"The Lord of Time" Ecclesiastes 3:1-15

Before we open God's word, let us take a moment and pray.

Jesus, you have said that the truth will set us free.

!

Because we'll feel more liked, we'll feel more control, we'll feel more whole.

But the truth is, to live in the truth is the only true way to live.

Lord, we want to live according to your word.

We want to have those lies that we believe, those untruths that we cling to.

We want to see them banished.

So Lord, help us.

As we open your word, help us to see truth, see reality for the way it truly is, the way you have designed it to be.

Lord, not to dismay us, but to draw us ever closer, ever closer to yourself.

We pray this in Christ's name. Amen.

I'll start off with a quote.

This is from an article called The Twelve Months of the French Republic Calendar, and it's from the Encyclopedia Britannica.

It still exists, by the way, encyclopedias.

Just an FYI.

I thought it better to quote from this than Wikipedia on a Sunday morning, but anyways.

Quote,

French revolutionaries believed they did not simply topple a government, but establish a new social order founded on freedom and equality.

To mark the advent of the new age of liberty, they replaced in October 1793 the old Gregorian calendar with a new Republican calendar.

Henceforth, the year of the official proclamation of the Republic, 1792, would become year one.

The Republican calendar was abandoned by Napoleon on January 1st, 1806.

This wouldn't be the first time that time was to be altered or adjusted by revolutionaries.

In fact, it's happened a number of times throughout history.

Another example, in AD 67, during the first Jewish-Roman war,

the priestly class of Jerusalem began minting coins with the year one as a way of rejecting Roman hegemony.

Three years later, Jerusalem was razed to the ground.

Didn't last for very long.

Nevertheless, revolutionaries and leaders throughout history have sought to control time.

For the control of time means one can control the narrative.

To have godlike power without limits.

Time is a very powerful thing.

Money comes and goes.

You can buy many things with it.

Jobs can be lost and gained.

But if you control time, you can control the world, or at least your sliver of it.

You could have anything you wanted, or at least, at the very least,

you could undo those things that you regret.

We're coming to Ecclesiastes 3.

And we are faced with this concept of time.

However, it does not teach us, Ecclesiastes 3,

how to seize the day, or how to control time,

or how to pursue peak efficiency in life.

Instead, it reveals in us as people that are completely subjects to time.

Not masters of it.

Constantly dominated by it.

Feeling the ache of not having enough of it.

This is the reality of all of us living, as the sage of Ecclesiastes puts it,

a life under the sun.

So our sage continues his disillusioning work.

I used that term last week.

The sage is looking to disillusion us.

Our sage continues his disillusioning work,

confronting our faulty worldview,

so that we can rightly understand, in this case, time.

And more importantly, the one true God who is above time.

So the sage will teach us what it means to,

first, be subjects of time.

The second, the nature of the sovereign over time.

And then finally, he will help us to conduct a proper investigation of the end of time.

And I use the end not as in time ending,

but the purpose of time.

So that we may approach time in an appropriate way,

and thereby live a full and wise life.

So we'll jump right into it.

Let's take a look at the subjects of time.

So the poem we have, verses 1 to 8,

really 2 to 8,

recounts times and seasons,

and captures most, if not all,

of the human experience.

I won't read it all.

Matthew did a great job reading it.

But you can see how it is connected to

mortality, morality, work, creativity, emotions, relationships,

and even conflict.

It recounts how humanity interacts with the world we find ourselves in,

regardless of culture and era.

I mean, you read this poem,

and it applies to us as much as it applied to the people

that were hearing it for the first time by the sage.

I'll just read the second verse and the eighth verse,

the beginning and the end of the poem.

And it goes like this.

Actually, I'll start in verse 1.

For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven.

Verse 2.

The poem begins,

A time to be born, a time to die,

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted.

Verse 8.

A time to love, and a time to hate,

a time of war, and a time of peace.

If this were a situational,

a list of situational circumstances that we could control

through the right amount of discernment,

or cunning, or wisdom,

starting such a list,

and ending such a list with the extremities of the human life

wouldn't be the best approach.

Why?

If this was a list of things we could get better at,

you can't get better at being born.

We are completely,

we have no control over the circumstances of our birth.

Who we were born to,

where we were born,

who our parents are,

how they raised us in those early years,

nor do we

master the moment of our death.

And I briefly mentioned this last week,

but it goes again this week really well.

The euthanasia regime in our country,

it flagrantly, flagrantly disregards

this natural reality of death,

that it is out of our control.

Yet even for those who choose assisted suicide,

they do so precisely because their lives feel out of control.

This week,

it hit home to me afresh,

because Robert Munch,

the famed and beloved children's storyteller,

announced at the age of 70

that he's going to be pursuing assisted suicide

because of medical illness.

It's an affront,

a flagrant affront

to the sovereignty of God.

The poem also examines the extremes of social interactions.

We see this in verse 8.

It focuses on love and hate,

war and peace.

And in many circumstances,

you cannot control these things

because we cannot control or influence other people.

and are often driven into situations

by the wills of others.

What do you do when a nation declares war on you?

What do you do when your neighbor declares war on you?

Many things are out of our control.

So you see this section,

verses 2 to 8,

this poem that the sage is writing,

reflecting on the human experience,

it does not outline a vision of a balanced life

that we can create,

but rather describes the harsh reality

that human life is filled with.

It's filled with ups and downs.

Some victories,

oftentimes more tragedies.

Some things we can control,

and many, many more things beyond our control.

Such things are often against our will

and our best judgment.

So you see verses 2 to 8,

this poem describes what life is like

for us who live under the sun

and those that are subject to time,

not masters over it.

So we have no control over each year

or month or hour or minute

as we live them.

We can't reverse time

or bend it to our will.

This is going to hit home pretty closely

to Christine and I,

a dear couple that were mentors to us

when we were dating and got engaged

and then afterwards.

We don't keep in contact with them too often,

but they're very dear to us.

Monday, the wife, Catherine,

she's going to find out

if she has cancer for the third time.

And this time,

it's a very aggressive cancer

if she's going to get diagnosed to it.

diagnosed with it, rather.

We can't control any of that.

We can't control any of it.

We are subjects to time.

We are not masters of time.

Life happens to us.

We don't happen to time.

So once again,

the sage,

after he's done reciting this poem,

asks the question

that we've seen in chapter 2,

but he asks again in verse 9,

and he says this,

what gain has the worker from his toil?

And the answer again is none.

And especially the answer is zero

if our toil is an attempt to master time

or to reverse time

or to somehow get around it.

And a day when the autonomous

and authentic self is held up

as one of the highest,

if not the highest value,

this is a cause for concern.

The sage is telling us

that we aren't as much in control

as we think.

Even with all our carefully curated

and well-thought-out plans,

life can be somewhat unpredictable,

perhaps even chaotic.

I'm sure you guys can think of situations

where your careful planning

has not gone the way you've hoped for.

A relationship that you valued

has begun to crumble

and it's completely outside of your control.

But we have to remember,

and I've tried to stress this

in the weeks,

the couple weeks that we've had

in Ecclesiastes,

that the sage is not a nihilist,

nor is he a fatalist.

Rather, he's a sober

and hopeful thinker.

You read this,

and maybe it doesn't sound too hopeful,

but it is a hopeful message.

Why?

Because if all there was

in this material world

was to live and to die,

where we were subject to time

and the whims of fate,

then we would be in a very terrible spot

as a human race.

Although the sage,

he ends the poem here,

reflecting on the humanity,

the nature of humanity

in life of,

in light rather,

of life under the sun,

he does not conclude the section.

So he concludes the poem,

but not the section.

As what follows is a description

of the only sovereign over time.

And it is most certainly not us.

So this gets us to our second point.

Who is the sovereign over time?

Look with me in verses 10 to 11.

It'll be on page 16.

Verses 10 and 11.

I have seen the business

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 hearts,

yet so that he cannot find out

what God has done

from the beginning to the end.

God has allowed mankind

to exist in this life under the sun.

It is he who has given us

all that occurs

between birth and death.

And we see this connection,

actually, in verse 11.

It connects God

as the creator and curator

and the one who is sovereign

over time

because it connects to verse 1.

Let's read verse 1 again.

For everything there is a season

and a time for every matter

under heaven.

It is God who is at work

with everything,

making everything beautiful

or suitable in its time

under heaven.

So what does this tell us

about the world?

First, that the world

isn't a random cosmic coincidence,

that we didn't happen

to exist by chance,

but rather God alone

has appointed the time

so that everything,

every birth,

every death,

every tear,

every embrace,

every interaction,

it remains under

his watchful eye.

Nothing can bypass him.

Nothing surprises him.

Verse 14 also speaks

to the sovereignty of God

over all creation.

This is what it says

in verse 14.

I perceive that whatever God does

endures forever.

Nothing can be added to it

nor anything taken from it.

God has done it.

We'll get to that last part

of verse 14 in a bit,

but I'll pause there.

God has done it.

Because God has created time,

he's not bound by time.

He is sovereign over time.

He is complete and whole

in every aspect of who he is.

Theologians,

they'll talk about God being simple.

Not simple as in stupid,

but that he is,

who he is in its fullness,

it's not that God is

sometimes loving

and sometimes merciful.

God is loving.

He is merciful.

He is his attributes.

This idea, though,

of God creating time

and not being bound by it

is captured by C.S. Lewis

in mere Christianity

in a wonderful way.

I'll read,

it's a bit of a long quote,

but it really captures

this idea of God

being sovereign over time.

It begins like this,

quote,

almost certainly God

is not in time.

His life does not consist

of moments following

one another.

If a million people

are praying to him

at 10.30 tonight,

he need not listen to them

all in that one little snippet

which we call 10.30.

10.30 and every other moment

from the beginning

of the world

is always the present for him.

If you like to put it that way,

he has all eternity

in which to listen

to the split second

of prayer put up

by a pilot

as his plane crashes

in flames.

That is difficult,

I know.

You can get the idea

if you think of it like this.

Suppose I am writing a novel.

I write,

Mary laid down her work.

Next moment

came a knock at the door.

For Mary,

who has to live

in the imaginary time

of my story,

there is no interval

between laying down

the work

and hearing the knock.

But I,

who am Mary's maker,

do not live

in that imaginary time at all.

Between writing

the first half

of that sentence

and the second,

I might sit down

and have lunch

or I might spend

a whole year.

It makes no difference

to Mary's time

inside the story.

In the same way,

God has not hurried along

in the time stream

with the events

of the universe.

He has infinite attention

to spare

for each one of us.

End quote.

God is completely

outside of time.

He is like,

as Lewis talks about,

the author of time.

However,

God is not just an author

who writes a story

then leaves the book

on a shelf

to unfold

as he has planned.

Instead,

he is deeply involved

in the human experience.

In fact,

we find throughout Scripture

that he constantly

enters into the story himself.

Once again,

verse 11 addresses this

by saying that God

makes everything beautiful

in its time,

which also carries this idea

that it's orderly

and fitting.

And in doing so,

he stays deeply involved.

Still,

verse 11 also reveals

that God created mankind

with a profound understanding

that life is about more

than we see under the sun.

He has given us a conscience

and placed desires within us

that are not just primal

or physical.

Our emotions run deep

and are complex

and as we've discussed

over the past couple weeks,

we have this innate need

for meaning and purpose

and this is what separates us

from the animal kingdom.

This is a huge aspect

of what it means

to be made in the image

and likeness of God.

But if the first part

of verse 11

speaks to how we are different

from the animal kingdom,

the second part

of verse 11

speaks to how we are

completely different

from God.

