Hayden King

Righteousness, Self-Control & the Judgment to Come

November 15, 2025

Introduction

• Weekend celebration: ~3,000 participants graduating from the 10-week “Rooted” discipleship experience at Lake Point.
• Upcoming evangelistic weekend: “Christmas at the Movies,” Nov 29–30, designed for guests far from God.
• CS Lewis’s fictional dialogue in hell: the most effective lie is “There is no hurry.”
• Transition to Acts 24: the Apostle Paul on trial before Governor Felix and his wife Drusilla—powerful, elite, yet spiritually undecided.

Scripture References

Acts 22–24; Proverbs 25:28; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–5; 1 Corinthians 7:3–5; Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 5:21; John 5:22; Matthew 16:27; Hebrews 9:27; Romans 14:10; Matthew 24:37–39; Isaiah 66

Key Points / Exposition

1. Righteousness: Achieved or Received?

• Every world religion & secular philosophy views righteousness as something to earn; Christianity alone sees it as a gift to receive.
  • Islam: Five Pillars; Buddhism: Eightfold Path; Mormonism: obedience for salvation; secular humanism: activism & virtue signaling.
• Romans says “There is no one righteous, not even one.”
• Ten-Commandment “pop quiz” demonstrates universal guilt (adultery, murder in the heart, theft, lying).
• Two possible paths:
  1. Achieve flawless obedience—impossible.
  2. Receive Christ’s righteousness by faith (2 Cor 5:21).

2. Self-Control: The Gatekeeper Virtue

• Paul speaks to Felix & Drusilla’s sexual sin (adulterous relationship).
• Principle: most destructive sins flow from lack of self-control (gluttony, addiction, gossip, greed, wrath).
• Proverbs 25:28—person without self-control is a city with broken walls.
• Specific cultural application:
  • Singles: any sex outside covenant marriage = porneia (1 Thess 4).
  • Marrieds: commanded not to deprive one another (1 Cor 7), yet many neglect intimacy.
• Bodies belong to Christ (Rom 12:1); believers must “learn to control” desires, not be ruled by them.

3. The Judgment to Come

• Felix trembles yet postpones decision: “When it is convenient I will call for you.”
• Biblical certainties:
  1. Jesus Himself is Judge (John 5:22).
  2. Everyone will face judgment (Heb 9:27; Rom 14:10).
  3. Two distinct judgments:
     • Great White Throne—condemnation for unbelievers.
     • Bema Seat—commendation & rewards for believers (Matt 16:27).
  4. Christ’s return is certain and could interrupt ordinary life (Matt 24:37-39).
• Historical prophecies already fulfilled (nation of Israel, Messiah’s virgin birth, 1948 statehood) assure future ones will also occur—Jesus will return.

Major Lessons & Revelations

• Delayed obedience is disobedience; spiritual procrastination destroys souls.
• Righteousness cannot be earned; it is imputed through faith in Christ.
• Self-control guards every other area of holiness.
• The final judgment is not mythological—it is certain, personal, and imminent.

Practical Application

1. Receive Christ’s righteousness today—repent and believe the gospel.
2. Conduct a self-control audit: identify desires (sexual, financial, verbal, appetites) where walls are down; submit them to the Spirit.
3. Married couples: honor God by honoring marital intimacy; singles: honor God by abstaining until marriage.
4. Live with eternity in view—invest time, resources, and testimony so you will be rewarded, not merely rescued.
5. Invite unreached friends/family to Nov 29–30 outreach; prioritize their salvation.

Conclusion & Call to Response

• Like Felix, many “believe in heaven and hell” yet assume there is “no hurry.”
• Pastor’s personal story: friend Ian postponed decision, died suddenly, and is now eternally lost.
• Urgent appeal: forgive, confess, reconcile, share the gospel, join serious discipleship—do it now, not later.
• Video testimony of a recent Rooted graduate shown to illustrate life-changing power of immediate obedience.

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