IGNITOR OF EXCUSES? The Danger of Beginning with Excuses
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I set a candle before us, a box of wooden matches, and a glass of water.
I dip a match in the water, and try to light the candle. I do it again and again, and the results is always the same.
TEXT:
Luke 14:18 And THEY ALL with ONE CONSENT BEGAN TO MAKE EXCUSE.
The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and SEE IT,
I pray thee have me excused.
19. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I GO TO PROVE them, I pray thee have me excused.
20. And another said, I have married a wife, and THEREFORE I CANNOT COME.
One match can start a fire that may burn hundreds of acres. It all started with one match.
1. DEFINITIONS:
PRIORITY: --- PREFERENTIAL RATING. --- Rating by importance.
BEGIN: --- To start a process in motion. --- To do the first part. --- A STARTING POINT. ---
To bring into being. --- Originate ---
OFFERING: --- The act of giving or contributing to the support. --- To present for acceptance or rejection.
To declare one’s willingness or readiness. --- To propose.
EXCUSE: --- To make an apology. --- To try to remove blame. --- To disregard as trivial. --- To grant exemption.
To justify behavior. --- Expression of regret for failure. --- To be released from responsibility. ---
CONSENT: --- To give approval. --- To be in agreement of opinion. --- Compliance.
HABIT: Manner of conducting oneself. --- REINFORCED AND REPETITIVE BEHAVIOR. ---
A settled tendency --- A behavior pattern. ---
2. HOW SAD GROWS THE HEART OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE NO OR WRONG PRIORITIES? BACK-SEAT GOD?
Matthew 6:33 Seek ye FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto
you.
Pete Rose broke our hearts, gambling on the game he loved. Money and greed was his priority.
That alcoholic just wants one more drink.
That student cheating on their test?
Sports has become a god today? NASCAR is a god? NBA, NFL, Soccer, you name it --- has put God in the back
seat.
GOD GETS THE LEFT OVERS? The excuses really sound good?
3. WHAT ARE YOU OFFERING GOD? There is a Divine Invitation, will you accept it?
So what? Today it is easy to accept the Divine with indifference and apathy?
The world seeks entertainment and excitement. This call is spilling into the schools and our churches.
Preach us happy? Sing us happy?
4. WHAT DID YOU BEGIN? IN COURT IT IS CALLED PRECEDENCE!
THERE IS AN ESTABLISHED ORDER OR PRIORITY OF IMPORTANCE THAT WE ESTABLISH NOT BY WORDS
ALONE BUT BY OUR ACTIONS.
Judges and lawyers study other cases and often bring notes of other rulings by judges into their case.
This court precedence has the value of written law.
We establish examples of what is acceptable behavior. This example establishes rules or codes of ethics that
will followed or mandated by this first action.
When one of God’s invited people refuse the invitation, it becomes easier for the next person to make the same offering
of excuse.
5. THE POWER OF SEARING?
1 TIMOTHY 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their CONSCIENCE SEARED WITH HOT IRON...
SEAR: To cause to wither or dry up. --- To burn, scorch, or injure with sudden application of heat. --- To dry up.
Once a person does wrong, he sears the spiritual nerves in his heart and loses feeling of remorse and repentance.
After burning your conscience you become less and less sensitive to the feeling of wrong and a spirit of
compromise will excuse your wrong behavior as acceptable.
6. WE DON’T LIKE THE WORDS DUTY? --- MORAL AND LEGAL OBLIGATIONS? RESPONSIBILITY?
There are assignments, homework, that we ought to be doing.
The man, the woman and the children don’t want to hear what they should be doing is in dangerous attitudinal
precedence?
7. THERE IS POWER IN AGREEMENT! THEY ALL WITH ONE CONSENT! THERE IS SAFETY IN NUMBERS?
We know the Bible states where two or three agree --- and this power of agreement is great.
We often hear: EVERYBODY ELSE IS DOING IT?
Once a Mom or Dad learn how to make an offering to God of EXCUSING THEIR BEHAVIOR, their children
learn how to excuse and blame.
I recently heard of a parent taking her child out of 8 different schools, because all
the teachers and kids were bad? Could this be possible? 8 bad schools? The child has grown up quitting
in hard situations? Wonder why?
The enemy loves UNITY in making excuses in his camp. As long as a person makes an offering of excuses
there is little chance of correction. Somewhere we have to see how making excuses will dwarf God’s people.
8. WITH REPETITIOUS BEHAVIOR WE THINK THERE IS VALIDITY IN WHAT WE ARE DOING?
We think there is VALIDITY IN OUR EXCUSES? Just because our behavior is well-grounded and justifiable
does not make it right.
