Brother Wayne Rodgers is the preacher at the Oceanside church of Christ. Wayne and I graduated from the Memphis School of Preaching in 2009. You can find his blog, Wandering Off the Beaten Path, by clicking this link. Wayne is a great gospel preacher and is a blessing to the church.
Approximately 3,000 years ago, the wise man Solomon wrote, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). A lot of wine has “passed under the bridge since then,” but lots of folks are still being deceived by the “raging mocker,” alcohol. The statistics tell the sad story of alcohol abuse in America. More than 70% of adult Americans drink alcoholic beverages, and 1 out of 10 becomes an alcoholic. Alcohol is the most abused drug in our society, costing our nation over $100 billion dollars annually in lost production, medical costs, property damage, violent crime, and death, not to mention the misery which results from the effects of this deadly drug.
Did you know that over half of all fatalities, resulting from car crashes, are caused by drivers who are “under the influence?” Every 48 seconds a person is injured in an alcohol related auto accident, disabling over 500,000 people annually. Alcohol is involved in 30-40% of all sexual abuse cases, and over 675,000 children annually are the victims of child abuse at the hands of a substance-abusing caretaker. Over 5,000 babies are born each year with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and according to a former Surgeon General, alcohol causes more deaths, than all major diseases combined. Law enforcement experts agree, alcohol abuse is the leading cause of nearly every type of crime.When all the statistics are considered, how foolish it is that some “Christians” still advocate the consumption of alcohol in moderation, so long as one does not become drunk. Again, Solomon gave wise counsel when he wrote, “Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup…, At last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea... 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” (Prov. 23:29-35).
A careful study of God’s Word reveals the devastation, which results from consuming alcohol, referred to in the Scriptures as, “the raging mocker.” For instance, Lot became guilty of incest with his daughters because he became drunk (Gen. 19:33-35). Nadab & Abihu were likely “under the influence” when they offered “strange fire” leading to their demise (Lev. 10:1-11). Amnon was easily slain by the servants of Absalom, because he made the foolish mistake of getting drunk (II Sam. 13:28-29). Queen Vashti was dishonored by her husband, Ahasuerus, when at a drunken feast he ordered her to parade her beauty before the crowd (Esther 1:1-22). Belshazzar lost the kingdom of Babylon to the Medes and Persians, because he desecrated God’s sacred temple vessels, during the midst of a drunken feast (Dan. 5:1-31).
God’s Word says the human body is to be preserved in purity as the temple of the Holy Spirit. “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s” (I Cor. 6:19-20). However, alcohol destroys that temple. Ethyl alcohol reaches the bloodstream 30 seconds after ingestion, where it begins its damaging work. Consuming it, in even small quantities, kills brain cells, impairs judgment and coordination, and adversely affects nearly every major organ of the body. Overwhelming medical evidence shows there is no level of drinking that is not harmful to the body.
Christians are warned to guard our influence and not become a stumbling block to the weak. We are not to abuse our freedom in Christ, by causing the weaker brother to sin, and social drinking falls within the jurisdiction of this counsel. “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God (I Cor. 10:32).
Yes, wine is still “the raging mocker,” and millions are still being deceived by its influence. However, the faithful child of God will wisely avoid strong drink, lest he become addicted to this work of the flesh, and miss inheriting the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:21, I Cor. 6:9-10). Has “the raging mocker” fooled you? Please think about it seriously.
The bold letters tell the story of exactly what alcohol will do for you. It will take you AWAY from God, your family, your job, and your life.
