134
Acts 24:24-26  PAULS HEARING BEFORE FELIX AND DRUSILLA 

Introduction:

	In this text the Apostle Paul is brought for the second time before Felix, 
the governor of Judea, for a hearing.  However, this time the Jewish leaders 
were not present.  Rather it was his wife, Drusilla, who was present.  

I.  Paul, called to appear before Felix and Drusilla

	V. 24, “And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, 
which was a Jewess..” 
	Whereas Felix was a Roman, his wife, Drusilla, was a Jew.  According to 
the Jewish historian, Josephus, Drusilla was the daughter of Herod Agrippa I.  
He was the Herod who had ordered the execution of the Apostle James.  He had 
also ordered the imprisonment of the Apostle Peter with the intend of executing 
him.  He did this to please the Jews.  This indicates that Herod Agrippa 
himself, the father of Drusilla, may have been married to a Jewish woman.  Herod 
Agrippa was not a Jew, but his daughter, Drusilla,  was a Jew so therefore, her 
mother must have been a Jew.  This would explain why Herod Agrippa was so 
willing to execute James in order to please the Jews and was anxious to execute 
Simon Peter in order to please the Jews.  He was married to a Jew.    
	According to Josephus, Drusilla had originally been married to Azizus, 
king of Edessa.  However, Felix, who was so struck by the beauty of Drusilla 
that he  persuaded her to leave her husband and marry him.  
	Since Drusilla was a Jew we can be sure that she had heard much about 
Jesus.  All Jews had heard about Jesus and about the many marvelous miracles 
which He had performed.  It is possible that she had talked with someone who had 
witnessed one or more of the miracles which Jesus had done or, perhaps, had seen 
someone whom Jesus had healed.
	Drusilla must have also known that her father, Herod Agrippa, had executed 
one of the leading followers of Jesus and had arrested another.  She, perhaps, 
had heard about Simon Peter being mysteriously set free from the prison.  So 
Drusilla was curious about Paul and about the Christians and she persuaded her 
husband, Felix, to call the Apostle Paul in for a second hearing..  
	Therefore, at his wife’s request, Felix sent for the Apostle Paul and had 
him brought in for this second hearing.  (V. 24), “...he sent for Paul, and 
heard him concerning the faith in Christ.”  Please note that the purpose of this 
second hearing was not to determine the fate of the Apostle Paul, but it was to 
satisfy the curiosity of his wife concerning Christianity.  She wanted Paul, who 
was a noted leader in the Christian work, to explain to her more about Jesus and 
more about Christianity.   Luke does not tell us whether or not she was 
interested in getting saved or whether she just wanted to know more about the 
miracles that Jesus and His followers had performed.  Perhaps she hoped that 
Paul, himself, would perform a miracle in her presence so that she could 
personally witness one of the spectacular events.  

