EXCUSES



Text: Luke 14:18 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.


19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

Intro: Excuses are the first thought of the ungodly. These are only excuses; there can be no real reason for not accepting God’s word.


I. I’m not a sinner
A. All unprofitable -
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.



B. What is sin? (transgression of the law or a falling short, as an arrow to a target)
I Jno 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.



Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

C. All under sin
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.



Ezek 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.





II Naturally good enough ("I am a good person")
A. We are born in sin
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.



B. We Go astray from birth
Psa 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.



C. Evil from youth
Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.



C. Transgressor from birth
Isa 48:8 Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.


D. Evil from youth Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.


III I’m as good as church members
A. Inexcusable
Rom. 2:2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.



II Cor 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.


If you are hiding behind a hypocrite, there will be a lot of them in hell.
I sorta' like that bumper sticker that says “Christians aren’t perfect, but forgiven”
There’s no salvation in others’ mistakes!



IV I’ve turned over a new leaf
A. You can’t change your nature
Jer 13:23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.



B. God commands repentance
Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.



V. Deceived church members
Illustration: A husband came home to find his wife sobbing. When he asked ‘What’s wrong?” she replied that a man had come to the door and asked if she were a christian.
“Well, asked her husband, didn’t you tell him that you are a member of a church? She answered “he didn’t ask me that”



A. These are described in
II Tim 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,


3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;


5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.


B. Baptism profits nothing, apart from salvation
Acts 8:36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.



VI Christian Life is too hard
Ezek 36:25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.



27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
28 And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.
29 I will also save you from all your uncleannesses: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.



30 And I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that ye shall receive no more reproach of famine among the heathen.
31 Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations.



A. Jesus said it was easy


Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.



B. God says it is pleasant
Psa 16:11 Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.



C. It is the life of the sin that is hard
Prov 13:15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.



Isa 57:20 But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
21 There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.



VII. I am too great a sinner and God wouldn’t have me
A. Christ came to save sinners
I Tim 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.



Jno 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.



Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.



Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.



VIII My friends would laugh
Better to have them laugh, than God.
Prov 1:24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

Psa 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

IX Not now, maybe later
II Kgs. 7:3 And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

II Cor 6:2 (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.)



Pro 27:27:1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.



X I just can’t believe
Rom 3:3 For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?



Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

XI I couldn’t hold out anyway
Psa 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand.



Psa 63:8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.



No excuse shall stand when you come before God

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:



Rom 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.


13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.