Introduction:
A. During the days of prohibition, an evangelist was preaching against the evils of alcohol.
1. He demonstrated the destructive force of the demon drink by dropping a worm into a bottle of whiskey.
2. By the time the worm hit the bottom of the bottle, the worm was dead.
3. The evangelist asked the audience, so what does this little demonstration teach us about drinking?
4. A man who was obviously a little inebriated called out, “If you drink a lot of whiskey, you will never have worms.”
5. That’s not exactly the lesson the evangelist wanted them to learn.
B. What lesson do I hope that all of us will learn today, if we have not already learned it?
1. That substance abuse is dangerous and detrimental – physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually.
C. In some respects, maybe I’m not the best person to talk about this subject.
1. I have never had a problem with alcohol or any other kind of drug - legal or illegal.
2. I have never been drunk or high, and I have never had the desire to do so.
3. I decided pretty early on in my life that I was not going to play with this kind of fire.
4. In my younger years there was a lot of alcohol in our house and a lot of abuse of it by my relatives and their friends.
5. I saw some of the effect it had on others, and that was not in any way attractive to me.
6. So, perhaps a more compelling speaker would be one who has battled these demons and who continues to battle them with success.
7. But just because the lure of drugs and alcohol hasn’t been a problem for me, doesn’t mean that I can’t relate to and have compassion for those for whom it is.
8. I’m a sinner too, and most of the sins I struggle against are habitual ones.
9. So, when I, or any of us, speak against the sin of drug abuse, we do not do so from a “holier than thou” position.
D. There are two things that I hope will come from today’s lesson.
1. First, I hope this lesson will serve as a warning to the many who have not yet allowed drugs and alcohol to become a problem in their lives. And I’m speaking especially to the younger ones.
2. Second, I hope that this lesson will encourage those who are having a problem with drugs to see the damage it is doing to their lives, and to seek the help they need.
3. I hope that all of us will avoid the mistake of alcohol and drugs.
I. Their Stories
A. The Bible doesn’t have any single long and developed story of someone who allowed inebriation to destroy their life over the course of a lifetime.
1. What we do see are a number of short stories that show people being harmed by drunkenness.
2. In addition to that, there are many, many strong warnings about drunkenness.
3. So, let’s look at a few of the stories, and then talk about the warnings.
B. The first story is found in Genesis 9 and Noah is the primary character.
1. If you remember, Noah is the guy who built the ark and saved his family and all the animals from the flood.
2. After coming off the ark into God’s renewed earth, Noah, a man of the soil, planted a vineyard.
3. The Bible says, “When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent.”(Gen. 9:21)
4. One of his sons, Ham, saw his nakedness and went and told his brothers about it.
5. The two others sons, Shem and Japheth, carefully covered their father without seeing his nakedness.
6. I wish we could return to that kind of sense of modesty.
7. The long and short of the story is that drunkenness is what caused Noah to be acting in a way that was inappropriate. Had he not been drunk, then he would not have exposed his nakedness.
8. The point is - when we are drunk or high, there is no telling what we will do!
C. A second story is found in Genesis 19, and Abraham’s nephew Lot is in the spotlight.
1. God had just destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, and Lot’s wife turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back.
2. Lot and his two daughters left the cities and settled in the mountains.
3. The older daughter told the younger her plan to have a family.
4. The plan included getting Lot, her father, drunk and then having a family through him.
5. The Bible says, “That night they got their father drunk and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not even aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.” (19:33)
6. The next night they did the same and the younger daughter went in and lay with him. Again he was so drunk that he was not aware of it.
7. What a sad and ugly sight! As I said a minute ago, when we are drunk or high, there is no telling what we will do, or what others can do to us!
D. In a third story we see King David trying to use drunkenness to cover up his own sin.
1. You remember that he had committed adultery with Bathsheba while her husband, Uriah, was on the battlefield.
2. So when she was pregnant, David brought Uriah home and tried to encourage him to spend some time with his wife.
3. If Uriah slept with his wife, then people would assume that the baby was Uriah’s.
4. This story is found in 2 Sam. 11.
5. On Uriah’s first night home, he did not go home and stay with his wife even though that is what David had encouraged him to do.
6. The Bible says, “But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.” (2 Sam. 11:9)
7. When David asked him why he didn’t go home, Uriah said, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!” (2 Sam. 11:11)
8. David must have been thinking why did I have to commit adultery with the wife of such a noble man!
9. So that night, David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and David made him drunk.
10. But that night Uriah did not go home, but slept again among David’s servants.
11. You probably know the rest of the story, David sent Uriah back to the front of the battle line and set him up to be killed.
