They Are Without Excuse

 We all tend to make excuses. 

 Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. But God had given them clear instructions. When He reveals His will to us, we have no excuse for disobeying. Jesus said: "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin" (John 15:22).

 Ignorance is no excuse. 

 The eternal power and deity of God are observed by all.

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:18-21). 

 Even those who do not know the Scriptures are without excuse because, all around them, they can see ample evidence of the eternal power and deity of God. This should cause them to seek God. Israel was told that even in captivity they could find God if they diligently sought Him: "But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul" (Deuteronomy 4:29). God has promised: "I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me" (Proverbs 8:17). "And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). Jesus said: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened" (Matthew 7:7,8).

 Ignorance is no excuse. 

The evidence of God's existence is overwhelming, and God has promised that those who truly seek Him will find Him.

Preoccupation is no excuse. 

 Many people who believe in God are so occupied with their daily activities that they neglect to serve Him.

 "A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, 'Come, for all things are now ready.' But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.' So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.' And the servant said, 'Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.' Then the master said to the servant, 'Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper''' (Luke 14:16-24). 

 The man who gave the great supper represents God. The supper represents the spiritual blessings God has prepared for us. It is an honor when someone invites us to a banquet. What a great honor to be invited to the supper of the Lord.

 God gave advance invitations to the people of Israel through the Old Testament prophets and Scriptures. When all was ready, He sent His Son to call His people to the feast. But the religious leaders and scholars of Israel were so preoccupied with worldly pursuits that they did not value spiritual manna. To such people Jesus said:

"Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him" (Matthew 21:31,32). 

 Although the guests had been invited beforehand, when the time came, they all began to make excuses! What an insult to the one who had invited them!

Three examples are given of excuses offered. They all indicate preoccupation, self-centeredness and indifference to the invitation.

 "The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.'"

 When someone makes an important purchase, he is excited about it and wants to examine and admire it. Everything else tends to be neglected for a while.

 It is interesting that different verbs are used in the three examples. In this case he says "I must go and see it." In his mind this was absolutely essential even though it prevented him from attending the great feast to which he had been invited. He was self-centered. He just had to go see that new piece of land he had purchased.

 This represents people who give priority to their possessions and are so occupied with them that they neglect to serve God. This reminds us of the parable of the sower: "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful" (Matthew 13:22). 

 "And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.'" 

 The first man was a proud property owner. This man is a busy businessman. He does not say "I must go," he says, "I am going"! He was already on his way. The first man was preoccupied with his property; this man is preoccupied with his business.

 Obviously, both the viewing of the property and the testing of the oxen could have waited until the next day. The great feast simply was not important to these men. Their own affairs were more important than the affairs of God.

Material possessions were more important than the blessings of God. This is also true of many today. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

 "Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'"

 The first man said, "I must go" do something else. The second man said, "I am going" to do something else. This man says, "I cannot come"! It was simply impossible for him to come, because he had just been married. Once again, it was just an excuse, given because he did not value the invitation.

 This represents people who let preoccupation with family prevent them from serving God. Jesus warned: "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me" (Matthew 10:37). He also promised: "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit everlasting life" (Matthew 19:29). 

 None of those who had been invited were coming! The master of the house was furious. God will be angry with us if we undervalue the spiritual blessings He offers, if we are preoccupied with worldly affairs, and neglect to come to His feast.

 The prior invitation had been given to a select few, the people of Israel. Now the invitation is for all. Going out "into the streets and lanes of the city" and bringing in "the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind" represents the gospel being preached to the unlearned among the Jews. Jesus prayed, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes" (Matthew 11:25).

 Going "out into the highways and hedges" represents the gospel call to the Gentiles. When all believers among the people of Israel have accepted Christ, there is still room in the banquet hall of God. The Gentiles are also invited to the feast of God.

 Jesus told the Jewish leaders who rejected Him: "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it" (Matthew 21:43). After commending the faith of a Roman centurion, Jesus said:

"And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth'' (Matthew 8:11,12). 

 Paul wrote: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek" (Romans 1:16). As Paul went from city to city preaching the gospel, he first gave the Jews an opportunity to hear, then he preached to the Gentiles:

"When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, Paul was constrained by the Spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, 'Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles'" (Acts 18:5,6). 

"Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, 'It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles'" (Acts 13:46). 

 We have no excuse. 

 The invitation to the great spiritual feast prepared by God has gone forth to all men. It echos down through the ages and comes to us. "And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17). 

 Let us not make excuses, preoccupied with the affairs of this world. Let us accept the invitation, and attend the spiritual feast prepared for us by God.

