“And as he reasoned of righteousness, and self-control,
and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified” (Acts 24:25).
The preacher on
this occasion was the great apostle Paul. We all have to admire his
determination and courage in preaching the Gospel of Christ regardless
of the
circumstances. This man of God felt indebted to all men since he
possessed the
inspired message of salvation (Romans 1:14-16; 1 Corinthians 9:16). To
speak boldly the truth to an assembly
of dignitaries that would assuredly disagree with the message requires
more
courage and fortitude. Because of such faithfulness, Paul could
truthfully say,
“But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me” (2
Timothy 4:17). Preachers of
this caliber are in great demand today in the church of the Lord.
The audience was made up of people like Felix and
Drusilla, among others. Felix and his brother Pallus had been slaves in
the
household of Agrippina, mother of the emperor Claudius. Thus, he had
come from
a lowly slave to become a ruler over a province. Felix was a corrupt
individual. He was guilty of selling justice for bribes, among other
vices. Drusilla
was a daughter of Herod Agrippa, who murdered the apostle James and who
miserably perished soon afterwards (Acts 12:1-2, 20-23). Her first
husband was
Azia, king of Emesa. It is believed that Felix, with the aid of one
Simon a sorcerer,
lured her away from her husband. Felix and Drusilla lived in open
adultery.
Let us now observe the sermon that Paul preached to
this august but corrupt audience. The apostle spoke of “the
faith in Christ
Jesus” (Acts 24:24). On other occasions Paul appealed to the
Old Testament Scriptures
to prove the Sonship of Christ, His death and resurrection (Acts
26:22-23). Paul
also preached a relevant message, that is, those needed lessons for the
present
audience. Thus, we read in Acts
24:25
that Paul “reasoned of righteousness, and self-control, and
the judgment to
come.” Felix, like all un-regenerated men, was filled with
iniquity. “There is
none righteous, no not one.” “For all have sinned,
and fall of the glory of God”
(Romans 3:10, 23). The sinner can become cleansed from his sins only
though the
blood of Jesus Christ. “Being justified freely by his grace
through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God set forth to be a
propitiation,
through faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the
passing
over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God; for the
showing, I say,
of his righteousness at this present season: that he might himself be
just, and
the justifier of him that hath faith in Jesus” (Romans
3:24-26). In short, man
was on his way to eternal ruin when God manifested his love toward us
in the
death of Christ. Man deserved to die and be lost. The only way that the
sinner
could be made righteous was through faith in Christ Jesus in humble
obedience
to the Gospel. He was, therefore, pardoned of his wrongs.
God’s justice was
tempered with mercy. “Him who knew no sin he made to be sin
on our behalf; that
we might become the righteousness of God in him” (2
Corinthians 5:21). The man
to whom God does not reckon sin is the individual whose sins have been
washed
away by the blood of Jesus Christ (Romans 4:7-8; Ephesians 1:7). Felix was
living in open adultery with Drusilla;
therefore, this lesson on self-control was very appropriate for the
occasion. Felix
was one who practiced immorality and satisfied his unbridled lust. What
can be
said about Felix can also be said about many in today’s
world. Beyond a shadow doubt,
the Bible teaches that one should have control of the appetites and
passions of
the body. One has defined self-control as “One who holds
himself in.” Another
has written that self-control is “reasons’ girdle
as well as passions’ bridle.”
It is indeed difficult to be guided by what we know rather than by what
we
want. Among the other aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, self-control
is
mentioned (Galatians 5:23). Paul commands, by the Holy Spirit, the
Christian to
“Put to death therefore your members which are upon the
earth: fornication,
uncleanness, passion, evil desire and covetousness which is
idolatry”
(Colossians 3:5). Peter exhorts brethren to grow spiritually by adding
to their
lives such attributes as “self-control” (1 Peter
1:5-11). If a man can control
himself, he is indeed greater than one who can take a city by force
(Proverbs
16:32).
The apostle Paul spoke of “the judgment to come.”
One
must realize and understand that a day is coming in which all of
life’s conduct
must be perfectly appraised by the Lord; and, that divine justice will
be meted
out upon those who have followed their own willful ways of sin. One of
the cardinal
doctrines of the Holy Scriptures is that of the second advent of Jesus
Christ,
who, at that time will be supreme Judge (Matthew 25:31-46).
“The times of
ignorance therefore God overlooked, but now he commandeth men that they
should
all everywhere repent: inasmuch as he hath appointed a day in which he
will
judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he hath
ordained” (Acts 16:30-31).
At the judgment, each person will have to give account of himself
(Romans
14:12; 1 Corinthians 5:10).
Surely
the solemn contemplation of a coming judgment should motivate each one
to
prepare himself/herself for such an event. If such were done, there
would be a great
effort to obey the Lord in doctrinal and moral matters. Oh, how the
world needs
sermons like the one Paul preached to Felix relative to righteousness,
self-control and the judgment to come!
To every sermon, there is a response, whether it is
positive or negative. The Bible states that Felix was terrified. The
King James
Version said that he “trembled.” Felix was not
ignorant of the truth. In fact,
he had a “more exact knowledge concerning the way”
(Acts 24:22). Nothing could
be more terrifying than to speak of righteousness to a man of such
iniquity; of
temperance in all things to a man of unbridled lust; or to drive home
what was
said on these topics by depicting the judgment to come. The terror
which seized
Felix was the beginning necessary to change a life; but lust and
ambition
smothered the kindling fires of conscience. Therefore, it is probable
that
preaching will often change the feelings of a person without truly
changing the
heart.
Felix was guilty of the grave mistake of procrastination.
He told Paul to “Go thy way for this time; and when I have a
convenient season,
I will call thee unto me” (Acts 24:25). Procrastination is
called the “thief of
time.” A man has nothing but the passing moment. Felix is
typical of the
millions whose spiritual life is ruined by putting off matters until a
later
date. Here are three reasons against delaying obedience to the Gospel.
First,
it is a guilty thing. “I will when” means
“I will not now.” It is rebellion of
spirit put in the least flagrant form, but it still a state of sin.
Second,
procrastination is a delusive thing. We think we will be willing to do
the
right thing later on, but outward hindrances tend to become stronger
than
weaker; life becomes more complicated, and inward and spiritual
obstacles
become more difficult to surmount. We should be aware of the
“deceitfulness of
sin” (Hebrews 3:13). Third, it is a fatal thing. If vice has
slain its
thousands, and pride its thousands, surely procrastination has slain
its tens
of thousands.
Archias, a supreme magistrate of the city of Thebes, was
seated at a
feast, surrounded by friends, when a courier arrived in a great haste,
with
letters containing an account of conspiracy formed against him.
“My Lord,” said
the messenger, “the person who wrote these letters conjure
you to read them immediately,
being serious things.” “Serious things
tomorrow,” replied Archias, laughing,
and he put the letters under his pillow. This delay was fatal. The
conspirators
that evening rushed into the banquet room, and put the careless
Archias,
without all his guests, to the sword. As far as the divine record is
concerned,
Felix never found that convenient season. He had to appear before
Caesar later
to answer charges of corruption in his government. Drusilla and her son
by
Felix later perished in the eruption of Vesuvius, which also engulfed
the
cities of Pompeii
and Herculaneum.
These souls, along with others,
will face the Lord in judgment and give account of the deeds done in
this life.
How sad for people, who know the way, to postpone their obedience to
the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. While the mercy of God lingers, one should, as a
penitent
believer be immersed into Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins
(Acts
2:38).
