Everything in Life Has Its Time and Purpose (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Sermon Summary
Pastor David Yan
18 April 2021
Life is full of changes. Ecclesiastes 3:1 teaches this. Solomon, King of Israel, was the probable human writer of Ecclesiastes.
All that happened to Israel in the Old Testament had time and purpose. The family of Jacob spent 400 years in Egypt and emerged as a nation. She later spent 70 years in captivity and emerged largely cured of idolatry. There was a 400 years gap between the Old and New Testament at the end of which there came Jesus the Saviour of his people. Everything had its time and purpose.
How do you cope with life's changes?
First you must recognise that life will certainly have its changes. The present coronavirus pandemic is proof how the whole world can be changed in a moment.
Secondly you must understand that changes have a purpose. They do not happen coincidently.
How you cope with changes depends largely on your beliefs. The book of Ecclesiastes gives us two possibilities.
The first is a no-God belief. When the writer speaks of things under the sun he is philosophising a view of no-God. This view presupposes an existence where there is no God but a life without God “under the sun”.
This no-God view leads to what the writer describes as vanity or futility. All changes in life seem meaningless.
The other belief is that of belief in an almighty powerful God who does all things and these things shall be forever (Eccles. 3:14).
This view calls people to understand that God is in control and that life's changes have their time and purpose.
Consider the life of Jesus and note how everything in his life had its time and purpose.
His birth came in the fulness of time (Galatians 4:4) and was for the purpose of saving his people from their sins.
His death was predetermined and happened at the determined time for a determined purpose (Acts 2:23).
The resurrection of Jesus occurred 3 days after his death. We note the precision of time. We note also the purpose of his resurrection which was to give to his people, among other things, hope of life beyond this temporary earthly life.
The ascension of Jesus occurred 40 days after his death. It was all according to time and purpose. The sending forth of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost occurred 50 days after Jesus's death. Its purpose was to give power to the church.
If we apply the lesson of Ecclesiastes 3:1 to our lives we should understand that the changes we experience in life have their time and purpose. Things happen to us not by accident but according to God's time and purpose.
You may be experiencing a change in your general health. Or perhaps your financial security is being shaken or perhaps you are uncertain about your job security.
Whatever your life-change rest assured that it has its own time and purpose. Believe in the Lord that he is in control.
The most important change is that of conversion from unbelief to faith in Christ. Paul declared that this change should be now, not the future (2 Cor. 6:2). Now is the accepted time; now is the day of salvation. Come to Jesus this morning before the end of this service and experience the greatest change in your life. May you become a child of God today and a new creation.