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[0:00] This is the First Mustang Pulpit Podcast, a podcast of the weekly preaching and teaching at First Mustang.! Thank you for joining us. Well, this morning I have the privilege of sharing the word with you.

[0:22] Our pastor was to be away in Israel and obviously not able to take that trip with a team from here at our church. And we trust the Lord, His guidance and direction, His providential hand in all things.

[0:38] But so I have the assignment for this morning and for tonight. There's a reminder to come back this evening as well if you don't blow away. If the northwest winds that will be blowing through, whipping down the plains today.

[0:53] But we will gather together once again tonight in our series of Fear Not and looking from Isaiah 41.10. But this morning, if you have your Bibles, you can open, if you haven't already, to Ecclesiastes chapter 3.

[1:10] I want to give you a little bit of context here so you understand why Ecclesiastes and how I arrived at sharing from this passage.

[1:20] Because there's really the convergence of numerous different streams in my life that this particular chapter has just gripped me.

[1:31] And I've gone back to it over and over again and been meditating on it. And I have the privilege of leading one of our adult Sunday school classes.

[1:42] And while teaching in there, we're in the book of Ecclesiastes. So we walked through this chapter a few weeks ago. And then I also lead our Wednesday night adult prayer and Bible study service.

[1:55] And so I invite you to come out if you don't have a place to be on Wednesday evenings at 6.30. We meet in here and we spend half of our time in prayer and then the other half of our time going through a book of the Bible.

[2:08] Or sometimes I throw in a mini-series, whether it be on some theological topic or something else from biblical theology or systematic theology. But we've also been in the book of Ecclesiastes.

[2:22] I told my Sunday school class that there are several that join us on Wednesday evenings. I said it won't be identical. And so even this morning, it's not identical. Because again, this is the living Word of God.

[2:35] And the longer that you read and study and meditate, just like the Puritans would say, you're like a bee that's just sucking the pollen and the nectar out of a flower.

[2:47] And that's how I feel with this particular chapter. And even really just gripped with the theme of time and perspective.

[2:58] Time and perspective. So recently, I celebrated another birthday by God's grace. And that caused me to reflect on time. And it also gave me perspective, thinking through my life now.

[3:14] And if you look at the grand scheme of things, like Joey read in Psalm 90, I know some of you are older than me. But a lot of you are younger than me.

[3:24] But you kind of reach a tipping point where you're gripped with, wow, I'm on the side of maybe not many years left. And again, that's not saying I'm sick or that I'm expecting to die tomorrow.

[3:37] But you never know. But when you look at 70 to 80 years of life, you begin to realize, wow, I'm in the backside now.

[3:49] I'm on the backside of my journey. And only the Lord knows the number of my days. But that's caused me to think and to have perspective.

[3:59] You see pictures of yourself. And I don't know if you're like me. But if you see a picture of yourself, I think, what in the world? My beard is gray. When did it get that gray?

[4:10] In my mind, I'm thinking, it's still jet black. And I look young. And then I look in the mirror. I see myself in a picture. And I think, wow, I look old.

[4:22] And wow, I need to lose some weight. And so those things, maybe you've been there with me. I feel like I'm maybe not alone there. So that gripped me. But just the other night, we had the opportunity to go to the Thunder game to play my Celtics.

[4:37] The Thunder beat my Celtics. Great game. Got to witness history there with SGA. We had a great time. But something happened that immediately brought me back to Ecclesiastes chapter 3 with time and perspective.

[4:54] And my phone rang before the game. And it was my son. And he said, Dad, what section are you sitting in? And I thought he was pulling my leg.

[5:05] He knew I was going to the game. And I told him the section we were in. He said, I'm on the concourse and looking at it right now. And I said, yeah, sure you are.

[5:16] And he said, no, Dad, I am. I'm here. And I knew he was working. My son's an Oklahoma City firefighter. So I knew he was working. And I said, what are you doing here?

[5:28] He said, well, we got a call. And everything's okay. But the guys want to meet you. So Shauna and I go upstairs. We meet him. Have a great time.

[5:38] And as I'm standing there, my son said, yeah, we got the call. And I knew you were at the Thunder game. And I thought, man, I hope that's not my dad. And I thought, okay, I've officially reached the tipping point where if you're worried about a 911 call that comes in and you know him, I mean, 18,000 plus that are there at the game.

