Excuses

Excuses

February 22, 2009 Evening Service

Immanuel Baptist Church, Wagoner, OK

Rick Boyne

Message Point: We really have no excuse when it comes to sinning.

Focus Passage: I Corinthians 10:11-13

Supplemental Passage: Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. (James 1:13-15)

Introduction: According to a UPI news item, the Metropolitan Insurance Company received some unusual explanations for accidents from its automobile policyholders. The following are just few:

An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car, and vanished.

The other car collided with mine without warning me of its intention.

I had been driving my car for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had the accident.

As I reached an intersection, a hedge sprang up, obscuring my vision.

I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.

The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him.

The telephone pole was approaching fast. I attempted to swerve out of its path when it struck my front end.

The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.

The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.

I. “It couldn’t happen to me”

a. v 12 Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.

b. - It’s important that we don’t view ourselves as the exception to the rule. We are all capable of sin.

II. “I’m the only one”

a. v. 13a - “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. . .”

b. - Sometimes we think that no one has struggled with what we’re struggling with. Sometimes we think no one has felt such intense pressure to give into a particular temptation as we are right now.

III. “God has abandoned me”

a. v. 13b - “. . . but God is faithful. . .”

b. God does not abandon us. God is faithful to us even in our time of intense temptation. Further, as we get deeper into temptation, we are moving away from God. Because of that, we may not sense His presence as clearly.

IV. “I didn’t have a choice”

a. v. 13c - “. . . who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. . .”

b. One of the most powerful lies is that the temptation overwhelmed us and we didn’t really have a choice in the matter. This is so enticing because it takes the responsibility from us.

c. This part of the verse is clear, though, that there is never a situation where we are forced into sin. It is always a choice on our part to concede to the enticement of the sin.

d. Also note that God is not the author of temptation, although He does allow testing to come into our lives. The difference: temptation’s goal is sin and death; testing’s goal is purification and sanctification.

V. “It’s not my fault”

a. v. 13d - “ . . . but with the temptation will also make the way of escape. . .”

b. This one is closely tied to #4. Sometimes we will argue that we held up as long as we could, but there was no relief for us. We did the best we could, but God didn’t provide a way out.

c. God will provide a specific means of escape from our temptation. This is not to say it may not be costly or painful, but there will be an opportunity to get out.

d. The way of escape is not often miraculous, but may be more mundane. For someone “burning with passion,” Paul counsels marriage. Sometimes the way of escape comes early and is preventative rather than prescriptive.

Invitation: