According to Luke: Seasons

According to Luke: Seasons

Opening Illustration:

I have long said that we live in one of the most beautiful areas of the country. There is beautiful nature all around. This may be a beautiful place to live, but we are experiencing one of the greatest times to live here as well. What is the time I am talking about? Spring of course. Spring on the Eastern Shore is a magical time for me and my family. I love how the Eastern Shore transforms from deep winter to beautiful spring. 

Now I do not so much enjoy the pollen, but I do enjoy the transition. 

It reminds me of Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 KJV

1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

There are lots of seasons of life. Our seasons of living mimic the ever changing seasons here on the Eastern Shore. It seems like just yesterday we were bundling up because of the bitter cold and now today we are putting on shorts and t-shirts. 

Perhaps you are living in a winter season. A season of darkness. A season of disappointment. Maybe you have suffered loss, a death in the family, the loss of a job, or a broken relationship. Others of you are living in a season of great joy. Perhaps you are celebrating a birth, a new job, a new home, or graduating from high school or from a university. 

This morning, answer this introductory question…

What Is Your Season Of Life?

Background:

Jesus is preaching the Sermon on the Mount. The sermon is captured twice in the Gospels. It is also recorded in greater detail in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is teaching His disciples and followers who have gathered around Him. Teaching was a common occurrence thus far in Jesus ministry. He has been a traveling preacher and teacher for quite some time. He has also been a remarkable healer. You can imagine that there are thousands now in His midst. 

Jesus pauses for a time to stop and talk to the people. These are broken and beaten down people. They need encouragement and they needed love. Jesus was going to provide them both in His lessons on the beatitudes. 

What is a beatitude exactly? A beatitude is a blessing. Thats why all these statements start off with “blessed”. Jesus was blessing the people even though they were living in a season of discouragement and despair. 

So, lets take a moment and read the next blessing that Jesus gives to the people. 

Scripture:

Luke 6:21 ESV

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”

I. Seasons Change

Luke 6:21 ESV

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”

Point:

Maybe you are like me. I am always excited for the fall because it gives me a break from the oppressive South Alabama heat. Then I am excited about winter because it signals that Christmas is near. Then comes spring and I am excited because it means that we get to celebrate Easter. Then summer comes and we hit the beach and the pool. 

Seasons change. Thankfully. Just when I start to get tired of one season, another season comes along to change it. 

Just as seasons change, our seasons of life change as well. They do not last forever. They are only for a short time, relatively speaking, and then God brings another season. This can be comforting and confounding. Let me explain. 

Point:

For those of you who are living in a season of joy and wellness, we know that time will not last forever. We know that life will bring about a change of season. The calm waters that we are enjoying today will be stirred into a mighty storm. We can enjoy today but we are reminded that there will always be a storm on the horizon. 

For those of us that are living in a dark season, a season of despair, that season will be changing soon. It may not be today or tomorrow, but our dark clouds will part and we will see the sun again. 

That’s what Jesus promises. We are blessed today if we weep because one day we shall laugh. That’s quite a promise. Basically, we need to hold on, keep pushing, keep practicing, keep praying, keep pressing on because when we cross the finish line there will be a time of great joy and laughter.

Point

We have to just keep running don’t we. No matter what season we find ourselves in, we just have to keep moving forward. It reminds me of Paul’s words captured in I Corinthians.

I Corinthians 9:24 ESV

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.

Illustration:

My cousin is Jeff Miller. He is a JAG officer in the Coast Guard and he lives in Corpus Christi, TX. He is also a world class athlete. Jeff is what you would call an ultra marathon runner. What is an ultra marathon? An ultra marathon could include a run over 50 miles. Jeff has run in numerous ultra marathons. He has even run in races that exceed 100-120 mile runs. 

Well, Monday Jeff ran in the Boston marathon. He said that it was the most difficult conditions that he had ever run in. At times, the race was run in below freezing conditions. There is a part of the race that they call “heartbreak hill”. It is an 8 mile stretch of grueling uphill running. He was doing great starting out, then hit hit heartbreak. Jeff’s secret, he knew that the hill wouldn’t not last forever. Sure, it slowed him down, but it didn’t knock him out. He just kept running all the way to the finish. 

