WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.040 A few weeks back, I preached about maybe fasting 00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:05.540 from social media and the devices that we use. 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:08.060 And in the book that I referenced, The Anxious 00:00:08.060 --> 00:00:14.460 Generation, by the last name H -A -I -D -T, hate, 00:00:14.660 --> 00:00:17.539 he talked about one of the things that our kids 00:00:17.539 --> 00:00:21.300 have started losing is the risk of going out, 00:00:21.339 --> 00:00:24.359 playing face -to -face, and being able to have 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:27.539 some risk -taking, and how that kind of shapes 00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:30.609 how they deal with anxiety later. because they've 00:00:30.609 --> 00:00:33.409 experienced some risk here, and that gives them 00:00:33.409 --> 00:00:36.649 something to compare it to later. So that's a 00:00:36.649 --> 00:00:38.570 really great thing for us to be praying about. 00:00:39.369 --> 00:00:41.689 All right. Well, good morning. Again, my name 00:00:41.689 --> 00:00:43.310 is Greg Hampton. I'm one of the pastors here. 00:00:43.549 --> 00:00:46.130 If we've never met, I would love to meet. Put 00:00:46.130 --> 00:00:47.630 it on your connection card that you're a first 00:00:47.630 --> 00:00:49.250 -time guest. I'll follow up with you. I'd love 00:00:49.250 --> 00:00:51.369 to buy you a coffee or soda, something like that, 00:00:51.469 --> 00:00:54.850 and hear your story, get to know you. We're in 00:00:54.850 --> 00:00:56.770 our third week of a series that we're calling 00:00:56.770 --> 00:01:00.299 Desire Paths. And we're doing this series throughout 00:01:00.299 --> 00:01:03.079 what's called Lent in the church calendar. It's 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:06.079 a 46 -day season in the church calendar when 00:01:06.079 --> 00:01:09.579 we remind ourselves that we don't just live in 00:01:09.579 --> 00:01:12.719 the resurrection of Jesus every day. We also 00:01:12.719 --> 00:01:16.420 remember the suffering that Jesus experienced 00:01:16.420 --> 00:01:19.579 on the way to that cross, on the way to that 00:01:19.579 --> 00:01:21.579 resurrection. One of the ways that we remember 00:01:21.579 --> 00:01:27.260 during Lent is by fasting. Fasting is when you 00:01:27.260 --> 00:01:30.579 abstain from something that you think you need 00:01:30.579 --> 00:01:34.359 or that you think that you want. Something that 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:37.340 might actually be difficult to give up. I remember 00:01:37.340 --> 00:01:39.920 growing up and meeting different people and being 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:42.180 like, oh yeah, I'm giving up chocolate for Lent. 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:43.859 And I always thought like, oh, that's so silly. 00:01:44.180 --> 00:01:48.760 But that's hard for some people. But consider, 00:01:48.900 --> 00:01:51.340 what is something that might be difficult to 00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:54.519 give up? Jesus taught his disciples to take up 00:01:54.519 --> 00:01:58.599 their own cross to give up their own ways so 00:01:58.599 --> 00:02:04.140 that they could live in his ways. There are plenty 00:02:04.140 --> 00:02:07.980 of things that plenty of us are holding on to 00:02:07.980 --> 00:02:13.900 that do not help us live like Jesus. I heard 00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:18.520 someone say, say it again, pastor. There's plenty 00:02:18.520 --> 00:02:22.319 of things that we hold on to that are not helping 00:02:22.319 --> 00:02:26.189 us live like Jesus. Jesus. And so during Lent, 00:02:26.189 --> 00:02:29.069 what we do is we fast. We pick something or some 00:02:29.069 --> 00:02:35.469 things that we want to find out what place they 00:02:35.469 --> 00:02:37.750 really have in our lives. Maybe we want to post 00:02:37.750 --> 00:02:41.250 our opinion on social media and instead we lift 00:02:41.250 --> 00:02:43.830 our voice to the Lord. We give that space, that 00:02:43.830 --> 00:02:47.009 time to talking to Jesus. When we want to feed 00:02:47.009 --> 00:02:49.770 our hearts with the food of fighting and complaining, 00:02:49.810 --> 00:02:52.689 instead we