Sobriety | Part 1

Proverbs 20:10 | Part 1 | Drinking. It's mentioned in the Bible over 200 times so it's clear that God has something to say about it. What does He want for us to do with alcohol, no matter our opinions? The answer might surpise you. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:05

Let us stray is the key that unlocks Solomon's thought. Lettuy, over drinking, wine strong drinks either turns you into a mocker or it mocks you because you can't handle it.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

You're listening to The Bridge with Junior Ziggler. Junior is the lead teaching pastor at the Bridge in Chicagoland, and today we're diving into a topic that tends to get people talking. We're talking drinking and sobriety. Now, whenever this subject comes up, people usually land in one of two camps. There's some Christians who think you should never touch alcohol under any circumstance, and then you have others who think, oh, it's not that big of a deal at all. And if we're honest, most of us come into this conversation carrying something. Maybe it'd be family history, addiction, personal convictions, past experiences. The good news is that the Bible doesn't avoid the topic. In fact, Scripture talks about alcohol over a hundred times, both positively and sometimes negatively. Which means this topic requires a lot of wisdom in order to deal with it rightly. And thankfully, that's what the book of Proverbs is all about. So whether you're listening from home, driving, working, relaxing, listening with family, we're glad you're here. Now here's Junior.

SPEAKER_02 1:23

Last time I was here at Ranhurst, talked about sex, and uh figured we'd just kind of like do something a little bit lighter this time and talk about drinking today. So my wife had said she's like, You're just trying to get canceled, trying to get fired. It's like, yeah, well, I guess we'll see how this goes. Uh, once in a while, you need to open up a can of worms, and uh, and it's the worst. It's like you gotta have that conversation with your kids, kind of like an awkward conversation, or maybe it's like a necessary conversation with your spouse or a coworker, like you need to talk about this, but you know it's gonna be a can of worms, and you're trying to figure out ways around it. You know it's like, do we have to have this conversation? Can we skip this conversation? Can we like sweep this on the rug? Can we just kind of like look the other way on it? Like, do we have to open this? But you know as well as I that the health of really any marriage, family, team, organization, any church is the ability and the willingness to just be like, no, let's just let's just open open up this can of worms. And so let's open this thing metaphorically and talk about drinking. Last time we talked about alcohol, I got uh quite a bit of flack, um, which is fine. I I had some people who can over-drink, um, thought I was being way too strict. And then I had some people on the other side of the spectrum who um find it as any drinking is sin, including a pastor that I grew up with posted on like, I don't know how he like watched my sermon online or something, posted on social media, accusing me of like encouraging people to drink and saying I was like I'd be a terrible pastor for anybody who um who maybe struggles with it. So I got like shot at from both sides, but it goes to show that this topic can really, it really can be a can of worms. Alcohol can be an emotional subject for some people. There's like a lot of layers and complexity and family histories, and then there's triggers and addiction, and there's regrets that were fueled by alcohol. Then you have legalism that can be twisted all up into this. Like this can be a total minefield, but I mean it when I say this. Some of the most gracious people that I know, loving people and encouraging people, they're in this church. And there might be some things in this can that don't taste great, and we're gonna get to that in a second. But if I'm gonna open up this can with anybody, I really am. I'm glad that it's it's with you. The conversations about drinking have recently taken a backseat with the legalization of marijuana, um, which by the way, so much of the biblical framework that we're gonna build today can be applied to really any substance. But just because the conversation about drinking has taken back seat doesn't mean that like alcohol consumption has somehow magically become healthy now that weed is in the picture. Uh, in fact, recently the consumption of alcohol per capita has had its largest jump in 60 years. And so even with marijuana coming into the picture, alcohol abuse has only gone up significantly. But it's it's nothing new. This has been an age-old conversation. Case in point, Scripture has a lot to say about alcohol. Over 200 times Scripture references alcohol. And we're gonna look at a few of those today in Proverbs. We're gonna start here in Proverbs chapter 20, uh, verse 1. It's page 542 in the Bibles and the chairs if you're using one of those Bibles. But Proverbs chapter uh 20. Well, as the lens of Scripture zooms into Proverbs chapter 20, we find ourselves in ancient Jerusalem during what is known as the first temple period. This is the city that the famed King David built his palace. Uh, David, King David, also purchased land up the mountain just a little bit further to build a future temple of God. This is a dream of King David to build the temple of God. Though he was never able to realize that dream, his son Solomon would complete his dad's vision. The ornate temple glistens on top of the mount. I love how Josephus put it, like a like a diamond set in the ring, the temple of God set on the mount, all of which can be seen from Solomon's porch. And not far from the temple courtyard, all around the mount, up and down