In Peter Allison's sermon titled 'A Pawn's Life,' he delves into Acts Chapter 24, focusing on the relationship between Paul and the Roman governor Felix. Felix, who is portrayed as a master manipulator, keeps Paul in custody to curry favor with the Jews and potentially receive a bribe. Despite the manipulation, God's plan unfolds, providing Paul a period of rest and protection. Paul, although imprisoned, uses his situation to influence Felix and Drusilla by reasoning with them about righteousness, self-control, and judgment. The sermon underscores the dangers of manipulation, the importance of proper influence arising from sincere motives, and the significance of self-control. It concludes with a warning against procrastination in accepting God's grace, emphasizing the urgent necessity of repentance and faith in Christ.

Acts chapter 24, we will begin our reading at verse 22 to the end. But when Felix heard these things, having a more accurate knowledge of the way, he adjoined the proceedings and said, When Lysias, the commander, comes down, I will make a decision on your case. So he commanded the centurion to keep Paul and to let him have liberty, and told him not to forbid any of his friends to provide for or visit him. And after some days when Felix came with his wife Drusilla who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. Now as he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, Go away, for now when I have a convenient time I will call for you.

Meanwhile he also hoped that money would be given him by Paul that he might release him therefore He sent for him more often and conversed with him, but after two years Porteous Festus succeeded Felix and Felix wanting to do the Jews a favor left Paul bound May we long for His commandments as one who pants with an open mouth longs for air. Our Almighty Heavenly Father, You have given us Your Word that we can read them, that we can hear them, that we can understand it. And we ask that we may take in Your Word and digest it, not just to know it, but to live it, to obey it. And I ask that you would sanctify me that through a vessel of clay, through a sinful vessel, the riches of your grace might be brought to us this morning through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Well, there is a right way and a wrong way to move people to do what we would like them to do. Manipulation is by definition an unbiblical and sinful, a wrong means, a wrong way of controlling or influencing people to do what we would like them to do. Now what is sinful and what is proper depend to some extent on the context and the relationship between the people. For example a parent commanding A child to do something is not manipulation. But a child telling the parent what to do or not do is manipulation.

One is a lawful means of moving or influencing somebody to do something, and the other is an unlawful means. Neither is it manipulation to urge someone to be obedient to the Word of God, unless of course it's being done for ulterior motives, for wrong purposes. But God can still and does still bring good out of that even when it is done for wrong reasons. You see, manipulation is an attempt to move other people so as to have our own way. And it's wrong even if what we want is not in itself sinful.

Proper influence arises from a sincere desire and motive of seeing Christ glorified. It arises from a sincere love of God and a love of our neighbor that seeks what is best for them. For them. That's what love is. Desiring what is best for our neighbor.

Love of the Lord is desiring what glorifies Him. Of course, much interpersonal tension arises from the attempts of one party to manipulate or sinfully move another party to do something. Political intrigue arises from people's attempts to manipulate a situation by sinfully influencing people to do what they want them to do. And children are often good manipulators. Sometimes even parents can be manipulators.

If you have to repeat your words before your children obey them, they're manipulating you. If you have to answer why to everything that you ask them to do, they're manipulating you. If you have to justify your decisions to them. If you've grown weary of talking about certain things because of all the pushback, if you walk away from discussions with your children feeling guilty over what you wanted them to do, They're manipulating you. If you find yourself changing your discipline simply because they are appealing to you, it's likely they are manipulating you.

If you find yourself defending your positions to them, they are definitely manipulating you. If you get frustrated because they're beyond your control, then they're manipulating you. If you get sidetracked by their distractions, especially when you seek to correct them. If that's manipulation, if your children are telling you what you should or shouldn't do for other than biblical reasons. They are...

It's manipulation. If they want something from you and they try to get it from you without telling you directly what it is that they want. That's manipulation. If they can play on your emotions to get what they want, that's manipulation. If you hesitate to say no to them because of what they might do or say, or that's...

They're manipulating you. If they continue to plead and cajole to have their way after you've denied an appeal the first time. That's manipulation. If they're more disobedient and disrespectful when you're going to be embarrassed, then they are when their behavior won't embarrass you. And that's manipulation.

And Felix is a master manipulator. When Paul has finished his defense, He abruptly ends this trial. Last week, we looked at Paul's very successful defense against the case that Tertullus and his clients had brought. We know that because of what Felix did and the reasons, we know it was a successful defense because of what Felix did and the reasons for what he did. In his defense, you remember, Paul had refuted the charges brought against him and had then offered a probable motive for the accusations of the Jews.

