"Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the Kingdom of God. Then said he unto them, A certain man made a great supper and bade many. And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come, for all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground and I must needs go and see it. I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought a yoke of oxen and I go to prove them. I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come. So that servant came and showed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servants, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in hither the poor, the maimed, the halt and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled. For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." (Luke 14:15-24.)

In Matthew’s account (Matt. 22:2-14), when people were invited to the feast, the Bible says that "they made light of it and went their ways." (22:5.)

In this parable, Jesus revealed something common to mankind. When sinners are invited to enter the Kingdom and to receive its blessings, they are prone to make excuse for why they do not want to accept the invitation. All rejecters of the Gospel are prone to make excuses. People generally think that the excuse that they offer somehow pardons them or relieves them of any responsibility to the Master who invited them. We should note that all excuses in the eyes of God are frivolous and provoking. The one making the excuses does not have a good standing with God, either before the invitation was offered or after. Excuses do not and cannot stand in the place of obedience to God. In school, one being absent from a class had to present a written excuse from the parents to the teacher. Sometimes, an excuse from a doctor was required. One thing should be noted about an acceptable excuse is that it should first of all be true. Secondly, it should be take into account the seriousness and weight of the nature of the invitation. Concerning the Gospel of Christ and salvation, we are NOT talking about missing a physical education class on Friday. It is NOT the same as being invited to a friend’s house for a party that you did not want to go to. It is NOT the same as missing a dental appointment that you did not want to keep. It is NOT the same as missing a day of work due to snow and ice. Rejecting the Gospel is far more serious. It is like failing to get on board the ark Noah built when commanded to do so. (Gen. 7:16.) It is like missing the wedding feast of the king’s son. Those who arrived late found the door shut. (Matt. 25:10.) Those who reject God’s invitation do not understand the seriousness of what they are doing; they make light of it as if there is no consequence to their behavior.

There is something seriously wrong when lost people think about God’s invitation as something distasteful, something that they do not want. They think of it they same way one would think about skipping a class at school, a dental appointment, or a day at work. If you understand the important of the class, the appointment or your job, you would be eager to be present and do your part. The benefit is for you. If you miss the class or day or work or appointment, you loose or miss out on something important. If we are constantly making excuses for behavior, it shows at lack of maturity, or a lack of understanding of what is at stake, or it shows a blatant disregard for God’s will.

When God called Moses from the flocks of his father-in-law in Midian to lead his people from Egyptian bondage, Moses made excuses for not wanting to go. We can understand the fear that Moses had for confronting the Pharaoh, but he should have feared God more. If Moses understood that God would be with him and supply whatever he needed to fulfill his work, then what possible reason could he give for not going?

Here are the excuses that Moses offered to God. He said, Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? (Exodus 3:11.) God’s answer: I will be with you. Moses was a good choice to do this work. He understood Egyptian culture and the language. He had been raised in Pharaoh’s palace. Moses asked God, What shall I say to those who ask me who sent you? (Exodus 3:13.) God said to tell them, I am that I am sent you. Moses further argued that the people will say, The Lord has not appeared to you. (Exodus 4:1.) God then turned his rod into a serpent and back into a rod again. Moses then said that he was slow of speech. (Exodus 4:10.) God replied, Who made your mouth? God was angry with Moses for his objections and excuses.

We are much like Moses when commissioned by God to do his will. We have fears to do the serious work of God. We do not want to be rejected by our fellow man. So, we make excuses for not doing God’s will. Remember that if God commands us to do something, he will give us what we need to fulfill that command. How could we possibly resist when God promises that he will be with us? If God is for us, who can be against us?

These two examples, Moses and those invited to the marriage supper, provide a complete message to us. One concerns receiving salvation and the other concerns doing God’s will. We should respond whole-heartedly to both these commands of God. Excuses are unacceptable. Doing God’s will should not be seen as something unpleasant or undesirable. Satan has corrupted our minds if we think so.

