A CONVENIENT TIME

Acts 24:24-27
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 [NKJV time], 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.

I. NO ONE KNOWS HOW MUCH TIME REMAINS FOR ANYONE.

A. We know not what shall be tomorrow.
1. James 4:13-17 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue
there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For
what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your
boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it
is sin.

2. 2 Peter 3:8-12 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a
thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some
men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also
and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,
what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting
unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat?

B. Priorities must be established.

1. Matt 6:31-34 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly
Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow:
for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

2. Matt 25:31-40 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then
shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall
separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the
sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand,
Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye
took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto
me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or
thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed
thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say
unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,
ye have done it unto me.
II. THE CALL TO OBEDIENCE IS IMMEDIATE.
A. When is the time to respond?
1. 2 Cor 6:1-2 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of
God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I
succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

2. Heb 3:12-15 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing
from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day ; lest any of you be
hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the
beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; While it is said, To day if ye will hear his
voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

B. What does Jesus Christ expect of us?

1. Matt 4:18-20 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and
Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me,
and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

C. Should there be an urgency to hear the word?

1. Acts 10:1-9
1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band,
2 A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to
God alway.
3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying
unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and
thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter:
6 He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to
do.
7 And when the angel which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants,
and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually;
8 And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa.
9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop
to pray about the sixth hour:

D. Should there be an urgency to preach the word?

1. 2 Tim 4:2-4 Preach the word; be instant in season , out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all
longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away
their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

2. Acts 10:28-29 And he [Peter] said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a
man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shewed me
that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore came I unto you without
gainsaying, as soon as I was sent for: I ask therefore for what intent ye have sent for me?
 3. Acts 9:17-20 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him
said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent
me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell
from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. And
when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which
were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of
God.

E. Exactly how great is urgency to obey the gospel?

1. Acts 16:27-33
27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his
sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.
29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,
30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all
his, straightway.