Seasons - What Is God Up To? 3

Subject - Understanding The Seasons In Our Lives

By Rick Welborne

　
Eccl 3:1 & 11-14 NKJV
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,
13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor--it is the gift of God.
14 I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.
–The last two weeks we have been discussing this thing of seasons and the timing of God.
–We discussed based on a teaching from Dutch Sheets that there is a chronos time (a general time) and a kairos time (an opportune time when we think something is about to happen).
–Let me make this clear to everyone here today...just because we have been faithful in the general time and just because there appears to be an opportune time on the horizon...
It does not mean that the fight of faith is finished...we must be faithful in our season.
–It means that because of our prayer, persistence, and faithfulness that we have shifted into an opportune time where something great potentially will happen.
–Even when (especially when) we get to this place in our seasons and in the timing of God...we must be willing to persevere the most. Hang in there and don’t give up!
–The Bible not only speaks of chronos time and kairos time but it also speaks of pleroo time which is the fullness of time.
Galatians 4:4 (NKJV) 
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
–Sheets: This word "fullness" indicates fully completing or finishing something. Whereas kairos indicates opportunity to perform a task or produce fruit, pleroo means it has been accomplished.
1. Childbirth is a good analogy of what we are trying to say about the fullness of time.
–The woman goes thru the three stages we are speaking about, the general time, the opportune time, and the time for the birth of the child...task completed...Right!
–For nine months (an important season) the woman faithfully endures the challenging but important developmental stage...the general stage of development.
–Much is happening during this time in the hidden place of the womb but she cannot hold or fully enjoy the child she is carrying. Causes anticipation for the next season.
–Prayer of Jabez...Bless me indeed, enlarge my territory, let Your hand be with me, keep me from evil.
–The woman then moves into the opportune time of labor and delivery...due season! The baby is due!
–The birthing of the little miracle is not here yet but it is near...This opportune time is difficult and even dangerous for mom and baby.
Sheets: Opportunity does not guarantee success. There will be much work, pain, and pushing if the fullness of the stage of birth is to be reached. There have been very few times in my relationship with my wife when she was totally unreasonable, where intelligent conversation was impossible. In fact...there has only been two times - the births of our daughters...Sarah and Hannah.
–Men, even though we were in situations where we really wanted to help our wives ... there was little encouragement we could give in this time. Tear off my face!
–Finally the woman goes from the opportune time (a time of labor and pain) into the fullness of time...the baby is delivered.
–It is always worth the pain once you can hold your baby...what a miracle. Key: It is always worth the season of waiting when you hold your miracle in your hand.
2. Spiritual births and the births you are praying for can be difficult and dangerous.
–Unlike a woman in childbirth we do have the opportunity to give up or to quit.
–During the opportune or strategic times there will always be the possibility of bail out or just saying I have had enough...I quit.
–This time (this season) can become hazardous...disillusionment, weariness, confusion, and other problems can easily arise.
F. B. Meyer uses the example of a beehive to compare the struggle of bees to that of the Christian:
–A beekeeper told me the story of a hive—how, when the little bee is in the first stage, it is put into a hexagonal cell, and honey is stored there for its use until it reaches maturity. The honey is sealed with a capsule of wax, and when the tiny bee has fed itself on the honey and exhausted the supply, the time has come for it to emerge into the open. But, oh, the wrestle, the tussle, the straining to get thru that wax! It is the straight gate for the bee, so straight that in the agony of exit the bee rubs off the membrane that hid its wings, and on the other side it is able to fly. Once a moth got into the hive, fed on the wax capsules and the bees got out without any strain or trouble. But they could not fly, and the other bees stung them to death.
–Are you struggling to get to the next stage or to see your miracle take place?
–Don’t give up...Your struggles won’t be wasted...they may even be necessary! Don’t bail your kids out in their struggles! Don’t you want them to fly? The key is not to quit!
Luke 18:1 (NIV)
1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

3. Look at the disciples of Jesus and what they went through.
–They went through 3 very intense years with Jesus...saw many miracles and many conflicts.
–Then they came to kairos (the time where they thought their dreams would be fulfilled) just to find themselves at the cross of Jesus.
–They were so close to their pleroo (fullness of time) and came very close to losing the spiritual baby that was about to be birthed.
–They became very confused because they did not know what God was doing behind the scenes...it was not the way they had played it out in their minds.
–Their confusion became frustration and they looked at each other and said, What are we going to do...Peter said I am going fishing!
–Jesus had always been there and now He is dead...the dream is over so let us go back to what we are familiar with...I really thought I heard God but oh well.
–Jesus shows up and again reveals to them that the dream is not dead but to wait for the promise of the Father...then He ascends to heaven...whatever!
–Look at what they almost lost...they had been faithful, they had come to an opportune time, and now they are close to the fullness of time.
–They almost quit before the birthing of what God had promised and planned.
–You see...Pentecost is only a few days away (they didn’t know what it would be like) and they had no idea what they would have missed.
–Pentecost comes and they are filled with God’s power...Peter preaches and 3000 people came to Christ, and as a group listen what was said about them...
Acts 17:6 (NKJV)
"These who have turned the world upside down have come here too."

–We almost miss how close they were to abandoning their fullness of time because they almost quit a few days short of their miracle.
–This was not what they had expected...Ruling Romans. What they received is better...they are now filled with the power of God. How many of you know that is better?
4. My word for you today is don’t quit...don’t quit...don’t quit!!!!!
–Your miracle may not look like or unfold the way you have preconceived in your mind but please know God has it custom made just for you.
–You may be confused and maybe a little disturbed at what you perceive as God’s inactivity and the lack of visual signs something is happening.
–Until it completely unfolds you may not have any idea what it will look like! It always seems to me that Satan will provide an opportunity for you to bail out...
–Back in 5 or 6 years ago...I was contacted by a church in Texas...an opportunity to change...it was an extremely tough season for me.
–During this time I was teaching on Job...God woke me up at 3 in the morning and reminded me about my own teaching...
–He promised if I would hang in here that He would do more than I could think or imagine...I said yes, Lord, and I am so glad I did...
–We are close, Church, to that promise...hang in there...the fullness of time is coming for you and for the church.
When your hut’s on fire 
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, ‘God! How could you do this to me?’ Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! ‘How did you know I was here?’ asked the weary man of his rescuers. ‘We saw your smoke signal,’ they replied. 
–It’s easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn’t lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering.
–Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.
2 Cor 12:9-10 (NKJV)
9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.