Living Waters of Grace 12.10.25

This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark

Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland,

County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he

continues teaching through God's Word.

The Bible says that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin

and of righteousness and of judgment because they don't

believe in Jesus. So whenever you get the people

and you begin to tell them about the gospel and they start

getting uncomfortable and all that, that's the evidence of the

work of the Holy Spirit. That's what he does.

But the only way the Spirit can really convict people of the

things that they need to be convicted of is to hear the

truth, and the truth only comes by the Word of God.

The Holy Spirit is the only one who can turn people to Jesus,

but he needs believers to share the gospel and be bold for their

faith because there's still so many who don't know the truth

they think they know. But if they fully embrace the

saving work of Jesus Christ, there should be an evident

shift. In today's message, Pastor Clark

encourages you to continue sharing the truth.

It will always make people uncomfortable because they will

begin to see that what they were living for was empty.

Now here's Pastor Clark in Acts chapter 24 with today's edition

Acts 24 · chapter mention

of Living Waters of Grace. He was in a really plush palace

in this area of the empire. He was given freedom to eat and

to hang out. It was nice atmosphere.

He was allowed to have friends come in and hang out with him

and visit him. So this really wasn't

imprisonment. And if this leader, Felix,

thought that Paul was really guilty, he wouldn't have given

him all these liberties. So what happens here Now in

verse 24, after some days, Felix comes down with his wife

Drusilla, who was a Jewish. She was sent for Paul and heard

him concerning the faith in Christ.

So she already knows what's going on and what's being

communicated to all the people in the land at the time

regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ.

She's certainly not a believer. She's a very young woman,

supposedly around 20 years old, very attractive.

This couple together is not a really good team together,

godless, but anyway, they're there and they're going to have

this conversation. Now is he reasoned about

righteousness? This see Paul right away the

opportunity. Drusilla is here with Felix

again, neither among believers. What are you going to do?

You're just going to say, hey, let me go free because I'm

innocent? No, right away.

He starts the gospel again. He tells them about the need to

be righteous. They're not righteous, They're

unrighteous. They're godless.

They're sinful Pagan people. So he's communicating what

righteousness is versus what unrighteousness is.

Then he talks about self-control.

They have no self-control. They're just doing what makes

them feel good and what makes them happy, which human race has

a tendency to do. No issues of self-control.

And then not only that, but the judgment that's eventually to

come. So it says Felix was afraid, so

he's under conviction. He's bothered by what it is that

Paul's telling him. Just like you and I should be or

anybody should be. The Bible says that the Holy

Spirit convicts the world of sin and of righteousness and of

judgment because they don't believe in Jesus.

So whenever you get to people and you begin to tell them about

the gospel and they start getting uncomfortable and all

that, that's the evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit.

That's what he does. But the only way the Spirit can

really convict people of the things that they need to be

convicted of is to hear the truth.

And the truth only comes by the Word of God.

You can have conversations about religion and spiritual stuff all

day long, but if you don't give them the pure teaching of the

gospel that Christ died for our sins according to the

scriptures, that he was buried in the third day he rose again

from the dead. You haven't given him anything

to think about or anything to be convicted by.

Honey, the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us from our sins.

So Felix is afraid and he says go away for now.

When I've convenient time, I will call for you.

In other words, like he's bothered.

The day's a day of salvation, right?

Like if you're an unbeliever and you're like, hey, I, I'm nailed

here, man. I got to make a decision.

I have to believe this. And if I don't, I'm in trouble.

I mean, when you start thinking that way, that's good news

because this is the day that you want to be saved, the day that

you get it and you're convicted of it and you know you need a

savior. You don't want to put it off.

Paul says today is a day of salvation.

Behold, now is the accepted time.

Behold, now is a day of salvation.

And in Acts 1730, it says God commands all men everywhere to

repent. So this not here in Macedonia or

Jerusalem or the Roman Empire. Greensburg, Latrobe, Irwin,

Pittsburgh, Ligonier, you know, California, Texas, South

Carolina, Pakistan, Africa, Nigeria, Russia, Ukraine.

Everybody needs to hear this, right?

And we're the ones that are supposed to tell them.

And if we're afraid because, well, what if they fire me from

my job? Or what if they put me in jail?

Or what if they make fun of me, or what if they don't like me

anymore? Or what if they don't invite me

to their house anymore? All these thoughts that get in

our head, you know, 'cause us to be afraid of sharing the truth,

right? But this is supposed to be told

to everyone, everywhere, for all times and all places.

This is not here and Acts, but right now we're hearing this

stuff. So meanwhile, he also hoped that

money would be given to him by Paul.

So he's thinking, hey, maybe Paul, give me some money and

then I'll let him go. Bribes are illegal.

