Stay Out of the Holiday Spirits

Introduction

In Greek mythology, a river ran through hell. The river that flowed out of hell was called STYX. While I do not believe in the pagan stories of Greek mythology, I do believe there is a river that runs out of hell. The spring from which this river originates is located at the very bottom of the very lowest pit of Satan's hellish home. This demonic river flows uncontrollably, destroys homes, hearts, and lives. Everywhere this river flows it leaves tragedy, death, and sorrow in its wake. The river that bursts forth and flows from the bowels of hell is none other than the river of alcohol.

Because of the high concentration of office parties, family gatherings and other social activities through the holidays, I want to bring a timely message on the subject of alcoholic beverages. While some pastors will not address this controversial subject, I have the duty nearly each week to counsel individuals and families who have seen their lives devastated by the dictatorial rule of King Alcohol.

If the plague of alcohol has infected your family, I do not mean this message as one of condemnation. God loves you unconditionally, sober or drunk. But in a 2-part message this morning and tonight, I want to take the word of God and show you why the position of Bible-believing Christians should be one of 100% abstinence from beverage alcohol. If you will listen with spiritual ears, you will clearly see why God-honoring, Christ-serving, Spirit-filled Christians will stay out of the holiday spirits.

I. The Embracing of Alcohol by Society

A. Its availability

It is not relegated to back alleys. It is available on every corner. From Wal-Mart to Pizza Hut, you can buy booze on almost every corner. Many restaurants offer drinks before they even take your order. Sign in a restaurant - "Drinkers are bigger tippers."

A recent article in The Blackshear Times discussed teen drinking. An anonymous teen was quoted as saying, "If you want to drink it's not hard to get someone to buy it for you. I know parents who will buy it. I even know some parents that bought a keg of beer for one party."

I don't mean to be unkind or overly caustic, but if you are foolish enough to buy booze for your children, your picture belongs in the dictionary beside the entry for "idiot."

B. Its acceptance

Moderation is not the solution. Moderation is the problem. Some preachers won't preach on this subject because they fear criticism.

Alcohol is society's legal, oldest and most popular drug. (Narcotic Educational Foundation of America, 2002)

C. Its appeal

There is peer pressure...at both student and adult levels. There is no longer a stigma attached to drinking.

D. Its advertising

The booze peddlers will spend over $1 Billion on advertising. Much of it is in Washington, D.C. where the 3 main parties are the Democrat, Republican, and Cocktail Parties.

We all know the funniest commercials are always about beer. From "less filling versus tastes great" to Spuds Mackenzie, to the Budweiser frogs, the commercials make alcohol look good. There's always a good looking guy with a girl on each arm. The liquor industry says, "Drink responsibly." Really? The liquor industry does not care about you. If they did they would quit selling liquor!

The adult who drinks alcohol and then claims to be concerned about underage drinking is a hypocrite of the worst kind. They have a PhD in hypocrisy from 2-Faced University. They are a fake, a fraud, and a phony.

II. The Effects of Alcohol on the Soul

A. Depression (29a - Who hath sorrow? Who hath woe?)

Alcohol is a depressant.

B. Dissension (29b - Who hath contention? Who hath babbling?)

Joke: If you were my husband, I'd poison your beer. If you were my wife, I'd drink it!

You cannot reason with a drunk.

There are 2 types of drunks, the crying drunk and the fighting drunk. We see them both in the text.

C. Dumbness (29c - who hath wounds without cause...)

Billy Sunday would never drink because he saw a drunk closing a car door on his leg.

1. Disobey the Law

Alcohol is a "pathway" drug. It often leads to the use of other drugs. Youth who drink are 7.5 times more likely to use other illicit drugs and 50 times more likely to use cocaine. (CDC, 2003)

Local police chief estimated that 90% of crime is alcohol/drug related.

Department of Justice - In 2002, 88% of all crime is alcohol/drug related

Alcohol is closely linked with violence. About 40 percent of all crimes (violent and non-violent) are committed under the influence of alcohol. (DOJ, 1998)

2. Disobey the Lord

There was a popular statement when I was young. I don't mean to be crude but we have all heard that, "Candy is dandy but liquor is quicker."

People will do things when they are drunk they would never do sober.

Daddy, if you buy beer for your daughter, she may lose more than her sobriety. I've said on many occasions, "The slippery slope to immorality is often greased with the lubricant of alcohol."

D. Disease (29d - and redness of the eyes?)

Cirrhosis of the liver, brain damage, cancer, heart disease

Alcohol is a poison (toxic).

From a chemical perspective, the family of alcohols is used as fuel, paint thinner, floor cleaner, spot remover, embalming fluids, and more.

Almost every type of alcohol has a "skull and cross bones" logo. Booze should too!

E. Death (30-32)

Beer commercials don't show you the DUI, the funeral, the grief, the sorrow...

More will die from drunk driving in the 5 weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years than the rest of the year combined.

