The Dilemma of Drinking

0:48 Ed, my pastor, in church with a beer. I understand that. I respect that. Still others of you are saying Man, Ed Why don't you drink the beer? Your sermon will be much better I understand that as well. I want to ask this question, can I drink this? I know that many of you are here today from, wow, numerous backgrounds. Maybe you look at your life and you look great on the outside, but maybe America's most popular drug has you in the throes of addiction.

2:05 You know you drink excessively. No one else really knows. You're functioning. You're going throughout your day but you know it has a grip on your life. I respect you for showing up because you knew what I was going to talk about.

2:30 Still others here, you look back on your family history and you say to yourself, I don't know about this. I have some horror stories I could tell you, and you've seen the results of alcohol and how it even affects you today. I respect you and honor you for being here. Others are like, I don't have a problem. I drink a couple of beers or have some drinks after work to knock that edge off. I mean, come on. I know some here are defensive. I get it.

3:24 I know some are like, Ed, you get on to the people who drink. Everyone should be a teetotaler. Some of you have that mentality. Well, today's message is the BYOB. Bring your own Bible. We're going to see what, thank you, what the Bible says about this hotly debated topic. Think about the battle over the bottle, the dilemma of drinking that's been in play for eons. What do you do? I mean, what do you say? Can Christians consume alcohol? the answer is yes. Did you know that?

4:17 As you look at the Bible, the answer is yes. We do need to understand against the backdrop of consuming alcohol, Ephesians 5, verse 18, which is the central text of this series. The Apostle Paul wrote this, and do not get drunk with wine, for that's debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.

4:47 So I want you to understand this as I talk. As I unpack the whole issue of drinking, that's obviously a major issue, but the big issue is what and who are you filling your life with? That's the deal. So Paul uses alcohol as a metaphor. Again, can I drink this? Paul says, just as someone has too much to drink, which leads to drunkenness and debauchery, just as someone does that, think about, Paul says, your life before the Lord. Think about how we all have the opportunity to be controlled, to be filled with the Holy Spirit of God.

5:51 So we're controlled by alcohol when we're drunk, yet Paul says, no, no, no, that's not the deal. We need to be controlled by the Holy Spirit of God because after all, we all were made and are made to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But again, I say, and this is going to shock some of you, the Bible does give us liberty, freedom, regarding consuming beverage alcohol. But it's very direct about drinking excessively and being drunk. The Bible says categorically, unequivocally, that drunkenness and excessive drinking is a sin before God. But there is a way to drink, a right way to drink, that does not lead to excessive drinking or drunkenness.

7:00 What does it mean to be drunk? Have you ever thought about that? That's kind of a nebulous answer. I mean, what do you say about that? Well, theologian Wayne Grudem wrote this about drunkenness, and here is what he lifted off of the pages of Scripture about this situation. And, you know, when I talk about don't be drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery, you could talk about weed, you could talk about, I mean, all sorts of other substances. I hope you understand that. But let's just talk right now about alcohol, which is the most dangerous drug and the number one drug in America. Here's what Dr. Grudem says about what it means to be drunk. A loss of good judgment, this is from the Bible.

7:57 Impaired thinking, diminished moral restraint, actions that harm personal or gospel reputation, compromised physical condition. That's what it means to be drunk, to be wasted, to be smashed or whatever you want to call it. The Bible tells us in Psalm 104, verses 14 and 15, you caused the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart. So if I drink in moderation If you choose to drink in moderation One of the, you could say, benefits would be it gladdens the heart However, not excessively And not to a point of drunkenness Now you know as well as I do That it's an exception for people to stop before things turn into excessive drinking.

9:23 I've seen it done before. I've been at parties and situations. However, it is an easy road, isn't it, to walk down. One turns into two, two turns into three, and then suddenly you find yourself drinking like that every single day. The Bible does say there is a right way to do that. So if you choose to drink, yes, the Bible says wine can and does gladden the heart. Think about Christ's first miracle. That's where he turned H2O into Merlot. Remember that? He kept the party going.

10:10 And we know the disciples drank wine. John the Baptist, though, chose not to drink. So we have wine talked about and alcohol talked about throughout Scripture. Over 200 times the Bible mentions this subject. But it talks more about the warnings of alcohol than the wonderful aspects of it that gladdens our heart. But it does say, again, we're free to drink. So those here who don't drink, don't look down your noses at someone at a restaurant. Oh, that person, they're a member of Fellowship Church, and they're drinking. They're going to hell. No. No. And on the other hand, those here who drink, because we have groups that do and groups that don't, don't look at someone who chooses not to drink and go, oh my goodness, I mean, they've totally messed me up.

