An​chor of Grace

Life Transitions

Pastor Ron gives us a message series about the many changes we go through in our lives called, "Life Transitions." Everyone is going through some kind of life transition. A few of them might be: marriage, job loss, parenting, divorce or grief. Solomon teaches about this truth in his book called Ecclesiastes, and we will look at chapter 3. We put a lot of work into this life and the question that Solomon asks is: "What is this all about?" The truth is that there is something much bigger than this life. Something much more eternal than what is "under the sun." May we become believers that recognize God's plan for our lives and that this plan is good. We must believe that life works the best when we live within His good plan. Pastor Ron takes us into the living Word and gives us three special messages, entitled; "Everything Has A Time"; "What Are We Working For?"; and "God's Purpose For Transitions".

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Scriptures: 1 Kings 3:12; 1 Kings 4:29-31; 1 Kings 11:1-6; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Ecclesiastes 3:12-13; 1 Corinthians 7:31; John 16:21-22; Psalm 139:14-18; Philippians 2:13; John 7:30; 2 Corinthians 1:4 

• Note: Statistics included herein were pulled from the internet in 2008.
• Everyone in the world is going through life transitions.
• Every person in this room is at some transition point in your life. Either just had it, just gonna go through it or will just have one around the corner.
• We will be talking about life transitions like marriage, job loss, parenting, divorce and grief.
• Here are some statistics:
  Marriage:
  95% of people in the U.S. are married by the age of 55.
  82% of married people make it to 5 years.
  65% of married people make it to 10 years.
  52% of married people make it to 15 years.
  
  Parenting:
  More than two out of three baby boomer dropped out of religion during their teens. 1 in 4 of these teens that left now return because they are parents.
  
  Single Parenting:
  12. 9 million single parents were living with their children in 2005 and of these 10.4 million were single mothers.
  1.25 million of births or 1/3 of all births in the U.S. each year are born to unmarried parents and 41% are born to unmarried parents who are living together.
  
  Divorce:
  In churches that believe in the Gospel the marital status is 59% married, 13% divorced or separated, 5% living together, 9% are widows and 4% have never been married.
  
  Grief:
  10 to 20% of widows or widowers develop clinical depression with one year of their spouses death.
  
  
• The economy is in a financial crisis, but guess what, “He will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
• Whatever your transition is God has a plan for your life.
• In the holidays the transitions appear harder and harder to deal with.
• I'd like to help you find the easiest and most smooth transition through the rough times.
• Solomon was called the wisest man in all the earth. (1 Kings 3:12)
       Reference: 1 Kings 4:29-31
       Reference: 1 Kings 11:1-6
• There's lot's of things distracting us from following God's way.
• There are four steps that people go through when they have a major change in life.
  1. Denial – You'll says things like it can't happen here! You begin to feel numb in this stage. Then you begin to minimize everything. This is a tough stage to go through.
  2. Resistance – In this stage you have anger, loss & hurt. You begin to blame. One of the big side effects of this stage is you begin to doubt your own ability.
  3. Exploration – This is the stage where your are starting to go back up, but there's a lot chaos in life at this stage with things coming apart at the seams. But you begin to start seeing possibilities. Life is gonna work, it's out there, I can make this happen! But you find at this stage that it's all unfocused and you can't keep your mind on things. You find this incredible energy and you start to explore the possibilities that are out there.
  4. Commitment or the Future – You begin to ask the questions. Where am I headed? What's in front of me? You get focus and vision and balance.
  
