Glad that we could be together this morning glad that we could
honor our father this morning and praise him.
And thank him for the great things that he has done.
My voice is not the best this morning.
I'm fighting a cold and I but I pray that you will forgo that,
and we'll, we'll look at the message this morning regarding a
God's word and what we are going to talk about specifically or
focusing here in Acts chapter 24 verse number 25, where it says
here in this is in the middle of Paul's life.
He's on trial. It says, after some days, when
Felix came with his wife Priscilla, who was Jewish, he
simple Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
Now, as you reason about righteousness self-control and
the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered go away for.
Now, when I have a convenient time, I will call for you.
And that's what we're going to talk about.
About Paul's reasoning about righteousness self-control and
the judgment to come and then talk about Felix's reaction,
regarding that. That message that Paul gave so
long ago to this man or to this husband and wife really is just
as applicable today. As it was back then we're going
to take a deep dive into these three things this morning before
we do the Though, what a wonderful privilege we have
that, God has allowed us to talk to him in prayer, and we're
going to take advantage of that at this time, every once in a
while, you're here, kind of the younger generation, use the term
YOLO. It's an acronym.
Referring to you only live once and it's and it's kind of the
modern-day version of carpe diem which we know the means seizing
the day. So usually when these are said
it's its or use it's usually in reference to living life to the
fullest and sometimes it carries unwise risks that might just
lead a person into trouble. No, not all the time when it's
used and that it's used in the negative sense or not all the
time, does it ever lead to bad consequences?
But me personally from my observation that tends to mostly
carry the idea of doing what you want and doing what you desire.
no matter what other people might tell you, And if we're not
careful, this kind of attitude can lead us to do what our own
will is, and it just might differ from the will and the
Commandments that are expressed with in the scriptures from the
Lord. This seems to be the case with a
husband and wife, who had been who had become acquainted with
the Apostle Paul here in our context and Acts chapter 24.
And they seemed to have enjoyed being with Paul.
They seemed to have enjoyed, listening to Paul, tell them
about the faith in Jesus Christ. but one day, when Paul was
before them, it got a little too real for them.
Because Paul address, something that directly convicted this
husband and wife whom he stood before here in the setting of
Acts chapter 24. Paul is currently on trial.
He's incest ariya. And the reason why he's there is
because the accusations that were brought before him what
happened back in Jerusalem. How all this trouble that Paul
got in how it all started was? Paul brought a gentile into the
temple. And that just created all kinds
of trouble surrounding Paul. I mean, there was a big mob,
they tried to kill him, Romans soldiers, rescued him from being
nearly beaten, and stoned to death, and he was placed under
arrest. There was a plot to kill Paul
while he was still under arrest. And so, they snuck Paul out,
they created an army to protect one man and take him up to Sessa
Rhea. Get him out of the trouble of
the mob that about 40 men who had taken a vow of.
We're not going to eat or drink anything till they saw Paul
dead. And so those, the authorities
said, well, we got to get this guy out of here.
We got to protect him. So that's how he ends up in
caesarea. And while he's here in caesarea,
he's brought before Felix to continue his tribe and Felix.
He's a Roman governor in that part of the world.
He had historically, speaking had a, quite a shady past, and
he wasn't well respected among the people.
In fact, he was so, Said having to have been cruel to the
people, even to the point of being cruel to causing some of
those people that died. Well, Felix enticed his third
wife, Drusilla to leave her husband and to marry him.
And she was the daughter of Herod Agrippa and Herod Agrippa.
We know in scriptures to be the same Herod, who had persecuted
the church in Acts 12. He had killed James, the brother
of John with the sword, And I am unsure of drusilla's character,
but it would not be fair to judge her based upon her
father's reputation. And so you've got Felix and
you've got Drusilla, a husband, and a wife and they call for
Paul. And Paul talked to them about
the faith in Jesus Christ. As we already read this morning
and I'm sure Paul talked to them about various things, and I'm
just, this is just me brainstorming based upon what
Paul had taught in the various places that he had gone through.
And, you know, strengthening the churches coming into encounters
with various people establishing churches throughout the places
that he went. I'm sure he taught them about
the death burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
After all, when you read the many sermons of what, and what
the disciples talked about throughout the Book of Acts, the
early part of the church, They always mention the significance
of the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Jesus.
That was the foundation of their teaching.
