To Everything There Is a Season
Ecclesiastes 3:1–8
I’m doing something today. I did something today that I don’t know if I’ve ever done that could be good or that could be bad, right? I woke up this morning and God just put another verse and passage on my heart and I was like, “No, I don’t want to do that. I’ve already got the message ready.” You can come up with a message right before church. Yeah, that’s what I want you to do.
And today we were going to go to James. Lord willing, we’ll be there next Sunday. But today where the Lord has led me is to the book of Ecclesiastes. I do invite you to open up your Bibles, pull up your phone, go to the book of Ecclesiastes. We’re going to be in chapter 3.
You know, the book of Proverbs is known as a book of wisdom, as is the book of Ecclesiastes. Proverbs, it’s believed, was written primarily by Solomon, King Solomon. And in Ecclesiastes, the same is believed. The name Ecclesiastes, it’s a Greek translation from the Hebrew word Qoheleth, which means one who convenes an assembly or preacher. The book of Ecclesiastes is presented as several wise sayings of a wise individual believed to be King Solomon.
The book of Ecclesiastes, if you read through it, it can seem negative. It can seem kind of disheartening, kind of discouraging, but ultimately it drives home that worldly pursuits, worldly possessions, even achievements—those aren’t going to give you true joy and true peace. We’re going to find that when we pursue God. If we don’t have God in our life, all is vanity. The book of Ecclesiastes concludes saying, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is man’s all.”
Now, where the Lord led me today—just again, it was about 5 in the morning, and it was just, “No, you’re going to another passage,” Ecclesiastes 3, which is, by the way, I would say the most well-known chapter in the book of Ecclesiastes. It’s one that many of y’all have heard before. The title for our message today is To Everything There Is a Season.
We’re going to read there in chapter 3 and we’re going to begin in verse one. Ecclesiastes chapter 3 beginning in verse one. I do invite you to stand with me in honor of the reading of the word of God. There in Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verse one beginning there. The word of God says,
“To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck what 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;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, 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.”
Opening Prayer
God, we love you and I just thank you for your word. And Lord, during this brief time that we have in your word where we’re reminded that to everything there is a season, God, I pray you would use this today to mold us, God, to shape us, God, more and more. Shape us more and more as believers in Jesus Christ. But God, I just pray you would use it in the way that it’s needed in each one. And certainly I pray if there’s one that needs to give their life to Jesus, I pray this would be the time right here in this place that they give their life to you. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray. All God’s people said, “Amen.”
New Seasons Are Part of Life
You know, this passage speaks about to everything there is a season. Do you ever remember times in your life when you’re in a new season?
You know, Scott and Rebecca, they’re entering a new season as he’s stepping out in faith to follow God. Chances are good that most people in here, if not all, you’ve had times in your life where you’ve noticed the season has changed. You know what I mean? Where you’re in a new season of life. Maybe you got done with middle school and now you’re in high school. Maybe you got done with high school and now you’re in college. It’s a new season. Maybe you’ve gotten done with school altogether and now you’re working and you’re trying to figure out this new career or getting used to the grind of working. Maybe you’re just meeting somebody and you’re getting into a relationship. Maybe you’re getting married. Maybe you’re having a child. Maybe your spouse of many years passed away. Maybe you had hardship with your kids and your kid passed away. Maybe someone else you love passed away. Maybe your health is failing. There’s all kinds of seasons that we go through and many of y’all in here have been through many of them. Amen. To everything there is a season.
I want to ask a question. Do you ever struggle with entering a new season? Do you ever—maybe you’re struggling today? Maybe today you’re in a relatively new season and it’s hard. Or maybe today you’ve been in a season for a while that’s new and you’re still struggling. Anybody ever transition to another season and you just keep struggling with that new—change is hard and a new season is hard.
But I tell you something I hope that we’re reminded of today is that different seasons are a part of life. In this passage in Ecclesiastes 3, the author—likely Solomon under the inspiration of God—he gives 14 different comparisons in those eight verses. And he says to everything there is a season. There’s a time to be born and there’s a time to die. There’s a time to mourn and there’s a time to dance. Right? There’s all these different examples Solomon gives us. And something it reminds us of is seasons and the changing of seasons is our life. It’s a part of life. Different seasons are a part of life. It’s part of what we go through on this journey before eternity in heaven, if we give our life to Jesus. Different seasons are a part of life.
If you’re in a new season or you’ve been in a season and you’ve been struggling for a while, I hope you remember that that’s part of the journey. That’s part of the journey. Different seasons are a part of this journey. And to everything there is a season. And it goes on to say, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” There is a purpose for every season. Amen.
There Is a Purpose for Every Season
Whatever season you’re in right now, God can work in that season. Even if it’s a hard season, there’s a reason for the season that you’re in. Whatever situation you’re in in life right now, it might be a hard season for you. It might be a great season. I don’t know where each person is at, but I do know this. If we live life long enough, we’re going to go through different seasons. Some of them are going to be exciting. Some are going to be fun. Some of them are going to be hard. Amen. And sometimes we struggle in those seasons. But I hope if you’re struggling today that you remember there’s a purpose. There’s a reason. There’s a reason for that season.
I remember after I answered the call to preach. I was entering into darkness. I was really struggling. And I remember I went to church at Crystal’s home church where she grew up in Cornerstone Free Will Baptist. And the pastor preached a message on “To everything there is a season.” I don’t remember much because I was in such darkness other than “everything, there’s a season.” At that point in my walk right there, though, nothing seemed good. Nothing at all. But I look back and I think about that and I think about look what God has done and how much I’m so thankful I get to do what I get to do every Sunday, every day, be a preacher, be a pastor. But back then it seemed like it was a new season can be hard. A new season can be challenging, but God’s got a purpose in it.
So if you’re in some kind of season, maybe it’s new, maybe you’ve been in it a while and it’s just hard—I mean, I think about our widows. We’ve got a lot of strong godly women in this church. And we got a lot of strong godly women that are widows. And that’s a hard, hard season to be in. But I think about how they carry themselves. They carry themselves with such class. But y’all love on our widows. Think about our widows because that’s a hard season to be in. Amen. And many of our widows here that I’m looking at, they had loving husbands for so many years and it’s a hard thing to change to that new season. I want to tell y’all God’s got a purpose for y’all in this season. He’s got a purpose for you.
So if there’s some season you’re in, remember and pray about this. There’s still some reason. God’s got a purpose through that. Everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.
Once a Season Has Passed, You Can’t Get It Back
Something else I think if we’re struggling with the season that we’re in is remember this. Once the season has passed, you can’t get it back.
You know, I remember a guy when I got called to preach for about 6 months. I was in darkness. I was in depression. Everything was bad. Praise God he healed me. Praise God. I would never want to do anything else. But during that time, I was in darkness. I never thought I’d get better. And I remember I was wishing I could have that old season back. Now, praise God, God wouldn’t open the door because I didn’t need that old season back. But the enemy was attacking me. And I remember wishing, man, I was about to be CEO. What if I could be a CEO again? What if I could do this again? Have you ever had a time where a season has ended and you kind of wished you could go back to it?
We got to be on guard against that. Now, I’m not saying somebody can’t—I mean, Scott, you can come out of retirement. You never know. There are times where God will let us get part of that season back, but it’s never quite the same as the season. Once the season has passed, it’s passed.
You know, it’s kind of like there’s a time to be born and a time to die. Once you’ve been born, you can’t go back in your mother’s womb and be physically born again. Now, you can be reborn. You can be born again. It’s not a physical birth. It’s a spiritual birth in Jesus Christ. So you can be born again spiritually. If you’ve never been born again, give your life to Jesus because there’s also a time to die. And once you die, you can’t come back. Your life on this earth is over. And the only way you can go to heaven is trusting in Jesus Christ before you die.
Once a season has passed, you can’t get it back. So if you’re struggling today and maybe you’re struggling with reliving that season, I just hope you know that once that season is passed, you can’t get it back.
It says a time to plant and a time to pluck what is planted. I think about a farmer. You know, if they miss planting, they’re going to miss their crop. And they can’t get that season back. And if they miss getting the harvest, they’re not going to get a harvest that year. That season has passed. And it’s the same for us.
Embrace the Season God Has You In
So something I would say today, if you’re in a season and you’re struggling, something I think we can take away from this text is to embrace the season God has you in right now. It might be a great season and it might be easy to embrace it, but sometimes when it’s a hard season, it’s not so easy to embrace it. But there’s a reason God’s got you in that season. There’s a reason, a purpose. Embrace that season.
Sometimes we can be in a busy season. Anybody ever feel maybe anybody in a busy season right now? I know y’all are watching one- and two-year-olds for 12 hours a day. I don’t know how y’all do it, but then they’re still at church. Don’t say you can’t come to church. They watch one-year-olds all day and then they come to church. Praise God. But sometimes we can be in a busy season and we can kind of wish we weren’t so busy. What about instead we embrace that season that God’s got us in? Yeah, there might be something to cut out, slow down a little bit, but whatever’s got to stay, we embrace it and we thank God for the work we’ve got.
