July 3, 2022

Acts 24:1-27: The Missed Opportunity of a Lifetime

Preacher: Josh Tancordo Series: Acts: You Will Be My Witnesses Topic: Default Scripture: Acts 24:1–27

Acts 24:1-27: The Missed Opportunity of a Lifetime

We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of Acts, and today the next passage we come to is Acts 24:1-27. It says,

1 And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul. 2 And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: “Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, 3 in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. 4 But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. 5 For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. 6 He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. 8 By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.” 9 The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so. 10 And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. 11 You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, 12 and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. 13 Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. 14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. 16 So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. 17 Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. 18 While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia— 19 they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. 20 Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, 21 other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’ ” 22 But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs. 24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 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 will summon you.” 26 At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. 27 When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

May God bless the reading of his Word.

Let’s pray: Father, your Word is more to be desired than gold and sweeter also than honey. So help us to see its value, taste its sweetness, and experience its power this morning through the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

One of the nice features of a highly advanced society like ours is that there are all kinds of warnings about things that are potentially dangerous. And some of these warnings are…shall we say…rather memorable. For example, it turns out that parents should not feed their children to alligators. No matter how irritating their children might be at times, it’s just not a good decision to toss them into an alligator-infested lake. Additionally, on a related note, it also turns out that people who are in a wheelchair should not race their wheelchair down a hill into an alligator. It might seem like a nice thrill at first, but it’s really not a good idea. In addition, it’s also important to be careful when operating dangerous machinery. For example, if you’re operating a machine with gears, be careful not to be put your hands into the gears. It’ll make your arms look like sausage meat. If you’re operating an auger, be careful not to get wrapped up in the auger. Or even if you’re operating a machine that simply has a rotating bar, be careful not to get wrapped up on the bar. Or if it’s a different kind of bar that can spin around, don’t let that bar bend and do Jackie Chan-style martial art moves on you. That’s something you’ll really feel the next morning especially. As you can see from the picture, it’ll literally chop a piece of your face right off. And then, lastly, one final example of a warning that’s rather memorable. I’m not quite sure what this picture is warning us against, but…oh my goodness…whatever it is, definitely do not let that happen to you. Ouch! So, the thing that all of these labels and signs have in common is that they all show us what not to do.

Now, of course, I share these with you because I think they’re mildly entertaining. Maybe I just have a twisted sense of humor, I don’t know. But, on a more serious note—and actually on a very serious note—we find something similar to these warnings in our main passage of Scripture this morning—Acts 24—with Felix, the governor of Judea. Felix is the perfect example of what not to do. And that’s true both in the way he handles Paul’s legal case as well as the way he responds to Paul’s witness. So the main idea of this passage is that Felix is a perfect example of what not to do both in the way he handles Paul’s case and responds to Paul’s witness. And I’ll just say that it’s very important that we take we take what we see here to heart because there are some very serious spiritual hazards that are critical for us to avoid.

 Now, if you’ve been in attendance the past few Sundays, you’ll recall that the Apostle Paul’s been unjustly arrested based on false charges made by certain Jews and is now in the custody of the Roman government in the city of Caesarea so that he can stand trial before the governor Felix. We then read this in verse 1 of our main passage: “And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul.” That “case” consists of three primary charges that are outlined in verses 2-8. First, that Paul’s been stirring up riots among Jews throughout the Roman Empire. Second, that Paul’s a ringleader of the so-called sect of the Nazarenes. And third, that Paul supposedly tried to prophane the Jewish temple. Verse 9 then records that the rest of the Jews “also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.”

After that, Paul’s then given an opportunity to defend himself and points out that the people who are making these outrageous charges didn’t find him doing any of the things they describe and can’t prove a word of what they’re saying. He then says this in verses 14-16: 14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, 15 having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. 16 So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.

So Paul does indeed make a “confession” in these verses—he says in verse 14 “this I confess to you”—but his confession isn’t of anything illegal. He first identifies himself as a follower of “the Way,” which is a reference to Christianity that likely comes from Jesus’s teaching in John 14:6, where Jesus says to his disciples, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Notice the word “the”—“I am the way.” Not one way or even the best way but rather the only way. And the early Christians—far from being embarrassed by such a narrow-minded and intolerant claim—decided instead to adopt that statement of Jesus as an official way of referring to their religious movement. They regularly referred to themselves as followers of “the Way.”

Paul then makes it clear that, even though his beliefs are certainly distinct from those of the Jews who are persecuting him, he actually hasn’t departed at all from what God had revealed about himself in the Old Testament. He states in the second part of verse 14, “I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets.” Christian teaching, recorded in what would later come to be known as the New Testament, isn’t in any way a contradiction of the Old Testament but rather a fulfillment of the Old Testament. There’s a wonderful continuity between the Old and New Testaments. There’s no change in who God is or the general contours of how we’re able to have a relationship with him. After that, in verses 17-21, Paul repeats his claim that he wasn’t doing anything wrong in the temple and challenges his accusers to name even one specific illegal act that they personally saw him doing in the temple.

