Lose The Excuses Series

The second excuse is procrastination. “He said to another man, follow me, but he replied, ‘Lord first let me go bury my father.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead but you go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.’” Luke 9:59 Jesus is challenging our tendency to postpone or put off until tomorrow what God is calling us to do today. I’ll start the diet tomorrow. I’m going to exercise tomorrow. We’re procrastinators, especially when it comes to our relationship with Christ, to put off until tomorrow what God is calling us to do today. I’ll join a Bible study, start praying daily, fasting, attending worship more frequently next week, next month or next year. Jesus uses an illustration of the son who asks, “Can I go to my dad’s funeral?” I would call that a good excuse, but what Jesus is saying here is that our allegiance to Jesus Christ must supersede every other priority in our life. We have noble excuses too, such as, “As soon as I get past a certain life stage, or as soon as this event is over, I’ll serve. Or “as soon as I get to making more money, I’ll be able to tithe.” Jesus challenges us is in any area of our life where we are postponing or putting off what God is calling us to do today.

Third, Jesus challenges our emotional ties. “Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family. No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdom of God.’” Luke 9:61 What often happens in life is that our earthly relationships get in the way of our heavenly relationship with Jesus. I see it all the time. A Christian starts dating a nominal Christian or non –Christian and before you know it, they stop coming to church. A Christian loves to golf or fish or hunt and so they do that instead of connecting and worshipping God. A person claims they’re too busy to go to Sunday School after worship because they need to get home to their family. A person gets older and they slow down and suddenly its too much for them to get up a half hour earlier to be able to get to church to worship the Creator of the Universe. We have all types of relationships and emotional attachments which we use as an excuse to be with God, worship God, serve God and grow in our relationship with God.

There are three things we learn about the cost of following Jesus. First, the follower of Jesus has no earthly ties. The first individual makes a bold statement: “I will follow you Wherever you go!” Jesus replies that to follow Him “Wherever He’s going” will not be an easy road. It’s to the cross. When Jesus stepped off His throne in glory to come to the earth and live and die for us, He left behind all that He had. He exchanged rulership for servanthood, wealth for poverty, service for servanthood and comfort for sacrifice. And those who follow Him must be prepared for the same road. To follow Jesus means you have no earthly security. Now note, I didn’t said “No security”. There is security in following Jesus all right but it’s not any earthly security. It’s not the security of possessions, money, or homes. It’s a security in God’s faithfulness, and the promise of eternal life, something no one can take away!