INTRODUCTION

Before reading our text, let’s begin with three verses from Romans 6...

Romans 6:12–14

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

As Ed Welch put it in his book: Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave…

"Scripture couldn’t be any clearer. An essential feature of sin is that it loathes boundaries, preferring instead to follow its own desires. The consequence of pursuing these desires is that we are unsatisfied, deluded, and enslaved by our ungodly passions."

Welch, Edward T. 2011. Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave. Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press.

But there is good news! To the Christians in Rome, Paul wrote “sin shall have no dominion over you.” Those words weren’t based on the strength of those Christians. It was based on the saving and sanctifying grace of God Paul knew to be in them.

The same grace you have if you are a born-again follower of Christ. The same saving grace you need if you are not. The same grace by which God gifts churches with men who aspire and qualify to serve as pastors and imperfect examples for all the church.

As we carefully apply 1 Timothy 3:1-7, we have now made it to verses 3. I know we skipped the end of verse 2, and that is because I plan to us to address that after going through verse 7.

1 Timothy 3:1–3 KJV

This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop [overseer/pastor/elder], he desireth [aspires for] a good work. A bishop then must be blameless [above reproach], the husband of one wife [a one-woman man], vigilant [sober-minded], sober [self-controlled], of good behaviour [modestly respectable], given to hospitality [a lover/friend of strangers]…

3 Not given to wine [long with/addicted to wine]…

“Sin shall have no rule over you.” This includes giving ourselves to gluttony and drunkenness. Gluttony as it stressed by “given to” or “long with” and by the nature and biblical associations of drunkenness.

Drunkenness because that it what results from being “given to wine” and is the more typical way it is described. This particular Greek word is used in one other place—Paul’s letter to Titus.

Now don’t look at me like I wrote this verse in the Bible! I am just the messenger. So, let’s get into the message. Let’s talk about gluttony and drunkenness.

We’ll begin by addressing the problems, then the modern complexities, then the biblical instruction against, and finally the biblical alternative to gluttony and drunkenness. First the…

PROBLEMS OF GLUTTONY AND DRUNKENNESS

10,000 Sermon Illustrations The Juggler

A juggler, driving to his next performance, is stopped by the police. “What are those machetes doing in your car?” asks the cop.

“I juggle them in my act.”

“Oh, yeah?” says the doubtful cop. “Let’s see you do it.” The juggler gets out and starts tossing and catching the knives. Another man driving by slows down to watch.

“Wow,” says the passer-by. “I’m glad I quit drinking. Look at the test they’re giving now!”

Contributed by Natalie Kaplowitz, Reader’s Digest, May, 1994, p. 67

In addition to being mixed with our modern form of transportation, there are many other ways gluttony and drunkenness is problematic and deadly. Let’s just read some of the Old Testament warnings.

The first one is instruction for parents to bring their drunkard child to court. This is both a warning and a legal protection of due process.

Deuteronomy 21:20

And they shall say unto 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.

That was for any son in Israel. Next, this set of proverbs are directed immediately toward royal sons and indirectly to all of God’s people.

Proverbs 20:1

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: And whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

Proverbs 21:17

He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: He that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

Proverbs 23:19–21

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And guide thine heart in the way. Be not among winebibbers; Among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: And drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

Proverbs 23:29–35

29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? 30 They that tarry long at the wine; They that go to seek mixed wine.

31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, When it giveth his colour in the cup, When it moveth itself aright. 32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, And stingeth like an adder. 33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women, And thine heart shall utter perverse things.

34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. 35 They have stricken me, shalt thou 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.

Proverbs 28:5–7

Evil men understand not judgment: But they that seek the Lord understand all things. Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, Than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich. Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: But he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.

Proverbs 31:1–7

1 The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him. 2 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? And what, the son of my vows? 3 Give not thy strength unto women, Nor thy ways to that which destroyeth kings.

4 It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; Nor for princes strong drink: 5 Lest they drink, and forget the law, And pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.

