The title of this message is taken from the text, Seasons, Times, and Purpose of Life, a marvelous, amazing chapter in God's Word. This chapter, like this book, is all conclusive or comprehensive. It takes in the whole story of life. This book, Ecclesiastes, story of life from beginning to end. The beginning of our life to the end of the last chapter is about the end of life. You get old. And this chapter, these verses are a culmination of all that. It's just a summary of all that. Here's some things I want us to go away with, okay? This is what I want us to learn in this. That everything is seasonal. It comes and goes. It comes. Winter, fall, spring, summer. It comes and goes. Good times, bad times. Ups and downs. It comes and goes. Seasonal. It's all according to God's time. Everything is exactly according to God's time. It's going to come when God brings it and sends it. It's going to go when God takes it. All according to time. And it's on purpose. We realize this. It's on purpose. This world is not chaotic. Chaotic means there's no rhyme or reason, there's no order, it's just random happenings and all that. No, everything is ordered and purposed by our God. And the great underlying truth in all this is one purpose, one eternal purpose. We're going to look at this in a moment. There's one eternal purpose Reason why God created everything. Man, everything. One purpose. And you know what that is. The world doesn't know that. We do. Alright, look at verse 1. Everything, there's a season. Time to every purpose under heaven. Seasonal, like I said. Things come, things go. There's seasons of the year. Spring. Like life begins, youth, and then summer, it's in its full bloom and strength and all that, and it begins to wane in the fall, and then winter is over. Everything looks dead in the winter, doesn't it? Well, God's people, they're about to live. But it's seasonal, isn't it? It comes and goes. We were talking in the study about youth and strength, and I said to Brother Stephen Montgomery back there, I said, you probably don't want to wrestle with Luke and Jacob anymore, do you? He said, no, I don't. He said, I can take Joshua down. But that won't be long. I told them I used to race and I'm a foot racer. I wouldn't stand a chance now. The times, there's a time for this, a time for that. All according to God's time, isn't it? God's time. Everything is according to his time and on purpose. Purpose says, notice it says, to every purpose under heaven. We don't know, we know the big picture. We've read the last chapter. The Lord has told us the whole purpose of everything. But why this particular thing happens, the purpose of it, there's a purpose of this happening, a purpose of that happening. To bring about this, to bring about that, we don't know. Like a tapestry, it doesn't look like it's connected on the back, if you turn it over. You see the big picture. It all works together for good, according to one purpose. But there's purposes. Everything's on purpose. There's nothing by chance, nothing by accident. It all works together for one eternal purpose. Now, let's talk about that before we get into this, okay? What is that purpose? Ephesians 1. I never tire of reading this. Do you tire of reading this? Oh my. Now God has abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence. He's made known unto us the mystery of His will. Look at verse 9. Ephesians 1. I want to start reading in chapter 1. Blessed be God. Of course, He has chosen us and predestinated us. It's all there. electing purpose, God's predestinated purpose, God's redeeming purpose. Verse 9, He's made known unto us, His people, His elect, the mystery of His will. It's a mystery to most, His will, according to the good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself. Here it is. In the dispensation of the fullness of times, that He might gather together in one all things in Christ. both in heaven and earth, even in him, in whom also we've obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him that worketh all things." Chapter 3, quickly. Quickly, chapter 3, verse 8. He says, among the Gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ, to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world have been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ, to the intent that now, under the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the Church, us, what's going on here, what Christ did. The manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. You see that? And I'll just read you this one more. 2 Timothy 1, 9. People, this is the purpose. This is the reason God made time and creation and everything. It's this. This is the purpose. It's in God's covenant of redemption. He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, given us in Christ before the world began. Are you with me? If you don't understand any of Ecclesiastes 3, understand this. The whole purpose for everything is to the praise of the glory of God's grace in Jesus Christ. The cross is, as it were, the center of the universe. Everything before it pointed to Christ, the one on the cross, and everything after it points back to remembrance of what He's done on that cross. It's all about Him. That's why God made everything. Creation is a tabernacle for His Son. All His people are created in His image, for His glory. Do you understand that? Isn't that wonderful? That's wonderful, oh my. Okay, so our great concern should be this, that we are in that purpose, that we are in his kingdom. Paul said this, I want to be found in Christ. And it's all said and done. Everything is done. He said, I thought everything was gained, but now I realize it's lost. What profit? Just like Solomon, what profit? It's all just done. It went out in the draft, didn't it? I want one thing, he said, like David. I want to be found in Christ in that great day. Do you understand that? That's the purpose for him saving you. Alright? Look at it. Each verse by verse. Everything is a season. Time for every purpose under heaven, as we said. Winter, spring, summer, fall. We go through dark days. And there are light days, and cloudy days, and sunny days. It's all on God's timing. Seasonal. Pleasures of sin for how long? Seasons. Seasons in our life. There's youth, life, strength, death. Different seasons, different time. For every purpose, God's time, everything's going to happen exactly the moment in time that God purposed it. Aren't you glad? Everything's ordered and sure predestined. Most people hate that. You know, people are ignorant fools, aren't they? If this world is just happening and we don't know what's going to happen, even God doesn't know what's going to happen. We're in a mess, aren't we? But it gives you great peace knowing that everything is completely ordered and God's good time. It'll happen. Aren't you glad? Listen to Gadsby's hymn. I love this hymn. God moves in a mysterious way. His wonders to perform. He plants His footstep in the sea and rides upon the storm. Seasons, there's calm before what? Storm. There's a storm before what? Calm. You've got to go through both to appreciate both. God will be there with you through the storm. Plants his footstep. Deep in unfathomable minds, depths of never-failing skill, He treasures up his bright designs and works his sovereign will. Jeanette William Capper. God raised him up to write this hymn. Lord, how tedious and tedious. Deep, ye fearful saints, fresh courage take. The clouds you so much dread are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head. Cloudy days, but hang on. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, human reason. Trust Him for His grace. Behind the frowning providence, He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast. They are unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower. blind to unbelief, assured to error, and scan his work in vain. Now God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain. Someday we're going to see clearly the reason, and I hope we need to see it now. It will give us peace. Come what may, we'll realize God did it. It's the Lord. And we need to expect it. Because he says it's seasonal. Going through good times right now? You need to expect that there's a storm coming. Going through a storm? It's going to end. According to God's time. And it's all on purpose. For our good and for His glory. Isn't this wonderful? Verse 2, a time to be born, a time to die. God's amazing wisdom, power, and purpose. Every person that's born and dies works His eternal purpose in Christ. I want to show you something. I want to give you some time to be born. God's one says, I kill, I make a light in it. Every single human being born or not born or aborted is according to God's purpose and has some part in that big purpose I was telling you about. Baby born, if it's one of God's elect in his kingdom or not, it's according to God's purpose. And they die after their purpose is over. Right? It's time to plant, time to pluck up. Let me give this. I thought I wrote that down. I didn't. I hope I can remember it. Let me give you a couple of illustrations. Every baby that's born and every one that dies is according to God's purpose, and it works out the purpose of God's kingdom in bringing Christ into this world and His people into His kingdom. Are you with me? There's a man named Elimelech, okay? Born of babies, they named him Elimelech. He grew up in Bethlehem. He married a woman named Naomi. They had two sons, all right? Famine came, according to God's drought, famine, they left. Okay? They left and went to Moab. Elimelech and his