Acts 24

Now, what's your busiest day of the week?

You probably think that mine is Sunday.

It's the only day minister to work, isn't it?

But it's not actually.

The busiest day of my week

is the same day as the busiest day of your week.

And it's tomorrow.

Because tomorrow is always going to be the day, isn't it?

When you get all those things done

that you never got round to doing today.

And of course we know, don't we,

that tomorrow never comes.

I'll get down to it one of these days, we say.

But one of these days becomes none of these days.

And it actually never happens.

And that is what Felix did with the gospel.

Can you just look at verse 25?

25 are the little numbers on page 934.

And the apostle Paul, as he reasoned

about righteousness and self-control

and the coming judgment,

Felix was alarmed and said,

go away to the present.

To the present.

When I get an opportunity, I will summon you.

That's what Felix said.

The fancy word for it is procrastination.

I like that word.

I like the sound of it, don't you?

To procrastinate.

To put off to tomorrow

what ought to be done today.

You're a terrible procrastinator

you can say to someone tomorrow.

And that's what lots of people do

when it comes to the Lord Jesus.

It's not that they reject it outright.

They're not against him, they'd say.

It's just they've never got around

to do anything about it.

They just keep putting it off.

Of course, not everybody's got the same advantage

as Felix did.

Felix had the apostle Paul,

who's probably the greatest preacher

that Christianity has ever had.

And he had the apostle Paul

as his private chaplain for two whole years.

He had the gospel explained to him

by the best gospel preacher

who's ever lived.

And if he didn't understand it,

well all he had to do

was press the replay button, didn't he?

Which he did frequently.

Look at verse 26.

At the same time,

well it says at the end of the verse,

isn't it,

so he sent for him often

and conversed with him.

He says tomorrow.

Many are.

Tomorrow.

Well I've got a more convenient time

but there is never

a more convenient time

than right now.

And so tonight,

I want to challenge you.

I want to challenge you,

whatever your relationship is

to the gospel of the Lord Jesus,

to right now give full attention

to what is happening.

Because you are under the sound

of the word.

And God is speaking to us

through his word.

Somebody has said

that the past is history,

the future is mystery,

the present is a gift.

And that is why we call it the present,

which is a bit corny, isn't it?

I quite like it to have got past it.

So let's make the most.

Let's make the most of this present moment.

It is God's gift to us.

And if you're not sure

where you stand in relationship

to the Lord Jesus,

seize the moment.

Carpe diem, is that right?

Seize the day.

Make this the night

when you sort it out.

So all I want to do

is I want to consider

three things about Felix,

all beginning with M.

The man he was,

the mistake he made,

the message he missed.

The man he was.

Let me introduce you

to this man Felix.

He named himself.

He chose his own name

according to Acts

from Biblical Literature.

He was a slave

who gained his freedom.

And he took a new name,

Felix,

which means in Latin,

happy.

But I don't think

he's a very happy man at all

when you read about him.

It's often the case,

isn't it,

that those who appear

most happy on the outside

are often inwardly sad.

Some of the greatest comics

that there have ever been

are often the saddest of people.

It's a strange phenomenon,

isn't it?

So who is this man?

What kind of man was Felix?

Felix,

secular history,

knows him as Felix,

the procurator,

the governor,

the governor of Samaria

and probably Judea.

He was Pilate's successor.

The procurator of Palestine,

the man in charge,

as far as the Romans

were concerned.

So he knew all about Jesus.

From a job like that,

you couldn't possibly know

about Jesus.

Look at verse 22,

it says,

isn't it,

but Felix having a rather

accurate knowledge

of the way.

Do you notice that?

That's the description

of Christians in those days.

They were known as the way.

He'd been properly breathed

when he took over

as the governor of Palestine.

There was no way

that he could not have known

about the way

because by this time

in mystery,

there's probably

tens,

twenty,

thirty thousand people

who would become Christians.

That's what they think

by Acts chapter 6.

Acts 6 · chapter mention

So he would have known

about Christians.

