The Vanity of Time (Ecclesiastes 3:1-15)- Pastor Kenneth Collins Maple

Let's take our Bibles now and open them up to

the Old Testament wisdom book. Of Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes chapter 3. We're going to look at

Ecclesiastes 3 · chapter mention

verses 1 through 15 today. Now. Said it before.

Many people in churches avoid this book like

the plague. because they think it's pessimistic.

Maybe it's hard to understand. They think it's

a downer, that it's depressing. But as we saw

last Sunday, there is actually great joy within

this book. There is great joy. We saw that last

Sunday. We're gonna see a little bit more of

it today as well. But even though people sometimes

neglect this book, When they get to chapter 3,

especially verses 1 through 8, all of a sudden

people kind of perk up and they say, hey, I know

that one. But what I want you to hear today is

that Ecclesiastes 3, 1 through 8, yes, it's poetry,

but it's more than just a beautiful poem. This

poem actually shows us the sovereignty, the majesty

of God over all of our lives. over every single

moment of our lives. And so I hope that you will

take away from this God's sovereignty and His

goodness and how we are to be towards Him. And

so let's read Ecclesiastes 3 1 through 15. Please

give attention to the reading of God's Word.

For everything there is a season and a time for

every matter under heaven. A time to be born

and a time to die. A time to plant and a time

to pluck up 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

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 sew, a time to keep

silence and a time to speak, a time to love and

a time to hate, a time for war and a time for

peace. What gain has the worker from his toil?

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 heart yet so that he

cannot find out what God has done from the beginning

to the end. I perceive that there is nothing

better for them than to be joyful and to do good

as long as they live. All so that everyone should

eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil.

This is God's gift to man. I perceive that whatever

God does endures forever. Nothing can be added

to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done

it so that people fear before him. That which

is already has been. That which is to be already

has been. And God seeks. What has been driven

away This is God's word, let's pray Father I

pray that as we look at this text that you would

grant us a heart of wisdom And with the words

of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts

Be pleasing in your sight for you are our rock

and our Redeemer This we pray in Christ's name

Amen. Last Sunday, we sang a very familiar hymn

called Crown Hymn with Many Crowns. It's familiar

to us, we sing it often, but what might not be

so familiar is that that song actually has many

more stanzas to it and it's got different versions.

And one part or version that we did not sing

We sang something similar to it, but it goes

like this. Crown him the Lord of years, the potentate

of time, creator of the rolling spheres ineffably

sublime. All hail Redeemer hail, for you have

died for me. Your praise shall never, never fail

throughout eternity. Now that sounds beautiful.

I agree. but we may still be wondering what in

the world is a potentate of time. I doubt that

anyone's gonna use that word tomorrow morning.

And so what's it all about? What is this teaching

us? It's teaching us that Jesus Christ, who is

in the beginning with God and through whom all

things were created, that Jesus, is the very

Son of God and yet He is eternal and He is the

Lord of lords and He is the King of kings and

what Jesus did for us as one who is God, He stepped

from outside of time because time was created

by God. He stepped out from it and into it. He

stepped into our time in order to save us. Jesus

steps into time in order to save us. And yet,

time can be a tricky thing, can't it? There's

never enough time, but sometimes there is maybe

too much time. Sometimes we waste time, and sometimes

time slows to a crawl. Time marches on with such

rhythm and precision. Time is never off by a

single millisecond. And yet many of us can't

seem to keep the time. Time is money. Time's

of the essence. And if I preach too long, somebody

will tell me about it. The South Carolina philosopher

Darius Rucker once sang, Tomorrow's just another

day and I don't believe in time. What is the

purpose of time? This passage helps us. Within

this passage we see that in time God shows us

who we are and God shows us who he is and God

shows us how we are to relate to him. Let's look

at who we are first. in verses one through eight.

This is a poem, as I said, and many read this

poem as a picture of what man does in life. And

even non -believers know, many of them, this

text that's been popularized in music. And people

read this as an expression of human experience,

but friends, this poem, one through eight, is

not firstly about you. And it's not firstly about

me. The emphasis is on God and how he completely

controls all of life. And you can see this from

the jump, from the get -go in verse two, that

there is a time to be born and a time to die.