II.  Paul’s witness to Felix and Drusilla

	(V. 25), “And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to 
come...”  It is interesting to note that Paul did not take advantage of this 
appearance before Felix to make an appeal for his freedom.  Rather he took 
advantage of the opportunity to present the gospel of Christ to Felix and 
Drusilla.  Keep in mind that Paul had been asked to explain more about the 
Christian faith and he was more than happy to do so.   
	Luke said that Paul reasoned to them about “righteousness.”  While we do 
not know exactly what Paul said about righteousness it is reasonable to assume 
that he explained to Felix and Drusilla that God is a righteous God and that 
God’s righteousness is 100 percent perfect righteousness.  Furthermore, he must 
have expained that God requires 100 percent perfect righteousness of every 
person who enters heaven.  No person will ever go to heaven who is not 100 
percent righteous.  It is also very likely that Paul pointed out that all have 
sinned and come short of the glory of God.  No person other than the Lord Jesus 
Christ has lived the kind of righteous life that would qualify him to enter 
heaven.  It is possible that Paul mentioned the Ten Commandments and named some 
of them which both Felix and Drusilla had obviously broken.  For instance, if he 
mentioned the 10th Commandment which said, “...thou shalt not covet thy 
neighbor’s wife...”  it would be very obvious that they were both guilty of 
breading that commandment.  Felix had sought to take the wife of Azizus and 
Drusilla had coveted Felix.  He could have mentioned the seventh commandment 
which said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery it would have been obvious that both 
were guilty.  
	Paul may have explained, however, that Jesus, the very Son of God, had 
kept all of the commandments 100 percent and that if anyone will repent of his 
sin and trust in Jesus for salvation all of that man’s sins will be forgiven and 
the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ will be credited to him.  In that way 
a guilty sinner can get the perfect righteousness that God required of him in 
order to get into heaven.    
	Luke also tells us that Paul reasoned with Felix and Drusilla about 
temperance.  The word, temperance, means “self control.”  Self control involves 
all of his action, all of his conduct, all of his deeds.  He is to exercise such 
self control that he will not do that which is sinful.  Especially when he knows 
that a particular deed is sinful, he is to exercise self control and not do that 
deed.  He is most certainly not to deliberately go ahead and commit a deed that 
he knows to be a sin.  
	It involves all of one’s thoughts.  He is not to think any sinful thought.  
He is to so exercise self control that he will not allow himself to dwell upon 
sinful thoughts.  If he even thinks a wicked thought he is guilty whether he 
commits the deed or not.  If he hats another human being he is guilty of murder 
in his heart.  If he lusts after somebody that he is not married to, he is 
guilty of adultery in his heart.  Both Felix and Drusilla were guilty.
Felix had been tempted by Drusilla and did not even try to exercise self control 
and to resist the temptation.  Drusilla apparently was tempted by the advances 
of Felix and she exercised no self control to resist his advances.  
	Luke says also that Paul reasoned with them about judgment to come.  In 
other words, Paul told both Felix and Drusilla that a payday is coming.  The 
time will surely  come when guilty sinners will stand before God and be judged.  
Just as Paul, himself, had been brought before Felix to be judged even so all 
people will come before Almighty God and be judged by Him.  In that judgment 
there will be no way for the guilty  to hide his sins.  
	Furthermore, the penalty of man’s sin will be very severe.  The guilty 
sinner will be cast into The Lake of Fire and Brimstone.  There he will suffer 
for every sin which he has committed.  He will suffer there in that fire forever 
and ever.  There will be no mercy.  There will never be any relief.  There will 
never be an end to the torment.  Once an individual enters into the flames he 
will suffer excruciating pain forever and ever.  
	Paul must have explained to Felix and Drusilla that the only way in the 
world that one can avoid being cast into the fire is to repent of his sin and 
trust in Jesus Christ.  And he must do that in this lifetime.  If he waits until 
he is in the fire it will be too late.  He will never get out.  
	They wanted to know more about the Christian way and I am sure that the 
Apostle Paul told it to them just like it is.  I am sure that he informed them 
how they could be saved and how they could avoid the fires of hell.  I am 
confident that he reasoned with them and urged them to repent of their sin and 
to call upon Jesus Christ and trust Jesus to save them from their sin.  

