A BAD EXCUSE IS WORSE THAN NONE

Luke 14:16-24

  1. Intro.
    1. the provisions of the gospel of Christ may well be compared to a supper
    2. "a great supper," is descriptive of salvation if we consider the greatness of the provision
      1. how much love and mercy from God has displayed towards men in the person of Christ Jesus
      2. how much power and gracious working has been shown by the Holy Spirit
      3. a great supper it is if we think of the richness and sweetness of the provision-- it is a feast fit for a king
      4. a great supper it is, when we consider the number of guests invited [all the world]
      5. no other king ever sent out an invitation so broad as this
    3. is it not strange that when the householder made so great a supper, that when he offered it without money or price, all his neighbors with one consent begin to make excuse
      1. He did not call them to prison or to misery
      2. how is it that they were so unwilling to obey the summons
      3. where did this unanimous rejection come from
      4. not one of them had enough respect for their generous friend to sit at his table and receive his bounty
        1. we have a picture of the universal depravity of man
        2. all men are thus vile, and refuse the mercy of God
        3. we never know how bad man is till the gospel is preached to him
    4. the gospel is preached to thousands, and all make excuse – 18
      1. is there not one whose free-will is inclined towards Christ
      2. is there not one who has a naturally good disposition so that he will come to Jesus: "No, not one "
      3. what fools as well as rebels we are to refuse to partake of the banquet of love
      4. we are altogether become unprofitable; there is none who seeketh after God – Romans 3:11-12
    5. there were other men besides those who made excuse, these were in the highways and hedges
      1. those who do not hear the gospel, are no t guilty of rejecting it
      2. nevertheless they are far off from God by wicked works
      3. those in the highways need to be "compelled" to come in; they had a natural reluctance to feast at the good man's table
      4. the two characters represent all mankind, and we find all to be enemies of God
  2. why did they make excuses
    1. it is a sad fact that men so readily make excuses rather than to receive the Word of God
    2. they made excuses because they did not want to go to the feast (did not want to be saved)
      1. if man’s heart were not so deceitful, they would not make excuses, but plainly speak their mind
        1. we do not feel our sinfulness, we will not accept pardon
        2. we believe that we can work out our own salvation with our own doings
        3. we are content to take our chance, we do not want salvation
      2. excuses are so transparent, that it is easy to see that those who make excuses are at enmity with God
      3. this truth may be hard to swallow; but nevertheless, it is the truth
    3. they made excuses because they wished to be on good terms with their own conscience
      1. they felt that they ought to go, because He had a claim upon them
      2. feeling that they ought to go, and yet intending not to go, they compromised by making an excuse
      3. conscience is a very unpleasant neighbor to men who live in sin
      4. we cannot extinguish our conscience, therefore we put it under the basket of an excuse
    4. some make excuses to satisfy customs
      1. most people are not vehemently opposed to religion
      2. for mom, dad, brother, sister, husband or wife’s sake they do not speak honestly what their soul feels
      3. to spare the feelings of someone close they make excuses
      4. while they make excuses, there is no hope for them at all
      5. excuses are curses, and when we have no excuses left there will be hope for us
    5. Satan is always ready to help men with excuses
    6. excuse-making has been a habit in all ages and among all classes of people
      1. the natural self-righteousness of man prompts him to make excuses
      2. we are all the best men in the world according to our own gauge and measure
      3. sinful self is hard to conquer, but righteous self is the worst enemy of the two
      4. when we plead guilty, then God pronounces a dismissal of charges
      5. while men give their excuses, there is little or no hope for them
  3. what excuses did they make
    1. many will not come to the great supper, and many will not become Christians form the same reason as those in the parable
    2. they are too busy
      1. they have business and family concerns to take care of
      2. it takes all their time to earn bread to feed the family
      3. nobody starves because he does not have time to eat
      4. the things of this life have them so busy that they do not have time to think about death and eternity
      5. if God has given us time to feed the natural body, surely He has given us time to feed our soul
      6. f we do not have the time, which God given us, we must have misspent it
      7. God gives us time as a steward; if we say to Him, "I have it not," He will reply, "I entrusted it to you; you must have spent it on yourself"
    3. salvation is not a matter of time, because salvation is an instantaneous event
    4. excuses are a sigh of the convictions of our neglect
  4. the foolishness of making excuses
    1. we must remember before whom we are making the excuses
      1. we are not making excuses before a man who may be duped by them
      2. we are making excuses before the heart-searching God
      3. God can see through all the smoke and mirrors that we put up
    2. Remember what it is that seems so unimportant
      1. it is our own soul, the soul which can never die
      2. we are counting as worthless a heaven, which we will never see, if we continue with our excuses
      3. we are making light of a hell which must be our never-ending portion if we continue as we are
      4. can you play with hell-fire; can you make sport of heaven
      5. if we must play the fool, find something cheaper to play with than this
    3. remember that these excuses will look very different soon: at the time of death
      1. what will one do with their excuses at the bar of judgment
      2. there the books will be opened, and then Christ will proclaim their doom
      3. will there be any excuse that can bring comfort then
      4. they will weep and wale for their sins as they arrive in hell
    4. the only way to put an end to your excuses is not by praying nor resolving, but by looking to Christ
      1. there hangs the bleeding Savior on the cross
      2. He died the just for the unjust to bring us to God
      3. He suffers there that sin may be forgiven
      4. look to Him, trust in Him, and thou shalt be saved