This guy has got problems, right?

That he might release him. Therefore he sent for him more

often and converse with him. So he keeps having him come

back, but not so much to hear the gospel.

He's hoping eventually he'll give me some cash, right?

He wasn't looking for money. So Procus Festus succeeded

Felix. Felix is done with the deal

here. They got a new guy now that's

going to come on the scene, and he wants the Jews, Jews a favor,

and he leaves Paul bound. So chapter 25.

Now when Festus had come to the province, after three days, he

went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.

Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed

him against Paul, and they petitioned him, asking a favor

against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem while

they lay an ambush among the road to kill him.

So this is a setup again. They're trying to tell this

governor, hey, you know, send Paul back to Jerusalem, we'll

try him there, and that's the best place for him to be.

Well, fortunately, this governor didn't listen because they're

going to plan to assassinate Paul and that's not going to

happen. This isn't the time.

So Festus answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea in

verse 4, and that he himself was going there shortly.

Therefore, he said, let those who have authority among you go

down with me and accuse this man to see if there's any fault in

there him. They keep trying to find fault

with this guy. It's impossible.

He's done nothing wrong. It's just a real setup.

You know, it just continues. It's a joke.

And so he remains there with them more than 10 days, goes

down to Caesarea the next day, sitting on the judgment seat.

His guy's all in this pomp and circumstance.

Now is a big authority. He commands Paul to be brought.

When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem

stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul.

This is going on all over again, which they could not prove,

while he answered for himself. Neither against the law of the

Jews, nor against the Temple, nor against Caesar have I

offended in anything at all. But Festus, wanting to do the

Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, Are you willing to go up

to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these

things? Paul said in verse 10, I stand

at Caesar's judgement seat where I ought to be judged as a Roman

citizen. He doesn't need to go back to

Jerusalem. And if he did, he knew what

would happen to the Jews. I have done no wrong, as you

very well know. For if I'm an offender or if

committed anything deserving of death, I don't object to dying.

But if there is nothing in these things of which these men accuse

me, no one can deliver me to them.

I appeal to Caesar. So this is Paul's right.

He knows the law is a Roman citizen and he's going to

eventually get to Rome. It was prophesized that the Lord

would give Paul to Rome. Then Festus, when he had

conferred with the council, answered, you have appealed to

Caesar to Caesar you shall go. So after some days in verse 13,

King or Grappa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festus.

When they had been there many days.

Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying there's a

certain man left a prisoner by Felix, about whom the chief

priests and elders of the Jews informed me when I was in

Jerusalem asking for a judgment against him.

To them I am answered, It's not the custom of the Romans that

deliver any man to destruction before the accused meets the

accusers face to face, and his opportunity to answer for

himself concerning the charge against him.

Therefore, when they had come together without any delay, the

next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be

brought in. When the accuser stood up, they

brought no accusation against him of such things as I'd

suppose, but had some questions against him about their own

religion and about a certain Jesus who had died, whom Paul

affirmed to be alive. This is sort of funny because

these people think like, when I heard about this, this sort of

like, doesn't seem to be true. But there's this guy supposedly

by the name of Jesus that died and was killed, and he's alive

again. Obviously, this doesn't connect

with a lot of people back then, and it certainly doesn't connect

with a lot of people today. So Paul firms this guy to be

alive. And because I was uncertain of

such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to

Jerusalem and be judged according to these matters.

But when Paul appeared to be reserved for the decision of

Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to

Caesar. Then Agrippa, said the Festus, I

also would like to hear this man myself tomorrow.

He said you shall hear him so. The next day Agrippa and Bernice

come in this great pomp. Enter the auditorium with the

commanders and the prominent men of the city of Festus.

They command Paul to be brought in Festus, said King Agrippa,

and all the men who are here present with us.

You see this man about whom the whole assembly petitioned me,

both at Jerusalem here and crying out that he was not fit

to live any longer. But when I found out that he had

committed nothing deserving of death, isn't that interesting

that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him.

I have nothing certain to write to my Lord concerning him.

Therefore I brought him out before you, and especially

before you, King Agrippa, so that after the examination has

taken place I may have something to write for.

It seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to

specify the charges against him. Talk about a waste of time, a

waste of talent and resources. And trials that go on and on and

on. And they, they never come to any

kind of resolution, you know, even when there's evidence that

there's nothing illegal going on here.

So we'll finish in this section here and I'll read this quickly.

It's tough when you're teaching these kind of chapters because

you got to read the history in order to understand what's going

on in any way you're going to understand is if I read it

right, I can't give you the Cliff Notes version of this.