He would have access

to the official records

of the crucifixion

and the empty tomb.

And Paul says

to his immediate successor,

Festus,

in chapter 26,

these things were not

done in a corner.

It's all on the public record.

It's all in the newspapers.

It's all in the public domain.

And as procurator of Palestine,

Felix was responsible

for public order.

But he didn't do

a very good job

at the verses 1-3

of Paul's trial

before Felix

in chapter 24.

The Jews arrived,

don't they,

in record time

with their lawyer,

Tertullus.

And he sounds like a lawyer,

doesn't he?

Look at verse 1.

After five days,

the high priest

and the house

came down with some elders

and it spoke from one

Tertullus.

They laid before the governor

that case against Paul.

And they say this.

When he'd been summoned,

Tertullus began to accuse him,

saying,

since though,

through you,

we enjoy much peace

and since by your foresight

and most excellent Felix,

reforms are being made

for this nation

in every way

and everywhere.

We accept this

with all gratitude.

But to detain you

no further,

I beg you in your kindness

to hear us briefly.

Now that is what is called

flannel,

isn't it?

Isn't that what it's called?

It's lawyer's talk.

There's a lawyer,

and obviously it's the front

and the back side.

But that's what you paid him for,

isn't it?

It's the blatant rewriting

of history.

It's enough to make any Jew

choke on his cornflakes

because the reality

was very different.

Josephus,

the Jewish historian,

tells us that Felix

was the worst ruler

that Judea ever had.

Tacitus,

the Roman historian,

writes to him

as a master of cruelty

and lust

to exercise the powers

of a king

with the mind of a slave.

In other words,

there was nothing noble

about him.

There was nothing

about this man,

Felix,

that commanded respect

or loyalty.

He was mean,

he was corrupt,

he was cruel.

So mean and so corrupt

that eventually

his superiors,

very soon after,

summoned Felix to Rome.

And Felix kept his life

but lost his job.

Nero sacked him.

Fancy being sacked

by Emperor Nero

for being cruel.

He was summoned

by Nero

for his crimes

against humanity

when the guy

was, well,

that is the kind

of man he was.

There's a saying,

isn't there,

power corrupts

and absolute power

corrupts absolutely

and Felix demonstrates

that here.

You see in the way

he deals with Paul

in verse 19.

They ought to be here

before you

to make an accusation.

Should they have

anything against me?

But there are no witnesses

in this court case.

So the case

should have been

thrown out

straight away.

Roman law

took it very seriously.

If your original

accusers didn't

turn up in court,

if the original

accusers were absent,

it should be thrown out

and that was the case

here.

The Jews

turned up with their

lawyer,

who's obviously

a very good lawyer

judging by those

opening remarks,

to try and get the

judge on his side,

but there's no case

to answer.

There are no witnesses

and the original

accusers are not

in court.

And so Felix

should have thrown

the case out of court

and set Paul free.

And not only that,

Paul has been handed

over to the Romans

on trumped up charges.

He's an innocent man.

There's three S's,

lots of alliteration

tonight.

Sedition,

sectarianism,

sacrilege.

Three words

we hardly use.

Sedition,

sectarianism,

sacrilege.

Don't worry if you

don't understand them.

Basically,

they say Paul's

a troublemaker.

He's a rim leader.

He's a desecrator

of temples.

These are the sort

of charges that were

brought against Paul.

Now I'm not going

to go into it.

You can read

Luke's transcript

of the court case

if you want

in these chapters.

And Felix knows

that.

But instead of

acquitting Paul,

he adjourns the

case indefinitely.

So look at verse 22

he puts Paul on

remand.

It's just on page

934.

Felix having a rather

accurate knowledge

of the way he put

them on.

Saying when Lysias,

the tribune,

comes down,

I will decide your

case.

But as far as we know,

Lysias never arrives.

And as far as we know,

Felix never sends him.

And so for two whole

years,

two whole years,

an innocent man is

kept under arrest

without trial.