If the busyness is going to work—or sometimes we might be in a busy season—maybe some of y’all that have kids, you ever remember those years or maybe you’re in them now where you’re running kids around, you’re running kids around, you’re running kids around and maybe we feel like, man, I wish I didn’t have to do all this. Crystal was talking last night. We’re taking Gabriel out to Mallory Creek to play ball and she was like, “Man, I’m going to tell you what, I’m going to enjoy every minute of this season.” And she was just talking about Gabriel and her were out shopping for new clothes. And when they were out, a lady that had already seen her kids get out of college said, “Enjoy it. It flies by.” And she’s like, “Every time I get a chance to take him somewhere, I’m taking them.” The girls are already off to college and growing up. We got to embrace that season. If it’s a busy season with kids, embrace it.
Or maybe you’re in a quiet season. Maybe you’re in a season where you don’t have all the hustle and bustle and it’s a little more quiet and maybe sometimes you might miss that old hustle and bustle. Embrace that season God’s got you in now. There’s a reason he’s got you in that quiet season. And in that quiet season, that can be an opportunity to serve. That could be an opportunity to grow in the Lord, and so forth.
Sometimes we’re in a season where we got a big change in our life and it’s hard. I mean, I thank God that when I’m seeing Scott, he seems like ready. But I know it’s got to be hard. It’s got to be hard leading worship 25, 30 years and then him stepping into this new season. You know what I mean? Change when we have a change, it can be hard.
You know, Crystal’s answered a call and she’s also with me. She’s praying. She’s getting the word out about this preschool and praying kids will come and now for the time being she’s going to be helping to lead worship. It’s a new season. Some of y’all are probably in new seasons. Some of y’all you’ve had change where it’s a change. It might be a change with career. It might be a change with losing your loved one. And that’s hard when we lose somebody we love. It might be a change with your health. You know, it can be so very hard when our health is not—we’re not able to do the things that we used to do. Has anybody experienced that? Maybe you can’t run anymore, maybe you can’t walk too good, maybe you’re hurting. You know, but what a blessing it is when you see someone even though their health is failing, they still embrace that season.
I remember some of y’all remember Jim Coach who came here for years. He fought in Vietnam—or he was in Vietnam—and he got Agent Orange. So over the years it started to affect his health and it got to where it was hard to walk around and so forth and so on. But he remembered years when he could. But I remember I always liked how he would—people would just come to him and he just seemed like he was embracing the season he was in, just looking to speak to somebody words of wisdom or about the Lord. But those changes in health and losing a loved one and career, they’re hard. But what a blessing it is when we can say, “I know God’s got me here for a reason. With God’s help, I’m going to embrace the season that I’m in.”
God Can Still Use You in This Season
I know it’s getting a little late and I know everybody’s hungry. But I want to say this. Whatever season you’re in, God can still use you in the season that you’re in. There are seasons of life, there are changes in life, but don’t you dare think God can’t still use you. Sometimes somebody will get older and they’ll think, “My best years are beyond me. I can’t really be used by the Lord.” That’s a lie. Look at Moses. Moses was 80 before God sent him to Pharaoh. And God used Moses in the mightiest ways in the final 40 years of his life. Joshua was 80. And when Joshua finally got called to go and lead the children of Israel and to lead them into the promised land, he was about 80. Don’t say God can’t use you because you’re older. And don’t say God can’t use you because you’re younger. God can use you when you are young. God can use you when you’re old. God can use you no matter the season. No matter the season that you’re in.
And I think about some older saints that have gone on like Derwood Edwards, like Wanda Edwards, like Linda Snow, and there’s many—Cheryl Davis. There’s so many more. But I want to say this, you look at some of those people I just named off and others. God was still working through them. I think of old Danny. Danny kept being used here for years. If there was service, he was running the sound. He was not going to miss it. One time somebody wanted to run sound that was new, that was young and they said, “Yeah, I want to do it. I want to do it.” And he looked at him and he’s like, “You’re going to be here.” He’s like, “Because I don’t know what you know, what you don’t know, but the most important thing is you’re here.” Danny was here every day for 40 years, many days. But God can use you whatever season you’re in.
God can use you even in hard situations. Hey, I was contacted by a friend that’s starting a prison ministry, and I think about someone in prison, how hard that would be. But God can even use somebody in prison. You know what I mean? I think about guys that get saved in prison and guys that start winning people to Christ in prison. I think about Paul. Paul was in prison for preaching the gospel and God used him to witness to the whole palace guard. God used him to write books that are now in the Bible through the inspiration of God while he was in chains. The prison epistles, you know. So it might not be prison. I hope not. But whatever situation you’re in, I just hope you’re encouraged. If you’re struggling with the season you’re in, God can use you right now in the season you’re in.
Make the Most of This Season for the Glory of God
And I’ll just close by saying this. I just hope we’re encouraged when we think about “to everything there is a season.” And there’s these seasons and changes in life to make the most of the season you are in for the glory of God.
