0414. The First Result of Paul's Preaching–Felix Trembled
The First Result of Paul’s Preaching–Felix Trembled
"And as he reasoned of righteousness, self-control and judgment to come, Felix trembled" (Act_24:25).
Felix was a man of this world. He himself was a judge, accustomed to put fear into the marrow of those who stood before him to be judged. This time the prisoner caused the judge to tremble.
We must remember here, that not all who realize their sin, not all who tremble under the throes of conviction, are saved. Pharaoh, and Balaam, and Saul, the son of Kish, and Achan, and Judas, all trembled and cried, "I have sinned;" but none of them sorrowed with a Godly sorrow, and none of them realized the salvation which is by faith in Christ.
We have seen many lost sinners deeply convicted of sin, we have heard their groans and beheld their travailings, and we have seen these selfsame sinners turn away from Christ, unwilling to count the cost, unwilling to turn from their sins, and unwilling to follow their Saviour. What is sadder than to see one almost saved, but lost?
Illustration: A young woman of our acquaintance was under the deepest throes of conviction. Night after night she came forward, and knelt at the altar, weeping over her sins. One night she plead with us to spend the night at her father’s home, that we might aid her in her quest for peace. We went to her home, and with her Christian father and mother sitting by, we gave forth the Word of Life. The young woman seemed consumed with grief; she literally trembled, and yet, she refused the gift of God. The last we knew of her she was still without God and without hope in the world.
Felix trembled, he knew his sin, he understood the way to be saved, but he would not yield, nor receive Christ as his Saviour.
Usually, there is one dominating sin that keeps the unsaved away from God.
In the case of Felix, it was, perhaps, his wife Drusilla. She being a Jewess, scoffed the message of Paul. She scorned her husband for his trembling and spiritual concern.
In the case of Herod, it was Herodias; in the case of the rich young ruler, it was his riches, and love of wealth. Alas, when a man is under conviction until he trembles, and then he allows some one, or some condition of circumstances to hinder his standing forth for God, he is in utmost danger of being lost.
In the case of certain men described in the 12th chapter of John’s Gospel, the thing that hindered was the fear of the Pharisees, for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. Remember, that one can tremble, and yet be lost.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR