A Time for All Things

 

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 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 together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 ESV).

 

Once again I am compelled to write a devotional with a topic I am anticipating, rather than experiencing first-now at this time. At this writing, I am still a couple of days away from leaving for the mountains. As you may be aware this is the time of the year when the peak fall colors will be showing in the various trees of the Smoky Mountains. The picture I have attached is a picture I took in October, 2024. As Mary and I were traveling through the mountains we found a spot where we could pull off the road and stretch our legs a bit, while I also took a few photos of the colors. I am not a professional photographer by any means, though it is hard to deny the beauty captured in this shot. The yellows, oranges, and reds were vibrant as the trees began to prepare for winter. Looking at this photo and the anticipation of seeing it again brought to our reading today. There is a time for all things.

 

Seasons are not only a matter of weather. They also describe the chapters and circumstances we move through in life. I’ve noticed that the turning of the year often coincides with changes in our lives. Personally, I eagerly anticipate the shift from summer to fall. Most of the outdoor activities I enjoy take place at this time of the year. Though in the case of this year’s football season for Texas A&M, I must admit it has been a bit disappointing. Life’s transitions are similar. Some are exciting and welcome, while others are harder. Ecclesiastes uses seasonal language to describe this very reality. As the “Preacher” — the book’s main voice — puts it, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, ESV).

 

However, we must remember that all of these “times” are appointed, not an accident. The word translated “season” in our reading carries the idea of an appointed time. That’s an encouraging truth when we’re walking through a season we would not have chosen for ourselves. The season you are currently experiencing may feel accidental or unexpected, but it is not outside of God’s knowledge or care. It may surprise you, but it has not surprised Him.

 

Today is a good day, regardless of the circumstances, to remember the power of God, who loves each of us and works all things toward our good!

 

The Majesty of God

 

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. (Psalm 19:1–6 ESV)

 

I am writing this devotional days ahead of our trip to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. In fact, as you are reading this, if all goes according to plan, we should be arriving in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, at a cabin located on the Little Pigeon River which flows through the park. You may be familiar with this area of Tennessee. It is located just a bit from the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. Mary and I have been coming here for nearly sixty years, as we made our first trip a couple of years before we were married so that the North Carolina relatives could meet me. For a young man (really just a boy at the age of 19) who had never traveled farther from home than from Galveston to College Station in Texas, it was quite the adventure. You can see some of my amazement from the view on I-40 just east of Knoxville, Tennessee I’ve attached. As we made the turn I recognized the grandeur of mountains on the horizon, though I had no idea of what more was yet to appear.

 

Every time I see this first glimpse of this place so dear to us, I am reminded of our psalm today. It was written by King David to lead us to revel in the majestic handiwork of God in His creation. I have traveled to many parts of the world; however, this place seems to bring me closer to the sheer joy of knowing the Lord than any other.

 

I hope you have such a place. Regardless of where it is geographically, today would be a great day to remind yourself that the Lord is indeed a great God who loves us and has given us all that is necessary for redemption and restoration to an eternal relationship with Him. Today join me in singing another one of the psalms:

 

Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. (Psalm 98 ESV).

 

Make a joyful noise to the Lord today! I can assure you Mary and I will be!

 

Jude - Contend for the Faith - Pt 8

 

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24–25 ESV).

 

Jude does something surprising at the end of his letter. Many letters in the New Testament end with benedictions. We’ve become accustomed to the Apostle Paul saying something like this at the end of his letters, “Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s a benediction from God to his readers at the end of the letter. And at the end of Paul's letters, we feel like we need that blessing from God, because usually in the second half of those letters he gives us some difficult challenges, some strong exhortations, some words calling us to action in the Christian life. And by the end of those words of exhortation, we need to rest on the power and grace of God, and so we are delighted to hear those words of blessing come: “Grace, mercy, peace.” Our heart is saying, “Amen, Lord. Yes, we need Your grace and Your mercy and Your peace.”

