And Felix trembled ...

 

COLERAINE INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 23 FEBRUARY 2025 pm – MR JASON CRUISE

ACTS 21 VERSES 30 TO 34, 23 VERSES 31 TO 35, 24 VERSES 24 TO 27

 

Here in these verses we have read the prophecy of Agabus given in chapter 21 was being fulfilled. He told how Paul would be apprehended and given over into hands of evil men. That has come to pass. Paul was no stranger to being afflicted for his faith. 2 Corinthians 11 verse 24 “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren. In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.” He was no stranger to suffering for the Lord. He was apprehended and put into the prison. He has been in the temple – chapter 21 verse 30. They wanted to kill him - verse 36 “for the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him.” An echo of John 19 verse 15 when the Jewish crowd cried out concerning Jesus. They wanted to do away with Christ. They wanted him crucified on the cross. The Lord came into the world for that purpose – to go to Calvary’s cross. There he lay down his life for us. This evening there are 8 billion people in this world and not one could say Christ did not come to die for me. 40 men wanted to kill the apostle Paul. This news came to Paul’s nephew, his sister’s son. He sends for the centurion and then the chief captain and tells them the plan that has been made, how men lie in wait to take his life. The chief captain has him taken at the third hour from Jerusalem to Caesarea. There Paul would stand before the Roman Governor Felix. I want you to consider this great meeting.

 

Chapter 24 verse 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.” As these 2 men stand face to face there is a very stark contrast between each. The apostle Paul stands while Felix sits on his judgement seat. The Roman Governor was no stranger to chains and shackles. History records he had been a slave and was awarded his freedom from Claudius Caesar.  After his release he began to climb through the ranks of the army until he became Governor of Caesarea and now occupies the position once occupied by Pontius Pilate. Claudius Caesar had the power to release Felix from bondage of slavery but not from the bondage of sin. He may have climbed through the ranks of the army and is now sitting as the Roman Governor but he is still affected by the problem of sin. If you are not saved you too have an awful problem called sin. It doesn’t matter where you are on the social ladder, whether you are living in poverty on the street or on millionaire row – you have a problem of sin. Whether you are a king on the throne or a beggar in the streets you have a problem of sin. There is one who can give you forgiveness of sins, from the one on Calvary’s cross. You have a problem of sin. Romans 5 verse 12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed up on all men, for that all have sinned.” Through one act of disobedience sin came into the world. Through Adam’s wilful disobedience sin came into the world and passed down the generations right to today. 8 million people today are all born affected by sin. The hearer and speaker alike must come and put their trust in Christ. There is only one holy, harmless and undefiled by sin who can pay for salvation. Your salvation was purchased by the precious blood of Christ on the centre cross of Calvary. He heard him concerning the faith. I am sure he would have told him of his journey to Damascus. How on the road he came to know the Lord as Saviour. He saw the light of God as bright as the midday sun and came to know Christ as Saviour and Lord. He was not born as a perfect sinless man ready for heaven but was born with his back towards God as we all are. The problem of sin. In Acts 9 we read “And Saul yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord.” He had a great hatred for the Lord and for the Lord’s people. Now as he stands before the Governor he has trusted in Christ and his finished work and all is well for eternity. Do you know tonight all is well for eternity? Do you know for sure all is well for eternity? Can you look back to that day when you acknowledged the Lord, when you came in repentance and put your faith and trust in Christ. If you have done that you are born again of the Spirit of God. One day you will be in heaven with your Saviour. If not, you are tramping the broad road that leads to hell. There will be no second chance. No retrial. Where are you going in eternity?

 

Acts 24 verse 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.” Paul comes with 3 points – righteousness, temperance and judgment to come.

 

Firstly righteousness. I have no doubt Paul told him he had no righteousness of his own. Isaiah 64 verse 6 “But we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness are as filthy rags.” We have no righteousness of our own. Romans 3 verse 10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” This would have been a bitter pill for Felix to swallow. Clothed with all the regalia of Rome, the robes of authority of the Roman empire, the Lord tells him he had no righteousness. He maybe had done well, judged against the standards of that day. We are being judged against the standards of God and we all fall short. Romans 3 verse 23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” The Governor missed the mark. Maybe you are saying “preacher I believe I have done my good deeds, I am good to my neighbour, I have done my charitable acts, I attend church when I can, give what I have, take communion, I am fit for heaven.” If you think that you are not only a sinner but a self-righteous sinner. Hebrews 2 verses 8 and 9 “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”  For by grace you are saved. All the good works you do, all your church attendance, helping neighbours. If you want to get to heaven you have to come in repentance and put your faith and trust in Jesus, the one who left the splendours of heaven. He came into this world to lay down his life for you so that you can have eternal life. Salvation is by grace alone.

