 Good afternoon pastor. Hey John. Welcome everybody to unfiltered a random moment with pastor David And today pastor I'd like to ask a question in Ephesians chapter 4 Paul instructs The Church of Ephesus to walk worthy Walk worthy of the calling in which they've been called as Christians we use that term walking worthy walking with the Lord that Identifies how we live our life for Christ Recently, I had a conversation with somebody and they Mentioned to me that they're Christians But they also Drink alcohol even to the point where it has caused some drunkenness Can Christianity? and alcohol Be considered a walk that is walking worthy for the Lord The sipping saint right the whole question You know how much is how much is too much and how far can I go usually questions like that are like that there's a line drawn we'll say and The question very often John is how close to that line can I get? and anybody who is Wanting to find that line so they can say can do something You know that they feel is within the bound boundaries of grace Is telling me they're carnal that I mean just from the beginning Instead of saying God saved me from this wicked life and God helped me To live a life that pleases you and say God help me to enjoy life and do the things I want and still get to heaven And all of that so bro You know that the argument today is an argument that I guess the church has had for many years, but I um I immediately Respond to such a question by saying why why give me some benefits from drinking Yeah, give me some benefit. Oh, wait a minute. Jesus made wine. Oh gee. I never have heard that one and uh, you know, but it says be not drunk with wine, you know And uh, so there's no prohibition and even the deacons were to not be given too much wine Right and so we get into a big big discussion about What what wine is what is the composition of wine? What kind of wine did they drink during the time of christ? Did jesus get drunk Did jesus drink did jesus drink wine when he had Passover? You know, did he have Unfermented wine or did he you know things like that, you know, and so Here's the thing john anytime Somebody begins to want to know how far they can go and still be saved It's a danger anytime And I I've done I've done this kind of conversation before where I've spent several minutes developing Why drinking is not a good thing Drinking to excesses obviously and any christian who claims that oh, I have freedom and christ to be drunk Is disobeying scripture? It isn't wise for a man to to to drink wine. It's not fit for kings Olem well, you know, the writer of proverbs says, you know, it isn't fit for kings and if we truly are um Kings kings and priests if we truly are members of the kingdom of god and and Spiritual royalty which we are in christ. It isn't fit for a king to drink wine It's certainly not fit for a man of god or a woman of god to To push the boundaries and see how far they can go without getting too drunk or drunk at all Be not drunk with wine. So if you've got a christian who is drinking to the point of inebriation, he violated scripture so Can you be a good Witness for the love and grace of god the power of the holy spirit the fruit of the spirit Can you While you're drinking your wine talking to your friends, can you really? And if you think you can you've deceived yourself because you can't You cannot At least here in the united states and please don't start arguing with me about italy Or england and how you know or in germany where luther would over a good pint of ale You know think of deep things and what else did he think of we don't know So I I just I think those are Those are arguments that are intended not to make a point But to give oneself permission to do what they just flat out want to do and so Are you a good witness when you drink? Are you thinking of the things of the lord when you have your beer? Are you really? Because what that really reveals to me is you've got other things on your mind and other desires And you're basically placating the desires of the flesh One of the things we were sharing just recently about john the baptist is he would not drink strong drink He was somebody who was filled with the spirit From his mother's womb and and he did not drink And that was a demonstration of his separation that he was set apart for the work of god and I think that he's a good example of somebody who truly had a righteousness within him And so when somebody is saying Pastor can I drink? I'm not a legalist and and immediately people you're a legalist now What I am is a person who wants people saved And anybody who wants to argue with me how you can still be a great christian and a drinker Probably hasn't hasn't too much experience with those whose lives are ruined by alcohol you know somebody was saying to me one time that They were concerned about drinking and They were saying that It's not so much that you're drinking. It's that The person that's watching is being affected and I heard the story of a pastor whose father was He was a good family man He loved his kids He went to church He was at a party and while at the party Somebody invited him to have a drink the man had never had a drink in his life He said I watched my father A man who was really just always a good man there for the family I watched him as he slowly but surely began to get addicted to alcohol To the point where my father eventually divorced my mother left the family and died an alcoholic He said okay He want to argue about drinking wine and you have freedom to do it But have you thought about the ones you influence with your freedoms? You may not become an alcoholic But have you ever asked yourself whether you've influenced somebody to become one? Listen if you really love people and I think we do That's a mark of a christian Then you're not going to want to do something to stumble a brother And jesus said that a person who fends It'd be better for him this little one who believes in me for him to have a millstone tied around his neck and dropped into the deepest part of the sea so john I just really have I I really have an opposition to sipping saints because In the end and I probably lost so many right now you're not going to hear this conclusion but In the end it's because I want people saved I want people saved I want them saved out of out of The money they spend on wine that could have been spent on their family or even given to the lord The money that they spend on their alcohol That is being misplaced and sometimes It could have been used for so many other things The illnesses that they can get it when they drink and get the cirrhosis of the liver eye I have ministered to people Who have died of cirrhosis of the liver? I have done that. I had a I had a cousin who died of cirrhosis And it's not it's not a pretty way to die You know people who have Who have lost everything lost families lost jobs lost reputation lost so many things so I'm not the the right pastor to argue with about those things, you know I'm I'm not I'm not a ivory tower person. Oh, you know in love and grace. No, I'm a practical person and Just isn't wise to linger at the cup to look at the wine when it's red because Who has well who has bruises who has wounds with no reason? The one who lingers at the cup and so Instead of going out and spending money on something that kills you You could put that money into something that Bills you up. You could put that money into something that It builds your family up so The Christians drink Are the unsaved because they had a beer That's not what I'm saying anybody who thinks that's what I'm saying isn't listening because you're you're probably those who are offended You're probably what I like to call a alcohol evangelist You're more concerned with your freedoms and getting people to agree with you Than you are with bringing people to saviour faith in jesus christ your freedoms mean more than their freedom Keep that in mind and so Hate me if you want. I don't know. I don't know you But if you're struggling with alcohol, jesus can set you free. I was a drunk I was a drunk. I know what that life is. I was arrested three different times for alcohol related offenses It's not like I've never carried at the cop It's not like I've never broken people's hearts by things I was doing when I was drunk And if you're still drinking You need to be filled with the spirit be not drunk with wine but be filled with the spirit Why why don't be drunk with wine because he says in it is dissipation the word dissipation Lack of control a lack of self-control. Don't tell me you've ever seen a drunk who's in total control They don't they don't cite people or arrest people for driving under total control They drive them. They cite them or jail them for driving under the influence And that's why instead of being under the influence of Of the alcohol were to be under the influence of the spirit So there's your answer. Amen. Thank you so much pastor. Thank you so much for your time With random moments with pastor david and want to join you guys. Have you joined us on wednesday evening? Tomorrow 7 p.m. Yep, and we're going through the book of Job and then on sunday We have 8 30 and 10 45. Yep, uh through the book of mark. So come and have a drink with us Ah Thank you pastor david. Uh, god bless you. Thank you guys for tuning in. Thank you pastor