 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
think about
what he's
saying there
part of being
wise in this
world is
learning to
accept
that we
have only
a limited
access
to the big
picture God
is working
on in this
world
God has
made us in
such a way
look at verse
11
God has
made us in
such a way
that we know
there is a
bigger picture
it says he
has put
eternity
into man's
heart
we know
there is more
to life than
what we just
see
we know
there is more
to life than
just our
existence
you know the
Bible tells us
in Romans
chapter 1
that God
makes himself
known through
nature
but the
theologians
call natural
revelation
the idea is
God made
human beings
in such a
way that when
we look around
at the
complexity and
beauty and
order of
nature
there is just
something within
us that says
that didn't
just happen
there is a
God who
made it
and then in
Romans chapter
2 Paul talks
about how
God has
put his
word in
our conscience
he has
written his
word in
our hearts
so that we
naturally not
understand all
things about
scripture but
that we
naturally
understand right
and wrong
we are born
into this world
with an innate
understanding that
some things are
right and some
things are wrong
that's because we
created the image
of God
that's what God
has done
and this goes
along with it
God has
created us
look at it
again
verse 11
he has put
eternity
into man's
heart
we know
there is
more
we know
life is more
complex
than what we
can understand
but then look
at the next
verse
or next part
of the verse
it says
we cannot
find out
what God
has done
from the
beginning
to the
end
you heard
that right
God has
created
eternity
within us
we know
there is
something else
but he
doesn't tell
us everything
about what
the else
is
there is a
lot of
mystery in
life
there is a
lot of
mystery about
the person
and work
of God
and that is
what this
passage is
talking about
nobody has
all the
answers
no one
even
understands
all the
questions
God is
not being
cruel
not a
joke
by not
telling us
everything
we just
can't
understand
everything
about God
because we're
not God
we can't
understand
his mind
his ways
his wisdom
his purpose
we'll
understand
some things
in heaven
but we'll
never understand
everything
that God
knows
because we'll
never be
God
David Gibson
provides us
with a good
perspective
on all
this
look at
what he
says
it is part
of living
well to
accept two
things
first
we are
enclosed
within
times
bounds
and second
God is
not
we live
in time
and space
it's all
we can
see
hear
understand
God
does not
what we
do
comes
and goes
but whatever
God does
endures
forever
we are
each
building
the
project
of
me
constructing
the
edifice
of our
lives
but as
we do
so
we are
neither
the
architect
nor
the
site
manager
we are
each
writing
the story
of our
lives
but we
are not
the main
author
now if you
have this
sense in
you of
just
you are
independent
you always
do it
my way
that's
very
frustrating
to you
but that's
the truth
that's
the reality
God is
sovereign
over this
world
he is
sovereign
over
our
lives
God
has
put us
in this
world
made us
as we
are
we have
certain
responsibilities
we do
make real
choices
that affect
the way
we live
but God
works
in and
through
and around
and in
spite of
our
choices
and decisions
that means
sometimes we
just cannot
understand
why everything
happens
as it does
in the world
and even
in our
lives
now sometimes
we suffer
pain and
hardship
because
of things
we willfully
intentionally
did
that's the
law of the
harvest
you reap
what you
sow
sometimes we
can do
just foolish
things
and it
comes back
to bite
us
we suffer
as consequences
but some
things happen
we had
nothing to
do with
it
we said
did
nothing
wrong
whatsoever
as you
just look
at life
as we
just live
life
sometimes
we or
other people
suffer for
no apparent
reason
nothing will
ever be
revealed in
this world
that will
make sense
of the
school
shooting
in Florida
last week
or any
school
shooting
and no
answers
will ever
comfort the
grieving parents
of those who
died
there just
are none
we're going to
see next week
that God
is just
and that
there's going
to be a day
of judgment
there's going
to be a day
of reckoning
for all
people
and there's
specifically
going to be
the day
of reckoning
for the
wicked
and we're
supposed to
count on
that
we're supposed
to depend
upon God
to settle
the score
to make
things right
one day
we'll talk
about that
a little bit
more next
week
but our
questions
remain
God may be
just but we
don't understand
some of them
will never
be answered
and we just
need to accept
that
here's the thing
God is not
accountable to us
God does not
have to explain
himself
he is God
he is holy
he is sovereign
he is good
he is all wise
all knowing
all powerful
he is God
and we are not
he is not
accountable
to explain
himself to us
he does not
explain everything
he does
he does not
explain everything
he allows
we just have
to accept
it
if that bothers
us we just
have to get
over it
if we're
going to really
have a relationship
with God
it's his
decision
what we know
what we don't
know
but God
can be trusted
to work
everything out
for ultimate
good
you know
the story
of Joseph
in a nutshell
Joseph
a privileged
son
hated by
his brothers
sold into
slavery
taken to a
foreign country
he knew
he didn't know
the culture
didn't know
the language
didn't know
