Drinkers...something to think about.

Drinkers...something to think about.


I used to drink with the best of them. I don't ever recall having a beer or a mixed drink just for the great taste. It was to get a buzz, you know relax me as we would say. Most of my friends did the same thing. The problem is when we get that buzz it becomes sin. When I finally gave my life to Christ I learned that buzz is becoming drunk. This is where many arguments will come, what stage is considered drunk? All I know is when the buzz starts it is the onset of being drunk and I will leave it at that. Now with that said I have many brothers and sisters in the faith who declare drinking is ok (remember the drunk part) so let us see what scripture says for it is the ultimate authority:



Deuteronomy 21:19-21

19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, 20 and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.



Hmmmm God takes drunkenness pretty serious, remove the evil and stone him to death! Wow!

Proverbs 23:19-21

19 Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your heart in the way.20 Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat,21 for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.



Interesting that gluttony is listed with drunkards, why don't we teach about that too!



Proverbs 26:10

Like an archer who wounds everyone is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.



Ecclesiastes 10:17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility, and your princes feast at the proper time, for strength, and not for drunkenness!



Song of Solomon 5:1 [ He ] I came to my garden, my sister, my bride, I gathered my myrrh with my spice, I ate my honeycomb with my honey, I drank my wine with my milk. [ Others ] Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love!



Drunk with love not drink!



Habakkuk 2:15 “Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness!A woe to those who lead neighbors or friends to drink!



Hmmmm!



Luke 21:34 [ Watch Yourselves ] “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.



Protect yourself!



Romans 13:12-14

12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.



Put on light(Jesus) not darkness(devil) and walk properly! Don't gratify the flesh!



1 Corinthians 5:11

But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.



This will hurt but you need to ditch some friends if they are drunkards!



1 Corinthians 6:9-11

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.



Do you see the seriousness of drinking? If your drunkenness is unrepented of you will not inherit God's Kingdom! WOW! Think about it!



1 Corinthians 15:34

Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.



Wake up!!!



Galatians 5:19-23

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.



A work of the flesh...drunkenness. Another warning will not inherit God's kingdom! Use fruit of Spirit...self control.



Ephesians 5:17-19

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,



What is debauchery? Excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures; intemperance. God says don't be foolish! Be filled with the spirit not wine!



1 Thessalonians 5:6-8

6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.



Be the light! Be sober! Keep awake!



1 Peter 4:2-4

2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you;



Do not join the drinking parties and drunkenness, do God's will!





Proverbs 23:29-35



29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining?Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?30 Those who tarry long over wine; those who go to try mixed wine.31 Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.32 In the end it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.33 Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart utter perverse things.34 You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, like one who lies on the top of a mast.35 “They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not feel it.When shall I awake? I must have another drink.”



So the God's Word shows us the seriousness of the drink! Now you have to decide what to do. God's will or your own will. This is God's Word and He is the authority. I will say for myself, since I have laid aside the beer and mixed drinks, I don't miss it a bit. I used it as a crutch thinking it was the only way to have fun in life. My oh my was I wrong. True joy comes in doing God's will and serving Him with my life as that is what He created me for!



If I can help you, hollar at me! God bless!



Tom