[6:05] And he's worried. Well, I hope that's not my dad. So all of that is kind of converged into Ecclesiastes chapter 3, a poem that is followed by prose.

[6:19] And really, this entire chapter is gripping. And it's something that is meant to give us a sense of time and perspective.

[6:35] I want to read to you just a short part of what Bobby Jameson wrote in his book when preaching through Ecclesiastes. Everything is never enough is the title of the book.

[6:48] He says this, time flows in only one direction. Try to push time back up the hill and it will surge around you.

[6:59] Future ceaselessly churning into past. This river obeys not tides, but gravity. Time only flows.

[7:11] The purer the pain or pleasure, the closer time comes to standing still. Boy, isn't that true? The purer the pain or pleasure, the closer time comes to standing still.

[7:26] But the eddy is only as wide as the feeling. And it soon lets out into the surge. Time, like a river parched by drought, never seems full enough to do all you need, much less want.

[7:41] If time is a resource, it's scarce. Far from renewable. Time runs out. It takes a droplet of water three months to journey the length of the Mississippi from its source in Lake Itzica in northwestern Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf.

[8:02] In just 90 days, the river runs out. The stream that drains half a continent keeps coursing. But the drop is done. Are times river and traits a problem?

[8:17] That depends. It depends on whether you have ever wanted to redo a mistake or undo a tragedy. Whether you have ever longed to hold something precious longer than time's clawing hands will let you.

[8:33] Whether you have ever wanted more time, more now, or more between now and the inevitable, final then. Time is our native habitat.

[8:45] It's not like you can opt out. Time is as much a part of you as hydrogen and oxygen, carbon and nitrogen. Not only are you in time, but time is in you.

[8:56] From your heart's percussion to the gray hairs that arrive like poverty, slowly, then all at once. If we are creatures of time, why are we so ill at ease with time?

[9:11] Why are time's limits an insult? Why do we so seldom feel at home in the present? A child chafes all week at the confines of school and homework, straining for the weekend, then says at 10 o'clock on Saturday morning, I'm bored.

[9:28] There's nothing to do. You spend years training to attain some goal or get some job, and all you can think about once you get there is, what's next?

[9:39] 400 years ago, Blaise Pascal diagnosed the disorder that detaches us from the present, divorcing us from the only time we have.

[9:51] Pascal said this, Let each of us examine his thoughts. He will find them wholly concerned with the past or the future. We almost never think of the present, and if we do think of it, it is only to see what light it throws on our plans for the future.

[10:07] The present is never our end. The past and the present are our means. The future alone our end. Thus, we never actually live, but hope to live, and since we are always planning how to be happy, it is inevitable that we should never be so.

[10:26] Time. The air that we breathe. Time that is addressed in the beginning of Ecclesiastes chapter 3, in a famous poem.

[10:41] Let's read that now, out of Ecclesiastes chapter 3, the first eight verses. Reading from the ESV, it says, For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.

[10:55] 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.

[11:09] 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.

[11:21] 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.

[11:33] A time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to tear, and a time to sow. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

[11:46] A time to love, and a time to hate. A time for war, and a time for peace. Let's begin with just looking at, the first eight verses here.

[12:01] What I've entitled, the structure of time. The structure of time. Take note here, that in verse one, for everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter, under heaven.

[12:15] If you spend any time, in the book of Ecclesiastes, you'll note, these repeated phrases, of under the sun. In fact, that's used often.

[12:27] Under heaven, is used, far, is used fewer times, than under the sun. It's meant to give us, perspective. Meant to remind us, of the life that we now live, in God's created order, is structured.

[12:47] However, as one author put it, remember that we live, east of Eden. We live, after, the fall.

[13:00] We live our days, in the midst of, sin, destruction, chaos, opposition to God, opposition to one another, division.

[13:17] We live, east of Eden. We live, post fall. And so, as Solomon, what I believe, Solomon, the author here, would say, is, for everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter, under heaven.

[13:34] It's a reminder, when he uses the phrase, under heaven, that, time is, God's time. God is the one, who is, over time.

[13:45] We're going to see it, in point two, here in just a minute. But God is, the controller. God is, the one, who oversees, the structure, of time.