I mean, just got to. But that's why we're a church

that goes through the Bible and we literally go through the

Bible, don't we? The stuff that's really

interesting and sometimes the stuff that puts you to sleep,

like in Leviticus, but we go through it all because it's all

God's Word, right? So chapter 26.

Then Agrippa said to Paul, you are permitted to speak for

yourself. So Paul stretched out his hand

and answered for himself. I think myself happy, King

Agrippa, because today I shall answer for myself before you

concerning all the things at which I am accused of by the

Jews, especially because you are expert on all customs and

questions which have to do with the Jews.

Therefore I beg you to hear me patiently.

My manner of life. I love the testimony here.

He doesn't hide anything. My manner of life for my youth,

which was spent from the beginning among my own nation at

Jerusalem, all the Jews know. They knew me from the first, as

if they were willing to testify that according to the strictest

sect of our religion, I lived a Pharisee.

So Paul was a Pharisee, hated Christians, hated anything other

than strict Judaism. And now I stand and I'm judged

for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers.

I'm being judged for something that the whole Testament taught.

To this promise, our 12 tribes, earnestly serving God night and

day hope to attain. For this hope's sake, King

Agrippa, I am accused by the Jews.

Why should it be thought incredible by you that God

raises the dead? Why should it be a problem?

Why can't you see this? Indeed, I myself thought I must

do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

So the very things he's going to say that he did at one time,

they're doing to him. This I also did in Jerusalem.

And many of the Saints I shut up in prison, having received

authority from the chief priest. And when they were put to death,

I cast my vote against them. And I punish them often in every

synagogue and compelled them to blasphemy.

I mean, he forced them to deny their faith.

And being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them

even to foreign cities while thus occupied, as I journeyed to

Damascus. And then Paul's doing all this

persecution stuff. And we read about this earlier

in the book of the Acts. He's heading to Damascus with

authority and Commission from the chief priests to persecute

Christians. At midday, O king, along the

road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining

around me and those who journeyed with me.

And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice

speaking to me, saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why

are you persecuting me? And of course, this is Jesus

speaking to him. It is hard for you to kick

against the goads. So I said, Who are you, Lord?

And he said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.

But rise and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for

this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of

the things which you have seen and other things which I will

yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the

Jewish people as well as from the Gentiles to whom I now send

you to open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to

light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may

receive forgiveness, His sins and an inheritance among those

who are sanctified by faith in me.

Isn't this beautiful? So he gets to give this

testimony of what he was like. And you and I all have a

testimony. It's not like it's something

you're proud of, but it's part of your legacy and your life

and, and God gets glory from saving you from what he saved

you from. That's what makes a testimony

wonderful thing to tell people because lots of times people

meet you and I and they think, oh, you were always good, you

were perfect. You never did anything wrong.

Let me tell you what I did. And they look at me and they

say, wow, man, you were bad, you know?

Yeah, it was. That's why I needed to get

saved, right? That's why you need to get

saved. We're all bad.

We're all sinners, right? So therefore King Agrippa was

not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to

those in Damascus and in Jerusalem and throughout all the

region of Judea and them to the Gentiles, that they should

repent and turn to God and do works befitting repentance.

So not any getting saved and getting born again and knowing

that your sins are forgiven, but living a life now that shows you

really repented from your sin. You're not living the same way

you used to live, right? You're not perfect, but you're

certainly not living the way you know you used to live.

That was wrong. For these reasons, verse 21, the

Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand

witnessing both to the small and great, saying no other things

then those which the prophets and Moses said would come.

So he's not giving them any new information.

He's using their own Bible, the Old Testament at the time to

teach them and proclaim to them the things that now he believes

and understands that the Christ would suffer, that he would be

the first to rise from the dead and would proclaim light to the

Jewish people and to the Gentiles, the gospel he's giving

them verse 24. Now as he thus made his defense,

Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, you are beside yourself.

Much learning is driving you mad.

He thinks he's crazy, but he said I am not mad.

Most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and reason.

For the king, therefore, whom I also speak freely, knows these

things. For I'm convinced that none of

these things escapes his attention, since this thing was

not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the

prophets? I know that you do believe.

So here's the king. I mean, he already can

understand what Paul's saying here.

He's not at the point he's ready to to become perhaps a believer

or to admit that he believes these things.

He's sort of in a catch 22 here. And Agrippa says to Paul, you

almost persuade me to be a Christian now.

I wonder how many of these people did become Christians

eventually. We're just reading stuff in real

time here when it was written by Luke and he's given us a record

of what happened. But it wouldn't it be neat to

know like all the people that ended up becoming saved during

these times in these trials, and I'm sure quite a few of them

did. We'll get to know.

