Thoughts About Time, Part 1

It is so good to have you with us this evening as we spend just a few moments in the Word of the Lord. I've had the privilege of being the pastor here for 30 years, and I think that of all the sermons I've ever preached over those 30 years, the next two, tonight and next week, are probably going to be the most important sermons I've ever preached, and that's because they deal with everyday life events that affect you and me, and give us a proper perspective on how our lives are to be lived. And so I think that every sermon I preach is important because it's from the Word of the Lord, so I think they're all important, and yet I think that tonight and next Wednesday tonight as we look at Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verses 1 to 15, I think you're going to understand a little bit more about life and what God expects from you and me.

So to begin our time tonight, I want to play make-believe. Have you ever played make-believe? Of course you did. Growing up, we make-believe that we're somebody other than we are. Growing up, we play make-believe that we live someplace other than we do, and so we live a life of make-believe, the way we dress, the way we talk. It's kind of like a little escape to fantasy land. We live that way as little children. As we get older, we realize that life's really not much of a fantasy at all, it's reality, and yet for just a brief moment, I want to play with you make-believe.

It begins this way. This Friday, your banker is going to give you a call. Now I know we don't have bankers today, we have, you know, ATM machines and we do everything electronically and digitally, but let's just pretend it's all make-believe. Your banker is going to call you on Friday night, and your banker is going to tell you that someone who loves you very much is going to deposit in your account on Monday morning 86,400 pennies, 86,400 pennies, which is $864, and this person who loves you very much is going to do that every single day until you die, and yet there's a stipulation.

You must spend all of it that day. You have 24 hours by which to spend 86,400 pennies, or $864 a day. If you don't spend it all, it doesn't carry over to the next day. It's gone, never to be retrieved again, and you're thinking, wow, this is a great, a great day. So you go home and you begin to get out your calculator and add up all that means, and you're going to realize that you're going to be making somewhere around $6,000 a week, and you do this for 52 weeks, you're coming close to $315,000. So you begin to think about how you're going to spend that money, how many cars you're going to buy, or how many houses you're going to buy, or how many gifts you're going to buy, how many new suits or new dresses, or whatever you're going to do, all the things you ever wanted to do, you can now do with 86,400 pennies deposited into your bank account every single day.

You have to spend it all, because it doesn't carry over to the next day. I think that every one of us would love to have something like that happen to us. That's why it's called make-believe. It's not going to happen. I'm not sure if there's anybody that loves you that much who's going to do that for you. Maybe there is. I don't know. Let's move out of make-believe into reality. Here's the reality. There is someone who loves you very much, and every morning when you wake up, they deposit into your bank of time 86,400 seconds.

You have 24 hours in which to spend 86,400 seconds. The stipulation is the same. If you don't use them wisely, you can't carry them over to the next day, because there's no such thing as a 25-hour or 26-hour day. It's a 24-hour day, and so you have 86,400 seconds every single day that the Lord above who loves you has given to you every day you wake up. The question is, how do you spend those 86,400 seconds, wisely or unwisely? So the question comes about time and how time affects all that we do. One man said that your life is like a coin.

You can spend it any way you want, but you can only spend it once. That's very, very true. And interesting about time is that whether you're penniless or you're rich, you all have the same amount of time. Whether you're a president or a plumber, you still have the same amount of time every single day, 86,400 seconds. The question comes, how do you spend that time? Time is a unique element. It can be one of the most fascinating words or one of the most frustrating words. That four-letter word can be very fascinating or frustrating, depending on how we spend our time.

Think about how time is woven into our everyday conversation. For instance, we ask the question, what time does church start? We don't ask the question, what time does it end? Because there really is no ending time, you end whenever the preacher's done, right? But we ask the question, what time does church start? We ask, is it time to go? We ask, what time are you going to bed? What time are you getting up? What time is dinner? What time will you be home? How much time does it take to get to whatever place we're going to?