11:18 They've rained on my party, so to speak. No, no, no, we can't do that. If you choose to drink, though, if you choose to do so, and again, I know some do, some don't, but if you choose to do so, let me kind of talk about the pros of making this decision, the right decision to drink if that is where you are. Number one, it should be a prayerful decision if you choose to drink. Have you ever prayed about it? Have you ever taken it to God? We go back to scripture. Obviously, this message is going to be loaded with scripture because God is the expert on this. So it should be a prayerful decision. 1 Timothy 4, 4 through 5. For everything created by God is good, even wine. Sorry, Baptists.

12:13 and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. I've got to ask you straight up, just between me and you, have you prayed about it? I'm talking to young people. I'm talking to single adults. I'm talking to those going through difficult circumstances and situations. I'm talking about those in their 60s, 70s, 80s. Have you prayed about it? So it's a prayerful decision. Notice also, not only is it a prayerful decision, it's a personal decision. It's personal, isn't it? 1 Corinthians 8, 9, Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block. people ask me okay ed because that's my name they ask me about alcohol and they ask me about being around it so much and let me just talk about my my younger years from the time i was born until let's say 22 years of age I was around alcohol a lot, a lot.

13:52 Obviously, growing up at a pastor's home, dad and mom didn't drink. Alcohol was never in the house. But when I talk about this issue and when I answer these questions, I tell people, you know, I did not drink in high school and I did not drink in college. Why? Why? Because of this stumbling block issue. And that's something we really have to consider, friends. if you're out somewhere and you're drinking and a weaker brother or sister sees you drinking, they could say, well, man, you drink, so I guess I will too.

14:44 And the stats are sobering, pun intended. one out of 10 become problem drinkers. Let me say that again. One out of 10 people who drink become problem drinkers. They become alcoholics. What if I told you, I am opening a brand new airline and this airline has the best jets money can buy, but there's one kind of negative bit of news. One out of 10 of my planes crash.

15:28 How many of you would sign up, would buy a ticket from Ed Young Airlines? No one. You'd be like, Ed, one out of 10 crash. That's right. I mean, think about the other nine. We see it's a prayerful decision, a personal decision. And there's another decision, and I'm talking about, again, the freedom we have to drink. It's a periodic decision. It's periodic. The Bible talks a lot about staying away from much wine, which would be excessive drinking or drunkenness. periodically is an issue that we have to debate in our minds and think about. We need to consider our family of origin.

16:27 We need to consider our lives. We need to consider our influence. Is it a stumbling block or not? and then we need to think about drinking periodically. What is drinking periodically?

16:49 It's not every day. It would be maybe on a special occasion or at a celebration of a blessing or something along those lines. if you drink every day, I would definitely tell you from my experience and hours and hours of research and counseling, I would definitely say to put a little warning sticker on that to go, okay, I'm going to take that to God. I am going to give that to him. because again, alcohol offers, yes, feeling good. I talked to a friend of mine. I said, why don't you drink? He said, well, it makes me feel good, okay?

17:42 And I talked to another friend. I go, well, why don't you drink? He said, because of the buzz. I understand that. We understand that. It's kind of an escape. But the tough part is you come back to your issues. and it can be, as we all know, a very, very addictive issue. So I'll say it once again. Please understand me. We have the freedom to drink, yet we have to drink prayerfully,

18:19 personally, and periodically. Does that make sense? So if I see you out drinking, I'm not going to judge you. No, I'm not. I'm not. Let's talk about now. Let's pivot, as they say. You know, isn't that kind of one of the big words like people use these days? I'm going to pivot. Don't you like that? Pivot. It's kind of a basketball term. It is a basketball term. You have a pivot foot and you pivot and you can go and move in different directions. So March Madness, see, I've got the ball. We've been talking about, okay, we are free to consume alcohol. Not excessively, but we're free to do that. So now I'm gonna pivot and talk about why you should maybe become a teetotaler.

19:17 Why should you abstain from beverage alcohol? Let's talk about that. Let's talk about the mockery of alcohol. Did you know alcohol mocks us? Have you ever thought about that? The Bible says in Proverbs 20, verse 1, wine is a mocker and beer a brawler. Whoever is led astray by them is not wise. The mockery of alcohol. Think about the $1.7 billion that alcohol companies spend on marketing. It's a lot, isn't it? they only show you just one little aspect of drinking.