Point:

So it is with seasons. Your season will change. Especially if you have found yourself facing a crisis. Your dawn is coming. Keep pressing on until the winter becomes spring. 

James 1:22 ESV

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 

I. Seasons Change

II. Seasons Challenge 

Luke 6:21 ESV

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”

Point:

Have you ever wondered why God allows us to experience times of despair and darkness? Perhaps you are sitting here this mornings and you have been in the midst of a trail or problem for what seems like forever. You are wondering, “God when will this end, when will this be over?”  That word just keeps coming back into your mind.  WHY?

Point:

Jesus tells us blessed are we when we weep. How is this possible? The Greek word for weep is κλαίω and is pronounced cli-oh. It means to mourn, to weep and lament. This sort of weeping is attached to pain and grief. It is the sort of weeping that you see at a funeral. It means to wail. 

Point:

On October 26th, 2009 I was a student pastor at First Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL. I was at a Bible study with a group of men early in the morning. I received a phone call that one of my students, an 8th grade boy, had just taken his life. They asked me to come. I raced over to the house. I had never been involved something like this before and honestly I did not know what to do or what to say. I was the second person on the scene right behind the police officers. It was here that I experienced one of the worst sounds that I have ever heard. It was the sound of this young boy’s father as he screamed, wailed, and wept face down in his front yard. I went over to him and he just latched on to me and he just shouted and cried.  That’s the type of weeping that Jesus is talking about here.  

This is not crying because Ive had a bad day or someone said something mean to me. This is crying and weeping that is attached to real suffering and heartbreaking loss. 

Point:

Did Jesus know something about what it meant to weep?  We know from history that Jesus’ earthly father died when He was a young boy. We know from Scripture that Jesus wept over Jerusalem just before He was to be crucified. We also know that Jesus grieved from another story which I will get to in just a moment. 

So, I asked the question, why…why does God allow this sort of sorrow to enter into our lives? Here is the short answer…God allows us to suffer to bring Him glory and to help us to grow. In our suffering, God reveal His strength in us.   

Let me prove the point by using God’s Word.

Scripture:

John 11:38-44 ESV

38 Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.” 40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” 41 So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Point:

The story goes that Lazarus is dying. Mary and Martha, his sisters, send for Jesus to come. Jesus delays and Lazarus dies. When Jesus finally arrives the women are upset and angry. If Jesus had just come, their brother would be alive. Did you catch Jesus’ response to their suffering, their tears and their weeping?

40 Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?

Ladies, relax, your suffering is going to reveal the glory of God to all these people. What Satan means for evil, God will make good. 

Then look what He prays.

“Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 

Jesus says, Father, thanks for hearing this prayer and I know that you will use this situation to help them believe in me. 

Imagine the spiritual growth that took place from Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. The only issue with the miracle is that he had to die in the first place. However, without the darkness of death overshadowing Lazarus, there could be no dawn of the miracle. 

We see this pattern of disaster and victory repeated throughout the Bible. Nearly every character I can think of suffered for a time then experienced victory and liberation.  

So, why does God allow our sufferings?  Simple, for His glory and for our growth!  

Why Does God Allow His Children To Suffer?

1. His Glory

2. Our Growth

If you have found yourself in a time of weeping and wailing, don’t fret. God will grow you in these times and if you are strong, reveal Himself to others in your pain. Don’t run from suffering, embrace it and use it. 

Illustration: The Darkness and Blessing of ALS

Around his 50th birthday, Pastor Ed Dobson was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. Over time, the disease attacks neurons that control voluntary muscles. As nerve cells degenerate, muscles atrophy. There's no known cure. Eventually, the body just gives out. Shortly after the diagnosis Dobson wrote, "I felt like I was sinking into the darkness … my life was over. I felt like I had been buried alive."

