We’ve been going through a series since the beginning of the year. And we’ve been learning how God desires to have a people that are peculiar, that are different, that are set apart, they’re holy. And we’ve been going through and learning different things. We learned about the doctrine of separation and we’ve been over the last several weeks specifically talking about areas where God desires us to be peculiar. We talked about peculiar in our clothing, peculiar in our relationships, peculiar in our music. This morning we’re going to learn about something that you probably aren’t going to hear in most churches. And that is a sad statement. But the reason is today most churches are not boldly proclaiming God’s Word. They are not preaching the whole council of God.
Today we’re talking about peculiar teachings on alcohol, peculiar teachings on alcohol. And what the Bible teaches about alcohol. And the reason it’s particular is because if you’ve never heard or never went through scripture and studied out what the Bible teaches about alcohol then it might be peculiar to you. Because today most of the beliefs of Christianity on alcohol are inaccurate if not just completely wrong and completely misunderstood. Now, we’re going to learn what the Bible teaches about alcohol. But let me just say this, before we get in to that, the word of God talks about this a lot. I want you to realize that this applies to drugs, prescription drugs or the abuse of prescription drugs….I realize there may be a legitimate reason to be on a prescription drug but unfortunately today many will abuse prescription drugs and of course street drugs and anything that keeps you from being sober. Anything that would keep you from maintaining sobriety would fit in this sermon. We are going to talk specifically about alcohol but I want you to understand that it applies to all of those things.
Let’s begin with the problem of drugs and alcohol. Now let me say that this sermon is needed for every single person in this room but especially young people. If you’re a young person here. You’re a teenager. You need to listen up. Because this sermon and the application to this sermon might save you years and years and years and decades of just heartache and problems and issues in life. So let’s begin with the problem with drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol are addictive. I think we all know that but I want you to notice that the bible highlights that as well. Proverbs 23:29 “Who hath woe, who hath sorrow, who hath contentions, who hath babbling, who hath wounds without cause, who hath redness of eyes” Verse 30 “They that tarry long at the wine, they that go to seek mixed wine.” Here we’re told that some people that tarry long at the wine. That have made it their purpose in life to go out and seek mixed wine. Now why is that? Because of the fact that alcohol and drugs are addictive. They cause people to tarry long. They cause people to not be able to give them up.
We’re going to go through this whole passage but skip to Proverbs 23:35 “They have stricken me and I was not sick. They have beaten me and I felt it not”. Notice what it says “When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again”. Again God is highlighting the fact that alcohol is addictive. The fact that here this individual would say, I was tarrying long at the wine, I was seeking mixed wine, they have stricken me, they have beaten me, I had all these experiences with it but when I wake up I will seek it yet again. And when someone gets up in the morning, wakes up in the morning and drinks alcohol or does drugs, the only explanation for that is that they are addicted to the substance or drugs or alcohol.
I want you to notice that what the Bible teaches about alcohol is completely to what the world thinks of alcohol and drugs and those things. Isaiah 5:11 “Woe”. Now whenever you see that word “woe”, know this, “woe” is the strongest sort of caution in the Bible. It is a serious thing. God is trying to get the attention of his people. “Woe unto them that” Notice these words “rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!”. What do we see here? We see someone who is just drunk all day. I mean they get up in the morning and they’re drinking. They drink all afternoon. They continue all night until wine enflame them. What is God teaching us here? God is teaching us that alcohol has an addictive effect and drugs as well and prescription drugs where people will literally spend all day, from the moment they wake up, from the moment they go to bed, consuming it, seeking after it, trying to get more and more of it.
We’re talking about the problems with alcohol. The major problem with alcohol is it’s addictive. And it will take control and consume your entire life. You will consume it but it will consume you. You will take it in but it will take you in as well. And in fact, let me just do this real quickly, go with me to the New Testament to 1 Corinthians 5. Let me just say this, the Bible talks a lot about alcohol and how we’re supposed to deal with it. And we’ll take time in scripture to look at that and develop this. But in 1 Corinthians 5, the Bible teaches that when someone is a drunk or a drunkard (And those are biblical words for what the world now calls an alcoholic), the Bible actually teaches that those people are to be removed and thrown out of church.
