Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• Appointments
  • Some appointments in life are daunting
  • Some appointments are a delight
  • Some appointments may initially appear daunting but turn out delightful
• There are appointments in life and appointments that God has made
  • The first appointment is death (v27)
    • This is a daunting though for many
    • Many are fearful
    • There is no escaping it
    • Quote from Gandhi and Thomas Goodwin
  • The second appointment is judgement (v27)

Death

• Death:
  • How can you have boldness on the day of Judgment?
  • How can you die well?
  • How can you face death without fear?
• Comments are often made when you talk to someone who have seen people dying
  • There are all sorts of thoughts about death
  • There are many comments about death?
  • How do you verify what is true?
• Go back to what the bible says about death
  • We need to be clear in our thinking
  • The wages of sin is death - death is a consequence of sin, we have a mortal body, we cannot escape death
  • Death is a separation of the body and soul
    • The soul leaves the body immediately on death and goes to the presence of God
• The young often don't think about death
  • When people are old or sick, they start to contemplate death
  • Job 14:4 and Psalm 90:12
  • The bible teaches that the wise person thinks not only about life, but also about death
• Why do we need to face this?
  • So we would begin to live in the face of this
  • Example of neighbour - we must value life
  • We must really think 'what is life all about?'
    • Consider God and why He had made us
    • Example of Solomon and Ecclesiastes - remember your creator before you die, consider God in everything
  • Has the thought of death made you think about life?
• Going through death
  • Perfect love casts our fear
  • Consider the apostle Paul when he faced death
  • Death is the last enemy but Jesus came to overcome death
  • Jesus came to give hope and perfect peace
  • Even though we go through death - we go into the presence of Jesus Christ
  • Quote from Richard Baxter

The Judgment of God

• There is no escaping Judgment
  • There is no purgatory - there is immediate judgement (there is also the final judgement with Christ returns)
  • Think of the parables Jesus taught concerning this
  • We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ
• For the believer it is not a judgement of punishment but of rewards
• First death, then the judgement
  • How will it be for you on that day?
• Example of the book "An Inspector Calls"
  • Human nature is such that as long as things are hidden and nobody knows - there is relief
  • But God sees everything - every idol word, every deed
  • How will it be for you on that day?
• The Judgment seat of Christ and the great white throne
  • There are two types of people:
    • Those who know God, love Jesus Christ, confess their sins and cry out to God for mercy
    • Those who turn their backs on God, don't believe in Jesus, have sinned and have no remorse and repentance for their sins
• We cannot escape death and judgement

Three Appearances

• Very real and important appearances

Christ's Appearance upon the Earth (v26b)

• "...but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (v26b)
• 'At the end of the ages'
  • Everything had been building up to this from all eternity
  • A plan of salvation - the prophets had prophesied that the Messiah would come
  • The teachings about the New Covenant
  • This was the culmination of all of this
• Christ appeared to put away sin
  • Christ is God
  • He took upon human form and became man
  • He appeared in a visible way
  • He came once as the Great High Priest, as the only Son of God
  • He would pay for the sins of men
• We can become one with God through the atonement
  • Have you trusted alone in Jesus Christ and His death?
  • With the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin - Christ offered His perfect life
  • We must trust in the blood of Christ alone

Christ's Appearance in Heaven (v24b)

• Christ appears now in heaven on our behalf
• Is is really good when someone vouches for us
  • Can there be anything greater than one appearing in heaven for us?

Christ's Appearance for the Second Time (v28b)

• "To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." (v28b)
• The truth about the second coming of Jesus is all over the pages of the Bible
  • There are x8 more prophesies about the second coming that the first coming of the Lord
  • Our Creed: Christ has died, Christ has risen and Christ will come again
• Christ will come apart from sin
  • Christ came initially into a sinful world, in the likeness of sinful flesh
  • The second coming is with all His saints, He comes sinless, in great power and beauty, with inexpressible glory
• The dead in Christ rise first
• The unbelievers will rise also, their souls reunited with the bodies to the second judgement
• Christ is coming for His people - that is His main purpose
  • There will be a great salvation on that day
  • Quote from Augustine and Luther
• Christ will come again

Closing Remarks

• How will you face the appointment of death?
• How will you face the appointment of judgement?
• You can face it boldly if you are trusting in Jesus Christ