“The Sinner’s Excuse Book”
How many know it is not wise to live your life based on presumption?
There’s nothing solid about presumption. Making decisions based on presumption will get you in trouble. It leaves too many things to chance… “up in the air.” Unsettled.
pre-sume – “To take a dare. To suppose something to be true without proof. To take for granted that something is the way you think it is without knowing for sure.”
Have you ever been the innocent victim of presumption?
“What do you mean ‘the banquet hall in not reserved!?!’ I assumed you took care of that month’s ago!”
You’re 200 miles down the road; “You put the dog out before we left, right?”
Story of dog owner who stopped at a rest stop and tethered their dog to bumper of their motor home. “You put ‘Skippy’ back in the camper, right hun?” (What a drag!)
“I thought we went over that together? You said…”
“No, YOU said…
“No, no, no…I distinctly remember you saying…”
“Weren’t you supposed to pick up the guest speaker at the airport?”
“I’m pretty sure she’s got that covered.”
“Don’t worry about a thing – I saw him write himself a note about that…”
At best, presumption is an educated guess. Not a fact, but a possibility. You predict, under the ideal circumstances, how the dice will end up. With presumption, if nothing were every allowed to alter the circumstances, you would always win. But you can’t count on that because circumstances for most things in life are beyond your control.
Listen – just because it happened a certain way one time doesn’t mean it will be the same this time. Just because it worked for one person doesn’t mean it will work for you the same way. Some things in life are just too important to risk through presumption. Like eternity.
Me, personally, I don’t want to take a chance on forever. Follow me for a second here. Forever is….forever. Today is just ‘today’ and tomorrow is just ‘tomorrow’ – but “forever is a long, long time.” There is no “The End” on eternity’s story. The interesting thing about eternity is, although it’s forever, you can’t do anything about it once you’re there. Did you ever think about that? You have two options (Biblically speaking) for eternity. Heaven/hell. Both of those options about your forever are decided in the very temporal existence of your life today.
So, in reality, whether you realize it or not, today is a very important day because today just might be the beginning of eternity for someone in this room. Today and tomorrow are just a drop in the bucket when it comes to eternity. Just an infinitesimal blip on the eternal screen – but there’s a lot more riding on today and tomorrow than you think.
This is hard stuff for us to fathom! I’ll guarantee you that when you wake up most days you aren’t thinking, “Whoa dude! Big day today! This might be the day when I meet my eternal destiny!” Are you kidding!?! All you’re worried about is trying to find your socks or picking out what you’re going to wear for the day! That’s the problem!
We can’t see eternity for staring into today!
Never forget: The difference between today and eternity is forever.
Ahh, but in “The Sinner’s Excuse Book,” today is just ‘another day,’ for you see, “The Sinner’s Excuse Book” is full of presumptions. The Bible talks about some of them. They are common presumptions we make about spiritual decisions. All of these presumptions assume the individual will have the ideal time and opportunity to bring about the desired end result. But life isn’t that predictable…..
One of the presumptions you’re sure to find in every copy of “The Sinner’s Excuse Book” is this:
I. “Someday, I’ll settle down and straighten out my life.”
Isaiah 56:12 – “‘Come,” each one cries, ‘Let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today or even far better.’”
Sounds like an add for a beer commercial doesn’t it?
“C’mon! Grab another 6-pack. Go for the gusto! It doesn’t get any better than this! We’re having the time of our life and tomorrow’s/next weekend’s party will be just like today’s – or even better!”
The thinking here is that at some future point, when I’m older, it’ll be time to “mellow out,” and put the crazy days behind me. But now, I’m young and strong and full of life. So “get back, Jack! – I’ve got some living to do!!!”
THE PRESUMPTIONS?:
· You’ll wake up one morning and clearly recognize that you’ve reached the ideal age to “mellow out,” and “just like that” – you’ll straighten out you life.
· It will be easy to just “walk away” from all the people and environments that have contributed to your sinful lifestyle. (friends, parties, bars, etc.)
· Your liver and other vital organs affected by substance abuse will still be fully functioning. (you’ll still be in good health.)