1 Corinthians 5:9 “I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:” He says look, you are not to hang around with, you are not to spend time with, you are not to be around with fornicators. A fornicator is someone who is in a physical relationship with someone outside of marriage. “Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.” So he’s saying, I’m not saying that if there is a fornicator at your work that you can’t be around them. We realize that in the world we will have fornicators, covetous people and idolaters. He’s not telling us to be Amish and come out of the world. And we’ve been learning that in this series. We are supposed to be in the world but not of the world. “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother” I want you to notice the caveat there. We’re not talking about worldly people. We’re talking about a man that is called a brother. An individual that has a testimony of salvation. Someone that is seen as a believer. They are called a brother in Christ, a sister in Christ.
“If any man that be called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”. He says look, these people should not be allowed in church. You say, well don’t these people need help? Ya but some of the biggest wake up calls that people have in their life is when their Pastor says that you’re living in fornication and need to get right or get out. And I want you to notice there that one thing that will get you kicked out of church is being a drunkard. Now look, as a church and ministry we want to help people. And we want to spiritually help people that are struggling. And if you’re struggling with alcohol or pornography then we want to help you and come along beside you. But if you’re just living in drunkenness and you’re not trying to get right. You don’t care. It doesn’t matter to you. We’ll throw you out. Now if you come here and say you’re struggling with alcohol then we’ll try to help you out. But if you’re just living in fornication and don’t care or being idolaters and not trying to get right with God. I want you to notice that it says a drunkard.
As a Pastor, the Bible gives me this list of fornicators, covetous, extortioners, idolaters, drunkards, you can’t have those people in church. He says with such an one no not to eat. We can’t have coffee and donuts with them. We can’t keep company with them. As a Pastor I’ve had to quantify these things. What does it mean to be covetous? What does it mean to be a railer? And the Bible gives us the answers. But preaching on alcohol, let me give you our definition at Verity Baptist Church. Because at this church, people ask me, do you believe in drinking alcohol. What we believe at Verity Baptist Church is that God prohibits all drinking of alcohol for everyone. You say, I’ve never heard that before. I always went to church and they told me drinking alcohol is fine as long as it’s social. I’ll prove to you from the Bible that that is not what the Bible teaches. However, we don’t throw people out of church for drinking alcohol. We only throw people out of church for the things God tells us to. We don’t throw people out of church for being liars. We’re all liars. We’d all get thrown out. We only throw people out of church for the things that God tells us. One of those is being a drunkard. Now there is a difference between someone who is a drunk and someone who drinks socially. Now I’m against social drinking and I’ll prove that. Let me say though that every drunk started as a social drinker. So that ought to just give you….You say you only drink socially. Ok, you’ve just started the process of going down the road of being a drunkard. So how do you identify a drunkard. This is something from the last 8 years of ministry I’ve had to deal with it in people’s lives. This is how we determine if someone is a drunkard and we’ll throw them out of church.
#1 – You are a drunkard if you wake up in the morning and drink alcohol. I mean if you’re just opening a can of beer for breakfast. You’re a drunk. You need to understand that. You need to acknowledge that. You need to take ownership of that and say I’ve got a problem. It’s not normal to just be drunk all day long. It’s not normal to just wake up and be drinking and be shooting up and be taking drugs and be taking pills or popping pills, it’s not normal. How do I know if I’m a drunkard? If you wake up in the morning and you’re drinking alcohol.
Here’s the 2nd way we tell if you’re a drunkard. Is if it effects your life then you’re a drunkard. If your wife is divorcing you because of your drinking problem. You’re a drunkard. If your job is firing you because of your drinking problem. You’re a drunkard. If you’ve got legal issues and you’ve got a DUI, you’re a drunkard. If it’s effecting your personal life, your kids want nothing to do with you, you’re a drunkard. I’m just trying to help you because sometimes people don’t know they have a problem. Do I have a problem with drinking? You’re a drunkard if you get up in the morning to drink or do drugs all day long. If it effects your personal life. Your relationship with your loved ones. You’re getting DUI’s, you’re a drunkard.
Here is the 3rd way for you to perceive if you are a drunkard. People that have problems with drugs and alcohol, they struggle with this and I want to help you out. If anyone has ever came to you, that you love, someone that loves you and they have come to you and told you they are concerned about your drinking. You are a drunkard. Because here is what I know, a wife or a daughter or a son or friend does not just flippantly walk up to someone and sit them down and say I’m concerned with you and your problem with drugs or problem with alcohol. Here’s what I know, if someone has ever came to you and said I’m concerned with your drinking problem, that conversation started in their mind weeks ago and months ago. They’ve been trying to build up the courage. They’ve been trying to build up the strength. They’ve been trying to build up the boldness to come to you and confront you and if you say that you don’t have a problem, you have a problem.
Here’s what I know, your niece and your nephew, your mom, your dad, your co-worker, your best friend, your wife, your friend, your cousin, they are not just trying to have an intervention with you this week. I mean doesn’t that sound like fun. Let’s just sit down with so and so and say “Hey, you’ve got a problem with drugs. Hey, you’ve got a problem with pornography. They don’t want to do that for fun. They are doing that because they love you. If anybody has ever told you that you’ve got a drinking problem, you’re a drunkard. If you have problems at work due to your drinking, you’re a drunkard. IF you’ve had problems in your relationships with wives, children, husbands, you’re a drunkard. If you wake up and drink and drink all day, you’re a drunkard. This is how we determine what the Bible says. Look, if you’re here now and you’re a drunkard, I want to help you. But if you just want to live in drunkenness and not care or get help then you just are not going to do that here. Because the Bible says that we are not to keep company with people that do these things.
So we’re talking about the problems with alcohol. What are the problems? #1 – It’s addictive. But here’s the 2nd problem with drugs & alcohol – It clouds your judgment. Notice Proverbs 23:31 “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright, at the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder”. We’ll come back to those verses in a minute. Notice verse 33 “Thine eyes”, he’s talking about when you give yourself over to alcohol. “Thine eyes shall behold strange women and thine heart shall utter perverse things”. The Bible teaches that people will do things that they would never do, they’ll make decisions that they would have never made, they will do things in their life that will effect the rest of their lives when they are under the influence of drugs & alcohol. That’s why it’s called being under the influence. Because it clouds your judgment. It influences you to do things that you would not normally do. Here we are told that your eyes shall behold strange women and your heart will utter perverse things. Men have committed adultery, why? Because they were under the influence. It has clouded their judgment.
You might say, I showed up to church and I thought we were going to hear a sermon on love. Look, there is not a more loving sermon than the sermon I’m preaching right now. To try to help people get victory or to keep people from going down this road. This is love. Am I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth? This is the truth. We ought to preach this in the spirit of Love but look, this is important. Isaiah 5:22 “Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine”. Isn’t this what the world highlights, especially around men. People say “I can hold down my alcohol”. All that means is you’re a drunk. The fact that you need more alcohol to get drunk shows your body has gotten more accustomed to drinking. You’re just proving you’re a drunkard. “Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine and to mingle strong drink”. Notice verse 23 of what they do when they get their alcohol “which justify the wicked for reward and taketh away the righteousness from the righteous”. It shows that it clouds their judgment. It doesn’t allow them to make good decisions. It influences them in a negative way.
Isaiah 28:7 But they also have erred through wine. They’ve made errors through wine and through strong drink are out of the way. They made errors through wine and through strong drink are out of the way. And the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink. They are swallowed up of wine. They are out of the way through strong drink. They err in vision. They stumble in judgment. Why? It is addictive and it will cloud your judgment. It will cause you to err. It will cause you to be taken out of the way and err in vision. IT will cause you to not be able to think straight.
