Acts chapter 24 is our message
today, and the text comes from what is said in verse 24. Acts
24, 24. After certain days, when Felix
came with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, she was born
a Jew, raised a Jew, this man Felix was a Roman, He was a Roman
governor of this area, and he sent for Paul. Paul had been
arrested and put in jail, and he heard him. He heard him. He heard Paul preach concerning
the faith in Christ. You see that statement? The faith
in Christ. That's the title of the message.
The faith in Christ. That's the same as saying the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The faith in Christ. There's just one faith, one Lord. One gospel, one way. The Lord
said, I'm the way, the truth, the life. No man comes to the
Father, but by and through me. The faith in Christ. Saving faith, that's the gift
of God, only looks one way. It looks to the Lord Jesus Christ. One way, one Lord, one faith. The Apostle Paul had just one
message. That message was the person and
work of the Lord Jesus Christ. As we've studied in 1 Corinthians
chapter 2, Paul said, I'm determined to know nothing among you but
Jesus Christ and him crucified. That's his person, Jesus Christ,
and him crucified. That's his saving, redeeming
blood. shed to save his people to put
away their sin. When Paul was given an open door
to preach the gospel to this Roman governor named Felix, he
went right back to the wellspring of the gospel message, preaching
the faith in Christ. The faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
is the gospel of Christ that Paul said, I'm not ashamed of
the gospel of Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a power of
God unto salvation to everyone that believe it. For therein
in that gospel is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to
faith. Paul was always ready. to preach
the gospel of Christ. He said, I'm ready to preach
the gospel and he wasn't ashamed to do so. Whether, and we're
going to see, he stands before Felix and then Festus and then
King Agrippa, but he had the same message. Christ, Christ,
Christ. That's all of our message, the
Lord Jesus Christ. He said, I know whom I have believed
and I'm not ashamed to preach HIS PERSON AND HIS WORK. NOW REMEMBER FROM OUR STORY HERE
IN THE BOOK OF ACTS CHAPTER 24, THE APOSTLE PAUL HAD BEEN ARRESTED
IN JERUSALEM AND BROUGHT BEFORE FELIX TO ANSWER THE CHARGES BROUGHT
AGAINST HIM BY THOSE RELIGIOUS JEWS. REMEMBER WHAT THEY SAID
OF HIM? LOOK AT VERSE 5, ACTS 24 VERSE 5, WE HAVE FOUND THIS
MAN TO BE A PESTILENT FELLOW Speaking of Paul, a mover of
sedition among all the Jews throughout the world. He's a ringleader
of the sect of the Nazarenes. Well, Paul was given the privilege
of answering those charges. In verse 14 and 15, he said,
This I confess unto thee, that the way which they call heresy,
so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things that are
written in the law and the prophets, and I have hope toward God. Believing
what God had written, I have hope for God, which they themselves
also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead,
both of the just and the unjust, both of believers and unbelievers. Now we find the Apostle Paul
once again before Felix in verse 22. When Felix heard these things,
that is both sides of the arguments, having more perfect knowledge
of the way or of that way. The gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ was often referred to in the book of Acts as the way. Paul, when he was Saul of Tarsus,
went to Damascus finding any that were of that way, the way
of salvation in Christ. And this man Felix had some knowledge
of those things about the way of those who said salvation was
in Christ. But when he heard the side of
the Pharisees and Sadducees charging Paul and then Paul's defense,
it says there, he deferred them and said, when the resting officer
has come, Elysius, the chief captain, when he comes down and
I hear the matter from him, I will know the utmost of the matter."
Verse 23, and he commanded a centurion to keep Paul and to let him have
liberty. He was in prison, but yet he
had liberty that he should forbid none of his friends, his acquaintance
to minister or to come unto him. Felix commanded Paul to remain
in custody but he allowed him this freedom to receive friends
to come and to minister to him. I thought about this. Paul had
a traveling companion named Luke. Luke was a physician, a doctor,
and he was always traveling with Paul. No doubt, Luke came to
him and ministered to him as his doctor and as his friend.