[13:59] And this poem, is written masterfully, because, while there does not seem to be, as one commentator put it, a logical progression, or natural connection, between one set of extremes, and those that come after, or before, there is some structure to it.

[14:23] There is a chiasm, for those of you, who like to get into the weeds, of studying, in scripture. There is a chiastic structure, here, with a time to be born, and a time to die.

[14:37] And then it sets the stage, for what's going to happen, as this poem unfolds, in listing extremes. But he weaves it, in and out. There are extremes, in that, there are things, that are delightful.

[14:52] There are things, that we would rejoice over, in a time to be born. And you think about, in our preschool ministry, it seems like every month, we have babies being born.

[15:03] And that's a time to rejoice. It's a time to plant. Hopefully you didn't plant your garden, too soon, since it's going to be 20, tomorrow morning.

[15:16] But, there is a time to plant. There is a time, to heal. See how he inverts it there? He moves it, from the delightful, the delightful being first, to the delightful being second.

[15:33] Time to build up. Time to laugh. Time to dance. All these things, are delightful in our lives. There's a structure, in life. These are good things.

[15:45] But then there are things, that, cause us to, mourn. Or grieve. Like verse 2, a time to die. Verse 2, a time to pluck up, what is planted.

[16:01] Verse 3, a time to kill. A time to break down. Verse 4, a time to weep. A time to mourn. Verse 5, a time to cast away stones.

[16:14] Time to, refrain from embracing. There's the inversion again. A time to, lose. Time to cast away. See, it's just the, normal rhythm of life.

[16:28] Life as we know it, under the sun. That we will have seasons, in our lives. And the author is purposeful, in displaying this, because he wants us, to remember, that while we live, under the sun, there is a structure, to time.

[16:48] There are seasons, that blow in, and seasons, that blow out. And it's all, meant to drive us, back to a proper, perspective.

[17:03] Time, and perspective. That the season, that you may find yourself, in right now, will not necessarily, be the season, that you're always in. Whether it's delightful, or whether it's discouraging.

[17:16] Quick application here, is that, for many of us, if we're walking, in the midst of something, that's delightful, or discouraging, we may, we may be so, consumed with it, that we think, this is the way, it's always going to be.

[17:32] This is my life now. It's like going on vacation, and you, you get there day one, and you think, ah, I never want to leave. I just want to be here.

[17:42] And then by day three, or four, you're like, how many more days, do we have? Or, it's just the, the rhythm of life, the structure, of time, as we know it.

[17:55] And this is all meant, to give us perspective, and when we understand, there is a structure, to time, it's going to lead, to what point three, points us to, which we'll get there, in a moment.

[18:07] But beforehand, let me, let me just point out, one other thing, here in this poem. the structure itself, the list of opposites, is made up of 28 items, in 14 pairs.

[18:23] This means the list, is comprised of multiples, of seven. Remember, seven, is the number, that symbolizes perfection, in the Bible. It is a skillful way, of again, emphasizing the totality, of things, that are contained, within any human life.

[18:42] This is a complete summary, of the seasons of life. Life as we experience it. Life as we know it. Many of you, have read, The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom.

[18:57] And if you haven't, I highly recommend that. But Corrie ten Boom, references, life is a, weaving, the poem, many, or the tapestry.

[19:09] Many credit her, with writing it, but records show, she didn't write it, she just referenced this, in many of her presentations, about her, time spent, in a concentration camp, moving, and powerful, her and her sister.

[19:25] Here is, this poem. This poem, life is, but a weaving. My life, is but a weaving. Between my God, and me, I cannot choose, the colors, he weaveth steadily.

[19:45] Oft times, he weaveth sorrow, and in foolish pride, forget, he sees the upper, and I the underside. Not till the loom, is silent, and the shuttles, cease to fly, will God, unroll the canvas, and reveal, the reason why.

[20:07] The dark threads, are as a, are as needful, in the weaver's, skillful hand, as the threads, of gold, and silver, in the pattern, he has planned.

[20:20] He knows, he loves, he cares, nothing, this truth, can dim. He gives, the very best, to those, who leave, the choice, to him.

[20:34] Life is but a weaving. You can find that online, and that is a great, poem, and one that is, powerfully used, of Corrie Ten Boom, when looking at her life, and how, when we examine life, from the underside, of the tapestry, that is being, weaved together, we see the dark threads, and wonder, what in the world, is happening?