#1 – It’s addictive. #2 – It clouds your judgment. #3 – Drugs & alcohol make you vulnerable for victimization. And if you’re a young lady then you need to be listening to me right now. Proverbs 23:34 “Yea thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the mist of sea or lieth in the top of the mast” Verse 35 “They have stricken me thou shalt say and I was not sick. They have beaten me and I felt it not. When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”. It puts you in a place where someone beats you but you won’t feel it while you’re drunk. You’ll feel it later. They’ll strike you. It will put you in a position where you are vulnerable. Where you are not able to care for yourself and you could get hurt.
You know I said that if you’re a young lady listen up because of the fact that it’s often young ladies taken advantage of. But it’s not just young ladies. It’s interesting what we are heard in Habakkuk 2:15 “Woe unto HIM that giveth HIS neighbor to drink”. We are talking about the first male in this verse being warned. “Woe unto HIM that giveth HIS to neighbor”. We’ve got male #1 giving a drink to male #2. “That puttest thy bottle to HIM”. So we have male #1 giving his bottle to his neighbor. “and makest his neighbor drunken also”. I want you to notice that it is one male making another male drunk. “Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also”. Notice, they’re both drunken. Why? Look at what it says. “That thou” (male #1) “may lookest on their nakedness” (male #2). Look, it’s saying that some people are trying to get you drunk because they’re trying to take advantage of you. And it might be a sodomite trying to rape you men. It might be a homo trying to get advantage of you. You say what’s the problem with drugs & alcohol? It makes you vulnerable for victimization.
In Genesis 19 is an odd story that highlights this very well. Usually when we go to Genesis 19 we’re talking about the story of Sodom and Gomorrah which is a terrible story. But at the end of the chapter, remember when Lot comes out to Sodom and Gomorrah after God has destroyed the plains nearby. Lot goes up and is hiding in the cave. Genesis 19:32 “Come, let us”. This is Lot and his 2 daughters speaking to each other because they think that God has destroyed the entire world. They think they are the last people on earth hiding in this cave. Genesis 19:32 “Come, let us make our father drink wine. And we will lie with him that we may preserve seed of our father. And they made their father drink wine that night” (talking about incest here) “And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. And he perceived not when she lay down and arose. It came to pass on the morrow that the firstborn said I lay yesternight with my father. Let us make him drink wine this night also and go thou in and lie with him that we may preserve seed of our father. They made their father that night drink wine also. The younger rose and lay with him and he perceived not when she laid down or when she arose”. And you know the world just wants to say that we’re just having fun drinking alcohol. Why would it be fun if you get in a state where you can’t even perceive if someone is taking advantage of you physically. “Oh we had a lot of fun but can’t remember it”. Really? That doesn’t sound like fun like me. Waking up with your face in the toilet. You know if you don’t have fun being godly and doing what God has called you to do. But you have to live a dirty and disgusting life. Living life as a drunkard. The Bible says that they made their father drunken that night. Verse 36 “Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father”.
You say what’s the problem with alcohol. Well, it’s addictive. Well, it clouds your judgement. It will make you err in vision. Your eyes will behold strange women and do things you wouldn’t normally do. But here’s the other problem with alcohol – It will make you vulnerable for victimization. Proverbs 20:1 “Wine is a mocker. Strong drink is raging. And whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise”. Proverbs is the wisdom book. Proverbs is the book in the Bible where God gives us instruction and wisdom. And here is what God says, if you are deceived by wine, you are not wise. Wine is a mocker. Strong drink is raging. It’s not Budweiser. It’s Bud-foolishness. It’s Bud-destructiveness. It’s Bud-will destroy your life. Wine is a mocker. Strong drink is raging. And whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.
