Introduction
A few months ago, I was checking my email. And I got this message from a young friend who forwarded a message from a friend who serves in the military. The girl serving in the military had a question that was causing her a great deal of burden. Let me read you the email.
“Dear pastor,
I currently serve in a branch of the United States military. I have noticed that in the military, alcohol is almost always present at social gatherings. In fact, it is deeply engrained in military culture. This makes for a difficult dilemma because I am also a Christian. You see I desperately want to honor God while I serve, and I know that alcohol can be a dangerous thing. But my comrades drink and I want to be connected with my friends in my company. What should I do?
She goes on to say, “I spoke to my chaplain and he told me that if I even touched alcohol, I was a hypocrite and that I was sinning. I need your help. What would you advise?”
It is a difficult question especially in the military culture where alcohol is handled so casually. How do we handle the issue of drinking as we strive to live in the world, but not be part of it?
Common Ground
Can we celebrate with a drink at a wedding for instance? Should we go to the bar with our friends? That is the question we are going to explore today.
Message:
First, it has to be noted that Scripture offers strong warnings about alcohol.
The first of which is …
Warnings about Alcohol
Don’t get drunk.
Ephesians 5:18 tells us in part, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery…”
It is clear that God doesn’t want his followers to get drunk. Why? Because submitting oneself to drunkenness can quickly lead to debauchery. Now that’s a churchy word. But what debauchery means is extreme indulgence in sensual behavior. And as Christians that is counter to our call to live in purity. So our walk should be different.
Listen to what Paul writes in our text in Galatians 5:16ff.
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Paul says our life should be marked by the Spirit; not by indulgences of the flesh. He then delineates the difference between living in the flesh and walking in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:19-23
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
All the characteristics of the fruit are important, but let me focus on the one I think is especially impacted by alcohol. One of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit is self control.
The person who says “I can’t control myself” makes a very profound statement about their walk with the Spirit. Self control is a bi product of spiritual living. And the problem with being drunk is that we are no longer under control of the spirit, but the spirits (alcohol). Alcohol impacts self control. And I would suggest that one does not have to be drunk in order for alcohol to have control.
And when alcohol seizes complete control, it leads to debauchery and it peels away the layers of fruit that the Spirit is trying to build in us.
There is a reason that alcohol and drugs are often the medication for people in the porn industry. Alcohol lowers inhibitions and blocks shame. Alcohol is a depressant, drinking it in excess removes joy. Some people who drink in excess get mean, giving up the characteristics of peace and kindness and patience. Do you see how alcohol can quickly peel away the layers of the fruit that the Spirit is trying to build in us?
Warnings about Alcohol:
Alcohol should be handled with GREAT care.
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
This is NOT a prohibition, but it IS a VERY strong warning. Based on this passage there are very few reasons I would choose to allow drinking. Please don’t go away and tell people I am encouraging you to drink. Alcohol should not be treated flippantly lest we be led astray into foolish behavior.
There are those in the pews who KNOW about the dangers. You know that if alcohol every touches your pallet, you will stray from the path. You cannot touch without being led astray. You know that to even taste alcohol is to give up control of where you are going. For you it is forbidden.
So the first truth we can glean from Scripture is this. Drinking alcohol is not specifically prohibited, but getting drunk is. And I suggest that drunk is not necessarily a .08 blood alcohol level. It is the point when alcohol begins to strip away self control and the other fruit of the Spirit. For some that is much less.
It begs the question then. If alcohol is so dangerous, shouldn’t everyone avoid it. The reasoning often goes, “if you don’t drink it, you can’t get drunk?” What about my friend in the military who wants to maintain the connection with her comrades? What about going to a wedding and taking a sip of champagne? Should those who drink and not get drunk be condemned as hypocrites?
Let me offer a different text.
Romans 14:1-23
In this text, Paul addresses a cultural conflict in the church. While the conflict is different, I think the principles can carry over. So lets read.
Romans 14:1-2
1 Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. 2 One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables.
In the church in Rome, there were people who ate meat, and there were vegetarians. And apparently there was a conflict taking place. The ones abstaining from meat were criticizing the ones who did eat meat. And the ones who did have an occasional steak were treating the vegetarians with contempt.
Now this probably goes deeper than simply carnivores vs. herbivores. This is likely a conflict over meat sacrificed to idols. You see in Paul’s times, animal sacrifices were something normal. And it was not uncommon for meat from the sacrifices to end up being sold at the market. So some Christians in Rome decided that rather than risk eating meat sacrificed to an idol, they would eat only vegetables. It’s a noble gesture to honor God. Apparently those who did eat meat thought it silly. And the ones eating nothing but veggies thought it sinful that the ones who ate meat might be eating meat given in the name of a false God.
Do you see the conflict in the context of the 1st Century? Do you see it in the context of our discussion of alcohol? And before you tell me that alcohol and meat are different because meat doesn’t lead to sin, let me say there were probably some gluttons in Paul’s audience.
In today’s world, there are some Christians who will avoid alcohol so that they do not risk dishonoring God. And there are some who will occasionally partake (notice is say “occasionally”). And the two views can rub on each other.
Listen to what Paul writes.
Romans 14:3-4
3 The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. 4 Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
In this passage Paul tells us that …
Different people are going to be at various levels of maturity in their walk of faith.
One person in faith believes that alcohol is a sin. For them, they play it safe. They don’t touch it or taste it. They need that rule in place. And that’s okay. They do it to honor God.