You did not beget yourself. You didn't have anything

to do with being born. God controls this, doesn't

he? God... Controls this and what this is really

showing us is that God controls all of it on

the macro level all of time and all of history.

But God controls right down to the very micro

right down to us as people to the very dates

on our tombstones. Martin Luther once said you

cannot live any longer than the Lord has prescribed

nor die. any sooner. And so verse two actually

acts as kind of bookends for this of our lives.

There's a time to be born and a time to die and

all the other stuff happens in the middle. Everything

flows between birth and death and so this shows

totality. This shows completeness that and that

God doesn't just govern us as individuals but

God governs all of his creation. This is evidenced

at the second part of verse two. there's a time

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

Friends, we're entering strawberry season. Anybody

like picking strawberries? Or anybody actually

just like eating the strawberries while you're

picking them? I know, I do it too. Is the time

for picking strawberries in the spring or is

it at the end of the summer? No, don't wait on

those things. They'll be dried or withered, gone,

whatever. And so God governs these times. But

he also governs the times of the planting, not

just the plucking up of the planting. Most of

you probably, if you're gardeners or farmers,

you don't do the bulk of your work of planting

within the dead of winter, right? God has seasons

for these things. And yet even as he has seasons,

he doesn't always tell us the order for these

things. We know with the planting and the plucking,

yes, but with some of these other things, we

don't know where they all will fall within the

chronology of our lives. Right. God doesn't tell

you beforehand the day that you're going to smile

and the day that you're going to cry. Right.

But he is in charge of these things that everything

is fitting for him. And it makes sense that as

we look at this some of these are very negative

things. Right. They sound heartbreaking death

and killing here in a time for war and a time

for hate. This is all fitting isn't it for we

live in a very fallen Hevel kind of world don't

we that it's all fleeting it's all going away

and so while sometimes the pieces don't seem

to fit we should we should trust God because

everything that God ordains will come to pass

perfectly as he would have it to and So friends

sometimes maybe when life is feeling like it's

just going too fast Or maybe when it's going

too slow. Or maybe when the times are too weighty,

they're too heavy, the point of it is to trust

God who's in charge of all of your times. The

times of gladness and the times of sadness, they

are all His. This also teaches us not to cling

too tightly to the things of this world, right?

Because they are all fleeting, they will go away.

And yet the time is always right and ripe to

cling to God, to embrace God through Christ Jesus

our Lord. And the way that this is written should

help to show us this because this is written,

as I said, as a poem, but it's written as marisms.

Maybe you've heard that term before. It's a feature

of Hebrew poetry. that uses opposites to show

completeness. The time for war is the opposite

of the time for peace, right? A time for loving

and a time for hating. And so all of this is

showing completeness here. There's 14 of these

things and therefore there's 28 of these things,

which they're all involved with the number seven,

right? A term, a number showing completeness

here. It's meant to show that God governs it

all. all of the times. And yet I don't know exactly

what all of you are going through. I know what

some of you are going through. But perhaps you're

in some of these seasons even right now. Maybe

you are in a season of searching or losing. Maybe

you're searching asking God, Lord, how would

you have me to serve you? Maybe you're searching

for meaning in this life. Maybe you're searching

about who this person of Jesus is. But maybe

you're also in that season of losing, which seems

to be an implied sense of losing intentionally.

Putting off that which is unnecessary or that

which is not good or that which is not beneficial.

Putting off sin, right? You may be in this season.

Or maybe you're in a season of mourning or a

season of dancing. The morning being you've lost

a loved one. Maybe you've been to a funeral recently

and you've felt the weight of that. But maybe

you're also in a season of dancing. A celebration

of God's good gifts. Maybe a celebration of marriage.