Now, 13 years later, Dobson says he has a very different outlook on life and on what it means to follow Christ. Before the disease, he basically focused on the resurrected Jesus. Now he can also focus on the suffering Jesus. "Even when my body doesn't work," Dobson says, "I remember the Jesus who created the universe limited himself to the human body. I find encouragement in Good Friday. I want to get to Sunday, but I'm more focused on the suffering."

Through his pain, he's learning how to meet others in their pain. Shortly after the diagnosis, he visited a woman in the final stages of ALS. The patient's husband stood in the doorway and politely explained that his wife didn't want to see anybody. But feeling urgent, he walked past the man into the woman's bedroom. Dobson spoke to her, but she remained silent. He returned for more visits, but each time she would just roll over and face the wall, never saying a word.

He always prayed with her, even though she didn't give a rip about God. He wrote a prayer to Christ on a note card, and her husband taped it to the wall where she would always see it. The weekend she died, she asked her husband to carry her into the living room. She wanted to watch Dobson preach on TV. After she had listened, she told her husband to tell Dobson he prayed the prayer—that she was ready to die. And the next day she did.

Point:

God will often use our sufferings, our brokenness to bring healing to others. Using your challenges, your weeping, to give God glory and to help grow people towards Jesus. 

Romans 5:3-5 ESV

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

I. Seasons Change

II. Seasons Challenge

III. Seasons Cheer

Luke 6:21 ESV

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.”

Point:

So, when we weep, we can take comfort because laughter is on its way. I love laugher. I have always said that it is so much better to laugh than to cry. Thats why it is always a mission of mine to try to help people smile and laugh when they are in the hospital. 

You know the saying, laughter is the best medicine and that is true. 

The Greek word being used here for laughter is γελάω and is pronounced gelaō. It is where we get our English word for glee. It means to laugh obviously but it also means to find joy or satisfaction. It is a really beautiful word. 

Jesus tells us that when we are hurt, broken, beaten, abused, damaged, and disappointed that we should take heart, because one day our sadness will turn to cheer. 

This means that everything that is wrong here on earth will one day be right in heaven. Jesus will make everything right and we will be satisfied with the result. 

Point:

This means that all the suffering that we do not understand here on earth that Jesus will make right and satisfy us in heaven. 

We may not understand why our child died or why we had that miscarriage, but one day God will satisfy that in us and return to us joy. 

We may not know right now why depression is knocking on your door daily, but one day God will satisfy our depression with joy and victory.  

Everything will be good, ok, satisfactory and we will look back on our earthly turmoil and say to God, “ok, I get it and Im good with it.”

Can you imagine feeling that way today? Probably not. I cant. But one day we will and that will be a great day, a day of joy and laughter. 

Point:

The simple truth is this, God is using our disappointments to do something fantastic with His Kingdom. If we stop for a moment and pray, we can see God moving all around us and discover the joy of what it means to be a part of the movement. 

Psalm 30:11-12

11You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

    you have loosed my sackcloth

    and clothed me with gladness,

12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Closing Illustration:

Global missions expert Paul Borthwick shared the following story to remind us how God's mission can be from anyone anywhere at any time:

A young man named Peter reminded me of a modern-day Philip. I stopped in to a McDonald's in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and I noticed Peter working the counter. I recognized him from our young adult ministry at church, and I knew he had just graduated from Harvard University with a master's degree. I greeted him and managed to get him to break free for coffee together.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, knowing that Harvard master's degree students don't usually aspire to work the counter at McDonald's. "Well," he explained, "I graduated in May but I went four months without finding a job, so I said to myself, 'I need some income to pay bills.' So this is where I've ended up—at least for now."

"Sorry to hear that. It must be hard," I replied, but Peter cut me off.

"No. Don't be sorry. God has me here. This place is giving me awesome opportunities to share my faith. I'm on a shift that includes a Buddhist guy from Sri Lanka, a Muslim fellow from Lebanon, a Hindu lady from India, and a fellow Christian from El Salvador. It's awesome. I get to be a global missionary to my coworkers while asking 'would you like fries with that?'"

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