Sermon Notes...

Well this Sunday had an interesting sermon but one that was much needed among my particular age group. I feel like my generation is always looking for the easy way out, the shortcut or the loophole in the scriptures. Making the scripture fit in to our mold. I mean if you are like me you have said or have heard this said, "BUT Jesus turned water in to wine..." So it must be OK. Or "a glass of wine is good for your stomach..."
Our Pastor talked directly to us about why our church believes in abstaining from alcohol other than the old timers explanation of "Your body is a temple of GOD and you shouldn't put anything in it to destroy it and that it will kill your brain cells" The pastor made the point that most of the people figured...I already have destroyed brain cells...what are a few more or we think we are smart enough that we can spare a few. He had all the members stand up while he read directly out of the manuel of the Church of the Nazarene that clearly states that as a member you agree that you will abstain from any use of alcohol. He also backed this up with scripture.
The passage in the bible he used was Proverbs 23:29-35 and it says
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
Who has strife? Who has complaints?
Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?

30 Those who linger over wine,
who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.

31 Do not gaze at wine when it is red,
when it sparkles in the cup,
when it goes down smoothly!

32 In the end it bites like a snake
and poisons like a viper.

33 Your eyes will see strange sights
and your mind imagine confusing things.

34 You will be like one sleeping on the high seas,
lying on top of the rigging.

35 "They hit me," you will say, "but I'm not hurt!
They beat me, but I don't feel it!
When will I wake up
so I can find another drink?"

It amazes me that even when the bible was transulated that verses 32-35 describe perfectly what the affects of alcohol can do to a person. The pastor went on to give statistics of what alcohol can do in our every day life... For instance.
Every 22 minutes someone dies from alcohol or alcohol related disease/accident.
50% of all rapes are alcohol related
36% of suicides are alcohol related
50% of child abuse is alcohol related
75% of all child deaths are alcohol related (this one scares me!)

Wine in bible times is not the same wine that we are used to in our time. The wine in that time was used for medicine to settle the stomach because the water was full of bacteria. Example 1Timothy 5:23

23 Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses

It was also mixed in most settings in the bible as in Proverbs 9:2-5

2 She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.

3 She has sent out her maids, and she calls
from the highest point of the city.

4 "Let all who are simple come in here!"
she says to those who lack judgment.

5 "Come, eat my food
and drink the wine I have mixed.

He spoke about our preferences over our convictions and how when we prefer things it is for convience. For example...most parents prefer that their kids don't drink, but it is Ok if they do. Most parents prefer that their kids go to church even if they don't. If we had a conviction about those things and believed strongly in it then we would be making sacrifices. Making sure that our kids can follow our example and teaching them that a drink is not all that important. Making a sacrifice in sleep or time to make the effort to come to church. Conviction is sacrifice. Christians should take a stand to make sure that they are not just blending in with the world. If you are out somewhere and someone sees you with a beer in your hand and another person who is obviously not a christian holding a beer in their hand then how will they know that you are a Christian and that you are making sacrifices to show what you believe to a very critical outside world. Let's face it the world is waiting for us Christians to screw up so they can point fingers at us and call us a hypocrite. We are supposed to be images of Christ and he would have abstained from alcohol in our time so he could be a good example and a good witness to the world. Our pastor ended his sermon with these statistics:

If a child can abstain from using alcohol until the age of 21 then they are more likely to never drink

The average age right now in the US for starting to drink is 11 for boys and 13 for girls. The average age that people begin to drink on a regular basis is 15.9.

He asked which catagory do we fall into...Abstainance, Tolerance, or Acceptance. As members of the Nazarene Church we should be falling under the Abstainance catorgory but it seems that lately we are falling under the tolerance or acceptance. We aren't fazed by the fact that our kids see us drinking and we can't give a good excuse as to why they can't have some. The only thing I could think people could say to their kids would be it tastes awful and it makes you sick...(THEN WHY DRINK IT). Some people can stop at one drink but how do you know that if you are influence that your children use to decide to drink that they will be that person that can stop at just one and that they won't end up on the statistical side of alcohol.

So that is the sermon and what I interpreted him as saying...I would love to hear any comments from those of you that attend our church who might have gotten something different out of it or that agree with what I think.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.