So that is Felix,

the man in charge

of law and order,

the procurator.

Now let's move on

to Felix,

the procrastinator.

Felix,

the procrastinator,

his mistake.

We've seen the man,

let's see the mistake.

And again,

it's a mistake many

people make.

Let me quote to you

Pink Floyd,

the song Time.

Ticking away,

the moments that make

up a dull day.

Fritter and waste the

hours in an offhand

way.

Kicking around on a

piece of ground in

your hometown,

waiting for someone

or something to show

you the way.

Tired of lying in the

sunshine,

staying home to watch

the rain.

You are young and life

is long and there is

time to kill today.

And then one day

you'll find ten years

have got behind you.

No one told you

when to run,

you missed the

starting gun.

So you run and you

run to catch up with

the sun but it's

sinking.

Racing around to come

up behind you again.

The sun is the same

in a relative way

but you're older,

shorter of breath

and one day closer

to death.

Every year is getting

shorter,

never seem to find

the time.

Plans that either

come to naught or

half a page of

scribbled lines.

Hanging on in quiet

desperation is the

English way.

The time is gone,

the song is over.

Thought I had

something more to say.

Now that's the

mistake Felix made.

Waiting for someone

to show you the way.

And somebody did

come and show

Felix the way.

In verse 14,

Paul manages to get

his testimony in

in the midst of the

trial and it's

interesting.

He says in verse 14,

if you can see it on

page 933,

but this I confess to

you, that according

to the way which

they call a sect.

See what he's saying?

He's saying,

they call us a sect

but I follow the

God of the Jews.

As a Christian,

I haven't exchanged

one God for another

Felix.

I believe the same

God that they

believe and I follow

the God of the Jews

as a follower of the

way as a Christian.

The way is an

interesting term because

it comes up again and

again in this chapter.

I've thought about it

this week.

What a weird thing to

call people, the way.

But what's the question

that comes up in your

mind, that springs to

your mind when you

think of the way?

It's this, where are

you going?

Which way are you

going?

It's a title, isn't it,

that begs a question,

the way.

And Jesus, of course,

in John's Gospel, if

you know anything about

the Bible, he said,

I am the way, the

truth and the life.

There's no way to the

Father except through me.

Jesus is the way.

Chinese have got a

proverb, haven't they?

The journey of a

thousand miles begins

with one step.

And so if you want to

come to know God, if

you want to come to

know the God of the

Jews, if you want to

come to know the God

of the Bible, if you

want to come to know

God as your Father,

then Jesus is the way

and that's the first

step you must take.

And Felix was well

acquainted with that,

wasn't he?

That's fine too.

Lots of people reject

Christianity without

knowing anything about

it, but Felix knew

a lot about it.

He was well

acquainted.

He knew a lot

about it.

With the way he'd

researched it.

He'd be briefed on

it.

He'd have Paul

explained to him the

way of salvation.

He knew the

gospel.

In other words, he

endured the starting

gun, but he didn't

run.

He knew the way, but

he didn't start on

it.

And instead he

stalled, he

prevaricated, he

procrastinated.

Look at verses

24 and 25.

This is out of

court now, isn't it?

Verse 24, he's out

of court.

He's back.

And Felix has

put him on

remand.

After some days,

Felix came with

his wife, Drusilla,

who was Jewish, and

he sang for Paul and

she'd have to speak

about faith in

Christ Jesus.

He's been shown the

way of salvation.

Faith in Christ

Jesus is the way.

He was being urged to

run for his life, and

again and again it

was explained to him

this way of salvation,

but he never set out.

Look at verse 25.

And as he reasoned

about righteousness

and self-control and

the coming judgment,

Felix was alarmed and

said, go away for the

present.

When I get an

opportunity, I'll

summon you.

Now that word is

very, very strong.

Very, very strong in

verse 25.

Do you see that

Felix was alarmed?

He was afraid.

He was trembling in

his boots.

He was quaking.

He heard Paul preach

about faith in Jesus

and he trembled.

Felix trembled, but he

didn't turn from his

sin.

He trembled, but he

didn't trust in Jesus

as the way to go on

his Savior.

He was convicted, but

not converted.

He knows the way, but

he never sets out on

it.

Instead, he

procrastinates.

He prevaricates.

Do you see what he

says?

That's enough for now.

Don't call me.

I'll call you Paul.

When it's convenient,

I'll send for you

again.

So instead of

listening to the

voice of his

conscience, which was

screaming at him,

he stifles it.

And again and

again for two

whole years until

it's silenced

altogether.

Why would

anyone do that?

For two whole

years, he hears

this message until

it's silenced in

his conscience.

Now why would

anyone do that?

And there are

three reasons hinted

at in the passage,

and they are

interesting because

we'll all be

familiar with him.

Because the three

things that are

stopping Felix from

going on the way,

from exercising faith

in Jesus Christ,

are the things that

will damn him and

stifle his conscience.

And the three

things that Paul

warns about are

actually the same

three things Paul

warns leaders about

in 1 Timothy

1 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3.

Three temptations

for leaders in

God's church,

yeah, but three

temptations also for

leaders in society.

What are they?

Money, sex and

power.

So let me show

you that.

2 Timothy

is 25 and 26,

and we get the

reason he was

stalling.

As he reasoned

about righteousness

and self-control

and becoming

judgment,

Felix was alarmed

and said,

go away for the

present.

When I get an

activity, I will

summon you.

At the same

time, he hoped

that money would

be given him

by Paul.

So he sent

him off to

and conversed

with him.

Now again,

if you were

listening when

Rachel read,

you'll notice

that Paul let

something slip

in verse 17.

Do you see that?

Just a look at

the page.

Now after several

years, I came to

bring arms to

my nation and

to present

offerings.

Now if this

was a Disney

cartoon, you

would hear the

cash register

tingle at that

and Felix's

eyes would roll

around and

there would be

dollar signs

wouldn't there

on Felix's

eyes.

How many have

stifled their

consciences and

ruined their

souls for the

love of money?

And what can

money buy?

It's not

convenient right

now to be a

Christian.

I know if I

become a

Christian, it's

going to cramp

my style.

There would

be decisions

that I've

got to make

that I just

don't want

to make.

How many

have stifled

their conscience

for the love

of money?

And the

apostle says

it's the love

of money.

Money is a

neutral thing.

It's a

neutral thing,

but we just

can't help

loving the

stuff, can

we?

It's the

love of money

that is the

root of all

evil and you

don't have to

have money

to love it.

Think of all

the people who

are in hell

tonight because

of the love

of money.

Think of

Judas.

Judas Iscariot.

He betrayed

the Lord Jesus

for 30 pieces

of silver.

It's hardly

anything.

What motivated

him to betray

Jesus?

Well the Bible

says very

clearly that

Judas was a

greedy man.

He was the

treasurer of the

twelve and he

liked to put his

hand in the

till and he

used to spend

what was put in

the treasurer's

account for

himself.

And 30 pieces

of silver is not

very much to

damn yourself with

for eternity.

It's not a lot

of money you've

got to hell

with.

But Judas

did.

30 pieces of

silver and he

sold his

soul.

The New Testament

talks about a

man called

Demas.

Demas was one

of Paul's

colleagues.

He was a

church worker.

He travelled

with Paul.

Can you imagine

how exciting

that was?

And in 2

Timothy Paul

says Demas

has forsaken

me having

loved this

present age.

Loved the

world.

And Demas

has forsaken.

He's gone

back into it.

He's gone

back into

making money.

He's been

blinded by

Satan into

thinking this

world is the

only world that

matters.

And the only

thing that

matters in this

world is to be

comfortable and

well off.

And so he's

forsaken me.

He's abandoned

the gospel.

Think of the

rich young ruler

in Luke chapter

Luke 18 · chapter mention

18.

You cannot

help but love

the man in

Luke 18.

He's earnest.

He comes running

to Jesus.

It's not a

philosophy class

at Oxford

University.

It's not a

cool, detached,

theoretical discussion.

He's a man who's

concerned about

his soul.

And he

falls at

Jesus' feet.

And he says,

what must I do

to inherit a

eternal life?

How can I get

to know God?

How can I get

into heaven?

And Jesus

says, well,

what you have

give to the

poor.

That's not the

11th commandment.

Jesus is simply

dealing with this

man's need.

It's not that

he's rich that's

the problem.

It's not that

he's got money

that's the problem,

but that money

has got him.

And Jesus

says, you're

going to have

to deal with

that.

With that

idolatry in

life, you

can't be

saved otherwise.

And we're

told that the

man goes away

sad and

Jesus lets

him go.

Reason number

one, and it

may be that

this is one of

the reasons in

your life why

you're not

taking Jesus

seriously in

your life.

It's the love

of money.

Reason number

two is right

by his side

and her name

is Drusilla.

It says in

verse 24 that

she was his

wife, but in

fact, she was

somebody else's

wife.

Felix had

had three

wives.

Two of

them were

called

Drusilla,

which I

would have

thought would

be very

confusing.

But apparently

he'd taken

this woman.

She belonged

to someone

else.

He fancied

her, so

he took

her.

And it's

a sort of

smash and

grab mentality,

isn't it,

that sadly we

know only too

well.

You know, it

destroys

relationships.

And it

destroys families

and children.

Never mind

what self-control

and judgment

is.

Just go

for it.

Don't

worry.

Don't let

a preacher

spoil your

fun.

Don't let

a Christian

upbringing,

cramp your

style.

Fly away

Peter, fly

away Paul,

come again

another day.

It's not

convenient right

now.

And of

course, it's

not.

It's never

convenient, is

it?

If you're

involved in

that kind

of lifestyle,

it never

will be.

Felix was

not prepared

to change

his lifestyle.

There were

things I

just don't

want to

let go,

he would

say.

It's what

the Bible

calls the

pleasure of

sin.

And we've

got to be

honest,

and we are

going to be

honest as a

Christian preacher

and say there

is pleasure

in sin.

Living to

please

yourself.

Living

independently of

God, there

is pleasure in

that, but the

Bible says it

is for a

season.

And the

devil says to

you tonight,

he says go

for it, eat,

drink and be

merry.

For tomorrow

you die.

Live for now,

eat, drink and

watch telly.

Live for the

moment, you

deserve it.

That's what

every advert

says.

You deserve

it, you're

worth it.

Spoil yourself,

there's pleasure

in sin, but

there's only

for a season.

Do you

know what the

psalmist says?

The Bible

says there is

pleasure at

God's right

hand forever

more.

And what

is at God's

right hand?

Jesus is at

God's right

hand.

But Felix

prefers

through

the letter

Jesus.

Reason number

three is in

verse 27,

and it's the

most damning

of all.

He keeps

chanting for

Paul for

putting him

off.

Do you

see that

verse 27?

So the

tribune came

and said to

him, tell

me, are

you a

Roman

citizen?

And he

said, yes.

The tribune

said, I

bought the

citizenship for

a large sum.

Sorry, I'm

in the wrong

chapter.

I thought that

wasn't there.

Verse 27.

Good grief,

what's

happened?

Right.

Verse 27.

When two

years had

elapsed, Felix

was succeeded

by Porcius

Festus.

That is

probably the

best name

in the

whole of

the Bible

system.

Can you

imagine what

he was

called in

the school

playground?

Porcius

Festus.

When two

years had

elapsed, Felix

was succeeded

by Porcius

Festus, and

desiring to

give him a

favor to

the Jews,

Felix left

him in

prison.

Because he

wanted to

grant a

favor to

the Jews,

he left

him in

prison.

He showed

the case.

Why?

Because of

his career.

He wanted

to protect

himself.

