A queen in me, a work of mine, making dear Lord
a place of thine. I'm not at par, done both for
me and now. I know it shall. My grace. so far. And now that we're together
in divine, saves the life of John Paul II. All tribes and tribes assemble
now. Among thy children will I be. And I rightly believe. I invite you to turn in your
Bibles this morning to the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 9. I'm just going
to read one verse to you. That is verse 27. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment. After this, the judgment. Our lives are punctuated and marked by appointments. Especially when we're growing
older, it seems like they're mostly marked by doctor's appointments. Some appointments we keep, and others we don't keep. Some
we just miss. Some we don't wanna keep. But there is one appointment
that we'll keep. And that is our appointment with
death. We'll keep that appointment to
die. And we need to be reminded of
some things concerning it. We need to learn them since it
is so sure And there's only one place that
they can be learned. And that's in the word of truth. That's in the Bible. That's in
God's word. The only place, the only source
of knowledge about death is in this book. And one of the first things that
we need to know and understand is concerning who makes this appointment. And I tell you, it is God alone. We don't make that decision because mainly if we We're left
the decision, we never decide to die at all. We never make
that decision, appointment. But according to this book, God alone determines the time
of our death and the instrument. And this is a great consolation
to the people of God. We can rest in his wisdom. We can rest in his goodness. We can rest in his purpose. Because without a doubt, he makes
that appointment for all people. It was determined before the
world began. Nobody dies early. Nobody dies
late. Nobody dies before their time. But really, nobody dies before
his time. And if you would turn back with
me to the book of Job this morning for a second, Job chapter 7 and
verse 1. Look at what it says. Is there not an appointed time
to man upon the earth? are not his days also like the
days of a hireling. In other words, they're appointed. The workman works for 40 hours
and then he gets off. God says that the days of man
are appointed of God for this space. Look over in Job chapter 12,
in Job 12 and verse 9, he says, who knoweth not all these that
are the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? Who knoweth not
in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In
whose hand is the soul of every living thing and the breath of
all mankind? The breath, every breath is numbered
by God. Look over in Job chapter 14. He says in verse 1, man that
is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. Look at verse 5. Seeing his days
are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou
hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. He cannot pass. And look over in chapter 30 at
what it says. In chapter 30, in verse 23, he
says, for I know that thou wilt bring me to death and to the
house appointed for all living. Every person. is appointed to
die. Look over in Psalm 39. Psalm 39 and verse 4. Lord, make me to know mine end,
and the measure of my days, what it is that I may know how frail
I am. The only way we begin to live
is to know that we're going to die. And the only way that we
are made to know how frail we are is when God brings the knowledge
of this to our heart, that we are going to die. He said, behold,
thou hast made my days as a handbreadth and mine age is as nothing before
thee, surely every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Surely every man walketh in a
vain show, surely they are disquieted in vain. He heapeth up riches
and knows not who shall gather them. It makes a lot of money, works
for a lot, saves a lot, but probably won't get a chance to spend it. His days are like a hand breath. And in Acts chapter 17 and verse
26, listen, I'll read it to you, and hath made of one all nations of men for to dwell
upon the face of the earth." Now, that doesn't sound like
we think today. We have Afro-American, we have
this one and that division, but it says he's made of all nations,
one blood. In other words, it doesn't matter
what our distinction is, we can trace our blood back to Adam. He has made one blood of all
nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth and hath determined
the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitation. In other words, God has set the
very bounds of their habitation he has set, the very bounds to
which they will go. And then I'll read you a verse
from the book of Daniel. His words of prophecy to Belshazzar. He says, this is the interpretation
of the thing. hath numbered thy kingdom and
finished it." God has set the day of your death. And then in Luke chapter 20,
Luke chapter 12, he says this in verse 20, to the rich man,
but God said unto him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall be
required of thee. Then whose shall all these things
be which thou hast provided? He takes all. He determines the
time. He determines the instrument. He makes this appointment. And if you notice in our text,
this appointment has to do with death. It is appointed unto man
or unto men once to die. And according to what the Bible
says, and according to what I've felt, and according to what I've
seen others experience, men live in fear of this appointment. And it seems like those that
bluster about it and boast about it and say that they're not afraid
to die and such things as that, they are the most fearful of
them all. But in the book of Genesis, God says, in the sweat of thy
face, shalt thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground for
out of it thou wast taken for thus thou art and unto thus thou
shalt return. And when you read about Adam,
the first man, It says, in all the days that Adam lived were
930 years. 930 years. But it doesn't matter. Because it says, and he died. You know, you go back in the
Old Testament. And you read all these different
genealogies and a list of all men, and the one thing that it
says is, and they died. And they died. Every man and
all men except Enoch, who the Lord translated, and Elijah,
who God caught up to heaven alive, and those that are living at
the second coming of Christ, everybody else is going to die. Because it says that the soul
that sinneth, have you sinned? I think so. The soul that sinneth
shall surely die. Actually, it says that which
we work for, that which we can accomplish is simply the wages
of sin, and the wages of sin is death. Sin, when it is finished, brings
forth death. 2 Samuel chapter 14 writes, For
we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground which
cannot be gathered up again, neither does God respect any
person. We like water that is spilled
on the ground. You can't gather it back up. And God doesn't respect us. In
anything and of ourselves, all are gonna die. Psalm 89 says, what man is he
that liveth and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul
from the hand of the grave? There have been a lot of efforts,
a lot of attempts by one thing and the other thing to keep themselves
from dying, but nobody has. They've searched for the fountain
of youth. They've searched for medical
deliverance. They've searched for all the
things, but mark it down at the time that God has appointed and
with the instrument God has ordained, we're going to die. We're going
to die. But the thing is, This is not the end. You know, people have all developed
different ways of dealing with this. And one of the ways that they
deal with this is to think that they're just going to be annihilated. That this is, life is this, death
is this, and that's all there is to it. We're just going to be annihilated.
