Dr. Robert Sumner passed away in December 2016. The Biblical Evangelist newspaper is no longer being published and the ministry of Biblical Evangelism has ceased operation.

The remaining inventory of his books and gospel tracts was transferred to The Baptist Tabernacle of Los Angeles and may be ordered here.

Excuses
Evangelist Robert L. Sumner

Excuses!

By Evangelist Robert L. Sumner

[Radio Sermon Preached Over KSWA, TX, February 26, 1950]

Evangelist Bill Rice told of a fat woman in Indiana who said she could not come to a revival meeting he was conducting. When he and the pastor called on her she told them in a whining voice that she simply could not come because she was a “trifle stout” and could not stand the heat.

They explained that the church building in the evening was the coolest place in town because of the new electric fans they had installed. But she went on to say that she had a bad heart and could not stand much excitement and was afraid she would faint if anyone were saved since it would make her so happy! She also reminded them that it was one-half mile from her home to the church and she would surely be a “nervous wreck” after riding that far in the car.

Rice and the pastor took their hats and left!

Well, the next day just after dinner – and it was one of the hottest days of the summer – they heard the fire siren and someone behind the parsonage yelled “Fire! Fire!” It was a Chevrolet car burning right behind the church and it seemed that within 15 minutes every person in town – men, women, children, plus dogs – was there. A fire in that little town was a rare thing and they were going to make the most of it.

The first truck came but it wouldn’t work and the situation became really exciting since it looked as though the gas tank might explode at any moment.

In relating what happened next, Rice said:  

“The firemen pushed the crowd back into the street and as the preachers wiped the sweat from their blistering faces they saw a large woman running down the road toward them. Her hair was streaming out behind her, her skirts were flying to winds, and her mule-clad feet were moving up and down on that gravel road like a couple of well-greased Ford pistons!

“Guess who it was! It was the woman who couldn’t come to the meetings because of the heat, excitement and long distance to ride! But none of these things kept her from rushing half-a-mile on foot in the burning noonday heat to join a howling mob at a fire!”

Her excuses were just plain lies and, in reality, that’s all that can be said for any excuse.

This was the idea our Lord Jesus Christ was putting across in the story that He told recorded in Luke 14:16-24:

Then said [Jesus] unto him, 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 five 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 servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and 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” (emphasis added).

Note our Lord’s words where we have added emphasis, especially the first time in verse 18: “And they all with one consent began to make excuse.”

Excuses For Not Attending Church!

Oh, how wicked, how foolish, how sinful are all excuses made by men for not attending church, for not trusting Christ, for not living right, and for not yielding to the will and call of God.

I think just now of some of the excuses folks give for not attending church. You know, friends, most people must have the idea that preachers are rattlebrained morons or empty-headed imbeciles to fall for the foolish excuses they give us – and apparently expect us to believe – as to why they cannot come to church.

Somebody says, “Preacher, we can’t come to church because of our baby.” Listen! God Almighty didn’t give you that bundle from Heaven to keep you out of church. He gave you that precious babe so that its tiny fingers might wrap around your heartstrings and draw you closer to Christ. How wicked to use the gift of God as an alibi to stay away from church. (Incidentally, you can correctly pronounce that word alibi: all-a-lie. That’s just what it is, so put your baby’s bonnet on and come to church this morning!)

Somebody else says, “I can’t come to church because I don’t have a car.” Is that so? Isn’t it strange that you can go anyplace else that you desire? Isn’t it odd that you can go to the market, go to school, go to work, go to the movies, go to your friends, and go every place else under the sun, but you can’t get out to church? Listen, in a town this size, there isn’t a single person, physically normal, but what could walk to church IF HE WANTED TO, if he really meant business for God.

Somebody out of town says, “I’ve got a car, but it’s just too far to drive into Graham.” Once again it is a matter of whether you mean business for God or not. By way of example, I have a brother-in-law in the state of Illinois; he’s a coal miner, who drives 30 miles to church and Sunday School on Sunday morning, 30 miles home again; 30 miles back at night for young people’s and evening church, 30 miles back again; 30 miles to church on Wednesday night, and 30 miles back again. That’s 120 miles every Sunday, 180 miles a week at least – and often there are other activities of the church that bring them in several other times (and until a year ago, it was in an old 1933 Pontiac.) During the war, they walked other places to save on gas so they could get to church. I say, it depends on whether you mean business for God or not!

Sometimes folks say – and this is about the most sincere excuse they give – “I would go to church, but I don’t have the right clothes to wear.” God forgive our churches that care more about blue serge suits and emerald lace blouses than they do about souls and lives! But, friend out there in radio land, if that’s your trouble, let me assure you that there is a warm welcome awaiting you at the Morningside Baptist Church regardless of what you have to wear. I believe that the service in the house of God demands the BEST that we have, but if our best is very poor, God is just as delighted as He is with the robes of the rich. You come to church!

