Excuses, excuses, excuses: Why haven’t you been saved?
By Pastor Don Squires,
Temple Free Will Baptist Church, Darlington
Every Christian is called to take the gospel to the lost.
Yet we make so many excuses not to.
I’m going to be a good witness, I’m going to be a light for Jesus, going to be more faithful, going to lead my family … “Just as soon as I can get around to it!”
Every lost person is called to be saved.
I’m going to get right with God, I’m going to ask for His forgiveness, I’m going to turn from the path of sin, I’m going to church … “Just as soon as I can get around to it!”
Excuses, excuses, excuses. You may even believe that you have a valid reason for your procrastination (to delay, to postpone, to put off). But just as God answered every excuse raised by Moses, so will His Word answer any reason you may have today!
This happened to Moses. God called Moses from the midst of a burning bush on Mount Sinai.
First excuse: Who am I? (Ex. 3:11). Moses felt inferior. He thought God had chosen the wrong person. God’s answer: It doesn’t matter who you are. I will be with you (Ex. 3:12).
Second excuse: Who are you? (Ex. 3:13). He didn’t know God well enough to describe Him to the people. God’s answer: I Am Who I Am. I am all you need (Ex. 3:14).
Third excuse: What if they don’t listen to me? (Ex. 4:1). Moses felt intimidated. He was worried about how the people would react to him. God’s answer: Show My signs and they will listen to you (Ex. 4:2–9).
Fourth excuse: I have never been a good speaker (Ex. 4:10). Who would listen to him since he didn’t know how to speak well? God’s answer: Guess who created your mouth? (Ex. 4:11–12).
Fifth excuse: I know You can find someone better (Ex. 4:13). Moses was comparing himself to others. Not me, just me? God’s answer: “Aaron will go with you, but YOU will lead” (Ex. 4:14–16).
What’s your excuse? When are you gonna get around to it? “I WILL LATER, BUT NOT NOW. I’LL WAIT AWHILE.” PROCRASTINATION IS THE DEVIL’S BEST WEAPON. He uses it on us at every stage of life.
12-year-old: “I’m much too young to think about God.”
18-year-old: “I’m much too smart to think about God.”
22-year-old: “I’m much too happy to think about God.”
25-year-old: “I’m much too busy to think about God.”
30-year-old: “I’m much too prideful to think about God.”
40-year-old: “I’m much too tired to think about God.”
50-year-old: “I’m much too worried to think about God.”
60-year-old: “I’m much too old to think about God.”
Then death comes unexpectedly, too late to think about God!
Waiting is foolish. Would you wait if you knew …
a. There was a bomb in your house that could explode any moment?
b. You had a terminal disease if left untreated?
Why have this concern for the body, but not for the soul? The soul is much more important than the body — Matthew 10:28. If you know what to do, don’t wait; your soul is at stake!
But then some say …
“I DON’T KNOW ENOUGH YET.” A DESIRE TO LEARN MORE IS GREAT. There is a lot more that I would like to know! Being a Christian involves a growth process. Most of the teaching takes place AFTER we are saved. — Matthew 28:19-20. You can become a Christian with very little knowledge.
“HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?” Consider the examples of conversions in the Book of Acts. Most conversions result after one lesson; how many lessons or sermons have you heard?
When the Ethiopian eunuch wanted to be baptized after just one lesson, it was “faith” that was necessary, not “knowledge” — Acts 8:35-37.
If you understand, and are convicted in your heart … that you are lost in your sins … that Jesus died on the cross for your sins … that you can be saved through believing in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God (Acts 8:37), repenting of your sins (Acts 2:38), confessing your faith in Jesus (Romans 10:9-10), being baptized and remaining faithful to the Lord — if you know that — and now you do! — then you know enough to be saved and begin the Christian life!
Some say …
“I WANT TO WAIT, I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH YET.” When I get my life straightened out, I will … THOSE WHO SAY THIS MISUNDERSTAND THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
Some believe that they are expected to act like mature Christians right away. Super Saints from the start. Comparing themselves to those who have been saved for years. They know that they can’t act like that immediately, so they assume that they must change themselves first.
Being a Christian is a growth process. (Build Faith.) We start out as “babes in Christ,” often still carnal in behavior. (1 Corinthians 3:1-4) But we gradually grow, putting off the “old man” and putting on the “new man.”
WE CAN’T LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE WITHOUT CHRIST! If you wait until you can live the Christian life to become a Christian, you will be waiting forever!
Never happen! Only in Christ can we receive the strength to overcome the struggles of the flesh.
To wait or procrastinate in obeying God’s Word until your life is in order, “putting the cart before the horse,” won’t work. Without the leading and guiding of Jesus, you can’t change and live for Jesus.
Don’t wait till you can fix it!
Or maybe this is your excuse:
“THERE ARE SO MANY HYPOCRITES IN THE CHURCH.” THAT’S TRUE, BUT HYPOCRITES ARE EVERYWHERE. At school, work, clubs, Wal-mart, church and even at your house sometimes. Do hypocrites in the stands keep you from going and enjoying a ballgame?
Do hypocrites in the store keep you from buying groceries?
Their sin of hypocrisy is no excuse for you to continue in YOUR sins. You won’t have to answer for them.
Which is worse, going to church with a FEW hypocrites from time to time, or spending eternity with them in hell? It’s your choice.
REMEMBER … Jesus didn’t refuse to worship in the synagogues because the religious leaders were hypocrites. The other disciples didn’t leave Jesus because Judas was a hypocrite! If you let the hypocrite come in between you and God, you let the hypocrite become bigger than God! You can’t see God for the hypocrite! How sad!
“I WANT TO WAIT FOR MY WIFE, HUSBAND, PARENTS OR CHILDREN.” YOUR CONCERN IS COMMENDABLE, BUT… are you really helping them by waiting? They may be waiting on you to obey first. Your waiting will only hinder them, not help them. Be an example of obedience that they can follow. (1 Peter 3:1-2)
WHEN YOU STAND BEFORE THE LORD, IT’LL BE AS AN INDIVIDUAL, not as a family group. You’ll have to answer for yourself! (Romans 14:12)
As much as you may love them, don’t end up in hell waiting on them!
“I AM AFRAID OF WHAT PEOPLE MAY THINK OR SAY.” The Lord must come first — love Him most — love Him more. He’s made it clear that we must be more concerned about what He thinks than what our loved ones might think.
They will thank you later for loving Him most.
There may be other excuses or reasons that you might give today for not obeying the gospel.
But there is no justifiable reason to put off getting saved or obeying God’s call on your life.
Our excuses will not stand when we stand before the Lord!
So if you know what you need to do today, why put it off any longer?
Together with Ananias, the disciple the Lord sent to tell Saul of Tarsus what he needed to do, I ask you: “Why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