We'll meet him in heaven. We'll say, hey, remember that

Sunday that we took the time to read Acts 2425 and 26 and we

didn't skip it. We want to find out like who you

guys, you know, how did you eventually come to to become

born again? I mean, this is fascinating

stories of people will meet one day in the Kingdom of heaven.

And so Paul, this Agrippa flattering in a way, Hey man,

you almost got me here to become a believer.

Paul said I would to God that not only you, but also all who

hear me today might become both almost and all together, such as

an I am except for being in these change.

And so Paul says to us today, if you're hearing this, I'm hearing

this and his prayer was that would the God that his testimony

and the things he said would cause people to become born

again. And that's what's so wonderful

that this word that we have, that we get all to teach and to

preach and to listen to and to believe and to talk about and to

share, it has the power to save lives and transform hearts.

The gospel is the power of God and the salvation to everyone

that believes, to the Jew 1st, and also to the Gentile.

It's good news, isn't it? So when he said these things,

the king stood up, as well as the governor and Bernice and

those who sat with them. And when they had gone outside,

I love this part, they talked among themselves, saying this

man is doing nothing deserving of death in chains.

He's not doing anything wrong. They're vindicating him.

But they can't perhaps do it publicly because then they'll

tie themselves into this way. And then Agrippa, said the

Festus, this man might have been set free if he had not appealed

to Caesar. So what the apostle Paul did,

his faithfulness, He never stopped doing what he was

supposed to do. He preached the gospel in season

and out of season. He didn't worry about the

consequences of what would happen to him if he did certain

things. He never thought twice about

hiding the truth from anybody. He always was open with the

gospel, with everybody he could possibly come in contact with.

And I pray that the Holy Spirit would make us more with that

kind of heart that Paul had that whenever we're around with

people in life, every day in life, that we're always thinking

like, Lord, make a way that we can have a conversation about

you. Give me an opportunity to tell

someone about my testimony or give me an opportunity to let

someone know I'm praying for him.

And then they might say, well, why are you going to pray?

Because I know a God who will answer your prayers.

And that people will look at a shock or surprise or inquisitive

or curious. And they might have that same

response to you and me that, you know, you almost caused me to

consider these things and to be a Christian.

That's you get people close to that point.

It won't be too long before the Lord brings them in, right?

You get them to the point that you're almost, you almost got me

there where the Holy Spirit's really working, isn't it, When

we know that the Lord's almost got people to that point.

So let's just pray that in these days as a church, we have an

impact that is based upon the good news getting out the people

outside the four walls and whatever opportunity we have to

to take our own testimony and and use Paul as a a courageous

hero and a guy you want to be mentored by in ministry or life

or being a believer. You know, Paul said, follow me

like I follow Christ in me. So whatever he's done is a good

example for us to follow. Lord Jesus, we are grateful.

And Lord, we are so thrilled with the Bible and the Word of

God when you give it to us and we can feed on it, Lord, and we

just don't get one or two verses.

You give us chapters, Lord, You give us paragraphs.

Lord, You give us comparison of the Bible from Genesis to

Revelation, and you give us your whole counsel.

Lord, there's not one thing that you've hid back from us, Father,

that you want us to know. And we thank you, Lord, today

that Paul was in deep water. And yet, Lord, you protected

him. You promised him you would get

him to roam. And there was all these people

that were trying to destroy him and kill him so that would never

happen. But nothing can happen to us in

our lives in regard to leaving this world until it's your time

for us to leave. So, Lord, help us in these days

to live for purposes that are much bigger than ourselves.

Help us, Lord, to know that there's more to living life than

making this the living. Lord, there's a purpose behind

every relationship and every job and every community and every

family and every nation, Lord, and that's that the gospel would

get out the people. And Lord, I pray for my brothers

and sisters today when they go out into their homes and their

communities and their family and friendships, relationships, that

they have opportunity to talk about you and what you've done

for them. Thanks for joining us on this

journey through Acts. On today's edition of Living

Waters of Grace, Pastor Clark shares that one of the most

remarkable things about the book of Acts is how it shows the

disciples transformation. The followers of Jesus we meet

here are very different from the often confused and fearful

disciples in the Gospels. After Jesus's death and

resurrection, and especially through the power of the Holy

Spirit, the apostles experienced a profound change in their

hearts and boldness. Their faith became unwavering,

and they moved forward with courage to spread the gospel

despite opposition and hardship. Acts reminds us that the same

Spirit who empowered them is at work in US today, shaping our

hearts and giving us strength to live boldly for Christ.

Living Waters of Grace is a ministry of Calvary Chapel

Westmoreland. If you're in the Greensburg, PA

area, we invite you to join us this Sunday at 10:30 AM at 400 E

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