 

But, here we are with a doxology instead of a blessing. The doxology is a praise to God for His exclusive deity. Jude is reminding us that He is the only God. We bless God because He's the only God. This doxology is ascribed to the only God. And Jude is making this point: There is only one God. There is one God only. The Triune God of the Bible, Jude says, is the only God. Now that's not politically correct. But it's good, Christian theology, and it's plainly stated int the Scripture.

 

However, that is not Jude’s finale. He also draws our attention to the truth that He's not only the only God; He is God our Savior. Jude is reminding us that God the Father is our Savior. Now it's true that the New Testament refers to Jesus as our Savior fifteen or sixteen times, but the New Testament also refers to God the Father as our Savior on at least eight occasions. And that's the focus of Jude here. He is reminding us that the Father is the source of our salvation. And so the focus is on the love and the salvation of the Heavenly Father. And Jude is just reminding us that we must look to God the Father alone for our salvation, that we must trust completely that He is able to deliver. It's God and God alone who saves. It's our perversity to look somewhere else for salvation than the one, true God. And our God loves to save and He delights in salvation, and so we must trust in Him if we are to experience eternal life. And so, Jude praises God for His exclusive deity and because He alone is God our Savior. Now that really is good news!

 

Jude - Contend for the Faith - Pt 7

 

But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. (Jude 17–23 ESV).

 

As I have mentioned previously, one benefit of studying “The General Epistles.” The General Epistles (also called the Catholic Epistles or Catholic Letters) are a group of eight New Testament letters written to a broad, universal Christian audience rather than to a single local church or individual. They are: Hebrews; James; 1 and 2 Peter; 1, 2, 3 John; and Jude. Despite the diversity of these letters the unified message of the Gospel becomes clear. In today’s passage we find another good example of this unified apostolic witness, which Jude calls “the most holy faith” (v. 20).

 

Having warned us about what will become of false teachers (vv. 5–16) and that their existence was foretold by the apostles (vv. 17–19), Jude calls us to contend actively for orthodoxy by building ourselves up (v. 20). Commenting upon this passage, John Calvin writes that Jude means “… the foundation of faith ought to be retained.” In other words, believers are always to rest on the foundation laid by the prophets and apostles and to use their words alone to build upon it. This is in keeping with the apostolic command to long for the “pure spiritual milk” of God’s Word (cf. 1 Peter 2:2) and to supplement our faith with the godly characteristics described therein (cf. Galatians 5:22–23; 2 Peter 1:5–7). Moreover, building ourselves up in the faith is not something we do alone; it is also a corporate exercise, for we are to encourage one another in the truth (cf. Ephesians 4:15–16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11).

 

In addition to heeding the doctrinal and ethical admonitions of the apostles, Jude also exhorts us to “pray in the Holy Spirit” and keep ourselves in the “love of God” (vv. 20–21). We pray in the Spirit by being attentive to His instructions about God-glorifying prayer found in Scripture. Keeping ourselves in the love of God does not mean our efforts apart from grace secure redemption, for Jude understands we are kept by God for Christ Jesus (v. 1). However, while God’s redemptive work provides the foundation of our security, His Spirit leads us to take part in that preservation by devoting ourselves to fellowship with Him and His people (cf. 1 John 4:16–21).

 

Finally, Jude calls us to stand firm by waiting for the mercy of Jesus that leads to eternal life (v. 21). Eternal life is our present possession, but we do not yet fully experience it because we have not yet been fully sanctified or glorified. Eagerly anticipating this final act of redemption motivates us to stand firm, knowing our efforts to contend for the faith will not be in vain.

 

Building ourselves up in the most holy faith provides the content we need to refute falsehoods. Praying in the Spirit gives us the power we need to stand firm. As we keep ourselves in the love of God, our assurance of the truth of God grows and enables us more confidently to proclaim it. Looking forward to the mercy at the last day gives us hope that our faith in Christ will prevail!

 

Jude - Contend for the Faith - Pt 6

 

It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. (Jude 14–16 ESV).

