Introduction

Welcome, dear friends, to another time of fellowship and worship, where we gather under the banner of Christ's love, with hearts aflame and spirits eager to engage with God's word. Today, we turn our gaze towards Acts 24:25, a passage that holds within its lines profound truths that speak to our lives in ways we might not have considered before.

Let me read it out loud for us, "As Paul talked about righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, 'That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.'"

In this passage, we meet Felix, a man who stands on the precipice of a life-altering decision, a decision that he chooses to postpone. But before we delve into the heart of our sermon, let's pause and consider the words of the great Christian thinker, J.I. Packer, who once said, "The life of true holiness is rooted in the soil of awed adoration." Packer's words remind us that our pursuit of righteousness and self-control is not a burdensome obligation, but a joyful response to the awe-inspiring nature of our God.

Now, let's turn our attention to the three main points that will guide our understanding of this passage today: Felix's Forgotten Future, the Folly of Procrastination, and Faith's Final Moments. These points will help us navigate the depths of this Scripture, not as mere observers, but as active participants, seeking to understand and apply the truths we uncover.

Let's bow our heads in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, as we open Your word today, we ask for Your wisdom and guidance. Illuminate our minds and hearts so that we may grasp the truths You have for us in this passage. Help us not to be like Felix, putting off the important decisions of faith. Instead, may we have the courage to respond immediately to Your call, living lives of righteousness and self-control, always mindful of the judgment to come. This we ask in the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

Transition. So, friends, are you ready? Are you ready to engage with the word of God, to be challenged, and perhaps even transformed? Let us then, with humble hearts and open minds, turn our attention to the story of Felix and the lessons it holds for us today.

Felix's Forgotten Future

In this passage, we meet Felix, a man who is presented with the profound truths of righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment. Yet, despite the gravity of these truths, Felix chooses to postpone his decision, effectively forgetting about his future. This is a situation that many of us can relate to, as we often find ourselves putting off important decisions, especially those that require us to confront uncomfortable truths about ourselves and our lives.

The first aspect we need to consider is Felix's encounter with Paul. Paul, a man who had experienced a radical transformation through his encounter with Christ, was not shy about sharing the truths of the gospel. He spoke to Felix about righteousness, a standard of living that aligns with God's holy nature. And he spoke about the judgment to come, a reality that all of us will have to face. Yet, despite the urgency of these truths, Felix chose to delay his decision.

This brings us to the second aspect, the decision that Felix postponed. The decision to accept or reject the truths of the gospel is perhaps the most important decision that any of us will ever make. It's a decision that has eternal implications. Yet, Felix, like many of us, chose to put off this decision. He told Paul, "When I find it convenient, I will send for you." In other words, Felix was saying, "I'll deal with this later. I'll think about it when it's more convenient for me."

This leads us to the third aspect, the convenience of procrastination. Procrastination is a trap that many of us fall into. It's so easy to say, "I'll do it later," especially when the task at hand is challenging or uncomfortable. But the danger of procrastination is that it can cause us to forget about the important things in life. In Felix's case, he forgot about his future. He forgot about the coming judgment that Paul had warned him about.

Finally, we need to consider the consequences of Felix's forgotten future. The Bible doesn't tell us what ultimately happened to Felix. We don't know if he ever made a decision about the truths that Paul shared with him. But we do know that Felix's decision to postpone his decision had serious implications. He missed out on the opportunity to respond to the gospel, to experience the transformation that comes from a relationship with Christ.

In our own lives, we often find ourselves in Felix's shoes. We're presented with the truths of the gospel, but instead of making a decision, we choose to postpone it. We tell ourselves, "I'll deal with this later. I'll think about it when it's more convenient." But the danger of this approach is that we can easily forget about our future. We can forget about the coming judgment. We can forget about the importance of living a life of righteousness and self-control.

Folly of Procrastination

We now find ourselves amid a narrative that is as much about the human condition as it is about the individual characters ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO