Introduction:
A. The story is told about a preacher who decided that a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon.
1. So, he placed four jars on a table in front of the congregation and put one worm into each jar.
a. The first worm was put into a jar of alcohol.
b. The second worm was put into a jar of cigarette smoke.
c. The third worm was put into a jar of chocolate syrup.
d. And the fourth worm was put into a jar of good clean soil.
2. At the conclusion of the sermon, the preacher checked on the worms and reported the following results:
a. The worm in alcohol was dead. The worm in cigarette smoke was dead. The worm in chocolate syrup was dead, but the worm in good clean soil was alive.
3. Then the preacher asked the congregation, “What can we learn from this demonstration?”
a. A little old woman in the back quickly raised her hand and said, “Well, it looks like as long as you drink, and smoke and eat chocolate, you won’t have worms!”
4. I don’t think that’s the thing the preacher hoped the congregation would learn from that demonstration.
a. I sincerely hope that all of us will come to the right conclusions about today’s sermon.
B. As you know, we are in a sermon series on the book of Proverbs and we are trying to absorb and apply God’s wisdom, which is more valuable than gold, to our lives.
1. Today, we are going to talk about being wise about alcohol, and what we learn about today about alcohol also applies to other drugs as well.
2. I’m thankful, that by the grace of God, Alcohol and other drugs have never been a problem for me.
3. Even though I had access to alcohol as a young person and was surrounded by family that was prone to consuming a lot of alcohol, it had no attraction to me.
4. I have never been drunk and I have never smoked marijuana or tried any other drug.
5. I don’t say any of this to brag or to pat myself on the back, but I want you to know that as I speak about this subject, I do so as someone for whom it has not been a struggle or problem, and for that I am very thankful.
6. But I know some hearing this sermon may have had or are now having a very different experience with alcohol and other drugs.
C. I want to share the testimony of a preacher from California named Timothy Peck.
1. When Timothy preached on the subject of alcohol he shared his story of struggle with alcohol.
2. Timothy said: “I was twelve years old when I took my first drink. My mom and adopted father were hosting a Christmas party for several of their friends. They had an open bar, and the more the booze flowed, the less people noticed that I was helping myself to the orange juice and vodka drinks they called screwdrivers. I don’t remember exactly how many screwdrivers I drank, but I do remember spending the night throwing up in the bathroom. I also remember feeling absolutely awful the next day. In fact, I couldn’t drink orange juice without feeling like I was going to throw up for months after that.
Any normal person would’ve learned from that experience, but for me that night was just beginning. However, I wasn’t a normal person. Within a week I was regularly sneaking into my parents’ liquor cabinet. I didn’t care what I drank-bourbon, vodka, brandy--it didn’t matter. The drink was just the delivery system; what I was really interested in was the effect. Alcohol provided a numbness from the pain and confusion I was going through as a twelve year old.
Timothy continued: And I didn’t stop with drinking. Soon I was experimenting with drugs as well, and by the time I was 13 years old I was a daily drug abuser. I tried everything I could get my hands on: marijuana, pills, meth, angel dust, LSD. The only thing I never tried was heroin. I figured if I avoided heroin, I wasn’t a drug addict.
For six years I drank and abused drugs on a regular basis. In fact, I can’t remember one sober day from the time I was twelve until the time I quit when I was 18 years old. My grades went from being A’s and B’s to F’s. My last year of junior high school I was suspended three times for getting into trouble. In fact, I failed all but one of my classes my last semester, but the school graduated me anyway, just to move me on to the high school.
That summer between junior high and high school I moved here to Upland. I didn’t get into as much trouble here in Upland, but it’s not because I didn’t deserve it. I continued to abuse drugs and alcohol on a daily basis, as I coasted through high school in a continual mental haze.
Timothy concluded: It was only through my involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous when I was 18 years old that I was able to finally break free from my addiction. It’s easy to imagine my drug and alcohol problem wasn’t really that bad; after all, I only used drugs and drank for six years. Yet during those six years my life spun out of control, I was unable to sustain healthy relationships, and I consistently turned to drugs and alcohol to numb my pain and cope with life. I was young, but I truly was an alcoholic and a drug addict.”
D. I wanted to share Timothy’s story for two reasons.
1. First, maybe your story is more like Timothy’s story than my story and so you need to know that you are not alone and that others have struggled like you have.
2. Second, I wanted to share his story because it is one of victory – he got help, and continues to get help, and is able to live a life that pleases God and can even serve in full-time ministry.
E. As we turn to the book of Proverbs, we will discover that Proverbs has a lot to say about the abuse of alcohol and the damage that it can have in a person’s life.
1. There are three significant texts in Proverbs that warn against the dangers of alcohol and I want us to look at each of them and see what they advise concerning the use of alcohol.
2. I would like us to notice the three things that Proverbs warns us about the use of alcohol.
I. Warning #1: Alcohol Intoxication Has Serious Consequences
A. Let’s start with a short verse – Proverbs 20:1 that says: Wine is a mocker, beer is a brawler; whoever goes astray because of them is not wise.
1. Solomon wants us to understand that alcohol often causes people to behave as mockers and brawlers.
2. The word translated “mocker” is the same as the word for “scoffer”
a. The scoffer, in Proverbs, is not only unwise, but is actually anti-wisdom.
b. Drinkers of alcohol often become belligerent and foolish.
3. We all know what it means for someone to become a brawler.
a. Alcohol causes some people to be more mellow, but it causes many people to become aggressive and angry, and they lose all self-control.
B. Let’s turn to a more extensive passage – Proverbs 23:29-35.
1. This text is part of a larger discussion (beginning at verse 1) that concerns the dangers of gluttony, illicit sex, and drinking.
2. The overall point concerning all these is the need for self-disciple.
3. As we work through this passage, we will see the three warnings about alcohol.
C. Let’s start with verses 29-30: 29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has conflicts? Who has complaints? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has red eyes? 30 Those who linger over wine; those who go looking for mixed wine. (Pr. 23:29-30)
1. In these two verses, we find six different consequences of intoxication and each consequence is in the form of a rhetorical question.
2. One consequence is despair, and we find that in the question, “Who has woe?”
a. The Hebrew word translated “woe” here is an expression of despair, a feeling of hopelessness and impending doom.
b. Woe is that overwhelming feeling that there’s no way out, that life is crushing you and grinding you to bits, and that there’s nothing you can do about it.
c. That feeling of woe is often communicated in suicide notes and it’s no coincidence that a high percentage of suicide attempts each year are related to drug and alcohol use.
3. Another consequence of alcohol intoxication is sorrow.
a. The Hebrew word for “sorrow” in this second question is literally, “ouch.”
b. It’s an exclamation of pain.
c. Sorrow is anguish and distress, a life filled with inner pain.
4. The question, “Who has strife?” focuses on the consequence of broken relationships.
a. Strife is a general word that refers to arguments with other people.
b. Again, it’s no coincidence that 80% of all domestic abuse in our nation is alcohol related.
c. Strife also includes bar fights and brawls after sporting events.
d. It also includes hurtful words hastily spoken, angry actions, and so forth.
5. The question about having complaints points to problems as a consequence of intoxication.
a. A complaint is a description of a problem or difficulty in one’s life.
b. In other words, intoxication with alcohol will cause a person to have lots of problems and difficulties that they wouldn’t otherwise have.
c. Whether it’s a suspended driver’s license because of a DUI or an unwanted pregnancy, whether it’s a ruined relationship or a lost job.
6. The needless bruises focuses on bodily injury as a consequence of intoxication.
a. Drugs and alcohol affect a person’s coordination and equilibrium.
b. But as your equilibrium and your coordination decline the more you drink, your judgment also declines.
c. So, you tend to do more dangerous things, yet physically you’re least prepared to maneuver those dangerous things.
d. Whether it’s driving a car while intoxicated or jumping off a rock into a lake, intoxicated people take needless risks that often harm themselves.
e. It’s not a coincidence that 60% of all emergency room admissions are alcohol related.
7. Finally, red eyes refers to blood shot eyes and dulled senses – when a person is drunk or wasted, their ability to see, hear, and think is dulled.
8. As you can see, these are severe consequences and Proverbs encourages us to understand the consequences of intoxication.
II. Warning #2: The Lure of Alcohol is Deceptive
A. Let’s continue in Proverbs 23 and look at verses 31-32: 31 Don’t gaze at wine because it is red, because it gleams in the cup and goes down smoothly. 32 In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper. (Pr. 23:31-32)
1. Even back when Proverbs was written, people who produced wine tried to make it look cool and refreshing – “it gleams in the cup.”
2. Think of the beer and wine TV advertising and who when they show the wine in the glass it looks so good, and the beer can or bottle has cool perspiration running down it, or the foam rising as it is being poured into the glass – it looks so good!
a. And all the people in the commercials look so good and happy.
b. And the most interesting man in the world not only drinks but is perpetually thirsty!
c. And drinking alcohol is always associated with good times – ball games, tailgate parties, gatherings on beaches and always in the company of lots of pretty people.
3. What the alcohol advertisers are really selling is a fantasy – it goes down smoothly but bites and stings like a snake.
4. What they do not show are the victims of automobile accidents caused by drunk drivers, or the domestic quarrels that frequently erupt as a result of drinking, or the spousal abuse, or the children caught in the middle of the chaos, or the crimes that people frequently commit when “under the influence.”
5. They don’t show the “drunk tank” at the local jail, or the red eyes and swollen faces of intoxicated people, or the jobs lost due to their overindulgence.
6. Think about the famous people who have struggled with or been destroyed by drugs or alcohol: Betty Ford, Amy Winehouse, Len Bias, Matthew Perry, Whitney Houston, and Elvis Presley.
7. Not long ago, the Baldwinsville Superintendent lost his job because he drunkenly crowd surfed at the Friday night High School football game and then tried to drive away.
8. Intoxication is foolish and it causes foolishness.
B. The devil is so crafty and he wraps sin in an attractive disguise and never delivers what is promised.
1. What looks so good, turns out to be so bad.
2. What looks like such fun, turns out be disastrous.
3. What promises freedom, turns into a trap – which leads to the last warning.
III. Warning #3: Alcohol Has Addictive Power
A. Here’s the rest of Proverbs 23: 33 Your eyes will see strange things, and you will say absurd things. 34 You’ll be like someone sleeping out at sea or lying down on the top of a ship’s mast. 35 “They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I didn’t know it! When will I wake up? I’ll look for another drink.” (Pr. 23:33-35)
1. Here we notice more consequences are described in vivid detail for us.
2. A person intoxicated by drugs or alcohol will see strange things.
a. Hallucinations aren’t unusual among drug abusers and long-term alcoholics.
b. In fact, some drugs actually specialize in producing hallucinations.
3. The second half of v. 33 is interesting.
a. The CSV says: “You will say absurd things.”
b. The NIV says: “Your mind will imagine confusing things.”
c. The NASB says: “Your mind will say perverse things.”
d. In the Hebrew it literally reads, “Your mind will tell you opposite things.”
e. This refers to thoughts that are contrary to what you know to be true and right – this is distorted, impaired judgment.
f. Your mind will whisper ideas that are totally out of character with what you believe and what you think is right.
g. This explains why a person who’s totally against drunk driving suddenly grabs his keys to go for a ride after a few beers. Why? His mind is telling him things contrary to what he really believes or knows.
4. Verse 34 describes the drunken experience of feeling like you are being tossed about.
a. I have experienced some vertigo and it isn’t a fun experience when everything is spinning!
b. I’m told that when you’re really drunk, every time you close your eyes you feel like you’re spinning around and that’s one reason an intoxicated person to throw up.
5. Intoxication numbs the pain, which is why some people get drunk in the first place.
6. But the most serious thing of all is the last phrase: But when he wakes up, his only thought is where to find the next drink, and then the cycle starts all over again.
a. The person who drinks too much gradually becomes captive to the power of addiction.
B. Let’s be sure to make this clarification: the wise man of Proverbs isn’t describing the effects of drinking minimal amounts of alcohol; rather, he’s talking about drunkenness.
1. Nevertheless, our senses can become impaired long before we reach an obviously drunken state, and because of the alcohol’s effect, we most likely won’t recognize our condition.
2. In the end, how does a person know whether or not they are addicted to alcohol?
3. The only sure way to know if you are in control or if the alcohol is in control, is to not drink at all and see how long you can go without a drink.
Conclusion:
A. There’s one other passage in Proverbs that I want us to spend a minute with – Proverbs 31:4-7: 4 It is not for kings, Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine or for rulers to desire beer. 5 Otherwise, he will drink, forget what is decreed, and pervert justice for all the oppressed. 6 Give beer to one who is dying and wine to one whose life is bitter. 7 Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty and remember his trouble no more. (Pr. 31:4-7)
1. Here are the words that King Lemuel’s mother taught him.
2. After warning him about the dangers of sexual promiscuity in verses 2 and 3, she didn’t just advise him against getting drunk, but advised him against drinking at all.
3. Why is it not for kings to drink wine and beer? Because they have better things to do with their time and their drinking will hinder their thinking.
a. Kings and rulers need their wits about them if they are going to rule wisely and fairly.
4. Verses 6 and 7 suggest that alcohol is a drug that can be helpful to the dying and miserable to help ease their pain.
5. If it’s not a good idea for the king to be a drinker, then it’s also probably not a good idea for a child of the King of Kings to be a drinker.
a. Don’t we have more important things to be doing?
b. Don’t we need all our wits about us as we strive to live for God in a godless world?
6. I Peter 5:8 says, Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour - Intoxication makes us easy prey for Satan.
7. Paul wrote: And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit. (Eph. 5:18)
a. Being intoxicated by the “spirits” leads to reckless, immoral living, but being filled with the Holy Spirit leads to life and godliness.
B. I hope today’s study of Proverbs will help us to be wise about alcohol.
1. I want to encourage us to make godly choices about drinking alcohol and to not judge others about their choices, while at the same time not allowing our liberty to lead others into sin.
2. In Romans 14, Paul gives an extensive discussion where he clearly teaches both things.
a. First, that Christians should not pass judgment on others when they differ over personal choices about disputed matters.
b. And second, that Christians should be careful not to put stumbling blocks or hazards in front of others that cause them to sin.
c. Paul concludes: 20 Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make someone fall by what he eats. 21 It is a good thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble. 22 Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. (Rom. 14:20-22)
C. I have personally chosen that it is in my best interest and the best interests of others that I not drink alcohol at all. Why have I concluded that?
1. First, a person doesn’t have to be drunk to be a hazard to themselves and to others.
2. Second, since drinking impairs judgment, the danger of becoming drunk while drinking is always present and increases with every drink.
3. Third, in some instances, exercising my liberty to drink may cause someone else to sin.
a. Drinking but not becoming drunk isn’t wrong, but it can become wrong if it has a negative impact on others.
4. Fourth, drinking alcohol isn’t necessary, and no one is ever negatively affected by the decision not to drink, unless their decision becomes a judgment and condemnation of others.
a. Just as the Bible warns against drunkenness, it also warns against judgmentalism.
D. Beyond our understanding of Scripture or the things we have been taught about alcohol, often our attitudes about alcohol are shaped by our experiences with alcohol.
1. For some, any drinking of alcohol is viewed as negative and dangerous because it has negatively impacted their lives personally and directly, perhaps because of their own addiction or the addiction of their family members.
2. For others, using alcohol in moderation was a part of their upbringing, but was just a normal part of life, much as it was in biblical times.
3. But even when alcohol isn’t abused, there is always the looming danger of abuse and the consequences that result, as we have seen in our study of today’s Proverbs.
E. Before we end, let me point out something that most of us are aware of: a problem with alcohol is often hereditary, whether it be the result of biology or environment.
1. Earlier I shared the experience and testimony of Timothy Peck and his story of addiction.
2. An additional part of his story includes this; Timothy says: “I suspect I had an inclination to drug and alcohol addiction long before I drank that first drink or abused my first drug. After all, substance abuse runs in my family. My biological father had a drug and alcohol problem. His father had a drinking problem. My mom also had her own battles with drug and alcohol abuse. Some of my earliest memories as a child are being in a room watching a bunch of adults smoke pot. It wasn’t a matter of if I was going to follow suit, it was simply a matter of when. I don’t know whether it was in my DNA or simply growing up in that environment, but I was an alcoholic and an addict simply waiting for my first drink and my first high.”
3. I don’t have time for us to discuss whether or not alcoholism and addiction are a disease, but one thing I know for sure is that we are responsible for our choices.
4. Any one of us may have an inclination or propensity toward something sinful – whether it’s lust, greed, pride, anger or intoxication - but all of us are responsible for how we handle those temptations and our inclinations.
5. Whenever someone is trying to overcome an addiction to alcohol and other drugs, then they will need to address the physical dimension of the addiction, the emotional dimension of the addiction and the spiritual dimension of the addiction.
6. Ultimately, the solution to addiction isn’t a prescription or a therapy session, but a spiritual transformation.
7. True recovery comes from being changed by God as we acknowledge that we can’t change without His power.
F. If you’ve never had a problem with alcohol and other drugs, then I hope you never will.
1. If you are presently having a problem with them, then please know that you are not alone in your struggle and know that you are still loved and valued in the midst of your struggle.
2. There are brothers and sisters in Christ in this church family who have struggled and overcome these kinds of addictions.
3. And there are others in this church family who are presently working on this problem.
4. God cares, we care, and we are ready to love you through it.
5. I hope and pray that all of us will be wise about alcohol!
Resources:
• Don’t Be Dumb! The Wisdom of Proverbs for Today, by James T. (Tommy) South
• Wise Up About Alcohol, Timothy Peck, SermonCentral.com