Perhaps Paul as we continue to brainstorm of what he might have
taught them concerning the faith in Jesus to Felix and Drusilla.
Maybe he talked about the Prophecies of old concerning the
Messiah and explain how those prophecies were fulfilled
through. Jesus, who is the Christ, I
believe Paul knew of Felix's reputation and he was aware of
their marriage. And so because of that, it
prompted him to speak about three things in particular,
which is a part of the faith in Jesus Christ.
And so in verse number 25, Luke tells us the Paul reason with
Felix and Ursula Drusilla about three, things, righteousness
self-control and then the coming judgment.
And I want to discuss those three things with you and our
study because like I said already has the same importance
today as it did to this husband and wife whom Paul was talking
to so let's begin with righteousness.
What do you think about when we talk about righteousness?
We think Paul was talking to them about.
What righteousness is it refers to the quality or condition of
Simply being right? Especially being right in the
eyes of God and specifically, it refers to the state of being an
accord or the state of being in harmony with the laws of God.
And so because of that, it's quite the opposite.
Now of wickedness, it's quite the opposite of sinfulness when
we speak of righteousness. Before we talk about our us
being righteous and how we go about doing that, I want to
focus just for a moment on God. And God being righteous.
And this is part of his character, in fact, David
declares this in one of his songs and Psalm 116 verse 5,
gracious is the Lord and righteous.
Yes our God is merciful. And so that is an established
fact. God is righteous. and so because
he is righteous, it means that it has an impact on us because
we could be righteous to Because of Him, First John chapter 3,
verse seven little children. Let no one deceive you.
He who practices righteousness is righteous.
Just as he referring to God is righteous. and so, That's an
established fact. Well how do we become righteous
thing? What can I do?
What can you do to become righteous?
Just as God is righteous. How do we become right before?
God, will part of that answer is found right here in practice
righteousness in order to be righteous, but let's unfold that
little bit more. And let's take that.
Now to Romans chapter 1 and Romans chapter 1, verses 16 and
17 says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is
the power of God to Salvation for everyone who believes to the
Jew first and also for the Greek, For in it is says the
righteousness of God is revealed from Faith to Faith.
As it is written, the just shall live by faith.
So Paul mentioned something here about the gospel of Christ and
when Paul mentioned the gospel of Christ, he said something is
revealed in that. What's revealed in the gospel of
Christ. The answer is right there.
What do you think it is? It's the righteousness of God is
revealed through it. That's what he says.
Now, does this mean that when we read about Jesus and have faith
in the gospel that we learn that God's righteous?
Well, if you ask me, not necessarily because what we
learn about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how the
righteousness of God is revealed is that we can become righteous
through that gospel. You see, we could be seen as
being right before God. And when we do that, through our
Act of Faith, because the just shall live by faith, As Paul
says here. And that is how we become
righteous. We have to believe the gospel of
Jesus Christ, and we have to act upon that Gospel of Jesus
Christ. And then when we do that through
our belief, through our faith, and they acting upon my upon our
faith, it is, then we are Justified.
And we are seen as being right before.
God now Let's carry that idea over to Romans chapter 10 and I
want to read the first four verses here in Romans chapter
10, where says, Brethren my heart's, desire and prayer to
God for Israel, is that they may be saved for our bear them
witness that they have a Zeal for God, but not according to
knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness and seeking to establish their own
righteousness. What was the end results when
they try to do that? Verse number 3, what happened?
He said, they have not submitted to the righteousness of God
because they did that for Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness, to everyone who believes.
And so, Paul says, they were ignorant of God's righteousness.
And that doesn't mean that they simply didn't know, or
understand that God was righteous.
But got what Paul is saying, is that these people did not know
about the gospel and how it could save them and how they
could be justified and right before God through it.
Instead, they tried their own ways.
They try to use their own logic and by their own practices of
what they thought they could do in order to be justified before.
God. And as a result, they fell
short. They did not submit to the
righteousness of God because they try to do it their way.
So the answer was through Jesus as it says here, in verse number
for Christ, is the end of the law for righteousness.
There's our answer for being right before.
God, he is the end and he is the way of the law for righteousness
to any and everyone who believes him and follows him.
Now, only carry this now is Step a little further.
