Excuses Are Like Noses

Excuses Are Like Noses

Exodus 4:1-13

01/22/06

Have you ever wondered what it would sound like if excuses for church related things were used elsewhere, such as at a ball game? Fortunately, someone came up with such a list, a list of church excuses but they are related to a ball game.

1) Every time I went, they asked me for my money. 2) The people I sat by weren’t very friendly. 3)The seats were too hard and uncomfortable. 4) The coach never comes by to visit with me. 5) The referee made a decision I didn’t agree with. 6) Some games went into overtime, and I got home late. 7) The band played music that I wasn’t familiar with.

Do you think these church related excuses would ever work at a ball game?

In the third chapter of Exodus, God has spoken to Moses through the burning bush and says “you will be sent to Pharaoh to lead my people out of Egypt.” God has called Moses to do something in his life and then the excuses start pouring. Does that sound familiar to you? God makes a call on your life through the bible or through a sermon or through your spirit and what happens next? Hopefully, you follow through and are obedient to God but often times, we act like Moses and begin to make excuses why we can’t do what God is leading us to do. If God calls you to it, He will see you through it.

Here are some actual excuses parents used for keeping their children out of school, including the actual wording.

1)My son is under a doctor’s care and should not take PE today. Please execute him.

2) Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

3) Please excuse John for being absent on Jan. 31,32,and 33.

4) Please excuse Jerry from gym today. Yesterday, he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.

5) My daughter missed school yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the Marines.

6) Please excuse Sally from school next Friday. We have to attend her funeral.

I don’t think God has quite the same sense of humor when we make excuses for following where He leads us.

An excuse is an explanation with the hopes of being forgiven or understood.

Let’s look at the excuses of Moses and see if they compare with some of our own.

1) The “Who Me?” excuse (read chap.3:11,12)

He had attempted to free Israel 40 years earlier but the Hebrew people refused to listen to him, so you can’t blame him for having some doubt. It’s very uncomfortable to think that what you say to someone is not believed. When you have been rejected over and over again, your self confidence begins to dwindle. You begin to doubt whether anyone trusts you or not.

But when God calls you to speak or to take some kind of action, we must put aside all self-doubts. For as He told Moses, He tells us as well: “I will be with you”. Just remember that you + God = a majority every time. When God calls you; “Who am I?” fails to be a valid excuse. The first excuse of Moses indicated self doubt. The second excuse of Moses indicated doubt in God.

2) By What Authority? (3:13-15)

God didn’t ask Moses to go and explain all the things about God he didn’t know, but to explain the things that he did know about God. God told Moses that the situation didn’t have to do with who Moses was but who God is! When you face a battle or some situation that you can’t understand, it is important to remember who is sending you into the battle. When Jesus faced the wickedness of Satan in the desert, it was the Holy Spirit who sent Him there. God doesn’t necessarily call the equipped, but He always equips the called!

We often place more faith in the authority of the government than we do the word of the Living God. Because of our knowledge of the law and the consequences of not following the law, we know there are certain things that we can do and cannot do. But what about our knowledge of God’s word and the consequences of not following it? Do we trust the authority of the word of God with our lives? Or do we not trust in Him who provides His word for our benefit? Moses not only doubted his own abilities but he was also uncertain about the ability of God. The Hebrew people were in Egypt because they had gotten off track in their knowledge of God. They really didn’t know who He was anymore. In Egypt, the Hebrews led a miserable life of slavery to the task masters and longed to be free once again.