THE LAST APPOINTMENT Do you remember Hebrews 9:27-28? “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. We sometimes neglect to notice all the power of the passage. The emphasis is not on the fact that we die but once. The singular nature of an individual’s death is used to underscore the unique and powerful nature of the sacrificial death of Christ His one death is the means by which all sin is forgiven. Having said that the passage also has the effect of reminding us’ of the last appointment that we will ever keep. We all make appointments; some are made for us. We have appointments at work, for the doctor and the dentist We make arrangements with the family for visits, dinner, and such like. We make these appointments with evety intention of keeping them. But this last appointment has been made for us and we will surely keep it. The last appointment has certain characteristics. It is universal. Everyone will keep it. No one can avoid it. We all know that death is an integral part of life, but we can still be uncomfortable in its presence. The fact of the universality death is said by some (existentialists in particular) to prove that human life is but a cruel misery, destined to end in defeat Thanks be to God for the truth that life is a victory for those in Christ (1 Corinthians 15). Not only is this appointment universal, it is also individual. All men die, but each death ends the earthly part of a unique life. When God spoke to Adam, or Abram, or Moses, or Paul, He was not speaking to mankind in some generic sense; He was speaking to a man. So it is with death. God has made us as individuals, each with his or her own free will and unitary existence. We are saved in the body of Christ, thus we are part of a great community, the church. But each of us, as individuals, makes our own decision to accept or to reject God. So it is that we will face death one day as individuals. I will appear before that judgment seat to answer for what I have done (2 Corinthians 5:10), not what you have done, or the church has done, or what mankind has done. This last appointment is also unavoidable. One of man’s continuing follies is the idea that death can be denied. Part of this mindset arises out of the modem idea that mankind is infinitely improvable, even perfectible. We are, of course, able to improve ourselves as individuals. But we will never be perfect, not spiritually, and certainly not physically. I am as much for taking care of one’s body as the next fellow, but I do not harbor any illusions about living forever. Most people don’t. The problem is that we often live like we will live forever and that we will never be called to give account for the way we have lived. Our last appointment, the one with death, is unavoidable. We ought to be getting ready for it. We should be about the business of preparing for this appointment with great diligence for the simple reason that it is unpredictable. I make my appointments here for times that I know are available to me so that I can keep these appointments But this last appointment will come at a time that I will not have the opportunity to choose. James said it best: “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your l It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). To use a football analogy, I know that I am bound to be in the second half. I just don’t know if I’m toward the middle or the end of the third quarter, or perhaps even well into the fourth. For I know, I may be in overtime, the one they call in the pro- game, “sudden death.” All of life is unpredictable, but especially its end. What are we to do in light of this appointment? The answer is simple: Be ready always. And the only way to do that is to be in Christ (Galatians 3:26-28, Ephesians 1:7). Are you ready?
Posted on: Thu, 11 Jul 2013 09:44:17 +0000