And that's a significant part of a good defense. Jurors naturally look for a motive behind the actions of a defendant. And if no motive is supplied or provided, they will assume one based on what they know, however sketchy that knowledge might be. It's just natural to want to put a motive to what we see people doing. Because the natural assumption is that people would not go to all the trouble and expense of bringing charges if there wasn't some basis for it.

It's the natural assumption. And so Paul does offer an explanation for what was driving the Jews. He suggests that the real problem is that the Jews have a different view of the resurrection of the dead and that this doctrinal question and their rejection of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, that's the real source of the conflict. And right at that moment, Felix jumps in and adjourns a trial. And we're told that the reason he did this is that he had a more accurate knowledge of the way.

He understood what Paul was saying. It made perfect sense to him. And so with the letter from Lysias, exonerating Paul, remember the commander wrote this letter and said he was basically an innocent, with Paul's very competent defense, and with a complete lack of evidence, of any evidence from the Jews, Felix should have ruled Paul not guilty on the spot and released him. But he wanted to keep Paul around for a few reasons. First, it would irritate the Jews to release Paul.

They wanted Paul. They wanted Paul back in Jerusalem. And he didn't want to give the Jews another reason to dislike him, especially if he wasn't going to get anything in return. And like the manipulative politician that he was, he didn't want to do something that would be unpopular if it didn't have some payoff for him. He might be willing to do something unpopular if it achieved a goal, but this releasing Paul was going to make him, be something the Jews didn't like, and it would make him unpopular, it would be a mark against him in their book, and he didn't want that.

And his personal benefit, you see, at this point was more important than his responsibility to him at that point, was more important to him than rendering justice. His own personal benefit was more important than justice. But he also had a second reason for his holding Paul that also stands to benefit him. He thought Paul could be a useful bargaining pawn to extract some money. Paul likely claimed from a wealthy, or at least a very prominent family.

He was born a citizen. He studied under the best rabbis. He held a seat on the Sanhedrin. And being born a citizen, he probably came from a prominent family, to be the natural assumption. Being able to go to Jerusalem and study there.

And so he hoped, he kind of expected that this family, or Paul, would be willing to spend money to earn, to get his freedom. And in fact later on it says that he called for Paul often to talk to him, even if Paul was going to talk about the Gospel, because he thought that increasing this interaction and appearing to be like a good guy, Paul might be more willing to give him money, and that's what he wanted. So he's manipulating the situation to try and get money. And so that's why rather than make the obvious ruling of not guilty, he abruptly adjourns the trial without rendering a verdict claiming that Lyceus, he needs Lyceus to come and to testify. Now this, I think, was an insincere excuse to justify not freeing Paul.

And it's, I think, obvious from the fact that over the next two years he never called Lyceus up to testify. He wasn't ever planning to call Lyceus up to testify. It's just political corruption, plain and simple. But it's also brilliant. Because Tertullus himself had suggested that the truth of his claims could be determined by examination of Lyceus.

So this non-decision here, or this decision not to render a verdict and keep Paul until Lyceus can come. That's exactly what Tertullus himself had suggested. So he could just claim, I'm taking Tertullus's advice and going to wait for Lyceus to come, and so I can't render a verdict. And so he adjourns the trial. But I think as a token compensation to Paul, he grants him great liberty, full liberty, of the praetorium.

That's his Herod's Praetorium, where Felix was. This is basically the palace. So this is a nice building. And he's giving Paul full liberty in this building. And he instructs the centurion that Paul can have friends and that they can bring him support.

So he's giving Paul more or less a vacation, a paid vacation in this place. The only thing he can't do is leave it, but it's a nice place to be. And I think he's also maybe thinking that if he treats Paul really well like this, and he calls for Paul, he talks to him, they'll be more likely to give him some money for his release. Plus also, Paul is after all a Roman citizen. And it's maybe a justification or a compensation in his mind that it's a slightly less egregious violation of Paul's rights if he gives him this freedom, liberty in the praetorium.

At least maybe in his own mind it helped to minimize the guilt he may have felt from his unjust treatment. And so Paul has kept this prisoner for two years until Felix actually gets recalled because of his brutality, extreme brutality of the Jews. The Jews did not like him and he put down a rebellion very very severely cruelly and he finally gets recalled back to Rome and to Festus comes and takes his place but He's still wanting to manipulate the situation and doesn't let Paul go because he wants to curry favor with the Jews so that he can maybe get some testimony or something from them. But this, you see, provides a respite for Paul. The past 20 years have been very hard.