6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, And wine unto those that be of heavy hearts. 7 Let him drink, and forget his poverty, And remember his misery no more.

No on to two passages in Isaiah that are directed toward unfaithful leaders of Israel and their followers in the 8th century BC.

Isaiah 5:20–24

20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; That put darkness for light, and light for darkness; That put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!

22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, And men of strength to mingle strong drink: 23 Which justify the wicked for reward, And take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!

24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, And the flame consumeth the chaff, So their root shall be as rottenness, And their blossom shall go up as dust: Because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

After warning the other leaders in chapter 28, Isaiah says to the unfaithful spiritual leaders...

Isaiah 28:7–8

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. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, So that there is no place clean.

In their ways of drunkenness, they mocked Isaiah’s words. Instead of being ruled by God’s Word, they turned themselves over to being ruled by wine and beer. In doing so, they failed in their leadership of God’s people.

As will pastors who are given to wine. Simply put, gluttony and drunkenness…

• It dulls.

• It destroys.

• It dominates.

• It divides.

• It deceives.

Q: Why do you think leaders are warned so strongly against gluttony and drunkenness? How does this relate to being a Christian? A pastor?

We could go on further, but I think we have an idea of the problems. How about the modern-day complexities?

COMPLEXITIES OF GLUTTONY AND DRUNKENNESS

What we will do next is read a sampling of verses one might go to point out positive uses of wine in the Bible. Before we read them, I must point out that the access and potency of wine and beer then was much different than today. I had to review my biblical encyclopedias and counseling books for this!

Even though “strong drink” and “liquor” is used by some translations for the Hebrew word “shekar,” scholars on this subject understand the highest percentage of alcohol in drinks then was 14-16%. That was neither common nor affordable. That would have been the max.

Wine was often diluted to as low as under 1% to 3-5%. It was often safer to drink than plain water. Strong drink likely ranged from 3% to 11% alcohol—sometimes more.

In contrast, modern beers often contain 5%, wines 9-20%, and hard liquors 40-50% or more due to the distillation process did not become known until after the middle ages.

Hopefully that adds some meaningful context to the qualification of “not given to wine!” In the first century, you usually would have had to be long with wine in order to get drunk. Not so much today.

With that context, let’s now read some of the passages…

Psalm 104:14–15

He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, And herb for the service of man: That he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, And oil to make his face to shine, And bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.

And to the Israelite traveling to bring one of his three tithes for feasting with God’s people, he is told…

Deuteronomy 14:26

And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus said…

Matthew 11:18–19

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

Of course, how could anyone forget when Jesus turned the water into wine…

John 2:1–11

… 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: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

And lastly, Paul’s health advice for Timothy that we read a few weeks ago…

1 Timothy 5:23

Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.

Let’s use some discernment for a few moments…

Modern distinctions on the use of alcohol substantiate its deceit : use, intoxication, abuse, dependency.

Modern solutions for abuse and dependency are numerous and inconclusive.

Modern access and potency is unparalleled.

Moderate use of modern alcohol proves unsuccessful for most who have been “dependent” on it.

Modern technology has created more addictive foods, substances, and devices .

Our day is plagued with artificial everything. Food, drinks, fruits, sugars, drugs, intelligence, relationships, etc. We have to be more diligent than ever in this regard!

Kids over eat fake sugars, go all day and late at night on screens, have less or no recess, physical education, and training… and then they get prescribed medicine as a solution. Ever think there might be something wrong with this picture?

And adults live like this too. Help us!

Q: What might be wise for you to do differently to guard you and your family against today’s increased access and potency of intoxicating substances? How might we better serve our community in this area?

Problems… Complexities…

INSTRUCTIONS AGAINST GLUTTONY AND DRUNKENNESS

Drunkenness might appear silly and funny, but it’s not. Consider what the New Testament has to say about it…

Don’t stop stewarding and living for Christ due to drunkenness.

Romans 13:11–14

11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. 14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Luke 21:33–35

33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Don’t continue in such ways of sin from which you are being saved .

