Times and Seasons Lesson 7

Welcome to From House To House. Come in and join us in the Word? We bring you our program
with a prayer and desire that the Word of God will make a difference in your life; that
will edify, comfort, and exhort the believer. Join us as we continue in this series called
Times and Seasons as you look into Ecclesiastes 3 and see a list of various seasons and times
in an individuals life. You will notice in the 3rd chapter, how things seem negative
versus positive – the difficult and then the blessed. You see that contrast as the
words are set up. I cant tell you at this point in time how many lessons will be in
this series. Its going to be more involved than normal because there are so many subjects
in this text. But well begin with twelve and see how God leads and we would like it to
cover all twenty-eight, God permitting. Ladies, thank you for being with us, sharing in our
filming and thank you to Kevin and Talitha Bayerlein who provided their lovely home for
our filming. Today is lesson 7 and is called To Break Down. Next time well consider To
Build Up. You see that comparison? Its in the Word. Turn to Ecclesiastes 3:1, 3 and
that’s all we have time to read. I ask you to read the entire text on your own so you
will have a better understanding, being we cant go back and do that. This is the Amplified,
it says TO EVERYTHING there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:
A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up. So were
thinking about a time To Break Down. For this to take place, in a spiritual sense, were
not talking about getting a sledge hammer and tearing something apart. Were talking
about, in the spiritual realm, for the betterment of our lives and others – sometimes things
need to be broken down and removed so the new can come in and be built up. You dont
build up new things unless you first remove and break down the old, if theres something
already there, theres a time and season for that. The timing is within a season, just
like in the natural whether its Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter. Theres a time set within
a season in our lives – some things need to be broken down. Im going to refer to some
of those before we conclude today. Look at Jeremiah 1:10 and see something in agreement
with this subject of breaking down. KJ says, See, I have this day set thee over the nations
and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down,
to build, and to plant. This was the calling and ministry the Lord gave to His servant
Jeremiah. The Lord said that the way his ministry would function in this realm would be a ministry
that roots out – and taken out by the root as we talked about in the lesson, the one
about plucking up. Youve got to get the root to get rid of it. Some things need to be pulled
down. Things that have been lifted up and in a high place – they need to be brought
down, to be destroyed. Some things need to be literally thrown down. Why? He goes on
to say – to build and to plant. Its like old real estate, old business buildings, in
a town thats been there for years. They take down the old, even historic buildings; and
clear that spot, then they move in and begin to rebuild and replant. In our little town
of Alpine, one of the historical buildings that have been there since I was a child – right
on the corner in the main part of our town, they recently imploded that building so that
it did not destroy the other businesses around it. It was interesting to see how they implode
these buildings – set it up with dynamite and it collapses to the ground. Theres a time
for things to come down. But Im curious what they will put there in that wonderful commercial
spot. Spiritually, you cant move in all these marvelous things on top of the old. The old
has got to be changed and brought to the ground in order to move in the new. There are things
in your life that God wants moved out. Once those things are cleared out, God can bring
in something fresh and new. It makes room. Its like the parallel Jesus talked about the
wine skins. He said you dont put new wine in old wine skins. Why? Because it will crack
and burst open and youve lost the new wine, the joy of the Spirit. Spiritually, theres
a work to be done. I find after living and serving the Lord from a little child, the
Lord is still not through. Theres still room for renovation, for change. Thats what the
gospel is about – it is being changed from glory to glory, from one degree of relationship
and a level of understanding of the Lord to another. Often its making room by getting
rid of the old to make room for the new. Jeremiah had a difficult ministry, but God gave him
the grace because with our callings God does give the measure of grace to make that possible
to be fulfilled. Thank God for that but this was one that rooted out, destroyed, and threw
things down so that things could be built, replanted – there could be newness. This
season of breaking down is a fact of our spiritual development. I think of how Israel, after
they traveled in the wilderness for so many years, finally they crossed Jordan. They came
against the first city, a wicked city. The Lord was going to clear out the old cities,
the old inhabitants because of corruption. The Lord was disgusted with what was going
on in these nations in Canaan. The first city that Israel overtook was Jericho. Turn to
Joshua 6:15, 20, KJ. Were going to read a sample of what happened in Jericho. This was
something that had to be broken down so the children of Israel could move in and rebuild,
replant. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning
of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day
they compassed the city seven times. So the people shouted when the priests blew with
the trumpets: and it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and
the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people
went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. Imagine
the miraculous thing that day when Israel obeyed God and marched seven days around this
city and the seventh day, around it seven times. When they heard the priests blow the
trumpets, they shouted with a great shout and the walls fell flat. You say, Whats so
significant about that? Let me give you historical factors about that situation. This area, surrounded
with the walls of Jericho encompassed approximately seven acres. You say, Whats the big deal about
seven acres? What it was – the city of Jericho covering these seven acres – it was an inner
fortress to a huge population that lived all around these walls and heavily populated with
a double wall. The walls were fifteen feet apart. You say, How do you know this, Carol?
