CURSE OF DRINKING

“Wine is a mocker, Strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise!" (Prov. 20:1 NKJV).

There is a lot of drinking in our society. And while drinking and driving causes more than half of the accidents, our officials are not very excited about campaigning against drinking. They will campaign for child-restraint laws in cars, but will not do much to stop the drinking. Alcohol is the sacred cow of legislators. We therefore want to note three things about alcohol: the mocking of alcohol, the meanness of alcohol, and the marketing of alcohol.

Mocking of alcohol – “Wine is a mocker.” The idea here is that when one drinks alcohol he becomes a “mocker.” The word translated “mocker” means to scoff and involves boasting. When people drink their tongue is loosened and they do a lot of boasting, and it is done in a very contemptuous way. Alcohol does not improve the speech of the drinker but only degrades it.

Meanness of alcohol – “Strong drink is a brawler.” It is a fact that drinking alcohol turns the drinker into an aggressive person. The word “brawler” means to growl or roar. It is the drinking of alcohol that causes so many crimes. If drinking were stopped, crime would drop dramatically. If our churches were turning people into “brawlers” (aggressive people), the government would close down the churches. But with alcohol, it is a different story. That is because the legislators, with few exceptions, all drink.

Marketing of alcohol – “Whoever is led astray is not wise.” Periodically someone gets on the soap box for truth in advertising. Generally some toy company or some other manufacturer is attacked because their product does not perform exactly as advertised. But no one goes after the biggest liars in advertising, those who sell alcohol. It is advertised as fun, and good times when in truth it is dangerous and deadly.

(Adapted from Butler Daily Bible Reading)

Soli Deo Gloria (To God Alone Be The Glory)

Quotation of the Week

“Many things can be preserved in alcohol, but Christian character is not one of them!”

Anonymous

Word Study

Driven

In Jam. 3:4 we read, “Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires” (NKJV).

Driven is the Greek word elaunō (ἐλαύνω = el-ow'-no). It is means to push, carry, drive, and row. In classical Greek, elaunō conveys the idea of driving, urging, or impelling. Outside the New Testament it is used in the sense of driving chariots, driving off stolen horses, and persecution (driving to extremes). In the New Testament elaunō carries the idea of driving, whether by physical or spiritual means. It is applied to ships driven by oars or wind, to men driven by demons, and clouds driven by wind. The implication in each case is the ability of the subject to control the destiny and direction of the object.

Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus

Old Testament Prophecy – Messiah would be a rod out of Jesse (Isa. 11:1)

New Testament Fulfillment – Luke 3:23, 32

Did You Know…

In Exodus 1:22, Pharaoh orders that every son that is born to the Hebrews shall be drowned in the Nile. In Exodus 12:29, God strikes down Pharaoh’s own son and the other first born Egyptians. In Exodus 14, Pharaoh’s male soldiers were all drowned in the Red Sea.

Bible Quiz

When Scripture describes God as “the Alpha and the Omega” what does that mean?

**Answer to last week’s trivia: What was Lot’s relationship to Abraham? Lot was Abraham’s nephew (Gen. 11:27; 12:5).

Everyday Expressions Alluded to in the Bible

“Have nothing on me”

“I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me” (John 14:30 NKJV).

“Have nothing on me” - The expression “have nothing on me” carries thee idea of having no accusations on another. The phrase is an Hebrew idiom meaning that the devil could make no legal claim against the Lord Jesus. There was nothing in Jesus’ character or action that could be used against him - Jesus was not of this world, and He has never sinned. Sin leads to death (Rom. 6:23), and sin and death give Satan a hold over people (Heb. 2:14-15). However, since Jesus is sinless, Satan had no hold over Him. Satan thought Jesus’ death was a victory for him, but actually Jesus’ death was a victory over Satan.

Did You Know – Christian History

Stanley Tam, founder of US Plastic Corp, legally gave his entire business to God and the profits that have been generated have gone to the spread of the Gospel across the world. To date, the business Tam built has generated more than $140 Million towards the work of the Lord. Much of the resources have been poured into world evangelism. One of the ministries it supports is in over 42 counties with 1,600 men going door to door sharing the gospel.

Stanley Tam grew up in Lima, OH, and after graduating from high school in 1933, he was selling products door to door when one customer shared the Gospel with him. Six weeks later, he attended church and accepted Christ as his Savior. In 1936, he stumbled upon an extraordinary business opportunity reclaiming silver from film negatives.

TAMCO, as he named his first company, begun with enthusiasm. However, things did not go as planned and Tam decided to call it quits when he felt the Lord encouraging him to press on. With only $25 to his name, along with $12 borrowed from his father, he set out once more, but this time, feeling like God was his partner. Slowly but surely, the business began to turn a profit. Soon, he felt the Lord asking him to give the ownership business over to God. It took some persistence to convince an attorney to help him with his unique request but eventually, papers were drawn up to turn over 51% of the stock to a nonprofit organization. God had become the majority owner of his company.

Interestingly enough, business improved in a way he never expected, and many photo lab owners felt comfortable doing business with Tam. In 1945, during a time of prayer, he felt the Lord calling him to the winning of souls. In 1952, while on an evangelistic tour in Korea, the Evangelist suddenly had to return home leaving Tam in charge of finishing the tour. He simply shared his testimony and told the Koreans all that God had done in his life. Tam later called it, “one of the greatest experiences of my life.”

In 1955, Tam felt the Lord urging him to give the entire business to Him. He obeyed, turning over all 100% to his heavenly Father. Tam also quadrupled the size of his plant in order to turn the side of his building into a billboard for Christ facing Interstate 75. In gigantic letters, he had a sign created that read, “Christ is the answer.” Dr. Tam considers giving his business to the Lord as simply an act of obedience. Tam’s obedience is an extraordinary and inspirational example of what one man can accomplish for the Lord when he puts God first place in his life.

A Little Humor

Having lost most of his hearing a number of years ago, the elderly man goes to the doctor to be fitted with hearing aids which promise to allow him to hear 100%. A month later, he returns to the doctor for a check up on his progress. The doctor tells him that his hearing is perfect and asks if his family is pleased. The man says, “Oh, I haven’t told them about the hearing aids yet. I just sit around and listen to them talk. I’ve changed my will three times!”

Thought Provoking Church Sign

“No man ever got lost on the straight and narrow road!”