2015-10-25 
Pastor Jonathan Falwell 

IN this series, Portrait of a King, we’ve learned a great deal about leadership and relationships. And today, we continue learning from Solomon and his great wisdom as we talk about life. Life is a great gift that when done correctly, can bring immeasurable joy. But to live a life full of joy, we have to understand the seasons of life. Life has its amazing ups and its difficult downs. God allows these peaks & valleys, victories and defeats to shape us, to refine us, strengthen us, and teach us lessons we would have NEVER learned if life was always tranquil, calm, and predictable.

I Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.

Solomon instructs with a summary of life:
vs 1 For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

– Life is change, but in the midst of change, God is constant

1. The Beginning and the End – Life is finite (is limited, it’s measurable) James 4:14
2a A time to be born and a time to die…

2. The Work & The Reward – Life requires work to succeed
2b …A time to plant and a time to harvest.

Proverbs 21:5-7 NLT
5 Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.6 Wealth created by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist and a deadly trap. 7 The violence of the wicked sweeps them away, because they refuse to do what is just.

3. Stopping & Starting – A time to terminate and a time to restore
3a A time to kill and a time to heal…

4. New Beginnings – Being ready for the new things God brings into our lives
3b  …A time to tear down and a time to build up.

5. A Time for Expression – Private & Public
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.

6. A Time to Fight – gathering stones was used to describe preparing for battle
5a A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

7. Importance of Choosing the Right Relationships – choosing the right kind of friends
5b…A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

8. Time for Decision – (holding things lightly)
6b…A time to keep and a time to throw away.

9. Time to Mourn, Time to Rejoice
7 A time to tear and a time to mend
…and a time to be quiet and a time to speak.

So HOW DO WE COPE WITH THE EVER-CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF LIFE?
Depend on God!

Ecclesiastes 3:9-10 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all.
– God is the author of life!

Ecclesiastes 3:11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
– God is in control and has given us a spiritual window!

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.
– Knowing God is in control brings peace!

Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. 15 What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.

WE SHOULD HAVE COMPLETE CONFIDENCE IN OUR GOD! HE WILL LEAD US THROUGH THE SEASONS OF LIFE!