We’ve been talking about the problems with alcohol. But now let’s talk about the products of drugs and alcohol. What will drugs & alcohol produce in your life. And if you look at what the world tries to make you believe about drugs and alcohol, and I’m not saying that you should look at what the world says, in fact as a Christian I don’t think you should look at what the world says. If you think about the way portrays alcohol, if you think about the adds on tv, think about the billboards that are advertising alcohol, the world portrays drugs and alcohol, the world wants you to believe that every drunkard out there is just this fit, young, successful, just having fun all day long…..I mean if you went off what the world teaches about alcohol. Do you know what you’d think? Every drunkard out there just has a 6 pack. Let me clue you in on a little secret. You won’t have a 6 pack drinking alcohol. When was the last time there was this billboard with an old guy, living by himself because his wife left him and kids hate him, with a beer gut drinking at 9 in themorning. When was the last time they showed you that? Because what do they show you? These young guys boozing it up, at the beach, naked, having fun, man it’s great, we’re successful, we’re fit, it’s fun, that’s what the world portrays. But you know that’s not the truth. I mean what is the true result of drugs and alcohol in people’s lives?
Proverbs 23:29 “Who hath woe” Do you want woe in your life? That’s what drugs and alcohol produce. “Who hath woe, who hath sorrow, who hath contentions, who hath wounds without cause, who hath babbling, who hath redness of eyes”. This is what the Bible is telling us. You want to know what is produced? When does this happen? Notice, “They that tarry long at the wine, that go to seek mixed wine, look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth it’s color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright”. Why? Verse 32 “At the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder”. This is what alcohol will produce in your life. “But I don’t want you talking to my kids about drugs & alcohol.” Look, let’s just give them a proper view of it. Let’s not allow the world and Hollywood and the media to give them their perception of drugs and alcohol. Let’s show them the actual result of drugs and alcohol.
Isaiah 28:7 “But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment.” Verse 8 “For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.”. This is what alcohol produces. Kids are you listening? It’s not fit, successful, young people, partying at the beach. “All tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean”. You say, oh man I’m a young person. I can’t wait to turn 21 to go to the bar. Let me tell you what the bar is like. I haven’t been in one but from the word of God I can tell you. It’s filled with vomit, it smells like piss, why? Because this is what alcohol does to your life. You say I want to know what it’s like. Go look at the homeless people outside. You say I want to know what drugs is like. Go look at the homeless people outside. Do you want to look like that? Do you want to smell like that? Do you want to act like that? You say, “I think you should be loving”. Look, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t try to help people get off of drugs and alcohol. I’m just telling you that the world wants to hide the reality. The world, their little Super Bowl ads, want to tell you it’s fun. It’s great. It’s wonderful. What they don’t show you is that they have tables full of vomit and filthiness so no place is clean.
Isaiah 19:14 “he Lord hath mingled a perverse spirit in the midst thereof: and they have caused Egypt to err in every work thereof, as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit.”. This is how God portrays drunkenness. This is how God portrays alcohol. Kids, listen to me. Please listen to me. I thank the Lord for my mom and dad. My mom was raised in a Christian home. My dad was saved at an older age. He can tell you his testimony or you can ask him if you want. But you know I was raised in a Christian home where this is the kind of preaching I heard. This is the kind of message that was heard in our home. Drugs will destroy your life. Alcohol will destroy your life.
And I’m not trying to make my parents feel uncomfortable but I’m so proud of my parents. They just celebrated 40 years of marriage. They went on this trip to Australia. All of the kids got them this Anniversary Gift to Australia and they got to see some old friends. We got them this trip to Australia. And I was thinking to myself, this is how I’d like to end my life. I’d like to be one day married to my beautiful wife for 40 years, having children who aren’t perfect but serving and loving the Lord. And with grandchildren and just finishing up your life, and living your life seeing the legacy. Do you know how I don’t want to end up my life. I don’t want to end my life in my own vomit, divorced, my kids hate me, my kids won’t talk to me, having DUI’s. I’m telling you that your life is a result of the choices that you make. I’m not trying to beat up on you if you’ve struggled with drugs and alcohol. I love you. I want to help you. But I’m also trying to help some of these kids from ruining their lives. Because this is what drugs do. This is what alcohol does. This is what these things do in your life.
