Suppose this morning that I held in my hand a
bottle, and I said to you, here's a substance
which can destroy your brain cells and rot your
liver if you take it internally. Here's a substance
that can shorten your lifespan by as much as
12 years if you will take it regularly. Here
is a substance which is responsible for the deaths
of 25 ,000 of your fellow Americans each year
in traffic accidents, which is nearly half of
those killed in the whole Vietnam War era. Or
in other words, about one person every 23 minutes.
Or I said to you, here in my hand is a substance
that is related to One half of the five and a
half million arrests made by law officers every
year Or I said to you this substance addicts
one out of every ten who try it resulting in
their chronic abuse of it Or I said to you I
hold in my hand a substance which drains more
than 45 billion dollars every year from our economy
through lost time health and welfare costs, etc.
What would I really be saying to you? I would
be saying here, have a beer. I would be saying
to you, join me in a glass of wine. It is no
wonder that the scripture says what it does in
Proverbs chapter 20 and verse 1. When it says
wine is a mocker and beer a brawler. Whoever
is led astray by them is not wise. We have been
in the pursuit of wisdom in our study in the
book of Proverbs these recent months. It says
here that one who is led astray by beer and by
wine is not wise. To be led astray means to be
wrapped around it. You get the picture. The Scriptures
warn of the folly of drunkenness and point us,
the wise, in the direction of abstinence. By
abstinence I mean refraining from its use altogether.
Let me explore with you what Proverbs and some
other texts have to say regarding the proposition
that I just made to you. First of all, join me
in a study of the picture of folly in the 23rd
chapter of Proverbs, beginning in verse 29. The
picture of folly, the picture of foolishness,
is the drunk. We have all laughed at Foster Brooks.
and his imitation of a drunk man trying to make
his way through life. And indeed, there are some
humorous aspects to his act, but let me tell
you, drunkenness is not funny. There is nothing
humorous, truly, about a drunk. Whether in Skid
Row or in the penthouse, whether in the ballpark
or a beer bash, in a local bar or in a living
room, the foolishness of being drunk is clear.
Now verse 29 of this chapter begins with sort
of a riddle. It says, who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless
bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? A six -fold
riddle. Who is it that can be described as having
woe, sorrow, strife, complaints, needless bruises,
and bloodshot eyes? That's the riddle. What's
the answer? The next verse tells us. Those who
linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed
wine or liquor. Those are the ones who have woe
and strife and sorrow and so on. The admonition
in verses 31 and 32 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. He says,
don't be fooled by its color. Don't be tempted
by its sparkle, its texture. Why? Why this admonition?
Well, he says it is because what you have in
your hand, what you're looking at, is poison.
It is like being bitten by a venomous snake.
It destroys your mind, your body, and your morals.
It corrupts your soul, yourself, and all of society.
It is a poison. Indeed, only 0 .5 % of it in
your blood will kill you. It is poisonous. Thus
the admonition. And then he gives to us a description
of the one who has imbibed. In verse 33 he says,
your eyes will see strange things. Eyes cannot
see clearly. They are bleary and bloodshot. Your
mind imagines confusing things the mind cannot
think straight when it's influenced by alcohol.
You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging. I tell you it's
one thing to be in the bottom of a boat when
the seas are rough. That's bad enough. But how
would you like to be on top of the mast? Now
just picture yourself up there in a raging storm,
the dizziness, the lack of equilibrium that you
would have, and you have something of what it's
like to be drunk. He says, they hit me, you will
say, but I'm not hurt. They beat me, but I don't
feel it. True. There is an anesthetic quality
about alcohol for a while. It helps to dull the
pain, not only of the body, but of the soul.