  
• Sometimes these stages overlap. There's a lot of depression, feeling down and uncomfortable with yourself during these stages.
• When you go through any kind of loss you will have some of these stages.
• Some of these stages may be very quick and easier to transfer through.
• You have some of these same steps when you transition into a good thing!
• Believe me when you have baby, then life changes!
• Children go through changes for real serious kinds of adolescence and they somebody to be steady. Sometimes there parents are going through transitions and they can't stay steady.
• We go through these very same stages whether it's a good or a bad transition.
• We live in a world that is always going through major transitions but the Bible is not quiet about this subject.
• The whole book of Ecclesiastes is about change and transition especially chapter 3 (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
• The transitions we go through in life are not an accident and they don't sneak up on God!
• God knows everything you're going through. He knows everything before you go through it.
• He will walk through every bit of it with you if you will allow Him!
• The problem about life transitions is that people have a tendency to try and take into their own hands.
• The minute they get close to God is the very minute the pull away from Him.
• I don't know how many times I have couple with problems where the first thing they do is stop going to church and stop praying with each other.
• If you have relationship with someone and you cannot pray with this person then you have a problem.
• If you are with someone and in a crisis you don't know if you could pray together, then you need to look into where this relationship is at.
• BECAUSE the only way that you can involve the God of the Universe is to go to Him.
• God is not they one that made an evil transition but is the God that want's to give us hope out of it.
• It's not God causing the problem and it's not always the devil causing the problem.
• But a lot of the transitions we go through in life are just that. It's just life!
• Like life and death, there a time to be born and a time to die. It's just life!
• The real challenge is not that I'm going to die, but that I make the most of my time here in life. I make my life count while I was here.
• The question is not how are people going to die, but the question is how are we going to transition through it. Because if Jesus tarries it's going to happen.
• God has a time and there's a cycle of life we are going to live on this planet.
• Every purpose is God's purpose for our life.
• It's important that we make our life count while we are here.
• How are living your life? Are you making life count?
• I challenge you to not have a relationship with a person that you cannot stop and pray with.
• Somehow we must learn how to apply God's word to our lives because all of us are going through transitions.
• God wants to bless us. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)
• We should enjoy life, but we should use good judgment and trust God and depend on Him for those decision points in our life.
• It not the use of things that God condemns is for, but instead the miss-use of things that God condemns us for. (1 Corinthians 7:31)
• Don't get attached to the things of this world. This nation is beginning to go through some tough times. If there's anyone that need to get before God for this nation then it God's people in this nation.
• Jesus is coming again soon and we better get ready!
• Don't come to Jesus in fear, come to Him because you know He is the answer.
• There's a lot of good things out there but using it improperly can be the disaster in our life.
• Freedom is one of these things!
• Are we free? Yes, but there is consequences to this freedom.
• There nothing “under the sun” that God cannot care and forgive for!
• We live in a real world.
• If you're concerned about make good choices then there's a bible that tells us the way.
• Make good choices. Come to Jesus today! (John 16:21-22)
• Jesus is referring to His return! No matter what decisions you make there is always pain.
• When Jesus comes we will rejoice and there will be no more pain, but not until then.
• Jesus knew where He came from and where He was going!
• We can make better choices by coming to grips with who we are, where we came from, and where we're going!
• Who am I? I'm a son of the living God. I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14-18)
• I am created for His good pleasure and work. (Philippians 2:13)
• God has you here for a time such as this!
• Jesus knew who was and that it wasn't His time when the people tried to arrest and catch Him. (John 7:30)
• Jesus was so sure of who He was that He never freaked out about life and we can be that sure too!
• Jesus can heal you through your transitions!
• Comfort with the comfort you've received. (2 Corinthians 1:4)
• The pain has turned into victory. The despair has turned to helping others through transitions.

Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Ecclesiastes 3:9-13; Genesis 1:31; Romans 5:12; John 3:16-17; Revelation 1:7; Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:12; Mark 11:22

