EVEN THE BEST OFFER EXCUSES…
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
This is a series on “EXCUSES”. Part one was “The veneer of excuses.” Part two “Even the best offer excuses.”
If you do all of this second part it will probably take two parts.
Text: Luke 14:18 (a) And they all with one consent began to make excuse.
3 classes of excuses: 1. Materialism 2. Business/Pleasure 3. Relationship/ Schedule.
EXCUSE: to attempt to deny responsibility for an action or a lack of action. To refuse to accept.
To try to make a defense of some offensive behavior or failure to keep an obligation or a promise.
To deny or try to remove blame or guilt. To seek to be free from obligations. To defend one’s self.
We also suggested that MAKING EXCUSES is: 1. Habitual, 2. Addictive, 3. Contagious.
Now let us address the word: PALLIATE: to make light of, to reduce nature of wrong, to cover up with excuses and apologies, to moderate the intensity, ease.
We often try to palliate lying by making the claim: WELL, EVERYBODY ELSE LIES?
WHERE IN HISTORY DOES THE MAKING OF EXCUSES BEGIN?
We do not have to look far from the beginning of time to find our first examples of DENIAL, PALLIATION AND THE OFFERING OF EXCUSES… The first couple ADAM and EVE learned the BLAME GAME soon after the fall into sin.
Genesis 3:12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
1. THE ENEMY CAUGHT EVE IN A POSITION OF ISOLATION.
EVE CLAIMED THE FLIP WILSON STATEMENT: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT?
There was denial and excuses to the severity of EVE spending time near the tree and looking how pleasant the fruit was to her eyes. There was also an ISSUE OF THE HEART…
2. ADAM blamed Eve and excused his behavior by BLAMING EVE. Then ADAM BLAMED GOD. God you gave me that woman.
Because Adam and Eve PALLIATED AND EXCUSED THEIR BEHAVIOR there is no RECORD OF CONFESSION OR REPENTANCE. Their bad behavior and bad attitudes were never corrected. How sad?
LET US SEE THE NON-CORRECTED CONTAGIOUS ATTITUDES OF MAKING OFFERINGS OF EXCUSES PASS FROM THE PARENTS TO THE SON, CAIN. THERE WAS AN OFFERING ISSUE. ABEL GAVE OF HIS FIRST FRUIT, CAIN GAVE OF THE FRUIT --- LEFTOVERS… CAIN NEVER ADMITTED NOR CORRECTED HIS BEHAVIOR, HE EXCUSED HIS ANGER.
Genesis 4:5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
The excused behavior leads to his anger bringing the first death and the first grave. CAIN IS A LIAR that murders his brother.
Genesis 4:9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
Cain says his punishment is greater than he can bear. Why? Cain denied, palliated and excused his behavior. There is no record of confession and repentance.
MOSES WAS A MAN OF GOD… BUT MOSES LEARNED THE HE COULD EXCUSE HIMSELF…
Moses thought he was hot stuff in the palace his first 40 years. Moses second 40 years in the desert Moses thought he was a nobody. But Moses’ last 40 years Moses learned that God was everything!
Exodus 3:11 And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
EXCUSES? Moses was good at explaining to God why he was the wrong man for the job. EXCUSES?
Exodus 4:10 And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
MOSES WAS GOOD AT OFFERING EXCUSES… BUT OFFERING EXCUSES WAS A FAMILY THING… AARON WAS MOSES’ OLDER BROTHER… MOSES WAS UP ON THE MOUNTAIN BEFORE GOD… AARON WAS LEFT IN CHARGE.
AARON took premeditated and deliberate action to build a gold idol to worship.
Exodus 32:2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
AARON LIED AND EXCUSED AND ACCUSED HIMSELF BY HIS ACTIONS…
Exodus 32:22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
AARON PALLIATED AND EXCUSED HIS SINFUL BEHAVIOR. He said we threw the gold in the fire and you will not believe this, but a GOLD CALF CAME WALKING OUT… You are right AARON, you lied and excused yourself. Shame on you. Don’t defend your excuse… COME CLEAN.
TALK ABOUT GOOD COMPANY? GIDEON BECAME A DECORATED WAR HERO… BUT HE STARTED WITH AN EXCUSE. GIDEON YOU MUST STAND UP AND HEAR GOD WITH NO EXCUSES.
Judges 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. 13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? 15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. 16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. 17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
JEREMIAH WAS A MIGHTY PROPHET AND HE HEARD FROM GOD, BUT JEREMIAH HAD TO OVERCOME THE OFFERING OF EXCUSES.
Jeremiah 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. 7 But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. 10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
ELISHA COULD HAVE MISSED HIS CALL TO a GREAT MAN OF GOD BECAUSE HE OFFERED AN EXCUSE… BUT HE SAW BEYOND HIS LIMITATIONS AND EXCUSES TO ACCEPT FULL OBEDIENCE. HE CAME TO ELIJAH WITH NO EXCUSES…
1 Kings 19:19 So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. 20 And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? 21 And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.
NAAMAN WAS A STRANGER TO ISRAEL. HE WAS VERY OPINIONATED. HE THOUGHT THE PREACHER SHOULD COME OUT AND MEET HIM. SO HE STARTED OFFERING EXCUSES. HE HAD A TEMPER PROBLEM THAT ALMOST HINDERED HIS MIRACLE.
2 Kings 5:10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. 11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? 14 Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
WE MIGHT FACE SOME IMAGINARY EXCUSES THAT CAN HINDER OUR MIRACLES… WE CAN MAKE UP EXCUSES
AND BELIEVE OUR OWN LIES.
God has a plan. God wants us to quit making offerings of excuses even though some great men of God offered them. There are real excuses and there are imaginary excuses.
Proverbs 22:13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
Conclusion: Benjamin Franklin: He that is good at offering excuses is seldom good at anything else. Our choices and excuses have consequences. Refuse to accept excuses. Great people of God had to learn how to overcome their excuses and quit palliating. You can! If you want to?
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
Help me to enlarge the reach of my hands? Pass it on to another?
