God's Appointments

God’s Appointments I. Definitions. A. appoint: To determine authoritatively, prescribe, decree, ordain. trans. To determine authoritatively, prescribe, fix (a time, later a place) for any act. B. ordain: To appoint, decree, destine, order. trans. To appoint (a person, etc.) to a charge, duty, or office. Of the Deity, fate, or supernatural power: To appoint as part of the order of the universe or of nature; to decree, predestine, destine. C. determine: I. To put an end or limit to; to come to an end. II. To bring to an end a dispute, controversy, or doubtful matter; to conclude, settle, decide, fix. III. To direct to some end or conclusion; to come to some conclusion. II. Men commonly make appointments for or to events, positions, offices, etc. and these are subject to alterations, frustrations and debate. A. God makes appointments that are certain, not subject to unforeseen circumstances, and are only altered by His order. B. This is a facet of His sovereignty over everything. DAN 4:35; ISA 46:10-11. C. It is vain to fight against God’s ordained purposes. ACT 5:39; 11:17; PSA 2:1-6. D. God’s appointments are never undone by the “cancel culture.” JER 33:20-21. III. Nature, even under the bondage of corruption, functions by God’s appointments. A. By His word, all are kept in store for now. 2PE 3:7. B. The seas have appointed boundaries they cannot pass. PRO 8:29. C. The heavenly bodies have fixed positions and motions. GEN 1:14; JDG 5:20. D. The constants are perpetual by God’s order. GEN 8:22. E. Scientific inquiry and advancements depend upon immutable laws of nature. F. God is the God of order Who orders all things in order to please Himself and give us stability so that we may function profitably and fear Him. JER 5:24. 1. The presence of order rather than chaos should prompt men to repent, give thanks, and give God glory. ROM 2:4. 2. Sin tends to reject the message, which has prompted great resets through the disruption of the normal order. LUK 17:26-30. IV. God appoints times for promises to be fulfilled. GEN 18:14; EXO 9:5. A. The long-awaited Messiah had to come according to schedule. GAL 4:4. B. There is an appointed time of Christ’s return known only to God. MAR 13:32-33. C. We are thus called to patience, for when such promises are fulfilled, they happen quickly. HEB 10:37-38 ct/w 2PE 3:4-5. V. God has appointed nations and boundaries for man’s good. ACT 17:26-27. A. God appoints earthly dignities who rule at His pleasure. DAN 5:21; JOH 19:11. B. God has appointed spiritual dignities over earthly dignities. COL 1:16-17; ACT 12:21-23. VI. God has ever appointed times, places, ordinances, servants for His service. A. Israel had appointed: 1. priests. NUM 3:10. 2. Levites. NUM 1:50-51. 3. modes and details. LEV 10:1-2. 4. places. LEV 17:3-4. God’s Appointments 2-8-25 Page 1 of 2  5. offerings. HEB 9:6, 10, 13. 6. feasts, high days, assemblies. ISA 1:13-14. 7. many such non-negotiable, non-alterable demands for service. B. The N.T. church has: 1. an appointed kingdom and feast with details. LUK 22:29-30 c/w 1CO 5, 10, 11. 2. ordained officers. LUK 9:1; 10:1; TIT 1:5; ACT 6:3. a. The apostles were the first order of servants. b. They had a special appointment of reproaches. 1CO 4:9. 3. decrees to keep. ACT 16:4. 4. appointed tribulations. 1TH 3:3. VII. Salvation involves many appointments. A. Sin appointed us to death and the judgment. HEB 9:27. B. Our days, death and burial are appointments. JOB 14:5; 30:23. C. Our interment is by appointment unto the last day. JOB 14:12-15. D. The time and manner of Christ’s death for our sins was by appointment. ACT 2:23; 4:28. E. Christ was faithful to Him that appointed Him. HEB 3:2. F. Christ was ordained to be the Judge of the quick and dead. ACT 10:42; 17:31. G. We are thus not appointed to wrath but to salvation. 1TH 5:9. H. His glorious gospel is appointed for mournful sinners. ISA 61:1-3. God’s Appointments 2-8-25 Page 2 of 2