Let's take this scenario that's that you've got a person who
steals money from a purse when the owner the person wasn't
looking Now, when you look at that person who stole that,
would you say that that person was righteous or unrighteous
because of what he or she had done?
That's a no-brainer, right? That we would all agree that
they were unrighteous because of their action.
Well, you take another person who prays often, who looks to
God's word for guidance on a regular basis and tries their
best to do the will of the Lord and submits their life to the
will of the Lord. I believe we would agree that
that person would be righteous because of their actions.
And from these two examples, we can agree that a person's
condition is a result of their actions.
And let's take a few verse. Let's look at a few verses of
what the scripture says about this principle about a person's
condition, being a result of their actions Circle background.
Now, to what we had already read in first, John three verse seven
little children. Let no one deceive you.
He who practices righteousness is righteous.
Just as he is righteous. John says, when you practice
righteousness when you're active and doing that, the result is
that you will be deemed as righteous before.
God. Look all the way back to Noah.
And Noah what he did in Genesis 6.
The Bible tells us that Noah found Grace in the eyes of the
Lord, Genesis chapter 6. And verse number 8, The lord
gave Noah instructions on what to do in order to survive the
flood into saved himself and his family.
And after you read those instructions by the Lord and you
see Noah's response to those instructions here at the end of
chapter 6 it says here. Thus Noah did according to all
that. God commanded him.
So he did now going to chapter 7 and verse 1.
Then the Lord said to Noah, come into the ark.
You and all your household because I have seen that you are
righteous before me in this generation.
So Noah did what was right. Noah did what God commanded him
to do. And God saw that and as a result
no was seen as being righteous before the Lord.
His condition was a result of his actions, wasn't it?
Now, look here with me and Deuteronomy chapter 6, verses,
24 and 25 and the Lord commanded us to observe, all these things.
All these statutes to fear the lord, Our God, for our good old
ways, but he might preserve Us Alive as it is this day, then it
will be righteousness for us if We are careful to do what?
if we're careful to observe all these Commandments before the
Lord Our God, as he has commanded us, So this passage if
you ask me is very clear. On how we are righteous, the
Lord gives us his will the Lord reveals that in the scriptures
and the Commandments that we read and the people will respect
and fear the lord and observe and obey his commands.
And as a result of our own actions condition of us, will be
righteous before the Lord. So, having an understanding of
the nature of God's righteousness, and how we can be
right before him on a move on? Now, to the next thing that Paul
addresses before, Or Felix and Drusilla, and that is
self-control. Self-control is about managing
your actions. It's about managing your
emotions as well. And Paul is directly talking to
a married couple who did not exercise self-control.
In fact, she left her husband to be with another man.
Felix. And he encouraged it because he
thought he couldn't live without her.
That is not self control. That self-will.
And that's fulfilling your personal desires and your
interests over. What is right?
That's what they were guilty of. Exercising self-control, I stand
before you and admit we all know.
That can be a tough challenge. It really can.
Fact, if you in my opinion, it's the biggest challenge for all of
us, keeping ourselves in check managing ourselves so that we
keep ourselves under control boy.
That's a constant challenge. And that's a tough battle.
And Satan tries very hard to get us to exercise.
Our self will Over self-control. You know, Paul said something
about this Challenge and 1st Corinthians chapter 9 and he
says this, as we begin in verse number 24, Do you not know that
those who run in a race all run? But one receives the prize, he
says, run in such a way that you may obtain it and everyone who
competes for the prize is temperate.
That's a key word in our study, their temperate, in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a perishable Crown but we for an
imperishable Crown therefore I run thus not with uncertainty.
Thus, I fight not as one who beats the air, but I discipline
my body and bring it into subjection lest.
When I have preached to others. I myself should become
disqualified. Paul States.
This fact in verse number 25 that everyone who competes for
the prize, he said his temperate or he says, they they use
self-control in all things. And I love sports.
I keep up with football with baseball and you've got those
pro athletes who that who's whoever is part of the team,
they have one goal in mind and that goal was the win, the
championship at the end, the season, that is their goal.
But they've got to do something in order to obtain the gold,
don't they? So, they have to exercise
self-control. They have two physical exercise,
they got to monitor what they eat.
They got to hone their skills. and what they're trying to do,
they're trying their best to be as good as possible in order to
obtain that prize, in the end, whether that be, whether that be
a trophy, whether that be a ring on their finger, whether it be a
gold medal, whatever it is that they're trying to obtain.