Some say, I don't have the time to do this or that. You watch a ball game and they call time out. You have a friend that runs track and you want to know what their time was in the mile or in the hundred. We say the phrase, time flies when you're having fun. Or worse yet, we say this phrase, I wish I had more time to spend with them before they Time is a part of our lives. It makes up our lives. It's a priceless currency that God has given to us. Now our Lord lives outside the realm of time. He's eternal.

He lives in the past, the present, and the future all at the same time. That's incomprehensible to us who have finite minds and live in the realm of time with clocks and calendars that dictate our every move of the day. There's always enough time to do the will of the Father. That's why the Bible says we need to redeem the time.

The book of Ephesians, the fifth chapter, Paul says these words, therefore be careful how you walk. Not as unwise men, but as wise. Making the most of your time because the days are evil. Redeem the time. Buy back every moment. Buy back every one of those 86,400 seconds for the glory of God. Purchase them for His glory, not your glory. That's what the wise man does. He redeems the time. He doesn't waste his time. He redeems his time. One man said that the value of life is not in its duration, but in its donation.

Not how long you live, but how well you live. Interesting thought. When I was preparing this sermon back in May, I remember the song written in 1969 by Robert Lamb. Maybe you'll remember this song. It was made famous in 1970 by the band Chicago. The title of the song is, Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? My wife has begged me not to sing it for you. So I made a promise to her that I would not sing it, although I'm very tempted to sing it. But I will read the lyrics to you. It says, As I was walking down the street one day, a man came up to me and asked me what the time was that was on my watch.

And I said, Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care, you know, about time? I can't imagine why we've all got enough time to cry. And as I was walking down the street one day, a pretty lady looked at me and said, her diamond watch had stopped cold dead. And I said, Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care about time? And you know, I can't imagine why, for we all have time to cry. And I was walking down the street one day, being pushed and shoved by people, trying to beat the clock.

Oh, no, I just don't know. I really just don't know. And I said, Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? The meaning of the song has been debated as to what Robert Lamb meant when he wrote it. He wrote the song and what Chicago meant when they sang the song. It became one of their first major hits.

Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? That's the question. The psalmist knew what time it was. Psalm 34, the psalmist said these words. Verse number one, I will bless the Lord at all times.

His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord. The humble will hear it and rejoice. Oh, magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together. So the psalmist knew what time it was. It was time to praise the Lord. David knew what time it was because he said in Psalm 31, My times are in your hands. David knew that those 86,400 seconds in a day were in the hands of the Lord. Moses knew what time it was. In Psalm 90, verse number 12, he said, Lord, teach us to number our days that we might apply our hearts unto wisdom.

All those days you've given to us, help us to number them. Know how many we have that we might live a life of wisdom. First Chronicles chapter 12, verse number 32, the sons of Issachar knew what time it was because it says they understood the times to know what Israel should be doing.

When you come to the book of Ecclesiastes, the third chapter, Solomon talks to us about time and not so much about time itself, but the timing of everything.

And Solomon is going to change directions, change perspective to help us understand what we need to know about time. That there's a God who works perfectly in our time to make sure that everything is timed precisely as he wants it to happen. And so he knows and says in Ecclesiastes chapter 3, verse number 1, there is an appointed time for everything and there is a time for every event under heaven. I wonder if you believe that. He says there is an appointed time for everything, not just some things, not just certain things, not just good things.

There is an appointed time for everything. There is a master architect at work. There is a majestic creator doing that work. There's a marvelous planner who determines that work. It's so important to understand that everything is appointed by God. Isaiah wanted to help Israel understand that what was happening to them was by divine appointments. There was a creator. And so the Lord says in verse 25 of Isaiah 40, to whom then will you liken to me that I would be as equal, says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars.

The one who leads forth their hosts by number. He calls them all by name because of the greatness of his might and the strength of his power, not one of them is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel, my way is hidden from the Lord and the justice due me escapes the notice of my God?

Why would you even think that? Why would you let alone say it? That somehow, somehow God has missed an opportunity to deal with you. Or that God is not interested in what's happening with you. Why would you even come to that conclusion? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He says, excuse me, sorry, what is happening in your life has been planned and created by God.