And I thought about this. It's always good to have friends
when you're in need, right? I appreciate friendship. Now,
I thought about this scripture. I was looking at this earlier
in Proverbs 17, 17. It said, a friend loveth at all
times, and a brother is born for adversity. A brother and
a friend. And then in Proverbs 18, 24,
it says, there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. And we know the Lord Jesus Christ,
they mockingly said of Him, remember, He's the friend of sinners. Thank God He is. He came to save
sinners. The Lord Jesus Christ is our
true brother, and He's our friend. He's our friend. He's our Lord,
our God, and our Master, but He's our friend. We have a union
and fellowship with Him that is most blessed. As our friend,
who's born for adversity and a friend that stick it closer
than a brother. He said, I will never leave you.
I'll never forsake you. Lo, I'm with you always, even
to the end of the earth. Now, it's good to have friends.
But to have the Lord Jesus Christ as your God and as your Savior,
what a blessing. What a blessing that is to every
believer. Now look at verse 24, Acts 24,
24. Here we see a private meeting
that Felix sets up with the Apostle Paul. After certain days, we
don't know how many, when Felix came with his wife, Priscilla,
which was a Jewish woman. She was born a Jew, lived a Jew,
and he sent for Paul, and he heard him. He heard the message
that Paul had, and he heard him concerning the faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, whether this man was really
interested in hearing Paul's message, I don't know. Probably
he wasn't really sincere because he told Paul after he heard the
gospel message to you go away I don't have time for this Well,
why did you ask me to come and tell you? The Lord arranged his
private meeting between Paul and Felix and his wife Drusilla
Who was a Jew, but I also read you remember in chapter 12. There
was a king called Herod Agrippa Herod Agrippa who sat on his
throne and would not give God the glory. And the people started
to worship him as a God. And the angel of the Lord came
and he was eaten up with worms and died because he did not give
God the glory. This woman here, Drusilla, that
was Herod Agrippa's daughter. So she was well connected with
this man, Felix. But both of these people, from
what I've read, Both Felix and this woman were both notorious,
well-known, ungodly, pagan sinners who gained power and their position
through bribery and deceit. No wonder it says in verse 26,
he hoped also that money should be given him. This man Felix
actually rose from being a slave to being a governor, and he did
so by deceitful means one way or the other. And he hoped to
receive money from Paul's followers that they might buy his freedom
rather than through the right means. But here's the thing. Paul was always ready to preach
the gospel to Felix or whoever it might be. He was always ready. He did not try. Here's what he
does. He did not try to reform the
life of Felix with righteous and virtue living and moral purity. He didn't try to straighten him
out on his past life. Nor did he preach against the
evils of the Roman government, of which there were many. He
didn't try to straighten out the government or the politics,
nor did he try to reform this man's life with moral virtue
and morality. He preached the gospel to him.
What did this sinner need to hear? He need to hear the good
news of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, but rather concerning,
he heard him and Paul preached concerning the faith in Christ. Now there's just one gospel,
there's just one body, there's just one spirit, there's just
one hope, there's just one Lord, and there's just one faith. There's
just one faith. Someone was asked recently, Someone
was asked recently this question of which faith are you? Or what is your faith? Which
faith are you? Well, there's only one faith.