[20:59] Is God still there? Does God care? Does God see? And oh, if we had the perspective, that God is weaving, a beautiful tapestry, and he uses, those dark threads, just as he does, those bright, colorful threads.

[21:21] It's what Solomon, is pushing us, here toward, even in this poem, this understanding, of perspective, that there is a structure, of time, verses one through eight, but let's look, here, at the next section, which I've entitled, the sovereignty of God, verses nine through eleven, the sovereignty, of God, it's interesting, that, in verses one through eight, you have no mention, of God's name, and yet, we have under, heaven, and then, in verses nine, through, fifteen, God's name, will be mentioned, eight times, interesting observation, verse nine, what gain has the worker, from this toil, again, as only Solomon can do, in this wisdom literature, as he looks at this, and says, okay, if there's a season, to time, and there's a motion, to time, there's a structure, to time, then, the question is, what gain has the worker, from his toil, if these things, are going to happen, then why live my life, why toil, why work hard, it's a repeated, question, in the book, of Ecclesiastes, as well, verse 10,

[22:35] I have seen the business, that God has given, to the children of man, to be busy with, verse 11, 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, I read on there, a little bit, verses 9, through 11 though, the sovereignty, of God, what a reminder, that, God is the only one, who's sovereign, and God is the only one, who's God, and we are not, you see it there, even from our perspective, what gain as a worker, from all his toil, I've seen the business, that God has given, to the children, men to be busy with, then verse 11, he has made, everything beautiful, and it's time, and, he's put eternity, into man's heart, and let me pause there, if you've ever, traveled the world, you know, man was created, to be, a worshiper, man was created, to be a worshiper, how do we know that, because God has placed, eternity, in him,

[23:59] God has placed, eternity, into man's heart, it's what we see, mankind striving, after that, which they will worship, that which they will, bow down to, Romans chapter 1, tells us about, the cycle of sin, and the downward, spiral of sin, as men exchange, the glory, of the immortal God, for images, that are created, and they bow down, and they worship, these things, why, why do we have, worshipers, because God has created, and put, eternity, in the heart of man, you are not, eternal, in the sense, that you had no beginning, only God is, but you're eternal, in the sense, that you will be, somewhere, a thousand years, from today, scripture tells us that, scripture reminds us, of this, and so, God the sovereign one, has placed, eternity, into man's heart, and then you see, that phrase goes on, in verse 11, yet so that, he cannot find out, what God has done, from the beginning, into the end, what a reminder, you are not God, nor were you meant, to understand, everything that is done, under the sun, only God, can shoulder that, so, man is, left with, himself, with eternity, in his heart, and we're reminded, that there's only, one true God, and he is, the sovereign God, you see how, this plays into, the structure, point one, the structure of time, in verses one, through eight, that the structure, of time, is given, by the sovereign one, he's sovereign, over all of his creation, and then, an offshoot, of his sovereignty, is his providential hand, that God is the one, who's guiding, and directing, all of history, and he's guiding, and directing, your life, in the time, for this, and the time, for that, we see the sovereignty, of God, but number three, beginning in verse 12, we see the sinner's response, the sinner's response, let me read verse 12 again,

[26:19] I know I just did, I perceived, that there is 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 his toil, this is God's gift, to man, I perceived, 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, 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, or what has been, pursued, see in these verses, we can see, the sinner's response, and I say, the sinner's response, because all of us, who live life, under heaven, and under the sun, are sinners, every one of us, remember I mentioned, that we're living, east of Eden, the fall has happened, and part of, what Ecclesiastes, is driving home, in this wisdom literature, is if you are, seeking fulfillment, from anything, other than God, that will be found, wanting, you will not, be fulfilled, in fact,

[27:34] Solomon himself says, listen, I'm the one, who's had, riches untold, I'm the one, who's had fame, untold, I'm the one, who's had influence, untold, I am, been the king, and had power, and women, and wealth, and I've had, all these things, and all of it, is a vanity, of vanities, it's all, but a mist, it's all, but a breath, and you will not, find fulfillment, apart from fulfillment, in God, the one who created you, it's a conclusion, and the culmination, of this entire book, in Ecclesiastes chapter 12, but it's a theme, that runs throughout, at the end of the day, we're to fear God, and keep his commandments, and here we see, a sinner's response, is threefold, number one, verse 12, we are to be, happy, be happy, say what in the world, where do you get that from, well you see it, right there, beginning of verse 12,

