WHAT TIME IS IT?
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
(Ecclesiastes #3)
S-1403
·SLIDE #1: How many of you are wearing a watch? Or you have a pocket watch or clock of some kind with you this morning?
How many did not bring a watch this morning? What’s wrong with you? You are in the minority.
Anybody here bring two watches? Probably your cell phone and your watch.
Why? Because time is so important to us.
Let’s play “Let’s Pretend.” Let’s pretend that your banker phoned you and said that an anonymous donor has decided to deposit 86,400 pennies into your account every day for the rest of your life.
You grab a pencil and start figuring. That’s $864 a day. $864 times seven equals over $6000 a week, times fifty-two. That’s almost $315,000 a year.
He adds, “But there’s one stipulation… you must spend all the money that same day. No balance will be carried over to the next day.
Now let’s play “Get Serious.” Every morning God deposits into your bank of time
86,400 seconds represent 1,440 minutes every day, which equals 525,600 minutes per year.
Now, the same stipulation applies. You have to spend it all. No minutes are ever carried over on credit to the next day.
This is what is so tough about time. It keeps moving and you can’t save it up. So, if you are not careful, it real easy to waste.
Let’s go back to let’s pretend. Every day you have to spend $864. Easy to spend it on stuff. Cars and toys because you have to get rid of it.
There was an old movie, Brewster’s Millions. Brewster’s rich uncle died and left him a vast fortune. But there was a catch. The Uncle was afraid he’d waste it. So, take $1 million now or have a chance for all $300 million. He had to spend $1,000,000 every day for 30 days and at the end of 30 days own absolutely nothing. He bought a ball team, refurnished an apartment, clothes, rented expensive automobiles and threw it all away.
·SLIDE #3: Every day we have to spend 1,440 minutes and if we’re not careful, we will squander and waste it on little things that have no last lasting value—or we can make an impact over 50 years.
Solomon learned much during his fling. He has given us advice on where to look to find real value in life. Get the tapes. Now, in chapter 3, he takes up the issue of time.
LET’S EXAMINE THE PASSAGE AND SEE WHAT HE SAYS.
1. Life is filled with all sorts of events as time marches on.
READ ECCLESIASTES 3:1-8.
All are opposites. Some build and then destroy, while others tear down and then build up.
Time marches on. Realistic, Fatalistic, good exeriences and bad experiences.
2. Life is beautiful when God makes the right things happen at the right times.
READ ECCLESIASTES 3:9-11.
Death at the right time is beautiful. Death at the wrong time is not.
Contrast Carl Mendenhall: “Grace, today is a good day to die, isn’t it?” with Desperado suicide.
3. God puts eternity in our hearts.
READ ECCLESIASTES 3:11, 14.
If it is not eternal then it will never satisfy in my heart.
: 4. We need to enjoy life while we are here.
READ ECCLESIASTES 3:12-13.
Ecclesiastes is a book about enjoying life. Four or five times Solomon reminds us to enjoy life. It will be a shame to go through lifetime and murmur and complain all the time.
5. God will one day ask us to account for our actions.
READ ECCLESIASTES 3:15.
Judgment is coming. That should affect how we live.
LET’S DRAW SOME PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS TO HELP US LIVE BETTER LIVES.
1. FIGURE OUT WHAT TIME IT IS AND REACT ACCORDINGLY.
Read some “times” in verses 2-8.
When your child is injured in an accident, it is time to adjust all priorities and give the care he needs. It won’t go on forever, but now is the time to take care of your child.
When you are on vacation, stop thinking about work. It is time to relax.
When you are in college you stay out all night because you want to party and have fun and never complain. Then a few years later you still stay up all night caring for a crying baby who won’t go to sleep and you complain about it all the time. Don’t resent it. This is the time of life for that.
If it is time to work, then work. If it is time to relax, then relax.
It is fun to watch Glenn deal with his new baby. Angie’s tired. He is tired.
I sympathized and told him that the best way not to stretch this exhaustion out is to go ahead and have another baby right now so they will minimize the years they spend in sleepless nights. I was really enjoying this.
Glenn looked up: “Another baby. Now? Are you kidding? I wouldn’t want a dog right now.”
