FELIX'S PROCRASTINATION

Pastor James J. Barker

Text: ACTS 24:24-27




INTRODUCTION:


  1. Our text this morning describes a conversation between the apostle Paul and the Roman governor Felix (24:24).
  2. Paul not only spoke to Felix. Paul preached to Felix.
  3. Verse 24 says Felix "heard him concerning the faith in Christ."
  4. Verse 25 says, Paul "reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come," and Felix "trembled" in response to Paul's preaching. It must have been quite a sermon!
  5. Earlier, Paul was seized in the temple at Jerusalem by an angry mob of Jews, and he was accused of polluting the temple. He became a prisoner, and his case was adjudicated by the Roman government.
  6. Paul was sent to Caesarea, and upon his arrival he was told by Felix the governor that he would see him when his accusers got there (23:33-35).
  7. After five days Ananias the high priest arrived with the elders, and with a certain orator (basically a lawyer) named Tertullus, and they presented their case against Paul (24:1).
  8. After Tertullus' speech (which was loaded with flattery and falsehoods), Paul was given an opportunity to defend himself (24:10).
  9. It seems that Felix was impressed with Paul, and as he listened to Paul's testimony, he recognized that Paul was a remarkable man.
  10. Felix gave instructions that Paul was to have as much freedom as possible, indicating that he realized Paul was an innocent man who was being persecuted by fanatical and dishonest Jews (24:23).
  11. "And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul..." (24:24).

  1. FELIX HEARD THE TRUTH
  2. FELIX TREMBLED AT THE TRUTH
  3. FELIX REJECTED THE TRUTH

 

I. FELIX HEARD THE TRUTH

  1. Paul "reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come" (24:25). No wonder "Felix trembled" (24:25). Paul spoke of righteousness, but Felix's life had been characterized by unrighteousness.
  2. Felix had a reputation as a very immoral man. He began an adulterous relationship with Drusilla (24:24), while she was married to the king of Emesa.
  3. Drusilla was a woman celebrated for her beauty and infamous for her licentiousness. She was the daughter of King Herod Agrippa I.
  4. In the twelfth chapter of Acts, this King Herod Agrippa slew James, the brother of John, by the sword. And he imprisoned Peter, planning to slay him, but the Lord sent His angel to deliver Peter.
  5. Drusilla's great-grandfather was Herod the Great, who slew the babies at Bethlehem. And her great uncle was Herod Antipas, who slew John the Baptist. She had many murderers in her family tree.
  6. Felix had seduced Drusilla by the use of a sorcerer and his incantations, and he persuaded her to leave her husband and become his wife. She was Felix's third wife.
  7. Paul "reasoned of righteousness," but Felix was known for his cruelty, his deceitfulness, and his lust.
  8. The Encyclopedia Britannica says, "His cruelty and licentiousness, coupled with his accessibility to bribes, led to a great increase of crime in Judaea."
  9. The excuse Felix gave Paul for the delay was to wait for Lysias, the chief captain, but verse 26 indicates his real reason was in order to obtain bribes for Paul's release (24:22, 26).
  10. Paul preached "temperance" (24:25), that is, self-control, but Felix was a man who did not exercise self-control. He was a man governed by his lusts and passions.
  11. Paul warned Felix of the "judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee" (24:25).
  12. Paul "laid it on the line" for Felix. There is a judgment to come.
  13. Not long before this, Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and told the proud sinners of Athens that God had "appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness" (Acts 17:31).
  14. The Bible says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
  15. Amos the prophet preached, "prepare to meet thy God" (Amos 4:12).
  16. John the Baptist preached, "flee from the wrath to come" (Matt. 3:7).
  17. The Lord Jesus preached, "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3, 5).
  18. This is not a popular message.  People prefer to hear a positive message.  Sinners do not like to hear that God will judge them for their sin.
  19. But we see the judgment of God all throughout the Bible.
  20. Proverbs 2:2 says, "But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it."
  21. Psalm 9:17 says, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God."

 

II. FELIX TREMBLED AT THE TRUTH

  1. Albert Barnes said, "Felix trembled -- In view of his past sins, and in the apprehension of the judgment to come."
  2. The Word of God touched his conscience. Felix was under conviction.
  3. "Felix trembled" (24:25). He was terrified. He was alarmed. Felix was troubled, but he procrastinated (24:25b). As far as we can tell, he never did get right with God.
  4. Preaching from this text, Spurgeon said, "O marvellous power of a preached gospel!...Who is he that doth not see here something more than human eloquence, when prisoner becomes the judge and the prince upon the throne becomes the criminal? Felix trembled."
  5. This is a remarkable statement -- "Felix trembled" (24:25). Roman rulers prided themselves in their ability to be stoical and unemotional.
  6. In Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar says he is
    "unshaked of motion."
    "I could be well moved, if I were as you...
    But I am constant as the northern star."
  7. Caesar boasted that he could not be shaken or moved, but "Felix trembled."
  8. Felix trembled because the Holy Spirit was convicting him of his sin.
  9. Felix trembled, but he did not repent. History tells us he continued on his wicked pathway, and soon ended up committing suicide.

 

III. FELIX REJECTED THE TRUTH

  1. Felix procrastinated. "Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee" (24:25).
  2. That "convenient season" never came for Felix. I used to hear these old-time preachers tell a story.
  3. There is an old story I have heard many times about a conference they were having in hell. It was presided over by the prince of all of the devils Satan himself; and they were discussing how it would be best that they could damn and destroy the souls of men.
  4. One devil got up and said, “Your satanic majesty, I know a way. I know a way. Let’s tell men there’s not any God.”
  5. "Well,” said Satan, “there are some fools in the earth. ‘The fool hath said in his heart there’s no God’ (Psalm 14:1). And some men are fools, but they’re not all fools. We have to do something better than that.”
  6. Another demon rose and said, “Your satanic majesty, I know. Let’s tell them that the Bible is not the Word of God. It’s a book just like any other book.”
  7. And Satan replied, “There are some who’ll believe that—that the Bible is not the inspired Word of God. It’s just like any other book. But the more we talk about the Bible, the more people will buy it and it’s already the bestseller! We’ve got to have something better than that.”
  8. A third devil arose and said, “Your satanic majesty, I have it. Let’s tell them that Jesus is not the Son of God — that He never died for their sins nor arose again for the salvation of men. Let’s tell them Jesus was a mortal man like any other man.”
  9. And Satan replied, “There are some who will believe that. They’ll think our persuasion is true. Jesus was just like any other man, and He never rose from the dead and He’s not the Savior of the world. But that won’t work for most people.”
  10. Another devil arose and said, “Your satanic majesty, I have it. I have it.” "Alright," said Satan. "What is your plan?"
  11. "Your satanic majesty, let’s agree that the Bible is the Word of God. Let’s admit that Jesus died for the sins of the world, that He rose again, that He reigns at the right hand in heaven, and that He is the only way to heaven. Let’s admit all that. But your honor, let’s whisper in their hearts, ‘But you’ve got plenty of time, plenty of time. You don’t feel like it now. There is no hurry. Some other day, some other hour, some other time when you have a convenient season.’ Let’s tell them to wait! Let's tell them not to rush into anything."
  12. And Satan said, “That’s it. That’s it. Agree with the preacher. Agree with the church. Agree with the Bible. Agree with the Holy Spirit in the heart. But let’s whisper, ‘Wait awhile—tomorrow, some other day, when I have a convenient season.’”
  13. And they say that Satan's plan has been very effective!
  14. A great preacher from the past preached a message on our text, and he called it, "The Perils of Postponement" (L.R. Scarborough).
  • The Peril of the Wrath of God. John 3:36 says, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
  • The Peril of Death -- every minute, 108 people die, and every day 156,000 people die -- many unexpectedly!
  • The Peril of the Hardening Heart. Repeatedly, the Bible says, "Harden not your heart" (Psalm 95:8; cf. Hebrews 3:8, 15; 4:7).
  • The Peril of Feelings ("I don't feel like getting saved right now."). Millions of people are in hell right now because they were led by their feelings and emotions, rather than by the Word of God.
  1. It is foolish to put off salvation. L.R. Scarborough said, "Every grave in the cemetery is a sermon; every tombstone by the roadside is a sermon; and every sickness in your body, every pain and every ache you have is a call of Almighty God for you to get" right with God.
  2. Felix procrastinated (24:25). Just like his brother-in-law, King Agrippa, who told Paul, "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:28).
  3. Felix was foolish. King Agrippa was foolish. And many people today are just as foolish.
  4. Just imagine a boss telling an employee he wants to see him right away, and the employee says, "When I have a convenient season, I will call on you." I don't think he'll keep that job for long!
  5. Just imagine a teacher telling a student he wants to see his homework assignment right away, and the student says, "When I have a convenient season, I will call on you." I don't think that student will get a good grade!
  6. Yet when it comes to the most important business in the world -- salvation -- people keep putting it off.
  7. Let me remind you that hell is full of procrastinators!
  8. Over 150 years ago, a big ship called the Royal Charter sank off the coast of Wales.
  9. I read about a preacher from NYC named William Taylor who moved to England to pastor a church in Liverpool. Back in October 1859, one of his members in Liverpool was a lady whose husband was the first mate on the Royal Charter.
  10. This great ship had sailed around the world, and had touched at every important port, and was now heading back to England. The message reached Liverpool by telegraph that the ship would soon arrive.
  11. Thousands of people, including the mayor of Liverpool as well as Pastor Taylor, were gathered at the Liverpool dock waiting for the ship. Bands of musicians played. The crowd was very excited.
  12. People waited all night, but the Royal Charter never came.
  13. Soon they found out why. The ship had sunk off the coast of Wales, and almost everyone on board had drowned -- about 459 people.
  14. Officials came to Pastor Taylor and said, "Will you go and tell the wife of the first mate?"
  15. So the pastor went to her house. He knocked on the door, and a little girl said, "Oh Pastor Taylor, I thought it was my papa. He is coming home today!"
  16. The preacher felt terrible as he walked into the house. He saw the table was all set for breakfast. The wife of the first mate stepped forward, her face shining, and she said, "Pastor, this is indeed a privilege, will you please join us for breakfast? My husband should be here soon."
  17. The pastor grabbed a chair to steady himself, and said, "Poor woman, your husband will never come home. The Royal Charter went down last night, and your husband is lost."
  18. The distraught wife staggered, then fell to the floor and cried, "Oh my God, so near home and lost!"
  19. And many a sinner is like that -- so near to heaven but lost! Like Felix, they are waiting for their "convenient season."
  20. Like King Agrippa they are "almost persuaded."