And he

wanted to

desperately

cling to

power.

And he

must have

known which

way the

wind was

blowing.

You cannot

read

second history

and not

think it

was not

going to be

very long

that after

this there

was going

to be a

massive

civil war and

the Romans

have got to

clamp down and

Felix is

largely responsible

for civil

unrest in

Palestine.

He must

have known

which way the

wind was

blowing.

And he's

desperate to

cling on to

his job,

desperate to

find favor

with the

Jews so

he wouldn't

get in

trouble with

the superiors.

Isn't that

ironic?

Here he is,

he's willing to

shrug off the

claims of

almighty God

but he's

desperately

bowing and

scraping the

man.

He's a

man pleaser

and not a

God fearer.

And is that

you?

Is that me?

For as long

as you care

more for what

people think

than what God

says,

you're never

going to

move from

where you

are.

For as long

as you care

more for what

people think

than what God

thinks you're

lost.

It's not

convenient now

Paul.

It doesn't

quite fit in

with my

lifestyle,

with my

career,

my promotion

plan.

He's not the

first and he

won't be the

last.

And you

can't help

thinking

those who

know the

story of

Pharaoh.

The man

who faced

Moses and

he wouldn't

let God's

people go.

And ten

times God

sends these

plays and

comes into

Pharaoh's

life in a

really dramatic

way and it

says Pharaoh

hardened his

heart and

he hardened

his heart and

he hardened

his heart and

he stifled his

conscience and

he stifled his

conscience and

he stifled his

conscience and

until in the

end God

hardened his

heart and

gave him

over.

Think of

Pontius

Pilate,

Felix's

predecessor.

Do you

remember what

he did?

In front of

the crowd he

got a bowl and

he washed

his hands

because he

thought he

could wash

his hands

of the

whole affair

of Jesus.

He thought

he could wash

his hands

of Jesus

and every

Sunday there

are people

who confess

what you

have confessed

he suffered

under

Pontius

Pilate.

Reminding

themselves that

Jesus Christ

suffered under

Pontius

Pilate.

You cannot

wash your

hands of

Jesus.

Listen to

Charles Darwin.

Charles Darwin

wrote to a

friend called

J.D.

Hooker in

1868.

And Hooker

had been to

see and

been to

listen to

Hamlet's

Messiah and

Darwin wrote

this.

He said

I'm glad

you are

at the

Messiah.

I should

like to

hear it

again but

I dare

say I

should find

my soul

too dried

up to

appreciate it

as in

olden

days.

For it

is a

horrid

bore that

I am a

withered

leaf for

everything

except

science.

Charles

Darwin

looking back

at earlier

days when

his heart

was softer

and his

conscience

was active

realising

that those

days are

probably

gone.

I've

hardened

my

heart.

It's

such a

horrid

bore that

I am a

withered

leaf for

everything

except

science.

He's

sold his

soul for

science.

We've

looked at

the man

and I

hope we've

learnt

something about

the mistake

that he

made.

He

postpones.

He puts

off to

tomorrow

what he

ought to

have done

that day

and he

fails to

understand

this that

to not

decide is

in fact

to decide.

Have you

got that?

to not

decide about

the Lord

Jesus is

in fact

to decide

when it

comes to

the gospel.

Hardening

his heart,

resisting

his conscience,

putting off

to tomorrow

what needs

to be done

today.

And that

is such a

dangerous game

to play.

and if

your

plan

it's a

pretty

hellish

place

this

earth

and so

it is

sometimes

isn't it?

It's

easy for

me

who's

lived a

pretty

charmed

life

in a

decent

country

not to

appreciate

that for

some

people

life is

a real

hell.

!

But even

in the

most

hellish

spots on

earth,

even

tonight,

in the

most

hellish

spots on

earth,

there is

always

some

extenuating

circumstances,

isn't there?

There's always

someone trying to

improve something.

There's always a

red cross,

isn't there?

Or

medicine

sans

frontier,

there's an

emergency,

a relief

organisation that

will come and

try and make

the situation

matter.