open our mouths to receive something 00:02:52.689 --> 00:02:57.680 better. From Jesus. We all have paths that we 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:00.860 have cut for ourselves. We all have desire paths 00:03:00.860 --> 00:03:05.340 that we have created. Ruts that we have run through 00:03:05.340 --> 00:03:10.159 someone else's grass. God's lawn, if you will. 00:03:11.659 --> 00:03:16.159 Fasting is saying, I won't take my way. I will 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:19.340 follow Jesus. I will let go of this thing and 00:03:19.340 --> 00:03:23.139 every time I want that thing. And the space that 00:03:23.139 --> 00:03:27.439 thing took, I will think of and pray with Jesus. 00:03:27.599 --> 00:03:34.199 And today's desire path is alcohol. Alcohol can 00:03:34.199 --> 00:03:37.680 be a pretty divisive thing, not just in the world, 00:03:37.719 --> 00:03:40.580 but in the church. Some teach that you should 00:03:40.580 --> 00:03:45.199 never touch it. Others have kegs at their church 00:03:45.199 --> 00:03:48.699 picnics. I'm not making that up. That's a real 00:03:48.699 --> 00:03:52.669 thing. I have seen and experienced pretty much 00:03:52.669 --> 00:03:54.629 all of that. I worked at a Lutheran church about 00:03:54.629 --> 00:03:56.810 20 years ago. And I don't know if Cindy remembers 00:03:56.810 --> 00:03:58.610 this or not, but we went to like a gathering 00:03:58.610 --> 00:04:01.370 at the pastor's church. And it was like a church 00:04:01.370 --> 00:04:05.110 gathering. It was at the pastor's house, the 00:04:05.110 --> 00:04:07.710 lead pastor's house. And as soon as I got there, 00:04:07.750 --> 00:04:09.969 the pastor's wife handed me a frozen daiquiri. 00:04:10.449 --> 00:04:15.310 And I was like, oh, oh, okay. What's this? I've 00:04:15.310 --> 00:04:19.079 never seen one of these. Wink, wink. On the other 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:22.160 side, when I was a worship pastor in Georgia, 00:04:22.220 --> 00:04:24.199 I would go to watch Monday Night Football with 00:04:24.199 --> 00:04:27.000 the senior pastor at the local bar and grill. 00:04:27.079 --> 00:04:28.660 It wasn't that big of a town that we were in, 00:04:28.699 --> 00:04:30.439 so there was really only one place to go. And 00:04:30.439 --> 00:04:33.139 we would sit on the bar side because that's where 00:04:33.139 --> 00:04:36.120 the TVs were. But he would not let me order a 00:04:36.120 --> 00:04:38.160 beer because he was worried about what it would 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:40.259 look like. And I was like, we're already sitting 00:04:40.259 --> 00:04:43.600 in the bar. Anyone that comes in and sees us 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:47.490 is going to think that we're drinking. So sweet 00:04:47.490 --> 00:04:51.769 tea and Cokes it was. Did you know that in Georgia 00:04:51.769 --> 00:04:55.250 that liquor stores are called what? They're called 00:04:55.250 --> 00:05:01.170 package stores. The Bible Belt is so holy, they 00:05:01.170 --> 00:05:03.550 will not put the word liquor, beer, or wine on 00:05:03.550 --> 00:05:05.709 a sign outside of a building. I think maybe they've 00:05:05.709 --> 00:05:07.970 started to change that. But I remember I was 00:05:07.970 --> 00:05:11.110 so naive. I had no idea. And the package store 00:05:11.110 --> 00:05:13.870 was maybe like... A hundred yards from the church 00:05:13.870 --> 00:05:15.290 building that we moved into. And I had something 00:05:15.290 --> 00:05:17.490 I needed to ship. And so I told someone, oh, 00:05:17.529 --> 00:05:18.829 yeah, I'm going to take it to the package store 00:05:18.829 --> 00:05:22.149 and ship it. It's so great that there's a package 00:05:22.149 --> 00:05:25.329 store right next to the church. They're like, 00:05:25.490 --> 00:05:28.949 Greg, why would you take your thing there? I 00:05:28.949 --> 00:05:32.709 was like, because I need to ship it. Like, that's 00:05:32.709 --> 00:05:34.069 not what they have there, man. That's a liquor 00:05:34.069 --> 00:05:36.250 store. I was like, why does it say package store 00:05:36.250 --> 00:05:39.550 then? And they said, because we're holy. No, 00:05:39.550 --> 00:05:43.620 they didn't say that. The old joke goes, what's 00:05:43.620 --> 00:05:45.560 the difference between a Lutheran and a Baptist? 