Sermon Tone Analysis

Everyday Matters . . .

Because Every Day Matters, Part 3: Seize the Season!

[*1] I want to begin today’s message with an apology.

I am truly sorry for not kicking off our current sermon series “Everyday Matters” with today’s story of study.

You’ll remember on New Year’s Day we had an ancient Greek lesson about the two words that both get translated as “time” in our English Bible.

[*2] The time could be chronos — which is a quantity of time, a unit of measuring time.

[*3] Or the time could be kairos — as in a quality of time, a moment, an opportunity, or a season that must be seized from our days which are evil.

And then last week we saw how kairos moments can be seized in the micro, in the small, ever day moments of life, in order to connect with God, be filled with His love, and to resist evil.

And I hope you are seizing kairosin the micro, in the small, common moments of every day.

But I am sorry that I did not begin talking about the macro, the larger portions of time that can be seized to make every day matter.

Kairos moments are not just found in minutes, they can be found in months, or in seasons.

Not the seasons of fall, winter, spring and summer – but seasons spoken of in our Scripture reading, periods of life that hold a special work for us to do.

[*4] “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; [*5] A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; [*6] A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; [*7] A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; [*8] A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; [*9] A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.”

Life is full of seasons that when seized, help make every day matter.

That is, if we recognize the season and do not resist the work within that season that God has called us to do.

[*10] Because failure to do so results in losing both the chronos and the kairos.

When given a season for peace — a time to make apologies, a time to have the conversations of “What can I do to make things right with us?”

When given the opportunity to make intentional efforts to build back bridges that were once burned -- if that season is seized, then every day matters.

But if the season of peace is not recognized or resisted – one can continue making war – wasting years holding to grudges, to stonewalling, to ignoring olive branches.

The chronos of time and the kairosof reconciliation get wasted.

What a tragedy!

Such tragedy is what we find in today’s story as a season is recognized but is resisted.

And church again, I apologize because I wished I had preached this message on January first.

[*11] Had I, I would asked you, “Looking back on 2021 did you fail to seize any important seasons God put before you?

Was it due to failure to recognize the season or because you resisted the work of the season?

And in a New Year, have you asked God to help you recognize and not resist any kairos seasons where God calls you to a special work?”

I should have asked you those questions two Sabbaths ago, but guess what, we are only 15 days into this year, and by God’s grace, there are three hundred and fifty days ahead to seize any seasons the Lord has given us to make every day matter.

During these holy kairos hours of Sabbath, each one of us could ask God to help us see where we failed to recognize a season we should have seized or where we resisted the season’s work God set before us.

We can ask for eyes to recognize His seasons before us and to help us not resist His season’s work.

And as today’s story will show us, these are prayers worth praying.

[*12] Because when a kairos season is not seized, much more chronos gets lost.

But when a kairos season is seized, chronos gets put to good use, our days matter and our prosperity gets prolonged.

That point will be clear as we return to the book of Daniel, chapter four, a fascinating chapter, the majority written, not by Daniel but by King Nebuchadnezzar, who in previous chapters is a short fused powder keg ready to go off destroying anyone who fails him.

But in Daniel chapter four, the king’s countenance has changed.

Instead of declaring destruction upon others, chapter four begins with Nebuchadnezzar blessing others with of all things, “Peace.”

Something has happened.

Nebuchadnezzar is not the same person we’ve seen.

What has changed him?

Well in his own words Nebuchadnezzar tells us about a second dream sent by Yahweh as an attempt of the Most High to save the Babylonian ruler.

You’ll remember the first dream the Lord sent this monarch happened in Daniel two where Nebuchadnezzar sees a mighty metallic man, but in this dream from chapter four he sees a mighty tree that reached the heavens filled with large branches, bearing all kinds of fruit which fed the birds of the air and provided much shade to the beasts of the field.

But then something happens to this great tree that greatly disturbs Nebuchadnezzar, and in verse thirteen, [*10] the king tells us, “I saw in the visions of my head while on my bed, and there was a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven.

He cried aloud and said thus: ‘Chop down the tree and cut off its branches, Strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit.

Let the beasts get out from under it, And the birds from its branches.

Nevertheless leave the stump and roots in the earth, Bound with a band of iron and bronze, In the tender grass of the field.

Let it be wet with the dew of heaven, And let him graze with the beasts On the grass of the earth.