the Kidron Valley below are vineyards that are being tended to. Views of vineyards that Solomon can drink in from his window. See, the vineyards are more than just a quaint view, they serve as a reminder of the richness of the empire. That as you walk into Jerusalem, the indulgence of grapes meets you. And while vines are a symbol of health, they also pose a subtle threat. Because kings and kingdoms, empires have fallen from the overindulgence of what these vineyards produce. Solomon's own allies, enemies, have become victims of addiction. And so from his window, Solomon drinks in the view of the fruit-filled vines. His eye catches a wine press. No doubt some of the best wine in the empire is made at that press. Though that press can deliver joy, it can also devastate. And Solomon grabs a pen and etches this warning right here. He says, Wine is a mocker and strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. Now, those of us in this room who are okay with drinking in moderation, our initial reaction when we look at this can be like, well, that seems kind of harsh, a little extreme. And I get that feeling. But let's also remember this is scripture. And so let's go here and let's unpack. What does this actually mean? Now, wine, we know what wine is. Wine presses surrounded Solomon's Palace. But then there's strong drink. What is that? And today we think of like strong drink of maybe like the corn moonshine of Kentucky or, you know, the potato mash of Russia, the agave of Mexico, you know, like the high-proof bottles. And for sure, those are, yeah, those are strong drinks. But that wasn't much of a thing during Solomon's era, at least in his empire. Strong drink for Solomon was any sort of alcohol that was made, um, not made from grapes. So palm wine, which is I've I've never heard of, but I guess it's a wine that's made from the sap of palm trees. And then mead that's made from honey. Anything else, any sort of alcoholic beverage that wasn't that wasn't made from grapes, was considered a strong drink, which by the way, none of which is nearly as strong as what we consider strong drinks today, very low ABV drinks. Like, all right, Junior, why are you telling us this? I don't know. I just thought that was kind of interesting. But seriously, when I when I look at this verse, my initial thought, and I'm not saying that this is right, but my initial thought is I can look at this and be like, I don't know if this is fair, Solomon. Like, you must be talking about a raging alcoholic. Because me, like I'll periodically enjoy a drink. Now I know I'm gonna get some emails on that. I was like, my pastor, like, is that why he doesn't wear socks? I I I've never been drunk. I am very careful, but but I enjoy different drinks. I've never mocked, never started brawling. So it can be easy. I I get this from your perspective, and from mine too. It can be easy to look at this and be like, I think you're kind of being unfair, Solomon. So, what do we do with this? Because it's really easy. What's really easy to happen, this happens so often, it's really easy for those who see no problem with drinking in moderation. We can look at this verse, we can just kind of like, well, dismiss it. Like, all right, well, you know, it's Solomon's probably talking about some sort of raging alcoholic who's destroying his family. That's not me. I'm fine. And then we can write that verse off. And then there's teetotalers who you know what that is, teetotaling, what that is. My my wife after the last hour was like, I have no idea what that is. Teetotaling means that you don't drink at all, like not even not even a drop. So teetotalers, then who I have massive amounts of respect for. A lot of my friends are teetotalers, and I think that is extremely wise. But teetotalers can really run with this then and say, see, alcohol is bad. But then on the other hand, Jesus turned water to wine. So how do we reconcile this verse, wine is a mocker, with later God in flesh makes wine? Then to add to that, Deuteronomy, God tells the Israelites that they can buy, they can purchase fermented drink and eat in the presence of God and rejoice. It's like Jesus makes wine, Deuteronomy says it's okay to have some, but then Solomon says this, like, man, my goodness, we're kind of in a predicament here. I'm telling you, it's a can of worms. And anytime there's an apparent contradiction in the scripture, it's an invitation to go deeper. And in this case, with this verse, you just have to keep reading. The ending of this verse is really the lens through which you read the entire verse. Led astray is the key that unlocks Solomon's thought. Led astray, over drinking, wine, strong drinks either turns you into a mocker or it mocks you because you can't handle it. In fact, Harrison in his commentary on Proverbs writes the verse, Proverbs 20, verse 1, must be read as a whole to gain its full meaning. Now that's a massive rule for reading and studying scripture. Because when you leave out or underemphasize a thought in scripture, in this case led astray, it changes the meaning. It's how people abuse into a scripture. And so let's not underemphasize, let's not downplay uh led astray. Let astray. What does that actually mean? Now, the word that Solomon uses for led astray is the Hebrew word shagah, which is kind of fun to say, but it's not a great word, because it means to do wrong, to sin. And so scripture is very clear, crystal clear, over and over and over. Inebriation is sin. What Solomon is pending here is that if you were to approach alcohol, there are boundaries to stay within. It is incredibly easy to sin with alcohol. Do not approach it unless you are aware, respectful, and physically capable of having high respect for the boundaries that God asks of you, not overdoing it.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