wife Naomi, their two boys, went to Moab. Why'd they go to Moab? Because there's somebody there. There's an elect sheep belonging to God. Elimelech dies. His purpose is over. to bring Naomi and her two sons to Moab. And one of those sons marries Ruth. One of those sons marries Ruth. He dies. His purpose is over. Alright? Ruth and Naomi come back to Bethlehem. Why? She's got to have a baby. Are you with me? If you're listening to this, you need to be smiling from ear to ear. Everything is born. Everyone that dies is according to this purpose, okay? Ruth has a baby named Obed. Obed has a baby. He's born. He has a baby named Jesse. He's born. Jesse has a baby named David. He's born. In the meantime, Obed dies. Jesse dies. David's born. He dies. They die. They die. And a thousand years later, Jesus Christ is in the fullness of time. God sent forth His Son, made of a woman. What woman? Ruth. Okay? Everything. See? Everything. Exactly according to God's purpose. Right? Here's a young girl living in Jericho. And she falls into sin. She becomes a harlot on the street. She's as low as she can possibly go. Her family grieves and mourns over her. She brings great reproach on her. Sad. They don't know what they think. She's going to die in the gutter. But God. But God. Her name is Rahab. God sends two preachers to strike fear in her heart, make her desire the kingdom of God, want to be in his kingdom. put fear in her heart, call on the name of the Lord, save her and her house. And they promised her, these two preachers, they promised her salvation by a sure token, a red line, a scarlet line, been there in her house the whole time. They said, you wait, Rahab, you stay in this house, you wait, we're going to come get you. And she didn't know when, she didn't know the time, but she knew the promise. And in the fullness of time, they came back for her. And they got Rahab out of that and they destroyed Jericho. And they took Rahab back to Jerusalem. Alright? She married a man named Salmon. And they had a baby boy named Boaz. That's Ruth's husband. All things work together according to that purpose. For God's glory. good of his people. No matter how deep where sin abounded, oh, grace did much more than that. And the chief example of all, the reason for it all is that when Christ came, a baby born, now everybody and everything depends on that child being born, that son being given. But he's got to die for us to live. Time to plant, time to pluck up. He grew up as a tender plant. Thank God. A root out of dry ground. He had to be plucked up. He had to be taken away. It's all Christ. It's all about Him. And every plant which our Heavenly Father has not planted will be plucked up. But Christ, divine, and we are the branches, we abide in Him, we'll abide forever. We'll never be afflicted. Verse 3, time to kill, time to heal. You know, the Lord kills in His time. Have you ever put one of your animals down? Yeah. Sad, isn't it? Did somebody else do it, tell you to do it? No, you had to decide. You had to decide. It's time. According to your wisdom. And that's what God does. But it's not sad for him. Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. It's sad for us. Oh, my. The time to kill. The Lord does it. Time to heal. Now, I want you to notice the order of all he says here. The Lord's got to kill us to make us alive. Doesn't he? The Lord's got to kill. That Christ had to die for us to live. Christ's blood is our healing. These lepers. Break down. Time to break down. Time to heal up. Build up. The Lord's got to break these proud hearts, doesn't He? Build us up on Christ the solid rock. Vagon's got to fall for the ark to be exalted. Christ's body was broken. And we're built up on that most holy faith. It's all Christ. It's all on purpose. Verse 4. Time to weep. Time to laugh. Time to mourn. Time to dance. See the order? Look at chapter 7. Ecclesiastes 7. Time to weep. Time to laugh. Didn't our Lord say, blessed are they that mourn? We mourn over our sins. We mourn all our lives over our sins. If you ever quit mourning over your sin, be alarmed. And those that mourn will be comforted. The gospel. Those that mourn, those that weep, are going to laugh. I just did. But Ecclesiastes 7 begins, A good name is better than precious ointment. What name? Our names will perish. Every surname will perish. There's one name that we all are going to belong to, and that's the family we need to be a part of. God's son. The sons of God. Christians. Good name. Oh, that's precious. The day of death better than the day of one's birth. You understand that? Oh, birth is a happy time. It is. Care I was expecting. We look so forward to that, aren't we? Marriage beaming right now. Man, it's an exciting time. By the way, one of our young people is going to be baptized soon. New