Maybe there's a celebration of children, of new

life, right? You might be in these seasons. Maybe

you're in a season of casting away stones or

gathering them, as it says. in verse five. And

what's this talking about? It seems like casting

away stones is meant to show us that somebody

is intending to clear a field for the purposes

of planting of agriculture. You got to get the

stones out of there. But it also mentions the

collecting, the gathering of the stones. Maybe

Solomon here is talking about building. We know

that Solomon built many things. And so what are

you trying to build right now? Trying to build

a family? You're trying to build your career,

whatever it might be. Maybe you're in a season

of embracing or refraining from embracing. One

of the things that we should learn from this

is that we are to understand what is appropriate

in season. And so yes, there are appropriate

times to embrace, but there may be also in times

to refrain from embracing. Maybe you're in a

season of tearing or sewing. We know as we look

at the Bible that when people were in great mourning,

maybe over loss of someone's life or maybe mourning

over sin, that they oftentimes tear their clothing,

right? Maybe sitting in a pile of ashes. Maybe

you're in that season right now of tearing. But

Lord willing, there will be a time of sewing,

of mending, of putting your life back together,

right? Or maybe you're in a season of loving

or hating. And maybe you even look at this and

say, is there a season for hating? I thought

I was only supposed to love. Well, friends, it

is true. We are to love God and love our neighbor

as ourselves. But as we are sanctified, as we

mature in the faith, we should recognize there

are things that God hates. And we should hate

those things too. We should hate sin. We should...

We should hate the effects of sin. We should

hate injustice. We should hate idolatry. We should

love what God loves and hate what he hates. And

the conclusion of all of these things here, and

I'm not going through all of them, is to show

us that we are residents in God's world. We are

underneath him, right? To use another hymn, since

I've mentioned one, this is my father's world.

And you are residents in it during the time he

would have you to be here. And so I hope that

what you actually see is this is teaching us

just as much about us, maybe more so it's teaching

us about who God is. So let's focus on verses

10 through 15. We should recognize that in life,

God is behind the wheel. God is the one steering

the ship. One day comes after the next. and you

and I are not in charge. There was a theologian,

a Christian teacher named Didymus the blind in

the fourth century who likened us in this life

to being on a boat, on a ship in which we don't

see the captain. He said this, God himself manages

the cosmos and looks after it. When you see a

ship which is piloted and holds its course, You

perceive the idea of a helmsman even if he is

not visible. Likewise, the creator is known by

his works and the order of his providence. And

so, yes, even when we cannot see God, that children's

first catechism is true. He always sees us and

he is in total control. This is getting to the

idea of sovereignty or providence. The Heideberg

catechism notes this and says the Almighty and

everywhere present power of God, whereby, as

it were, by His hand, He still upholds heaven

and earth with all creatures and so governs them

that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful

and barren years, meat and drink, health and

sickness, riches and poverty, yes, all things

come not by chance. but by His fatherly hand.

Verse 11 says that He has made everything beautiful

or everything fitting, everything appropriate

in His time. But also look at verse 11, for it

tells us something else that God gives. God gives

us, He places within us eternity. into our hearts.

We are placed in time but with an implanted sense

that there is more there than even we can see.

Professor Benjamin Shaw says, the idea is that

God has placed us in time but with an implanted

sense of eternity. The recognition that what

we see under the sun is not all that there is.

And friends, the very fact that we are even asking,

like, what's up with time, I think reveals something.

God gives us this sense of eternity. He places

it into our hearts. He speaks of it in His Word.

And what does He tell us to do with all of the

times that we live in? We are to trust Him and

trust Him completely. And when it's too befuddling,

when we don't understand it, we should recognize

that God's ways are higher than our ways. It's

like Jesus said, it's not for you to know the

times. And so we ought not question God's timing

or the seasons that we are in, even when we are

in difficult seasons. And friends, this is illustrated

beautifully by the prophet Daniel. Daniel, lived

in a very difficult time and yet he trusted God

in the season that he was in. Daniel chapter

Daniel 2:20

2 verse 20 and 21. Blessed be the name of God

forever and ever to whom belong wisdom and might.

He changes times and seasons. He removes kings

and sets up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those who have. understanding

Daniel knew it in his day do you know it in yours

maybe you've all in your lives been able to look

back on how God was working even when you couldn't

see it this is called reading Providence backwards

this happened to me many years ago when I was

the part -time youth director here living in

the man's next door many of you knew me then

and you knew that I was raising funds money to

go on the mission field. And sometimes that money

didn't come in as fast as I wanted to. And I

would see missionary after missionary going onto

the mission field and I would be like, Lord,

I feel that you've called me to this. Why is

the money? Why are the funds? Why is the support

not coming in? Well, two months before I left,

I met my wife. I was talking with my grandmother

after I met Brittany and my grandmother said

to me, do you realize that if you had left for

the mission field when you wanted to, you would

not have met your wife. You would not have two

beautiful children, right? So sometimes we have

to look back on life, read Providence backwards

to see how God was in total and utter control.

