(November 12, 2024) Dr Richard Winter challenges…

A reality so often overlooked is this— we have no excuse for wrong decision-making regarding God, His wishes and invitations!

Luke 14 tells that one-time Jesus went to a prominent Pharisee’s home for a meal and someone at His table commented, ‘Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God’ (v15).

The eyes of all the other guests were on Jesus (v1) and He immediately took the opportunity to tell a parable of a great (megas… exceedingly big!) banquet…

• Request sent to many—
  ‘A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, “Come, for everything is now ready”’ (v16-17).
• Responses (only some highlighted… obviously many others!)—
  (i) ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’
  (ii) ‘I’ve just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’
  (iii) ‘I just got married, so I can’t come’ (v18-20).
• Reaction of the benefactor—
  Then the owner of the house became angry (orgizo… provoked , enraged, exasperated) and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame’ (v21). So many missed out but so many gained!

‘Excuse’ here is paraiteomai… to decline, shun, refuse, reject. Many times we wrongly make excuses to God, shunning His great invitations and missing out on fantastic experiences.

Note this aspect regarding ‘excuses’: Many times an excuse is something said to conceal the real reason for wrong actions, an attempt to cover up a sin or shortcoming. Those who make them often exaggerate, lie, and deceive to evade confrontation for their misdeeds.

Here’s a mere few examples— 

• Employees late for work.
• Delayment of payments owed on due dates.
• Members not showing up to church gatherings.

Note too that excuses are not new! When challenged by God why he’d done something wrong, Adam blamed his wife Genesis 3:12). Excuses have always been around and are here to stay! Sinning against God and His word and ways leads to hell, not heaven.

Yes, hell is a real place, as is heaven. God wants us to appreciate the eternal blessing that’ll heaven will be! Our personal decisions will determine our direction of travel. Here’s but seven excuses (seven ‘buts’) that have already paved the expressway going into hellfor millions of careless souls.

1) But Everybody’s Doing It
Scripture commands us not to be conformed to this world (Romans 12:2; 1John 2:15). Here’s examples of biblical greats who were non-conformists and know what was important in life!

• Enoch didn’t conform to the sinful world of his day— he walked with God.
• Noah in his day was quite different too— he built an ark to escape sin’s judgment.
• Abraham— took a different path when Lot was Sodom-attracted. (Sin is always attractive!)
• Daniel’s three friends— faced with the death penalty they stood their ground praying.
• Paul and the other apostles— they were strangely weird by popular standards of their time! They did what God wanted them to do… going into all the world and teaching about Jesus.

The majority is not always right! Those who plotted against Jesus, even demanding His crucifixion were all wrong! The majority will still be wrong regarding the reality of God during our time! Proverbs 16:25 warns that ‘There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.’  Message Bible is very direct here: ‘There’s a way that looks harmless enough; look again— it leads straight to hell.’

2) But Times Have Changed
Yes, they sure have— mortgage rates, groceries, fuel prices, crime, politics, inflation, society, fashion… and even church has changed. But God hasn’t changed!

Neither has His word! ‘I the Lord do not change’ declares Malachi 3:6 and Isaiah. 40:8 says, ‘…the word of our God endures forever.’ In this present hi-tech world, the wages of sin is still death (Romans 6:23), both physical and eternal.

Sure, technology and science have greatly aided us… but have also sped up rebellion and sin against God and His word! These days you can see sin— and do it— on a cell phone, anywhere, any time!

Times may have changed, life keeps changing, but Jesus our loving Saviour doesn’t! Hebrews 13:8 tells of the Son of God’s immutability— ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.’

I ask you dear reader to focus on this great unchanging truth, not the changing times!

3) But I Have ‘my’ Religion
Some say, ‘I was raised in such and such a church or religion. It doesn’t matter what religion one has.’

Oh yes it does! ‘Religion’ is not synonymous with salvation. The question is— do you have salvation through Christ alone? Do you know 100% for sure that your sins have been forgiven and that you have eternal life?

God word makes it clear that you can be saved from hell even right where you are, right now at this very moment! John stated clearly that‘… God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life’ (1John 5:11-13).

