No Excuse for Excuses
LUKE 14:15-24
INTRODUCTION...
School Time Excuses
Douglas Bernstein, a psychology professor at the University of Illinois recently asked faculty members for the ‘most unusual, bizarre, and amazing student excuses’ they had ever heard. He got dozens of responses from his fellow professors:
* Grandparent death: an old favorite, but one professor’s class established some sort of record when 14 of 250 students reported their grandmother’s death just before final exams. In another class a student reported that he could not take a test because of his grandmother’s death. When the professor expressed condolences a week later, the student replied, ‘Don’t worry, she was terminal, but she is feeling much better now.’
* Car Problems: "I had an accident, the police impounded the car, and my paper is in the glove compartment."
* Animal Trauma: "I can’t be at the exam because my cat is having kittens and I am her coach."
* Crime: "I need to take the final early because the husband of a woman I am seeing is threatening to kill me."
We seem to have an excuse for everything, don’t we?
There are even websites on the internet that will help you generate an excuse! It is true... you type in the type of excuse you need and it generates one for you (www.zompist.com/excuse.html).
Also, you can by a doctor’s excuse from a licenced physician for $14.99 to give to your employer (http://www.doctorsexcuse.com/) or PE or class or anyone else. I find that totally amazing!
What exactly is an excuse? In a court of law, "an excuse is a defense in which a defendant argues that he or she was not liable for his or her actions at the time a law was broken and thus he or she should not be held liable for a crime.
Excuses include diminished responsibility, duress, infancy, insanity, involuntary intoxication, mistake, provocation, and unconsciousness (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excuse).
I think my favorite excuse from that list is ‘infancy.’ I was a baby when the crime happened... it wasn’t me!
I think an excuse is a reason we give when something happens that does not go our way. It is the ‘why’ we did something when we get caught. It is our reasons for not doing something we know we should do.
The Bible is full of people making excuses and making excuses is as old as human beings.
InGenesis chapter 3. Adam ate the forbidden fruit, then when confronted about it, he came up with an excuse: "The woman you put here with me-- she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it" (verse 12). Then the blame was shifted to Eve. What did Eve have to say? Genesis 3:13 records her excuse: "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
It was the serpent’s turn and he didn’t have a leg to stand on.
Excuses why people don’t attend church regularly.
Listen to some of the ones that I have heard.
Now that the nice summer weather is here I think we will stay home today and enjoy the beautiful day.
Oh do I not to get dresses up to go to church, I need a break from dress clothes, I think I will stay home.
We slept late this morning and Sunday School is over what will the kids do?”
The building gets so hot this time of the year.
The building is kept so cold.
Every time I go to church they are asking for money.
The people I sat next to didn’t talk to me and they didn’t seem very friendly.
The pews were too hard; they hurt my back and are so uncomfortable.
That choir director sang Hymns that I did not know and the music was just not my style.
The service times just don’t fit into my schedule.
That place is filled with a bunch of hypocrites.
I was forced by my parents to go to church every week when I was a child and now it is time to take a break.
That church made some decisions that I don’t agree with, so I am just not going to attend.
That pastor is so long winded that by the time he is done the restaurants have a long wait just to get a table.
People have so many reasons for not attending Church.
Exodus 32 The story of the Golden Calf.
The people of God finally arrived from Egypt and settled at the mountain of God to receive the Ten Commandments.
Moses was gone a long time and the people became restless. The people wanted Aaron, Moses’ brother, to make idols that they could worship.
They gave him gold. He made a calf. They were persistent in their request. Moses returned with the Ten Commandments in hand and asked Aaron if he had made the idol.
What was Aaron’s response? Aaron is trying to explain himself and says, "So I told them, ’Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!" (Exodus 32:24).
Aaron was not to blame... the fire was. Ridiculous and almost comical if the sin were not so grave. We have excuse after excuse.
We are going to look at a parable this morning where the invited guests made excuses. Let’s read this story from Jesus
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READ LUKE 14:15-24
I. THE PARABLE
Our parable this morning describes for us a great banquet to which the master of the house had extended invitations far and wide. No time had been noted in the invitation, but the understanding of the day was, once all was ready, notification would go out to all who accepted. The moment arrived. The servants were dispatched to gather the guests. The expectation would be that those invited would drop what they were doing and come, because to accept the invitation beforehand and then make excuse when the day came was a grave insult. And yet the excuses come. Everyone knew that the banquet was being prepared and they were supposed to have cleared their schedules. All who were invited gave excuses. Other things and people were taking priority over the banquet that was prepared.
Excuse One: ONE MAN SAID HE WAS TOO INVOLVED IN HIS BUSINESS.
The man had bought a piece of ground and needed to look after it. A person can become too involved in any business, not just the business of developing property or farming. A person’s business, profession, and affairs can often consume all of life. Other things fall away and the business is all that matters.
Excuse Two: ANOTHER MAN SAID THAT HE WAS TOO WRAPPED UP IN NEW PURCHASES.
The oxen had just been purchased. They were a new possession and the owner wanted to try them out. So it is with new purchases such as houses, cars, bikes, records and CDs, books, radios, televisions, and a host of other material things. The Bible tells us over and over that material things can take root in our lives and the love of things can become most important in our lives.
Excuse Three: STILL ANOTHER MAN SAID HE WAS TOO WRAPPED UP WITH HIS FAMILY.