But then when it wears off, it only increases
the pain. And people say, what have I done? Why
do I do this? What has happened to me? And the
pain is only more intense and so often it leads
them to what is said next. When will I wake up
so I can find another drink? Alcohol, my friend,
is addictive to many people. It is a destructive
habit. One out of every three who begin as social
drinkers become problem abusers of alcohol Proverbs
is absolutely right and it further says in verses
20 and 21 That the one who drinks puts his whole
future at risk Do not join those who drink too
much wine or gorge themselves on meat for drunkards
and glutton's become poor and drowsiness close
them in rags. You're listening to someone who
preets for half a year at the Pacific Garden
Mission every Sunday morning when I was a senior
as a student in Chicago. You're listening to
someone who spent a full year working in two
different missions on Skid Row in Chicago, also
called Madison Avenue. When you watch the Super
Bowl next Sunday after church And you see all
of those beer commercials and those young live
tanned muscular bodies playing on the beach and
Then going to their beer you understand one thing
clearly in your mind. That is a lie I'll tell
you where alcohol leads you come with me to skid
Row in Chicago and see the men who are urinating
on the street because they don't have any sense
about them anymore, who are vomiting on the sidewalk
because they are so sick, who are drinking aftershave
because they can't afford the cheapest wine they
sell in those stores. And I'll tell you the end
result of alcohol. It is a curse to the individual
It is a curse to families. It is a curse to society.
You want to see a picture of a fool, then you
look at the Word of God, how it pictures a drunk,
and you see a fool. Somebody says, is an alcoholism
a disease? It is socially correct to say that
it is. But I want you to know that at its heart,
it has been redefined as a social disease because
of a society that doesn't want to pass any moral
implications on activities. It doesn't want to
pass judgment on people morally and so it says,
well therefore it must be a disease. In fact,
it does have some disease -like qualities to
it. And studies certainly tell us that alcohol
destroys the body like disease. Furthermore,
alcohol addiction can sometimes be linked to
body chemical problems. But recognizing all of
that, I want you to know that at its heart alcoholism
is not a disease. At its heart of hearts, it
is a moral issue. It is an expression of sin
in the heart of the person. And God says it is.
God doesn't say anybody's going to be kept out
of heaven because of cancer or heart disease
or any other illness. But God makes it clear
that drunkenness keeps a man out of heaven. It
says that the one whose life is characterized
by drunkenness or alcohol or alcoholism will
not inherit the kingdom of God. In 1st Corinthians
6 it says, drunkards will not be in the kingdom
of God. God says, That drunkenness is not a disease,
it is a sin. And I'll tell you something, until
that issue is squarely faced, there is no meaningful
recovery. Because it requires repentance and
forgiveness. We hear this phrase, once an alcoholic,
always an alcoholic. That is not true. Now I'm
making some of you mad this morning, and I'm
sorry about that, but I'm going to tell you the
truth. It is not true once an alcoholic always
an alcoholic. Is it true once an adulterer always
an adulterer? Is it true once a swindler always
a swindler? Nor is it true once an alcoholic
always an alcoholic. Now I want to go on to say
that a person who is a Christian can still struggle
with temptation to drink. Let's make that clear.
But it doesn't mean he's an alcoholic. One who
has trusted Jesus Christ as his Savior is not
an alcoholic. He is a saint in the eyes of God.
That is his identity. And if he struggles with
temptation to alcohol, then that is his area
of battle and temptation. But let's get rid of
the idea that one's basic identity is that he's
an alcoholic. If a person is a Christian, he
is a saint in the eyes of God, that's who he
is. And because he is a saint in the eyes of
God, he can know victory over alcohol. If all
he is is an alcoholic, then he is consigned to
a life of alcoholism. But because a person trusts
Jesus Christ as Savior, his past can be forgiven
and cleansed and washed away. He is filled with
the Holy Spirit and can know victory over the
temptation of alcohol that in fact may be with
him the rest of his life. The Word of God gives
us some principles to follow in dealing with
alcohol. You may think what I've said up to this
point leads me to a Billy Sunday conclusion.
Billy Sunday, for some of you who wouldn't know,
was an evangelist back in the teens, the 20s,
and the 30s. Former baseball player for Chicago
White Sox who went on to be a famous evangelist
and mightily used of God, also led the prohibition
movement in this country. And so you're going
to assume that I'm going to say the Bible declares
that any drinking is sin. I can't find that in
the Bible. Believe me, I wish I could. But I
cannot find a place in the Bible where it says,
if you drink a beer, you sin. Different than
drunkenness. To be honest with scripture, we
must say that while drunkenness is condemned,
abstinence is not commanded. In fact, wine is
used in a positive sense in a number of places
in the Bible, including in the book of Proverbs.