And that's the faith of God's elect. That's the faith that's
a gift of God. That's the faith that comes by
hearing and hearing by the word of the Lord. The faith of God's
elect always look to the Lord Jesus Christ for all of salvation. So what faith are you? Looking
to Christ. Always, always. To them that
have obtained like precious faith with us, do the righteousness
of God our Savior. So if anyone ever asks you, and
I know why they ask those questions, basically, what denomination
are you? Well, we're not promoting any
denomination. We're lifting up the Lord Jesus
Christ as everything in salvation and faith. Always looks to the
one who gave it. Where does faith come from? It's
a gift of God. Where does faith look? The faith
that's given of God, where does it look to? Looks unto the Lord
Jesus Christ. Doesn't look to mom and dad,
doesn't look to the baptistry pool, doesn't look here, doesn't
look there. Looking always to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now look at verse 25, Acts 24,
25. And he reasoned. Verse 25, "...and he reasoned
of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come." Now that
word reasoned right there is the same word in the original
that we've seen before and is given disputing or preaching. Let me show you an example of
that. Turn back to Acts 19, verse 8. Acts 19, verse 8. And he went into the synagogue
and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing, persuading
the thing concerning the kingdom of God. That word disputing is
exactly the same word that's given here in Acts 24, 25, reasoning. Now, let me give you another
example of the same word found in Acts 20, verse 7. And here the word is, same word,
preached. So, disputing and preaching,
upon the first day of the week, verse 7, when the disciples came
together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to
depart on the morrow, and he continued his speech until midnight. Remember the young man fell out
of the window, was taken up for dead, and God raised him from
the dead, and then Paul preached until the break of day. He preached until the morning,
all night long. He's reasoning and disputing
and preaching the gospel. Now, he has just one message,
and that message is Christ. That message is the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now, here's what we want to look at.
We know that Paul was not going to bring a message to Felix that
had no convicting and convincing power, for he preached the word
of the Lord, He preached the gospel of God concerning the
Lord Jesus Christ. He didn't preach anything to
please Felix. even though he knew that Felix
could throw him in the dungeon and throw the key away or have
him executed the next day, but he didn't compromise or mold
or blend his message to try to impress Felix or try to win his
favor. Rather, he preached the truth
of the gospel. You see, if we try to preach
in order just to please men, we're not the servants of Christ. We preach the gospel in order
that we might glorify the Lord and that the Lord might use the
preached word to bless his truth. So his message involved these
three elements of gospel vital issues. Righteousness, temperance,
and judgment to come. Those three things, righteousness,
temperance, and that word there, temperance, is rendered submission. Righteousness, submission, and
then judgment to come. I thought about this. If you
don't have the righteousness of God in Christ, and if you
haven't bowed in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ, what is
left? Judgment to come. You see what
he's saying here? Judgment to come. Remember what
we read in the beginning in John 16. Our Lord said, when he, the
Holy Spirit of truth has come, he will convict or convince of
sin. That's what I am. Holy Spirit
conviction involves teaching us and revealing unto us what
we are by nature, sinners through and through. What I am, a sinner
in need of mercy. And then he says, of righteousness,
what I need, what do I need? I need a perfect, justifying
righteousness before God. How can I have that? I'm a guilty
sinner. Only found in the Lord Jesus
Christ, right? And then of judgment, a judgment
to come. This is how our sin was judged
and put away. That's what happened at Calvary.
God made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. Thank God there is
therefore now No condemnation to those who are in the Lord
Jesus Christ. But what about apart from Christ? Nothing but judgment. If my sin
wasn't judging Christ on Calvary, my sin will be judging me forever
in eternity. Now, let's look at those three
things. He preached unto him, Felix, disputed with him and
preached unto him and reasoned of righteousness, temperance,
which is submission, and judgment to come. And Felix trembled,
but he said, Paul, you go back to your prison cell. I don't
have time for you. When I find some time, I'll call
for you again. Now, Paul preached to Felix about
Christ our righteousness. Christ our righteousness. Now,
let's find some scripture here. Let's turn to Philippians chapter
3. This is such a vital, vital issue. A vital, vital issue. How can
a guilty sinner, I'm born that way. That's what I am. How can
a guilty, vile sinner have a righteousness to stand before God and be loved
and accepted of Him? Now, can that be worked up in
the deeds of the flesh? Can I work up or produce a righteousness
of myself and in myself? Oh, no. Not at all, because we're
all an unclean thing, and our righteousnesses are as filthy
rags before God. You see, the best I can do is
still sin. So I must have a perfect, justifying
righteousness before God. Now, how is that? Well, here's
what it is. When God teaches us the gospel,
Philippians chapter 3, He says, verse 7, what things
were gained to me, those I counted lost for Christ. One time Saul
of Tarsus thought all of his religious baggage meant something
to him. It was his refuge of lies. Yea, doubtless, he said, verse
8, I count all things that lost for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus, my Lord, for whom I suffered the loss of all
things and count them but dung. That's what you think it is.
