This week marks the shift from Trivial Pursuits to Meaningful Pursuits. This week we will look at Pursuing God's Timetable, embracing God's understanding of time and eternity. However, we will see that the jaded side of Solomon continues to intersperse rain clouds of doubt and cynicism. He bears the spiritual and emotional scars of a man who spent too much time in Trivial and sinful pursuits.

2. Series Overview
Trivial Pursuits
•Worldly Wisdom
•Worldly Pleasure
•Riches/Contentment
•Lasting Gain
•Self-Sufficiency
Meaningful Pursuits
•God’s Timetable
•Companionship
•“The” God
•The Fear of God
•Obedience

3. The Pursuit of
God’s Timetable
Ecclesiastes 3:1-22

4. Sermon Outline
Times and
Seasons
Forever and
Eternity
Ecclesiastes
3:1-8
Ecclesiastes
3:9-15
Ecclesiastes
3:16-22
Breath and
Spirit

5. First Point
Understanding the
Times and
Seasons of Life.
Times and
Seasons of Life
Times and
Seasons
Ecclesiastes
3:1-8

6. 7 Pairs of Couplets in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
1 Be Born/Die Plant/Pluck
2 Kill/Heal Break Down/Build Up
3 Weep/Laugh Mourn/Dance
4 Cast Stones/Gather Stones Embrace/Not Embrace
5 Seek/Lose Keep/Cast Away
6 Tear/Sew Keep Silence/Speak
7 Love/Hate War/Peace

7. Michael Eaton
“The fourteen couplets of 3:2–8 cover
the whole range of human activity.
Over it all the Preacher sees God in
complete control. It is a warrant at the
same time for both humility and
confidence.”

8. Second Point
God has sown
Eternity into the
Heart of all
People
Forever and
Eternity
Ecclesiastes
3:9-15

9. The “Sunny” Perspective: verses 9-15
• God has made everything beautiful in
His time.
• God has put eternity in our hearts.
• Whatever God does endures forever.
• Work and its rewards are God’s gift.

10. The “Under the Sun” Perspective: 3:9-15
• What gain has the worker for his toil?
• That which is already has been.
• That which is to be already has been.
• God seeks what has been driven
away (God ensures the cycles will
repeat)

11. Third Point
Man is more than the
“Human Animal”. God
has given us both
Breath and Spirit.
Ecclesiastes
3:16-22
Breath and
Spirit

12. The “Under the Sun” Perspective: 3:16-22
• In the places of justice and righteousness
there is wickedness.
• Humans are beasts – both die!
• Humans have no advantage over animals
– they go to “one place” (The Grave.)
• All are dust and return to dust.

13. The “Sunny” Perspective: verses 16-22
• God will judge the righteous and the
wicked.
• Perhaps the spirit of the children of
man goes upward.

14. The Sunny Perspective is so much
clearer in the New Testament
• A time for a Savior in the “fullness of time”
(Galatians 4:4-5)
• The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of
God is at hand. (Mk. 1:14-15)
• John reports that “no one laid hands on
him, because his hour had not yet come”
(John 7:30)

15. God’s Timetable is Crystal Clear
Concerning Jesus’ Passion
•Now before the Feast of the
Passover, when Jesus knew
that his hour had come to
depart out of this world to the
Father (John 13:1)

16. God’s Timetable is Crystal Clear
Concerning Jesus’ Passion
• He said, “Go into the city to a
certain man and say to him, ‘The
Teacher says, My time is at hand. I
will keep the Passover at your
house with my disciples.’”
(Mt. 26:18)

17. God’s Timetable is Crystal Clear
Concerning Jesus’ Passion
• For while we were still weak, at the
right time Christ died for the
ungodly. (Romans 5:6)

18. 3 Takeaway Points
1.Viewing Time from an “under
the sun” perspective leads to a
dark view of God. God is seen
as detached and capricious.

19. 3 Takeaway Points
2. Viewing Time from God’s
perspective, we begin to see
His hand, even in the messy
and tragic events of life.

20. 3 Takeaway Points
3. Viewing time from the
perspective of the cross
enables us to see that all
history is His Story of love and
redemption.