Roger: “Well, enjoy it, it really won’t last long. Before you know it they will be gone.”
Glenn: “The last thing we are worrying about now is the empty nest syndrome.”
What time is it in your life? Don’t get upset. React accordingly.
Moose Johnson and Herschel Walker played for Dallas Cowboy football fans.
Moose had bulging joint. Career is over. Herschel was 34 and getting a new lease on life. Moose needed to be planning for retirement. Famous all over the country. Go on speaking circuit and raise money for charities if he figures out what time it is.
Figure out what season of life you are in. At least six seasons. The eras overlap so that a new one is getting underway while the previous one is not yet terminated.
Childhood: 0 to 13. Personality 85% set by age 12. Openness, no walls, great opportunity to lead friends to Christ.
Adolescence: 10-22: Personality is 96% set. Crucial years. Bridge into adult years. Energy and idealism. Willing to take risks and make a difference.
Early Adulthood: 17-45: Peak years of biological and intellectual functioning. Still dealing with overcoming childhood issues while making momentous life changing decisions like marriage, occupation, life style. Child rearing. Time to set course to serve Christ.
Middle Adulthood: 40-65: Greatest earning power. Body slows. Great artists tend to produce their greatest and most profound works during this period. Launch children. Empty nest. Time to shape the world around you. Energy coupled with savy. Mentoring.
Senior Adulthood: 60-80: No longer occupies center stage of the world. Must deal with increasing death and sickness of friends and loved ones. Increasingly out of phase with younger generations. Yet, more time to impact for Christ and do all the things you’ve always wanted to.
Senior Senior Adulthood: 75-100: Sickness, few significant relationships, increasing bodily discomfort, facing death. Ministry to people with life and death issues.
All sorts of issues to deal with in every stage. But the toughest time is the transition years between stages. Moving from childhood to adolescence is tough, from adolescence to early adulthood.
Are you in transition? Child rearing and my mom and empty nest calling me to dinner.
What time is it?
Life cycle graph of man and woman’s satisfaction.
“She’s heading out for identity. He is coming home for intimacy.”
God has made everything appropriate in his time.
How much we fail to see when we miss God’s timing!
2. SINCE CHANGE IS ONE OF THE FEW THINGS YOU CAN ALWAYS DEPEND ON, HANDLE IT WELL WHEN IT COMES.
Mohammed Ali had Parkinson’s Disease. How many thought he would be invincible?
Jerry Rice sat the sidelines in shorts. Little legs, never saw him out of uniform.
Aging Bob Dole made VISA commercials.
It is a difficult time for these guys.
Leaving home for first time and you are on your own.
Extended honeymoon and now you have children in the house and no time for each other.
Chart of proper transition through change by Cynthia Scott and Dennis Jaffe.
Illustrate with lost fiancé.
Denial: focus on past and deny reality of present. Many get stuck here. Deal in past, public complaining.
Resistance: focus still on past; internal feelings of anxiety, loss, depression, anger
Exploration: focus moves to future as explore possibilities for survival. Awkward phase, confusion, asking questions and looking for answers.
Commitment: clarified focus on future, affirmation of right direction.
3. LIVE AND CHOOSE IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY BECAUSE NO INSTANT REPLAY IS ALLOWED.
Fourth and goal and the ball is on the one yard line. Down by 6 points. Hike, quarter back drops back, lines collide as ball carrier hurtles for the goal line. Whistle sounds and yellow flags litter the field as men in Foot Locker sales uniforms scurry about.
The call: “Off-sides. Defense. Half the distance to the goal. Repeat fourth down.
Main intersection at Ina and Oracle. You start your left turn on a green arrow when another car runs the red light in front of you and collides head on with your car. Whistle blows, flags litter the intersection and officers scurry about.
The call: “Illegal turn. Repeat the turn. The opposing car must start 15 yards back from the intersection.
No, you are cut and bleeding. You get no second chance.
Someone has to choose what to do when. Life is continually made up of options. Every hour is an hour of decision.
Shoplifting at Sears last Wednesday night. “His life will never be the same.” Somebody blow the flag and penalize me 15 yards and give me another chance. No.
Lunch with a coworker leads to an affair.
Back seat of an auto and you are pregnant.
You are making decisions every day, so choose wisely.
“God has put eternity in our hearts.” What in the world does that mean?
When we get eternity securely in place, it’s remarkable what it will do to time.
Professor in Seminary – got one of those little adjustable calendars. Figured out how many days that he might reasonably have left if God gave him his 3 score and 10 years. Then every day he stamps in his calendar how many days he has left.
You say – “How morbid” – No not at all – how motivational.
4. DON’T BE A DOPE. ENJOY LIFE WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE.
Verses 12-13, 15.
Talking with Glenn about the complaining Sr. Adults at the Five and Diner.
“Do you think this means that God will hold us accountable if we are grumpy and miserable. Is God going to be pleased with our attitude? “I gave you food, vacations, car, friendships, relationships, money, televisions and all you ever did is grumble and complain. I will hold you accountable for whether or not you enjoyed life.
God will say, “You dope!”
Don’t be a dope. Enjoy yourself while you are here.
SLOW DANCE: anonymous poem from Werner Goering
Have you ever watched kids on a merry go-round?
Or listened to rain slapping the ground?
Ever followed a Butterfly’s erratic flight?
Or gazed at the Sun into a fading night?
You better slow down. Don’t dance so fast!
Time is short, the music won’t last!
Do you run through each day – on the fly?
When you ask, “How are you?” …do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next day’s hundred chores running through your head?
You better slow down. Don’t dance so fast!
Time is short, the music won’t last!
Ever told your child, “We’ll do it tomorrow.”
And, in your haste – not seen his sorrow?
Ever lost touch. Let a good friendship die?
Because you never had time to call and say, “Hi”…?
You better slow down. Don’t dance so fast!
Time is short, the music won’t last!
When you run so fast – to get somewhere,
You miss half the fun – of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift thrown away.
Life is not a race, so take it slower.
Hear the music before the song is over.
5. BE SURE TO DO THE ONE THING THE BIBLE SAYS WE HAVE TO DO TODAY.
Read Hebrews 3-4: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart. . . But encourage one another as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness. . . .Let us therefore make every effort to enter into God’s rest.”
“But as many as received Him [Christ], to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His Name.” (John 1:12)
Becky at UMC and Dr. Feinberg: “You just don’t know do you?”
Andy Miller suicide at Mt. View. Be sensitive. Took everyone by surprise.
You need to receive Christ today. You may leave here and be run over by a bus crossing the street to the mall. “Aw, that won’t happen to me. I have plenty of time.”
“Yeah, but, you don’t know do you?” No. So give your heart to Christ at the awning today.
Close with a poem by a contemporary Danish poet I hear on Garrison Keillor several months ago. It is entitled TIME. Time passes by before we know it.
We have twelve clocks in our house; still there’s never enough time.
You go into the kitchen and get chocolate milk for your spindly son, and when you return, he has grown too old for chocolate milk, demands beer, girls, revolution.
Your daughter comes home from school, goes out to play hopscotch, comes in a little later, and asks if you would mind the baby while she and her husband go to the theatre.
While they are at the theatre, the child, with some difficulty, is promoted to the tenth grade.
You photograph your full-blooded young wife, with fashion coordinated outfit, an opulent fountain in the background,
But the picture is hardly developed before she announces that it is time to collect her old-age pension.
Softly, the widow inside her awakes.
You want to make the most of your time, but it gets lost all the time.
Where has it gone? Was it ever there at all? Have you spent too much time throwing time out?
So you roam around for awhile, without time and place.
And when it’s time, you call home, and you hear,
“Hello, this is the operator, you’ve called 959-4939. I’m sorry. That number is no longer in service.
(Click)
Make the most of your time while you have it.
That is what Solomon says.
· 1. FIGURE OUT WHAT TIME IT IS.
· 2. HANDLE THE TRANSITIONAL CHANGES WELL.
· 3. LIVE IN LIGHT OF ETERNITY BECAUSE THERE IS NO INSTANT REPLAY.
· 4. DON’T BE A DOPE. ENJOY LIFE WHILE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE.
· 5. DO THE ONE THING THE BIBLE SAYS WE HAVE TO DO TODAY. Come to Christ Today.