Can a Christian Drink

>> Happy Sunday. Years ago a church in Cincinnati, Ohio held a revival. The preacher was a leader in the temperance movement. He blamed alcohol for poverty, for crime, for family abuse, and just about all the problems of society.

The little church was on the banks of the Ohio River. He told everyone for a week that all liquor and wine and beer in the city should be dumped into the Ohio River. The minister of music liked a glass of wine every now and then. He'd had enough of the anti-alcohol preacher and at the end of the service he asked everybody attending that night to turn to page number 518 in the hymnal, "Shall We Gather at the River?"

Drinking alcohol is an issue that can be divisive in churches. Some absolutely forbid drinking, others celebrate it and have no problem imbibing whatsoever. Today's verse from Proverbs is verse 1 of chapter 20. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise."

I'll do it again. "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise." As we begin, I do not drink. I had a sip of beer in college, I didn't like it.

I did it all by myself. I didn't want anybody to see me because I grew up in a house where drinking was forbidden. This issue can be very controversial. I have friends who drink.

I have friends who choose not to. And sadly, like most of you, I know people whose lives have been ruined by the abuse of alcohol. Today Today it's important to see what the Bible says. It doesn't matter what we think, it matters what the book says.

In John chapter 2, we read of Jesus' first public miracle. You know it, he turned water into wine at a wedding feast. John tells us it was good wine. People will debate what happened in that day in Cana of Galilee.

They'll debate, did Jesus transform the water into wine, fermented alcoholic wine, or into grape juice, non-alcoholic? Well, the Greek word translated wine is oinos, which was the common Greek word for normal wine. Wine that was fermented, alcoholic. That's the word used in John chapter 2.

Everything from the context of a wedding feast to the usage of oinos in the Greek language argues for the wine that Jesus created to be normal, ordinary wine that contained alcohol. Knowing that, people respond, "Why would Jesus make wine when drinking alcohol is forbidden?" Here's the truth. Scripture does not forbid the drinking of alcohol.

Scripture forbids drunkenness. The prohibition for drunkenness is clear all over scripture, but a few verses Ephesians 5:15-18 tell us this. >> >> Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people, but as wise, making the most of the time because the days are evil. So, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery. Romans chapter 13:13, verse 13 teaches, "Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living or in quarreling and jealousy." Another verse about this, 1 Corinthians 6:10, we're told that drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We find these words in another proverb a few chapters away, Proverbs 23. It says this, "Who has anguish? Who has sorrow? Who is always fighting?

Who is always complaining? Who has unnecessary bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? It is the one who spends long hours in the taverns trying new drinks.

Don't gaze at the wine, see how red it is, how it sparkles in the cup, how smoothly it goes down. For the end it bites like a poisonous snake. It's a snake. It stings like a viper.

You'll see hallucinations. You'll stay say crazy things. You'll stagger like a sailor tossed at sea clinging to a swaying mast and you will say, 'They hit me, but I didn't even feel it. I didn't even know it when they beat me up.

When will I wake up so I can look for another drink?'" A long section there in Proverbs 23 shining a dark light on drinking. For those who believe that Jesus made grape juice at the wedding, a second argument is that by creating alcoholic wine, Jesus would have been promoting drunkenness, which the Bible clearly identifies as sinful as we've seen. To them, I ask, was Jesus promoting gluttony when he multiplied the fishes and loaves for the people that day long ago? Or when God made rocks, does that condone stoning?

It's It's a silly argument. Jesus creating alcoholic wine is in no sense encouraging drunkenness. Again, I choose not to drink. I see the danger.

I see too many stories of broken homes and shattered lives. Some scriptures discuss alcohol in positive terms. Ecclesiastes 9:7 instructs, "Drink your Drink your wine with a merry heart." Amos Amos 9:14 discusses drinking wine from your own vineyard as a sign of God's blessing.

Even the Apostle Paul endorsed the use of wine for medicinal purposes when he told Timothy, "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and for your frequent ailments." That's in 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 23. From these and other scriptures, it's clear that alcohol itself is not inherently sinful. Scripture is clear, however, that the abuse of alcohol is sinful.

Decide for yourself. That's it for today's episode. Thanks for joining me. You can view all of my videos and podcast on Spotify, Instagram, and Facebook, and of course, right here on YouTube, if that's what the venue you're watching today.

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Thanks for joining me today. Let's pray together. >> >> God, I thank you for the freedom you give us in Christ. And I thank you for the responsibilities that we have.

Help us to be careful with what we do. Help us to be careful with how we judge. Help us to be careful in moderation. Help us to love people, no matter what they decide about this issue.

It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. God bless. Thanks for joining me today.