But this is Satan's deception because he makes men to think
or to try to think that this is all there is. But I want you
to notice two words in our text. After this. Death is appointed. Death is
sure. Death is going to come. But after
this, the judgment. The judgment. God says to the young person,
in the book of Ecclesiastes. He says this, Rejoice, O young
man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days
of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the
sight of thine eyes. But know this, know thou, that
for all these things, God will bring you into judgment. Everything we do, all our days,
from our youth to old age, do what you will, but God will bring
you into judgment. And then he says this in Ecclesiastes. He says, for God shall bring
every work into judgment with every secret thing, whether it
be good or whether it be evil. It's all going to be open. Turn to John chapter 5. John chapter 5, and look at what
it says here in chapter 5 and verse 26. It says, for as the father hath
life in himself, so hath he given to the son to have life in himself,
and hath given him authority to execute judgment. also because he is the son of
man. Marvel not at this, for the hour
is coming in the which all that are in the grave shall hear his
voice, and shall come forth they that have done good unto the
resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the
resurrection of damnation." He's the judge. He's a man, the God man, and
he's been appointed the judge. And Paul in Acts chapter 17 says,
God has appointed a day in the which he will judge the world
in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained wherefore
he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised
him from the dead. In other words, one clear evidence
that God will judge all men is that he raised the judge from
the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ
means there is a judge appointed of God and a time. After this,
the judgment. And Paul writes this to the Corinthians,
he says, for we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ
that everyone may receive the things done in his body according
to that which he had done, whether it be good or bad. It's going to be a just judgment. It's not going to be based upon
what you think, or what I think, or what the law says, or any
other thing. It'll be a just judgment, because
he's a just judge. And Jude said that Enoch also,
the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, behold, the
Lord cometh with 10,000 of his saints, to execute judgment upon
all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all
their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of
all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against
them." It's going to be sure. It's going
to be clear. All will be judged. And turn
over to the book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 20. In Revelation chapter 20, John
sees this judgment. In the future, he sees a vision
of this judgment in Revelation chapter 20 and verse 11. And I saw a great white throne
and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the
heaven fled away, and there was found no place for them." That's
awesome. That's really awesome. We use
that word a lot, but that's awesome. He says, and I saw the dead,
small and great, stand before God, and the books were opened,
and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and
the dead were judged out of those things which were written in
the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which
were in them. And they were judged every man
according to their works, and death and hell were cast into
the lake of fire. This is the second death, and
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast
into the lake. Now, there's another problem. Because Paul and all the writers
of scripture, but Paul especially, didn't he write this, there's
none good, no, not one. There's no good person. Is nobody
essentially good? And then to make sure that we
understand this, he says, there's none that doeth good. No, not one. Well, it seems like to me, Humanly speaking, in the light
of all it says about judgment and all that the Bible says about
us by nature, it's case closed. Cast into the lake of fire. And all these verses of scripture
that I've looked at, that I've read to you, that I've mentioned,
they are all absolutely true and absolutely right about every
one of us without exception. They're true. This is true here in Hebrews
9. But in its context, it is actually speaking of Christ. In its context. You see, because
he was appointed of God to save his elect. And in doing so, he
was appointed to die and to die in their place. Look back at verse 24. He says, for Christ is not entered
into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures
of the true. All those holy places, holy of
holies, tabernacle, temple, they're just the figures of the real
ones. Because the real one is in heaven
itself, he says, but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence
of God for us, nor yet that he should offer himself often as
the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with
the blood of others. For then must he often have suffered
since the foundation of the world. But now once in the end of the
world hath he appeared to put away sin by death, by the sacrifice of himself. 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. So you look in verse 26. And it says that he kept this
appointment. He kept this appointment. He actually appeared on the scene,
came in human flesh as a baby born to die. What was his purpose in coming,
humanly speaking? to die. I remember one time, years ago,
I preached the funeral of a baby that had been born and just lived
a matter of about a week or so and then died. Why did that baby die? Because it was born a sinner. Because that was God's appointed
time. But the real baby that was born