I don’t know the season you’re in. You might be in a busy season raising a bunch of kids or grandkids. You might be in a season where you’re working night and day and then you come home and you’re caring for your parent or caring for your kids. You might be in a season where it feels like you can’t make ends meet. How am I going to make it? You might be in a season where you’ve lost loved ones, where you’ve lost your mother, where you’ve lost your father, where you’ve lost somebody you love. You might be in a season where you feel alone because maybe a spouse isn’t there anymore or others aren’t anymore. And you might be in a season where you feel alone. You might be in a season where you’ve had a lot of change and it’s hard.
Ask the Lord to help you. And I do believe he will. Remember, seasons are a part of life. And remember that in the midst of the season, we can grow in the Lord. In a hard season, those can be the times we’re especially reminded to rely on the Lord. And we can grow in the Lord. And just remember, God’s got you in the place you’re at today. Whatever situation it is, he’s got you in that season for a reason. And God can work through you in that season. And God can work through you to bring him glory.
You are at a certain season of your life and there are still ways God can work through you to bring him honor, to bring him glory. And I’ll tell you, some of the times we can shine the brightest is when we’re in darkness. Some of the times I believe we can be used by the Lord the mightiest is in some of the hardest seasons we go through.
So I just pray today and just encourage me and you and all of us to make the most of the season that we’re in for the glory of God. I think of Brenda. I think about Jay and I think about I went by to see Jay probably 30 times when he was sick. He couldn’t breathe well. He couldn’t get out of bed, but every time he smiled. Every single time he wanted to lift me up, even though he was going through all that he was, he brought glory to God in the midst of a very, very, very hard season. I didn’t ever hear him dwelling on his problems. Now, we’re all human. We all struggle. I know. I do. Men aren’t as tough as women usually. I’ll say that. Amen. But he would always bring glory to God even though he was in that hard situation.
I love what Paul said in Philippians 4 again while he’s in chains: “I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” And it goes on to say in Philippians 1:12, “But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel.” He’s talking about a hard season he went through. It turned out to further the gospel, “so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”
In the midst of our hard seasons of life, look for how you can serve God. Look for how you can bring glory to God in the midst of that season. And I just pray we all remember God has a purpose for us in the season we’re in. Paul said, I know he has a purpose. He’s got me here so I can witness to these people right here.
We might sometimes we might be laid up in a hospital. I’d see Derwood Edwards in the nursing home. You know what he would do when he was laying there and he couldn’t get out of bed? He’d witness to every nurse that came in that place. Every time I was there, when somebody walked in, he would tell them about Jesus. And that’s no fun situation to be in, but it’s a great reminder God can use us no matter the season that we’re in.
Closing Invitation
So I’ll just wrap up just by saying to everything there is a season. If you’re in a season where it’s hard, remember that there’s a purpose in it. Remember God can use you in that season. Remember not to let the enemy overtake us. It’s human nature that we can get—it’s hard when we’re in hard situations—but say, “Get behind me, Satan,” like Cheryl Davis would say, because we know that’s not going to do us good. But rather, whatever season it is that we say, “Lord, help me. Help me. I need help with that. Lord, help me with this season I’m in. You need help with that. Lord, help me. I know I need your help. This is a hard season. Help me to embrace this season. And God, help me in this season that I’m in right now to see how I can be used for you and how I can bring glory to you.”
God, we love you. We thank you. We praise you for your many blessings. I thank you for your word today, which was not planned. And I know that it wasn’t all prepared. I just pray you still use it. I know your word, just reading the word alone, you can use it. And I pray today that I pray you’ve been working on hearts in whatever ways you’re working, God, that we respond to you.
And God, right now as we have a time of invitation, a time of response, I just pray Lord that for you to work. I don’t know if there’s somebody that needs to give their life to you today. What a blessing that would be if somebody would publicly come forward and make it public that they’re saying, “I’m giving my life to Jesus.” Or maybe there’s someone that’s just kind of strayed away and needs to come back and return. What a blessing it would be if they walk forward and just say, “I’m making it public. I’m returning.” God, there might be just somebody that’s in a season and they’re struggling and they just might need to lay something down at the altar. I pray they come just come and lay it down. The season they’re in is hard and they just come and lay it down. Or maybe they come and pray with somebody else who’s in a hard season, who’s lost somebody they’ve loved, who’s in a new change in life or whatever it is.
God, right now I just pray you have your way and that your people would respond as you lead them. I pray it in Jesus’ name. We’ll have a time of response. This altar is open. You can get up and you can come and pray. You can come and pray around others. If you got a decision to share and you want to come forward and share, you can come forward and share. If I can pray with you, I’m here. Just whatever way God is dealing with you. Maybe you want to give your life to Jesus. Maybe you want to get baptized. Maybe you want to join our church. Maybe you just need prayer. Whatever it is, you come as God leads.