Look back in chapter 9 for a moment. Wisdom has
built her house. She has hewn out It's seven
pillars. She has prepared her meat and mixed
her wine. She has also set her table. Wine is
used here in a positive sense. In verse 5, wisdom
says, come and eat my food and drink the wine
I have mixed. In Psalm 104 it says, God has given
wine to make the heart of man glad. You well
know that Jesus miraculously made wine out of
what was water at a wedding feast in Cana. You
will have to go a long way to be able to prove
that that was non -alcoholic wine. Even if it
may have been quite diluted like the typical
wine in that day, unlike the highly alcoholic
wines that can be bought today, wine was pretty
diluted in the New Testament. But you'll have
to go a long way to prove that it was non -alcoholic.
And as you probably know, Paul suggested to Timothy
that some wine might help his stomach in a medicinal
way. So now while I made some of you mad at the
first part of the message, I'm making others
of you mad now. I believe that whether one should
drink is one of those questions that falls into
the disputable things category. In other words,
there is not a definite and clear demand in the
Word of God about your practice as to what you
ought to do. Certainly drunkenness is sin. But
now I'm talking about a moderate drinking. Let
me give to you from the New Testament five principles
to guide us in making decisions about matters
like this where the scripture is not specific.
Now hang in there with me, don't walk out yet.
I want you to turn to Romans chapter 14 where
we have only time to glance through the chapter.
And notice first of all this principle, the principle
of accountability. The issue was not the drinking
of wine here, but it was another issue just as
controversial, just as hot and emotional among
the Christians of that day. It was whether to
eat meat that had been offered to idols. You
say I could care less about that. Well, wine
wasn't an issue to them in that day. But we have
laid out for us principles that apply to all
of these kinds of issues where the scripture
isn't specific and clear. with yes or no. The
first principle is the principle of accountability.
All of us must be reminded we don't give account
to others but we must give account to Jesus Christ
at the judgment seat. Verse 12 of Romans 14.
Each of us will give an account of himself to
God. However we answer these kinds of questions,
we must first of all recognize this. Someday,
I must stand before Jesus Christ and be able
to explain to Him why I made the decision I did.
There is an accounting coming. Not to play on
words, but that's sobering. The next principle
is found in verses 13 through 23. It's the principle
of responsibility. And here he says that there
are other believers around us who have weaker
consciences, who have not matured in their understanding
of the things of God. He doesn't commend the
weaker brothers. He simply recognizes their existence.
They need to grow up. They need to mature. But
Paul says in the meantime, until they get to
that point of maturity, you who are strong must
remember they are present with you and you are
responsible for them. Do not cause them to stumble
in their immaturity. In whatever decisions you
make, don't lay before others an example that
will cause them to stumble and sin against their
own conscience and against Christ. Principle
number three, the principle of profitability.
We see this in chapter 15 verse 2, each of us
should please his neighbor for his good to build
him up. That's the prophet in it. But I want
you to turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 6 where
we see this stated again, verse 12. Paul is speaking
here, actually he's quoting some things that
apparently had been said to him by these Corinthians
who were going too far with their Christian liberty
and The statement that had been given to him
was the Corinthians are saying everything's permissible
So Paul is writing back to them now and with
a bit of tongue -in -cheek with some irony here
He says everything is permissible for me but
Not everything is beneficial In other words,
you may have liberty in your own conscience before
God to partake of this, but is there truly benefit
in it? Is there profit in it? Will it build up
others? His point in the eighth chapter, which
we're not going to look at this morning, is that
we must be willing to lay aside our rights, our
freedoms for the sake of others, that they may
be built up. So he says, it's permissible, but
does it profit? Principle number four, the principle
of controllability. Verse 12 goes on to say,
everything is permissible for me, but I will
not be mastered by anything. He says here that
we must not allow ourselves to become addicted
to any substance. We must not allow something
to become our master besides Jesus Christ. He
says, it may be permissible, but will enslave
you. The principle of controllability. And finally,
in chapter 10 verse 31, the principle of honorability.