[28:42] I perceive that there is, nothing better for them, than to be, joyful, or be happy, understand, that, life, is a gift, from God, we see that, at the end of chapter 13, we're not to seek, fulfillment, from the seasons, of our lives, or from things, that have been created, we are to seek, fulfillment, from the creator, and when we have, a proper perspective, that there is, a structure to time, and the sovereign one, is the one, who put the structure, to time, then our response is, enjoy these things, and listen, for a lot of Christians, this is difficult, we have a lot of, sourpuss Christians, who walk around, just, they're, they're pouting, and they're upset, and the sky is falling, and, and, there's always something, negative that's going on, and, and we think that somehow, to be joyful, or to be happy, would be sinning, and yet,

[29:49] Ecclesiastes reminds us, there are things, we can enjoy, you can be happy, with these things, you can be happy, with companionship, you can enjoy, your spouse, that's a good thing, you can be happy, with children, especially, when they're obedient, but you can be happy, with them, when they're disobedient, that's a joy, it's a gift, they're a heritage, from the Lord, you can be happy, with friends, I love how, Tommy Nelson, long time pastor, at Denton Bible, put this, Tommy said, listen, enjoy life, and if today, you're able to, go to the ice cream shop, with your friends, and enjoy, a double dip, ice cream cone, of Rocky Road, which I would say, not Rocky Road, but peppermint, ice cream, from Brahms, but that's, that's just me, versus Tommy Nelson, but when we have, these seasons, in our lives, we can embrace them, and enjoy them, just what the poem, started with, we can rejoice, over one who is born, we can rejoice, over planting, we can rejoice, over building up, we can enjoy, these things, we can be happy, we don't have to, walk around, through life, constantly, worrying, or constantly, discouraged, this comes right out, of the wisdom literature, why, because God, has given this, as a gift, so number one, be happy, enjoy the things, number two, be holy, you see it right there, in verse 12, right after, and nothing better, for them to be joyful, and to do good, as long as they live, be happy, be holy, do good, he's given us, a canon of scripture, in order to, live in obedience to him, now, quick aside here, we don't strive, to be holy, in order to, achieve, right standing, before God, you can't do enough, that's justification, by faith, would say, you're only accepted, by the father, through the shed blood, and the righteousness, of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, that I have any standing, before God, the judge, now with that, when I've been justified, by faith alone, comes a new heart, and a new life, and a new desire, to do good, or to be holy, listen, if you've trusted,

[32:39] Christ as Savior, and Lord, and there's no difference, in your life, from the way, the world lives, or the way, that you have been, living your life, that right there, is a red flag, that needs to be, hoisted in the air, that you may not be, a true child of God, because scripture says, there will be a change, read first John, there'll be the evidence, of fruit in your life, and the evidence, of fruit in your life, is doing good, or being holy, or what Paul says, to Titus, adorning the gospel, the gospel, is justification, by faith alone, and Christ alone, and he gets all the glory, and then my life, is lived in such a way, that I do good, or I'm holy, why?

[33:24] Because I have a new heart, so we are happy, we are holy, but number three, you see it in verse 14, we're to be humble, humble, which I get from, the latter portion, of verse 14, so that people fear, before him, so that people fear, before him, we're to be humble, before God, this idea of fear, is reverence, and awe, before him, last week, Jeremy did a great job, kicking off our Sunday evening, sermon series, with the emphasis, on fear not, and distinguishing between, the idea of, that which, would be a healthy fear, that which would be, a sinful fear, and then that which would be, a godly fear, well what Solomon, brings us back to, is this godly fear, that causes us, to be humble, we're to live before him, in humility, why?

