My Appointed Time: Celebrate!

MY APPOINTED TIME: CELEBRATE!

Matthew 26:17-30

INTRO.- ILL.- A doctor asked his new patient if she had been to any other doctor about her complaint before coming to see him. She said, "No, but I did go to my druggist."

"Well, that shows just how much sense some people have! And what sort of silly advice did your druggist give you?"

"Oh," she answered sweetly, "HE TOLD ME TO SEE YOU."

Whenever we humans find something wrong with us or think there is something wrong with us we have a tendency to ask certain people for their advice, particularly a druggist or a pharmacist.

And I must admit that I’ve received some pretty good advice from a pharmacist without going to a doctor. That may not have been the right thing to do or the politically correct thing to do, but it worked.

Most of the time, doctors are not our most favorite people to go see and for several reasons.

ILL.- A surgeon was speaking to a man about to have surgery, saying, "Let me tell you how I work. I believe in getting my patients up and around very quickly after surgery. Three hours after surgery you’ll sit up. Five hours later, you’ll stand up. The next day you’ll be walking."

"Fine," the patient said, "But will you let me lie down during the surgery?"

One reason why we don’t like to go see doctors is because we’re afraid they’ll want to send us to a surgeon. And who in the world wants to be operated on?

ILL.- After careful examination, the doctor said to his patient, "I’m sorry to tell you that you have only a short time to live, perhaps only days. Is there anyone else you would like to see before you go?" "Yes," answered the patient, "I’D LIKE TO SEE ANOTHER DOCTOR."

Another reason we don’t like to go see doctors is that we’re afraid they’ll find something wrong with us and maybe even something fatal. Most of us, if not all of us, fear death.

But not our Lord!

In Matthew 26:18 Jesus said, "My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples..."

PROP.- There are two thoughts in the words of Jesus that I want us to think about.

1- My appointed time

2- Let’s celebrate

I. MY APPOINTED TIME

Jesus said, "My appointed time is near." Jesus was talking about His death. Jesus knew that He was going to die!

Heb. 9:27 "It is appointed to men to die once."

James 4:13-14 "Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes."

James is not saying that our lives are not valuable. They are very valuable to us, to our loved ones and even more so to our Heavenly Father. James is just saying that life is short for us all!

The point is: DO YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE DOING TO DIE? I’m not predicting anyone’s death, but I am pointing out the truth of our eventual death.

Every week we read in the newspaper the obituaries of people who have passed away and it seems like they are getting younger and younger all the time. People younger than me are dying all the time! You don’t have to be old to die.

Life is short. None of us know how long we have to live. Preparation is the key.

ILL.- Joe Fowler put it this way recently in our Sunday School class. He said, "I’m not ready to die, but I’m prepared to die." He said there are some things he would still like to do in life, but he is prepared to die. AND WE ALL MUST BE PREPARED TO DIE.

Our Lord was prepared to die. He knew he was going to die. He said, "My appointed time is near." Jesus knew that Calvary was just around the corner.

He wanted to prepare His disciples by observing the Passover meal with them. The Passover meal was instituted by God for the people of Israel to remember their deliverance from Egyptian bondage.

The Lord’s Supper is our special memorial meal which reminds us of our deliverance from the bondage of sin through the death of Christ. This is why we are here. We are here to remember the body and blood of the Lord Jesus. We remember that Jesus came in the flesh, that He was God incarnate, God in the flesh. We remember Jesus’ blood that shed on the cross so our sins could be forgiven.

God’s law required a blood sacrifice for forgiveness of sin. And Jesus’ precious and perfect blood was shed for our sins.