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Contemporary Issues - Alcohol
We have begun a series of messages with the following theme; "Contemporary Issues".
This message was prompted by and article which I read in O Timothy magazine, Volume26-Issue3-March,2009. The article was a review of the Emerging Church movement which is gathering momentum around the world. In particular there were some comments from the Pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Mark Driscoll, which highlight the need for us to address the Contemporary Issues which we all face. The following is taken from the article:-
" 'Driscoll says, Restrictive Christians go too far and name everything a universal sin, forbidding some culture activities that the Bible does not, such as listening to certain musical styles, getting tattoes, watching movies, smoking cigarettes, consuming alcohol, and body piercing' (The Radical Reformation, p103).
Mark Driscoll's church sets up a "champagne bar" at its New Year's Eve dance parties.
Mars Hill has "beer-brewing lessons"... "
The first Issue we are to look at is 'Should Christians Drink Alcohol?'
I will open with this statement: We as a church maintain that a Christian should maintain total abstinence from the drinking of alcohol.
There are those who try and justify the drinking of alcohol by a Christian by saying that Jesus drank wine (Not found in the Bible!) or that Jesus made wine, referring to the wedding feast at Cana of Galilee. A study of the original Greek word will show that the wine mentioned here needs to be understood in it's context, which precludes it from being alcoholic wine of our day. There are different principles which we will look at which will support this.
Firstly, consider the statement that Jesus drank wine at the last supper. The Bible tells us that it was the fruit of the vine which they drank and the Lord Jesus said that He would not drink of it! We know that alcohol is a poison. Would that which was to picture for us the blood of Christ which was soon to be shed as God's sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the world, contain it?
Secondly, if the wine which the Lord Jesus made at the wedding was alcoholic by today's standard then He would have violated the scriptures (Hab 2:15) - which He could not do- and bought a woe upon Himself.
Thirdly , the Bible tells us to abstain from ALL appearance of evil I Thes 5:22. The word "evil" means thay which is harmful or damaging - that describes alcohol.
Fourthly, Most would agree that drunkeness is a sin -Eph 5:18. At what point (BIBLICALLY) is a person drunk or under the influence of alcohol? People who drink tell us that they have one or two glasses to help them relax: where is the peace of God which every believer is supposed to have? - Isa 26:3, Ps 119:165, Phil 4:6,7.
Consider also that the first glass starts to have an effect on the flesh - changes mood feelings, talking etc. Remember that God's Word tell us that we are to make NO provision for the flesh Rom 13:14
Fifthly, a person who is an alcoholic/drunkard did not plan to get into that position BUT got there by having the first drink! How can a Christian by either their example or by directly giving alcohol to another individual be a party to that process? God forbids us from being a stumbling block to others - Rom 14:21-23, ICor 8:12,13.
Sixthly, our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 6:19,20) and we are not to defile God's temple.
Seventhly, am I my brother's keeper? Yes! Why would any Christian want to support in any way an industry which will cause souls to die and go to hell; which brings heartache and suffering to many homes; which costs industry millions of dollars in lost man hours and work injuries; which is an high contributing factor to road accidents etc??
Let me encourage you to also read the following verses in the book of Proverbs 20:1, 21:17, 23:20,21,31-35 . All of these warn against the dangers and folly of alcohol.
I will finish this short study (not exhaustive by along way) by restating an earlier statement:
WE AS A CHURCH MAINTAIN THAT A CHRISTIAN SHOULD MAINTAIN TOTAL ABSTINENCE FROM THE DRINKING OF ALCOHOL
This is available in pdf format
Contemporary Issues - Alcohol"Contemporary Issues - Suicide
Probably all of us know someone/s who has committed suicide or at least tried to, or has threatened too.
(I briefly thought about it and came up with 7 people which I knew! ).
You would be surprised how many you would find if you checked the hospital records.
Youth suicide is at an all time high! It is said to be the second leading cause of death among teenagers.
One of the major issues is, 'Is it an unpardonable sin?' ie if a person commits suicide does that mean that they would go straight to hell?
It is interesting to note that the word suicide is not mentioned in the Bible.
We will define suicide as - ' self murder, deliberately taking one's own life'
Let us look at some examples in the Bible:-
(1) I Sam 31:4
King Saul - after he had lost the battle
(2) II Sam 17:23
Ahithophel - after his counsel was rejected
(3) Matt 27:6
Judas - after the priests had rejected his return of the pieces of silver which he had received for betraying the Lord Jesus.
- he is held up as an example of someone who lost his salvation, however, a careful study of the following scriptures will
show that Judas was never saved. John 6:64,70; 12:6; Luke 22:3; John 13:2
WHY?
There are probably a number of reasons behind why someone takes their own life. One of them is," I hate myself!", however, that is not the case. The Bible tells us that no man hates himself (Eph 5:29). What people hate is what is happening to them or what peple are doing to them or what they are doing to hurt other people. Suicide is an act of self love / selfishness.
Here are some of the things which they hate that are happening to them:-
- guilt
- emotional and mental pain
- hopelessness / despair / no answers
- physical - extended pain
- loneliness - no one cares!
- rejection
- the pain of broken relationships
- shame
- major financial loss
- a pact between two people
IS SUICIDE AN UNPARDONABLE SIN?
This is taught and believed by some. There is no question that suicide (self murder ) is a sin - Thou shalt not kill Ex 20:13 - that includes killing ourselves.
We need to consider which sins the Lord Jesus died for on the cross. The Bible teaches us that ' the Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all ' Isa 53:6; that ' Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures' I Cor 15:3; 'He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world' I John 2:2.
If an unsaved person commits suicide then they would go to hell. Not because of how they died but because they had never trusted the Lord Jesus as their Saviour.
If a saved person should commit suicide then they would go to be with the Lord; not go to hell ie, suffer loss of salvation. Think about which sins the Lord Jesus died for on the cross - for a believer it is all of their sins, past, present and furure. At the moment of salvation God declares them to be justified; the sin debt is removed forever. Amen!
HELP FOR THOSE STRUGGLING
Remember there is no life too hopeless for the Lord Jesus to turn around.
Point them to the Lord Jesus as the One who can help them - Matt 11:28-30
Be careful of becoming emotionally involved; you may want to 'jump' too!!
Don't say "don't worry!"; "other people are worse off than you!" - those sorts of words do not give comfort!
Be a good listener.
Show care and concern and be supportive.
This is available in pdf format
Contemporary Issues - Suicide"