It says that although

we are given a mind

that desires meaning

and desperately searches

for deeper understanding,

we are unable to know

what we yearn to understand.

We see just a little snippet of it.

We cannot exhaust our search.

Not only that,

but returning to verses 9 and 10,

we also see that God

has given us this additional

toilsome labor and business

that further frustrates us.

So in just thinking

and pondering through this text,

just to ask the question,

is this like a bit

of a sick joke?

Does God give us

this mind to understand

but then frustrates

our ability

and search

to find this ultimate meaning?

Why give us a conscience

and yet limit

our ability

to achieve our pursuit?

And not a pursuit,

but the pursuit.

So is God playing

a sick game

or

is it an act

of loving mercy?

And again,

I talked about

the sage being

sober-minded

and hopeful

in his quest,

in his investigation.

So I ask,

where is the hope in this?

And to answer that

question,

we're going to consider

verses 12 to 15.

And the sage here

will have two perceptions.

He will perceive

two different things.

He will examine the matter.

Look with me

at this first perception

from the sage,

starting in verse 12.

I perceived

that there is nothing

better for them

than to be joyful

and to do good

as long as they live.

It's talking about humankind.

Also that everyone

should eat

and drink

and take pleasure

in all his toil.

That is God's gift

to man.

I'll stop there

before we get

to the next one.

God provides us

with so much

to enjoy

in this world.

So much to discover.

So much to learn about.

He gives us

an incredible table

of things to try,

so to speak.

We can enjoy this.

We can enjoy food,

moments with our

loved ones,

our spouse,

our parents,

our children,

our friends.

We can enjoy

physical activity.

We can enjoy

a good book.

Maybe

a beautiful garden

or a stroll

through the woods.

If some of you

remember the

Messiah Reads

we did with

the book on the,

it's kind of a bit

of a survey

on the prayer book

by a lady named

Julie Lane Gay.

We did a

Zoom Q&A with her

and she talked about

how she's

an amateur botanist

and she's convinced

that roses exist

simply for our enjoyment.

She's convinced of it.

I mean other plants,

vegetation,

it has

a purpose

that feeds

other wildlife

or pollinates

or whatever

but she's convinced

that roses

are strictly for us.

I like that thought.

I have no idea

if it's true

but it sounds wonderful

and it sounds just

the type of thing

that God would do.

We enjoy life

but again

we remember

that we must enjoy it

in its proper context.

Recognizing that God

is the source

of all good gifts

that he is sovereign

over all

including time

but including the gifts

that he gives us

as people that live

in this time

under the sun.

So I'll say

as you enjoy your gifts

be thankful people.

Practice generosity.

thank the Lord

often

and always

when you realize

that what you have

and what you are enjoying

is from him.

So God's gifts

should be appreciated

for what they are

while they last

and attempting

to make them permanent

is both impossible

and again

an affront

and a challenge

to God's sovereignty.

So on one hand

we ask the question

why on earth

would God

give us

this ability

but also

an inability

to pursue

and understand

kind of the totality

of reality

and the sage

is saying

listen

he has given us

a ton of reality

to enjoy

so enjoy it.

Enjoy it.

Don't overlook

what you have

because you are searching

for this ultimate quest.

Enjoy what he has given you.

However the second perception

helps us to better understand

why we are given

the gift

of consciousness

despite the frustrating

and toilful limitations

that he has described

a couple verses

before.

Look with me

at verses 14 and 15.

I perceived

the second perception

I perceived

that whatever God

does endure

forever

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

that which is

already has been

that which is to be

already has been

and God seeks

what has been

driven away.

God is all powerful

we've established that

he is outside of time

he is a sovereign

over time

over everything

that we see

he sees

he understands

everything perfectly

and he overlooks

nothing

and yet

and yet

in his kindness

in his kindness

he allows us

to feel small

he allows us

to recognize

our finiteness

and to experience

the sting

and the prick

of broken relationships

and pain

and death

all resulting

from sin

sin being that

act of turning away

from the sovereign God

and choosing ourselves

ourselves

as the king

of our world

the main character

of our story

giving into selfish desires

and why is that?