00:05:46.660 --> 00:05:48.500 The Lutheran will say hi to you in the liquor 00:05:48.500 --> 00:05:55.600 store. It's funny, but it can be very divisive. 00:05:57.779 --> 00:06:00.779 Alcoholism is an issue that hits close to home 00:06:00.779 --> 00:06:05.300 for a lot of us. And whether we realize it or 00:06:05.300 --> 00:06:08.839 not, we all know someone that is struggling with 00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:11.329 alcohol. According to the National Institute 00:06:11.329 --> 00:06:14.810 on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 30 million 00:06:14.810 --> 00:06:17.009 people in the U .S. struggle with alcohol use 00:06:17.009 --> 00:06:21.730 disorder. That's about 1 in 10 adults. Then about 00:06:21.730 --> 00:06:27.189 140 ,000 people die every year from alcohol -related 00:06:27.189 --> 00:06:33.610 causes. That's a lot. With those kinds of statistics, 00:06:34.029 --> 00:06:36.589 you would think that the Bible would forbid alcohol 00:06:36.589 --> 00:06:44.410 completely. But it does not. Psalm 104 says, 00:06:44.689 --> 00:06:48.790 he makes grass grow for the cattle and plants 00:06:48.790 --> 00:06:51.250 for people to cultivate, bringing forth food 00:06:51.250 --> 00:06:54.129 from the earth, wine that gladdens human hearts, 00:06:54.370 --> 00:06:57.649 oil to make their faces shine, and bread that 00:06:57.649 --> 00:07:02.149 sustains their hearts. As it turns out, wine 00:07:02.149 --> 00:07:06.959 is a gift that God gives his good creation. Chapter 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:09.660 2, some of you are familiar with this, that Jesus' 00:07:09.819 --> 00:07:13.319 first miracle was what? Turning water into wine. 00:07:13.480 --> 00:07:16.759 And not just any wine, it says, but the best 00:07:16.759 --> 00:07:20.339 wine. Later, you have the Apostle Paul writing 00:07:20.339 --> 00:07:23.819 to the pastor at Ephesus, young Timothy, and 00:07:23.819 --> 00:07:25.899 telling him, you know, hey, I've heard that you're 00:07:25.899 --> 00:07:27.939 having stomach problems. He says, stop drinking 00:07:27.939 --> 00:07:32.439 only water, but drink a bit of wine to calm your 00:07:32.439 --> 00:07:36.060 stomach. As far as the Bible is concerned, alcohol... 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:40.379 has its place. Because, like everything else 00:07:40.379 --> 00:07:43.779 in God's good creation, it can be a good gift. 00:07:44.819 --> 00:07:47.319 But the scriptures also make it abundantly obvious 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:51.360 that even gifts can be dangerous. Proverbs 20, 00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:54.860 verse 1. Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler. 00:07:54.939 --> 00:07:57.920 Whoever is led astray by them is not wise. We 00:07:57.920 --> 00:08:02.199 just got done doing an entire series on wisdom. 00:08:03.030 --> 00:08:06.430 Isaiah 5 .11 warns, Woe to those who rise early 00:08:06.430 --> 00:08:11.310 in the morning to run after their drinks. Paul, 00:08:11.370 --> 00:08:14.129 that wrote to Timothy, also said to that same 00:08:14.129 --> 00:08:16.709 church in Ephesians 5 .18, Do not get drunk on 00:08:16.709 --> 00:08:19.850 wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be 00:08:19.850 --> 00:08:25.209 filled with the Spirit. It can be a gift. Alcohol 00:08:25.209 --> 00:08:28.329 can also be the mountain cliff that you thought 00:08:28.329 --> 00:08:35.779 was a molehill. Later today, look up what happened 00:08:35.779 --> 00:08:40.019 to Abraham's nephew Lot when he was drunk. Look 00:08:40.019 --> 00:08:45.019 up Elah. Look up Nabal. Look up Amnon. Look up 00:08:45.019 --> 00:08:50.700 Belshazzar. Wine and drinking isn't prohibited 00:08:50.700 --> 00:08:55.080 in the Bible, but drunkenness is universally 00:08:55.080 --> 00:08:59.759 negative in the Scriptures. Because drunkenness 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:04.730 doesn't... just affect us, it has an impact on 00:09:04.730 --> 00:09:09.309 the people around us. This is what Paul told 00:09:09.309 --> 00:09:11.990 the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 11. It 00:09:11.990 --> 00:09:15.850 says this, verse 27, whoever therefore eats the 00:09:15.850 --> 00:09:19.769 bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy 00:09:19.769 --> 00:09:21.889 manner will be answerable for the body and blood 00:09:21.889 --> 00:09:24.870 of the Lord. Examine yourselves, he says, and 00:09:24.870 --> 00:09:27.830 only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup 00:09:27.830 --> 00:09:29.669 for all who eat and drink without discerning. 