Full of Excuses

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 

“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans 1:18-25 ESV)

Are you a person who makes excuses continuously for why you can’t do this or that, when you can do those things, or who makes excuses for why you are still living in sin, still deliberately and habitually sinning against God and others? Do you find that you are continually casting the blame for your sins on anyone other than yourself? “It is God’s fault!” “It’s my wife’s fault!” “This person or that person wasn’t there for me.” “Nobody was there to help me!” And “I didn’t know” (when you did know, so you are without excuse).

So, what does this say in response to all the excuses you have made throughout your life for why you are still living in sin and for why you are not free from your slavery (addiction) to sin? It says you are without excuse, because you did know, for God made himself known to you through his created works, and he showed you his eternal power and his divine nature, and he put within you the knowledge of right from wrong. And many of you have been or are teachers of the word and/or you are pastors of “churches.”

But you suppress the truth that you do know by your ungodliness and your unrighteous behaviors. And you do this willfully, deliberately, habitually, and even premeditatively. And you plot evil on your bed. And you plan out how you are going to sin against others, and how you are going to do what is harmful to them. And you even plan out your cover story in advance or you make up one on the tail end in order to cover your tracks. So these things don’t just happen to you. You knowingly do evil over and again.

So, even though you know right from wrong, and you know about God and his eternal power and divine nature, and some of you know much more about the Lord because you were brought up learning the Scriptures, and some of you even taught or are still teaching the Scriptures, you choose your sins rather than choose God. And you do not honor God for the holy God he is, and you do not give him thanks for his offer of salvation from your slavery to sin, but you choose foolishness and darkness, instead.

And some of you claim to know a lot, and you may even try to teach others all the knowledge that you have gathered, but while you can’t even live the knowledge you claim to know, because you choose to worship the created rather than the creator. And so God has given you over to the lusts of your flesh to do what ought not to be done. And he is letting you do what your evil hearts devise to do, not because he doesn’t care, but because you don’t care, and you are not interested in bowing your knee to him.

So, if this is where you are, just know that the wrath of God is against you, and you will not inherit eternal life with God regardless of what faith in Christ you have professed with your lips. So, bow the knee to the Lord, humble yourself, be sorrowful over your sins with a godly sorrow which leads to genuine repentance. Then turn from your sins and now obey the Lord. And if you have loved ones who are living like this, pray for them, do good to them, love them, and forgive them, and pray they will obey the Lord. 

The Truth many are ignoring and rejecting is this:

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Full of Excuses

Video Talk

April 28, 2023

https://youtu.be/DObGMrnWVJU

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Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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