[34:21] because he is God, and we are not, and so we are to be happy, we are to be holy, we are to be humble, that's the sinner's response, now we don't, get this from our present text, but, with the time we have remaining, I want to emphasize something, and that is number four, the son of God, in time, and with perspective, the son of God, in time, and with perspective, another great book, recovering Eden, the gospel according, to Ecclesiastes, Zach Eswine, and I just want to read, this insert here, that he had, because the son of God, in time, and with perspective, is a reminder, to each of us, that we're not,

[35:24] Old Testament believers, when this was written, they were looking, for the Messiah to come, they were looking ahead, when will Messiah come, so they're, they're reading, and they're learning, looking ahead, well you and I, are looking back, you and I read, and learn, looking back, because the Messiah, has come, Jesus Christ, the God man, has come, and he lived, the perfect life, that you can't live, he died the death, that you deserve, and I deserve, he paid the penalty, for the sin, not his sin, but our sin, he died, as our substitute, and he rose again, on the third day, and then he ascended, back to the Father, and praise God, one day, he will return, and we're living, right now, in the already, not yet, that he's already come, he's already lived, a perfect life, he's already died, the death, of a substitutionary, atonement, for our sin, and he's already, been raised, from the dead, and he's already, ascended back, to the Father, and now we're, awaiting his return, in time, and with perspective, we live in this time, could he return today, yes, could he return, in a thousand years, yes, but we live, with perspective, and the perspective is,

[36:56] I want to be found, faithful, and be found working, that's the admonition, be faithful, be working, be diligent, but Eswine says this, when talking about, Jesus, and the appointed times, time has waited, long enough, God sends forth, his son, Galatians 4, 4, Herod wants to know, what time, the star appeared, infanticide follows, Matthew 2, 16, and 17, the time is fulfilled, Jesus comes preaching, Mark 1, 14, and 15, 40 days in the wilderness, in the opportune time, the devil seeks, Luke 4, 13, the demons tremble, the dreaded time to come, is on their minds, Matthew 8, 29, Lazarus faces death, Jesus waits two days, John 11, 5, they want to arrest Jesus, but his hour has not yet come,

[38:03] John 7, 30, the feast awaits, his hour is not yet, John 7, 8, the Passover arrives, Jesus announces, my time is at hand, Matthew 26, 18, Jesus is betrayed, his hour has come, Mark 14, 41, they crucify him, the third hour spills his blood, Mark 15, 25, the afternoon quits, three hours go dark, Matthew 27, 45, the ninth hour, the father forsakes him, Mark 15, 34, it is finished, John 19, 30, Mary weeps, Jesus waits, John 20, 1 through 16, Thomas doubts, Jesus waits eight days, John 20, 26, 40 days, Jesus preaches,

[39:03] Acts 1, 3, the day comes, Jesus ascends, Acts 1, 9, our hour comes, death waits, the voice of the son of God rises, John 5, 25, the hour comes unannounced, prayer in Jesus orients, the minutes, Mark 13, 33, purpose, tension, and time are gathered up, one greater than Solomon has made it so, people.

[39:40] And so we look to Jesus, we look to him, the one who lived in space and time, the one who by our perspective, we would say he was defeated, I mean he was beaten, and then he was crucified, and then he was killed, and then he was laid in a tomb, and from our perspective, we would say, we go back to fishing, we go back to life as it always was, ah, but from the father's perspective, this is the plan that has always been, and you see on the third day, that stone is going to begin to rattle, and shake, and it's going to be moved, and the son of God himself, will rise victorious, you see time, and perspective, and right now dear friends, your perspective may be all that you can see, you're clouded by all that you can see, and remember,

[40:47] God is weaving a beautiful tapestry, for his glory, and for your good, and forming you, and conforming you, into the image of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ, so let me give you some implications, then we'll be done, implications, or applications, whatever you feel like you want to write down, number one, remember the structure of time, as established by God, remember the structure of time, as established by God, it takes more faith, to believe in chance, it takes more faith, to just believe, that things happen, in some superstitious manner, than to believe, that God has structured time, he has established time, he knows what he's doing, we need to be reminded of this, the structure of time, the seasons of my life, are established by God, number two, rest in the sovereignty, rest in the sovereignty, and providential hand of God, rest in the sovereignty, and providential hand of God, meditate on who he is, the last song we sang, great is, great is, great is, thy faithfulness, you see, especially if you find yourself, in a discouraging season, remember who God is,

