Why is it that one of the most difficult discussions we will ever have involves spiritual things? People often say that we shouldn’t discuss religion and politics, yet probably more people are open to a political conversation than one that involves God.
What makes a discussion on spiritual things so difficult? It’s the effect sin has upon our lives. Sin puts up a wall between us and God. Do you remember the story of Adam and Eve? Before their sin they had a very open and enjoyable relationship with God. But once they disobeyed God, they hid themselves from His presence. Sin put a barrier between them and God.
Today we are going to look at a man who struggled with making a spiritual decision. Perhaps I should rephrase that – he made a spiritual decision; but the wrong one. Rather than turning to Christ, he turned from Christ.
Acts 24:24 And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. 25 And as he reasoned of: righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
As Paul spoke to Felix, he shared with him four very important truths.
I. Truth # 1 – God’s Righteous Character
Acts 24:25 And as he reasoned of righteousness…
Who is God? What is He like? Is He, as so many call Him – ‘the man upstairs?’ Is He the – ‘big guy in the sky?’ Consider what one man experienced on the day he saw God.
Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne, and His robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth. 4 The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.
God is so holy and awesome that even angels blush with reverence and humility whenever they are in His presence. How will we respond when we see God?
5 Then I said: Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, [and] because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. CSB
Who is God? What is He Like? The Bible says that God is perfectly pure. He is perfectly righteous. It says in the book of Hebrews that it is impossible for God to lie. James tells us that God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts He any man. Concerning the character of God, Habakkuk wrote – “Your eyes too pure to behold evil, cannot look upon iniquity.” We learn from the book of Isaiah that God’s name is holy. The Jews believed that the name ‘Jehovah’ was so sacred that they never spoke it. Instead they substituted in their writings capital LORD.
As Paul stood before Felix, he spoke to him concerning the righteousness of God. In contrast he also spoke to him concerning the sinfulness of man.
II. Truth #2 – Man’s Sinfulness
Acts 24:25 And as he reasoned of: righteousness, temperance …
The word ‘temperance’ means – {Self-control, the ability to restrain our passions}. Mankind doesn’t like to exercise self-control. We want to be free to live however we please and we don’t like it when someone else tries to tell us what to do. Today the only sin is saying there is sin. In today’s world, the greatest virtue is to be tolerant of however anyone chooses to live. Today’s philosophy is a carry-over from the 60’s when the popular phrase was – “Live and let live.”
Paul’s words concerning self-control must have stabbed Felix like a knife. Felix was a Roman governor and Roman governors were not known for exercising self-control. They are conniving and ruthless and often partiers. Drusilla was Felix’s third wife who had recently divorced her husband in order to marry Felix.
We read from God’s Word – ‘Be ye holy, for I am holy.’ It seems only reasonable that we should be like our Creator; after all – we were made in His image. Yet we’re not holy. We’re sinful. The Bible says –
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.
Who has sinned? We all have sinned. How have we sinned? We sin every time we fail to be obedient to God and His Word. The Bible says that we sin when we come short of God’s glory. What does that mean? It could mean one of two things:
1. Come short of giving God the glory He is due
Psalm 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Scripture teaches us that we were made to bring God pleasure. (Rev 4:11) All of creation belongs to God; therefore, every time we withhold from God the glory He is due -we are sinning against our Creator.
2. Come short of living in the glory God created for us
We learn from the book of Genesis that we were created in God’s own image. We were created to reflect His glorious character. Therefore, whenever we fail to live in a glorious manner, we sin against our Creator.
The Bible says that Paul reasoned with Felix concerning God’s righteousness and our sinfulness. Then Paul took Felix to the next important truth – there is a coming day of judgment.
III. Truth # 3 – A Coming Day of Judgment
Acts 24:25 And as he reasoned of: righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come…
There two aspects of God’s righteousness that we need to understand:
A. He Himself is Perfectly Righteous
The Bible says that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Paul wrote that God dwells in ‘unapproachable light.’ (1 Tim 6:16 ) God is perfectly righteousness and will have no relationship with anything that is unrighteous.
B. His Perfect Righteousness Demands Perfect Justice
Psalm 5:4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.
The only portion of the Bible many seem to know is – ‘thou shalt not judge.’ It is true; I’m not your judge and you’re not mine. Yet that does not mean that no one will ever judge concerning how we live. The Bible teaches us that one day Jesus Christ will judge all of creation. (Jn 5:22)
C. Day of Judgment
To speak of a day of judgment seems so harsh; yet the Bible clearly teaches us that a day of judgment is coming. We read from the book of Revelation –
Revelation 20:11 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. 12 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. 13 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. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Who will stand before God at this judgment? Some believe that all of mankind will. Others believe that only those who have failed to receive Christ will be here. Perhaps one important phrase gives us a clue. Note the usage of the phrase – ‘the dead.’