He is the everlasting Lord, the eternal God, who has determined all that's going to happen. So he says in Isaiah 43, but now thus says the Lord, your creator, O Jacob, and he has formed you, O Israel, do not fear for I have redeemed you. I've called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

So Isaiah takes them back to the fact that God is the master architect, the majestic planner of all that happens in your life, because he is the creator. And you need to understand that, because when you pass through the waters, and when you walk through the fires, in other words, the waters are going to rise and the fires are going to blaze. It's going to happen. Why? Because your creator created them. And you must understand exactly what he's doing, because it would be in his time that he's accomplished those things.

It was Job who said in Job chapter 9 verse number 10, that God does great things unfathomable and wondrous works without number. Now this is Job who has lost everything and is suffering greatly, but recognizing that God is working in his life. He will later go on to say in Job chapter 23 verse number 13, but he is unique in who can turn him and what his soul desires that he does. For he performs what is appointed for me, and many such decrees are with him. Job recognized that in his suffering, in the severity of the difficulties surrounding him, they were all appointed by God.

So Solomon comes and says, don't you know that there is a time for everything, an appointed time for every single thing that happens. He wants you to understand this, but not just that they are appointed times, but that there's something beautiful about every one of those times. For he says in verse 11, these words, he has made everything beautiful in its time. So in other words, he has appointed everything that happens in your life, and everything that happens in your life that he has appointed is beautiful.

Do you believe that? So wait a minute, hold on a second. I know there are many things that I've had in my life that don't seem very beautiful to me. Ah, but stay with me. You're going to need to understand what Solomon is saying, because he wants you to come to grips with the reality of God's sovereign control. One man has said that the mark of spiritual maturity is the quiet confidence that God is in control without the need to understand why He does what He does. That's spiritual maturity. God's in control, and there's no need to understand why He does what He does, because He is God, and you are not.

That's the mark of spiritual maturity. So he says, he has made everything appropriate or beautiful in its time. So before we dive into, there's a time for this and a time for that, and a time for this and a time for that, I want you to notice that Solomon gives a simple summation, and then he gives a strong affirmation, and then we receive a significant application.

He begins with a very simple summation about time. He says very easily that everything, in verse 1, is appointed. Everything that happens is designed by God, and there is a time for every event under heaven. That is his simple summation, and then he begins to give several illustrations of things that happen within the realm of that time, and then he gives a strong affirmation that says, during the things that happen in that time, they are beautiful because God created them and designed them. So the question comes, how do we deal with that?

So let me give you three principles that will lead us into chapter 3. First of all, everything, everything begins with God.

You need to remember that. Everything begins with God. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That's Genesis 1, verse number 1. In John 1, he says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. And all things came into being because of that God. The Bible says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.

So you need to understand at the outside that everything begins with God. He is the master architect, the majestic planner of everything. So everything that's happening in your life right now began with God. You need to understand that. You need to understand how God is at work in every single one of our lives. What you are doing today is part of the everything of chapter 3, verse number 1. What's happening in your life right now is part of the everything of chapter 3, verse number 1. And it's part of the beauty of God.

Now, that might be a little hard to digest. But if you stay with me, I think you'll come to understand exactly what Solomon is saying. He says over in chapter 7, these words, verse number 13, consider the work of God. Now, he's already said that everything is appointed by God. So he said, I want you to consider the work of God, for who was able to straighten what he has bent? In the day of prosperity, be happy. But in the day of adversity, consider God has made the one as well as the other. So that man will not discover anything that will be after him.

To keep us from thinking that we can control anything at all, in the day of adversity, consider that God was involved in that as well. The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 45, verse number 7, these words, we'll pick it up in verse number 5, I am the Lord and there is no other beside me.