III.  The reaction of Felix to the message of Paul.  

	(V. 25), “...Felix trembled...”  Luke does not tell us what the reaction 
of Drusilla was.  I take this to mean that she did not tremble as Felix did.  
She did not feel any remorse for her sin.  She did not fear the judgment of God.  
She did not fear punishment for her sin.  She did not fear the fires of hell.  
She did not repent of her sin and she did not call upon the Lord to save her 
soul.  If she had gotten saved I cannot imagine Luke failing to tell us about 
it.  So I conclude that she did not get saved.  At least not at that time.  If 
Drusilla ever got saved it had to be at some later time and I doubt that she 
ever did.    
	On the other hand Felix trembled.  I can picture Drusilla sitting there 
like a stone and Felix sitting there by her trembling like a leaf.  The 
conscience of Felix was working full speed.  He knew that he was guilty before 
God and it bothered him greatly.  He knew that he would not make it to heaven in 
the spiritual condition he was in and it bothered him greatly.  He knew that he 
was unprepared to stand before God in judgment and it bothered him greatly.  He 
was afraid of going into the fires o hell and it bothered him greatly.  He 
trembled like a leaf.  
	But for some reason that I do not fully understand Felix did not repent of 
his sins and he did not trust in Jesus Christ to save his soul.  At least not at 
that time he didn’t and I fear that he never did.  (V. 25), “...and answered, Go 
thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”  
	Why did Felix not trust Jesus and get saved right then and there?  I 
confess that I do not know.  Here are some of the possible answers.  It could 
have been because he feared criticism from his wife or from others.  He 
especially may have feared criticism from the Jews, whom he knew to be enemies 
of Paul.  It could have been that he enjoyed a sinful lifestyle and did not wish 
to turn from the pleasures of sin.  It may have been because, as we will learn 
from verse 26, he was more interested in trying to get bribe money from Paul 
than he was in getting saved.  He was hoping that Paul would offer to pay bribe 
money to let him go free.  V. 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.”  He even repeatedly sent for Paul to come 
before him hoping to get Paul to pay him bribe money.  
	
IV.  Some important things for us to take notice of 

	We should note that Felix was very much aware that he needed to be saved.  
He was aware that he was a sinner and that spiritually he was not prepared to 
die.  He knew that he would face judgment unprepared and that he needed to get 
prepared.  He was afraid to the point that he trembled uncontrollably in the 
presence of Paul.  
	Felix was aware that it would be to his advantage to become a Christian.  
He was convinced that the gospel message which he heard from the Apostle Paul 
would take care of his spiritual need.  He was persuaded that he could avoid 
everlasting punishment by turning to the Christ that Paul preached.  He was 
persuaded that his sins would be forgiven and that he would be welcomed into the 
portals of glory to spend eternity with God.  He was persuaded that Jesus Christ 
was the answer to his soul’s need.  
	Felix really wanted to get right with God.  He wanted his sins to be 
forgiven.  He wanted to get prepared for judgment before God.  He wanted to go 
to heaven.  He wanted to stay out of the everlasting fires of torment.  
	Felix was almost persuaded to turn to Jesus and call out to Jesus for 
mercy on his soul.  He certainly wanted to get saved some day and get prepared 
to meet God before it was everlastingly too late.  He was almost persuaded to 
get this matter taken care of without any further delay.  
	But the sad truth is that he didn’t.  He did not turn to Jesus and trust 
Jesus as his Savior at that time.  Instead he put it off until some other time 
thinking --- or at least hoping --- that he would have a more convenient time.  
He thought surely that he could and would take care of this most important 
matter some other time.  But there is no indication in the Scripture that he 
ever did.  We are led to believe that he never did trust Jesus.  
	We can be sure that he never had a more convenient time.  He had one of 
God’s most noted preachers talking to him and telling him how to be saved.  What 
better time could anybody have?  He had the Holy Spirit of God convicting him of 
his sin and of his need of trusting Jesus for salvation.  What better time could 
anybody have?  He was already almost persuaded to cry out to Jesus and ask Jesus 
to save his soul.  What better time could anybody have than that?  Felix passed 
up the best opportunity that he would ever have.  He listened to the Devil’s 
lies telling him that he should wait until some other time.  

Conclusion:  
   	
	Today it is not Felix who has an opportunity to be saved.  Today that 
opportunity belongs to someone in this auditorium.  You may not have done the 
same sinful deeds that Felix did, but you aware that you are guilty sinner in 
the sight of God.  Your sin has often bothered you and it bothers you now.  You 
know that you need to get prepared to meet God.  You know that Jesus Christ is 
the answer to the needs of your soul.  You know that God sent Jesus to be that 
Savior of sinful men.  You know that God’s word tells you that Jesus will save 
you if you would call on Him and ask Him to save you.  I think you know that 
right now is the best opportunity you will ever have to stay out of hell and go 
to heaven.  It just might be last opportunity that you will ever have.  
	Do not let the Devil persuade you to put off until some other time.  Come 
now in this service and trust yourself into the hands of Jesus Christ to save 
your soul.