This man had just got married. We know that marriage is ordained by God and that getting married is certainly a good thing. I think the master of the banquet would have liked it if preparations had been made to attend. Maybe this man could have brought his new wife along, but just says, "I can’t come." Family can also become an all consuming issue in our life.
II. THE INTERPRETATION
So what does this parable mean? As in all parables, there is a surface story and then the spiritual meaning underneath. This is a story about a prepared banquet and all the guests excuse themselves from coming.
The key to interpreting this parable comes in Luke 14:15 right before Jesus gives the parable. Jesus is eating in a pharisee’s house (Luke 14:1-14) and is discussing spiritual matters with those attending. One of the people at the table says, "Blessed is the man who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God."
Who is the one preparing the banquet in the parable? God.
What is the banquet? The Kingdom of God / Christian Faith and Life / Christianity
Who are those invited? Us / People / Believers
III. THE APPLICATION
How does this parable apply to us?
What is the meaning of Jesus’ story about this banquet and the excuses?
How are we to understand this parable in our lives?
The application for this parable comes I think, in looking at the different excuses given. You see, God wants us to make Him a priority. The parable is all about this prepared banquet that all of these people were supposed to attend and were supposed to make a priority.
God wants to be a priority in our lives. He wants His Word to be the primary influence in our lives. He wants our Sabbaths to be dedicated to Him. He wants our worship to be directed at only Him. He wants our money to honor Him first. God wants to have a relationship with us and He wants that relationship to be the most important. But, we make excuses.
* Maybe your business has taken over your life and you have no time for God. What is your excuse?
* Maybe the ‘things’ of life and the pursuit of them is more important than God. What is your excuse?
* Maybe you haven’t cracked open your Bible in quite awhile. What is your excuse?
* Maybe you are holding onto a grudge and just won’t forgive someone. What is your excuse?
* Maybe you are living like a Christian on Sundays, but not Monday through Saturday. What is your excuse?
* Maybe all the praying you ever do is here at church. What is your excuse?
* Maybe you have decided not to tithe. What is your excuse?
You see the Christian life is all about giving God the priority and living under His Lordship.
When you accept Jesus Christ into your life, you accept Him as Savior and Lord.
Most of us have no problem with accepting Jesus as Savior. We know that we cannot earn our way into Heaven and we need our sins washed away. We need Jesus. Yet, we cannot forget that He is Lord as well. He is the priority and it is His will that should be sought after.
I have no idea what your excuse is for God or what the issue is. We all do it. We all give God excuses of why we can’t be faithful. I want to encourage you this day to rid yourself of your excuse and commit yourself to being faithful to God.
A 73 year old Iowa resident Aldin Straight needed to visit his ailing brother, who lived on the other side of the state.
There was no one who could drive Mr. Straight to his brother’s house. He himself didn’t feel capable of driving there
he can’t read road signs when he drives faster than 20 M.P.H. So, Mr. Straight did what he could. He rode his lawn
mower 240 miles across the state of Iowa to be with his brother.
Talking about being commited.
Do you remember ever being invited to a picnic, a social gathering, or a family reunion?
Maybe you were told something like, "You bring what you want to eat and we’ll furnish the tea."
On that day you got home late from work.
All you had to pack for your lunch was one dried up old piece of bologna and just enough mustard in the jar so that it got all over your knuckles when you tried to scoop it out of the jar—and two stale pieces of bread [the heels].
S-o-o-o-o-o-o you made a bologna sandwich, wrapped it in wax paper, put it in a brown paper bag and went to the picnic.
When it came time to eat, there you sat at the end of the table opened the brown paper bag and took out your pitiful sandwich.
Now the folks sitting right next to you had a real spread.
The woman was a great cook and had worked all day preparing the meal.
There was fried chicken, baked beans, potato salad, green beans, home make rolls, sliced tomatoes, pickles, olives and celery.
To top it off were two great big homemade chocolate pies [your favorite].
They arranged the whole meal right beside you, and there you were…with your bologna sandwich.
But they smiled warmly and said to you, "Why don’t we put it all together?"
You stammered a bit, embarrassed, and made excuses, but they insisted.
"You know, there’s plenty of chicken, plenty of pie, plenty of everything.
And we just love bologna sandwiches.
Let’s put it all together."
So you did…and you ended up eating like a king, even though you arrived like a pauper.
You began thinking about your relations with God.
And when we think of how little we have to bring and how much he offers and that he invites us to share with him, we should be shouting from the rooftops.
We do not have enough love, or faith, or grace, or mercy or wisdom. But God does.
He has all those things in abundance, and he says, "Let’s just put it all together.
Everything that I possess is available to you, and everything that I am and can be to a person I will be to you."
You see, it’s not that God needs your bologna sandwich, it’s that you need his everything.
A husband and his wife woke up one Sunday morning and the wife dressed for church.
It was just about time for the service when she noticed her husband hadn’t moved a finger toward getting dressed.
Perplexed, she asked, “Why aren’t you getting dressed for church?”
He said, “Cause I don’t want to go.”
She asked, “Do you have any reasons?”
He said, “Yes, I have three good reasons.
First the congregation is cold.
Second, no one likes me.
And third, I just don’t want to go.”
The wife replied, wisely, “Well honey, I have three reasons why you should go.
First the congregation is warm.
Second, there are a few people there who like you.
And third, you’re the pastor!
So get dressed!”
Conclusion:
Dear Lord Jesus Christ
Pray before altar call.