birth is more exciting than anything. Oh, bless her. Ready? But better than birth. Because if you're in Christ, you die crucified with Christ. The day you die is the day you begin to live. Read on. It's better to go to the house of mourning than the house of feasting. This is the end of all men. What? Death. He deals with this all the way through here. There's no escaping this war. And it shows the vanity of working all your life for something, then you die and give it to somebody else. Verse 3, sorrows better than laughter. By sadness of the countenance, the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, the heart of fools in the house of murder. You see, there's an old saying, he that laughs last, laughs best, right? Weeping endures for a night. David wept constantly, didn't he? He went through many trials with his children, his marriages, his troubles, wars within and without. His whole life, until he was 70 years old. And he died. But he watered his cats with his tears. He said, my tears have been my meat day and night. Weeping endureth for a night, he said. Joy is coming in the morning. One day it's going to be one continuous morning. I'm talking about morning morning. The sun arises with healing in his wing. No more tears. Dancing. You like to dance? You won't admit it will you? Do you dance when you're alone? Go ahead. David did before the ark, didn't he? You know, weddings, you dance. I danced with my daughter at her wedding. And we're going to be in an eternal wedding feast. Is there anything happier? Feasting and dancing. Yes, holy dancing. I look forward to that. Maybe I'll do a little bit now. So, look back at our text. Time, there's a time for these things. Time to dance. Verse 5, time to cast away stones, time to gather stones. I was going to, talking about weeping, I was going to go to John 16. Our Lord said, I'm leaving and the world's going to rejoice. They're going to laugh. They're going to mock. Where's the promise of His coming? I told you to read 2 Peter 3, that's what he says there. They're laughing, scoffing, mocking, having a big old time, dancing and carrying on. There is no God, there is no judgment, there is no sin, there is no right, there is no wrong. Have a good time. Eat, drink and be merry. But He's coming. He's coming. We need to know that. We do. We do. Even at last laugh. He that laughs last, laughs best continually from then on. Laughter. No sir. So verse 5, a time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones. The Lord, like killing us, He's got to take away this stony heart, doesn't He? He's got to take away this stony heart, and then He gathers us and makes us living stones. in his kingdom. We're outcasts. Who does God put in his kingdom? Outcasts are gathered, put in his kingdom, like you plow on a field. You know, Rocky and Liz have been planting things, and it's so hard. Isn't it a hard digging chance? Oh, man, you hit a rock. You know why they call it Rocky Mount, don't you? You hit a rock every six inches, four inches. Yeah, you do. It's hard digging. Many won't do it. But you can't. Paul did this all. You run into stones, don't you? Everywhere. You take them up, you pick them up, you cast them out. Cast them out. You know, plant something. All right? Well, later on, what are you going to do with these stones? You build a wall. You build a border. You do something constructive with it. God's people are all cast outs until He gathers them in. Cast away. And He gathers them according to that purpose in Christ. Verse 5. Time to embrace. Time to refrain from embracing. Embrace. There's a time to love your family. Time to leave them. Time to forsake them. He that loveth father and mother, son or daughter, husband and wife more than me, yea, his own life also. Can't be my son. Right? Boy, I tell you, we love our children, don't we? We love our grandchildren. We sure do. But if they don't love the Lord, and they need to know it. I remember, brethren, I remember feeling my parents' great displeasure with me. that I had no interest in, and there God. And my dad did not embrace me like he did when I was a boy. But God, thank God he brought the prodigal home and the first thing he did, fell on my neck and embraced me. But there's a time to quit hugging. You need to know. And even God's people need to feel his displeasure at times, don't they? To bring that prodigal back. And if you come back broken, he'll fall on your neck. And he'll kiss you. And it'll be like you never left. Isn't it? If one of these prodigal children of ours or grandchildren of ours came here and the Lord saved them, all forgotten. There's just time. Time and wisdom. Time, verse 7, to rend. Time to sew. You know, we need to rend our hearts. No, not our garments. Rend our hearts. That's what he said in Hosea. Habakkuk. The