Second part of verse 14

God has done it

so that people

fear before him

so that people

fear before him

that we may know

that he is

great

and that we are small

that our existence

is brief

and

but for a moment

while his

is eternal

and as we fear him

which

means for sure

to revere him

and to be in awe of him

but also to remember

that God is one

to be feared

okay

there is no strong man

above God

he is

the epitome

of strength

he is to be feared

but also revered

also honored

and as we fear him

we find ourselves

being drawn to him

okay

when we are small

and we are confronted

with the passage

of time

where

almost certainly

there is more time

behind us

than ahead of us

and there is nothing

we can do about it

okay

dear Catherine

is waiting

for

an appointment

tomorrow

to find out

if she has cancer

okay

and there is nothing

she can do about it

I mean she cannot go

to the appointment

that is not going to

change what is going

on in her body

and in light

of that

we turn to God

who is

huge

and infinite

and the sovereign

over time

and he is also

kind

and loving

we find ourselves

drawn to him

he opens our eyes

through our

finiteness

through our pain

through our suffering

through allowing us

to feel the pain

of this existence

under the sun

because that opens

our eyes

to see him

at least in part

for who he truly is

but as the ultimate

purpose of our pursuit

of meaning

we find ourselves

again

only going so far

and finding that

we are toiling

under the sun

in our quest

to know

the one true God

the sovereign

over time

and yet

even if we know

we must fear God

the question is

how then do we

ascend to him

how do we

how do we break

through that ceiling

how do we

how do we

enter into

his presence

our limitations

especially as those

subjected to time

make us

genuinely hopeless

unless God

himself

intervenes

this brings us

to our last

point

the end

of time

in his

graciousness

God does intervene

that's a wonderful

beautiful news

of the gospel

that we are

powerless

to connect

with God

to deal

with our sin

to find

purpose

and meaning

and God

doesn't say

you didn't

try hard enough

or there's

just not enough

runway for you

to get to me

he intervenes

into our

existence

the author

enters the

story

in his

graciousness

God does

not merely

set the

times and

seasons for

our existence

under the

sun

but he

designs

and directs

time

towards an

end

an aim

that culminates

in his

ultimate

purpose

for humanity

all of time

is centered

around the

incarnation

the life

the death

the resurrection

and ascension

of Christ

he has

redeemed us

so that we

may know

and be known

by the triune

God

and this is

at the very

center of time

itself

the purpose

of time

what do I

mean by this

just a few

bible verses

Mark chapter 1

Mark 1 · chapter mention

14 to 15

Jesus came into

Galilee

proclaiming the

gospel of God

and saying

the time

is fulfilled

and the kingdom

of God

is at hand

repent and

believe in the

gospel

Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

1 and 2

long ago

at many times

and in many

ways God

spoke to our

fathers by the

prophets

verse 2

but in these

last days

he has spoken

to us by his

son

whom he

appointed

the heir

of all things

through whom

also he created

the world

Romans chapter 5

Romans 5:6

verse 6

for while we

were still weak

at the right

time

Christ died

for the

ungodly

John 13

1

now before

the feast

of the

Passover

when Jesus

knew that

his hour

had come

to depart

out of this

world

to the

father

having loved

his own

who were

in the

world

he loved

them to

the end

you see

when we

put our

faith

in Christ

Jesus

he redeems

us

from our

sins

rescues us

from sin

and death

but he also

rescues us

from being

subjects to

the cruelty

and tyranny

of time

so that this

moment

that we are

in this

temporal life

that we find

ourselves in

that in

some ways

we can enjoy

to its

fullness

but the

other times

we feel

the pain

and the

frustration

of it

we put

our faith

in the

one who

is sovereign

over time

and friends

his redemption

that he gives

us is not

for a time

and this is

how he redeems

us from time

for redemption

isn't for 10

