To Delay Is Dangerous

Again a year has come to a close. It was a year filled with joy and sorrow. Also a year filled with the long-suffering of the Lord. It is a wonder that we may still be in the land of the living, when there are so many who in the past year have been taken away by the cold hand of death. They had to appear before the righteous justice of God.

What a labor of love the Lord has bestowed upon us! He gave us His Word. That Word continually called unto us that we must be converted. What have we done with this Word? Have we left it all behind us? Is the testimony of our life: no desire after the ways of the Lord? What an awful eternity that will be when all the callings of God will testify against us. Do you not know that to delay is dangerous?

You may see this in the life of Felix and Drusilla. Felix had been appointed governor over Judea. He was married for the third time. At this time, his wife’s name was Drusilla. She was a daughter of Herod who murdered the apostle James and was eaten of worms. They were people who lived in sin, yet the Lord brought them in contact with the gospel. By doing this, the Lord says that He has no desire in the death of a sinner, but that they may turn from their evil ways and live.

What a wonder of God’s grace that the Lord will yet have to do with sinners! Paul had been taken prisoner in Jerusalem. It was there that the Lord stood by him and said: “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of Me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also in Rome.” But because of the plot that was formed to kill Paul, the captain of Jerusalem, Lysias, brings him to Caeserea. There Felix was governor and would become involved in the court case of Paul. Already the first hearing had taken place. But, as yet, Felix did not give his verdict. Curiosity had taken hold of him. He had a desire to hear more about the preaching of Paul. That was why Paul was brought into the presence of Felix and his wife, so that together they might listen to the preaching of Paul. In all faithfulness, Paul as a servant of Christ, has proclaimed the Word of God unto them.

No, he did not say, I have no message for you. No matter how sinful and corrupt their life style may be, Paul said that with God, for the greatest of sinners, it was possible that their sins could be forgiven. He pointed to the holiness and justice of God, that as a sinner we cannot stand before God, but that this God was moved from within Himself and had chosen a multitude of sinners to be saved. More, that from heaven (because from this earth could be no expectation) the Lord had opened a way in His only beloved Son whereby man could be saved.

So Paul stood before them and preached the necessity of conversion, how that outside this conversion we will perish forever. No, then he did not compromise his message. The Word of the Lord says, “He reasoned of righteousness.” He preached how God is a holy, righteous God, how man lost his original righteousness and cannot stand before God. His words were as hammer blows when he spoke of the wrath of God, and being outside of it is as a burning fire.

Paul would point to the grossness of the sin in which they were living, how that they have trampled upon the ordinances of the Lord, how that in the sight of God they stood as guilty, condemned sinners, and that soon the day of God’s judgment will come when they will be judged according to their works, when their sentence must be: You must go out into outer darkness. In this way, the faithful servant of the Lord sought to move them. He spoke with soul concern for never-dying souls. He called unto them: “We pray for you in Christ’s stead; be ye reconciled to God.”

That call to conversion also comes to us. How often in the year gone by did the Lord send a message to admonish and warn? How many times did this message come to us: This is the way, walk ye in it? Did you take notice of this message? Or did you lay it aside as something that had no value in your life? Know that for certain there will come a time that the Lord will come back upon this message.

The sermon of Paul had made a deep impression upon Felix and Dru-silla. The apostle had entered with the candle of the Lord into the recesses of their bosom and disclosed all those images of wickedness which, with all the cowardice of conscious guilt, they had striven to conceal for themselves.

Of Felix it is written that he trembled. No, he does not mock with Paul’s sermon, but he becomes afraid. That in itself is still a blessing when the Word of Cod strikes fear in our heart. This means that His Word still leaves an impression. It means that we are not yet so hard and indifferent that the Word never leaves the slightest impression. But we go on sitting in the pews in God’s house, placing ourselves under the message of God’s Word without it leaving the slightest impression.

Felix concluded that he could not stand before God. His soul trembled. Truly, he is not far from the kingdom of God. He was standing before a crossing. What must he do? Felix, there are only two possibilities. One is to bow before the Word of God, and the other is to harden your heart. Do you have advice for Felix? Perhaps you say, harden not your heart. Pray that the Lord may give you a place at His footstool. There you may pray to your Judge for grace.

But, my dear reader, have you done that in this past year? Perhaps there were sermons you will never forget The truth of God’s Word came so close to you that you trembled inwardly. And what did you do? Did you bow your knees saying, “Lord, open this heart, convert what is unconverted”? Or did you set all aside? Then you are just as Felix. He tried to silence the voice of his conscience. Felix trembled and answered, “Go thy way for this time. When I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” No, he did not get angry. He felt that Paul had the truth on his side, and that he sought his eternal well-being. But he delayed. He did this as courteously as possible. He said as it were, “I am sorry, Paul, but I am pressed for time now. Later I will call for you.” Thus he sought to silence his conscience. He will delay for a time to think seriously of Paul’s words. Later he will apply himself to the message. Then he will think seriously about the necessity of conversion. Poor Felix. He was caught in the snares of the devil. He had only one desire—to crawl from under the outstretched hand of the Lord. Politely he put the need of conversion aside. How often have you done that?

Take a close look at Felix and see that to delay is dangerous. How often do we politely lay beside us the serious admonishment of God’s Word? How easily does it come to our lips that when the Lord does not work in my heart, then I am not able to do it. What a grace that would be for you if that “I cannot” would become a living experience within! Then you would come upon your knees and stretch forth those empty hands unto the Lord saying, “Oh God, that Thou would be merciful unto me, a sinner.” But now by your actions you say, “I will wait for a more convenient time.” When will that be? Next year, or ten years from now? Do not deceive yourself. That time will never come. For inwardly we are haters of God and our salvation. The Lord Jesus says, “Today when you hear My voice, harden not your heart.” Tomorrow it may be too late.

What a grace that would be for you if that “I cannot” would become a living experience within!

Know that when you continue to harden your heart, then in your dying hour you will stand alone in judgment For how many in this past year death came suddenly, unexpectedly. Should this not tell you that to delay is dangerous? Felix never received another convenient time. He and Dru-silla both died in their sins. How terrible! The Lord gave them a convenient time to be converted. And they, because of the hardness of their hearts, delayed. Oh, that today you may come as a guilty one to God’s throne, begging your Judge for mercy! How blessed you would be!

Ask God’s children once what the service of the Lord is, the tokens of His love in Christ Jesus, the blessed communion they by moments may experience. They would not miss this for an entire world. Yes, God’s children are blessed. They are for God’s account. He cares for them, and when soon the day of death comes, then He will gather them into His everlasting kingdom. There they will never sorrow, never doubt, never fear anymore. But there they will sing forever. The words of that song will be: Through Thee, through Thee alone. Because of Thine eternal good pleasure.

Rev. J. den Hoed is pastor of the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Rock Valley, Iowa.

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