Another person shares an occasional drink with his/her comrades. He/she wants that time to connect with them, to build relationships in order to share Jesus. That’s okay too.
They do so to honor God. You see alcohol like meat is amoral; it is neither good nor bad.
Paul then gives an illustration of holy days.
Romans 14:5-10
5 One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. 6 Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. 8 If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. 10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt?...
Paul focuses on Jesus. And he makes the point that the discussion is really about Lordship.
The Question of Alcohol
Who is ultimately Lord?
It’s the question of who or what we are allowing to be Lord when we partake (or when we don’t?) The discussion is not merely about a rule of thumb of whether we should eat meat or not, or whether we should drink alcohol or not and how much.
Paul makes another point in this section of the text that I think needs to be noted.
We are not qualified to judge another person’s motives.
We might think we know, but we don’t. Can I let you in on a little secret? I can’t see into your heart. And you cannot see into my heart. We can see actions, but we cannot see motive. We should be very careful about judging other people’s motives. And we should cautiously examine our own. Because while other people can’t see our motives, God can. And God will judge based on motives.
Romans 14:10
…For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”
So if I should choose to ignore the warnings of Scripture and I should choose to drink …
Application One
The first thing I should do is Look up.
I should carefully examine the motive I have in front of a God who sees my thoughts and feelings. If I am not sure what they are, I should ask God to give me wisdom. Here are some questions to ask:
Questions to ask before drinking (again):
1. Am I drinking to be accepted by my friends or family?
2. How often do I drink? If we drink every time we go out, we might be a person who is being led astray.
3. Do I feel like alcohol has to be part of every social gathering?
Would you admit that there are some people who feel that if there’s no alcohol, they won’t go?
Illustration:
That’s true in the military, but it’s also true in other life situations. I remember going to a wedding one time of a Christian friend. He and his fiancé chose to have alcohol served at the reception. I asked him about it. And he revealed his reasoning. He and his new wife wanted people to come to the reception. He wanted to celebrate with his friends and he realized that if there was no alcohol, quite a few of his friends would not come.
4. Have I ever found myself drinking until I am drunk?
Again I’m not talking about a .08 blood alcohol level. I’m talking about alcohol taking control. Drinking is not specifically prohibited in Scripture, but getting drunk is.
Let me also add that for you underage drinkers, you can’t honor God by breaking the law. Don’t drink, period.
So the first thing we should do is look up.
If I choose to drink,
The second thing we should do is look around.
No! I'm not saying for the preacher or your parents. I'm not talking about a guilty looking around. I'm talking about someone far more important.
Listen to what Paul writes.
Romans 14:13
13 … let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died.
Church, there are several reasons that I don’t drink and why I don’t keep alcohol in the house. First, as a leader in the church, I don’t want to lead anyone astray. I might be wise enough to handle alcohol (I might not), but I know there might be a brother or sister who can’t handle it. And if they see me drinking, it may cause them to stumble. I don’t want to by my eating or drinking destroy someone for whom Christ died. That sounds aweful! I can’t want to be that self centered that I might destroy someone.
That said, I did have a sip of champagne at my niece’s wedding. Yes, just a sip. I wanted to celebrate a toast to her happiness and the blessing on her marriage. I wasn’t officiating (Or I might not have) and there was no one at my table who would stumble.
Do you see how we can enact the law of love?
That’s ultimately the question.
I look around for the sake of others in love.
That is how we can be in the world, but not of it. And if in doubt I enact the law of love which says, “Your salvation is so much more important than my drink.” That’s a level of maturity that we should strive for when it comes to alcohol.
For my letter writing friend, he/she might want to look at his/her chaplain and say, “For you sake, I won’t drink.” Hopefully if your motives are pure, your chaplain will eventually see it.
Paul goes on to write this.
Romans 14:16-19
16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval. 19 Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Do you hear what Paul is writing? Rather than trying to determine is something is good or bad and then trying to get as close to the line without crossing it, Paul says we should be developing the fruit of the Spirit: righteousness, peace, joy. We should be doing that which mutually edifies and lifts up others to do the same. We KNOW these things are good. These things are what God desires; these will make a difference in the world: whether we eat meat or not, whether we drink alcohol or abstain are of no significance. Maybe we should stop trying to find the line, but instead develop the fruit of the Spirit. I suggest that if my friend chose not to drink, but instead showed joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self control that it would make even more of an impact than simply sharing a drink with her buddies. The good will make much more of an impact than simply sharing a beer. And if you look around and see anyone who may stumble STOP! Our freedom does not extend to the destruction of others no matter how innocent our motives are. Listen to Paul's words.
20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food (or alcohol). All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21 (So) it is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.
Which is better? Which does Paul say is a stronger position? Not to eat or drink anything that might cause someone else to stumble.
Even if our motives are pure, if we cause someone else to stumble by exercising our "freedom" we are sinning.
Let me summarize the message this way.
I don’t encourage anyone to drink. I think the dangers are much more than the reward.
That said, I will not judge someone for having an occasional drink (to celebrate or to relax with friends.)
But be very careful, make sure you stay on the path of righteousness, don’t let alcohol control you, don’t let it become a way to debauchery, I will call you into account if you let alcohol strip the layers of the fruit the Holy Spirit gives you.
Look up and ask for God’s wisdom … look around … to ensure there is no one who can stumble … and when in doubt, follow the rule of love (which concerns itself with the salvation of others and not our own comfort or satisfaction).