There is no God. I will gird you though you have not known me. That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun, that there is no one besides me. I am the Lord and there is no other. The one forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating calamity. I am the Lord who does all these things. And then he says in verse number 9, in case you are wondering how a God can create calamity, he says, woe to the one who quarrels with his maker. An earthenware vessel among the vessels of the earth, will the clay say to the potter, what are you doing?

Or the things that you are making say, he has no hands. Woe to him who says to a father, what are you begetting? Or to a woman, to what are you giving birth? The Lord said to the pen of Amos, if there is a disaster in the city, it is the Lord who caused it. Now think about that. If you live in North Carolina or Virginia, or if you live in Tennessee, Georgia, you have to ask yourself some questions. If there is a disaster in my city, why would the Lord cause it? If he's the creator of calamity, why would I be facing such calamity?

To the families of those who lost loved ones, as of now, it's somewhere of upwards of 170 people who have died. And all those people who've lost their homes, lost virtually everything, how do they respond to the fact that there is an appointed time for everything under heaven? And that appointed time is a beautiful time. How would you explain that to them? How would you explain to them that God is the author of calamity? How would you explain to them that if there's a disaster in the city, it is the Lord who has caused it?

Interesting to note that the Bible speaks a lot about this. In fact, in Psalm 105, God takes complete credit for the plagues in Egypt. In Psalm 105, the psalmist records these words. Verse 28, He, that is God, sent darkness and made it dark, and they did not rebel against his words. He, God, turned the waters into blood and caused their fish to die. Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings. He, God, spoke and there came a swarm of flies. And gnats in all their territory.

He, God, gave them hail for rain and flaming fire in their land. He struck down their vines also and their fig trees. He shattered the trees of their territory. God spoke and locusts came, and young locusts even without number, and ate up all vegetation in their land and ate up the fruit of their ground. He also struck down all the firstborn in their land and the firstfruits of all their vigor. God says, I did that.

Nobody else did. I'm the one who killed the firstborn. I'm the one who caused the fires. I'm the one who sent the gnats, the frogs, the flies. I'm the one who turned the water into blood. I'm the one who killed all the fish, destroyed all the vegetation. If there's a disaster in the land, it's the Lord who did it. He's the author of calamity. Well, why would God do that? If there's an appointed time for everything under the sun, and those things are beautiful, why would God say that disasters are beautiful?

The Bible makes a very startling statement in Psalm 9, verse number 16. It says, God is known by the judgments He executes. Now, just think about that. God is known by the judgments He executes. In other words, through judgment, you come to know holiness, wrath, mercy, grace, forgiveness. God would say back in the book of Exodus, the seventh chapter, He says, I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring out my hosts, my people, the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt by great judgments. The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.

How is Israel going to know me? I mean, how is Egypt going to know me? Through the judgments that I execute. That's how they're going to know that I am the Lord. Over in Isaiah chapter 26, the Lord says these words, Isaiah 26, verse number 9, when the earth experiences your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. Could it be that the only way the world learns about a righteous God is through the judgments that He executes? You see, these things are completely foreign to us. We don't like to think of God in those terms.

But God says, I'm going to take credit for calamity. I'm going to take credit for disaster. Why? Because I am God and you are not. I am God and there's none like me. And the Lord is in the heavens and He does whatever He pleases. He can do whatever He wants because He's God. And Solomon is going to give a very simple solution to life's events and the timing of those events by saying that there is an appointed time for everything under heaven. And then He's going to give a strong affirmation that says all those events that happen under heaven are beautiful things.

And we say, well, how could that be? Paul would say in the book of Romans, the 11th chapter, the 36th verse, for from Him, God, and through Him, God, and to Him are all things. Everything begins with God. Everything. It says, for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things beautiful. To Him be the glory, Paul says. And Paul had many events in his life that were under the sun that were tragic, hard, painful, difficult. And yet he says from Him, through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory.

In the book of John, the ninth chapter, there's a very familiar story. It goes like this in verse number one.