00:09:30.169 --> 00:09:33.169 The body eat and drink judgment against themselves. 00:09:33.230 --> 00:09:36.330 That unworthiness and examination. It sounds 00:09:36.330 --> 00:09:38.029 like he's telling you to think about all your 00:09:38.029 --> 00:09:42.070 sins. To make sure that your heart is clean and 00:09:42.070 --> 00:09:44.750 you've repented. But that's only because we didn't 00:09:44.750 --> 00:09:47.990 read the verses that come before this. When you 00:09:47.990 --> 00:09:50.330 back up a few verses, you find the context is 00:09:50.330 --> 00:09:53.070 this. Verse 20. When you came together, when 00:09:53.070 --> 00:09:55.049 you come together, it is not really to eat the 00:09:55.049 --> 00:09:58.269 Lord's Supper. For when the time comes to eat, 00:09:58.309 --> 00:10:00.250 each of you proceeds to eat your own supper, 00:10:00.330 --> 00:10:03.769 and one goes hungry while another becomes drunk. 00:10:04.509 --> 00:10:08.690 What? Do you not have households to eat and drink 00:10:08.690 --> 00:10:11.929 in? Or do you show contempt for the church of 00:10:11.929 --> 00:10:16.409 God and humiliate those who have nothing? Paul 00:10:16.409 --> 00:10:19.710 warns the church, how you eat communion is leaving 00:10:19.710 --> 00:10:24.149 people out. Getting drunk leaves people out. 00:10:25.840 --> 00:10:29.500 The people that get there late. The people that 00:10:29.500 --> 00:10:33.259 are poor. The people that had less. They've come 00:10:33.259 --> 00:10:35.879 to receive the bread and the wine of Jesus as 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:38.539 well, but you got drunk and you ate all the food 00:10:38.539 --> 00:10:44.139 and you thought only of yourself. When he says 00:10:44.139 --> 00:10:47.019 you're taking this in an unworthy manner, he's 00:10:47.019 --> 00:10:48.899 not talking about eating communion without thinking 00:10:48.899 --> 00:10:50.820 about your sin enough. He's saying you're taking 00:10:50.820 --> 00:10:54.039 communion without thinking about each other enough. 00:10:56.840 --> 00:10:58.919 When he says, for all who eat and drink without 00:10:58.919 --> 00:11:03.299 discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against 00:11:03.299 --> 00:11:05.659 themselves, the body he wants us to discern is 00:11:05.659 --> 00:11:14.700 the body. It's each other. Because in their drunkenness, 00:11:14.720 --> 00:11:21.820 they only thought of themselves. That is an unworthy 00:11:21.820 --> 00:11:27.620 manner to receive this table. We don't have wine. 00:11:28.720 --> 00:11:30.580 The Lutheran church I was at, they had wine. 00:11:31.940 --> 00:11:34.500 We use juice, so presumably no one is going to 00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:38.100 be getting inebriated on communion here. But 00:11:38.100 --> 00:11:42.000 listen, the same heart condition that led the 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:44.539 Corinthians to drink and get drunk on the elements 00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:47.500 of bread and wine and leave people out can exist 00:11:47.500 --> 00:11:53.080 with crackers and juice. I heard someone say, 00:11:53.120 --> 00:11:58.100 say it again, pastor. The same heart condition 00:11:58.100 --> 00:12:01.179 that led them to act the way that they did with 00:12:01.179 --> 00:12:04.519 bread and wine can exist with crackers and juice. 00:12:05.179 --> 00:12:08.399 The same self -righteousness, the same selfishness, 00:12:08.460 --> 00:12:11.460 the same pride, the same inconsiderate nature. 00:12:12.679 --> 00:12:16.360 If we are honest, we can admit that we become 00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:20.840 drunk on more than alcohol. We can be just as 00:12:20.840 --> 00:12:25.129 drunk on self -righteousness and pride. and high 00:12:25.129 --> 00:12:28.590 -minded theologies, but this table is for everyone. 