Excuses Are Like Noses
Exodus 4:1-13
01/22/06
Have you ever wondered what it would sound like if excuses for church related things were used elsewhere, such as at a ball game? Fortunately, someone came up with such a list, a list of church excuses but they are related to a ball game.
1) Every time I went, they asked me for my money. 2) The people I sat by weren’t very friendly. 3)The seats were too hard and uncomfortable. 4) The coach never comes by to visit with me. 5) The referee made a decision I didn’t agree with. 6) Some games went into overtime, and I got home late. 7) The band played music that I wasn’t familiar with.
Do you think these church related excuses would ever work at a ball game?
In the third chapter of Exodus, God has spoken to Moses through the burning bush and says “you will be sent to Pharaoh to lead my people out of Egypt.” God has called Moses to do something in his life and then the excuses start pouring. Does that sound familiar to you? God makes a call on your life through the bible or through a sermon or through your spirit and what happens next? Hopefully, you follow through and are obedient to God but often times, we act like Moses and begin to make excuses why we can’t do what God is leading us to do. If God calls you to it, He will see you through it.
Here are some actual excuses parents used for keeping their children out of school, including the actual wording.
1)My son is under a doctor’s care and should not take PE today. Please execute him.
2) Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.
3) Please excuse John for being absent on Jan. 31,32,and 33.
4) Please excuse Jerry from gym today. Yesterday, he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.
5) My daughter missed school yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the Marines.
6) Please excuse Sally from school next Friday. We have to attend her funeral.
I don’t think God has quite the same sense of humor when we make excuses for following where He leads us.
An excuse is an explanation with the hopes of being forgiven or understood.
Let’s look at the excuses of Moses and see if they compare with some of our own.
1) The “Who Me?” excuse (read chap.3:11,12)
He had attempted to free Israel 40 years earlier but the Hebrew people refused to listen to him, so you can’t blame him for having some doubt. It’s very uncomfortable to think that what you say to someone is not believed. When you have been rejected over and over again, your self confidence begins to dwindle. You begin to doubt whether anyone trusts you or not.
But when God calls you to speak or to take some kind of action, we must put aside all self-doubts. For as He told Moses, He tells us as well: “I will be with you”. Just remember that you + God = a majority every time. When God calls you; “Who am I?” fails to be a valid excuse. The first excuse of Moses indicated self doubt. The second excuse of Moses indicated doubt in God.
2) By What Authority? (3:13-15)
God didn’t ask Moses to go and explain all the things about God he didn’t know, but to explain the things that he did know about God. God told Moses that the situation didn’t have to do with who Moses was but who God is! When you face a battle or some situation that you can’t understand, it is important to remember who is sending you into the battle. When Jesus faced the wickedness of Satan in the desert, it was the Holy Spirit who sent Him there. God doesn’t necessarily call the equipped, but He always equips the called!
We often place more faith in the authority of the government than we do the word of the Living God. Because of our knowledge of the law and the consequences of not following the law, we know there are certain things that we can do and cannot do. But what about our knowledge of God’s word and the consequences of not following it? Do we trust the authority of the word of God with our lives? Or do we not trust in Him who provides His word for our benefit? Moses not only doubted his own abilities but he was also uncertain about the ability of God. The Hebrew people were in Egypt because they had gotten off track in their knowledge of God. They really didn’t know who He was anymore. In Egypt, the Hebrews led a miserable life of slavery to the task masters and longed to be free once again.
As Christians, we sometimes get off track as well and end up in our own personal Egypt enslaved to the cares of the world. We begin to listen to what the world tells us and before long, we are doubting the authority of God in our lives. The world says “who is God? We find no reason to believe or trust in God.” What is our response to their accusations? If we’re no longer close to God in our relationship with Him, if we’ve been listening to others rather than to God, we’ll soon find ourselves believing as the world believes and we won’t have the faith and trust that was once a vital part of our lives.
But God says I am Yahweh, the Hebrew word for I am. He is the same God as He was to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and He has never changed. When God makes a covenant with His people, He is always faithful to that covenant. We need to remember what God has done in our lives, how He has been faithful to us, so that the doubts and fears will no longer dominate our lives. Are you in your own personal Egypt today? God remains faithful and He will lead you out if you will trust Him.
3) The What if’s- Chapter 4:1, after all God has told Moses, he still says “what if they don’t believe me?” So God gave Moses some examples of His power- the rod turning into the snake, his hand turning into leprosy, and the water turning to blood.
When God calls us to some task, we often put our assets and abilities in one column and our limitations and liabilities in another to determine if we can do what He’s called us to do. But realize that God didn’t ask Moses to use something that he didn’t already have. He had a rod and God said to drop it. God will sometimes use things that we have to accomplish purposes that we would never believe. Moses had a rod, the little boy had a few fish and some bread, but God used what was available to accomplish His purposes. Can’t you picture old Moses running when his rod turned into a snake?