· You will not be an alcoholic/addicted to drugs.
· You’ll be alive after being in a head-on collision from driving while intoxicated.
· You’ll meet the guy/girl of your dreams after living a life of sexual impurity for years.
· You won’t have AIDS or some other sexually transmitted disease after being sexually involved with multiple partners over the years.
· You won’t be divorced from the person you married because of an unwanted pregnancy instead of love.
And on and on the list goes. You can’t control life! And you can’t assume something that’s hard now will become easier later after you’ve become even more deeply involved in it. So ask yourself now:
How much abuse will you heap upon yourself before you “settle down?”
How much will time and sin have taken its toll on you?
How can you even begin to comprehend the weight of your guilt and regrets and pain when (and if) you ever reach the point of “settling down?”
You can’t answer any of those questions. You can only presume you know what you’re doing. I’m telling you if your heart’s not right with God this moment, you’re taking a dare on eternity. You’re rolling the dice on your forever.
Flip on through “The Sinner’s Excuse Book” a few more pages and you’ll come across this one:
II. “Someday, when the time is right, I’ll accept Christ as my personal Lord and Savior.”
Acts 24:25 – (Paul on trial before Felix in Caesarea) – “As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ‘That’s enough now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.’”
The thinking here is that I will reach a point when either
A) I’ll be more prepared or assured of success as a Christian – OR –
B) When the timing is right for me – and then I’ll accept Christ.
Let me deal with them one at a time. This idea that I will one day reach a point when I’ll be more prepared or assured of success as a Christian is wrong because IT PRESUMES THAT…
· I have something to do with the process of righteousness.
You don’t have a thing to do with the kind of spiritual cleansing it’s going to take to make you acceptable to God. I don’t become a Christian because I’m good…but because Christ is good. If I keep waiting for the time when I’m good enough to be ready for salvation, that time will never come!
Illustr. – That’s like saying, “I’m waiting until I’m ready before I get married.” Are you ever really ‘ready’ to get married?
You can read books on marriage, watch videos on marriage, sit in on marriage retreats, go for marriage counseling, interview dozens of married couples, but when it’s all said and done, you’ll have to GET married yourself if you ever really want to know what it’s like! No amount of education about it will make you married. Likewise, you’ll never be more ‘ready’ to become a Christian than you are right now. Oh, you might learn more about the subject, but you only become a Christian by experiencing the forgiveness of Christ. You can’t do it without him!
The murderer on death row is just as ready/capable of becoming a Christian as the person who has kept all the Commandments and yet lives without Christ. Why? Because success as a Christian is not based upon my righteousness, but on Christ’s righteousness. Presuming I can become good enough for Christ to forgive me is like trying to clean up with a dirty rag before taking a bath. You’ve gotta’ jump in if you want to be clean! Don’t presume you’ll be righteous enough (clean/good) someday to merit salvation. That’s an insult to the cross! Why would God send Jesus if you could get rid of sin on your own? It just can’t happen without Christ.
God can save you from a whole lot of sin just as easily as he can save you from a little bit.
“Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me.
And that thou bidst’ me come to thee,
Oh Lamb of God I come, I come.”
The second thought was this: One day I’ll reach a point when the timing is right for me, and then I’ll accept Christ.
THAT PRESUMES A COUPLE OF THINGS:
· I will have other moments when salvation feels more “convenient.”
Felix – “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it more convenient, I will send for you.”
Let me remind you that when it comes to the decision of salvation, it will always be a battle. A tug-of-war with your soul.
“Today is the day of salvation.” Today is as convenient as it gets.
It never gets convenient to carry the cross. Jesus – “Take up your cross…..and follow me.”
· My conscience will be fully functioning when the “ideal time” for salvation is upon me.
Each time we disobey the wooing of the H. Spirit, we become a little less responsive to God/the things of God. If we continue to disregard our conscience, it will become damaged. Sometimes degenerating to a condition Paul described in I Timothy 4:2 as “seared.” Unresponsive. Uncaring. Insensitive. That’s why TODAY is the day of salvation!! Tomorrow you might find yourself in a place where you just don’t care. You might still have the opportunity – but you won’t want to take advantage of it. Don’t presume there will ever be a better time to accept Christ than today. You may not have another opportunity.
