OPEN: August 16, 1992 in The Reporter News (an Abilene, TX newspaper) featured an article about a cowboy. This cowboy was a horse breaker on a ranch near, Breckenridge. He was driving his pickup and was stopped by the Highway Patrol. The cowboy refused to take a breath analyzer test. He explained, “The last time I took one of those tests, I flunked and I am a lot drunker now than I was then.”
APPLY: I don’t have too many jokes in my files about funny drunks, because I don’t believe there’s anything funny about people being drunk.
I didn’t grow up that way, however.
When I was a boy, drunks were portrayed on TV as being funny people.
Remember the “Andy Griffith Show” where Andy and Barney were the police force in a town called Mayberry? Who was the drunk on that show? (Almost everybody responded “Otis”). He was portrayed as a harmless fluff-ball of a man who couldn’t keep away from the bottle – and he WAS funny.
Then there was Foster Brooke, a man who made his living as a comic by playing a drunk onstage. And he was funny.
Then there was Dean Martin (tho’ he reportedly never was really a drinker). He portrayed himself a heavy drinker, always carrying a cigarette in one hand and a martini glass in the other. He was not only funny as a drinker, but he was handsome, suave, self-assured, well-liked, and all the women were in love with him. And he could sing. He had a voice that could have melted butter.
He was someone I wanted to be like. I really wanted to grow up to be like this man.
If I had followed Dean Martin’s example (at least the example he portrayed on stage) I could easily have become heavily involved in alcohol. However, there were a couple of influences that kept me away from the bottle:
1st – I had a Godly set of parents who wouldn’t think of having beer or whiskey in the house
2nd – The only time I tried an alcoholic beverage… I couldn’t stand the taste of the stuff.
Then, as I grew older I learned that the church had often been opposed to alcohol. Not just drinking that rendered a person drunk… they even opposed the “recreational” use of the this drink.
But the question this morning is: WHY?
Why would any Christian be opposed to the use of alcohol?
I mean, after all, the people of Bible times drank wine. In fact, John chapter 2 tells of the first miracle Jesus ever performed… he made wine for a wedding feast that had run out.
So, why would any church oppose the use of alcohol for recreational purposes?
I. Well, 1st there’s the damage that drinking has done to so many lives
Alcohol is a drug… and it IS addictive. Alcohol has destroyed too many lives to count.
Every year in America over 200,000 die from alcohol related deaths
· auto accidents (55,000)
· homicides and suicides (15,000)
· accidental deaths (20,000)
· Not to mention the vast number who die each year from medical conditions brought on because of constant drinking.
About 350 die daily from alcohol-related problems while about 15 to 30 die daily from health effects of illegal drug use.
Alcohol is involved in 50% of spousal abuse - 50% of rapes - 32% of child abuse cases
In addition, alcohol is responsible for a vast number of diseases and ailments. According to Dr. Antonio Novello, Former U. S. Surgeon General:
“Alcohol affects immune, endocrine, and reproductive functions. Various cancers associated with drinking include cancers of the lip, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, tongue, lung, pancreas, and liver.
Other diseases include chronic gastritis, hepatitis, hypertension, and coronary heart disease . . . More of our current college students will die of cirrhosis of the liver than will get doctorates in Business Management, and Communications combined.”
Like I said, alcohol is a drug. And it’s the only drug in America that is NOT ONLY legal but universally advertised at sporting events, in popular magazines and roadside signs. According to Dr. Jean Killbourne, an international lecturer on alcohol advertising:
“Ads from the alcohol industry link drinking with happiness, wealth, prestige, sophistication, success, maturity, athletic ability, virility, creativity and sexual satisfaction.
The irony is that these are the very things that chronic alcohol abuse destroys.”
II. The danger of alcohol is the basis for much of that the Bible says about it.
The Bible declares “Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks” (Isaiah 5:22)
Why would God be so opposed to this type of lifestyle? Well turn with me to Proverbs 23:29-35
“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?’”
Look back a few verses in Proverbs 23 to verses 20-21 “Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.”
So, we find that alcohol drags a person down physically, mentally and financially. But that’s not all chronic alcohol abuse can do:
Galatians 5:19-21 declares that “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 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.”
Thus, not only can alcohol rob a person physically, emotionally and financially… but it can rob them of their very salvation.
But God goes even further than that.
You don’t have to get drunk to evoke His displeasure.
All a person has to do to bring about God’s condemnation is to get someone else drunk.
In Habakkuk 2:15 we’re told: “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk…”
III. But (someone will ask) what about the Jews… they drank wine?
Yes they did… but what they drank wasn’t quite what’s being served at the local tavern.
ILLUS: According to Dr. Bert Valee (who wrote an article “Alcohol in the Western World" for the Scientific American June 1998) around 700 A.D. Arab chemists discovered how to “distill” alcohol – and thus were able to create drinks with alcoholic content to as high as 40 to 60%. (fermented wine has between 9 to 11% alcoholic content).
Valee noted that the wine and beer manufactured before the invention of distilling was relatively mild in its alcohol content. So A PERSON HAD TO REALLY DRINK A LOT TO GET INTOXICATED. But with the discovery of distilling, much more potent forms of alcohol could be manufactured.
A person had to really drink a lot to get intoxicated? Yes, that’s why, when the Holy Spirit fell upon the Apostles at Pentecost - and the Apostles began to speak in several different languages – the pandemonium was so great that many in the crowd thought these 12 men were drunk. But Peter got the crowd’s attention and told them that these disciples weren’t drunk… because it was only 9 in the morning. They hadn’t had time to drink enough to be drunk.