1 Peter 4:1–5

1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: 5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

Galatians 5:18–21

18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Those who are led of God’s Spirit and purchased by Christ are not okay with gluttony and drunkenness. If Christ found us there or if we have wandered there, we must trust that God is actively working in us to bring victory over these works of the flesh.

But know this, Paul had to write this to believers for a reason. They needed to wage war on these sins, like do some of us here today. Picking up Ed Welch’s book again, he write…

Although God could certainly change us immediately and give us instantly pure hearts, God has determined that change and growth will come gradually. It will come as we learn to trust him and do battle with our sin. This is called progressive sanctification.

Why doesn’t God change us instantly? Why doesn’t he remove the afflictions in our lives? It is enough for us to know that God is God and simply trust him. But notice one practical advantage of this daily battle. It teaches us to cry out to him and rely on him instead of ourselves—or our addictive substance. Faith and trust are qualities God prizes. Without daily struggles there would be no compelling reason to call out to him and say, “I need you,” which is a definition of faith.

Welch, Edward T. 2011. Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave. Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press.

Don’t stop stewarding and living for Christ. Don’t continue in the sinful ways from which God is saving you. And…

Don’t be mastered by such ungodly powers .

1 Corinthians 6:9–13

9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them…

Lawful doesn’t mean advantageous! It is never to our advantage to be mastered by the cruel, dissatisfying master of sin and its friends.

Q: What is it that demands you love it more than God? How vigilant are you to run from its call?

OUR ALTERNATIVE TO GLUTTONY AND DRUNKENNESS

Now here is what excites me. So far, the message has been negatively about problems, complexities, and instructions against gluttony and drunkenness. Now, let’s positively think on the God-honoring, Christ-exalting, Spirit-empowered alternative for Christians.

Whether someone is abstaining from, using, abusing, or “dependent on” anything from unhealthy foods to alcohol to adultery to drugs, know this: the ultimate answer is not a program, it is a Person—Jesus.

That does not mean programs and disciplines will not be helpful. But, lest we look to or point others to false saviors, let’s see what Scripture says is the answer to the constant internal and external cry of sin and sins companions…

Ask God to lead you by His Spirit .

Luke 11:13; Ephesians 4:17-24; 5:8-21

Luke 11:13

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Ephesians 4:17–24

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20 But ye have not so [in this way] learned Christ; 21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; 23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

The Puritan John Owen wrote, “Holiness is nothing but the implanting, writing and realizing of the gospel in our souls.”

Welch, Edward T. 2011. Addictions: A Banquet in the Grave. Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press.

Ephesians 5:8–21

8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. 15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; 19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; 20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

Being led God’s Spirit…

• Speak and sing God’s Word and gospel to one another.

• Sing from the heart to the Lord.

• Give thanks to God always for everything.

• Submit to one another in reverence to the Lord.

Trust God alone to truly satisfy .

Revelation 21:6

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Take your fill of Christ among His people .

John 7:37–39

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

The normal means of gathering around the gospel and the frequent communion of the Lord’s Table are biblically prescribed ways for all God’s people to come and submit yet again to our good and gracious King and turn from all enslaving counterfeits.

In a few minutes, we will fellowship with a meal and take the Lord’s Supper. Communion in Christ with His people is our present and eternal alternative to surrendering ourselves to all other masters.

I want to emphasize here that God is not a killjoy. He is the true Source of joy. He invites us to feasting, laughter, singing, and fellowship. The church gathering should be a weekly highpoint that fuels so much of the believers week in the Lord.

Mark 14:22–26

22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.

24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. 25 Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God. 26 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

Enjoy the empowerment of God’s Spirit and the communion of His people in the new covenant and new creation—now and forever.

Q: What do you think sin, Satan, and the world has to offer that is better than God? Have you thought about where joy, laughter, and goodness comes from?

SERMON IN A SENTENCE: Don’t trade the lasting joy of Christ’s rule (even temporarily) for the deceitful rule of anything else.

1 Timothy 3:1–3

1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless…

3 Not given to wine [long with/addicted to wine]…