The question we must answer is are we willing to offer God what we have to use for His purposes? “Well, I don’t have much”, neither did the lady who put in the two coins in the offering, but Jesus was more pleased with her than the Pharisee who put in a lot of money. She gave what she had.
“What if” excuses usually lead to anxiety and worry. What if we don’t have enough money? What if I get sick? What if I’m not successful? These are usually questions that are thinking about tomorrow. Jesus said let tomorrow take care of itself, you just be concerned with the present. All you have is this very moment and all you have is what’s in your hand. That’s all God requires of you to give him. When God speaks to your heart about a situation He wants you to act on, are you willing to trust Him with what you have? As we see with Moses, the “what if” excuse didn’t work with God.
Thus far, Moses has had 3 excuses and God has given him 3 answers. God has promised Moses that He will be there for him and He will provide what he needs to accomplish the task, but it’s still not enough for him.
4) “But Lord, I don’t have what it takes.” Chapter 4:10-12, Moses says he’s not a good speaker and God says He doesn’t have to be. Feelings of inadequacy often take over when we’re called by God to do something in our lives. “Surely you must mean someone else Lord, I can’t do this.” And God replies, “ I made you and I wouldn’t tell you if you couldn’t do it”. It’s not so much our ability that God is concerned with but our availability. Are we available when God calls us?
Often times when asked to do something for the church, people make excuses that someone else can do better than them. When asked to perform some service, we immediately begin to compare ourselves to others and think that we’re inadequate.
I’m glad David didn’t feel that way when he was selected as king. His brothers were much bigger and better looking then he was, but David didn’t compare, he just made himself available. I’m glad Noah didn’t feel that way when God told him to build the ark. He didn’t listen to the ridicule of his friends, he just made himself available.
God created us just as we are. We all are built differently, we all have different personalities. Our so called limitations are not a problem to God. He doesn’t look at the outside of man, but always looks at the heart. We must get out of the habit of comparison shopping and looking at everyone else’s talents and just say, “Here am I Lord, send me.” Where is God acting in your life today? What is He calling you to do? Quit considering your abilities and just make yourself available and He will do the rest.
5) No, Lord Chapter 4:13 “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” That has got to be the #1 ranked excuse of all time in the history of the church. And just like Moses, what we’re basically saying is “No, Lord, I won’t do it.”
God was patient with Jonah and called him to preach but Jonah said no, over and over again. Remember where Jonah ended up? In the stinking belly of the great fish. Have you ever considered what that must have been like? It was dark, it was smelly, it was miserable and Jonah was there for 3 days to reconsider God’s calling.
God is incredibly patient with us but His patience will not always last. When we continue to say no, He will find someone else, and we will suffer the consequences and miss out on God’s blessings.
In the first chapter of Romans, Paul said the people knew God but had no desire to follow Him or be like Him, so God “gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts”. Or in other words, God is patient but will allow us to say no for only so long. Then He will allow us to follow our own desires and suffer the consequences, much like Jonah. Saying no to God is a dangerous thing to do.
When Moses says “send someone else”, he is actually saying “I don’t trust you, Lord.” We find at this point that God gets angry. God has been patient with Moses and his excuses, but when Moses indicates his lack of trust, God gets angry.
All of our excuses, no matter what they are, are simply another way of saying “Lord, I don’t trust you”. God is lovingly patient with our excuses but His patience will not always endure. There comes a point when His patience turns to anger with us.
God allowed Aaron to accommodate Moses but Moses was always God’s first choice. When we look into the future, we see that because Moses wasn’t willing, Aaron led Israel into further trouble by influencing them to worship the golden calf.
And the people of Israel suffered because Moses said no.
When we say no to God today, we are not aware of the consequences that may come to future generations. You are not only bringing judgment upon yourself but on others as well.
When God calls you, He has a purpose for you. No matter how inadequate you may feel, God wouldn’t call you if you weren’t capable of doing what He asks. He will provide all that you need, you just need to be willing to be available.
Listen, God has a plan for your life. That plan is to fulfill the purposes for which He created you. The good news is that He doesn’t expect you to carry out that plan, He will do that, He just wants you to be available.
Excuses are like noses, everybody has one. So often we say “I can’t” but what we’re really saying is “I won’t.”
Through Moses, we see that God has an answer for everyone of our excuses.
Where is God leading you today? What is He calling you to do or to be?
Instead of looking at your ability, it is your availability that God wants. He doesn’t need you to accomplish His purposes, He just wants to use you to bring honor and glory to His name. There is no higher calling then saying yes to God. What will your answer be?