• Every question has something we have to deal with. It seems life is like that.
• We are all going through transitions whether old or young. Even age is a transition.
• Job loss or a new career job is a transition.
• Even churches and church ministries go through transitions.
• Broken and new relationship are life transitions.
• What are we working for? What is all this about?
• We need to allow God to teach us, grow us and heal us through these transitions.
• Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is about the transitions that happen “under the sun.”
• When God created the heaven and earth, He said it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)
• Then man entered the scene and sin entered the world. (Romans 5:12)
• The whole purpose of the Father sending Jesus was to re-establish relationship between men & women with their God where they could walk free of fear, free of sin and the power of sin in their lives, and free from all of those things that keep us bound up and destroyed. (John 3:16-17)
• The Good News is that Jesus is coming again one day and we are going to be free from all that stuff. (Revelation 1:7)
• But what about now and the life transitions we are going through now?
• What's the big payoff of what we are working for now? (Ecclesiastes 3:9-13)
• What's the payoff? - What are we really getting? There's got to be more to this life than having to work to get a little food on the table! We get weary in well doing!
• We start depending in our own self too much, instead of looking to God for our answers and needs. Sometimes our passions get our of order and we have deep pain.
• To be a success it's not about going after the mighty dollar, but instead every decision you make is in going after what God would want you to do.
• Again, What's the payoff? And Solomon gives three answers:
  1. My life and your life is a gift from God! Accept this gift of life from God! Outlook in life helps us determine outcome in life! See difficulties in life as an opportunity to do good! (Ecc 3:9-10 NLT)
  2. Man is linked to eternity with God! (Ecc 3:11 NLT) Man was created in the likeness & image of God and was given dominion over all creation; therefore, man is different from all creation. (Gen 1:26-28 NLT) God has an eternal purpose for all things and He makes everything beautiful! Everything's beautiful in it's own time. Everything that happens in our life happens for a reason! All that matters is what is going on right now!
  Read Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:12 (NLT). Solomon tried to run after everything to get pleasure in this life. But the only thing that will stick with you is Jesus Christ.
  Christians want to see the whole scope, but we see it through our eyes and not His eyes. We need to have faith in God, but with God's kind of faith. (Mark 11:22 NLT)
  God sees life without all the crud in the way! God has the strength and power to take us through the transitions to fulfill our purpose in life! We spend extremely too much time and energy in this short speck of life in eternity on wrong things that grow way out of proportion!
• 3. Man's life can be enjoyable now! (Ecc 3:12-13) God wants us to enjoy life. Life is a gift from God. We're living this life because God loves us and cares for us. And even though it seems like it's in transition constantly, He still loves you and wants you to enjoy this little bit of time in eternity with Him. Relax a little bit, would you? God has a plan and has eternity in mind. He wants you to be filled with Him. Through Jesus Christ each one of us can walk with the God of the universe throughout eternity.

Scriptures: Romans 8:28; Ecclesiastes 3:14-15; Psalm 33:11; James 1:16-18; Mattew 24:35; Philippians 2:9; Mattew 12:34; Mattew 12:36; Deuteronomy 10:12-13; Psalm 34:9; Psalm 16:11

• God has a purpose and He will use whatever event or issues that we are going through to touch our lives. It's easy to see God's intentions for the good things, like having a baby, marriage, getting a new or better job, etc. It's a little more difficult to see God's intentions when we are going through the more difficult transitions such as divorce, loosing a loved one, loss of a job or a career. I'm not saying that God causes the tough times, but God will cause you to grow during the tough times. Romans 8:28 – He has this incredible way of turning all things around, working them all together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. It's sometimes not easy to see how God has carried us through a transition while we are going through it. When we go through those difficult transitions and allow God to take us through it then we will grow from it. We will become stronger from it and we will be able to help other people through their transitions.
  Ecclesiastes 3:14-15 And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.
  
