Divine Appointments! John 7:13-15

Text:  “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement; so Christ was once offered (on the Cross at Calvary) to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto Salvation.”

Hebrews 9:27-28.

Good morning, God-appointed Christian!  God has Divinely appointed thee and me to be His servants; He has made Divine appointments that we are most privileged to keep according to His Sovereign will and Eternal purpose; and because we are destined to keep God’s Sovereign appointments - who can ever prevent us in our calling and our keeping as God’s appointees?  Hallelujah!  What a blessed assurance from God!  Glory to His Name!

Dictionary Definitions:  Appointed (adjective):- fixed, furnished, equipped.  Appointee:- (noun) a person appointed to a job, position, or office.  (The Chambers Dictionary, page 74)

Today’s three verse Bible Reading in our Journey In John’s Gospel exposes the general, universal human condition - even those of us that believe in Christ - for what it is : FEARFUL.  We are naturally fearful of death.

“Howbeit no man spake openly of Him (Christ Jesus) for fear of the Jews.” (V.13)

However, God’s Word teaches us clearly that “The fear of man bringeth a snare; but whoso putteth his/her trust in the Lord shall be safe.”   (Proverbs 29:25)

Everybody (Christians included!) wants to go to Heaven, but nobody wants to die!

I want us therefore to focus our minds on the fact that Spiritually regenerate Christians (See the doctrine of Regeneration on our website), are God-appointed people.  We have not presumptuously pushed our own way into a role or position in life - we have been appointed to our role/position by our Sovereign Lord God Himself!  We are God-appointed servants of Christ.  Hallelujah!  What a Sovereign Saviour we have in Christ Jesus!  Glory…

“Ye have not chosen Me (the Lord God), but I have chosen you (born again believing Christians), and ORDAINED you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My Name, He may give it you.”  (John 15:16)

“…Ye are not your own…For ye are bought with a Price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)

Okay, we can now hopefully agree that you and I are indeed ‘appointees’, as defined at the commencement of our Bible Lesson for today - ‘a person appointed to a job, position, or office'.  (The Chambers Dictionary, page 74)

As those who have been in this manner ‘God-appointed’, we are thus fixed, furnished, and equipped to fulfill our Divine appointments. 

Fixed:  If ever a living soul needed to be ‘fixed’, believe me, dear friend, it was ME!  Christ in His grace took a Hell-deserving terrorist murderer, lying in a solitary-confinement prison cell, serving two Life sentences and many many years of added imprisonment for terrorist activities here in Ulster - and, on August 12^th, 1979, FIXED me; made of me a ‘…new creature in Christ.’

“Therefore if any man/woman be in Christ, he/she is a new creature; old things are passed (or continually passing) away behold, all things are become (or continually becoming) new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)  Thank you, Lord God!

The Lord at that time also, ‘fixed’ me into the Body of Christ, the Church, and has KEPT me securely fixed within that Body these  past 40 years.  I could not KEEP myself saved and serving without the power of the Lord.    (1 Peter 1:3-5) (John 15:5b)  ‘…Salvation is of the Lord…’  (Jonah 2:9)

Furnished:  The Lord God has furnished me with His strength, power, and perseverance in the faith, by the Divine power of God the Holy Spirit.  Anything of any Eternal value achieved, is achieved by His power and for His greater glory alone. Of ourselves we can do NOTHING GOOD. (Acts 1:8)  (2 Timothy 3:16-17)               (2 Timothy 4:1-8)

Equipped: We Christian believers are fully equipped for service, equipped to fully achieve any Divine appointments the Lord desires of us.  We are, in fact, equipped with a full set of Spiritual armour for the job! (Ephesians 6:10- 20)  What a Divine arsenal of Spiritual weapons!

Thought:  Fixed, furnished, and fully equipped by God - what shall we fear?  Our times are appointed by the will of our Sovereign Lord God.  Praise His Name!