00:12:30.210 --> 00:12:33.230 That's why when I lead communion, I try to invite 00:12:33.230 --> 00:12:36.269 different people to carry the trays around. I 00:12:36.269 --> 00:12:40.610 hope that you've noticed. We invite everyone 00:12:40.610 --> 00:12:43.070 that leads communion to invite different people 00:12:43.070 --> 00:12:45.029 or to lead in different ways because we want 00:12:45.029 --> 00:12:47.669 a diversity of how we experience the table in 00:12:47.669 --> 00:12:50.210 this congregation. One of the ways that I do 00:12:50.210 --> 00:12:53.360 it is that I invite different people. And sometimes 00:12:53.360 --> 00:12:55.419 that's someone that's only been here for a couple 00:12:55.419 --> 00:13:01.419 of weeks. Or I'll invite a teenager. Or I'll 00:13:01.419 --> 00:13:04.500 invite a parent to help their small child carry 00:13:04.500 --> 00:13:09.700 the tray around. Because who am I to say that 00:13:09.700 --> 00:13:11.799 they haven't been here long enough, they don't 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:15.029 understand this enough. Or that they're not old 00:13:15.029 --> 00:13:17.590 enough. Because I am 47 years old. I have been 00:13:17.590 --> 00:13:21.850 a pastor for nearly 25 years. And I do not understand 00:13:21.850 --> 00:13:29.049 this enough. It is a mystery of our faith. It 00:13:29.049 --> 00:13:31.330 is not meant to be understood in high minds. 00:13:32.970 --> 00:13:35.289 It is meant to be experienced in sober bodies. 00:13:37.350 --> 00:13:39.690 When I say sober bodies, I don't mean that someone 00:13:39.690 --> 00:13:42.230 that is drunk cannot come and receive it. I mean 00:13:42.230 --> 00:13:45.029 sober of knowing. that this is for all of us, 00:13:45.110 --> 00:13:47.830 that we are not drunk on our own ways, that we 00:13:47.830 --> 00:13:49.990 are not drunk on our own desire paths, that we 00:13:49.990 --> 00:13:59.710 are not drunk on our own thinking. So Paul, he's 00:13:59.710 --> 00:14:03.809 asking them and he's asking us to be clear -headed, 00:14:03.990 --> 00:14:09.629 aware of each other as we receive this, to consider 00:14:09.629 --> 00:14:17.110 the body and to be present with. The body. Here's 00:14:17.110 --> 00:14:22.190 the truth, whether we like it or not. And the 00:14:22.190 --> 00:14:25.129 line is different for every single one of us 00:14:25.129 --> 00:14:27.129 because every single one of us has a different 00:14:27.129 --> 00:14:31.909 body, a different makeup. But when it comes to 00:14:31.909 --> 00:14:36.210 alcohol, each of our bodies will respond differently 00:14:36.210 --> 00:14:39.769 about how much we can receive before we get to 00:14:39.769 --> 00:14:41.629 the point where we're not really present anymore. 00:14:44.399 --> 00:14:49.379 I grew up with alcoholism in my home, and I asked 00:14:49.379 --> 00:14:53.519 for permission to talk about this, and so no 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:55.919 one is surprised. I'm not outing anyone, but 00:14:55.919 --> 00:15:00.179 I want to tell you a story. Last year, my mom 00:15:00.179 --> 00:15:03.480 brought this over. I'm going to leave it up here 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:05.700 for anybody that wants to be awed at how cute 00:15:05.700 --> 00:15:09.980 I was. There are many, many incriminating photos 00:15:09.980 --> 00:15:14.980 of a young Greg in here. But there was something 00:15:14.980 --> 00:15:17.720 that I noticed for the first time that I hadn't 00:15:17.720 --> 00:15:20.279 noticed before, and I want to show you. This 00:15:20.279 --> 00:15:23.399 first picture, Clara, it's a picture of Christmas 00:15:23.399 --> 00:15:28.500 1987. I was nine years old. I'm there at the 00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:31.720 top. My notes say, pause for oohing and aahing. 00:15:34.399 --> 00:15:38.879 That plane, to that point in my life that I can 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:41.759 remember and recall, was the coolest gift that 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:49.259 I had ever... It was as big as me. I remember 00:15:49.259 --> 00:15:51.700 taking it outside and throwing in it and would 00:15:51.700 --> 00:15:54.460 do loop -de -loops. I'm pretty sure that it started 00:15:54.460 --> 00:15:57.519 breaking within days because it was, in fact, 00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:01.659 made of styrofoam. If you look, okay, I've also 00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:05.720 got some bubble bath there. That was hot commodity 00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:09.179 in 87. And then my sister's gifts are over here 00:16:09.179 --> 00:16:12.779 on the right. You can see books. And clothes. 00:16:12.899 --> 00:16:16.259 It was a good Christmas. Now, this next one, 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:22.279 this is a picture of Christmas 1988. Yes, I'm 00:16:22.279 --> 00:16:25.940 wearing the same shirt. I do not know why. I 00:16:25.940 --> 00:16:31.139 promise it was a different year. The difference 00:16:31.139 --> 00:16:34.460 between the gifts is dramatic. There's other 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:36.279 pictures. You can see, if you come and look at 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:37.980 this, there's other photos that have the clothes 00:16:37.980 --> 00:16:43.139 in it, that have the books. But this year, my 00:16:43.139 --> 00:16:45.879 sister got an electronic keyboard, a typewriter. 00:16:46.340 --> 00:16:51.279 I got an electronic keyboard that had a drum 00:16:51.279 --> 00:16:54.620 machine in it. These were the biggest gifts that 00:16:54.620 --> 00:16:58.980 we had ever, ever received. And then maybe if 00:16:58.980 --> 00:17:01.299 you noticed in the top there, in the top left, 00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:07.420 what's that? That is our Nintendo. That Nintendo 00:17:07.420 --> 00:17:12.799 probably saved my life. The Nintendo was released 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:23.019 in 1986. This is Christmas what? 88. A full more 00:17:23.019 --> 00:17:25.720 than two years after it was released nationwide. 00:17:26.019 --> 00:17:28.700 My parents did not know, but in the summer I 00:17:28.700 --> 00:17:30.440 was breaking into our neighbor's house so that 00:17:30.440 --> 00:17:34.640 I could play their Nintendo. That's how badly 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:40.259 I wanted a Nintendo. I stopped after I accidentally 00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:43.960 broke one of their windows. But this Nintendo, 00:17:44.319 --> 00:17:47.319 that Nintendo probably saved me from a life of 00:17:47.319 --> 00:17:49.799 crime. Like, I would probably be talking to Andy 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:51.599 for a completely different reason in my life 00:17:51.599 --> 00:17:56.599 right now. Now, what I had never noticed before 00:17:56.599 --> 00:18:01.680 was the timing from 87 to 88, because the reason 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:03.960 that there's such a jump from 87 to 88 is because 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:10.900 that's the year that my dad quit drinking. You 00:18:10.900 --> 00:18:15.799 can afford a couple bigger gifts when some of 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:18.480 your finances isn't going to another place like 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:24.799 a bar. I'm not trying to make Christmas or even 00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:27.900 getting sober about materialism because the other 00:18:27.900 --> 00:18:31.019 thing that I hadn't put together until she brought 00:18:31.019 --> 00:18:35.819 this over and I started looking at it was that 00:18:35.819 --> 00:18:43.119 if my dad hadn't quit drinking, Christmas 88 00:18:43.119 --> 00:18:50.539 would have been our first without him. See, because 00:18:50.539 --> 00:18:53.980 that summer my mom told him. She drew a line. 00:19:02.839 --> 00:19:06.700 She said, you lose your drink or you lose your 00:19:06.700 --> 00:19:12.839 family. The biggest gift that we got that Christmas 00:19:12.839 --> 00:19:18.180 wasn't a Nintendo, it was our dad. And it was 00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:24.900 because my mom was brave enough to say so. For 00:19:24.900 --> 00:19:35.740 some of us, the reality is that we don't want 00:19:35.740 --> 00:19:43.599 to be present. We drink because we're trying 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:50.460 to forget where we are. Some of us don't want 00:19:50.460 --> 00:19:54.539 to be present. We're drinking because we want 00:19:54.539 --> 00:19:58.019 to forget where we are. Some of us, we drink 00:19:58.019 --> 00:20:01.380 because we're in pain. Mentally, emotionally, 00:20:01.859 --> 00:20:11.940 physically. Or maybe we're shy. Later, I asked 00:20:11.940 --> 00:20:17.279 my dad