Lord said, rend your hearts, not your garments. And there's a time to sow. Let's see if I can find it. David said this, and you know, there's very few references to sowing in Scripture. Just a few. But this is one. There's a time to rend your heart. There's a time to tear up that old self-righteous rag you're wearing and throw it away like old vine barmaids. Don't sow fig leaves. Throw it away. Here's what Job said, You number my steps, dost thou watch over my sin? Here's his hope. My transgression is sealed up in a bag. Thou sewest up my iniquities. It got sewn up in a bag, all our iniquities, and they laid them on Christ the fit man. What did he do with them, John? Took them away. Separated them as far as the east is from the west. They're not going to be found. A scapegoat. And Jack Shanks said, God ain't goat hunting either. I'm laughing. Laugh with me. Your sins are sewed up. Yeah, they are. The last verse in Ecclesiastes, God's going to bring everybody into judgment. Not God's people. Why? Your sins are covered. Sewed up. It's time to rend your heart over sin. It's time to see that they're covered. Isn't that wonderful? Wonderful. Time to keep silence. Time to speak. Oh my. If there ever was a time in history for men to keep silence, it's now. And yet man is talking Proud, boasters, heady, high-minded, boasted. I saw a little thing the other day that said, never has a generation documented themselves so much about accomplishing so little. Taking pictures and talking about themselves and they're not doing nothing! Isn't that right? Why do they say all that? Because we ought to keep silence. God is in the heavens. We're on earth, let your words be few. Habakkuk says the Lord's in his holy temple, now's the time to let all the earth keep silence. No, they're spouting off here and there, and God hears it. He's angry with the wicked every day. Time to keep silence, time to speak. God's people, now more than ever. need to speak the truth. God's people need to speak up. God's people need to take a stand for the truth now more than ever. In these last days, in these perilous times, in all these things, they need to take a stand against what man is standing for and stand for what man is against, the truth. That's the time to keep silence, time to speak. That is the time to speak to a fool, not speak to a fool. That's the time to speak to a fool. That's to be wise in his own conceit. Read on. The time to love. The time to hate. You know, the gospel is a story of love in it. It really is. The love of God in Christ. But when Christ comes back, it's not a time of love. It's a time of love for His people. It's God who's angry with the wicked, and every day it's a time when God's going to destroy this world, and holy hatred in it. But now it's gospel time in it. God's so merciful and gracious. Love God, love each other, and hate the world, and hate sin, hate self. Time of war, verse 8, time of peace, time of war. All this life is a war for God's people. Your troubles are not over when the Lord reveals Himself to you. Your troubles are over with God. But your troubles just began in this world. You didn't have trouble before you were born again. But as soon as you're born again in this world, a war starts, doesn't it? And it goes on all the days of your life until you die. Time of peace. Shouldn't we look forward to that? Peace, peace. Wonderful peace. Peace forever. And our Lord said, no man can take it from you. Read on. A time of war, a time of peace. So, what profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboreth? What are we working for? What are we laboring for? What are we looking for? Our Lord said, labor not for the meat that perishes, but for that meat that endures unto eternal life. We need to understand that what profit is it if a man gained the whole world? And can you quote the rest? And lose his soul. Because we're going to lose everything. There's a time. We're going to get things. Everything we get, we're going to lose. Right? In God's time. But, you know, look at the rest of these verses. This is so good. The whole book deals with this. I've seen the travail which God has given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. Chapter 1 talks about trying to find a reason for things. It's a sore travail men are exercised with. And he says God has made everything beautiful in His time. Everything. It's still a beautiful world, isn't it? God's creation. God giveth us richly all things to enjoy. There's no sin in enjoying things. Oh no, God giveth us these things to enjoy. You give your children things to enjoy, don't you? Don't you enjoy them enjoying it? Huh? Do you despise their joy? No. You want them to have joy. But they need to be thankful. They need to realize who gave it to them. They need to realize