 Roy Davison

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

It is Time to Wake Up

By Roy Davison.

"Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light" (Ephesians 5:14).

God tells us to wake up. We all need physical sleep, so there is nothing wrong with sleeping at the proper time. But when it is time to wake up, it can be disastrous not to do so.

"The Herald of Free Enterprise" was a car ferry plying between Dover, England and Zeebrugge, Belgium. The whole front of the ship opened so cars and lorries could be loaded onto the lower decks.

One winter night, with the vehicles loaded and 563 passengers on board, Captain David Lewry put to sea. It was dark, 7 pm. All went well in the sheltered harbour. But one mile out, when they hit high seas, the ship capsized in 90 seconds and sank within five minutes. It was the 6th of March, 1987. One hundred ninety-three people drowned.

The ship put to sea with its front loading doors wide open. There was no indicator light on the bridge. The captain assumed that the seaman responsible for closing the doors had done so. Instead, he was asleep in his cabin. Because assistant bosun Mark Stanley was asleep on the job, one hundred ninety-three people died.

In Proverbs we are warned about sleeping too much or at the wrong time.

"Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread" (Proverbs 20:13). It is not wrong to sleep, but it is wrong to love sleep. Sleep is not an end in itself, but is a means to an end. We sleep for rejuvenation so we can work again the next day.

"He who gathers in summer is a wise son, But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame" (Proverbs 10:5). There are occasions when no extra time may be taken for sleep. When the grain is ripe and the weather favorable, the harvest must be brought in without delay, or a whole summer's work can be lost to decay.

One fall, when I was fifteen, I helped with the harvest in Saskatchewan. We shovelled grain from early morning till late at night. Three hearty meals were none too much. The night's sleep was soon over and a new day's work began.

Even if we are not farmers, we all have our times of harvest, times when hard work must be done without delay.

"How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?" (Proverbs 6:9).

"A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; So your poverty will come like a prowler, And your want like an armed man" (Proverbs 24:33,34).

"Slothfulness casts one into a deep sleep, And an idle person will suffer hunger" (Proverbs 19:15). There are different kinds of sleep. This "deep sleep" of slothfulness is not physical sleep. It is a lazy lifestyle in which one does not meet his responsibilities.

We are also warned not to sleep spiritually. And if we are asleep spiritually, we are told to wake up. The Bible is our spiritual alarm clock. And just because we get out of bed to go to services on Sunday, does not necessarily mean we are awake spiritually. Most of the wake-up calls in Scripture are addressed to believers.

God told Jonah to preach to Nineveh. He took a ship for Tarsus instead. God was angry with Jonah and sent a storm. The ship was overwhelmed by the waves and was sinking. The others were praying to their non-existent gods to no avail. What was the prophet of God doing?

"But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep. So the captain came to him, and said to him, 'What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish'" (Jonah 1:5,6). A pagan had to wake up the prophet of God and tell him to pray.

God wanted Jonah to warn Nineveh that they would perish if they did not repent. Jonah did not want to do it.

Of what value is a lazy watchdog? "His watchmen are blind, They are all ignorant; They are all dumb dogs, They cannot bark; Sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber" (Isaiah 56:10).

Ancient cities posted watchmen on the walls to warn of approaching danger. God appointed Ezekiel as a spiritual watchman:

"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: When I say to the wicked, 'You shall surely die,' and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul" (Ezekiel 3:17-21).

As Christians, we too are watchmen. We must warn the lost of pending destruction. We must call them to repentance. Do we run away like Jonah? Do we sleep like lazy watchdogs?

When Jesus was in the garden, praying to His Father, knowing that His hour of suffering had come, He asked Peter, James and John to stand guard.

"Then He said to them, 'My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch'" (Mark 14:34).

"Then He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, 'Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.' Again He went away and prayed, and spoke the same words. And when he returned, He found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to answer Him. Then He came the third time and said to them, 'Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough! The hour has come; behold, the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners'" (Mark 14:37-41).

Do we sleep when we should be praying?

The night is dark. But then the sun comes up and a new day begins. It is time to wake up. We remove our night clothes and put on our day clothes. This imagery is used in Scripture to describe our spiritual awakening from the darkness of sin.

"And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in licentiousness and lewdness, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (Romans 13:11-14).

A new day is dawning. We must lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. We are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27). "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14).

"Awake, Awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city!" (Isaiah 52:1).

"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: 'Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.' See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:11-16).

"But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him" (1 Thessalonians 5:4-10).

"Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame" (1 Corinthians 15:34).

Jesus said:

"Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning -- lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" (Mark 13:33-37).

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)