to die was the Lord Jesus Christ. He was born to go to that cross. He kept talking about mine hour
not yet come, but he had an appointment with death and divine justice
because he gave his life for them and shed his blood in payment
to divine justice for their sins. So look at verse 28. So Christ was once offered to
bear the sins of many. Doesn't say he was offered to
bear the sins of every person, all the world, universally, but
it says for many. I don't know who they are. I
don't know how many they are. The Bible says that it's a number
that no man can number. But God has numbered them. And
they are who he gave to his son. And they are those to whom Christ
came and gave his life for. for their sins. They're described here as them
that look for him to appear the second time. And when he appears the second
time, when he comes again, those sins that were laid on him, they
won't be anymore. Why? Because he put them away. because he died for them. And everywhere that you look
in this book, it has to do with man's fear of death and Christ's
death for sins, the reason of our fear. Turn back over to Hebrews
chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2. This is a reference about Christ
that is brought in by all these Old Testament passages which
were speaking of him. Hebrews chapter 2. And this is
another one of them. In verse 13 it says, And again
I will put my trust in him, and again behold I and the children
which God hath given me. God gave his son a people. Christ is called the everlasting
father because he has as a father these children. He says, for
as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood,
all God's elect are just like all people. They're partakers
of flesh and blood. He also, likewise, took part
of the same. Why did he have to come to this
earth? Why did he have to take on a body? Why did he have to
become made flesh? Because the only way that they
could be saved, being such themselves from their sins, was for him
to do what they couldn't do, and that was die a sinless death. that through death he might destroy
him who that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through
fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. What does that mean? They were
always in chains. They were always in fear. They were always in this bondage
of death because of sin. For verily, he took not on him
the nature of angels. He never did redeem not one of
the angels that fell, but he took on him the seed of Adam. No. the seed of Abraham, the covenant
people, the seed of Abraham, those that believe. The Bible
says of Abraham, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him
for righteousness. Wherefore, in all things, it
behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to
God, to make reconciliation for the
sins of his people. What did he do? What did he die
for? To make reconciliation. God was, in Christ, reconciling
us unto himself. He didn't need to be reconciled
to us. He hadn't changed. But we fell
in at him, and we had to be reconciled to him. For in that he himself has suffered
being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted."
That's what he came to do. That's what he came to be. Turn
over to Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9 again and verse
11. But Christ, being come, and high
priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building,
neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood. He entered in once into the holy
place, look at that, having obtained eternal redemption for us. That's what he did. Look over in Hebrews chapter
10 and verse 12. It says, but this man, After
he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on
the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be
made his footstool, for by one offering he hath perfected forever
them that are sanctified. Now it doesn't say that he made
them a little bit better. It doesn't say that he gave them
a chance to be saved. It doesn't say anything. It says
by his offering, he perfected them forever. Forever. And that means that his good,
We want to speak of sinlessness or perfection or righteousness,
whatever term you want to use. His good is now the good of his
believing people. Abraham believed God and it was
counted to him for righteousness and what was due their evil. he suffered on the cross and
bore that death in his own body on the tree. He took our death, we took his
life. Which has to mean, can't be any other way it can
be concluded, that we're saved by grace. We're saved by the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is our Savior. He finished the work. The judgment to come is really
one of sentencing. Most people have the thought
of this judgment to come, that they're going to be put on the
scales, and what good that they have done is going to be weighed
against what evil that they've done, and they're going to hope
it balances out. And if it doesn't balance out,
then Jesus will step in the side and balance it out. There's just
one problem. We haven't done any good. We might have been better than
so-and-so. If we have, it's only by the
grace of God. Somebody said one time, we're
like fleas jumping up toward heaven and saying, I jumped higher
than that flea did. But we've missed it by more than
a mile. I say the judgment to come is
really more of like a sentencing for the unbelieving world to
be cast into hell, brought to bow before Christ, the casting
into the lake of fire for them which will mean eternal separation
from God. You don't believe me? Look over
in John chapter 3. I just imagine that about almost 99% of the people in this world that
can quote John 3, 16 have never read John 3, 18. Look at what it says. In John 3, In verse 18, he says,
he that believeth on him is not condemned. Not condemned. Right now, right
now, he's not condemned. Will not come into judgment on
that basis. He that is believeth on him is
not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already. Those who die in their unbelief,