He catalogs all that he's been through these past years in a couple different places. And so God is giving Paul a rest here. It's an ideal rest. Everybody has to go away at night. You can't bother him all night.

He is a prisoner after all. So he gets his sleep. It's a beautiful building. He gets full liberty to use it, to have friends. And so God is working His plan.

God is working His plan. Not only in Paul's life, but in many other people as well. We mentioned earlier that no, or I mentioned earlier, that no mention is made of any help for Paul at the trial. I wasn't quite sure enough to mention it last week, but I think a little more looking. I believe that when he told Timothy, in 2 Timothy 4.16, that at my defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me, may it not be charged against them, I believe that He's referring to this trial before Felix.

He goes on to say, But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles may hear. Also, I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. I think there's a very, this description that Paul gives to Timothy perfectly fits this trial. There is no mention of any help there, but the Lord did strengthen him. The gospel was preached to these Gentiles, and God delivered him out of the grips of the Jews.

They wanted to take him back to Jerusalem, where he could be executed more easily. And God delivered him. God protected him with Lysias rescuing him when they were trying to kill him and brought him to Caesarea and then God worked in Felix to keep him in prison. I mean, if he had let him go, they could have more easily killed him. But here he is protected by the Roman legions inside Herod's Praetorium.

This is the headquarters of the army. So what safer place could there be for Paul? And so God's protecting him from the Jews. And that's what he says. The Lord was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

When he was in Jerusalem and he was seized in the temple, he was helpless there, physically speaking. But God has delivered him out of the mouth of that lion. Also, a lot of the context in 1st and 2nd Timothy 4 pertains to circumstances with various people and various cities that fit very well with his trip from, started out in Ephesus, went to Corinth, went up and then came down to Macedonia and then came down through Troas to Jerusalem. He says, and we looked at that trip, he talks about a cloak that he left at Troas, a helper who stayed in Corinth, a trophomus that he left in Miletus. And these are all cities that he visited on his recent trip to Jerusalem.

And so everyone deserts him, but the Gospels preach to the Gentiles. But the Christians are also strengthened through this. And This is what Paul says in his letter to the Philippians. He says, but I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me... And I believe he's talking about all the events that happened after he arrived in Jerusalem.

The things that have happened to me, because I believe that He wrote these letters, these so-called prison epistles, from his time at the Praetorium. He says, but I want you to know that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the Gospel. So that it has become evident to the whole palace guard and to all the rest that my chains are in Christ and most of the brethren in the Lord having become confident by my chains are more bold to speak the word without fear. Now palace guard there is praetorio, the praetorium That's the same word that was used in Acts 23 verse 35, the previous chapter, where Felix commanded that Paul be kept, inherits praetorium. It's exact, Paul uses the exact same word.

And so I think in this Philippians passage, Paul is referring to his trial here in Caesarea before Felix. God used this trial, God used this affliction in Paul's life to help Christians get over their fear of witnessing to Gentiles and to speak the word to those who are outside the church. See, they saw Paul. And they saw Paul's steadfastness. They saw his example, and they were encouraged and strengthened, Paul said.

They've become much more bold to speak the Word without fear. And so this is good. And Paul is praising God to the Philippians for the things that he has done in his life that have worked out for the better. He goes on to them. He says, Some preach Christ even from envy and strife.

So he just said the Christians are more bold to speak the word. He says, Some preach Christ from envy and strife, and some also from good will. The former preached Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely supposing to add affliction to my change, but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel." See, Paul is recognizing that he is an instrument in the Lord's hands. And if God wants him to be in prison for a couple years, the Lord is bringing good out of that. This is an opportunity to write These letters.

This is an opportunity to minister to these people here. This was an occasion where the Christians had become emboldened. And so he says, what then? Only that in whatever way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice." So Paul's not disgruntled at the Lord or angry at the Lord because of these trials or these injustices that he's facing or this two-year imprisonment when he should be set free. He's saying, I rejoice in this.

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Christ Jesus. According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death." Paul is saying, I am willing, pawn, instrument, in the Lord's hands. For me to live is Christ and to die is gain, but if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor. Yet what I choose I cannot tell, for I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in the flesh is more needful for you." He's willing to be used as a pawn in the advancement of Christ's Kingdom and in the proclamation of the Gospel.

He's a willing pawn. He's an able pawn. For him, it would be better to die. He recognizes for me to die is gain. But it's more needful for you that I stay.

