“There are no victories at bargain prices.”
Pastor Glenn Newton 12-26-99
Text: Acts 24:24-27
The title of my message this morning is a quote from Dwight D. Eisenhower,
“There are no victories at bargain prices.”
This morning this message is for me as much as it is for anyone here, Let’s make
up our minds this morning that we will allow God to move and to direct in our hearts this
morning as He sees fit.
Every year at this time, it seems that we begin to reflect over the year that has just
past, for me at this time, I get the double and triple whammy. Not only do we enter a new
year, and this year, a new Millennium, but I also have a birthday and realize I’m a year
older, plus Nola and I celebrate our Wedding Anniversary and realize how Old We are
Getting. With all these things .......... it forces you to reflect and to take inventory of your
life.
This week I also attended a funeral for a man who died at the age of 37 years of
age, Bro. Ed Bridgewaters son-in-law, Roger Smith. When you attend a funeral for
someone your age or younger, it forces you to realize that this life is very fragile, and our
time is precious and fleeting. I believe God has called us to be good stewards of our time.
So all of these things have come crashing down in these last few days, and I hope
this morning I can communicate to you What God Wants Us To Hear Today.
God’s Word has allot to teach us about our use of Time, and how we are to live
our lives.
Psalms 90:12 “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of
wisdom.”
Ephesians 5: 15-16 “Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as
wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
Colossians 4:5 “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of
every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so
that you may know how to answer everyone.”
If you will turn in your Bibles with me, we will look at our text this morning, ACTS 24:
24-25 . Read.
Let me give you a little of the background in which we read this passage. The
Apostle Paul is in trouble again with the Jews. They have been trying to find a way to kill
him, they have tried to influence the Roman Government to execute him for blasphemy,
and to be honest the Romans wouldn’t have minded much caring out this death sentence
for the Jews, except for one thing. Paul was a Roman Citizen by birth, so he was afforded
some protection by the Roman legal system, he was at least going to get a fair trial. So
we find Paul being transferred and now brought in front of the Governor Felix. We find in
Verse 22 that Gov. Felix is well acquainted with the Way, or the Christian Faith as he had
dealt with the conflicts between the Jews and this New Christian group that were
followers of Jesus, he had come to understand the conflict and the beliefs and claims of the
Christians.
As we read this scripture and we understand what’s going on between God’s Man
Paul, and this Roman official, Felix, I want you to notice there are two distinct
philosophies at work.
We notice over and over again in Paul’s life, There’s no time like the Present to
get things done. When I look at Paul’s life, when I read about him and how he lived,
There seemed to be a constant flow of God through Him to others. Where ever he was,
whatever he was doing, whatever was being done to him, God was using him. Paul’s
testimony and effectiveness was not determined by his circumstances, they were constant
in spite of his circumstances. Paul’s Philosophy of Life was lined up with the Scriptures
that read that instruct us to , “Make the most of every opportunity.”
In this same passage, we are going to notice a second philosophy at work, we will
see this in the life of Felix, the Governor. Now you need to remember this man has been
confronted with the claims of Christianity in the past, he understood. In fact, his wife
Drusilla was a Jew. So there’s little doubt that Felix not only knew of the Jews history,
and the prophecies, but now was aware of the claims of the Christians. We notice that
Felix employees another Philosophy when faced with the gospel. Read v.25
In verse 25 it says, “As Paul discoursed.......You can read that, As Paul was
Preaching, Paul was preaching boldly and with great courage before this Roman ruler.
God Truth is being preached, the Holy Spirit is convicting, confirming the words
as being true,and what happens?
In some translations it says that Felix was Terrified, he was afraid, ............. God’s
Truth can do that to us sometimes, especially if we are living ungodly lives.
Felix’s reaction tells us about how he handled tough situations, he said, “that’s
enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” He got
convicted and didn’t want to hear anymore.
It’s funny how God can turn the tables on us. Wasn’t it Paul that was supposed to
be on trial in front of Felix? God instead used his willing servant, his servant who was
willing to use every opportunity, God used Paul to put Felix and his wife, and their
spiritual emptiness on trial.
There’s two different philosophies that we see in this encounter, we see Paul, who
by the way has not had every circumstance go his way, his philosophy is simply, “Make
the most of every opportunity.” And we see how God uses him in great ways, not
because Paul was a superhuman, supertalented person. God used him because he was
DETERMINED TO LIVE A LIFE FOR GOD THAT DIDN’T ALLOW FEAR AND
FAILURE TO GET IN THE WAY OF “MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY
OPPORTUNITY.”
