A Divine Appointment

Preparing for the Lord's Day
Jesus is Better

My dentist’s office is great at letting me know when I have an appointment. When I am finished with my cleaning and exam I make an appointment for six months out. They give me a little yellow card with the date and time so that I can put it on my calendar. However, they know that in six months’ time I will surely forget. So about two weeks out they will email and send a text message reminding me of the appointment. Once I confirm that I plan to be there, they send me a second text message a week out, and on the day of the appointment. Now it might sound like overkill on the messaging but nevertheless, I have needed the text message reminding me again of my appointment. This past appointment I wrote it down and I told my wife the night before, but the next morning I was heading to the gym when I received that final reminder and had to turn around and go to my appointment. 

In our passage for this week, the author is reminding us that we have an appointment. There is a day and a time when each of our lives will come to an end. It is not a random time, it is an appointed time that the Lord has determined. And while we are not told in advance when this appointment will occur we are clearly told that it is coming. However, we often forget this truth. We become busy with life forgetting that for each of us this life will end, and we need to be prepared for this appointment. This is what the Psalmist means when he writes, “Teach us to number our days” (Psalm 90:12). Yet how are we to prepare? How are we to be ready for this appointment? What we will see in our passage is that to be prepared for our appointment with death and judgment we must look to the Lord Jesus in faith who has gone before us and prepared the way. To come prepared for the sermon, take time this week to read and to meditate upon Hebrews 9:27-28, Genesis 2:16-17, Psalm 50, 90:12, Acts 17:31, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12, and this article on the Final Judgment. 

As we gather to worship our loving Father this Lord’s Day, we will join our hearts in song, singing the Hymn of Praise “The Mighty God, the Lord.” the Acclamation of Praise “It is Well with My Soul,” and the Hymn of Response “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending” Let us come to worship this Sunday prepared to hear God’s Word, to receive it in faith, to love and treasure it in our hearts, and to practice it in our lives that we may continue to glorify and enjoy Him! 

Sermon Information 

Text: Hebrews 9:27-28 

Title: A Divine Appointment

Outline: 

1. Everyone Has An Appointment with Death (v. 27a)
2. Everyone Has An Appointment with Judgment (v. 27b)
3. Every Christian Has An Appointment with Christ (v. 28)

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