And so he says, in being confident in this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you for all your progress and joy of faith, that your rejoicing for me may be more abundant in Jesus Christ by my coming to you again." Now, we've seen Felix try to manipulate the situation, to get what he wants, to benefit himself. And part of this manipulation that we saw was for him to send for Paul to hear more about the way. And Paul comes and came and spoke with him about the faith in Christ. And Felix brought his wife, it says, Drusilla. And Luke said that he did this frequently.

He called for him frequently, hoping for a bribe. So he's trying to manipulate the situation. But Paul also seeks to influence and move Felix. But he does so with righteous means and with a righteous goal. He wants to see Felix and Drusilla repent and believe.

See, both a righteous means and a righteous goal are necessary. Using misleading means to witness to people about the Gospel is manipulation. And it's wrong. Paul uses no pretenses to gain an audience with Felix. Felix sent for him, and he brought his wife.

And she was an exceptionally beautiful young lady, maybe as young as 20. And her beauty set up some tension between her and her sister Bernice, who shows up in the next chapter, who was not apparently as beautiful. And Felix had enticed Drusilla to leave her first husband. This is another example of Felix's manipulation. And so Paul here is speaking before two manipulative fornicators.

But he speaks directly to them about their condition, reasoning with them about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come. There's no misleading, there's no sub-drefuges, there's no manipulation. But he's definitely seeking to influence them and to move them to repent and to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ Because he has a righteous goal and he's using righteous means The law he reasons with them This is not preaching as much as it's a dialogue. He's not proclaiming to them Christ's obedience and His sacrifice. He's reasoning with them about righteousness, the self-control, and the judgment to come.

Righteousness pertains to the law, our responsibility. And Luke doesn't say all that he, what laws he actually talked to them about. But I would imagine it had to do with the laws that they were most guilty of breaking. Adultery. Brutality.

Injustice as a ruler, as a judge. Paul is reasoning with him about righteousness. That's how Paul describes the Gospel in the book of Romans. He says in Romans 1, For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek For in it for in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith as it is written The just shall live by faith For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness." He's talking, he's reasoning with him about righteousness, this law that God has given. And I imagine that He's speaking directly of the laws that are most needed in Felix and Drusilla's life.

Which means there's a certain boldness there. And I say that because of the reaction that he gets. If Paul was talking about laws that were not necessarily relevant to them in that context of their life, I don't think he would have gotten the same response as He did. The second thing He talks about, so He's talking to them about the standard. The standard, that's righteousness, keeping the law.

And of course, the Gospel is that Christ is our righteousness. He's become the righteousness of God for us. And it's imputed to us. But I think his focus here is not to proclaim that to them, not to teach them, but to reason with them about the laws about God's law. But he also then talks to them about self-control.

Self-control is literally strength within. For example, it's used to describe the ability to control one's weeping, like Joseph in the presence of his brothers. It's used of the ability to discipline our body in food or in strength and endurance training of the physical body. It's the ability to control our passions, to be angry and not sin. So it's an inward spiritual strength.

Self-control is what we have to exercise to obey the law of God. As a fruit of the Spirit, it's an inward power through the work of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to control ourselves so that we can form our thoughts and our words and our actions to the law of God, even in the face of external circumstances that might provoke us to walk contrary to God's will. It's an inward power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to conform our thoughts and our words and our actions even in the face of inward passions and temptations that are tempting us to sin. Proverbs 25, 28 says, He who has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls." See without self-control we are defenseless against the desires of our flesh and the allurement of the world. It's like an ancient city would be without walls.

Today we might say he who has no rule over his own spirit is like a country without a border control. It's like an army without guns or ammunition. It's like a navy without battleships. It's like a citizenry without arms. We're utterly helpless against anyone who has evil intents and designs for us as a person or for our land.

And it's an even greater strength than the physical conquering of a city, which takes a lot of strength, but he who rules his own spirit is mightier than he who conquers a city. And many of the works of the flesh are a direct Lack of self-control. Think of in Galatians 5, the works of the flesh are evident, which are adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contention, Jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, erythia, dissensions, heresies, envies, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like. It's a long list of things. Many of them focus on various areas where there's a lack of self-control.

The area of speech. That tongue is like a flaming fire that sets a forest on fire. And it's hard to control. James says no one can rule it. And there are a number of things there in that list of the works of the flesh that deal with the tongue.

Or anger. When we are angry, our passions are aroused and we are more prone to sin. Scripture warns against sinning in our anger. Psalm 4, be angry and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still.