In addition… wine was rarely drank “straight from the bottle”. According to John MacArthur “In ancient time, wine was usually… mixed with water”. There are numerous references in Greek and Romans literature that speak of wine as being watered down. Sometimes the ratios were anywhere from 2:1 to 20:1 (water to wine ratio).
The Jews had a similar attitude. II Maccabees 15:39 (a Jewish history book written about 200 years before Christ) declared: “It is harmful to drink wine alone, or again, to drink water alone, while wine mixed with water is sweet and delicious and enhances one’s enjoyment.”
According to MacArthur, “Only barbarians drank (wine) unmixed, and the mixture of wine and water of equal parts (1:1) was called ‘strong drink’ and frowned on.”
Thus, because it was the common custom to water wine down by at least a 2:1 ratio MOST WINE that would have been drunk at weddings and other social gatherings would have had an
alcoholic content of no higher than 2.2-2.75 % well below the 3.2 % that is considered necessary today to classify a beverage as alcoholic.
And that really makes sense when you think about Jesus 1st miracle John 2:1-10.
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.
When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, "They have no more wine."
"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come."
His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine 1st and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."
The wedding guests had drunk all the wine that was available… and Jesus miraculously creates wine in 6 big stone jars for an additional 150 gallons of wine that was even better than what they’d had before.
Now IF these people had been drinking unmixed wine (wine without water mixed in). And IF Jesus had supplied them with additional wine in that large a quantity… Jesus would have been condemned by Scripture. Do you remember the warning from Habakkuk 2:15 "Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk…”
According to Habakkuk Jesus wouldn’t have had to have even drunk the wine to have sinned. All He had to do was be RESPONSIBLE for the guests getting drunk!
IV. All through Scripture, God’s leaders have always been warned about alcohol
In the New Testament, Titus and Timothy were given strict instructions on selecting leaders:
“Since an overseer (Elder) is ENTRUSTED WITH GOD’S WORK, he must be blameless— not overbearing, not quick-tempered, NOT GIVEN TO DRUNKENNESS, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.” (Titus 1:7)
In the Old Testament Priests were not allowed to drink wine while serving in the Temple. Aaron is warned in Leviticus 10:9 “You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the Tent of Meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.”
And Old Testament Kings were commanded not to drink wine or beer
“It is not for kings… to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights.” (Proverbs 31:4-5)
Thus, those who were entrusted with God’s work were commanded to either refuse or seriously restrict any use of wine in their homes.
So… why did the early Bible people drink wine? (watered down or not) John MacArthur explained it this way: “In Bible times good water was seldom available, and when it was mixed with wine the alcohol content made it safer because of the antiseptic effects of the alcohol. It actually purified the water much like chlorine does today in city water systems.”
V. So… if a person drinks a casual beer or wine once in awhile – is that “wrong”
Will that activity condemn to hell?
No! In fact, Scripture says we are not under the Law. We are a free people. As long as we don’t get drunk – or cause others to become drunk – we don’t trigger any condemnation from Scripture. We are a free people. But we must careful to exercise our freedom responsibly. Paul warns us: “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Corinthians 8:9)
ILLUS: I’ve shared before the story of a man in the first congregation I served, who resisted becoming a Christian for several months. He’d literally cling to the back of the pew in front of him until his knuckles would turn white. He was convicted of his need for Christ in his life, but something held him back. I later found out that one of the main reasons he didn’t go forward any earlier was because he had seen members of the church he’d grown up in coming out of one of the local taverns.
Given the repeated messages from our society - that drunkenness is an acceptable part of “having fun” in this world - all it might take for someone to become addicted to alcohol is to see you lift a bottle. And that “someone” could be your child, your grandchild… or someone else who looks up to you. There are over 17 million alcoholics in America today, and rising. They, by far, outnumber those addicted to any other drug. It would be a shame if your freedom to drink bound them in this terrible slavery.
CLOSE: Ephesians 5:18 tells us “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.”
Just like alcohol controls the alcoholic, so God’s Spirit should fill and control us.
It’s obvious when someone is drunk because alcohol controls how people:
· talk
· walk
· think
· act
In the same way, the Holy Spirit should control our every action, tho’t and word. We should be so filled with God’s Spirit that it is obvious that we belong to Him. But how do I get “filled” with God’s Spirit?
In Ephesians, Paul tell us that we need to do 3 things to create an atmosphere where His Spirit can dwell in us richly:
1. By singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. By surrounding ourselves with music that glorifies God and lifts us up into His presence, we make our hearts a place for the Spirit to dwell. (Ephesians 5:19)
2. By giving thanks to God for all things (Ephesians 5:20). One of the reasons people plant their lives inside a bottle is because they are trying to bury the disappointments of their lives for just a short while. They are people who focus on what they don’t have and what they haven’t accomplished. By contrast, God’s people need to focus on what they have received from God and the love He has shown them in His blessings.
3. By submitting to others (Ephesians 5:21). Find ways to be of service to others. The person who finds solace in the bottle is generally focused on themselves. God’s people need to learn to focus on others.
But that is how I fill myself with God’s Spirit as a Christian.
But what if I’m not a Christian?
In Acts 2:38 Peter tells us “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
OTHER SERMONS IN THIS “THAT AIN’T RIGHT” SERIES:
Damaging the Truth - Ephesians 4:17-4:32
Being Filled With the Spirit(s) - Ephesians 5:15-5:21
The Disease Of Jonah - Hebrews 12:14-12:17
It Was Just A Little Mistake - 1 Kings 13:1-13:32
Abuse of Power - Deuteronomy 18:9-18:14
