We read in Jonah 4:2, “And he prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster.” (ESV)
As we continue to meditate from the life of Jonah, we are trying to understand the relevance that the life of Jonah has for the church today. Jonah had preached against the city of Nineveh, and the people of that city along with the king repented. God therefore relented from destroying them, and it was at this juncture that Jonah said the above mentioned prayer as recorded in Jonah 4:2. Jonah reminded God that even before he left his country, he had actually told God that he was not willing to go to Nineveh because he already knew the heart of God, and hence perceived all that would transpire if the people of Nineveh repented of their sins.
Interesting to note that Jonah had an exceptional understanding of the nature and character of God. He knew that God was gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, and that He would relent from disaster when the people repented. In spite of Jonah’s knowledge of who God is, he still chose to disobey Him.
Jonah gave some feeble excuses to God, and that is what we are regarding in this message. The church today has forgotten that we are set apart by God, and also are not aware of the purpose for which God established the church. We are giving several excuses as to why we are unable to fulfill the purposes for which God instituted the church. Let me share some examples from the bible with you.
1. The excuses Jeremiah gave
• Don’t know how to speak
We read in Jeremiah 1:6, I answered, "Sovereign LORD, I don't know how to speak; I am too young." (GNB)
The word of God came to the prophet Jeremiah, and he was asked to go and speak on behalf of the Lord. Here is the excuse that Jeremiah gave the Lord that he didn’t know how to speak.
There are so many who give this excuse even today. Every child of God who believes in the Lord Jesus and is saved, has the responsibility to share the good news of the gospel, and all the wonders that are recorded in the bible with others. This is indeed God’s desire for those who are His disciples. The bad news is that everyone born into this world is stained by sin, and if we die the same way, we will end up in hell, which is a place of eternal torment. However the good news is that God the Father sent His son Jesus into the world. Jesus lived a sinless life, and died on the cross as a propitiation for our sins. Whoever believes on the Lord Jesus will have their sins forgiven, cleansed and God will deliver, and free them from their sins. The Lord Jesus then separated such who are His children, and had made a way for us to enter heaven.
There are many who will shy away from sharing this good news stating that they do not know how to share this with others. Sadly, these same people have no excuses to gossip, grumble, lie, slander others, cause divisions and play politics.
The book of James chapter 3 clearly explains the power of the tongue, and the appropriate way we should use it. Think about it, ‘When was the last time you shared about the Lord Jesus to others?’ We are a blessed people, our sins have been forgiven, we are a courageous lot, there is no fear of death, we can be overcomers in this world, our bodies are the temple of the living God, and we have the hope of eternal life, and yet we are not ready to share this good news with others. What we do understand from this, is the fact that there is something fundamentally wrong, that makes us disobedient to the command of the Lord, just as Jonah was.
Remember that Jonah’s disobedience not only affected him, but it put all the people on board that ship that he travelled with, in grave danger. It is the duty, and responsibility of every believer who is a disciple of the Lord Jesus to share the good news of the gospel with others. Paul says it this way in 1 Corinthians 9:16, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (ESV) If we have given this excuse that we have not shared the gospel with others because we are not good in communicating, let us ask God to change us, and make the best use of every opportunity to share our testimonies with others. May the praises of God always be on our lips, as we proclaim the wonders of God to those around us.
• I am just a child
The second excuse that the prophet Jeremiah made to the Lord when He was called to go and speak on His behalf was that he was just a child.
Paul admonished the church of Corinth this way in 1 Corinthians 14:20, “Do not be like children in your thinking, my friends; be children so far as evil is concerned, but be grown up in your thinking.” (GNB)
As children of God we need to be reminded that this life and blessings that we enjoy, the forgiveness of sins, the gift of salvation, is not something that we should keep to ourselves, but should freely share with others. If God has called us for some specific task, be sure that He will equip us to fulfill it as well. None of us I think will ask a weak little child to carry a heavy load. We give little responsibilities to children that is appropriate for their age and ability. If we as elders have so much of wisdom, we can be certain that the Lord will not lay on us something that we are unable to handle. Let us be clear that if God has called us to be His witnesses, and to proclaim the good news to others, we are perfectly capable of accomplishing this task. If we shun from it, we too are like Jonah who know God, but make excuses to fulfill what He commands us to do.
God’s encouragement to Jeremiah
When Jeremiah gave these excuses to God, this was God’s assurance to him as recorded in Jeremiah 1:7-8, “But the LORD said to me, "Do not say that you are too young, but go to the people I send you to, and tell them everything I command you to say. Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you. I, the LORD, have spoken!" (GNB)
God is ready to calm our fears and doubts. The Lord encouraged Jeremiah to go courageously and speak everything that God commanded him. God further assured him to be bold knowing that the Lord will Himself protect Jeremiah from all harm.
Even when we give excuses, we have a loving God who is willing to lay our fears to rest, and to strengthen us to fulfill His purposes.
2. The excuse that Moses gave
The other person who gave such excuses was Moses. We read about it in Exodus 3:11, But Moses said to God, "I am nobody. How can I go to the king and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (GNB)
For forty years Moses had lived as a prince in Egypt, and was well-versed and skilled with the ways of the Egyptians. However, when Moses did something that God did not warrant him to do, he had to flee Egypt to the land of Midian. The next forty years Moses was a shepherd tending the sheep of his father in law in the wilderness. When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, and asked him to go back to Egypt as a leader and deliverer for the people of Israel, Moses was reluctant. The excuse that Moses gave was the fact that he was just an ordinary shepherd and a no-body. Going to Pharaoh and confronting him therefore seemed an improbability to Moses.
God’s assurance to Moses
This was the Lord’s reply to Moses as recorded in Exodus 3:12, God answered, "I will be with you, and when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will worship me on this mountain. (GNB)
God had to encourage Moses that He was not going to accomplish this assignment alone. The Lord would be with him, and the reason God delivered them was that they could worship Him freely.
The task that God calls us to achieve is not ours, but the Lord will go with us. Also the purpose for us proclaiming the good news to others is so we can all with one accord worship the God who is the creator of heaven and earth, giving Him the honor due to Him alone. This is such a blessed comfort that when God calls us to do something, he does not abandon us, but remains with us. He also strengthens us, and gives us all the grace that we need for the task as well. Sadly, those whom God has freed often come out of their slavery, to become slaves of men. God is calling us out so we can be those who worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth.
3. The excuses that Gideon gave
Here’s another man who gave excuses to God. We read about this in Judges 6:15, Gideon replied, "But Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least important member of my family." (GNB)
When God called Gideon, his excuse to God was that he was from a weakest clan, and that he himself was the least important member in his family.
You might have heard many people excusing themselves that their background is poor or insignificant. To such let me encourage you that there is nothing more powerful than having God with us. Some think that they are humble to cite their background, but the truth is that when God is with us there is nothing that is too hard to accomplish.
Whenever we make excuses of any sort, there are certain things that are being implied. Firstly, we are declaring that we know more than God does. That is why we are giving excuses to God who saw us even before we were formed in our mother’s womb, and knows exactly all that we are capable of doing. The God who calls us is well aware of all our weaknesses and short-comings. So we can be sure that when He calls us to fulfill a mission, He will give us the strength and ability to do so.
Secondly, when we make excuses we are telling God that He made a mistake in choosing us. Moses did the same when He told God to send someone else. There are so many millions in this world, and if God has chosen us, and set us apart, it is simply so that we should be His witnesses and declare the truth of the gospel to others. So let us never grieve the Lord by excusing ourselves as those who were wrongly called or chosen. God is all-knowing, and it is with this divine knowledge that He has called us to be His own. If we like Jonah find various reasons for spurning God’s call, and walk away in disobedience, we will put ourselves in danger of coming under the wrath of God.
Samuel’s response to the Lord
We read in 1 Samuel 3:10, “The LORD came and stood there, and called as he had before, "Samuel! Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak; your servant is listening." (GNB)
While men like Moses, Gideon and Jeremiah made excuses when God called them, Samuel had a different response. Samuel was willing to listen, and do as God bid him to do.
If we too can have such an attitude as Samuel had, the Lord will accomplish great things through our lives.
Saul’s response to the Lord Jesus
Saul encountered the risen Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus. Saul was on a mission to destroy the church, and those who believed in Jesus.
This was Saul’s response as the risen Lord confronted him as recorded in Acts 9:6, “So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”” (NKJV)
The question that Saul asked the Lord immediately was ‘Lord, What do you want me to do?’. We see how both Samuel and Saul totally surrendered themselves to the Lord, and were willing to implicitly obey God when He spoke to them. By so doing we see how both Samuel and Saul who later became Paul were used mightily by God, and were useful instruments in the hands of the Lord.
Let us be grateful to God for all the opportunities that He has graciously given to us. If we have not been mindful of these numerous blessings God has showered on us, and have failed to share them with others, may we seek the Lord’s pardon. Stop making excuses, and be willing to do all that God calls you to do.
The parable Jesus taught
We read in Matthew 25:24-25, “Then the one who had received the single talent also came to him and said, 'Lord, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter. And because I was afraid, I went and hid your talent in the earth. Now look, you have your own.'” (AFV)
In the parable that Jesus taught in Matthew 25, He spoke about three men who received five, two and one talent respectively from their master according to their ability. The man who left to a far country returned after some years, and took an account of each of the men. One who was given five gained five more, the one who got two gained two more, but the one who received one went and hid it in the ground. The man who received one talent made up a tall story to his master as to the reasons why he had kept safe the talent that was entrusted to him by hiding it in the ground.
Often there are those who think that guarding their salvation is the biggest task, and that there is no need for them to share this good news with others.
Read the response of the man to this servant as recorded in Matthew 25:26,His lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I did not sow, and gather what I did not scatter. (AFV)
This master referred to that man who kept his talent unused and gave excuses as a wicked and lazy servant.
As children of God we will have to give account to God for all that He has entrusted to us. All of us have to be ready to give a proper account to God for the time given to us, the facilities, family, education, and the work we were gifted from God. We will have to recount all that we did with everything that was committed to us. Many people have hidden all that God has given them thereby making it of no use to anyone. Let us set aside all our excuses, and tell God that we will use all that God has given to us for His glory.
We must keep in mind that we brought nothing into this world and we take nothing out of it. All that we possess we will leave behind because this life is temporary, and we are moving towards eternity. We can choose to live with God eternally in heaven, or we can choose to be cast aside into hell a place of eternal torment. With this in mind let us decide to use all that we have with us, to help others comprehend the love that God has bestowed upon us, to know God personally and to be able to enter the kingdom of heaven along with us. This alone will identify us as those who truly know the Lord. As we look around us there are many people groups and churches who have been entrusted with so much, and sadly they are using it for themselves. May God help us to use all that we possess here on earth to lead many into His heavenly kingdom.
Like Jonah God has granted us the privilege to know Him personally, but if we do not obey God’s commands, and do all that He bids us to do by giving excuses, we too will have failed miserably. Let the eternal captivate our minds, and may God help us all that we have here on earth to save souls and gain treasures in heaven.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