The archaeologists dug up the remains of the Jericho walls and I visited there myself,
seeing the rubble and stones that they showed us. The double walls were fifteen feet apart
and the outer wall was six feet thick. The inner wall was twelve feet thick. These walls
were about 30 feet high and the two walls were linked together with houses built across
the top. Thats where Rahab had her house – she spared the lives of the spies of Israel that
came to see what they could do to over-take it and prepare for the rest of the multitude
to follow. This was a well-built fortress. But when Israel, in obedience to Gods direction,
went around the seven days and on the seventh day, the seventh time, shouted when the priests
blew the horn – the walls actually fell flat. Instead of being rubble that just piled
up in heaps, it fell flat and lay flat because of the decline of the topography of the ground.
It rolled down a slope on the hillside and all this material of the walls fell flat.
It was miraculous that should happen at an exact time. Were talking about a time and
a season for this to take place in our life - when there are things that must be broken
down – and they are in the name of the Lord. This was the enemies fortress, filled with
ungodly activity. God was through with it being there and He moved His children in.
It was quite a miracle. The archaeologists say there is evidence a great earthquake took
place there. It is supposed that at this very time that God caused that earthquake to take
place when Israel shouted and the priests blew their horn and those walls fell outward.
They fell - instead of inward, they fell outward. Spiritually there are things in your life
and in my life that need to collapse, fall flat and be no more as hindrances in the way
of God having right-of-way and doing through us what He wants to do. When I look back into
ministry in the latter part of my youth – I think of some attitudes, my opinion, my way
I wanted those things to collapse before God. Those things had to be broken down so that
God could project what He wanted in my life. In your life it will be no different if you
let God do His will in what He has purposed you for. Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, theres a purpose
involved in these times and seasons. Theyre not something you go through, but they have
a purpose in your life. God doesnt operate in the realm of wasted motion. He always has
a purpose for everything He does. Lets move to Judges and see about things being broken
down in a time and a season. Judges 6:25-26 Amplified. This deals with a breaking down
of idolatry. Idolatry is dealing with things in our lives that are set up as something
we adore, we worship, we give it prominence, first place in our life. Anything in your
life that comes before God and interferes with your walk with God is idolatry. You say,
Im educated. I wouldnt bow down to an idol. Im sure in many places there are people that
still use idols of stone or wood, ivory or whatever. There are many idols used still.
But this is an educated age. People know that a dumb idol cant talk, hear, have hands or
do anything. Thats true. But in many countries theres still idolatry taking place to images
that have no life in them. They pray to them and hope that somehow these gods will help
them. But in more civilized countries, we wouldnt do that. We would feel it was beneath
us but we have things we put before God so God sees it the same as idolatry. That needs
to be pulled down. Lets listen to what happened with Gideon, how God called him to do something.
