ACTS 24
WE HAVE in this chapter two men of totally distinct characters, as different as it is possible for two men to be, and the difference is this—one was a real true Christian and the other was not—one had his face turned towards heaven and the other had not—and one lived in the light of eternity—and the other did not—one had hold of God and the other knew nothing about Him—and the ends of the roads these two men were traveling are totally opposite. “What fruit had ye then in the things whereof ye are now ashamed, for the end of those things is death;” that is the end of the road Felix was on. “But now being made free from sin and become servants to God ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” —that is the end of Paul’s road. What is the end of a worldly man’s road? Death. What is the end of a Christian’s road? Everlasting life! What a difference! There might be much along the way in which both were alike—both sinners. Paul indeed was a much more violent opposer of Christ than Felix, for Felix was, just like many a man, not troubling himself much about these matters. He hoped to get a good place by and by no doubt, as you hope; but at the end of the chapter I see Felix where he was at the beginning, an utterly unconverted man, without the fear of God before his eyes.
You have three things in the case of each—their faith, their hope, and their practice.
The faith, hope, and practice of a Christian man; and the faith, hope, and practice of a worldly man. Look at Paul, and hear him speak for himself; you see him a prisoner at the bar, and the greatest barrister of the time brought down to oppose him; and first he brings two great falsehoods against him, falsehoods that he cannot prove too, but then what is this that he says? “A ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” Ah, Paul would never deny that, what does that mean? That meant a man to whom Christ was everything, a man before whose soul Christ shone out as the only one worth knowing, or possessing, or serving.
God’s beloved Son was this despised Nazarene—the one totally rejected and opposed by man, the one of whom the world said, “Away with him! Away with him!” The one of whom they said, “Not this man,” when Pilate was anxious to let him off, not willing to have the blood of one whom he knew to be innocent upon him, though he had not courage to face that surging heaving mass of murderers. Pilate was a coward, but he thought he had a back door of escape. He must let off one at that feast, he would let off Jesus. He had two prisoners, a murderer and the Lord, and the two are put together, and Pilate asks which he should release for them. Could there be a moment’s doubt? Would you think there could be any hesitation? Ah! hear their answer.
With one voice they cry, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” With one common consent the world expressed its judgment. They preferred a Murderer to a Saviour.
Do you say, “But we in our day have nothing to do with that deed”? Tell me then, have you identified yourself with this murdered man? or do you still identify yourself with the world that slew Him? You must take your place with Him or against Him; there is no middle place, you are identified with Him or His murderers. If never before, do not be ashamed now to take your place among the despised crowd of the Nazarenes. Rather, ten thousand times rather, would I take my place with Paul at the bar, a prisoner for Jesus, than with the man on the bench who sat to judge him. Paul says, “This I confess, that after the way that they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.”
Now look at his faith, “Believing all &c.” Simple unfeigned faith in the Word of God. Here is Paul’s confession of faith, “I believe every Word of God.” Oh but, you say, “I believe that too.” Tell me then, do you believe “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all”? Do you believe the Lord has made by His death on the cross a way of escape for you?
Do you believe that He was “Wounded for our transgressions”? Can you say, “For my transgressions”? Do you believe that “By his stripes we are healed”? Are you healed?
People often say to me, “I do believe the Scriptures.” Well do you believe this now, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life”? I mean has your soul laid hold of it? Have you yielded to the Lord the obedience of faith? Have you got everlasting life? “I have a good hope,” you say. I do not believe it! You have no hope if you have not faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith puts out its hand and grasps what the love of God gives, and the love of God gives salvation and a Saviour, and eternal life.,
Faith says, “What love provides I will lay hold of, what God says I will believe.” Do you say, “It is presumption.” Is it presumption to believe the Word of God? Because I have a pattern man here and he simply believes what God says.
Paul says, “I believe every word that God has spoken.” A Christian is one who credits God’s Word. “Oh,” you say, “I thought a Christian was one who believes on Christ.” So he is, I reply, but the Word of God always brings Christ to you, it always presents Christ, it is all about Christ.
Turn a moment to look at Felix’ faith. Now I will show you your faith, you who are unconverted. Look at the 24th and 25th verses, “When he heard Paul he said, Go thy way, when I have a convenient season I will call for thee.”
His faith was in a convenient season, “Go thy way,” he says, and ‘Go thy way,’ says every unbelieving heart. People do not like to hear of these things, they get weary of them. Oh man, man, how weary you will get of hell by and bye. Oh Christless soul what would you give then for one Gospel note, for one more offer of Christ and pardon, for one more Gospel preaching, one word to tell how to escape from that endless misery, though now, you say, to one who would speak to you., of Christ, “Go thy way”? Oh man, you are going your way straight to the lake of fire.
Oh! sinner, will God make light of sin? God puts you in the scale, and takes your measure, and you are lost. As Paul reasoned of righteousness, Felix trembled. He knew he had no righteousness, and there is something more. Temperance, keeping the body under, and more still, judgment to come. If you refuse the Gospel there is judgment to come. You tremble like Felix. You wish to put from you the thought that the lake of fire, with all its untold agony, lies before you, and you are unprepared to face it. You say “It will not do for me to be converted now, it would spoil all my prospects in life. I am young and the world is before me, let me have more time, and when I have a convenient season I will think of these things,” Ah! what then, what then, when will your convenient season be? Here is the faith of a worldly man. His faith was in a convenient season, but listen, it never came! it never came!
Your faith, oh man, is in a convenient season that never comes, the only convenient season that I know is now. I entreat you come to the Lord now, just now. Come to Jesus I implore you this very day. Shall your faith be only in a convenient season? “Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.”
Now is the time to come to Christ, to believe on Christ and to be saved. It is true you may tremble, but do not mistake trembling for faith; do not put it off, do not say I will think about it. Oh soul, Christless soul, do not put it off till a convenient season. Come now! Come now, I beseech you, turn to the Lord this moment. Can you be certain if you put it off one more night, but that the hand of God may take you away, and through a long, a dark, a terrible, a never ending eternity, you will rue your terrible folly.
Now, dear reader, we will look at the hope of these two men. Paul’s hope is toward God.
His faith is in the Word of God, his hope is toward God. Though they put me to death, he says, there is a resurrection of the just—a resurrection of the just when the Lord comes, a resurrection of the unjust, at the end of the millenium; a resurrection of the just to go to be forever with the Lord, a resurrection of the unjust to go to the lake of fire. After lying long in their graves they rise, to hear His voice say, “Depart from me.” Oh soul, Christless soul, that must be your future, will you risk it?
The hatred of the Jews was roused against Paul, because he preached that Jesus had risen out from among the dead, and that all who believed would be raised out from among the dead too, to be with Him; and those who did not believe would be left behind.
The wicked will be raised in their turn, but only to be condemned and cast into the lake of fire. Oh! I ask again, will you risk this? Can you risk it? then you are the most infatuated soul I know; there lies before you only a place in the terrible regions of the lost.
Do you say, “I have a hope,” so had Felix.
What was his hope? His faith was in a convenient season that never came! His hope was in money that he never got! And your hope is in a salvation that you may never get! You hope to have your feet planted in heaven and you never may! Because you have, not Christ, you have not faith.
How did Felix act? He left an innocent man unrighteously imprisoned, for the sake of gain.
This is a worldly man! his faith was not in God, his hope was not in God, his practice was not according to God. Do you see in this a full-length portrait of yourself? Or are you like Paul? Listen to his practice, “Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense, both toward God and toward men.” He sought from one year’s end to the other, to keep a conscience happy with God, and happy with man. A good conscience. What gives a good conscience before God? The blood of Jesus. What maintains a good conscience?
A godly, subject, consistent walk.
I know of no greater contrast than this faith, hope, and practice of a Christian and a worldly man, a godly and an ungodly man. And now tell me which will you choose? Whose faith, whose hope, whose practice will you follow? Oh, I ask you, if you had the whole mint full of money what good would it do you? Thou must pass, oh soul, into eternity, and thy gold thou must leave behind thee, but thy sins thou must carry with thee to the judgment-seat! where thou canst only hear the voice that would save thee now, say to thee then, Depart! Oh take a distinct, decided line of action for Christ, let everyone know you love the Lord and He loves you, that your soul is governed, and your actions controlled by Him. The Lord grant that if you have never turned before, you may be warned by the picture of this godless man, and that your heart may be charmed by the magnificent picture of this godly one, for it is a real thing to be a Christian, and may you know what it is, to be a real, true, devoted, decided follower of the Lord Jesus.
W. T. P. W.