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. Imagine being blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents? Now, understand that verse. Understand the implication of that. Who sinned, this man or his parents? Now, he's been born blind from birth. So if he was born blind, that means in their understanding, this man sinned before he was born. Meaning that the child in the womb is really a child and nothing else, not a blob or a fetus. It really is a child, a thinking, functioning child in the womb.

To ask the question, who sinned, this man or his parents? Somebody had to sin for this to occur. Now, note that there are all kinds of evils in the world because of sin, right? Absolutely. Sin has wreaked havoc in the world. So they asked the question, who sinned, this man or his parents? And Jesus answered, it was neither that this man sinned nor his parents. This man is born blind not because of anybody's sin, He says, but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. He says, listen, there is an event that takes place under the sun, an appointed time that takes place under the sun.

And this man was born blind for this purpose, for this moment, for this time. He wasn't born blind 80 years ago. He wasn't born blind 100 years from now.

He was born blind precisely at the right time in order for me to perform a work, a miracle in his life. So when Solomon says that everything happens because of a divine appointment and that everything is beautiful in that time, our Lord explains that by healing the man born blind, because everything centers around God and His working. That's how God has designed it. In Daniel chapter, I'm sorry, Deuteronomy chapter 32, verse number 29, it says, it is I who puts to death and gives life. Who killed the 170 people in the states back east, the hurricane or God?

Very important to understand this. Either God's in charge of everything or God's in charge of nothing. And God is in charge of everything. God is known by the judgments He executes. Is this a judgment on those states? I don't know. But God is going to make Himself known and heard through the judgment He executes. Because the only way for man to learn righteousness is through the judgments that God enacts. So man will begin to live as God has designed him to live. That's why the Bible says, it's appointed unto man once to die.

Death is a divine appointment. There are no accidents in God's economy. In ours, there is, but in God's, there's not. He is the sovereign ruler of the universe. Everything begins with God. The second principle is this, everything that begins with God is beautiful in His time.

That's what Solomon says in chapter 3, verse number 11. Everything is beautiful in its time. And I know you're going to ask the question, well, wait, that just can't be. What about tragedy? What about disasters? What about horrific deaths? What about disease? What about heartbreaking situations? How can they possibly be beautiful in His time? How could Solomon say that? And how can we learn to believe that? Job said these words, Job 23, and you're with us in our study of Job. You know how horrific Job's life was, how tragic his life was, how painful his life was, and none of us in this room with all of our tragedies could measure up to his pain.

None of us. But this is what he says, God knows the way I take. God knows. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. Job understood how everything was beautiful in his time, and he went through tremendous tragedy. The Bible says in those very familiar words, we know, we don't guess, we don't think, we don't speculate, we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

Well, how do we know that? Well, number one, because the Bible says so, okay? Number two, because we know that God is in charge of everything.

And under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul makes it very clear that we can completely know that everything that happens in our life, if we love God, works out together for our good and His glory. We know that. And I know some of you are thinking here tonight, you know what, I don't agree with that. I don't think that everything begins with God, and I don't think that everything is beautiful in His time. I just don't agree with that. I'm going to tell you why you don't agree with that. You ready?

You don't agree with that because you have poor vision, poor vision. You value the misery of the moment more than the master of that moment. That's why you don't see it. You don't have biblical vision. What's biblical vision? If you ask me or you ask someone, what is great vision? You would say vision is 20-20. But biblical vision is not 20-20. Biblical vision is 50-20. What? It's 50-20. It's Genesis 50 verse number 20. When Joseph said to his brothers, you meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.

That is 50-20 vision. That is biblical vision. Joseph could have camped out on the misery of the moment, but he decided to camp out on the master of every moment. And that's the difference. It's very important to understand this. So if everything begins with God and everything is beautiful in His time, then number three, everything is beneficial in its time.

The key element is in its own time. For what is in God's time is what is happening to you today. For instance, it's part of God's plan. So you can say it this way. Exodus chapter 3 verse number 1. There's a time to give birth. Then add the phrase, in God's plan. And there's a time to die in God's plan. There's a time to plant in God's plan. A time to uproot what is planted in God's plan. There's a time to kill in God's plan and a time to heal in God's plan. There's a time to love in God's plan. There's a time to hate in God's plan.