manure that I may win Christ and be found in him." Now, that's
the key. Not having my own righteousness,
which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of
Christ. I get a hold of that. The faith
of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, by
faith. Now, let's turn to the book of
Romans. So Paul, when he preaches of righteousness, he preached
to Felix and us, the Lord Jesus Christ is our righteousness before
God. Romans chapter 3, we know this
as it says in verse 9, Romans 3 verse 9, there is none righteous,
no not one. By the deeds of the law shall
no flesh be justified. You see that in Romans 3, verse
10. There is none righteous, no,
not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. They're all gone out of the way.
They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good,
no, not one. That include you? But look at verse 20 now. Therefore
Romans 3 20 therefore by the deeds of the law There shall
no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge
of sin But now Oh the righteousness of God Without the law is manifested
being witnessed by the law and the prophets even the righteousness
of God which is by the faith of the Jesus Christ. That's the
same thing that we read about in Philippians chapter 3 verse
9. Even the righteousness of God which is by the faith of
Jesus Christ unto all and all upon all them that believe there's
no difference Jew or Gentile all have sin that comes short
of the glory of God being justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in the Lord Jesus Christ whom God has set
forth to be the propitiation through faith in His blood, to
declare His righteousness, for the remission of sins that are
past, through the forbearance of God, to declare, I say at
this time, His righteousness, that He might be just, and the
justifier of them which believe in the Lord Jesus Christ." So
when Paul reasoned, preached of righteousness, he's pointing
out our lack of it, and the provision of righteousness in the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now look at Romans chapter 4,
look at verse 3. But what sayeth the scripture?
Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is reward,
not reckoning of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh
not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith
is counted for righteousness. Now look at verse six carefully.
For even as David also described the blessedness of the man, this
is from Psalm 32, unto whom God imputed righteousness without
works. The Lord Jesus Christ is called
the Lord, our righteousness. He's made unto us righteousness,
saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, whose
sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. Now turn to Romans 5. Still talking
about righteousness now. You must have a righteousness
that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
Where is this exceeding righteousness found? Romans 5, 19. For as by
one man's disobedience many were made sinners, that's what happened
in the garden, sin entered in, and death by sin. So by the obedience
of one, this is the second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, shall
many be made righteous. Moreover, the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. That as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life. You see how vital this issue
is to the gospel. Now, Romans, Turn to Romans chapter
10. So when Paul preached of righteousness,
he preached of Christ our righteousness. Now here's what the Jews did
and here's what religious fallen men do as well. They go about
to establish a righteousness of their own doing. Romans 10
verse 1, Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for
Israel is that they might be saved. They were very religious
and very lost. Boy, I bear them record that
they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For
they being ignorant of God's righteousness, that's his character,
holy, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have
not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God." Now
there's two different things there. One's talking about the
holy character of God. The other is talking about the
righteousness of God. Provided and revealed in the
gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ Look at verse 4 for Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth Therein
in the gospel is the righteousness of God Revealed we studied that
all the way through the book of Romans didn't we? the righteousness
of God It's the free gift of God So when Paul preached righteousness,
he preached Christ our righteousness. That's what he wrote about, that's
what he preached, and that's what we preach here as well. The 28 years I've been here preaching
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, I've always set forth
Christ as our righteousness. I never told anyone to go about
to establish a righteousness by your morality. Now, I'm all
in on morality, but never mistake morality for righteousness. I must have a righteousness before