Next month we joyfully celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, hallelujah! But look ahead to Easter… when we’ll rejoice in remembering Jesus’ Calvary death sacrificing Himself for  us, paying the price for our sins.

John 3:16 reminds us that ‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ And John 1:12 confirms that  ‘… all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.’

Salvation is something personal! It’s not about some church or religion… it’s all about repenting for our sins— our wrongdoings and having accepting Jesus as our Saviour and gaining eternal life! Have you?

4) But it Doesn’t Matter What you Believe
This is but another trick of Satan! Many people believe that as long as you’re sincere God will accept you. The devil has used this false excuse to send many to hell! The reality is that—

• You may be sincere, yet be still sincerely wrong at the same time!
• You may have faith but unless it’s in Jesus alone, you can’t be saved.
• You may have good intentions and decent morality, but unless you have Jesus as Lord and Saviour, you cannot enter heaven.

Jesus Himself declared, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6). In other words, He alone is the way, not one of many ways! He alone is the door all must go through to meet God.

Salvation is found not in a religion or anything else or anyone on earth but only in Jesus and His finished work at Calvary!

5) But I Don’t Understand the Bible
Ignorance is no excuse for not being saved God’s way! Romans 3:23NLT clearly says that ‘… everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.’ We are all sinned, we are all without excuse!

Oh we may have many questions but no one needs to know every answer before we can believe and accept God’s free gift of eternal life!

We live in a world full of things that we don’t fully understand, such as— conception, birth, death— but we believe and accept such things! I don’t even understand electricity or why the moon is ‘full’… but I accept such realities.

Need wisdom re scripture?

God has promised wisdom and guidance to those who need it (James 1:5 cf 1John 2:27).

6) But I’ll Postpone my Decision-making
Many decline accepting Jesus as Saviour now, thinking that they can leave it till another time.

Well of course you can! But consider that the Bible has lists many who shut their open-door opportunity and delayed making their right choice regarding their eternal destiny— and perished! They are recorded so we will not make the same mistake!

Very seriously I ask this pertinent question… ‘Who knows how much time we have left to live here and make a decision to accept Christ?’

7) But I’m too Rotten to be Forgiven
Not so!

• Peter, who had denied Jesus, was forgiven and when he preached on the day of Pentecost thousands believed and accepted Jesus as Saviour… including some of those who had crucified Jesus (Acts 2).
• Paul, who had intensely persecuted the early church, called himself ‘the chief of sinners’ (Galatians 1:13; 1Timothy 1:15) was also forgiven and faithfully served his Saviour.
• God can and does instantly forgive any repentant sinner who fully believes in Jesus as Saviour— even you right now as you read this article (Isaiah 1:18).

So… have you accepted Jesus as Saviour and are assured of eternal  life? Are you safe in His arms?

Right Decision-Making, not Excuse-Making!
If you were sitting on railroad tracks and a speeding train was hurtling toward you, you could make one of three possible decisions:

• Ignore the train, pretending it wasn’t coming until it hits you.
• Think ‘It’s still far off, I’ll just wait till it gets closer, then move away.’
• Heed the loco’s warning and get off the track quickly and be saved!

Only one of these responses will save you! Which one will you make? Doubtlessly number three! I urge you to do likewise regarding your soul and eternity! Heed God’s warning regarding— ‘Now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation’ (2Corinthians 6:2).

Today’s troubled world is full of excuses like the seven mentioned above… most are made in ignorance or rejection of the facts and the truth.

• Dear reader, if you do not know Jesus and haven’t accepted Him as  Saviour, I again encourage you to make the right decision that ensures your eternal salvation.
• In the parable above Jesus highlighted the excuses various individuals made declining that banquet invitation and thus angering the generous giver.
• Jesus is the Saviour of the world and one day Christians will be invited to a much greater banquet in glory! I urge you not to miss the marriage feast of Jesus the Lamb of God—  ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb … These are true words that come from God’ (Revelation 19:9NTL).

Romans 10:9-10 says, ‘If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.’

Don’t make an excuse, make the right decision! See you at that heavenly banquet!_________________________________________________
Dr Richard Winter pastors The Connection Church, Huntington Beach, California. Link: OnlinerConnect@gmail.com  
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