They exercise self-control. Paul said that when it comes to
our own Christian race, we should be striving for a price
too. But this prize is a far better
one than just a ring or a trophy or a gold medal.
It's a crown and it's a crown that will not perish and in
order to obtain it in the end, Paul said we have to be
temperate, we have to use self-control.
But he said you do it in all things.
All things in your life. Exercise self-control.
And we have to, we have to show it in everything we do.
We had to bring it into submission of those temptations
that we have. And again That could be
challenging, we have to sharpen our skills and growing them.
And as Paul also mentioned, as he disciplined his body and
brought it under some submission, we have to do the
same in our lives. We have to manage it in a way
that we do. Not let ourself will.
Take control. And given to our desires.
Now I want to carry this idea to something else, the Paul wrote
and that's found in Ephesians chapter 4.
Now we're going to spend a little bit of time here in
Ephesians chapter 4 where it says this is we begin reading in
verse number 17. This I say therefore and testify
in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the
Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind.
Having their understanding darkened being alienated from
the life. Of God, because of the ignorance
that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, the
blindness of the heart he's talking about or hardening, it's
about hardening or being kind of petrified.
And you cannot burn petrified wood because it's not affected
by the heat of the fire. So when you think about a heart
that is hardened or blinded, it is difficult for that heart to
be affected in a positive way. And I believe we could all agree
upon that. And the reason for that is
because of the lack of self-restraint from that person.
If that person will tend to do whatever they want because they
won't allow other words of advice or perhaps a Allah or
command to affect them in a positive way, they're going to
do what they want. No matter what And when Paul
mentioned, these types of Hearts, he went on to explain
how they got this way, because of what he says about them.
In verse number 19, who being past feeling have given
themselves over to lewdness to work, all uncleanness with
greediness. And so, these people had their
problem with giving themselves over to sinful Behavior, thus
exercising, a lack of self-control.
And this is totally the opposite of learning the ways of Christ.
As we continue here in verse number 20, because he said, but
you have not so learned Christ. If indeed you have heard him and
have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus.
You see to learn Christ It means you imitate Christ.
It's to be like him. It's the look at his
characteristics and say I need to be like that.
That is to learn Christ. and so, when you learn about Christ, and
when you do it with an open and a very humble heart, What you
then do is you allow him to mold your life into something that's
wonderful. It's something that's great.
And the something that the Lord desires and that's the beginning
of self-control. In fact, Paul talks about that
as we continue through this chapter and verse number 22.
Now that you put off concerning your former conduct the old man,
which grow which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on
the new man. Which was created according to
God in true righteousness and holiness.
So, exercising self-control is a two-step process.
From what we see here and this is where you apply it.
Number one, you have to get rid of the old man.
You have to get rid of them. Can I get rid of those old ways?
Those old habits? I mean, stopped following the
desires of what you want. And when you want, where we once
did this, we now show self-control and we try our best
not to do it again or once we might have lost their temper
about little insignificant things.
We're now going to be slow to wrath and be graceful in our
speech in our reaction. We're once we talked in the
certain way we now show self-control and we Bridle our
tongue. We talk in a way that brings
grace to the here. Those are just a couple examples
of showing self-control putting away the old man.
Putting away those bad habits. So that's step number one.
Step number two is to be renewed in the spirit of our mind and so
it requires us to be to renew our attitude about surrender.
Looking for the Lord for guidance.
It also requires us to renew our perspective because what we do
in the here and now really, it's not about me.
And it's not about you either. It's about the lord.
It's about Christ, shining through your life and glorifying
your father, in everything that you do.
That's why we're to be temperate in all things as Paul said.
Looking unto Jesus. And so putting on the new man
remove old habits, replace them with good righteous habits.
This was God's purpose when he created us.
He created us as he says there, he created us for righteousness.
He created us for holiness. Let us let that be our goal in
life. And I know it is our goal.
But sometimes we had to be reminded that I had to be
reminded of that. To exercise self-control to
further show the importance of self-control.
It's listed as one of the fruits of the spirit in Galatians.
Chapter 5, and verse 23. And in First Peter chapter 1
verses 5 through 8, Peter gives us the ingredients that we need
to have in our lives or to keep from falling.
