Excuses
Luke 9:57-62; 14:16-24
Man-made excuses are used by
the devil to lull people to sleep. You can be sure he is going to use
every excuse under the sun to keep men from receiving Christ. The
greatest weapons against excuses are the Word of God and a deep
dependence on the Holy Spirit.
A common excuse is, "I'm not ready, I want to think about it awhile."
The obvious answer to this is II Corinthians 6:2 where God says,
"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of
salvation." Point out that if there is the least tug at the heart, it
means God is working and willing to save them right then; and they
should not tell God to wait but respond. "Boast not thyself of
tomorrow," says God (Prov. 27: 1). So often, just as with Felix, who
said he would hear Paul at a more convenient time (Acts 24:25), the
convenient time never comes. Logic says, why put off the most
wonderful thing in the world? One would not put off getting cured from
some dreadful disease, especially when the cure is so simple.
Some fear they could not live the Christian life. Of course, no one
can live a new life until he receives one. These need to know that "if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new" (II Cot. 5:17). They become
alive by being "born again" (John 3:3). Becoming "partakers of the
divine nature" (II Pet. 1:4), they carl live as God intends they
should.
One of the most common excuses is that the sinner does not "fee!" as
if he is ready. Many think they will have some particular feeling that
lets them know this is it. No one can know what it feels like to be
married until he is married, and so with salvation. He needs to take
Christ by faith and not feeling.
Other excuses, such as hypocrites in the church, etc., are simply
camouflages. Notice Christ's attitude toward excuses in Luke 9:57-62.
Those making the excuses have not really understood the issues or are
not sufficiently under conviction. Don't press too hard lest you force
them into a false profession. Leave the door open to come back later
after you have prayed for the Holy Spirit to convict until they are
prepared to do business with God. |