It is encouraging that many in the Bible did not make excuses, but quickly did what God told them to do. Here are some examples: Noah built the ark, Nathan rebuked David for his sins, Abraham left his homeland without excuse, Paul was sent to the Gentiles, the apostles were sent into all the world, and Jesus did not make excuses concerning coming to earth and dying for mankind. All of these could have made some strong arguments. But to their credit they did not resist the will of God. They simply obeyed God’s will. Jesus said, Not my will, but thy will be done.

We make excuses for not doing many of the things that we know that God wants us to do. God does not speak directly to us as he did to Moses to those invited to the marriage feast, but he does speak to us through his Word. If we reject his Word, it is the same as if he was speaking directly to us. Peter commanded the house of Cornelius to arise and be baptized. If they refused to do so, they were directly disobeying the voice of God through Peter. It is the same today. From Scripture comes the voice of God. Are we obedient to his voice?

Chorus: Excuses, excuses, you hear them everyday. The devil will supply them if from church you stay away. When people come to know the Lord, the devil always loses. So, to keep those folks away from church, he offers them excuses.

In the summer it’s too hot, in the winter it’s too cold

In the springtime when the weather’s just right there’s someplace else to go

Well it’s up to the mountains or down to the beach or to visit some old friend

Or just sit home and relax and hope some kinfolks start dropping in

Well the benches they’re too hard, the members sing too loud

Boy you know how nervous you get when you’re sitting in a great big crowd

The doctor warns ‘you better watch those crowds, they’ll set you back

But you go to that old football game ‘cause it helps you to relax

It’s a headache Sunday morning, it’s a backache Sunday night

But by worktime Sunday morning you’re feeling quite alright

Well one of the children has a cold, pneumonia do you suppose?

So the whole family had to stay home just to blow that poor kids nose!

Well the preacher, he’s too young, or maybe he’s too old

The sermons they’re not hard enough, or maybe they’re too bold

His voice is much to quite, sometimes it gets too loud

He needs to have more dignity, or else he’s way too proud

The sermons they’re too long, or maybe they’re too short

Preach the word with dignity instead of stomp and snort

That preacher we’ve got must be the world’s most stuck-up man

One of the ladies told me the other day, He didn’t even shake my hand!

Letter titled, "Have Me Excused!" A man wrote this letter to his preacher.

Dear Preacher,

You often stress attendance at worship as important. But I think a fellow has a right to miss now and then. I think I should be excused for the following reasons: Christmas (one Sunday per year), New Year, July 4^th, Labor Day, Memorial Day, school closing, school beginning, family reunions,

Out-of town games, tournaments, anniversary, sickness, business trips, vacation, bad weather, Dallas Cowboy games, unexpected company, alarm clock didn’t go off, time change, house and car repair, special on TV. The total number of Sundays due to all of these things is 50!

So, preacher, that only leaves two Sundays per year. We’ll see you Easter for sure and the third Sunday in August unless providentially hindered.

Signed, Faithful member

We should make some conclusions about attendance at the worship services. Here are some that I would make: 1) Attendance is not the big thing that we should concentrate upon. If our hearts are right with God, this will be joy and delight. 2) Attendance alone does not mean that one is submissive to God. But forsaking the assembly is a symbol of a deeper spiritual problem that should be addressed. That problem may not be solved by just persuading them to come to the worship assemblies. 3) It does not take long to take notice of who is consistent and dependable in their participation in Bible studies and worship, and who is not. 4) The problem with those who refused to attend the king’s feast was not just that the king wanted some people present at the party. The point of the parable was to show the rebellion and stubbornness of lost people when confronted with the will of the King. How will we respond to God? Will we make light of his will, or will we obey it?? The truth is that attendance is not one tenth or even one thousandth of the real problem. In a real sense, we could say, Forget attendance! That is not what the parable of Jesus is all about. (Luke 14) If you really understand your lost condition, you would gladly attend. You would gratefully thank the one who invited you. You would hasten to be there on time, even early!! You would bow humbly, submissively before the King. It is all about discipleship. Look at the rest of the chapter. When the crowds followed Jesus, he turned and said to them,

"If any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross and come after me cannot be by disciple. . . . So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26-27, 33.) The parable is about discipleship. Do we understand what that means?