We can also sin, so that's a warning against sinning in just anger when our passions are aroused. But we can also stand in unjust anger. Again, a lack of self-control. Unjust anger is often the result of our not getting what we want. And so when we aren't in control of the situation, when the outcome is not what we want, a lack of self-control can result in an outburst of anger.

Outbursts of wrath, contentions, dissensions, selfish ambition, hatred, murder, are all evidences of a lack of self-control to a greater or lesser degree. And some of them are also part of the speeches or the tongue. Alcohol is another area in food where self-control is necessary. Paul said, do not be drunk with wine, which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. And sexual passion is another area where self-control is vital.

The works of the flesh that arise from lack of self-control, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness. So Paul here is saying he's talking to Felix and Drusilla about self-control, about the need to conform our thoughts and our actions to the law of God. That's what he's bringing under it, that we are obligated to obey these laws. And we can't do it on our own power. And then thirdly, he discusses with them, reasons with them, the judgment to come.

This part of the Gospel that the wrath of God is revealed against all unrighteousness. So he's explaining not only are we obligated to obey the law, but there are consequences for our failure to obey the law. He is appointed unto men once to die and after this to judgment. You may have talked about even every idle word we will be called to give an account for. So Paul is pressing home with him the consequences of his lack of self-control regarding the law, God's law.

You see, he is here giving to him the Gospel because the grace of God, the righteousness of Christ means nothing to somebody who is unaware of the judgment to come, to somebody who has no self-control and thinks that they are not obligated in any way to obey God's law, or who is completely ignorant of the law that they have broken. See, what Paul is doing here is giving him the Gospel, but he only gets to this first part, because Felix becomes afraid. It's not repentance. It is a response. See, repentance, because repentance not only involves a true sense of our sins, but it also requires apprehending, laying hold of, recognizing of God's mercy in Christ.

And Felix never does that. He's afraid, And he ends the discussion and dismisses Paul from his audience. But he never apprehends, he never lays hold of the mercy of God in Christ. As we said a little bit earlier today, by the grace of repentance, sinners out of a sight and sense not only of the danger, so he has the danger, he has a sense of danger, Paul's talked to him about the judgment, but also the filthiness and odiousness of our sins. He's talked to him about self-control and his lack of it.

And as contrary to the holy nature and righteous law of God, he's talked to him about righteousness. So you see, He's talked to him about those three things, and it has produced a fear. But repentance is not only those things, but also the apprehension of His mercy in Christ, who such as are penitent and so grieve and hate our sins, so as to turn from them unto God, purposing and endeavoring to walk with Him in all the ways of His commandments. What Felix received was a striving grace. The Lord was gracious to him.

He gave him favor that was not owed to Him in bringing Paul to Him and having the Gospel given to Him, having the law explained to Him, having the necessity of self-control, the necessity of obeying the law explained to Him, having the judgment to come explained to Him. And reasoning implies maybe even answering questions. There's a dialogue. That's grace. That's striving grace, but it's not saving grace.

And the warning this morning is not to be like Felix, to procrastinate, to put off apprehending the grace of God in Jesus Christ, His mercy. Felix thought that he could avoid again, just like he avoided the decision in Paul's trial. He thought he could avoid a decision when Paul gave to him the Gospel. But we can't. And it's a great danger, brothers and sisters, to procrastinate.

Because as we just saw this past couple weeks, we never know when our lives will end. We never know when the day of grace is over. God will not strive forever. There comes a time when there is no more grace. That day closes.

And while we have life, it is a day of grace. And God forgives all those who lay hold of His mercy in Christ, who grieve and hate their sin, and turn from them. So brothers and sisters, if you've grown up in the church, or all your life have heard these things, but procrastinated, thinking that you can do that later, you can have your fun now, you can be free now, and later you can Settle down. Later you can do this. This is a warning.

It's a warning. Don't procrastinate. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your grace. Thank You for Your grace that is greater than all of our sin, for your favor that brings to us the Gospel in our chains, in our blindness and darkness.

We thank you for the work of your Spirit that convicts us of sin, that teaches us and instructs us in Your law. And for the work of Your Spirit that gives to us that inward power to conform our passions and our thoughts and our words and our actions to the standard of your righteousness. We thank you Lord for The victory and the power of your resurrection that enabled the Holy Spirit to come, an ascension that enabled the Holy Spirit to come. We pray that we may live in the victory of that ascension. And in the power of the Spirit.

We ask Lord for your saving grace that would enable us to apprehend, to lay hold of, to take What you offer through Jesus Christ. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.