So that’s Paul’s defense. And it leaves Felix in a rather difficult predicament. On the one hand, Felix had in his custody a Roman citizen, against whom not a single eyewitness had come forward in order to confirm any of the charges made by the Jews. Nor had the Sanhedrin, which was like the Jewish Supreme Court, found him guilty of any specific crime. So, legally speaking, it should have been an open-and-shut case. Paul should have been found innocent and been released right then and there. However, that would have been a very costly action for Felix politically since it would undoubtedly have infuriated the Jewish leaders.

So, what does Felix do? Well, let’s just say he shows himself to be everything that professional politicians generally tend to be. Look at verses 22-23: 22 But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs.

So, being the classic politician that he is, Felix defers making any definitive decision and instead stalls by claiming that he needs the tribune who originally arrested Paul to come to Caesarea before he can decide anything—even though, as we saw in the last chapter, the tribune had already sent over a written report clearly stating his belief that Paul wasn’t guilty of any crime. Not surprisingly, in the subsequent verses, there’s no indication that Felix ever actually summoned the tribune. And, sadly, verse 27 records that Felix just continues to hold Paul in prison indefinitely, even after his time as governor is over. It states, “When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.” Two years—and Felix just leaves Paul in prison for the next governor as well. Again, as we’ve said, he’s the perfect example of what not to do in the way he handles Paul’s case.

But during that two-year imprisonment, some fascinating interactions take place between Felix and Paul. And this is where the story gets specially interesting and relevant for our lives. Look at verses 24-26: 24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus. 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 will summon you.” 26 At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him.

So, not only is Felix a perfect example of what not to do in his handling of Paul’s legal case, he’s also an example of what not to do in his response to Paul’s witness. In fact, there are four guidelines that we can take away from Felix’s life about what not to do. And we’ll spend the rest of our time talking about these.

Possessing Intellectual Understanding without Saving Faith

First, possessing intellectual understanding without saving faith. Possessing intellectual understanding (of the gospel) without saving faith. If you look back at verse 22, it states that Felix had “a rather accurate knowledge of the Way.” So, somehow—perhaps through his Jewish wife Drusilla—Felix had an intellectual understanding of basic Christian teachings. He understood that Christians consider Jesus to be the long-awaited Messiah who came to rescue not only the Jewish people but the entire world from its sin through his death on the cross. He understood that Christians believe Jesus suffered on the cross in our place—in order to endure the punishment for our sins—and then demonstrated his legitimacy as Savior of the world by rising from the dead. Yet, there’s a difference between understanding these teachings in your head and embracing them in your heart—as we see with Felix.

And maybe you even go a step beyond Felix and give some sort of intellectual assent or affirmation to biblical truths about Jesus. Yet, even that’s not enough. We have to go beyond simply giving intellectual assent to basic facts about the gospel and actually put our trust in Jesus to rescue us from our sins. One way I often like to describe it is by comparing it to the kind of trust a skydiver places in his parachute. The skydiver isn’t just intellectually assenting to the idea that the parachute can ensure a safe landing. He’s actively entrusting himself to that parachute. That’s the sense in which we have to trust in Jesus if we want to be saved from our sins and spend eternity in heaven. So, have you ever done that? Have you ever not just given mental assent to basic facts about Jesus in your head but actually embraced and trusted Jesus in your heart? Friends, there’s a very real danger that people in this room will—to borrow a classic expression—miss heaven by eighteen inches. That’s the approximate distance from your head to your heart. Eighteen inches can mean the difference between spending eternity with Jesus or without Jesus. Don’t miss heaven by eighteen inches.

Also, a word for parents here—particularly parents with younger children. As you’re interacting with your children and seeking to point them toward Jesus, don’t mistake intellectual understanding for saving faith. Just because your children can give theologically correct answers to certain questions, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve been saved. My advice, if you’re not sure about where your child is with that, is to just give it time. Time is the great clarifier of someone’s spiritual condition. Time will reveal whether they’re just repeating certain ideas they’ve heard or whether they’ve truly embraced Jesus and put their trust in him in their hearts. So the best thing you can do is wait and continue observing them and pointing them toward Jesus.

Being Convicted of Sin without Being Converted from Sin

 In addition, another danger that we can glean from Felix’s life is being convicted of sin without being converted from sin. Conviction without conversion. You can be convicted of your sin in the sense of feeling sorrowful or fearful without being converted in the sense of actually turning from your sin.

Verse 25 describes how Paul “reasoned [with Felix] about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment.” These are things that everyone needs to hear. One commentator calls it “every sinner’s dilemma.” “Righteousness” refers to the absolute standard of holiness that God not only exemplifies in himself but also requires of us. “Self-control” is the way in which we need to respond to God’s standard and bring our lives into conformity with his will. Yet, the problem, of course, is that we’re not capable of doing that in and of ourselves, which means that there’s what Paul calls a “coming judgment” when God will give us what our sins deserve by consigning us to eternity in hell.

These are the truths that Paul shares with Felix. And let me add in a little bit of background about Felix here. Felix wasn’t exactly what we’d call the epitome of moral virtue. First of all, he had risen to his position as governor not by merit but rather by corrupt and shameful arrangements he had made with certain powerful people. Also, as a ruler, he was known for his terrible brutality. One Roman historian named Tacitus describes him as a “master of cruelty and lust.” He also gained his current wife, Drusilla, by basically stealing her away from her previous husband. She was also not his first wife but rather his third wife. So, we might say that Felix’s moral conduct left a lot to be desired. No wonder this verse tells us that “as [Paul] reasoned about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment, Felix was alarmed.” He certainly had plenty of reasons to be alarmed.

And, by the way, you have to appreciate the boldness Paul exhibits in bringing these things up with Felix. I imagine Paul was very familiar with Felix’s flagrant moral failures. Yet, he doesn’t pull any punches. He confronts Felix very directly with a message about sin and judgment. It reminds me of a story I read one time in one of Spurgeon’s sermons about an English Reformer from the 1500’s named Hugh Latimer.  Hugh Latimer preached regularly before King Henry VIII—who, as you may remember, had his fair share of severe moral failings. And, in one of his sermons, Latimer offended the king pretty badly. As a result, he was commanded to preach before the king again the next Sunday and apologize for what he had said. So, he got up there the next Sunday, read the biblical text like usual, and then began his sermon in the following way, as if speaking to himself: “Hugh Latimer, do you know before whom you are this day to speak? To the high and mighty monarch, the king's most excellent majesty, who can take away your life if you offend him. Therefore, take heed that you speak not a word that may displease him! But then consider well, Hugh, do you not know from where you come, by whose authority you are sent? Even by the great and mighty God, who is all-present and who beholds all your ways and who is able to cast your soul into hell! Therefore, take care that you deliver your message faithfully.” 

After saying this, Hugh Latimer then proceeded to preach the exact same sermon that he had preached to the king the week before, but, reportedly, with even more energy this time. Talk about boldness…wow! And, amazingly, he somehow survived that encounter with his head still attached to his body. What an example of boldness in sharing the gospel even if it might offend people or have adverse consequences for us. And Paul exhibits a similar boldness here in Acts 24.

But, focusing again on Felix’s response, we see that he’s alarmed at the things Paul’s saying about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment. Paul successfully brings him face-to-face with his sin so that he sees what a serious thing it is to rebel against a holy God. But unfortunately, Felix’s conviction of sin doesn’t translate into conversion from it—or what the Bible often refers to as repentance. Instead, Felix tells Paul in the latter part of verse 25, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.”

So, it’s possible to be struck with a sober realization of your sin and the way your sin has offended God and still not be a true Christian. You can actually feel a whole range of emotions about your sin including not only fear, like we see with Felix, but also even sorrow and remorse and yet not be a Christian. Tears aren’t necessarily indicative of genuine repentance. A good, street-level definition of repentance is a change of heart that manifests itself in a change of life. A change of heart that manifests itself in a change of life. Feeling various emotions doesn’t always mean we’ve experienced that change. So, think about your own life. Have you ever experienced a change in your heart that resulted in a decisive renunciation of your sinful way of living? And, also, even if you have experienced that fundamental change and are now a Christian, what does your life look like presently? Have you been simply feeling bad for a certain sin that, in reality, you just need to forsake?

Putting Off for Tomorrow What Should Be Done Today

Moving forward, a third way in which Felix shows us what not to do is putting off for tomorrow what should be done today. Putting off for tomorrow what should be done today. As we’ve already seen in verse 25, Felix responds to Paul’s convicting message by telling him, “Go away for the present. When I get an opportunity I will summon you.” So, Felix understands very clearly what he needs to do, but he puts off doing it until a more convenient time. And guess what? We have no indication that that “more convenient time” ever came. Verse 26 records that Felix did indeed summon Paul many times after that, but we’re left with the distinct impression that Felix was never again “alarmed” or convicted as he had been on that initial occasion. It’s a sobering reality, really. Every time we put off responding to the gospel in the way we know we should respond, our heart becomes more resistant and calloused to the gospel in the future.

I appreciate the way the prophet Isaiah puts it in Isaiah 55:6: “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” Think about the significance of those words “while he may be found.” What’s the implication there? Apparently, that a time’s coming very soon when the Lord can’t be found. It would seem as though there’s only a narrow window of time during which we’re able to seek the Lord and find him. And to miss that window is to be eternally excluded from the blessings God wants to give—specifically the blessing of eternal salvation.

You know, I think a lot of people assume that they have all the time in the world to embrace Jesus. They think they can continually delay getting right with God until perhaps they’re a lot older. And then, in old age, after they’ve lived their lives the way they want to live them, they can embrace Jesus and go to heaven when they die. That’s, more or less, their plan. And if that’s you, I’d like to be very direct with you for a moment and ask you to consider two things. Number one, you’re not guaranteed another day on this earth. Anything could happen while you’re driving home today or when you’re sleeping in your bed tonight. People die at a young age all the time. Why would you roll the dice on that? I mean, it’s one thing to gamble with a few dollars, but to gamble with your eternal future is insane.

And second, don’t assume that you’ll even be able to turn to God later in life. Don’t assume that your heart will be in a condition where it’s capable of doing that. Again, back in Acts 24, every indication we have is that Felix’s heart was never again in that condition of spiritual openness like it had been in verse 25.

Consider also these words from J. C. Ryle. J. C. Ryle was a bishop in the Church of England in the 1800’s, and he wrote a pamphlet addressed to young men specifically. And as we’re about to see, his words are quite relevant not just for young men but also for just about everyone. He writes that “Repentance and faith are the gifts of God, and gifts that He often withholds when they have been long offered in vain. I grant you [that] true repentance is never too late, but I warn you at the same time [that] late repentance is seldom true. I grant you [that] one [repentant] thief was converted in his last hours, [so] that no man might despair; but I warn you, only one was converted, [so] that no man might presume.”

Ryle then uses the illustration of a boulder rolling down a hill. The longer that boulder continues rolling down the hill, the more speed it picks up. It rolls faster and faster and becomes harder and harder to slow down. And that’s the way it is when we continue in our sin. It becomes harder and harder to turn away from it and embrace Jesus. Ryle then writes that, “Every fresh act of sin lessens fear and remorse, hardens our hearts, blunts the edge of our conscience, and increases our evil inclination…Believe me, you cannot stand still in the affairs of your souls. Habits of good or evil are daily strengthening in your hearts. Every day you are either getting nearer to God for further off. Every year that you continue [without repentance], the wall of division between you and heaven becomes higher and thicker, and the gulf to be crossed [becomes] deeper and broader. If you [don’t] seek the Lord when [you’re] young, the strength of habit is such that you will probably never seek Him at all.” So, if you know or even suspect that you’re not right with God today, don’t assume you’ll be able to get right with him tomorrow. There’s a very distinct possibility that your heart will never be this soft again.

Allowing Earthly Interests to Divert Our Attention from Our Eternal Welfare

And that leads us to the fourth and final way in which Felix is an example for us of what not to do—and that is allowing earthly interests to divert our attention from our eternal welfare. Allowing earthly interests to divert our attention from our eternal welfare. We read in verse 26 about Felix’s subsequent interactions with Paul after that initial conversation. It says, “At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him.” In other words, he was looking for a bribe. Felix was so preoccupied with things that are incredibly transient that he missed the one thing that really matters. As Jesus says so memorably in Matthew 16:26, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” It seems so obvious, when you think about it. What could possibly be more important than where we spend eternity? Is there anything else that even comes close in importance?

Yet, like Felix in verse 26 of our main passage, the hearts of so many people today have become so captivated by earthly concerns, earthly interests, earthly treasures, and earthly priorities that they hardly give any thought to what really matters. Can I just say…what a tragedy! If that’s you this morning, forget about all these other silly things! Where will you spend eternity?

Conclusion

And, thinking now of everything this passage tells us about Felix, there’s no question that the story of Felix is indeed a tragedy. But your story doesn’t have to be. You have an opportunity even this morning to turn to Jesus and be rescued from your sin and have hope for eternity.

Also, for those who are already Christians, what an opportunity for us to remember the grace of God in saving us from these pitfalls that we’ve seen today. Never forget that God’s the one who brought us past an intellectual understanding of the gospel and brought us to saving faith. He’s the one who caused us to not only be convicted of our sin but to respond in genuine repentance. He’s the one who decisively acted on our lethargic hearts and revealed to us the urgency of our situation so that we wouldn’t put off for tomorrow what should be done today. And he’s the one who opened our eyes so that we could see through all of the transient treasures and pleasures of the world and give attention to our eternal welfare. Apart from God’s grace, we’d be just like Felix. Talk about a missed opportunity! Think about it. Felix interacted with none other than the greatest missionary of all time—the Apostle Paul—for two whole years and still came away as spiritually lost as he’d ever been. And we’d be just like him apart from the grace of God. It’s God who drew us to himself so that we can now say with Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:10, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.” The only boast we now have or will ever have is simply that we’re recipients of God’s grace.

other sermons in this series