Sermon # 37 - Excuses People Give Series

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.