In 2003 in Georgia alone there were 1,603 traffic fatalities. 30% were due to alcohol. (GMADD)

In 2002, an estimated 17,419 people died in alcohol-related traffic crashes. These deaths constitute 41 percent of the 42,815 total traffic fatalities. (NHTSA, 2003)

About three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some time in their lives. (NHTSA, 2001)

In 2001, more than half a million people were injured in crashes where police reported that alcohol was present - an average of one person injured approximately every 2 minutes. (NHTSA 2002)

For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3:00 AM, 77 percent involved alcohol in 2003. The next most dangerous time period for alcohol-related crash deaths were 9 PM to midnight (64 percent of fatal crashes involved alcohol), followed by 3 AM to 6 AM (60 percent of fatal crashes involved alcohol). (NHTSA, 2004) Point: The most dangerous time to drive in America is from 9pm to 6am for the next 5 weeks.

Drunk driving is the nation's most frequently committed violent crime, killing someone every 33 minutes. (NHTSA, 2003)

F. Drunkenness (33-34)

It only takes 1 sip of 1 drink to make a person intoxicated to some degree.

What makes a drunk? The root cause of alcoholism is alcohol.

G. Dependency (35)

There are chemical (and environmental) addictions to alcohol.

A man takes a drink, then the drink takes a drink.

The drink makes a drunk, then the drunk takes the man.

If you never start drinking you will never have to try and quit.

III. The Examples of Alcohol in the Scriptures

But didn't Jesus drink alcohol? What about all the wine in the Bible?

A. The Wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11)

The Greek word here is the word "oinos" and it means "new wine." It is usually referring to wine that has not had time to ferment.

This is the same word used in Matthew, Mark, and Luke where Jesus says not to put "new wine" into old wineskins. The "new wine" would later ferment, expand and burst the bag.

B. The Last Supper (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22)

Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22 all use the phrases "fruit of the vine" and the "cup."

Nothing in the passage indicates it was fermented wine but plenty in the picture would indicate it was NOT fermented wine.

In the Bible, leaven typically represented sin.

Unleavened bread represented Christ's sinless body.

Unleavened (unfermented) wine would best represent His sinless blood.

Even if I believed in casual drinking (which I do not) the last place I would use rotten grape juice would be in representation of the perfect blood of Christ. (1 Peter 1:19)

C. Paul's Instruction to Timothy (1 Timothy 5:23)

Again, this is the Geek word "oinos" which does not contain high levels of fermentation.

Paul was instructing Timothy to take some wine for medicinal purposes to cure a stomach ailment. A call to 12 local pharmacists requesting a recommendation for stomach medicine yielded 12 recommendations for PEPTO BISMOL. There were none for Jack Daniels.

D. Qualifications for Leaders (1 Timothy 3:3 and 3:8)

Why does Paul say deacons should not be given to "much" wine if wine is completely prohibited? The word used in I Timothy 3:8 where the deacon is not to be given to "much" wine is a different word from the word used for the pastor in verse 3. The deacons are to avoid much "oinos" and remember it means "new wine." It is usually referring to wine that has not had time to ferment.

Pastors (bishops) are to avoid "gloukos" which refers to "sweet wine." The sugar that was added would cause it to ferment much more quickly. In short, stay completely away from fermented wine and don't drink very much wine that is in the process of fermentation. Note: The difference in word usage repeats itself in Titus so this was no accident!

IV. The Excuses for Alcohol by the Saints

A. Ignorance

1. Of the Scriptures

Did people in the Bible ever get drunk? Yes. But the Bible does not CONDONE everything the Bible CONTAINS. Some people, the only Scripture they have memorized is the "water to wine" miracle and the instructions from Paul to Timothy! Every place intoxicating wine is mentioned it is ALWAYS with a caution.

2. Of the Society

It will damage your testimony. Lost people don't expect Christians to drink.

The churches which take "soft" views on booze are typically not soul-winning groups.

3. Of the Severity

Underage drinking is both a sin and a crime. It is not a "small" thing. You have been exposed to the truth and can no longer plead ignorance.

B. Immaturity

Romans 14:13-16, 21

A mature Christian is concerned about his or her testimony.

Some churches and denominational groups argue about whether or not leaders should be required to practice abstinence. Frankly, a man or woman who is more concerned with their supposed "freedom" than their testimony is disqualified on the basis of spiritual immaturity.

C. Indifference

One sign of being saved is you are concerned about others' salvation.

A young girl made a public profession but they were going to wait to present her. She said she had received Christ but could not wait. Her brother was lost and she wanted him to be saved. The pastor said, "Schedule her baptism. If she is concerned about the lost that is the best proof we'll ever have that she has truly been saved."

V. The Escape from Alcohol through the Savior

I am not promising a quick fix, but with God as your Father, Christ as your Savior, and the Holy Spirit as your Comforter and Guide, you can escape from alcohol through the Savior.

An OTR truck driver was addicted to pornography. He would often stop at the bars by the interstate where women would dance for tips. When he gave his heart to Christ, he asked God to help him overcome this struggle. He would testify that he had not been to these immoral places in over 10 years. Someone asked, "How did you do it?"

He said, "Me and Jesus...one exit at a time."

If you will give your heart to Christ, He will help you escape from alcohol...one drink at a time."