And he mentions this in verses five and six inside computer
one. But also for this very reason,
giving all diligence add to your faith virtue, and to Virtue
knowledge to knowledge, self-control to self-control
perseverance to perseverance godliness.
So, we have this formula that we use in order to help ourselves
out. And to wrap up this section.
Paul says this Romans 6, verses 12 through 14.
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you
should obey it in its lusts and do not present your members as
instruments of unrighteousness is sin.
But quite the opposite, he says present yourselves to God as
being alive. Live from the dead and your
members as instruments of righteousness to God for sin,
shall not have dominion over you.
For you are not under law. But under grace, we're going to
make mistakes, I know. We're going to send the pulse
point is that we should be showing some control to the
point that we don't let that sin overtake us.
That's the point. Don't go back to that sin and if
we do over and over and over, we're going to find that they're
what we're really. We're not quite In control of
whatever that is that we keep falling back to in our lives.
Now we come to the third thing that Paul mentions to Felix and
Drusilla and that's about the Judgment that is to come.
I'm not going to spend as long in this section here.
As I have the other two But here's a fact, here's reality.
We're all going to face the judgement.
We are. And we know this because of
what's written in Hebrews 9 verse 27.
And Paul also States, this Troost, this true fact in verse
4. In our second Corinthians rather
5:10 For. We must all appear before the
Judgment seat of Christ. that each one may receive the things
done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good
or bad, and in addition to that, Romans 2:16 in the day when God
will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my
gospel. So We're going to face the
judgement. And every single one of us will
be there. Every single person of all time
will be there, no one will escape it.
And with that times comes there will we will stand there with
faults We will stand there with shortcomings.
Perhaps, we will stand there with regrets in life.
But what's important is, what you did about those things.
Yes, I'm guilty of the sin. I've committed in my life and
the same applies to you too. But you and I Were Redeemed by
the blood of the Lamb. And we stand before the judgment
is God going to see that is God going to see you as redeemed is
God, going to see you as right based upon what you have done in
the here. And the now if he doesn't see us
as redeemed, if he doesn't see us as as fixing things or
falling back into sin, And the harsh reality of that is that we
will not escape the sentence of Eternal death and Hell.
That's hard. But that's the truth.
That's what the scriptures teach us.
All the more reason for us to be righteous and exercise
self-control in our lives that we can be ready for the coming
judgment. This message.
Scared Felix. It scared him to the point that
he put off what he need to do to prepare for the coming judgment.
He told Paul go away. When it's more convenient, I'll
call you back. We don't know if Felix word
asila ever showed their faith in Jesus and obeyed the gospel.
We do know that Felix ever once a while will call Paul in and
they would talk and I believe that happened for about two
years because Paul was held there for two years because if
he looks Who knows who knows if ever if Felix and Drusilla ever
accepted, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We just don't know the scriptures.
Don't reveal that But he did know what he needs to do. in
order to be right with God, If you are here.
Perhaps you're not ready. Start this New Year being ready.
Because we don't know when it's going to happen, we don't know
when that final judgment is going to come.
God promises. It's going to happen.
We just don't know. All the more reason to be ready
today and you could be, you could be ready in two different
ways, you could be ready, number one, or it cannot be ready in
two different ways. If you don't obey the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, but you can, you can obey the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. The Lord wants you to obey the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, he wants you to be saved.
And he had to believe in Jesus Christ and what he did for you,
how he died upon that cross and bore your sins upon the cross.
He died was buried. But thank the Lord, he was
resurrected on the third day because we can have new life
through him because of his resurrection.
You have to believe that repent of your life that is a change
your direction in life that you're going to do, the will of
the Lord and not your own will. And then confess that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God and then be baptized for the
remission of your sins. And those people did that in
Acts chapter 2, the scriptures tell us that those that the Lord
added those people to his church.
We don't add people to the church.
The Lord adds people to his church through their obedience
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you've never done that, you
are not ready for the coming judgment.
And you need to do that. Perhaps if you if you have them
these things but maybe maybe need to make things right with
the Lord. Maybe if the Lord were to come
today, that you be afraid that you just might not be ready.
Well, the Lord is gracious. The Lord is merciful and the
Lord forgives and whatever it is in your life that might not be
right. You could take advantage of that
at this moment, as the Lord offers its invitation to you to
make things, right? So that you will be ready for
the Judgment. That is to come.
We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the
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