Another excuse wicked hearts voice is, “Sunday is the only day I have to myself.” Well, if you are greater than God, if you are more important than Jesus Christ, you might have a point, but I honestly doubt that you are. What day are you going to give to Him? What time are you going to turn over into His hands? Your selfishness is the very sin that will condemn you.

Someone else says, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.” That’s true. It is possible – although not very probable – to be a Christian and not attend church. But hear me now, you can be a Christian and not go to church, but you cannot be a good Christian and stay home.

Someone else says, “I can worship God at home. I have a radio and television featuring preachers.” Yes, that’s true! You can! But DO you? One of the former Presidents of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, wrote a list of nine reasons for going to church. His fourth reason was, and I quote him, “Yes, I know all the excuses. I know that one can worship the Creator in a grove of trees, or by a running brook, or in one’s own home, just as well as in a church. BUT I ALSO KNOW as a matter of cold fact, that the average man DOES NOT THUS WORSHIP.”

Teddy Roosevelt, you were so right!

I could go on with other excuses for not attending church, but they are all just as foolish, just as wicked, just as sinful. If you fool anyone with them, it is yourself. You do not fool other folks. And certainly you do not fool God. Attend church today.

At Morningside in Graham the Bible School starts at 9:45. Today we are studying John’s Gospel, chapter two, in all of our classes. Next Sunday it will be the third chapter and so on. At 11 o’clock this morning I will speak on Samson, “How a Preacher Lost His Power.” Our junior and senior young people meet at 6:15 this evening. Then at 7:30 I will speak on one of the most interesting subjects in the Bible, “The Unpardonable Sin.”

Put away your excuses. Come to church. But as wicked as excuses are for not attending church, they are not nearly as sinful as excuses men give for turning down the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.

Excuses for Not Getting Saved!

In the parable Jesus told, one man turned down the supper invitation because, he said, “I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it; I pray thee have me excused.”

Now, do you really believe that he was telling the truth? Do you think he was going out there that night with a candle or a lantern and look over the land he had purchased without seeing? Don’t you think he could have waited until morning to examine it? I think his excuse was just a plain lie.

The second man said, “I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.” What do you think of that excuse? Do you think he really bought those ten oxen without proving them first? And do you really think he was going out after dark and try to break in nearly a dozen oxen? That’s ridiculous. He was just a plain old liar; he just didn’t want to attend the supper.

The third man’s excuse was the silliest of them all. He said, “I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.” Who ever heard of a young bridegroom who didn’t jump at every opportunity to show off his beautiful bride? You see, like his two buddies, he was just a plain old liar.

But let’s turn from these excuses and look at ourselves. Are our excuses for turning down God’s great feast of mercy and forgiveness and pardon in Christ any better than the excuses in the parable? I do not think they are. For example, one man says, “I am not a Christian because

“There Are Too Many

Hypocrites In The Church!”

 Now that’s sadly true. There are too many hypocrites in the church. Of the original twelve disciples who traveled with Jesus, one was a hypocrite – Judas Iscariot! I suppose the same average that was true in our Lord’s little flock may still be true today and that at least one out of every twelve who profess to follow Christ is an insincere hypocrite.

But why measure yourself by the hypocrites? Why not measure your life by some real saint, some sincere child of God? There are plenty of them, too. Or why not measure your life by the Lord Jesus Christ? If you are looking for hypocrites, that is what you’ll find; if you are looking for sincere saints, that also is what you will find!

The very fact that there are hypocrites in the church only proves the genuineness of Christianity. We have counterfeit Christians only because we have real Christians. We have counterfeit ten dollar bills only because we have genuine $10 bills. If there were no real $10 bills, there would be no counterfeits; and if there were no real Christians, no one would try to imitate, to counterfeit, the Christian life.

Actually, however, the man who claims to turn down Christ because of hypocrites in the church is a dishonest liar. There are hypocrites in the grocery business that put “fresh eggs” signs on baskets of week old eggs, but he does not turn against the grocery business. There are plenty of dishonest hypocrites in the oil fields, but he continues to work in the oil fields. There are hypocrites in the cattle business, but he continues to live on a ranch. There are hypocrites in his lodge, in his family, in his line of business – there are hypocrites everywhere, in everything – but the only place it bothers him is in the church, so he is going to Hell because there are a few hypocrites in the church.

Listen to me; I am not defending church-going hypocrites – far from it – but thank God I’m going where there will be absolutely NO hypocrites, ever! I’m going to Heaven! The hypocrites are going to Hell.