why he quit drinking. And he said, well, 00:20:17.339 --> 00:20:19.140 I had to choose my family. And he said, I drank 00:20:19.140 --> 00:20:23.579 because I was shy. It made it easier for me to 00:20:23.579 --> 00:20:27.259 have fun and feel like I was able to be that 00:20:27.259 --> 00:20:30.759 guy. He said, if I had to choose between friends 00:20:30.759 --> 00:20:35.079 at a bar and my wife and kids at home, I'd choose 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:40.319 my family. Some of us drink because we think 00:20:40.319 --> 00:20:49.000 it makes us more present. This Lent, I wonder 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:51.240 if maybe God wants you to test that hypothesis. 00:20:54.359 --> 00:20:56.480 Maybe it's time to fast from drinking and be 00:20:56.480 --> 00:21:01.519 present to the Lord. You might also find out 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:07.259 who else needs you to be present. I had a friend 00:21:07.259 --> 00:21:10.180 once that used to tell me that he needed to have 00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:12.220 a couple drinks before he got home because it 00:21:12.220 --> 00:21:18.259 made him a better dad. It made him more lighthearted, 00:21:18.460 --> 00:21:20.420 made it easier for him to get along with his 00:21:20.420 --> 00:21:23.279 kids, and I knew that he was wrong because I'd 00:21:23.279 --> 00:21:28.519 lived it. So to those who drink responsibly, 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:34.839 giving up alcohol might be easy. Maybe you don't. 00:21:35.200 --> 00:21:37.339 have a problem. And to that I say, I guess you'll 00:21:37.339 --> 00:21:40.839 find out. You're not addicted, but that doesn't 00:21:40.839 --> 00:21:42.799 mean you haven't learned to drink out of a habit. 00:21:44.079 --> 00:21:46.180 I was telling Destiny before the service that 00:21:46.180 --> 00:21:48.960 when I go to a baseball game, like the River 00:21:48.960 --> 00:21:51.880 Bandits, or if I get to go see a Cubs game, I 00:21:51.880 --> 00:21:54.940 have a tradition. I get a hot dog and a beer. 00:21:57.279 --> 00:22:00.000 One hot dog, one beer. It's the tradition. I'm 00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:03.380 at a ball game. You know, I don't know. What's 00:22:03.380 --> 00:22:09.920 the line between habit and addiction? I know 00:22:09.920 --> 00:22:11.759 that for myself that I'm going to choose for 00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:15.299 the rest of Lent to abstain. I'm going to test 00:22:15.299 --> 00:22:24.740 my hypothesis. Maybe you should join me. To those 00:22:24.740 --> 00:22:29.779 who know they struggle with alcohol, you're not 00:22:29.779 --> 00:22:36.259 alone. There is hope. There are people. There 00:22:36.259 --> 00:22:40.200 are programs. There are people in this congregation 00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:45.839 that will walk with you. And Jesus will help. 00:22:49.000 --> 00:22:50.759 I encourage you to put it on your connection 00:22:50.759 --> 00:22:54.099 card at the end. I'll follow up with you. I'll 00:22:54.099 --> 00:22:56.480 help you get connected. I'll help you take next 00:22:56.480 --> 00:23:04.109 steps. Just don't give up. Don't believe the 00:23:04.109 --> 00:23:09.710 lie that this is all you'll ever have. To those 00:23:09.710 --> 00:23:17.250 hurt by alcohol, healing is possible. It doesn't 00:23:17.250 --> 00:23:20.849 erase the past, but God can redeem your past. 00:23:22.349 --> 00:23:24.910 A few years back, I was at my dad's house and 00:23:24.910 --> 00:23:28.029 we were out in the garage. And he asked me, he 00:23:28.029 --> 00:23:31.029 said, hey, back when I was drinking, did I, and 00:23:31.029 --> 00:23:33.289 then he filled in the blank. And I said, yeah, 00:23:33.369 --> 00:23:36.029 yeah, that happened. He said he was sorry. And 00:23:36.029 --> 00:23:38.650 I said, Dad, I've forgiven you for everything. 