“Come back tomorrow Paul,” said Felix. “That’s enough for now.”
Friend, you may not have “tomorrow.” “Tomorrow is a word found only in a fool’s calendar.”
As you continue to leaf through the pages of “The Sinner’s Excuse Book,” you will, no doubt, come to a statement like this one:
III. “Someday I’ll stand before God…..but that’s a long way off.”
“I’ve got plenty of time.”
Illustr. – “For Whom the Clock Ticks” (Opposite page)
Luke 12:19 – “And I’ll say to myself. ‘You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."
The thinking here is that there is a long span of time between our today and eternity.
THE PRESUMPTIONS?:
· Unexpected tragedies happen – but they won’t happen to me. No one likes to think or talk about the possibility of a sudden tragedy – but the potential is always there! (vehicle crashed/accidents/victim of a crime) Death does not come announced.
“What is your life? It is but a vapor. Here today. Gone tomorrow.”
· Even if an unexpected tragedy happened, I would have an opportunity to “get things right” with God before I died. Roll the dice. (Illustr. – John F. Kennedy, Jr.)
· God knows my heart. He knows I believe in Him. So if I died unexpectedly, he would overlook any wrong I’ve done. Roll ‘em again. Why did Jesus spend so much time telling people to do everything they could to avoid going to an eternity in hell if it’s not urgent? Unconfessed sin is a problem. There will be a ton of people in heaven that will say, “Lord, Lord, we did this in your name! We did that in your name!” and the answer according to scripture that will come to many will be, “Depart from me. I never knew you.”
If you truly believe God knows your heart, then you’d better make sure your heart is right before him today.
· After a good, long life, before I step out into eternity – I’ll say the “sinner’s prayer.” Sure. You’ll never be the victim of a heart attack, stroke, coma, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.
We aren’t going to live forever! Eternity could be a lot close than you think!
Illustr. – “The Clock of Life” (Opposite page)
Proverbs 27:1 – “Do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”
Quote (Opposite page)
Turn with me through the pages of the well-worn “Sinner’s Excuse Book” to one last statement:
IV. “Someday, when I have had a successful career, I’ll be ready to dedicate my life to the Lord’s service.”
James 4:13-14 – “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’
Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
The thinking here is, once I’ve done what I want to do, then I’ll do what God wants me to do.
THE PRESUMPTIONS?:
· My priorities will change and I’ll be totally prepared spiritually to go and do whatever God calls me to do. At what point will you get free from the hold that things, career, the world has on you? Will it be easier later?
· I’ll always have the health, finances and freedom to pursue the things I feel God is calling me to do now. Really? Are you untouchable? Ever read the story of Job? What about bills? Mortgages? A wife and family?
· The opportunities I have for ministry now will be there later when I’m ready to pursue them. You will always have opportunities to minister for God, but some opportunities only come along once in a lifetime. Will you miss God’s Will for your life in pursuit of a career? Relationship? Money?
· Someone else can do the things God is calling me to do until I’m ready to go. Maybe But how many opportunities – how many people – will be lost?
Illustr. – “Not the Place to Chase Your Hat.”
Some people in this place need to stop chasing the things you’ve been chasing and start chasing God. The truth this morning is Jesus is not the Lord of your life, he’s an option.
When are you going to stop making excuses?
“Someday.”
“Tomorrow.”
“When the time is right.”
“After I’ve done some living.”
“Once I’ve established a successful career.”
If you were called to stand before God today, none of those excuses would work! You need to get right with God. You need to quit messing around. You need to stop putting it off. Tomorrow may never come. “Tomorrow is a word found only in a fool’s calendar.”
I want to help you this morning. I want to help you get your name out of “The Sinner’s Excuse Book” and into “The Lamb’s Book of Life.” It’s time for you to get serious. Don’t let another day go by. Don’t miss this opportunity. If you miss this chance, you’ll stand before God one day without excuse. This is your moment. What are you going to do? Are you going to make up another excuse, or are you going to get your life right with God?