12. If David couldn’t cover up his sin, then he would make Bathsheba a widow and then marry her.
13. When we are drunk or high, there is no telling what we will do, or what others can do to us.
E. There are a few other examples we could look at that include people who are unable to make good judgments and are unprepared for battle because they are drunk.
1. You might check them out for yourself at another time (1 Sam. 25:36; 1 Kings 16:9; 20:16).
2. The three brief examples we looked at are compelling enough to illustrate why drunkenness is considered sinful in the eyes of God.
3. So those are their stories, now let’s talk about our lessons.
II. Our Lessons
A. Before we delve into why the Bible gives us such stern warnings about substance abuse, I want to share a few statistics to give us a sense of the extent of the problem in our country.
B. With regard to alcohol abuse:
1. Currently, nearly 14 million Americans—1 in every 13 adults-abuse alcohol or are alcoholic.
2. Several million more adults engage in risky drinking patterns that could lead to alcohol problems.
3. Even more scary and sad is how young people are when they get started.
4. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, is annual survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), let me share some of the more notable statistics from the 2004 study.
5. They found that 17.6 % of 12 to 17 year-olds used alcohol in a given month. 11.1 % were binge drinking. And 2.7 % considered their use to be heavy. (www.oas.samhsa.gov. I found information from Infoplease.com)
6. The same survey found that 60.5 % of 18 to 25 year-olds used alcohol in a given month. 41.2 % were binge drinking. And 15.1 % considered their use to be heavy.
7. The consequences of excessive and underage drinking affect virtually all college campuses, college communities, and college students, whether they choose to drink or not.
a. 1,400 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related injuries, including motor vehicle crashes (2002).
b. 500,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are unintentionally injured under the influence of alcohol (2002).
c. More than 600,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are assaulted by another student who has been drinking (2002).
d. More than 70,000 students between the ages of 18 and 24 are victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape (2002).
e. About 25% of college students report academic consequences of their drinking including missing class, falling behind, doing poorly on exams or papers, and receiving lower grades overall (1996, 2002).
C. Alcohol is certainly the drug abused the most in our country, but what about other kinds of drugs?
1. An estimated 19.1 million Americans age 12 years or older were current users of illicit drugs in 2004, meaning they used an illicit drug at least once during the 30 days prior to being interviewed. This represents 7.9% of the population 12–17 years.
2. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug, with a rate of 6.1% (14.6 million current users). There were 2.0 million current cocaine users, 467,000 of whom used crack. Hallucinogens were used by 929,000 people, and there were an estimated 166,000 heroin users.
3. The number of current users of Ecstasy (MDMA) is 450,000.
4. In 2004, 6 million persons were current users of psychotherapeutic drugs taken non-medically meaning without a prescription.
a. These include 4.4 million who used pain relievers.
b. 1.6 million who used tranquilizers.
c. 1.2 million who used stimulants.
d. 0.3 million who used sedatives.
5. From these statistics we see that far too many are making the mistake of drugs and alcohol.
D. Turn with me to Proverbs 23:29-35.
1. No other section of Scripture talks so extensively and exactingly of the effects of substance abuse.
2. “Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. ‘They hit me,’ you will say, ‘but I’m not hurt! They beat me, but I don’t feel it! When will I wake up so I can find another drink?’”
3. Based on those verses, other verses from the Bible and our experience, what can we conclude about substance abuse?
E. Substance abuse is DESTRUCTIVE. Why and how?
1. First, it lowers morals.
a. Ordinarily our conscience innately raises barriers which stop us from venturing into areas that are dangerous, immoral, or inappropriate.
b. But drugs short-circuit that safeguard. Drugs blow our moral fuses, confuse our judgment, and removes our self-control.
c. More than half of all crimes are alcohol-related.
d. And Solomon asks, “Who has woe?”
2. Second, it’s destructive because it kills innocent victims.
a. At least half of all auto accidents involve alcohol.
b. Alcohol kills over 200,000 Americans every year, that’s 8 million people every 40 years.
c. Compare those numbers with the 6 million Hitler killed in the holocaust, or the 160,000 killed during the Tsunami.
d. In the 9 years of the Vietnam War, 57,000 American’s died fighting for our country, 4 times that number die every year because of alcohol.
e. And Solomon asks, “Who has sorrow?”
3. Third, it’s destructive because it destroys families.
a. Alcohol is the #1 factor in child abuse, incest, and in 40% of problems that appear in family courts, and it is a factor in more than half of all divorces.
b. Solomon asks, “Who has strife?”
c. It is no coincidence that 80% of all domestic abuse in our nation is alcohol related.
d. Strife also includes the bar fights, the brawls after the sporting events, and the untold hurtful words hastily spoken, and so forth.