There's a time to mourn in God's plan. There's a time to dance in God's plan. Although I take exception to that because I'm not sure me dancing has anything to do with God's plan. I can't dance. All you can do is watch me. I have absolutely no rhythm whatsoever. But everything is designed by Almighty God. Therefore, everything is going to be ultimately beneficial. Job said in Job 42 verse number 5, I have heard of you with the hearing of my ear, but now I have seen you. In other words, my hearing was okay, but my vision was horrible.

Now remember, he says this before he's healed. He says this before God gives him twice as much as what he had before. God has presented to him no explanation for what has happened in his life. None. He never receives an explanation. He doesn't get one until he gets to heaven. But when he gets to heaven, he doesn't care about the explanation. All he receives is a revelation of God, not an explanation from God. And so when he receives the revelation from God, he recognizes the sovereignty of God, the power of God, the purposes of God, the plan of God, the creating power of God.

He recognizes who God is, and therefore, I have heard of you. And remember, he was the most righteous man on the planet. He feared God. He was an upright man. He walked with God. He was the most spiritual man on the planet. And his conclusion was, I have heard of you with the hearing of my ear. But now, after this revelation, I've seen you with my eyes. Now, did God ever reveal himself to Job? No. He just spoke to Job. Job never saw the presence of God. Because you see, 50-20 vision doesn't see in the physical realm.

It sees in the spiritual realm. And so the Bible will say in Matthew 5, verse number 8, blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall what? See God. You don't see him with the physical eye. You see him with the spiritual eye. So here's Job. He sees God with the spiritual eye. Oh, I've heard of you. Oh, but now I see you. It's almost as if finally, I understand you're working in my life because I now understand who you are.

And he's not healed. He's sitting in the same ash heap, scraping the boils off of his body. From head to toe, in complete misery and pain 24-7, those 86,400 seconds go by very, very slow for Job. Because the pain is so severe. And amidst all that pain and all those seconds of continual turmoil, he says, now, now I see you. What did Job do? He began to pray for his friends. He didn't pray for himself. He prayed for his friends. When we're in pain, what do we do? We pray for ourselves. And we ask everybody else to pray for us in our pain.

Not Job. He prays for his friends. What's the Bible say? And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his friends. In the midst of his turmoil and pain, his eyes were moved from himself upward toward his God. In honoring God that way, God turned his pain to great pleasure. You see, everything begins with God. Everything is beautiful in God's time, making, therefore, everything beneficial for those who live in the realm of that time. That's the way God functions. This is how Solomon wants us to understand chapter 3.

He wants us to move in a direction that will truly help us understand what's going on. I love what he says. There's a time to be born and a time to die. Both of those are received, right? You can't make up when you're born. You can't decide when you're born. And you can't decide when you die. I think of William Cooper who tried to commit suicide three times and failed all three times. Why? It wasn't his time to die. You could try all you want. If it's not your time, you're not dying. Why? God says, I'm the one who gives life.

I'm the one who kills. I'm in charge of that. Don't think that you're in charge of your death. You're not. Don't think you're in charge of your life because you're not. But we tend to think that we are. We so desperately want to be in charge of something. Don't we? We want to be in control of life. And God says, in the day of adversity, consider that God made the day of prosperity as well.

And the reason he made the day of adversity and the day of prosperity is that no one will ever have any control over anything that he ever does. God says, I'm in charge and you're not.

Coming to that conclusion helps you understand the beauty of how God functions in life. How about this? Galatians chapter 4 verse number 4, In the fullness of time, God sent forth his Son born of a woman born under the law. In the fullness of time. In other words, when everything was just right, it was the perfect time. It was the right time. Christ wasn't born earlier. Christ wasn't born later. He was born precisely at the right time. It's like Baron Elizabeth, right? The wife of Zacharias. She's in her 80s.