Pretend with me --- a child learns that 2+3=6. The child really believes 2+3=6. The child reinforces his thought
process by knowing 2+3=6.
But every Math problem that child does that has 2 +3 will be wrong. 2+3=5 not 6. No matter what the child
thinks every problem with these numbers will be wrong. His efforts will be the same, the answers will be wrong.
A half truth is a whole lie.
9. Practice makes perfect?
Well, maybe not? Incorrect practice reinforces incorrect conclusions.
If you are learning the guitar and you learn C, and you practice for many hours making C?
But you made C wrong? All your wrong practice has reinforced a wrong behavior.
You will have to be corrected. Someone will have to show you what is wrong.
You then will have to UNLEARN the wrong behavior and establish the correct behavior.
11 Timothy 2:15 STUDY TO SHOW THYSELF APPROVED unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,
rightly dividing the word of truth.
He that excuses himself, accuses himself.
10. EACH EXCUSE OFFERED MAKES THE NEXT EXCUSE EASIER AND MORE ACCEPTABLE.
NEGATIVE THINKING TENDS TO PRODUCE NEGATIVE THINKING!
Our enemy is never too busy to rock the cradle of sleeping saints!
The Doctor told the Preacher, People will spend more to care for their body, than they will for their soul.
The Lawyer told the preacher, People will pay more to prove they are right and others are wrong,
than they will care for their own soul.
11. LOOK AT THE EXCUSES THAT STOPPED A DINNER WITH THE MASTER.
EXCUSE #1. MATERIALISM: I HAVE BOUGHT A PIECE OF LAND, I MUST GO SEE IT ...
PLEASE HAVE ME EXCUSED.
The land purchase is already a done deal.
The new owner is not going to plow the fields, nor to sow seeds, HE MUST NEEDS GO ---
HE IS GOING TO SEE IT.
The Master had already sent the invitation COME!
The land excuse is a TYPE OF EXCUSE WE OFFER TO GOD... MATERIALISM.
This might involve GREED and maybe even PRIDE?
There is a theory of life that physical material and gain is the only fundamental reality and that all being
can be a manifestation of ownership. Seems man can be more preoccupied with material things more
than spiritual or intellectual things.
EXCUSE #2: BUSINESS AND PLEASURE SEEKING EXCUSES: I HAVE BOUGHT 5 YOKE OF OXEN, I MUST
GO PROVE THEM, PLEASE HAVE ME EXCUSED.
Again notice the purchase is already finished. If one ox is blind, it is too late.
The oxen today would be like unto a car or a tractor. The oxen would be hitched to the plow, or to the wagon and
pull. the family places.
Today our priority systems place our work and our pleasure before God.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE GREAT DANGER WHEN WE WORSHIP OUR WORK, WORK AT OUR PLAY,
AND PLAY AT OUR WORSHIP!
It is not so much how busy you are? But why you are so busy?
The mosquito is swatted and killed! The bee is praised? They are both busy?
EXCUSE #3: RELATIONSHIPS, I HAVE MARRIED A WIFE, AND THERE FORE I CANNOT COME.
THIS MAN IS BOLD ENOUGH WITH HIS VALID EXCUSE HE DOES NOT EVEN ASK TO BE EXCUSED?
I often had more sympathy for the marriage excuse. Until one day I realized this is no more than a
SCHEDULING PROBLEM. The man could have valued the invitation of the Master and rescheduled his wedding.
Why not move the wedding up one week? Back one week?
The problem was his priority values placed his human relationships above the relationship and fellowship with the Master
and other believers at the dinner?
THERE ARE LITTLE PROFITS TO THOSE THAT LEARN TO OFFER AND UNITE WITH THE OFFERING EXCUSES.
What did these excuse profit those that offered them?
12. ASK ENOUGH PEOPLE --- YOU WILL ALWAYS FIND SOMEONE THAT WILL VALIDATE YOUR EXCUSE,
AND ADVISE YOU TO DO JUST WHAT YOU HAD PLANNED IN THE FIRST PLACE.
WHAT DID ALL THOSE EXCUSES BRING FOR THOSE THAT OFFERED THEM AND THOUGHT THEY
WERE VALID?
Conclusion, what is the bottom line for those people that cannot overcome the POWER OF OFFERING EXCUSES?
Luke 14: 24 For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of MY SUPPER!
Have you ignited the power of excuses and palliation in your life?
God help us correct this cancer in our life. God help us report to our post of duty!
We refuse to take the cowardly position, we will stand at our post of duty!
His servant,
Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
If you have enjoyed any part of this, could you team with me and help me by enlarging my hands and share this
with others?