that it's just a fleeting thing. And God shows these things to His children. And look at verse 13. Every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of his labor. It's the gift of God. That's all through this book. These young people. I still eat and drink and enjoy, don't you? The last chapter talks about getting so old you can't enjoy much of anything. eat and drink, your teeth are gone. And on and on it goes, doesn't it? You enjoy the beautiful scenery and you go, look, look, look at that, isn't that pretty? And you turn to your old dad and you say, look, isn't that pretty? He says, I can't see it. So there's a time when you can't see it. But enjoy it while you can. And here's wisdom, here's the goodness, mercy of God, is enjoy everything right now. For the moment. And our Lord said this, you remember the message on take no thought for tomorrow? Don't worry about tomorrow, there's enough evil then to give you trouble, don't. Enjoy now. Like especially these kids, because I love, I saw a little advertisement, had a man in a fishing boat, with a little girl, about four years old, in front of him, fishing. And it said, take your daughter fishing today. She's going to be married and gone tomorrow. And it's so, isn't it? It's like that. So enjoy it now. You don't know what tomorrow is. OK? It's the gift of God. Enjoy it. Enjoy it. But verse 11, do you wonder what it means, they put the world in their heart? Well, we've talked about that. I believe that God has put the world in the heart of men in this world. The sons of men, it talks about. There's a difference between the sons of men and the sons of God. You understand? All through the scripture. In this chapter, it talks about, verse 17, the righteous and the wicked. There's a difference. God looked down on the sons of men, see if there were any that understand. None. He puts the world in their heart. And he does that so people become all these things, lawyers and doctors and this and that and the other, and warriors. Brother Andre and I, Andre is a life military man in California. and goes to church there sometimes and wherever he can. And the Lord makes men, military men, to fight these battles and wars to protect God's people. You know that? It's not for nations and countries, it's for His elect. King Saul was a bad man, but he was a warrior. And God raised him up to protect Israel, didn't He? Because God had an elect people there that needed protected. He didn't need Saul, but he raised him up with him. So God puts the world in man's heart, and that's what they go after, and it's all for the purpose of God's people. And they don't know the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end, verse 11. They don't know the work of God. Are you with me? Do you know the work of God? Yes, you do. The work of our... That's how we started this message. Come on now. That's why I started it this way. That's the work of God, the purpose of God, everything. Everything works together to bring about that work of redemption, that purpose of God. We do know that work. They don't. So they're after this world. We're not. We have the world in our heart. He's taking the world out of our hearts. Because He's taking us out of the world. See that? We know the work of God. The beginning and the end. Beginning. Who's the beginning and who's the end? Who's the first and who's the last? Who'd this begin with and who's this going to end with? Jesus Christ. I know, verse 14, I close, I know whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever. Don't you love that? This world's not forever. This creation's not forever. Nothing in this life is forever. What's he talking about? That work. That new work. That work of redemption that Christ did on the cross. Nothing can be put to it. And nothing taken from it. All that Christ gets, He ain't going to lose. Everybody He plants will never be planted up. Everybody He makes alive, nothing's going to kill them. It's His Word, and it's forever. You see that? Now listen, that which hath been is now. That which is to be hath already been. God required that which is past. Meaning, known unto God are His works from the beginning of the world. Nothing new unto the Son, certainly not to God, because He purposed it all. David said this, I love this, I'll close with it. He said, although it be not so with my house, I've been through so many troubles and trials, sons and daughters and wives and friends and enemies and home and outside and inside and everywhere. Nothing but troubles in this life. Though it be not so, not just so, like I maybe want it to be, yet God hath made with me, concerning me, an everlasting covenant or purpose in Jesus Christ, ordered in all things, and what? absolutely certain. This is all my salvation. Is it yours? Okay. Stand with me.