And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God … and the dead were judged … 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…
At least four times those standing here are labeled as ‘the dead.’ Who are ‘the dead’ and how did they die?
The Bible teaches us that when God created man, He placed man in a beautiful garden called Eden. Man had everything he could possible need or desire. There was only one restriction put upon man.
Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
By saying ‘thou shalt surely die’, God was saying – ‘thou shalt surely be judged for disobeying Me.’ Satan told Eve – ‘thou shalt not surely died.’ Yet the Bible says – ‘the wages (consequences) of sin (disobedience) is death.’ (Rom 6:23)
Whenever we sin, death affects us in three ways:
- Physical death
- Spiritual death (There is a break in our fellowship with God)
- Eternal death – (One day the dead will be eternally separated from God)
Revelation 20: 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
In contrast to the dead, the Bible speaks of ‘the book of life.’
12 … and another book was opened, which is the book of life… 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
What is the book of life? It is also called ‘the Lamb’s book of life.’ Written within the Lamb’s Book of Life are the names of all those who have received Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. We read from the book of Ephesians –
Ephesians 1:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, NKJV
Paul shared four important truths with Felix:
I. Truth #1 – God’s Righteousness
II. Truth #2 – Man’s Sinfulness
III. Truth #3 – A Coming Day of Judgment
IV. Truth #4 – Faith in Jesus Christ
Acts 24:24 … he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
“Who are you Paul”? Felix wanted to know. “What are you all about? Why do you have faith in this ‘Jesus of Nazareth’”?
Paul’s response – “I am who I am because:
1. God is holy
2. I am sinful
3. There is a coming day of judgment and accountability
4. Christ died for my sins
Jesus said:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
How did Felix respond to Paul’s reasoning? Note –
Acts 24:25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled and answered: Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.
Felix trembled with fear over the truth he had been taught; yet Felix didn’t receive Christ as his Savior. Why? Maybe it was the fear of what others might say. Maybe it was the fear that he might lose his position of power and prestige. Maybe it was fear that he might have to give up too many pleasures from this world. Maybe it was the fear that his adulterous wife, Drusilla, might mock him and leave him for another man. Whatever it was, it kept Felix from receiving the truth and as far as we know, he’s suffering at this very moment in the flames of hell.
In contrast to Felix, I would like to share with you the testimony of my son-in-law Josh. I asked him for permission to share and he willingly agreed.
“I grew up in a Christian home and our family was always active in serving the Lord. My dad taught Sunday School and my mom worked in the nursery. When I was 4, my older sister accepted Christ as her savior. The whole church was excited over her decision and gave her lots of attention. Being only 4 years old, I was naturally drawn to the excitement and wanted the attention myself. So one Sunday night I went forward and told the pastor that I wanted to do what my sister had done. He led me in a prayer and announced to the church that I was saved. But I had no idea what had happened. As I grew older I began to understand more about the Bible and salvation, and to realize that just reciting a prayer wouldn’t save me. Yet I kept telling myself that I said the prayer and the pastor told me I was good.
Meanwhile, my dad became a youth pastor and I became the focal point in the youth group. I would sing and teach and share with the other students, but still I felt empty inside. Whenever I was by myself I could feel God calling me. Yet rather than turning to Christ, I filled my life with other things so I wouldn’t have to be alone or in the quiet. I played every sport possible. From basketball to baseball and wrestling to soccer, I did it all. Yet with all of this I still felt dissatisfied.
I often struggled with the fear of not knowing what might happen if I died. But I kept holding on to that prayer and the pastor’s words that I was OK. It wasn’t until I was 13 that I broke down. My dad was my youth pastor and he was speaking Matthew 13. It was like he was talking to me. Through his teaching I realized that although I was pretending to be a Christian, in reality I was lost. My faith had been in a prayer and a pastor’s words and not in Christ.
Having heard the gospel many times, I knew how to be saved. I knew that God loved me and sent His Son, Jesus to die on the cross for me and rise again on the third day. I knew all I had to do was put my trust in Jesus and what He did for me. So I did. I prayed and told Gold I was sorry for pretending and trusting in something else and not in Him. I asked for His forgiveness and put my faith in Him.”
The Spirit spoke to Felix’s heart and Felix trembled with fear. Yet he couldn’t let go of the world in order to receive Christ. “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” There is no indication from scripture that there ever was a more convenient season.
The Spirit spoke to Josh’s heart and Josh trembled with fear. For years he was afraid of dying and not truly knowing Jesus Christ as his personal Savior. Josh knew about Christ, but he didn’t know Christ. But praise God, Josh turned from his pride and rebellion and received Christ as his Savior. Today Josh’s #1 goal in life is to serve his Savior. I am proud and thankful that he is the husband of our daughter, Amy.
What about you? Have you received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? If you need help concerning your relationship with Christ, please contact me at: (540) 365-6312 or email: pastorterry@twinoaksbapt.org
"Seeds of Faith" 