She wants a baby, but she's called Baron Elizabeth because she can't have a child. So she goes through 80 years of living, maybe 80 years plus, with no child, wanting one so desperately, feeling the pain of isolation, feeling the pain of not being able to bear a child. Why? Because God said, you know what? It's not the right time. It's not the perfect time. But when the Messiah is about to come, guess what? Baron Elizabeth is no more. God opens and closes the womb. God's in charge of opening and closing the woman's womb.

He's in charge of that. You're not in charge of that. He is. And so the womb was closed until God decided to open it at the perfect time. Because he says, look, I'm not going to give you just another baby. I'm not going to just give you another son. I'm going to give you the forerunner to the Messiah. But I can't give him to you until the fullness of time has come. Because you're the forerunner. He's going to be the forerunner to the Messiah. See that? You can be caught up in the misery of the moment, or you can be caught up in the master of that moment.

And we need to be caught up in the master who controls all moments. All 86,400 seconds a day. And therefore, we need to make sure that we redeem the time. When the fullness of time had come, the perfect time, the perfect day, the perfect place, and to be born in Bethlehem, right? It was all done under the appointed time of God. Interesting. Also, his death was precise. He kept saying in John's gospel, my hour has not yet come. All the religious leaders hated him. They wanted to kill him. They wanted to put him to death, but they couldn't put him to death.

Why? Because it wasn't the right time. See, God's in charge of that. But when he did die, he died at precisely the right time, on precisely the right day, at precisely the right place, having fulfilled all the precise prophecies dealing with our Lord on the tree. And then when he died, he rose again the third day, according to what?

The scriptures. What scriptures? The Old Testament scriptures. Because the Old Testament prophesied that he'd rise again on the third day.

And so, even his resurrection was the precise time of the living God. And talk about tragedies. The greatest tragedy in the history of the world was the crucifixion of the sinless perfect Messiah. But it was part of the appointed time that was beautiful in his time. Why? Because God judged your sins in his son on Calvary's cross. And the only way you're going to know the righteousness of God, according to Isaiah 26, is because of the judgments of God. The one who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

This is so important because we go through life without ever considering time, the timing of time, and how our God has made everything beautiful in its time. Because everything begins with him. He's in charge. So, Solomon is going to say that everything that happens under the sun is the giving of life and death, laughing, crying, dancing, mourning, war, and peace. Do you think the war in Israel at this very appointed time was not under the direction of Almighty God? It is. God is moving the world in a direction that's going to accomplish his purposes.

He's in charge of everything. He controls everything. So, Paul could say, we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Even your sin will work together for your good if you're called according to His purpose and you love God. Because your sin is not bigger than the sovereignty of God. Your sin does not hinder the work of God. You didn't catch God off guard when you decided to sin. God knew you'd sin. And God had already orchestrated everything perfectly to bring about His purposes in spite of your rebellion against Him.

All you had to do is look at the nation of Israel. They rebelled against Him. They apostatized the faith. They turned their back on the Lord. And God judged them. And God put them into captivity. And God has set them aside for a while. But because He set them aside, it doesn't mean He ignores them. No, He's got a plan that's working toward the salvation of Israel. And that plan will function exactly as He designed it because there's a point in time for everything under the sun. And the God who's made it a divine appointment says that all things are beautiful in His time.

Next week, we'll expand on this, help you understand it even more so that you will never focus again on the misery of the moment or the merriment of the moment, but on the master of each and every moment. Let's pray. Father, we thank You for today and the chance You give us to spend time in Your Word. A lot of heavy things tonight in our prayer, Father, is that You would truly help us come to grips and understand the beauty of Your sovereign grace. Help us to rest without having to have answers. The fact that You're in charge and we are not, You have a plan that runs perfectly on course that will never be altered or changed because You're in charge.

Go before us, Lord. Help us to rest in that and to make sure that we understand that even in the judgments, the calamities, the disasters, You are making Yourself known so that people will come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, our Lord. We pray in Your name. Amen.