You say I’m curious. Vomit and filthiness with no place clean. A drunken man staggering in vomit. It doesn’t matter what the billboard or advertisement says. It doesn’t matter what the world or friends are telling you. Look, if your friend is trying to get you drunk, you ought to ask what they are trying to do to you. Habakkuk 2 talks about someone getting someone else drink. We’re talking about the products of alcohol. The word of God gives you the answers. You say, are you sheltering your friends from drugs & alcohol. No I’m not sheltering my kids because when I take them out soulwinning, we knock doors in the ghetto, we open up the door and it smells like piss and vomit. Some loser comes up and says I can’t talk because I was drunk all night. My kids get to see the reality of drinking. What it actually produces in people. We want to help you but not sugarcoat what the Bible says about drugs and alcohol. The product is not pretty. The product is not fit, fruitful, fun, successful. It’s vomit, piss, drunkenness, dirty, no place clean. This is what the Bible says.
We talked about the problems of drugs and alcohol and we talked about the product of drugs and alcohol. But let’s talk about the prohibition of drugs and alcohol. Because the Bible actually prohibits the drinking of alcohol. As Fundamental Baptists we got way away from this kind of preaching. I guy gets up in skinny jeans and sits on a stool. You won’t hear any of this. But this is where we just really believe the liberal churches. But today the liberal churches will teach that it’s ok to drink in moderation. The vast majority of liberal church will say it’s fine to drink in moderation. I’m here to tell you that that’s not what the Bible teaches and I’ll prove it. But let me give you some anecdotal evidence. Let’s talk about the prohibition period of alcohol in the US. Did you know that they actually make it illegal to create alcohol. The result was all of this organized crime and bootlegging.
Now let me say this, I’m not saying it should be illegal. Because God had a lot of laws in his Old Testament society but alcohol wasn’t one of them. Some sins God makes illegal like murder. Other things are a sin but he doesn’t make it illegal but it will destroy your life. This is where drugs and alcohol fits. I’m not saying we should go back to the prohibition. But I’m bringing it up because the prohibition society came about because of some preachers who were preaching what the Bible actually teaches about drugs and alcohol. That you shouldn’t have anything to do with it. They were actually so effective at it that they got the entire nation and congress to make a law against it. So if you leave here and say “You’re the only Pastor who believes that”. Maybe I’m the only Pastor now who believes it but I’m not the only Pastor ever. There aren’t a whole lot of preachers preaching it because the world is waxing worse & worse and not many are preaching it. But there was a time when every preacher preached this. They used to all teach that God prohibited it period. Let’s talk about the prohibition of drugs and alcohol.
I’m going to show you 2 stages of God’s prohibition. First I’m going to show you that God prohibits it for all people, for everyone. Proverbs 23:31 “Look not thou upon the wine”. Here he’s saying there is some wine that I don’t want you to even look at. I don’t want you to have anything to do with it. He said “Look not thou upon the wine”. Now I want you to notice this word “when”. He’s telling us that there is a point in the life of wine when I don’t want you to even look at it. And here’s what we learn from this. There are actually 2 different types of wine in the scriptures. Or 2 stages to wine in scripture. One is prohibited. Look not thou upon the wine. Ok. “When it is red, when it giveth it’s colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright”. This is talking about fermentation and the process of fermentation. When it is red. Why does it say that? Because the way that wine is fermented and alcohol is created is with yeast and the yeast which ferments the wine is found on the skin of the grapes which is why he’s making a reference here. That’s why he makes a references when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup. Again, the source of the yeast is the red skin. When it moveth itself aright lines up with the carbon dioxide being released during fermentation. He’s saying there is a time in the life of wine when God says I don’t want you even looking at it. When is that? When it is fermented. Any wine? No, “When it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright”. So look, God says don’t have anything to do with alcohol once it is fermented. Now people will say, now wait a minute Pastor. Didn’t Jesus turn water into wine. And that’s a good question. Let’s look at that.