 

CONCLUSION:


  1. The sinking of the Royal Charter is a sad story, but there is another even sadder, and that is the sinking of the Titanic in the early morning of April 15, 1912 after colliding with an iceberg during her maiden voyage.
  2. The Titanic was a British luxury steamship that sank in the North Atlantic Ocean during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to NYC.
  3. The shipbuilders boasted that the Titanic was an unsinkable ship.
  4. When the New York office of the White Star Line was informed that the Titanic was in trouble, the White Star Line Vice President P.A.S. Franklin announced "We place absolute confidence in the Titanic. We believe the boat is unsinkable."
  5. By the time Franklin spoke those words, the Titanic was at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
  6. I have read many interesting stories about the Titanic, but I think the best is the one concerning a preacher named John Harper. One of the men that survived the Titanic testified later that he was drifting out on the ocean on a piece of wood from the ship when John Harper drifted by.
  7. John Harper called out, “Man are you saved?” and the man replied, “No, I am not.”
  8. John Harper yelled out, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
  9. The waves pushed John Harper away but a little later on the waves brought him back. Again he called out, “Man are you saved now?” and once again the man had to answer no, he was not.
  10. And John Harper said again, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”
  11. Shortly afterwards the man saw John Harper go down, and there in the middle of the night this man called on the Lord and asked Him to save him
  12. He eventually was rescued, and everywhere he went he told people that he was John Harper’s last convert.




Pastor James J. Barker
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