You will spend eternity with all the hypocrites of all ages in Hell if you don’t trust Christ. Hell is full of hypocrites. Jesus called the church people He was talking to in the 23^rd chapter of Matthew hypocrites seven times and then added in verse 33, “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of Hell?” I say, if you were sincere in hating hypocrisy, you’d be saved today and make sure you were going to miss Hell, the eternal home of all hypocrites!

Furthermore, the man who hides behind a hypocrite is smaller than the hypocrite himself. That makes sense! You have to be smaller than whatever you are hiding behind; it takes a tree bigger than you if you are going to hide behind it. If you are hiding behind a hypocrite, you are smaller than he is!

Romans 2:1 declares, “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.” In plain English, God says that the man who hides behind a hypocrite is actually just as big a hypocrite himself or he wouldn’t try to hide behind the other person.

Are there hypocrites in the church? Yes, I’m sorry to say, there are some! But they will have to answer for their own sins and you will have to answer to God for yours! It will do no good in that day to point to the hypocrisy of someone else.

But, really, the question is not about hypocrites; it is about Jesus Christ. Can you find fault with Him? Can you honestly turn Him down because someone else professes Him and doesn’t mean business? Oh, away with such wicked excuses!

Another excuse men sometimes use is

“I’m As Good Or Better Than

Any Church Member!”

That may well be true, but remember salvation is not by works – it is NOT a matter of how GOOD you are that saves or how bad someone else is. Jesus said in Luke 16:15, “Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.”

You see, what sometimes seems to be nice and good in the sight of men stinks in the sight of God and vice versa. Titus 3:5 declares that salvation is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy.” And Ephesians 2:8, 9 add, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

An earnest Christian who lived in eastern England said it took him 42 years to learn three things: First, that he was completely helpless to do anything to save himself. Second, that God did not expect or require him to do anything to save himself. And, third, that the Lord Jesus Christ had already done all that was necessary. Anyone who discovers that is ready to be saved.

Do you say that you are as good as any church member? I doubt that you are, but even so, Jesus said in Matthew 5:20 about the best religious people of His day, “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall EXCEED the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” You must have a righteousness that EXCEEDS the best human righteousness possible.

And how will you get it? The answer is in II Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” Our only hope is “IN CHRIST!” There and there alone do we find sufficient righteousness to gain entrance into the kingdom of Heaven.

Is He your Savior today? Are you “in Him”? Is His righteousness yours? You may be better than any church member in your town, or city, or even state, but that does not help in the slightest. Away with your excuses! Trust Christ at once!

 Another wicked excuse sinners use for turning down the wonderful Savior is

“I Can’t Give Up My Sin”

Well, you’d better give it up! You might better give up your sin than give up Heaven. You might better lose out on your so-called pleasures than lose out with your soul. Mark 8:36, 37 rightly questions, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

How many poor sinners are riding a liquor bottle into Hell! How many girls are riding a passion for the dance into the bottomless pit! How many others are riding some other pet sin into the Lake of Fire where the smoke of their torment will ascend up for ever and ever and they will have no rest day nor night! Oh, it’s an awful thing to be lost. And it’s a terrible thing to be lost because of some little pet sin or habit!

But wait a minute! It is not primarily a question of “giving up,” but of “receiving.” The question is not so much giving up the sham jewelry of this world as it is the receiving of the rubies and diamonds of the kingdom of Heaven. The greatest pleasures that this world has to offer seem like nothing in the light of the joys in Christ Jesus. If you will give your heart to Him, He will give you victory over your sin.

And that reminds us of another excuse often given, which is

“I’m Afraid I Couldn’t Hold

Out Faithful to the End!”

Usually folks who say this mean that they don’t really want to give up their sin! But if said sincerely, let me assure you on the authority of the Word of God, you can have victory in your life THROUGH Jesus Christ. In Philippians 4:13 we read, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” While this is a promise exclusively for Christians, after you are saved you will be a Christian and He will help you to have daily victory.

But, even greater than this thought, according to the Scripture, IT IS NOT UP TO YOU TO HOLD OUT, but the Blessed Savior has the responsibility to take you to Heaven. It becomes His job from then on. You do not hold onto Him; He holds onto you. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” And verse 13 adds, “For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.”

Second Timothy 1:12 says, “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

John 10:28-30 guarantees, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”

Romans 8:38, 39 add their promise, “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jude 24, 25 say, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”

And 1 Peter 1:5 adds that Christians are “kept by the power of God.” You see, according to the plain statements of the Word of God, when we are in Christ, we are safe; it is His job to keep us.