And here’s what you need to understand. Now look, did we just read that there is a certain type of wine that God doesn’t even want you to look at. He says Look not thou upon the wine. You say “any wine”? No, when it is red, when it giveth it’s colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. You say Jesus turned water in to wine. Well he must have done it before it had gone to the point where it was fermented. Here’s what you need to understand. In the Bible the word wine is not always referring to alcohol. When our King James Bible was translated in 1611, the word wine was used synonymously with the word juice. The word juice is used a few times in scripture but only a couple of times. Let me prove this to you. Song of Solomon 8:2 “I would lead thee and bring thee in to my mother’s house who would instruct me. I would cause thee to drink of the spiced wine”. I want you to notice that word wine “of the juice of my pomegranate”. I want you to notice that here these 2 words are used synonymously. And in scripture God will often put 2 words that mean the same thing in the same sentence or statement just to be able to teach us what that word means. Or to just have a better flow of sentence structure, great literature. For example, Hebrews 1:1 says “God who at sundry times and in diverse manners”. The word sundry and diverse mean the same thing. God just uses 2 synonymous words to make a point. And here it says to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate. Because wine is juice.
You know if these modern Bible versions were actually interested in updating the language, they would change the story of Jesus turning water in to wine to water turning water in to juice. Since that’s what Jesus did. Since wine in the Bible is juice. And wine can also be alcohol. Let me just prove to you in another place in scripture that it can be juice. Isaiah 65:8 “Thus saith the Lord, as the new wine is found in the new cluster and one saith destroy it not for a blessing is in it, so will I do for my servants sake that I may not destroy them all”. I just want you to notice that phrase that the new wine is found in the cluster. When the grape is still in the cluster, it’s not fermented. It’s still connected to the vine. We’re not talking about a grape that has been crushed and fermented. It’s called new wine. Because it’s referring to juice. But sometimes it is referring to alcohol.
You say how can I tell the difference between juice and alcohol? Well look, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to just read the scripture in context and understand in the Bible. Let me give you a hint, when Abraham wakes up in the morning and sees Jesus coming with 2 angels and serves them wine. He’s not referring to alcohol in the morning. That would make them all a bunch of drunkards. He’s giving them juice. That’s what they drank when they were celebrating, how we drink soda or juice or something. You say how do I know if it’s alcohol. When it’s talking about someone being raped as a result, it’s alcohol. When it says it will destroy your life. When it talks about sorrow or connected to strong drink, just read the context and it will be real clear. When people are drinking wine in the morning and they are celebrating, it’s probably juice. When they are drinking wine and they are vomiting everywhere then it’s alcohol. It’s not that hard. But in the Bible the word wine is used for both juice and alcohol. Why? IT starts as juice and becomes alcohol when fermented. That’s why he said look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it giveth itself aright. You can’t walk away from these words without realizing that the word is used interchangeably with juice. The new wine is found in the cluster. The spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate.
Did Jesus turn water in to wine? Let’s look at the story in it’s context. How do you know it wasn’t alcohol? Well let’s look at it. John 2:1 “And the 3rd day, there was a marriage in Canaan of Galilee”. So the context is that he gets invited, Jesus and his disciples get invited to a marriage. “and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.” Just skip down to verse 6 for the sake of time “And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was:” Meaning where it came from. “(but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.” Why? Because the wine that Jesus made was way better than the wine they provided for the wedding. Was it juice or alcohol? Well, why did they ask Jesus to make water in to wine? Because they had already drunk all the wine that they had provided for the wedding.