00:23:40.069 --> 00:23:44.450 I don't hold anything against you. Because God 00:23:44.450 --> 00:23:47.809 has redeemed all of that. God has redeemed me. 00:23:47.849 --> 00:23:49.990 God has changed my heart. God has healed me. 00:23:50.049 --> 00:23:53.289 And God has healed that man right there. He's 00:23:53.289 --> 00:23:59.609 changed us. Listen, God will not hold what you 00:23:59.609 --> 00:24:04.319 have done against you. He can redeem anything 00:24:04.319 --> 00:24:09.819 that we have done. But if you are hurting someone 00:24:09.819 --> 00:24:12.160 with your alcoholism right now, he wants you 00:24:12.160 --> 00:24:18.720 to stop. And if you have been hurt, he wants 00:24:18.720 --> 00:24:25.519 you to begin healing. And then to those who are 00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:29.539 drunk in other ways, whether it be self -righteousness 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:32.599 or anything else. I want to remind you of your 00:24:32.599 --> 00:24:38.759 baptism. Because in your baptism, you went down 00:24:38.759 --> 00:24:42.960 into the waters of the grave of Christ. And your 00:24:42.960 --> 00:24:47.339 old self died. And being raised from the waters, 00:24:47.400 --> 00:24:50.740 you were brought to new life in Jesus Christ. 00:24:51.480 --> 00:24:54.940 It is no longer you who lives, but Christ in 00:24:54.940 --> 00:25:03.740 you that lives. You must no longer look at people 00:25:03.740 --> 00:25:09.299 like the world looks at people. 2 Corinthians 00:25:09.299 --> 00:25:13.500 5, 15. And he died for all, and those who live 00:25:13.500 --> 00:25:16.019 should no longer live for themselves, but for 00:25:16.019 --> 00:25:18.740 him who died for them and was raised again. 16. 00:25:18.960 --> 00:25:24.039 So from now on, we regard no one according to 00:25:24.039 --> 00:25:27.799 the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in 00:25:27.799 --> 00:25:31.410 this way. We do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone 00:25:31.410 --> 00:25:36.809 is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old 00:25:36.809 --> 00:25:41.309 is gone. The new has come. If you have ever been 00:25:41.309 --> 00:25:46.250 baptized, whatever you are drunk on died in those 00:25:46.250 --> 00:25:50.529 waters. And I encourage you to remember that. 00:25:52.349 --> 00:25:55.250 To let go of one drink and hold on to the water 00:25:55.250 --> 00:26:01.259 that your body drank in. Let the water of the 00:26:01.259 --> 00:26:05.720 Spirit fill you. Do not be drunk on wine, which 00:26:05.720 --> 00:26:09.220 leads to debauchery, but be filled with the Holy 00:26:09.220 --> 00:26:14.599 Spirit. If you've never been baptized, put it 00:26:14.599 --> 00:26:17.819 on your card. Seven weeks from now, Mother's 00:26:17.819 --> 00:26:20.319 Day, every year on Mother's Day, we do baptisms. 00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:26.690 Maybe it's time. Maybe it's time for you to let 00:26:26.690 --> 00:26:34.450 go of the old, to live in something new. This 00:26:34.450 --> 00:26:39.089 Lent, there is a persistent question that we 00:26:39.089 --> 00:26:41.730 are going to ask every week, whether explicitly 00:26:41.730 --> 00:26:45.210 or just implicitly. The question is this, what 00:26:45.210 --> 00:26:52.109 path will you take? The one that is well -worn 00:26:52.109 --> 00:26:56.160 by our own hearts and habits. Or the one that 00:26:56.160 --> 00:27:03.700 has been set by Jesus. Amen? Let's pray. Father, 00:27:03.720 --> 00:27:08.200 I thank you for redemption. I thank you for salvation. 00:27:08.200 --> 00:27:14.900 I thank you that you change people. I thank you 00:27:14.900 --> 00:27:16.619 that I'm living a future right now because you 00:27:16.619 --> 00:27:20.960 change people. I pray that every person in this 00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:25.039 room would get a glimmer. A glimpse of the hope 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:28.460 of the future that you have for them. They are 00:27:28.460 --> 00:27:30.299 living currently in something that's difficult. 00:27:33.680 --> 00:27:36.500 I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit, 00:27:36.660 --> 00:27:43.539 you would break, break any hold that alcoholism 00:27:43.539 --> 00:27:49.240 and addictions have on us. That your spirit would 00:27:49.240 --> 00:27:55.460 work in the way that your spirit works. Even 00:27:55.460 --> 00:27:57.859 now that we would feel your spirit moving, breaking 00:27:57.859 --> 00:28:01.640 it off, pulling up the roots, cutting off the 00:28:01.640 --> 00:28:12.440 limbs, felling that weed, burning it away, till 00:28:12.440 --> 00:28:19.099 all that remains is chaff and the purity of your 00:28:19.099 --> 00:28:34.019 heart within us. Amen.