4. Fourth, it’s destructive because it robs its victims.
a. It costs an estimated $8 Billion a year in lost wages, missed work and accidents.
b. Proverbs 23:21, “Drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.”
c. So Solomon asks, “Who has complaints?”
5. Fifth, it’s destructive because it ruins health.
a. Continued substance abuse destroys our bodies – it destroys the liver, weakens muscles and bones, increases the risk of heart disease, stomach ulcers, and mouth, stomach, throat and lung cancers, and destroys irreplaceable brain tissues.
b. Substance abusers can subtract around 10 years off their life expectancy.
c. So Solomon asks, “Who has needless bruises? Who has blood shot eyes?”
6. There is no doubt about the destructive nature of substance abuse. But in addition to that…
F. Substance abuse is DECEPTIVE.
1. In verses 31-32, Solomon says, “Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly! In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.”
2. Substance abuse is deceptive. It promises one thing, but delivers something quite different.
3. “It sparkles in the cup…it goes down smoothly.” Sounds like a commercial, doesn’t it?
4. Millions of dollars are spent each year to entice people to buy alcohol, to drink up, and to live the good life.
5. If only the liquor commercials or drug pushers would give equal time to the consequences of their product.
a. If only they would show the derelicts vomiting in the gutter, or the addict experiencing the awful symptoms of withdrawal.
b. If only they would show the little babies born stunted and defective, because their mothers were using while carrying them.
c. If only they would show the successful students who longer can be successful, or the worker who has been fired for showing up with a hangover once too often.
d. If only they would show the young man or woman who has lost their virtue and cheapened their self-respect because of being in a drug daze and doing something they regret.
e. If only they would show the little children who have to fend for themselves because their parents are on drugs, or they run and hide because their parents are angry drunks.
6. That’s the truth about the effects of substance abuse, but that’s not what is advertised.
7. Truth is it promises good things, but bites like a snake and poisons like a viper.
G. Substance abuse also is DISORIENTING.
1. Solomon describes a person who is seeing things. His mind is dull and confused. He has lost his balance and staggers like a sailor on a ship.
2. Substance abuse robs a man or woman of their senses. It takes away their reasoning, and makes them irresponsible.
H. Substance abuse is DOMINATING.
1. In verse 35, Solomon pictures the man asking, “When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”
2. Drugs are a cruel master. They enslave the user, and then keep them from realizing that they are trapped.
3. A very common characteristic among substance abusers is a pattern of denial. They tell themselves that they are in control of the drug and that they can stop at any time.
4. Dr. Anderson Spickard, a professor of medicine at Vanderbuilt University, tells of a patient who would spend his days kneeling in front of a commode, vomiting up blood while drinking from a can of beer, and as far as he was concerned, he didn’t have a drinking problem.
5. Men and women enslaved by drugs will lie, cheat, and steal for their drug.
6. They will sacrifice job, marriage, family, self-respect to satisfy their craving.
7. Substance abuse is dominating, and it is a cruel master indeed.
I. As bad as substance abuse is – destructive, deceptive, disorienting, and dominating – it is another thing that is even worse – It is DAMNING.
1. We cannot live the Christian life while abusing drugs and alcohol.
2. The children of God must live by THE SPIRIT, not the spirits.
3. Our Scripture reading for today is Ephesians 5:18, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
4. Every time the Bible lists those who will not inherit the kingdom of God, the drunkards are mentioned, so we know how seriously God looks at that lifestyle.
J. Substance abuse is all these things – destructive, deceptive, disorienting, dominating and damning – and we should heed the warning and avoid being trapped by it.
1. But substance abuse is also something else – it is forgivable and conquerable.
2. In 1 Corinthians 6 when Paul writes that drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God, he says that that is what some of you were…“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11)
3. God is more powerful than substance abuse.
4. Through Him we can be forgiven and transformed.
5. The process may not be quick or easy, but it is possible.
6. Wherever any of us find ourselves today, God offers us hope.
7. The hope of freedom from all that enslaves us and condemns us.
8. The first and most important step is to admit our problem and turn to God.
9. Do you need to do that today? Are you ready to do that today?
10. That is what we will be praying for as we stand and sing the invitation song.
11. Let’s avoid the mistake of alcohol and drugs, and if we haven’t avoided it altogether, then let’s avoid making the mistake permanent.
Statistics from Infoplease.com
Some points taken from Dan Williams’ sermon “Bitter At The Bottom.”