 

Secondly Paul speaks to Felix of temperance or self-control. That was something Felix knew little of. At his side was Druscilla. She was the daughter of Herod Agrippa, the great grand daughter of Herod the Great. She comes with a bad record to the people of God. Druscilla was about 21/22 years ago. Josephus tells us she was married when Felix convinced her to leave her husband. Felix’s life was full of corruption, slander and adultery. His name in Latin means happy. He is happy in sin. He loves the pleasure he gets from sin. You love the pleasure you get from sin. It is pleasure that will only last for a season.

Thirdly Paul speaks about judgment to come. Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 12 verse 14 “for God shall bring every work into judgment.” What Paul is saying to Felix is this – there is a judgment to come and how will you fare? There is a judgment for all of us. How will you fare when you stand before the Lord in sin, unrepentant, unforgiven? In verse 25 we read that Felix trembled. What would make this man with all the authority of Rome tremble? That word tremble in the original Greek is a word from which we get our modern word for phobia. You will know different people who have phobias – spiders, heights, closed in spaces. If they have it they have a great fear. Here’s a man who as Paul speaks to him a great fear grips his heart. The Spirit of God is beginning to convict this man. He knows the decision he makes about Christ will determine his destiny for eternity. The decision you make this evening concerning the person of God’s Son Jesus may decide your destiny for eternity. In the week ahead if you were to go into eternity without Christ and hope you will end up in the caverns of hell. There will be no second chances, no retrials. Maybe you say you will not get saved tonight but next week you will, just not tonight. Many tonight are in a lost eternity who said those same words. That night never came but death did. Just in an instant and they went unrepentant, unprepared, unforgiven. What a terrible prospect. Proverbs 27 verse 1 “Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” You could not guarantee making it. How awful – to go into eternity without knowing Christ as Saviour.

 

Revelation 20 verses 11 to 15

 

What an awful prospect lies ahead of the Christ rejector. There is a great white throne judgement – that speaks of majesty, purity and authority. Heaven and earth fall away. There is no place for them on that day, no hiding place. People tonight have got away with the most awful crimes but when they stand before the great white throne they will not get away with one sin. Whosoever’s name is not found written in the book of the Lamb will be cast out into the lake of fire. What an awful way to find yourself on that day. Who will be there? Those who mocked the preacher in the open air, those who trampled the gospel tract into the ground. Will you leave the gospel meeting another time without knowing the Lord as Saviour? Verse 25 Felix would call for Paul again. Verse 26 he sent for him often and communed with him but we never read of him coming to Christ as Saviour and Lord. Maybe it could be said of you tonight that you never came and put trust in the finished work of Christ. Not trusting in the blood. If all we could do and speak of was hell and judgment and sin that wouldn’t be the gospel. The gospel is good news. The good news is that God loves you so much and wants to save your soul for all eternity. 1 Timothy 1 verse 15 “this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”  People like you and people like me. You can be saved, have that assurance of sins forgiven, have a home in heaven. As you sit here tonight maybe you know about God but cannot call him Father. Maybe you know about Christ but have never called him Saviour, Maybe you know about heaven but cannot call it home. Why not come and put your trust in him as Saviour. He suffered, bled and died. As Jesus prayed in the garden wicked men came and arrested him. They would bring him before Pontius Pilate. He was tied to the scourging pole and whipped many times until his back was like a ploughed field. They led him out into the city streets and walked him to the place called Golgotha. They drove the nails into his hands and feet then raised him on the cross to hang there. The one who took your sins and mine paid the price that you can be saved. Salvation is like an uncashed cheque but to avail of it you must cash it in. Upon that cross before he died the Lord was able to say “it is finished”. The work was completed. The price was paid. Victory was won. Why not come to him tonight. Where will you be in eternity? If you come and call on the Saviour he is able and willing to save you. Maybe you are saying “you don’t know the awful things I have done. I have an awful past. I have committed some awful crimes.” Gods word says “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”  Will you not come to him tonight? “For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” It doesn’t say he might be saved or there is a chance or a possibility but you shall be saved. Salvation is sure and certain if you would come to him tonight. May God help you to come him and avail of the great gift of salvation given because of Calvary.