Am I able to honor Jesus Christ in what I'm doing?
Chapter 10 verse 31 says, whether you eat or
drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory.
of God. Can I envision Jesus Christ joining with
me in this activity? If the answer is yes, then
it passes this test. The principle of honorability.
Now whatever the issue may be, the disputed issue,
in this case the moderate drinking of alcohol,
we must apply these principles. before we make
our decision. We're foolish if we don't. We're
unbiblical if we don't. The Bible says that these
are principles that need to be applied to our
lives. When we do this regarding drinking, the
principles point us, I think, in the direction
of abstinence. Why be involved with something
that is nearly always destructive? and is a major
problem in our society. Alcohol adds nothing
to a person physically. Well, that isn't entirely
true. It'll put on pounds. It'll put on a punch.
It adds nothing to a person emotionally. It adds
nothing to a person mentally. or socially and
certainly spiritually. I believe with all of
my heart that it is a matter of testimony in
our culture to refrain from alcohol and chemical
substance abuse. The first mention of drinking
alcohol in the Bible puts it in the context of
wickedness. Did you know that? And guess who
it involves? Some of you are going to be shocked
to know where it's mentioned the first time in
the Bible. It's always significant when something
is mentioned the first time. The first person
who is mentioned in the Bible as raising grapes
for wine and who by that wine became drunk was
Noah. And because of his becoming drunk, there
was a crisis in his family that led to judgment
and subsequent heartache. Alcohol is the father
of many kinds of heartaches and losses. Abstinence
is exalted in the Bible. Chapter 31 of Proverbs,
the fourth verse, the mother of Lemuel said to
him, kings must not drink wine. There the point
is that those who are in leadership are exhorted
not to imbibe in it at all. I am pleased to understand
that our new president enjoys iced tea. I wish
he would enjoy some other things that I enjoy.
I'm not going to go into that just now, though
sorely tempted. But so often decisions in Washington
are made by people whose minds are clouded with
alcohol. And all you have to do is look back
over the last few months of testimony of sexual
abuse. corruption of power in Washington and
you see that alcohol and alcoholism is at the
heart of it. Leaders ought never to drink. There
is a higher standard for leaders and I want you
to know that those who are in leadership in Grace
Church are expected to totally abstain. Grace
Church Roseville exalts abstinence as the Christian
responds to the destructive social evil of alcohol.
I liked very much the statement of Dr. Leith
Anderson at Wooddale Church a few years ago when
he said the call for total abstinence is not
based on a direct command from God, it is based
on a combination of sanctified common sense and
general biblical teaching. There are far greater
benefits to abstinence than to drinking and there
are far greater dangers to drinking than to abstinence
And he's absolutely right The bottom of your
outline today it says these principles point
me in the direction of And then it's blank Because
every one of you has to fill that in In light
of the principles we've looked at this morning
from the Word of God But I want you to know from
my perspective as your pastor that my answer
to that is these principles lead me in the direction
of abstinence. I believe with all of my heart
that that is the only socially responsible and
spiritually obedient response that can be given.
You say well that's your opinion and I grant
you it is. And if God leads you in another direction,
you don't give account to me for that. I've already
said all of us give account to Jesus Christ.
But may God fill your heart with wisdom because
every one of us faces this issue. Every one of
us. You don't have to be a salesman to have to
face the issue of what to do with alcohol. In
my life Lord be glorified be glorified That needs
to be the heart prayer of every one of us May
it be so right now. Let's pray Sing that with
me, will you? Would you stand with me please?
Our heads are bowed. My friend, if you don't
know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior
today, I want to urge you to respond to him who
can save you, forgive you, and cleanse you from
the abuse of alcohol or other chemicals or from
any other sin. in your life, He died for you
and rose again from the dead, that He might save
you, cleanse you, sanctify you, and fill your
life with Himself. May you find life in Him today.
And having found that life, may you live in the
fullness of the Holy Spirit. Be not drunk with
wine, but be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Let's
sing it again. In my life, Lord, be glorified,
be glorified. In my life, Lord, be glorified
today. And whatsoever you eat or drink or whatever
you do, do it all to the glory of God. Amen.