Let his heart be changed from that of a man, Let him be given the heart of a beast, And let seven times pass over him.

‘This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.”

So disturbed by the dream, Nebuchadnezzar calls the wise men as he did in chapter two with the dream of the metallic man.

And once more it is déjà vu all over again as Daniel provides the interpretation of this second dream which the wise men could not.

When it comes to the meaning of the tree, Daniel says in verse 22 [*11] “…it is you, O king, who have grown and become strong; for your greatness has grown and reaches to the heavens, and your dominion to the end of the earth.”

And you can hear old Neb saying, “Yes, that was what I was afraid of!

That’s not good news.

The tree gets cut down.

What does that mean?”

Daniel then tells the king how he shall be driven from the palace and live as one of the beasts of the field, eating grass like an ox for seven years.

Until, until, verse twenty five says, “… until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.

The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules.”

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is both a prophecy and a pronouncement of God’s judgment.

But as most prophecies are, this one is conditional - that is the prophecy can be walked back if certain conditions change.

And so Daniel gives the king the following unsolicited and yet important counsel beginning [*12] in verse twenty-seven, “Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor.

Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity.”

Or as another translation [*13] says perhaps, “. . .

there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.”

Oh king . . .

Judgement is coming.

Life is about to change.

The bottom is about to fall out.

If your life continues to trend in the direction you have been going.

Or you can seize a season of repentance.

Replace sinful, selfish activity with selfless righteous activity.

The poor who you oppress, show mercy to them.

If you seize the season God has put before you, perhaps you can avoid judgment, and prolong your prosperity.

You can avoid the bottom from falling out right from under you.

You can keep the wheels from falling off the wagon of your life.

You and I can pass the chronos of holy hours taking a nap or we can seize the kairos of Sabbath, asking Jesus about last year’s seasons not seized and this year’s seasons that must be seized, and [*14] one great question to ask our Savior is “Where in my life last year, where in my life this year do I need to practice repentance?”

We can seize the season of repentance!

Repentance.

That’s a big word that simply means “to turn around.”

Remember Paul’s words from Ephesians five and verses fifteen to sixteen, “See then that you walk circumspectly [or live carefully], not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time [kairos – a moment or season], because the days are evil.”

When we walk or live foolishly and by God’s grace realize the error of our ways, the pain we have inflicted upon ourselves or others, we have an opportunity to do the wise thing, and turn around, facing God’s direction, and walk towards Him by living differently.

That process, that work is seizing a season and redeeming the time with repentance.

That’s what Daniel encourages Nebuchadnezzar to do — stop doing evil, turn around, do righteousness, stop oppressing the poor, turn around, show mercy.

And Daniel encourages Nebuchadnezzar to do this, not for the king to clean up his act in order to be loved by God – that’s not the point of repentance.

We don’t clean up our act, and straighten out how we have been living in order to be loved by God or in order to receive His embrace.

God already loved Nebuchadnezzar – ready every chapter before this story and you see God making move after move to get the king’s attention because God already loved the king despite the king’s tyranny, his sin, and oppression of others.

God wants, Nebuchadnezzar to repent, as he wants us to repent because the nature of walking foolishly away from God and His ways, always results in judgment, because God is just.

And foolish living always results in a fall out of some kind, because when we sow the seeds of sin, we eventually reap a whirlwind of destruction.

And God in His justice is also a God of mercy – who wants to spare us if possible from our own self destruction.

Daniel knowing this encourages Nebuchadnezzar to seize the season of repentance, otherwise God’s judgment will occur, and the wheels of the wagon of the king’s life will fall off.

Some of us here frankly do not need God to tell us where we failed to repent last year and we know this year what season of repentance needs to be seized in some aspect of our lives.

Because we know what fall out there will be if we do not repent.

Last October, after my annual checkup the doctor had some concerns over elevated enzymes in my blood work.

So an ultrasound was ordered.

Ultrasound said my liver and spleen were enlarged.

Well that didn’t sound good.

So I get referred to a specialist who wanted more blood work and a CT scan.

He fears I have fatty liver disease which causes sclerosis.

I’ve never consumed alcohol in my life but my well documented issues with Oreo cookies and French fries could have done permanent damage.

What?? Are you kidding??

The results of CT scan provide both good and bad news.