 

Our reading today mentions another little-known prophet, Enoch. It is another example of Jude, knowing his first readers not being inclined to give any supporting details. We can be sure, however, that the Holy Spirit’s inspiration included that in His plan for future audiences. So, we should begin with what we know historically. We do know that the period of time between the Old and New Testaments was marked by a great deal of international upheaval. The Maccabean revolt (ca. 164 BCE) ended the tyranny of Antiochus IV who defiled the Jerusalem temple. Israel subsequently enjoyed independence from foreign rule. This continued until 63 BCE when the Roman general Pompey made Palestine a part of the Roman empire.

 

Though prophets were silent during the intertestamental period, the Jews continued to produce many religious works. These works came to be known as the deuterocanonical books, and many of them, such as 1 and 2 Maccabees, are included in the canon of the Roman Catholic Church. However, many other works were produced at this time and were never recognized as inspired, even though they may have been used as devotional aids by some Jews.

 

One of these is known as the Testament of Moses and is the likely source for Jude’s description of the fight over Moses’ body (cf. v. 9). Jude’s reliance on an uninspired source immediately raises concerns for us. These concerns are only compounded by today’s passage. In verses 14–15, Jude quotes 1 Enoch, a pseudepigraphal (falsely attributed) work written between the third and first centuries BCE. This book is based on the enigmatic “Enoch” of Genesis 5:18–24, and was a favorite of the Dead Sea sect.

 

It is natural for us to then consider whether Jude viewed the aforementioned works inspired? If so, then we need to add to our Old Testament canon. If not, maybe Jude ought to be disqualified as an apostle for quoting an uninspired work as if it were inspired? Indeed, many in the early church had problems accepting Jude as canonical because of his use of these sources. But we need not resort to such a thing, for Jude’s use of this material does not mean he recognized these works as a whole were inspired. While operating under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Jude was led to include portions of these sources in his inspired letter. The apostle could distinguish the truths from the errors in these apocryphal books, and thus his use of a non-canonical writing is perfectly in keeping with the inspiration and inerrancy of his letter.

 

All truth finds its origin in God Himself. Therefore, we should not be dismayed that Jude quotes from sources not inspired by God. We can be sure Jude, under the superintendence of the Holy Spirit, was able to sift the wheat from the chaff in these non-canonical sources. Thus his letter, like all of Scripture, remains authoritative. Thank the Lord for giving us His Word and study it so that you may apply its truth to your life.

 

The message is clear. Jesus is coming and He will judge the living and the dead. Those that Jude singles out (“… the grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage”) will face the wrath of the Sovereign Lord. Take care to stay away from such people! Contend for the one true faith!

 

Jude - Contend for the Faith - Pt 5

 

But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 10–13 ESV).

 

It should be understood that although our knowledge of the author and circumstances surrounding the epistle of Jude is more limited than our knowledge of other books of the Bible, we can be fairly certain that his original audience was made up of Christians from a Jewish background and therefore understood the references he has made much better. Jude’s use of Old Testament imagery and language in order to warn his audience about false teachers and predict their judgment reveals that his congregation would have been well-schooled in the Hebrew Scripture.

 

Today’s reading offers a further example of this. Jude begins by pronouncing a woe on the teachers troubling his audience. These woes were common ways of announcing judgment in the prophetic literature of ancient Israel (cf. Hosea 7:13). Of course, it is natural to think that this letter must be of little value since they speak only to that church of the first century. We would be greatly mistaken to miss the contemporary application in our present world. J. Godon Machen’s quote in the attached image summarizes our present plight quite well:

 

“Me love to be encouraged by false hopes; the world is full of quack remedies for sin.”

 

Jude faced similar “quacks, and compares these teachers to well-known Old Testament sinners in order to demonstrate they will meet the same fate. The example of Cain (Genesis 4) is used elsewhere in the New Testament (1 John 3:11–15) to warn Christians about their doctrine and behavior. Balaam, like the false teachers, saw visions and was later judged by God (Numbers 22–24; Joshua 13:22). Korah led a rebellion against the authority of Moses (Numbers 16), and Jewish tradition viewed Korah as the archetypal antinomian. He is thus a fitting example for Jude to use because the false teachers he deals with flaunted God’s law and denied apostolic authority. The horrible end of all these old-covenant heretics foreshadows the eternal judgment that is the fate of all false teachers and their disciples.

 

Our reading today also speaks of the way these teachers feasted on Jude’s audience — most likely a reference to the unbridled greed that would have motivated their teaching (vv. 12-13). His comparisons of the teachers to “waterless clouds” and “fruitless trees” demonstrate that despite their claims to the contrary, these men offered nothing of value to the church. Significantly, Jude calls these teachers “twice dead” (v. 12), referring to their eventual, physical death and eternal spiritual death. This death, experienced forever in the “gloom of utter darkness,” is reserved for all who pervert the grace of God (v. 13).

 

Few of us would overtly rise up against godly leaders like these men did by preaching false doctrine. Yet how many of us subtly disobey the authority of the pastors and elders in our churches by speaking ill of them or grumbling about their decisions? “Roast preacher” as a Sunday staple is all too common in our churches today. As others try to persuade you to murmur against godly church authorities, remember your responsibility to submit to the leaders God has appointed. If you have been divisive, do what you can to make amends. Of course it is also true that we should measure our leaders by the truth of Scripture, and if they are indeed peaching/teaching heresy, we must get out from under their influence and find a Scripturally grounded and focused ministry.

 

 

Jude - Contend for the Faith - Pt 4

 

Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” (Jude 8–9 ESV).

 

As is true in other parts of this short letter, Jude gives us a unique insight into the spiritual realm. In our reading today he mentions the Archangel Michael as he “contends” with the devil over the body of Moses. Now, the relative lack of detailed information about angels in Scripture when compared to other topics has not prevented theologians and Bible teachers from speculating about these supernatural creatures. Western art is filled with paintings and poems about angels. Hollywood tells stories on TV and in movies about angels. Several modern Christian best-selling novels have purported to pull back the curtain and let us see the spiritual warfare between angels and demons that is on-going in the unseen realm. So, it is common that many Christians have their view of angels more informed by these nonbiblical sources than by the Scripture.

 

When it comes to our my personal angelology (our study of angels) I do my best to avoid the extreme of speculating too much about what angels look like and what they do. At the same time, we must avoid the other extreme of not being aware of the angels at all. When God made the universe, He also directs and sustains all that is in it according to His eternal decree (cf. Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 1:1–4). Yet, He does not do this apart from the decisions and actions of His creatures, including human beings and angels. While His eternal plan governs all that happens, angels also act in creation and are secondary causes through whom God brings His purposes to pass. God is not the only supernatural being who acts in creation. The angels also do things.

 

We have seen the role angels play in the worship of God, but they also have been key actors in miracles such as the resurrection. Remember we are told that an angel rolled the stone away from the tomb of Jesus (Matthew 28:1–10). Angels also seem to be active in guiding the course of human history, with particular angels assigned to nations and territories. For instance, the Scripture says that the angel Michael is the “great prince” with charge over Israel (cf. Daniel 12:1). And we also see Daniel refer to a battle between Michael and “the prince of Persia”—apparently an evil angel or demon (cf. Daniel 10:12–14). Michael intervened in the fight between another angel and this demon to give the angel a clear path to deliver the interpretation of a vision to Daniel.

 

Michael is identified in our reading as an archangel, indicating that he has some kind of leadership role in the angelic hierarchy. He and the other holy angels go to battle for the people of God as part of their assignment as ministers to believers (cf. Hebrews 1:13–14). Our Lord has created a vast angelic army to fight for us and to battle against the devil in order that His kingdom will advance.

 

God shows His tender care for His people in giving His angels to us to minister to us and to do battle for our sakes. We do not know how often the angels intervene to protect us, but we do know that their intervention under the direction of the Lord has done more for us than we can imagine. This certainly should prompt us to be thankful for these spiritual allies. And we should take great care not to fall into the trap of thinking that what we can see is more real than the supernatural beings whom we cannot. They are there! Thank God for His assignment on our behalf!