Introduction

  • Weekend celebration: ~3,000 participants graduating from the 10-week “Rooted” discipleship experience at Lake Pointe.
  • Upcoming evangelistic weekend: “Christmas at the Movies,” Nov 29–30, designed for guests far from God.
  • CS Lewis’s fictional dialogue in hell: the most effective lie is “There is no hurry.”
  • Transition to Acts 24: the Apostle Paul on trial before Governor Felix and his wife Drusilla—powerful, elite, yet spiritually undecided.

Scripture References

  • Acts 22–24
  • Proverbs 25:28
  • 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5
  • 1 Corinthians 7:3–5
  • Romans 12:1
  • 2 Corinthians 5:21
  • John 5:22
  • Matthew 16:27
  • Hebrews 9:27
  • Romans 14:10
  • Matthew 24:37–39
  • Isaiah 66

Key Points / Exposition

1. Righteousness: Achieved or Received?

  • Every world religion & secular philosophy views righteousness as something to earn; Christianity alone sees it as a gift to receive.
    • Islam: Five Pillars; Buddhism: Eightfold Path; Mormonism: obedience for salvation; secular humanism: activism & virtue signaling.
  • Romans says “There is no one righteous, not even one.”
  • Ten-Commandment “pop quiz” demonstrates universal guilt (adultery, murder in the heart, theft, lying).
  • Two possible paths:
    1. Achieve flawless obedience—impossible.
    2. Receive Christ’s righteousness by faith (2 Cor 5:21).

2. Self-Control: The Gatekeeper Virtue

  • Paul speaks to Felix & Drusilla’s sexual sin (adulterous relationship).
  • Principle: most destructive sins flow from lack of self-control (gluttony, addiction, gossip, greed, wrath).
  • Proverbs 25:28—person without self-control is a city with broken walls.
  • Specific cultural application:
    • Singles: any sex outside covenant marriage = porneia (1 Thess 4).
    • Marrieds: commanded not to deprive one another (1 Cor 7), yet many neglect intimacy.
  • Bodies belong to Christ (Rom 12:1); believers must “learn to control” desires, not be ruled by them.

3. The Judgment to Come

  • Felix trembles yet postpones decision: “When it is convenient I will call for you.”
  • Biblical certainties:
    1. Jesus Himself is Judge (John 5:22).
    2. Everyone will face judgment (Heb 9:27; Rom 14:10).
    3. Two distinct judgments:
      • Great White Throne—condemnation for unbelievers.
      • Bema Seat—commendation & rewards for believers (Matt 16:27).
    4. Christ’s return is certain and could interrupt ordinary life (Matt 24:37-39).
  • Historical prophecies already fulfilled (nation of Israel, Messiah’s virgin birth, 1948 statehood) assure future ones will also occur—Jesus will return.

Major Lessons & Revelations

  • Delayed obedience is disobedience; spiritual procrastination destroys souls.
  • Righteousness cannot be earned; it is imputed through faith in Christ.
  • Self-control guards every other area of holiness.
  • The final judgment is not mythological—it is certain, personal, and imminent.

Practical Application

  1. Receive Christ’s righteousness today—repent and believe the gospel.
  2. Conduct a self-control audit: identify desires (sexual, financial, verbal, appetites) where walls are down; submit them to the Spirit.
  3. Married couples: honor God by honoring marital intimacy; singles: honor God by abstaining until marriage.
  4. Live with eternity in view—invest time, resources, and testimony so you will be rewarded, not merely rescued.
  5. Invite unreached friends/family to Nov 29–30 outreach; prioritize their salvation.

Conclusion & Call to Response

  • Like Felix, many “believe in heaven and hell” yet assume there is “no hurry.”
  • Pastor’s personal story: friend Ian postponed decision, died suddenly, and is now eternally lost.
  • Urgent appeal: forgive, confess, reconcile, share the gospel, join serious discipleship—do it now, not later.
  • Video testimony of a recent Rooted graduate shown to illustrate life-changing power of immediate obedience.

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