Judges 6: 25-26, it says, That night the Lord said to Gideon, Take your fathers bull, the
second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has and
cut down the Asherah [symbol of the goddess Asherah] that is beside it; And build an altar
to the Lord your God on top of this stronghold with stones laid in proper order. Then take
the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the Asherah which you shall
cut down. Whew, I wouldnt have wanted to be in Gideons shoes. He feared his fathers wrath,
the wrath of the men of the city that were in agreement with his father, that bowed down
and worshipped this false god called Baal. His father had this altar to this false god
Baal. The men of the city would worship with it. God says, Gideon, go get your fathers
bull –hmm, that in itself might make the dad mad – and use that bulls strength to
pull that god down. God was disgusted and fed up because this people God had called
to worship only Himself. Gideon, because he feared and revered the Lord, obeyed Him and
did it with a risk to his life. When he did that and they discovered that he had torn
this place of worship down, they wanted to kill him. Miraculously, his life was spared.
Gods hand was upon him. I can imagine how he must have trembled, taking the risk of
doing this that would upset his father. That word throw down in Hebrew means break down
in pieces and destroy utterly. There may be something in your life that needs to be utterly
destroyed. Its not good for you. Its standing in the way of victory in your walk with the
Lord, in the way of your anointing to do what God has called you to. It may be standing
in the way of the salvation of your household, children or mate. It needs to be brought down.
I think of the hymn Nothing Between. We sang it in the church I grew up in. It goes: Nothing
between my soul and my Savior, so that His blessed Face may be seen Nothing preventing
the least of His favor, keep the way clear--let nothing between. Let nothing come between
you and the God Almighty. Moving on to things being in a time and season where things need
to be broken down. K.J. Isaiah 45:2. See how God breaks things down to give us access where
He wants us to go and lead us to do His will. I will go before thee, and make the crooked
places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars
of iron. Picture this, youre trying to move forward, to do what God wants you to. Youre
trying to have victory and make progress in your life and out in front of you stands this
big iron gate with bars. The brass is the gate – the bars are of iron which means
its not easy to yank apart. Its going to take some equipment to break this thing apart so
that you can go on through this gateway. But the Lord says, Im going to go out in front
of you; Im going to lead you and Im the One thats going to break that gate of brass in
two. Im going to cut in two those bars of iron. Oh, Praise God. Ive seen Him, in the
Spirit realm, do it so that Ive had access in places that would be impossible to go.
Hes opened doors for me and I give Him one hundred percent the glory. It would be impossible
for someone of my belief to have access into certain churches and denominations – some
dont believe in the inspiration of Gods Word - yet be able to share the inspiration of
Gods Word and minister in prayer and share things of the Spirit, only God can do that.
He says He will. Do you need access? God is the One Who goes before and breaks things
down. K.J. II Corinthians 10:4-5 says, (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations,
and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing
into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; Yes, the weapons God has given
us of prayer, fasting, the Word and agreement with our brothers and sisters in Christ, who
pray with us, are mighty weapons to pull down strongholds where the enemy has built a nest
– they can be broken down. Praise God, it needs to happen in us before we can then share
with others. Imaginations need to be brought down. Things that exalt themselves above God
need to be brought down. Thoughts that are out of the center of Gods will need to be
brought into captivity to Gods will. Do you have barriers between you and God, you and
others that must come down, walls of resistance like stubbornness? Do you have anger that
is your defense to intimidate people? You must know that one minute of anger can affect
your health. Your immune system will drop for six hours, a doctor said. Some people
use anger as a barrier between them and others. Do you have resentment that needs to be brought
down so you can move in the things of God? What about temptations? Its a time for deliverance
if things are standing between you and the Lord. Let nothing be between your soul and
your Savior. Theres a time and season. Is it now that deliverance needs to take place
in your life. Your God is able. Join us next time on the subject of To Build Up. Theres
a season and a time for us to build up. God bless you. Amen.