Then we see Felix, who when challenged, when presented with a great
opportunity, He gets scarred, He becomes terrified. And I can’t tell you everything that
was going through his head. But I’m sure one reason he was scarred to accept this
Christian faith was because of what he thought it would cost him. His position, his power,
his title, maybe his life. Satan loves to tell us everything that we might lose if we obey
God.
Satan will never tell you all that you gain by following Christ, because He doesn’t
know, and will never know promises of God.
The older I get and as God is dealing with me in these areas I am realizing more
and more that we don’t have time to waste, we can not allow Fear, or ignorance, or
excuses keep us from doing what God has called us to do, and to be.
Talking about life and our opportunities that we have. One writer said it this way,
“We are all manufacturers in a way -- making good, making trouble, or making excuses.”
This past year has God asked anything of you, has he convicted you of anything in
your life? How have you responded? How have you responded to God’s voice, to the
things he has put your heart to change, to overcome?
I hope you can say that your said yes to God, and obeyed in whatever manner he
asked you.
Personally, as I look back and remember the different areas that I wanted, and told
God that I wanted to improve in. In some areas I did improve and I grew, and there’s no
doubt I accomplished what I set out to do.
But there’s some other areas that I wanted to grow in, improve in, I told God that
I was going to do it with his help. And a year later, I know that I have failed, I haven’t
done what I wanted so bad to do. Did God let me down? No. Did Glenn Newton Miss
allot of opportunities to accomplish those goals, yes. I don’t know about you, I don’t
like telling God that I’m going to do something that he’s talked to me about, and then I
don’t get it done, I feel allot like maybe Felix felt, confronted with the Truth and not really
sure I want to face the music. None of us like to confront the fact that we have failed.
As I prepared this message, and God was preaching to me you might say, I prayed
about these failures, and I admitted them. God told me that he still loved me. And he still
loves you no matter how much you have failed.
But here’s the interesting part. He reminded me that he loved me, but I never
heard him say, “It’s OK, you don’t need to worry about it.” I have failed, but He still
wants me to get it done. He wants me to overcome it. He will help me, as I discipline
myself in those areas, he will see me through as long as I’m pressing forward.
God doesn’t help us when all we do is sit around and make excuses of why it can’t
be done.
John Wesley said,
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
And if you have ever read about the life of John Wesley, then you know that he lived those
words before he wrote them.
Friends, as a church and as individuals we need to commit ourselves to make the
most of everyday, of every relationship, of every prompting of God, it’s a attitude, it’s a
discipline that God can install into our lives.
Listen, I’m talking to myself as much as I am anyone sitting in the pews today, but
I believe God wants us as a church to take to heart this attitude of urgency. We can’t wait
for our ship to come in. We can’t wait for something Great to happen to put us over the
top as a church. We got to GO and MAKE SOMETHING HAPPEN, AND WHEN WE
GO AND ALLOW GOD TO USE US, IT WILL BE GREAT, IT WILL BE BETTER
THAN ANYTHING WE COULD DRAW UP, OR PLAN.
We got to stop thinking like a Welfare Church, Where somehow it’s going to be
handed to us. “There are no Victories at bargain prices” Gen. Eisenhower understood
that truth.
God will bless us as we sell out for Him. And to be honest, for some of you I’m
not talking about giving more time, more money, more energy, because your already
giving all those things. But devote yourself to letting God Produce His Fruit in your life,
Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, and self-control. Pursue these things,
give as much effort in producing these fruit as you do in everything else and God will truly
Bless and use you.
Don’t get me wrong, We need more people who are committed to the church,
attendance to our meetings, committed in their giving which supports this ministry,
committed to using their gifts to edify the whole church. We need everyone carrying a
part of the load, and we will accomplish so much more with just a few more hands and
feet involved in real ministry.
It’s an attitude of making the most of every opportunity. I believe that God is
using this time, this uncertainty that has come with the year 2000 to try and wake the
church up. As a nation we are in a freefall when it comes to morals and standing up for
Truth. I believe either the church will wake up and we will experience a great revival in
America, as God’s people, and it starts with us, as God’s people repent and turn our
hearts back towards God, OR we will be engulfed in this darkness and we will live in a
Nation of Anarchy.
Friends, Let’s take inventory. Let’s commit as individuals and as a church to make the
most of every opportunity to be obedient to God and What He wants for us and for His
Church. Will you make that commitment today?
Closing.