God without spot or blemish, and that's only in the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is the Lord, our righteousness. Now, the second thing that Paul
brought out there is temperance, which means submission. Paul preached a message That
sinners need to bow to the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ. That
is the message of surrender. Submission. Bow. He's the Lord. God Almighty. Salvation is in Him. Now look
to Him. Bow and submit. My pastor, you
to save the Lord Jesus Christ is not your Lord and God. He's
not your Savior. Because He's God, our Savior. It's faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is Lord and Christ. You remember
Peter said, God had made that same Jesus whom you crucified,
both Lord and Christ. Now, what is it the Lord does
in the sinner's heart, mind, and will and his understanding
when he's convicted by God the Holy Spirit? He brings us to
true repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
He makes us willing in the day of his power to do what? Bow. Submit. Believe the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Lay down your rebellion. Lay
down at the feet of His sovereign throne and take your place there
as a sinner in need of mercy. Lord, have mercy upon me, the
sinner." And then Paul preached not only righteousness, submission,
but judgment. Paul preached about the judgment
to come. Those who refuse to believe the
gospel of the Lord Jesus, refuse to bow to the Gospel message
of salvation in Christ alone, nothing left but what? Judgment. Judgment. I jotted
this down this morning. In Psalm 2, verse 12, it says,
Kiss the Son, kiss the Son, S-O-N, Son of God, the King upon my
holy hill Zion. Kiss the Son lest he be angry
and he perish from the way when his wrath is kindled a little.
Blessed are they that put their trust in the Lord. Trust in the
Lord. There's nothing left but judgment
to those who will not bow to the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh, there
is mercy to the miserable. There is grace for the guilty.
But to the proud rebel who will not bow, who will not believe,
nothing but judgment. Oh, the wrath to come. The wrath
to come. If Christ is not your righteousness,
if you will not submit to the Lord Jesus Christ as all and
in all, nothing left but judgment. Judgment to come. Thank God in
Christ there is no condemnation in Him. Because in Christ we
have no sin because He put away our sin. But outside of the Lord
Jesus Christ and apart from Him, there's nothing but what? Condemnation. and judgment. Our God is called a consuming
fire. God must, because God is holy,
punish all sin, either in a sin or substitute or in the sinner
himself personally forever in eternal condemnation." Now, that
was Paul's message. Righteousness, temperance, and
judgment. And I know he worked those things
over. I know he just didn't casually mention those things because
he reasoned and disputed and preached unto him the faith in
Christ. Well, what happened? Felix trembled,
but he didn't bow. He trembled, but he did not believe,
because he said to the Apostle Paul, you go back to your prison
cell. I don't have time to hear these
matters anymore. It's not convenient for me to
believe. When I have some convenient time,
I may call for you, as far as we know. He never did believe
the gospel. Felix trembled, but he did not
bow. He was still a rebel in heart of what not owns the Lord
Jesus Christ. Trembling is not believing. A
troubled conscience is not conversion. Remorse is not repentance. You see, it's repentance toward
God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. A convenient season for
Felix never came. Two years later, it says that
Festus came and bumped him out of office. He was removed from
office and later, according to the Jewish historians, they said
that Felix, when he was removed from office, went out and took
his own life. As far as we know, he died in
his sin. Our Lord said, if you believe
not that I am, you'll die in your sin. Felix stands as a warning
to all those who are privileged to hear the gospel and yet refuse
to bow to the claims of the Lord Jesus Christ. He that believeth
on the Son has everlasting life, right? He that believeth not
the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."
May God in His grace and His mercy give us exactly what we
need in our heart to look to Christ as our righteousness,
to bow to Him, and to love Him and own Him as our all in all
in salvation. I read this statement by Robert
Hawker, An old English preacher that I read after, he talks about
the Lord Jesus Christ has brought out salvation for us. And then
he says, Lord, so now works salvation in us. Christ in you is a hope
of glory. When he comes in and shows us
what we are and enthrones himself in our heart, causes us to bow
before his lordship, his sovereignty, and own him as everything in
our salvation. He is my righteousness. He is
my wisdom. He is my sanctification. He is
my all and in all. May God help us to do so. Believe
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.