You're listening to The Bridge with Junior Ziggler. We'll get back to Junior in a moment. We want to tell you about one of his books, The Manual. If you're a man or raising a man, married to a man, maybe dating a man, there's a lot of confusion around what real manhood actually is. In the manual, Junior cuts through the noise, both the over-the-top macho stuff and the politically correct definitions, and he gets to the raw core of manhood. He exposes the toxic masculinity for what it really is, not manhood at all. This book is simple, honest, powerful, and it might just change how you view men, strength, and leadership. We'd love to send you a copy of the manual. Just visit juniorziglar.com and give a gift of any amount towards this show, and we'll send it to you. That's juniorz-i e-g L E R dot com. Now let's get back to Junior's message.

SPEAKER_02 11:33

Solomon is giving us a foundational framework for drinking, and that is number one, stay sober. Stay sober. No, we can look at this and we can be like, well, what does sober mean? There's actually two definitions of sober. The traditional wording for sober is not drunk. And so there is this, there, there is this um space where you might be able to enjoy a drink but not be drunk. Now, um, with the introduction of 12-step programs, which are great by the way, um, love 12-step programs, a lot of 12-step programs, their definition is like teetotaling, like not a drop at all. Like you're living sober, not a drop. So for some of us, sober might mean that, like not a drop. And now, if you're under 21, you're in high school, that that's you for sure. Those of us who may might struggle, that that's that's you. It's just like sober is not a drop. For others of us, there might be a little bit of a gap there. It's like, no, I can enjoy without going too far and be dulled or or or drunk. But it's also about scripture. Ephesians 5, 18, do not get drunk. Proverbs 23, 20, do not join with those who drink too much. Uh Romans 13, let us behave decently, not in drunkenness. In Ephesians 5, the Apostle Paul paints this idea of if you're full of God, you're not gonna be full of alcohol, inebriated. If you're full of alcohol, you're not gonna be full of God. Like it's one or the other. But again, this is where we can ask, and I get it, because the question that swirls around is like, okay, junior, all right, I can get on board with that, but like, where's the line? One drink, two drinks, three drinks. Like, what if I have what if I have a high alcohol tolerance? Where's the line? In Illinois, it's like what, 0.08% BAC is like the, you know, it's like, well, yeah, if you if you can't drive a car, you're well past where you should be. But also when Solomon wrote this in his palace, he wasn't like thinking, what is Illinois legislation? I gotta, you know, put it, it wasn't on his, that wasn't on his mind. So the question then remains, where's the line? Now, personally, for me, I've never found that a good question to ask. In dating, that's not a good question to ask. In passing a class, terrible question to ask. In drinking? That's like asking, where's the lowest I can set this bar here and be okay? Imagine me asking Nicole, and I go home after church, I ask Nicole, hey baby, where's the line in loving you? Like, what's the least I can do where you still feel loved? It's like, that's a terrible question. So the question isn't where's the line? The question for the believer is the same question we ask for everything. What does honoring God look like with this? Can I honor God and enjoy a drink? In some cases, for some people, yeah. In other cases for other people, no. I get this question a lot. Um, maybe it's because of how I look, but like, Junior, can I honor God and use recreational drugs? Bend my mind for enjoyment. No. The goal is to honor God and we honor God sober, clear mind. Now that doesn't mean there's like zero room for medicinal conversations, but at the end of the day, we can't honor God when we take a gift of His, our mind, our faculty, and twist it and cloud it for our own enjoyment or escape. In fact, throughout history, this is a big part of pagan worship. Pagan worship in ancient times had a draw. You wanted to participate in pagan worship. It was fun because it was fueled with substances. You'd be filled with alcohol, or uh, you'd get high, usually in opium, and you would eliminate sobriety. It was a ritual for approaching the false god. So if you were drunk or if you were high, you were you were seen as like as able to communicate with the false gods better. In fact, the Greek word is wild, the Greek word for sorcery in the New Testament is pharmakaea. We get our word pharmacy from that word. Pharmakaea wasn't as much medicinal as it was this recreational use of mind-altering substances that allowed you to be more in touch with the false gods. So alcohol, drugs, it was enjoyable because it was an escape from this realm. So historically, elimination of sobriety was very much a dark practice. It was filled with substances. Now, today we just kind of rebrand that as partying or college. But throughout most of history, that was just false worship. So for Solomon and believers, us, we approach God in the state that he designed us, clear mind, in order that we might be filled with him and nothing else. And so instead of asking the question, and I get the question, but instead of asking the question, well, where's