No Excuse Sunday
Jeremiah 1:4-9 – Victory Fellowship
August 21, 2022 - Rev. Roderick Grabski
I. Introduction
a. Last year we called Sept. 19th Return to Church Sunday
b. Maybe this year we can host a NO EXCUSE SUNDAY:
To make it possible for everyone to attend church this Sunday, we are going to have a special “No Excuse Sunday”: Cots will be placed in the foyer for those who say, “Sunday is my only day to sleep in.” There will be a special section with lounge chairs for those who feel that our pews are too hard. Eye drops will be available for those with tired eyes from watching TV late Saturday night. We will have steel helmets for those who say, “The roof would cave in if I ever came to church.” Blankets will be furnished for those who think the church is too cold, and fans for those who say it is too hot. Scorecards will be available for those who wish to list the hypocrites present. Relatives and friends will be in attendance for those who can’t go to church and cook dinner, too. We will distribute “Stamp Out Stewardship” buttons for those that feel the church is always asking for money. One section will be devoted to trees and grass for those who like to seek God in nature. Doctors and nurses will be in attendance for those who plan to be sick on Sunday. The sanctuary will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who never have seen the church without them. We will provide hearing aids for those who can’t hear the preacher and cotton wool for those who think he’s too loud! Hope to see you there!
c. We want to serve God but we have excuses that keep us from being fully obedient.
d. We’re not too different from many of God’s people. Let’s look at Jeremiah.
II. RELATING THE TEXT:
a. Jeremiah became a prophet of God in 627 B.C.
1) Tumultuous time for Judah
2) Jeremiah 18 – King Josiah took reign at 8 (2 Kings 22-23)
b. Jeremiah recalls how God consecrated him in his mother’s womb. (v. 5)
1) How can someone who believes in life after death not
comprehend that there is life before birth?
c. Jeremiah was none the less intimidated by his calling. He had excuses – I don’t know how to speak, I’m too young.
III. APPLICATION
a. Most Police Officers and Insurance Agents have heard many excuses:
Leaving home for work I drove out of my drive and straight into a bus; the bus was five minutes early.
I had been learning to drive with power steering. I turned the wheel to what I thought was enough and found myself in a different direction going the opposite way.
The accident occurred when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle.
I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law, and headed over the embankment.
The pedestrian had no idea which direction to run, so I ran over him.
The car in front hit the pedestrian but he got up so I hit him again.
The guy was all over the road. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
I saw the slow moving, sad faced old gentleman as he bounced off the roof of my car.
The telephone pole was approaching. I was attempting to swerve out of its way when it struck my front end.
The indirect cause of the accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
My car was legally parked as it backed into the other vehicle.
I left my car unattended for a minute and, whether by accident or design, it ran away.
An Invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car and vanished.
As I approached the intersection, a stop sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.
To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front I struck the pedestrian.
b. If Police officers find these excuses funny - I wonder what God must think of our excuses to Him?
c. The Lord was not concerned with the reasons why Jeremiah couldn’t do something, He was interested in Jeremiah’s willingness to be used by God.
d. God does not call the qualified – he qualifies the called.
e. Where have you felt a calling from God? What excuses have you used to keep from doing what God wants?
IV. Conclusion:
God’s Holy Spirit guides us and equips us to be instruments of God will and ways. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. Let’s let God have his divine influence over our lives.
PRAYER
SONG: Come as You Are
Jeremiah 1:4-9: 4 Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, 5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations." 6 Then I said, "Alas, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, Because I am a youth." 7 But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am a youth,' Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, And all that I command you, you shall speak. 8 "Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you," declares the LORD. 9 Then the LORD stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.