[42:27] I shared this with you, nearly every time I speak, I share this with you, I cry every time I read it, the moon is always round, the children's book, and the emphasis, and the catechism is, God is always good, oh, that we need to remember that, if all I can see, is a sliver of the moon, I know the moon, is always round, and I remember, God is always good, Psalm 100 verse 5, so we rest in who he is, in his sovereignty, in his providential hand, number three, ready yourself, for the day of your death, ready yourself, for the day of your death, now you may be thinking, wow, that just took a turn, oh, that we'd be reminded, and the book of Ecclesiastes, reminds us, the way we live, our lives, being happy, holy, and living under the fear of God, is understanding, your days are numbered, the day of your death, is closer today, than it was yesterday, now I know, for young people in the room, you may think, wow, that's,

[43:48] I mean, that guy's old up there, standing behind the pulpit, so it may be any day for him, but for me, it's, but no, no, no, no, listen, no man has been promised tomorrow, be prepared today, ready yourself today, it is appointed unto man, to die once, and after that, to face a judgment, Hebrews 9, 27, be prepared today, and then number four, run, to keep the alliteration, run, run, to embrace each day, striving, to live happy, holy, and humbly, before your God, run, to embrace each day, striving, to live happy, holy, and humbly, before your God, Corrie ten Boom, was able to share, the tapestry, your life, as the weaver, is putting it together, in some powerful, and poignant ways, and yet, she wept, in that concentration camp, she experienced pain, in that concentration camp, you see, none of this, is the removal, of the sorrow, or the pain, but when you have, a proper perspective, on time, with God, as the sovereign one, you can live your life, happy, holy, and before him, in the fear of the Lord, especially, when you understand, the Savior has come, he has come, and the culmination, of all time, is yet to come, when people, from every nation, every tribe, every language, will worship him, around the throne, that's what awaits us, you see, that's biblical hope, biblical hope, is as one man put it, faith in the future, because I can trust, the God, who made the promise, and for us, we trust the God, who has the inheritance, that's laid up for us, that we're journeying, towards each, and every day, let's pray together, our Father, we thank you again, for this time, in your word, thank you for the, the Old Testament, wisdom literature, that we're able, to be confronted with, out of the book, of Ecclesiastes, and Father,

[46:28] I pray that this day, we would live our lives, in a way that brings glory, and honor to your name, thankful for the son, of God, the Lord Jesus Christ, we pray that, if there be any here today, excuse me, who don't know, Jesus as Savior, and Lord, that today, they would embrace him, and cry out, as a sinner, in need, of a Savior, and your word, reminds us, all who call upon, the name of the Lord, shall be saved, may that be the case, this day, we ask all this, in Jesus name, amen, if you, would like, to follow up, in any way, you can fill out, that connection card, we would love, to meet with you, pray with you, follow up, in any way, that you, would like, to have someone, from our staff, follow up with you, you can just, tear that connection card, right out of the bulletin, drop it in any one, of these, offering boxes, or giving boxes, that are located, by the doors, as you exit, let me give you, a few important announcements, and so, just so you pay attention, to the structure, of tonight, in that, we are having, evening service, tonight, at five o'clock, men, who are in the institute, you're meeting, at 345, so the institute, is happening, at 345, evening service, is happening, in here, at five o'clock, but we will not, have kids praise, that normally meets, in the kids zone, but we will have, kinder praise, okay, we will have, kinder praise, and that's for the younger ones, that Aaliyah Brewer leads, and they meet, in adult wing, 206, and so, that will happen, this evening, and then, let me remind you, be sure, and look at your bulletin, know the upcoming,

[48:22] Easter schedule, one last announcement, be sure, and sign up, for our family matters, dinner coming up, at the end of the month, and so, there's a sign up sheet, right outside door A, that, that says, family matters, we ask you to sign up, for that, it's a catered meal, no charge, and you can be, guest or member, it's open to all, to be a part of, family matters, all right, let's stand together, and let me just, encourage you, if you do not have, a Sunday school class, if you go outside, door A here, you can find, one of our, our folks, our greeting folks, or guest reception, and they would love, to point you in the direction, to join one of our classes, I'm going to close, our time in prayer, and then we'll be dismissed, once again, our father, it's been good, for us to gather here, on the Lord's day, and I pray, that the Holy Spirit, would do a work, in our hearts, long after we leave, this place, and we ask all of this, in Jesus name, and all God's people said, amen, amen.

[49:41]  Amen.