20:21 Community, connection, watching the game together. They don't show you, though, the other stats. They don't show you that half of American adults have a family history of drinking problems or alcohol addiction. They don't show you, I'll say it again, that one out of 10 become alcoholics. They don't show you that less than 10% of individuals with alcohol use disorder receive treatment. They don't tell you that 40% of violent crimes involve alcohol use by the offender. They don't tell you that 32% of all traffic fatalities point to alcohol. They don't tell us that.

21:18 Alcohol lies to you and me. Takes us by the hand. It's okay. Everything's cool. Have one. Have another. Cheers. Cheers. Can I drink this? I have so many funny stories about running into people over the years, people who were members of Fellowship Church, who were drinking when I walked into the restaurant or party. Funny stories. Adults, you know, doing this and they see me. Hey!

22:08 Ed, how you doing, man? I just want to tell you, I love Fellowship Church. And it is absolutely amazing. I'm involved now. I'm like, come on, my man. so we hide it don't we and our alcoholic companies hide it as well and they mock us all the way to the bank we write checks for insurance and taxes and all that we are paying squillions of dollars for alcohol abuse again they don't show you the busted up marriages the fragmented families they don't it's the mockery of alcohol also the mayhem of alcohol 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 proverbs 23 says 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.

23:26 In the end, it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind will imagine confusing things. Does that say it or what? I was 10 years old and someone captured a snake in our neighborhood and no one knew if it was poisonous or not and they brought the big jar over and I was you know looking at it and you know I I think I really know animals and wildlife a lot even at a young age and I wanted to impress the little group of kids in my neighborhood especially my girlfriend at the time sorry Lisa, Tina Arrowood. So I unscrewed the lid of this jar and there the snake was, you know. I put on some work gloves, picked the snake up, no problem. I said to my brother, Ben, Ben, take off my left glove.

24:28 He took it off. And when I put my hand back on the snake, he latched on to this finger. Blood everywhere. I began to scream bloody murder. if you make a pet out of alcohol, out of substance, it's just a matter of time before it bites. the mockery of alcohol, the mayhem of alcohol, and how about the mastery of alcohol? Drunkenness distracts us from God's purpose. The Bible says let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness.

25:21 Also, there's that potential for addiction that I just talked about. You can see in 1 Corinthians 6, verse 12. all things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated. I mean, is that addiction or what? I will not be dominated by anything. When I played basketball at Florida State, I don't know if you know I did, but I... I played. We lived in a co-ed dorm, privately owned dorm, all the basketball players. We got our own rooms, maid service. I don't know how we did it. Well, we got in trouble later, but we did it. The bottom floor in this dorm was a full bar.

26:14 I remember coming home from class, it's Margaritaville in the Florida State Room head down to the basement I've not talked to very many people who had a full bar in their dorm. Maybe you have, I haven't. I just wanted to throw that in. Also, the mastery of alcohol, it... it helps me work in the flesh. The Bible says in Galatians 5, 19 through 21, now the works of the flesh, that's the worldly system, are evident, sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, and it goes down, drunkenness, just again. And then the juxtaposition between that compared to the fruit of the Spirit.

27:09 What's the fruit of the Spirit? But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. I've got to ask you once again, can I drink this? I want us to do something right now in the last few moments of this message. I want us to do your hands like this, everyone, please. Do your hands like that, and then your hands like that. I just showed you a prayer from the Quakers, and we're going to pray this prayer right now about this sensitive and power-packed subject. Would you bow for a prayer with me?

28:05 Every head is bowed and every eye is closed. Father, and let's clench our fists together. We all come here today with our fists clenched. And especially God over this issue of alcohol, the battle over the bottle. right now God in my life and in every life here may we unclench our fists just unclench your fists and drop everything at the foot of the cross now let's turn our hands heavenward and let's ask God to fill us with his Holy Spirit Lord, fill us.

29:00 Fill us with your spirit. may our lives never be the same. In Jesus' name. You can look at me now. Again, I gotta ask you, can I drink this? Well, here's the homework. We're gonna do a little exercise. I'm gonna challenge all of you to embark on a dry April. a dry April I want you to join many of us as we say before the Lord you know what we're not going to consume any alcoholic beverages for the month of April If you have a pushback, you probably have a problem.

29:58 Oh, I can stop anytime, man. Oh, really? Oh, really? Well, let's see what will happen. So as we empty out, as we dump out alcohol, let's replenish that with the Holy Spirit of God each and every day. All right? Well, next week. I wanted to continue. Next week, we will move down this path and you won't believe what's going to happen. I'm telling you, you won't believe it. But seriously, can I drink this? I mean, this has been a tough sermon.