  
• 1. Whatever God does is final! God operates and thinks on an eternal scale. He thinks in the eternal focus or scope of life and not just what's happening right out here in front of us. When we want to know who God is, He opens up our vision to see like He sees. This does not change the fact that God is moved by the prayers of the faithful. God sees on an eternal scope and makes His decision based on eternity. God sees life through all of our decisions and all of our choices. He already knows because He is God. Based on that what He does is eternal and is final. Sometimes people underestimate God because they believe that God is a big one of us. God is NOT a big one of us! He is God. The God of the universe. The God who put the stars in place. Who put the moon and sun in just the right spot. God has plan and purpose for our life and the scriptures tell us that it is good. The problem is that people get involved and they walk outside God's will or purpose for their life. If you think you're further from God than you think you should be, then guess who moved! It wasn't God. We have the choice to follows God will and plan or not! If we follow His will and His plan then we are blessed. If we don't follow His will and His plan then we can't expect to receive blessings from Him. When it says “no man's an island” it's true. The choices we make affect all those around us. How do I know if it's God will? There's one pure way to find God's will! His will is based upon this book we call the Bible. These are not just nice words in a book. They're the very words of the living God. They were written by men inspired by the Holy Spirit. They are life and peace to us. They are healing to our bones the scripture says. We need to get in God's word for ourselves and find His will for our lives. The Bible is God's Will & Testament! It's the very word of the living God. The whole book of Revelation is basically about revealing Jesus Christ. Some things are created by the evil one. God has given us authority over Satan. He has given us the keys to the Kingdom. (Matt 16:19) The devil is like a roaring lion seeking about for who he might destroy. (1 Peter 5:8) However, there's some things that happen to us just because we live on this planet. Like getting older. Age is just a part of life. God never brings evil on his people. He will use the evil to bring good to his people. The plans of God are always good, the plans of man are sometimes evil, and the plans of the devil are always evil. So we have three choices; live in God plan which is always good, live in man's plans which is sometimes evil, or live in the devils plans which are always evil.
  Psalm 33:11 But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.
  James 1:16-18 So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
  God has chosen humans to be his prized possession! We can choose to please Him or choose to live another way. Gods word will last forever.
  Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
  
  
• 2. God's purpose is that people should fear Him! When it talks about the fear of the Lord, it's not talking about being scared of God! To have fear of the Lord means you are in awe of God, have respect for God's ways, and honored God! We should not use God's name in an improper way. God doesn't damn (condemn) anything and we shouldn't either. God's name is above every name. (Philippians 2:9) We serve a gracious God. Jesus died to save us from sin in this life. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. (Matthew 12:34) If you're a person of faith, then faith will come out of your mouth. If you're a person of doubt, then doubt will come out of your mouth. The Bible says we will give account for every idle word we have spoken. (Matthew 12:36) You change your mouth by letting God change your heart.
  Deuteronomy 10:12-13 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good."
  Psalm 34:9 "Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need."
  God knows how life works! Nothing sneaks up on Him! He should be on the throne of our hearts in all that we do, in all that we say, in all that we go to, and all we participate in should be a pleasure to Him. And if it's not, then stop doing it. God will never ask you to give up anything you own, but He'll ask you to give up everything that owns you!
  
  
• 3. What is happening now has happened before!
  Ecclesiastes 3:15 What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.
• Every generation that comes along thinks they have the answer. Music is a big thing in our society! What's interesting is that music has cycles. There's really nothing new under the sun, it's just going around and around and around, etc. We need to learn from previous generations mistakes and victories. The United States needs to learn this. God makes the same thing happen over and over again. If we don't pass the test we have to come back to it again and again and again and again until we pass the test.
  The whole story of the Bible is really very simple: God walked with man in the garden. Man had dominion over everything. Everything was under his control. Man sinned and lost that dominion and for the rest of the time Gods been trying to give us the ability to walk in that dominion again. And finally He sent His Son, Jesus, to give us authority. And in Jesus name all things have to bow it's knee to that name.
  You may ask why does God make the same things happen over and over again? Well, the reason why is that we have to make choices in life. No matter what generation we live in if we keep God's word and do what He says we'll walk in victory. Circumstances do not bring happiness. Death is not an end in itself. It is only a vehicle we use to get from this life into the next. God has put eternity in our hearts. Sometimes things happen and sometimes things happen that are hard, etc. What really changes your life is spending great of amounts of time before Jesus! In His presence is fullness of joy and in His right hand are pleasures forever more. (Psalm 16:11)