control, and that timing is illustrated most

perfectly in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Consider

how God's perfect timing is most clearly evidenced

in him. For one, Jesus was born right on time,

Galatians 4 .4. When the fullness of time had

come, God sent forth his Son. But also Jesus

died, was crucified right on time, Romans 5 6

at just the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

But Jesus also rose perfectly on time. He was

not late. Luke 24 46 the son of man should suffer

and on the third day rise from the dead. And

Jesus will also return right on time. Hebrews

9 26 Christ having been offered once to bear

the sins of many will appear a second time. not

to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those

who are waiting for Him. Friends, are you waiting

on the Lord? Are you trusting in the Lord? Do

you realize, recognize His sovereign control

over your life? Well, if you do, then you might

say, well, good, but how does this impact me

today? How does this impact me? tomorrow. How

do I live? Look in verses 12 and 13 for our application.

How do we relate to God? I read it again. I perceive

there's nothing better for them than to be joyful.

And then it mentions the food and the drink and

the taking of the pleasure in these things, right?

Yes, in this life that God has given you and

between the times on the tombstone, you are to

enjoy Him. and to enjoy his good gifts. This

is the application of the text, enjoying him

and enjoying what he gives to you. But also you

see in verse 12, this conveying of this moral

good that is there tells us to do good. Now,

some Bibles don't. It's a little more difficult

to find there. Some translate it differently,

but I can assure you in the Hebrew, there is

an emphasis there in verse 12 on doing good as

long as they live. We recognize that as believers,

Paul speaks of this in Ephesians, chapter two,

that you were created for good works, which he

prepared beforehand for you to do. So yes, we

are to do good. We are to do the things pleasing

in God's sight Psalm 34 14 says turn away from

evil and do good Seek peace and pursue it and

so application enjoying God and his good gifts

Secondly doing good, but thirdly look in verse

14 I perceive that whatever God does endures

forever, nothing can be added to it, nor anything

take it from it. God has done it so that people

fear before Him. Why has God placed us in this

time, in this season where we are? In order that

we would fear Him. In order that we would revere

Him and be in awe of Him, that we would worship

Him and obey Him. And friends, this is actually

the answer to the entire book of Ecclesiastes,

not to give it all away. But if you were to go

to the end of the book, chapter 12, the second

to the last verse, you see the point of all of

this. The conclusion when all has been heard

is this, fear God and keep His commandments because

this applies to every person. The reason that

you are here is to fear Him. We ought to be like

Isaiah when he's confronted with the very holiness

of God. He says, woe is me, I am a sinner. I

am undone. We should be like the tax collector

who wouldn't even look up to God in his prayer.

But he says, be merciful to me. We ought to be

like Hebrews chapter 12. It tells us to offer

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

acceptable worship with reverence and awe This

is the responsibility of the Christian And imagine

if you will imagine what it would be like if

every human being enjoyed God's gifts in him

every human being did good towards one another?

What if every human being on the face of the

earth revered God? What would that be like? Friends,

what you are imagining is eternity for the believer

because he has put eternity into our hearts and

it's not simply a concept, it's not simply an

idea, it is a fact. And friends, the clock is

ticking. The clock is ticking. For the Christian,

eternity with God is what is promised. But for

the unbeliever, what is promised is hell. It

is eternity apart from God's good pleasure. And

yet there's the free offer of the gospel to be

received by faith. all who call upon the name

of the Lord will be saved. And so today, if you

are unsure of what to make of Jesus, today is

the day of salvation. Right now, there is no

time like the present to embrace Christ in faith.

And so friends, if it seems like life is lacking

in some way, If it seems like there has to be

more than this, if you feel the tension of the

already and the not yet, that is intentional.

You are longing for more. You are longing to

be rid of sin. You're longing to be rid of the

effects of sin, and you are longing to be with

God for eternity. And as I close, verse 15 gives

us comfort in this way. for it reads that which

is already has been and that which is to be already

has been and God seeks what has been driven away.

If we put this very literally there at the end

of verse 15, it says God seeks out what he pursues,

meaning that God is working out all of his purposes.

He is not done. For everything there is a season.

And friends, It will all be accomplished perfectly

in His time. Come, Lord Jesus, let us pray.