This may be a crude way of putting it, but suppose that when Noah completed building the ark, God had said, “Noah, I want you to get eight huge spikes and drive them into the side of the boat. Then I want you and Mrs. Noah; Ham and his wife; Shem and his wife; Japheth and his wife – I want each of you to grab hold of a spike as tightly as you can. And if you hold out faithfully until the flood is over, Noah, you will make it.”

I can see Noah warning the rest of his family, “Now, you must hold on; you must hold out if you are going to make it!” I can see the rain coming down. And after a few hours I can hear Mrs. Noah say, “Dear, I’m so tired. I just can’t hold on much longer.” Noah screams and says, “Hold on, hold on; you must hold on. You’ll be lost if you don’t hold on!”

Oh, thank God; it did not depend on them holding on! They were on the inside, safe as bugs in rugs. God Himself closed the door and locked them in. If you are on the inside you are safe! If you have not trusted Christ for fear that you could not hold out, trust Him today – the “holding out” job is completely His. Your job is to get in the ark of safety.

Another wicked excuse sinners delight to use is

“I’m Too Great a Sinner!”

You are certainly right about one thing: you are a great sinner. But Jesus is a great Savior for great sinners and there are no impossible cases with Him. You are not too great a sinner for Him. Hebrews 7:25 says, “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

Isaiah 11:18 declares, “Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

Romans 5:8 promises, “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

First Timothy 1:15 guarantees, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

And John 6:37 gives the words of the Son of God, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

Yes, chiefest of sinners, you may be saved and saved right now. Delay because of your sin no longer. Come just as you are. In the words of that beloved invitation hymn,

“Just as I am, without one plea,

But that Thy blood was shed for me,

And that Thou bidd’st me come to

Thee,

O Lamb of God, I come! I come!”

Won’t you come to Christ today? He will give you His so great salvation, which includes eternal life and a wonderful home in Heaven.

But this reminds me of one more wicked excuse of sinners and that is

“Not Now, By And By”

This is the Devil’s last stand! You know you are lost; you know you ought to be saved; you know that Christ is your only hope; but you put off your decision for Him. Oh, how terribly wicked is this sin! How hopelessly tragic is such delay! Hebrews 2:3 warns, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?” Hebrews 3:7, 8 say, “Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” Proverbs 27:1 warns, “Boast not thyself of tomorrow: for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” And Proverbs 29:1 adds, “He, that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Oh,

Why do you wait, dear brother?

The harvest is passing away,

Your Savior is longing to bless you,

There’s danger and death in delay.

Why not? Why not?

Why not come to Him NOW?

What is your excuse? Perhaps it is one I haven’t mentioned; after all, time is short on this broadcast!

But how foolish, how ridiculous it is in the light of the Word of God, of salvation, of eternity, of Heaven and of Hell. Jesus ended His story about the men who made excuses with the words, “For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.”

Oh, no excuse is good enough for God! How will your excuse sound when the death angel lays his hand upon your brow and issues his summons to the world beyond? How will your excuse sound when you stand yonder in the presence of Jesus Christ at the judgment bar of God!

Oh, turn, turn today from your wicked alibis and excuses; trust Jesus Christ to save you right now! The amazing and heartwarming thing is that, in spite of your past excuses and wicked rejection, He will receive you at once and make you a child of God with citizenship in Heaven.

The promise of Scripture that I leave with you today as you make your decision for Christ is Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord SHALL BE SAVED!”

Decision for Christ!

Don’t you think, dear reader, it is time you stopped your silly excuses and got your eternal destiny settled once and for all? Someone has said that an excuse is the skin of a reason stuffed with a lie. Stop your wicked lying to God and all the foolish lying to yourself about why you are still unsaved.

You have read the editor’s sermon, preached to a wide area of people on the radio many, many years ago, and surely you see that the time for you to be saved is right now!

If you will trust the dear Son of God to save you today, write and tell me of your decision in your own words – or use the form below. We are anxious to hear of your decision.

Dr. Robert L Sumner, Editor

The Biblical Evangelist

5717 Pine Drive

Raleigh, NC 27606

Dear Brother Sumner:

I have read your message, Excuses, and I confess that I am tired of making them. Right now, this very moment, the best I know how, I am ending my rebellion to Jesus Christ and opening my heart to receive Him as Lord and Savior. Since He died, was buried, and rose again for my salvation, I am claiming His promise of forgiveness of sin and a home in Heaven.

Because, after making this decision, I now want to know how to honor Him who has saved me, I would appreciate a letter of counsel and instruction about how to be a good Christian. I want to honor Him in my life from this day forward.

(Signed) ________________

Address ________________

City ___________________

State __________ Zip _____