“NO EXCUSES” Ex. 3:1-17
FBCF – 4/18/21
Jon Daniels
INTRO – EVERYBODY WILL NEED A PIECE OF PAPER TO WRITE ON AT END OF SERMON.
Some people are pure geniuses when it comes to making excuses. Here are some that were given to insurance companies when they were investigating car accidents:
- “I had been driving my car for 40 years when I fell asleep at the wheel and had the accident.”
- “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 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.”
Love what Deion Sanders, new head football coach at JSU, said about making excuses: He grew up on the mean streets of Fort Myers, Fla., where exposure to some would-be athletes spurred him to make a success of himself. He explains: “I call them Idas. ‘If I’da done this, I’d be making $3 million today. If I’da practiced a little harder, I’d be a superstar.’ They were as fast as me when they were kids, but instead of working for their dreams they chose drugs & a life of street corners.
When I was young, I had practice; my friends who didn’t went straight to the streets & never left. That moment after school is the moment we need to grab. We don’t need any more Idas.”
We don’t need any more “Yeahbuts” either. The “Yeahbuts” are a clan of people who reside inside many churches. When an idea or plan or new direction is presented for consideration, their first response is “Yeah, but.”
- “Yeah, but that’s going to cost too much $.”
- “Yeah, but we’ve never done it that way before.”
- “Yeah, but we used to do it this way.”
- “Yeah, but that means things will change,” or “Yeah, but that means I will have to change.”
“Yeahbuts” thrive on making excuses & can cause a church to stop walking by faith. They can sow seeds of discouragement, dampen enthusiasm, foster gossip, & form cliques.
Our walk w/ the Lord needs be a “no excuses” walk.
EXPLANATION – Exodus 3:1-17
Exodus 1 – Population of Hebrews increasing. Oppression increasing due to Pharaoh’s orders.
- Harsh labor & enslavement – didn’t work
- Have Hebrew midwives kill baby boys – didn’t work
- Entire Egyptian population empowered to kill Hebrew baby boys – didn’t work
Exodus 2 – Baby Moses in the Nile River. Rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter & raised as an Egyptian until he decides to identify w/ his own people & refused to be known. Ended up killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew. Had to flee for his life from Pharaoh.
- Exodus 2:23-24 – The plan of God for Moses’ life begins to take shape as God “heard” His people crying out to Him. He “remembered” His promises to them; He “saw” them; & He “knew.” Knew what?
o Knew He loved them
o Knew what they needed
o Knew He had a plan for their deliverance
o Knew that He wanted Moses to be the one to deliver them
Just like He knows YOU. Psalm 139:1-4 – “O Lord, you have examined my heart & know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel & when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.” (NLT)
Which brings us to Exodus 3. We jump from baby Moses in the river & murderer Moses in Egypt to shepherd Moses in the wilderness. “Chapter 3 then is a very significant point of transition. It begins with the revelation of God to Moses from the midst of the burning bush. It develops with the commissioning of Moses to go back to Egypt & the Pharaoh & to deliver God’s people from their oppression & bondage. It ends with the beginnings of Moses’ reticence & resistance toward the task which God has given him.” (https://bible.org/seriespage/3-burning-bush-exodus-31-15)
Why was Moses in the wilderness keeping sheep?
- Maybe he was still running, still afraid b/c of killing the Egyptian
- Maybe he had just settled, resigned himself to a lonely life of a shepherd
- Maybe he was in a period of waiting, watching to see what the next chapter in his life would be – working this shepherd job until something better opened up
We’ve all been in those seasons in our lives. And it was in this season in Moses’ life that God clearly spoke to him. And God will do the same thing in your life in this season, too – whatever this season is for you right now.
Burning bush experience – God spoke. There was no doubt about it. No doubt about who was speaking & no doubt about what He wanted. And after He spoke, Moses immediately joined the “Yeahbut” clan & the excuses started. Look at them:
Excuse #1: Lack of adequacy – 3:11
Excuse #2: Lack of knowledge – 3:13
Excuse #3: Lack of faith – 4:1
Excuse #4: Lack of ability – 4:10
Excuse #5: Lack of desire/courage – 4:13
APPLICATION – When it comes to obeying God, we need to stop making excuses.
EXCUSES ARE INEXCUSABLE – There’s no excuse for us making excuses to God. Think about the promises He had made to His children:
- He saw & heard their cries – v. 7
- He was going to rescue them & deliver them – v. 8
- He had a safe, spacious place for them to go – “a good & broad land” – v. 8
- He promised to be w/ them – v. 12
- He promised to provide for them – v. 19-22
If all of those things were true of His people then, how much more are they true for us now! He will provide for us
- He will hear us when we cry to Him
o “Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the night watches! Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord!” (Lamentations 2:19)
- He will go before us & be with us
o “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2)
- He will strengthen us & protect us
o “The Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you & protect you from the evil one.” (2 Thessalonians 3:3)
- He will bless us
o “The Lord your God will bless you, as He promised…” (Deuteronomy 15:6)
- He will lead us
o “The Lord will always lead you…” (Isaiah 58:11)
It’s just plain inexcusable for us to try to make excuses to a completely Sovereign, all-loving, all-knowing God when He call us to step out in faith & obey Him.
EXCUSES ARE INEFFECTIVE – Not only is it inexcusable to make excuses, it’s ineffective. Excuses just don’t work w/ God. There’s no excuse that you can give Him that’s going to cause Him to retract His command or His instructions to you. Excuses just don’t work.
- None of the excuses that Moses gave to God changed what God wanted Moses to do.
Our effectiveness as a Christ-follower is directly linked to God’s power.
Lamp not connected to power – Try to turn it on. Totally ineffective if not connected to power source.
God is our source of power.
- If He has called us to do something, He’s going to empower us to be able to accomplish it.
- If He’s leading us in a certain direction, you can be certain that He’s going to show you the way to go.
Don’t give ineffective excuses to Him when His power is available to you & in you.
EXCUSES ARE INCONSISTENT – They're inconsistent w/ someone who has committed their life to the Lord to live a life of faith in Him.
Think about David:
- “…man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14)
- Anointed king of Israel by Samuel (1 Samuel 16:13)
- And yet, for whatever reason or excuse he conjured up in his mind, he chose to blatantly ignore God’s commands & commit adultery w/ Bathsheba, then have her husband killed, & cover up his sin for a long time.
- His sinful excuses & decisions led to a lifetime of pain & struggle, even though God still used him mightily.
Back to the theme of family from last week: Our excuses to God speak volumes to our families – our spouses, our kids, our grandkids. We can affect generations w/ our excuses. Or we can affect generations w/ our obedience. It’s up to us!
EXCUSES ARE INVALID – They’re just unsound, untrue, unreasonable, & just wrong. And we must stop making them! Then we will see & experience God using us in some amazing ways just like Moses did.
CONCLUSION/TAKEAWAY – Take that piece of paper & write down a decision you know God wants you to make, a direction you know He wants you to go, a change He wants you to enact in your life. Then say: “I’m not making any more excuses. Today, I’m going to obey God.” Bring that piece of paper to this altar today w/ no excuses, but w/ a commitment to obey God no matter what.
