At A More Convenient Time

Acts 24:24-25:1

24 And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.

25 And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come Felix trembled, and answered, go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.

26 He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: wherefore he sent for him the oftener and communed with him.

27 But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.

Introduction:

The Apostles were no different than we are they had their difficulties convincing people of their need for Christ. The difference today is that we are not arrested in this country for preaching for the mere fact that we don’t preach as hard, neither do we try as hard as these men did to convince people they need Jesus.

Religious people today are no different today as they were in the days of the Apostles, once someone is indoctrinated with something they don’t care to learn anything different even if they suspect they are wrong.

Jesus reasoned with the people and the religious people of his days and tried to show them that he was sent from God to bring deliverance to them.

But listen they didn’t like the plan he had, they imagined in their mind that a great King would come with a mighty army and conquer the Roman army.

They thought they knew the laws of God but listen to this scripture.

Zechariah 9:9-10

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just and having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

10 And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem and the battle bow shall be cut off: and he shall speak peace unto the heathen: and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea and from the river even to the ends of the earth.

· People want to serve God but at their convenience,

· God wants them to come while there is still time to come.

Disobedience is described as an act to disobey.

It doesn’t matter what you ask someone to do if they a mind to they will and if not they won’t.

They have a tendency to disobey to completely ignore a request.

Jesus spoke of this in a parable of two sons in:

Matt 21:28-31

28 But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first and said, Son, go work today in my vineyard.

29 He answered and said I will not: but afterward he repented and went.

30 And he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.

31 Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, the first. Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, “that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.”

Can you imagine being lost and a harlot take your place in the kingdom?

When you ask people to do something they say “ok I’ll take care of it,” but then later when asked why they didn’t do it they give the excuse, “I forgot.” Does that release us from our responsibilities?

Matt 21:31-32—The living bible

Then Jesus explained his meaning: “Surely evil men and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom before you do.

32 For John the Baptist told you to repent and turn to God and you wouldn’t, while very evil men and prostitutes did. And even when you saw this happening, you refused to repent and so you couldn’t believe.

We don’t have time to slow down we are racing the rapture and while we are trying to figure it out, you ask yourself do I want to make the necessary changes, Jesus appears and we are wondering why we waited.

While people are basing their salvation on what Daddy and mamma and Grandma and Grandpa believed, they die lost.

Salvation is not based on what others have done but what you do according to the Bible not man’s definition of God’s word.

1. While mankind is working trying to get the right Spirit they die lost.

2. While man is living on his feelings and can’t get anything from God.

3. It’s a shame that people would rather die lost than to admit they are wrong

· People keep waiting for a convenient time and it never comes.

· They keep waiting for the right opportunity to make things right and never do.

· They keep waiting for God to speak because we are human we hate to be wrong.

Hell breaks loose in our families, nothing seems to go right, everything we try to do doesn’t work, no matter how hard we pray or fast we can’t feel the presence of God.

We keep pretending we keep trying to worship, we keep trying to fast but to no avail, we are waiting for a convenient time it hasn’t arrived and really we know it never will.

But never the less we wait, Paul reasoned with Felix and his wife of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come Felix trembled and answered, Go thy way for this time; “when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”

He was saying, not now Paul, I believe I’m wrong, I know I need to accept Christ, I know I need to repent I know I need a change, but at a convenient time!

He was saying as so many others are saying “I hate to let people know I am wrong,” maybe in a secret place we can meet and no one will know it, no one will hear me admit I am wrong.

I’m here to tell you, God wants us to humble ourselves in his presence, when we do that we are telling the Lord what Paul said in “Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

I have watched for weeks how some of you are struggling, I see you fighting just to be in church and wishing there was some easy way to just go somewhere and hide and to be just left alone.

· You are thinking I can figure this out but it’s not working, you mouth repents but your heart not in it.

· You know you are dying spiritually but you can’t seem to shake it, being around people bothers you.

· You try to seclude yourself and you find God tugging and pulling and conviction is all over you but Satan is saying to your flesh “No I can’t do this anymore.”

· You thinking maybe somewhere else, maybe I can escape if I can just get a new start but you’ve tried that it hasn’t worked.

Once again you are trapped inside a body of confusion and your convenient season still hasn’t come, you blame everyone but the one who is rebelling, the one who refuse to surrender wholly unto the Lord. That someone is you!

Marriages die because no one wants to admit the problem may just be me!

Relationships with family are torn apart because no one wants to admit that the problem may just be me.

Churches die because people don’t want to admit it’s not God, it’s not the Pastor, it’s not the people, it’s me. I need to make a change, I need to repent, rededicate myself and be humble enough to say God it’s me that stands in the need of prayer and forgiveness.

But Felix said “when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”

Records never show where Felix, or Agrippa, nor their families ever found that convenient season to repent. And if not they are paying the ultimate price for their mistakes.

God help us for today it is a convenient time to say yes to God.