But imagine

living in a

world where

there's none

of that.

Where you're

cut off forever

from every

source of

good.

There's no

goodness

anymore.

There are no

friendships

anymore.

And friendship

is a good

thing that

comes from

God.

There are no

friends in

hell.

Let's learn

from the

mistake

Felix made.

Let me

share with you

finally the

message that he

missed in

verses 24 and

25.

Paul here

gives us three

reasons why

Felix should

have believed

in Jesus.

Every time

Felix sent

for him it

was the same

message.

Imagine that

for two years

the same

sermon every

second year.

And it's

about faith

in Jesus

Christ.

And you

have it

there in

verse 25.

I feel like

it's the

fleshing out

of that.

There are

the reasons

that Paul

marshalled

to persuade

Felix to

go down the

way of

believing

in Jesus

Christ.

He

reasoned

with him

about

righteousness

and about

self-control

and coming

judgment.

Now I

don't know

if that

echoes

in you.

If you're

a Christian

you know

your Bible

at all.

That's what

we're told

is the

ministry of

the Holy

Spirit.

That's what

the Holy

Spirit does.

So in

John's

Gospel when

the Holy

Spirit comes

he will

convict of

righteousness

self-control

and judgment

to come.

That's the

Holy Spirit's

ministry.

And so Paul

is preaching

to this man

and the power

of the Holy

Spirit and

he's reasoning

with him.

And he's

pleading with

him about

rightness.

And self-control

and judgment

to come.

Now how

brave is that

of Paul?

How much

Felix needed to

hear that

message and

Drusilla for

that matter?

And they

needed to be

told right

from wrong

didn't they?

And they

needed to be

reminded that

it is God's

world and that

it is God

who determines

what is right

and what is

wrong.

That's not

your choice

Felix.

It's not my

choice and not

yours and it's

certainly your

public opinions.

And the way

you are living

Felix and

Drusilla is

not right in

God's sight.

Actually it is

wrong.

And they

need to be

challenged on

self-control.

And you may

be the great

governor of

Palestine,

Felix, but

actually you

can't govern

yourself.

And you

might even be

able to

acknowledge what

you're doing

is wrong, but

you can't

stop it,

Felix, can

you?

And you

might be

able to see

what is

right, but

you can't

do the right

thing because

you're not in

control of

yourself.

Neither are you

or I.

And that

is the

desperate

thing about

the human

condition,

isn't it?

It's not

just that we

make mistakes,

like making

mistakes in

an exam,

we fail the

exam so we

take the

research six

months later.

We are

controlled.

We can't

control ourselves.

We are

controlled by

sin.

And sin is

a power in

our lives that

destroys us.

And this proud

couple need to

be told that and

they need to be

reminded of it.

And they need to

be told the

judgment to come.

Now you've got to

give credit to

Paul.

You might hate

Christianity,

you might hate

the apostle Paul,

but Paul told

his judge,

you will be

judged.

Isn't that

something?

I had an

Oscar

story of

saying that

this week.

He told this

proud,

arrogant man

who would

be playing

God with

other people's

lives that

one day,

very soon,

you will have

to face

God himself.

And the

truth is,

tonight,

as much as

you may not

like it,

so will

you and

I.

And there's

no escape

from that.

death,

there is

no escape.

It's no

good as many

people say,

or think,

well,

when I'm

dead,

I'm dead.

No,

you're not.

Look at

verse 15.

If you look at

verse 15,

Paul says

there's going

to be a

resurrection,

there's going

to be a

resurrection of

the righteous,

the just,

and the unjust.

That's what

Christians and

Jews are

in common.

You say,

we both

believe the

same thing,

there'll be a

resurrection of

the righteous and

the wicked,

and that is

why faith in

Jesus Christ

is so important

tonight.

Because there

is no other

way that you

can be right

with God.

Jesus is the

only way that

you can be

right with

God.

And that is

the message

that this

man missed.

Jesus comes