not trusting Christ alone and pleading his blood and his righteousness
as all their salvation, it isn't a matter to be decided. It's
a sentence to be carried out. That's it. It isn't going to
be this thing and that thing and every little thing weighed
out. All it will expose is that how nothing we've done is good. And then he'll take them, bind
them, cast them into the lake of fire. the false religionist,
right along with the mass murderer. Because they've come short of
the glory of God. Doesn't matter if you miss the
mark by five feet, you miss it by 20 feet, you missed it. That's just the way it is. But those who are trusted in Christ. They're being rewarded on the basis of His righteousness. God has imputed to them His righteousness. They're being dealt with on the
basis of His Word. They're being dealt with and
shall be dealt with for his good. We read those passages and for
a moment we just, where it says they'll be judged on the basis
of their works whether they be good or evil. I know you're going
to find this hard to believe almost, but all my works are
good. Because they're bound up in one
word. This is the work of God that
you believe on his son. Rupert, we don't have any bad
works. We don't have any evil. Because
God views us in his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And he died
to put away our sins by the sacrifice of himself. As a matter of fact, What the
Bible speaks of now, what Paul says about justification to life
or unto life, it means that now because of what Christ has done,
God is just in giving us eternal life. And He wouldn't be if He
didn't. Christ died for me. He put away
my sins. God is just to justify those
who believe on Christ. And in Matthew's gospel, it says
they'll go away to eternal life. They'll go away to that eternal
inheritance that God has given. And I love this verse. It's in
Romans 5. It's actually two verses, Romans
5, 8, and 9. Now you look at it, if you can
believe it. But God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Now, superstition makes a multitude
of ways to try to get around the sin question. We'll go to
the priest, we'll go to the preacher, we'll go to the confession booth,
we'll walk the aisle, we'll do penance, we'll give money. No. No. Christ must die for us. Now listen to this, next verse.
Much more now, much more than being now justified by His blood. That means declared righteous,
declared good through the blood of Christ. We shall be saved from wrath
through him. That's the promise of God. We shall be saved from wrath
through him. Look over in 1 Corinthians chapter
15. I Corinthians 15, verse 50. Now this I say, brethren, that
flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we
shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put
on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall
have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written,
death is swallowed up in victory. When God gives his people the
new body, When we experience what some
call glorification and are made like unto the Lord Jesus Christ,
all the last remaining marks of sin will be erased forever. is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grace, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and
the strength of sin is the law. but thanks be to God who gives
us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. It's kind of like a bee that somebody has taken its stinger
out of, a wasp, something like that. If the stinger's gone,
he can fly around you, land on you, crawl on you, but he can't
hurt you. That's the way sin is. That's
the way death is. Because Christ has borne the
penalty of it, death can't hurt the people of God. I've seen it. I've seen this God-given peace
about death lots of times, lots of people. Last week I was thumbing through my phone. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere,
just randomly, popped up a picture. And it was a picture of a screenshot
that I'd taken on my phone of some text that my wife sent me in the last
days. I was still coming back on Saturday
night, you know, to preach here, and this particular Saturday
night toward the end, she sent me a text, and I wanted to be
sure I always saved that, so I did a screenshot on it. But in that text, she said, I
find myself looking to that moment when I can say,
come quickly, Lord Jesus. Inevitable death. Every evidence in her body, all
around her, but looking forward to death because it would mean
the coming of the Savior, the peace that he gives, the
fear that he removed, the sting of death that he put away. Job said, I know my Redeemer
lives. And in this body, be different,
changed, glorified, but in my flesh, I'm going to see God. I'm going to see my Redeemer.
Not with somebody else's eyes, but my own. After this, for this unbelieving world is
the judgment of hell. No getting by it. But after this, the judgment
for sin for all God's people took place on that cross. And the sting of death was removed. And whenever they are changed
and glorified truly, death will be swallowed up in victory. Victory because of what Jesus
Christ has done. Grace gives us the victory. God gives us the victory through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So after this means one thing
for some people, most people, but it means that the judgment
that God's people, believing people, must endure has already been
endured by our Lord. Father, we bow our heads. We don't know the time or the
instrument, but we sure are thankful that you do. Gives great consolation to your
people. And we praise you for Christ.
Praise you for the one who put away our sins by his own blood. We praise you for making his
good, his good work to be ours. We praise you for him taking
our evil, the penalty of it upon himself and bearing it in his
own body on the tree. Help your people to rest, to
rejoice, to be thankful, and to look again for your appearing. We pray in Christ's name, amen. Amen.