years or

for 100

years or

even a

thousand years

it is

eternal

imagine if

the redemption

of God was

for a time

say 100

years

we knew

the presence

of God

in heaven

for 100

years

and then

the 99th

year

it's the

12th month

it's like

five minutes

till New

Year's Eve

and God's

looking at his

watch saying

listen it's

been great

it's been a

slice

but back

you go

that would

be a huge

type of

torture

and almost

a hellish

sick

redemption

or something

that was

called

redemption

but no

he redeems

us from

time

why

by bringing

us into

his presence

forever

so salvation

is eternal

that is why

after some

of our

prayers

we say

world without

end

because it

reminds us

that we

will be

with God

not for

a moment

or a series

of moments

or even

for a

millennia

but forever

okay

not subjected

to time

no more

under the

heavy weight

and tyranny

of time

however

we are still

people living

under the

sun

even though

we are

promised

eternal

life with

Christ

all we

know is

this mortal

life

put it

another way

how then

are we

to live

as people

who are

already

recipients

of the

eternal

salvation

that has

been promised

to us

but do

not yet

experience

it in

its

fullness

now

I think

Jesus gives

us the

answer

Matthew

Matthew 24:36

24

verses

36

42

and 44

I've just

plucked out

the key

bits there

but really

this whole

section is

very important

to meditate

on

this is

what Jesus

says

but concerning

that day

an hour

no one

knows

this is

Jesus

talking

about

his

return

not even

the angels

of heaven

nor the

son

but the

father

only

therefore

stay

awake

for you

do not

know

on what

day

your

Lord

is

coming

therefore

you

also

must

be

ready

for the

son

of man

is

coming

at an

hour

you

do

not

expect

Jesus

is telling

us

to live

this life

under

the

son

as people

who are

already

recipients

of eternal

life

to not

get hung

up on

the

beauties

and the

pleasures

of this

world

as good

as they

are

to not

put our

eternal

significance

in them

but constantly

look to

Christ

look to

eternity

look to

heaven

as those

who fear

the Lord

we respond

to his

salvation

by growing

in our

love for

him

and increasing

our faith

that his

promises

so that we

can believe

that his

promises are

true

and eagerly

awaiting his

return

when all

will be

made right

where the

tyranny

of time

no longer

exists

so

church

enjoy this

life for

what it

is

enjoy it

this

afternoon

I don't

know

take a

nap

enjoy

a beautiful

walk

have a

lovely

dinner

tonight

I don't

know

whatever

it is

that you

truly

enjoy

enjoy

it

for what

it is

a gift

from God

but a

fleeting

gift

and look

forward

instead

to the

life to

come

allow that

pleasure

that you

experience

on earth

just point

you to

the

pleasures

you will

have

forevermore

in

Christ's

presence

no longer

subjects of

time

but children

of the

sovereign

over time

do not

try to

break free

from the

times or

the seasons

as if you

could

do not

try to

control

time

because you

cannot

instead

look to

Jesus

the one

who has

conquered

death

who gives

us eternal

life

through his

precious

sacrifice

and victory

over the

tyranny

of time

let us

pray

how grand

is your

redemption

oh God

that you

even rescue

us

from time

and the

pressures

of this

mortal life

and the

toilsome

labor

that we

are engaged

in

under

the

sun

and yet

even still

you show

mercy to

us

so that

we can

enjoy

this

world

and the

problem

is always

that we

try to

enjoy

this

world

as if

it were

heaven

as if

it were

the

kingdom

of God

and yet

we

reject

you

we want

the kingdom

without

the king

and we

we repent

of that

help us

to repent

of that

always

help us

to look

to you

greatly

anticipating

your return

whenever that

may be

whenever

you decide

whenever

that time

will come

about

Lord we

thank you

for the

cross

that it

happened

at a very

specific

time

in a very

specific

place

and it

wasn't an

accident

but it was

your good

design

Lord

help us

to be

people

that live

eternal

lives

even though

we are

here

under the

sun

we pray

this

in

Christ's

name

amen

holy