anything
but he sought
to be faithful
to God
and faithful
to the man
who bought
him
and God
just
raised him
up in that
man Potiphar's
house
he became
the lead
servant
over everything
well Potiphar's
wife took a
liking to him
she tried to
seduce him
and one day
she got his
coat
he was so
committed to
not
sinning against
God that way
he said
he just ran
out
from his
coat
she accused
him of
assault
he wound up
in prison
he struggled
there
but finally
by the grace
of God
somebody
remembered
Joseph
in the prison
brought him
out to
Pharaoh
he interpreted
Pharaoh's
dreams
and Pharaoh
put him in
charge of all
of Egypt
prime minister
of Egypt
now that was
all over
13 years
Joseph's
brothers
who had
sold him
things were
bad at home
they had to
go down to
Egypt
and try to
buy food
and to make
a long story
short
when they
got to
Egypt
and they
found out
Joseph
was the
man they
were dealing
with
they were
scared to
death
they just
knew he
was going
to justly
exact revenge
for what they
had done to
him
here's what
Joseph said
to his
brothers
as for you
you meant
evil against
me
but God
meant it for
good
to bring
it about
that many
people should
be kept
alive
as they
are today
Joseph
understood
what his
brothers did
were wrong
it was
evil
he couldn't
understand why
they would
do that
but God
worked through
all that
their willful
mean
intentions
to save
his people
through Joseph
Paul assures us
that God's
working for our
ultimate good
in Romans 8
28
you know
that verse
Joseph's life
story just
plays it out
this passage
does not
end with
unanswered
questions
quickly
it concludes
with some
very positive
answers
look at it
we can
experience joy
and contentment
during our
times by
trusting God's
sovereign plan
look at verse
12
quickly here
I perceive
that there's
nothing better
for them
than to be
joyful
and to do
good as long
as they live
also that
everyone should
eat and drink
and take pleasure
in all
is toil
this is
God's
gift
to man
that's similar
to what we
looked at
at the end
last week
a lot of us
a lot of people
including us
as Christians
have perfected
the art
of worrying
a lot of people
the way they
react
respond to
uncertainty
is to worry
but as a result
we
when we do
that we miss
out on the
blessings
that God
provides
in the
present
God
wants us
to learn
to enjoy
his blessings
today
and do
good with
them
is what he
said in
verses 12
and 13
we just
read
what stands
out most
that we
ought to see
in these
verses
is how
what God
gives us
we need
to readily
acknowledge
they are
gifts
from God
he is not
advocating
this secular
mindset of
eat drink
and be merry
for tomorrow
you may die
this is an
expression of
faith
in the goodness
and grace
of God
he is telling
us
whatever God
gives us
the blessings
he gives us
enjoy them
but enjoy
them not
just in
and of
themselves
enjoy them
as coming
from God
remember the
giver
not just
the gift
is what
he is talking
about
we cannot
truly
understand
or control
the times
or the
seasons
of our
life
but God
can
and God
does
he holds
our times
in his
sovereign
hands
God
intends for us
to be like
children who
trust their
parents
to know
what's best
because
they can see
what their
children can't
they know
what their
children are not
capable of
what they're not
capable of doing
or knowing
such a
relationship of
trust in the
life of a
child is
built on the
character of
the parents
I know it
takes a while
for a child
to trust that
when a parent
says no
they mean it
for their
good
but boys and
girls
teenagers
there should
come a time
in your life
where you
reach the
maturity to
know
my parents
love me so
much
that they're
willing to
say no
about certain
things even
though it
causes conflict
in the
home
even though it
breaks my
heart I don't
get to do
what I want
to do
even though
it's just
anything but
good at the
time
when you reach
that point of
maturity when you
realize your
parents love you
so much they'll
do whatever's
necessary to
help you take
care of you look
out for you
then you won't
resent them so
much
then you'll be
able to hear
that no or
not now
as words of
love
words of
wisdom
that'll benefit
you
our God
is a God
of love
of wisdom
of kindness
we can trust
our times
we can trust
our lives
in his hands
if you ever
doubt that
remember he
sent his son
Jesus into
this world
to die
to pay the
penalty for
our sins
so that through
faith in Jesus
we can be
forgiven
made children
of God
for all
eternity
that's how
much God
loves us
trust him
with your
times
trust him
in the season
of life
that you're in
now
regardless of
what you
think
what you
know
what you
don't
know
God
is
trustworthy
let's pray
together
dear God
show us
now how we
should respond
to you
show us
father how we
are responding
are we
fighting you
are we just
griping and
complaining
or are we
trusting you
and just
seeking to be
responsible
learn what we
can but
accept what
we can't
so work
in us
dear God
that we
know what
we ought
to do
if there's
people in
here who
do not
know Christ
as their
Lord and
Savior
help them
to see
that is
their
greatest
need
right now
so work
in them
to enable
them to
call upon
Jesus
to save
them
and in an
attitude of
prayer you
just obey
the Lord
and do
what he's
calling you
to do
and if you'd
like to pray
here at the
front right
now I
will be here
at the front
and be happy
to do
that