Verse 10 “And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse:” See, they had this wedding and more showed up than they expected. They had a certain amount of wine set aside for the wedding and they needed more. They come to Jesus and said hey can you make water in to wine. He does the miracle of turning water in to wine. It’s the first miracle he performed. And the governor said this wine is so much better. Most of the time the good wine is served for until when men are well drunk. Here’s the thing, if this is alcohol, are you trying to get me to believe that at a wedding that they provided alcohol and that everyone drank all of it until the point where the governor would say the men are well drunk. Then Jesus comes along and fills 6 waterpots with more alcohol? Jesus just brings 6 keggers to this drunken party? Where they’ve already drunk the wine. Because that is what you would have to believe if Jesus turned water in to alcohol. Whether you believe God prohibits alcohol or not, God would prohibit this. This would be a sin. If they drank all the alcohol at the wedding and then Jesus shows up with 6 kegs of alcohol. Do you think if they already drank all this alcohol then do you think he would say this tastes so much better. No if they drank that much alcohol then they would be staggering in their own vomit. So look, there’s no way you can look at this story logically and believe that Jesus brought alcohol to this wedding. And when you realize the fact that the Bible uses the word wine and juice synonymously, it becomes real clear that Jesus turned water in to juice which in the Bible is called wine. And look, that is so clear in scripture that you can’t walk away from all these verses and where alcohol will destroy your life and the Bible says not to look on the wine when it is red but Jesus was looking at it and handing it out and he’s just like a bartender. That’s ridiculous. So look, God forbids drugs and alcohol.
But in case you’re not convinced, let me just take a couple of minutes and say this. God especially condemns drugs and alcohol for Christians. We’ve already proven that God forbids and prohibits alcohol for everyone. But let me just say this in case you aren’t convinced. Ok, well God especially forbids drugs & alcohol for Christians. Revelation 1:5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,” That’s talking about the day you got saved. So what happened on that day. “And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” You know the Bible says that when you got saved, you became a king and a priest to God and his Father.
Here’s what’s interesting about that, God specifically prohibits drinking and alcohol for kings and priests. Proverbs 31:1 “The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the son of my vows?” This is the words of a mother speaking to her son, King Lemuel. Most people believe this is Solomon. Verse 3 “Give not thy strength unto women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings. It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:” You say why? “Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.” Why, alcohol effects your judgment. “Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,” Remember that word perish from John 3:16. That word means to die and go to hell. Does it mean to die or go to hell. Well when you die you go to hell. Because if you believe in Jesus Christ then you won’t die. So here is what she’s saying. It’s not for you my son because you’re a king. Get it on to someone who is about to die anyway and go to hell “and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. Let him drink, and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.”. Obviously she is being sarcastic here but you say is it really prohibited from everyone? Well the Bible says that when you got saved, you became a king and a priest unto God and his Father. And it’s not for kings. Here’s the message I’ve got for all of the young people in the auditorium here today. You’re better than that. You’re better than drugs. You’re better than alcohol. You were made a king unto God. You’re better than that. You don’t need it. You don’t need to drink alcohol. You’re a king unto God. You’re a priest unto God.
Leviticus 10:8 “And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying,” Aaron if you remember is the high priest. He was the first high priest. The sons of Aaron are the ones who became the priests. He says “Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee,” talking about the priesthood “when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die:” God says you show up to work drunk as a priest, I’ll kill you. I think that’s the prohibition against priests drinking alcohol “it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:” You say, I don’t know. Well when you got saved, you were washed in his blood and made kings and priests unto God and his Father. Whether or not you believe it’s wrong for everyone, it’s wrong for kings and priests. If you’re here today, you’re a new testament believer and that is you. And the message of that is this, you’re better than that. You’re better than alcohol. You can have a better life for yourself. For your wife, for your husband, for your child. You’re better than that. God does not want you to live the life of a drunkard. Let me say this again, if you’re here today and you’re struggling with drugs and alcohol, we love you and want to help you. Part of that is hearing this sermon. You don’t need a pat on the back saying that you are just sick, no it’s sin. You need to confess it. You need to forsake it. We’ll help you every step of the way. If you want to live in drunkenness we’ll throw you out. It’s called tough love. For those of you who haven’t gone down that road but say you drink sometimes. Why? Just quit it. You say you’ve never heard it. Ok you know now. Because God has some peculiar teachings on the subject of drugs and alcohol.
Let’s pray.