the line? The better question is what honors God here? That's always the question that we ask for everything. And it's that question that tethers us from being led astray. So let me ask the question: Do you honor God with your sobriety? Is your approach to alcohol, medication, substances, whatever it is, is it honoring to God? And for some of us, abstinence or teetotaling, that's the best way to honor God. And I know you don't want to hear that. But for some of us, relationship with alcohol has not been God honoring. Periodic tendency to just kind of go too far, is really quick to defend or dismiss drinking too much. Sobriety has not been a high value for you. Teetotaling is probably where God is convicting you. At least stepping back for a time to rest your relationship with alcohol. But at the end of the day, scripture is clear sobriety is a command. So that it's like, all right, don't be led astray by alcohol, you know, stay sober with any substance. Like, we're good to go then. It's like, no, no, Solomon's got much more. Look at this. He writes this in Proverbs 23, 31. Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, and it goes down smoothly. I've heard preachers and uh laugh because so I went to a very, very strict Christian school um growing up. I mean, it was it was close to like Mennonite Amish strict. And uh as a kid, we'd have chapel, and there'd always be these like really old um preachers that would come in. I don't know why they're really old. Maybe it's just so you're a kid, you think everybody's old, but like these ancient guys would come in, and um, they were like hellfire brimstone preachers. They'd like get in your face and scream a lot. And and I remember one old guy um read this verse, and he said, See, it's even a sin to look at it. Not only can you not have a drop, you can't even look at it. And I remember being a kid sitting there just thinking, like, I wish I could see it in the grocery store. Like, what do you do in the grocery store? Like, dude walks by with a six-pack, you know, he just like covers his eyes, you know, like he's like walking by a strip club or something. Like, that's not what this verse is saying. Jesus was around alcohol. Not only, again, he did yes, he did change water to wine, but also his critics called Jesus a drunk. Now, he never got drunk because that's a sin, but to get that criticism, you'd have to at least be around it. Jesus told parables of a wine press. So he's at least familiar with wine presses. He didn't cover his eyes when he was traveling and he walked by a wine press. So, again, what do we do with this verse then? Well, the Hebrew word for look doesn't mean to glance or notice. The word for look here that Solomon uses is this image of like locking on. You ever lock on to something? Nicole and I celebrated uh 15 years this summer. 15 years ago, she walked down the aisle and I was locked on. I was like, man, that's my girl. I wasn't looking at anybody else in the room or what was going on. Like I was locked in, just like her hair, her dress. I remember the way she looked at me. And as I took her, like her dad gave her to me. I just I remember how she smelled, her smile. Like I had tunnel vision, it was just all about her. And I'm still I'm not trying to be like this weird romantic. I'm still locked on. I took her on a date on Tuesday, dropped the kids off for like, you know, and I went to go pick her up from the house. It was like almost like we were dating again, you know, picking her up from the house. And she came out like, man, it was like, I still had those legitimately those same feelings of when I saw her walk down the aisle, like, yeah, that's my girl. And I'm not trying to be mushy, I'm just kind of like wired that way. I can be a little bit obsessively focused, which is a good thing and a bad thing. I just lock onto things. This summer, my mother-in-law, she asked me to pressure wash her deck. It looks so nice afterwards. I've been pressure washering everything since. Pressure washed our camper, pressure washed the sidewalk, pressure wash the garage. Nicole's told me, she's like, you gotta stop pressure washing stuff. It's like, but anytime I see something dirty outside, I'm like, oh, I should pressure wash that there. It's like I'm locked, I just want to pressure wash everything. This is the picture that Solomon is painting here. That is so easy to get locked on to stuff. And that can be a good thing, but it's also very easy, and some of us are this way, we just don't admit it, we get locked on with alcohol. You find yourself looking forward to the next time, you can sit down, throwing back. In fact, you kind of struggle to relax without it. For some people, I hear it's like I can't really sleep without that's not good. That's what we call addiction, that's being locked on. Or a lot of conversation is about it. Some people just get like giddy talking about alcohol. It's weird. Remember in high school when um on Monday your friends would like talk about the parties on Friday night, you know, kids like get together and laugh about how much they had. Like, and some adults still do this, and I don't get it. It's like Jerry was double fisting solo cups, you know, or this weekend, I overdid an Aunt Susie and I at the wedding, she kept buying me shots. Like, imagine replacing alcohol with stories of soda. You see, Jerry, he was double fisting two cups of Pepsi. Like, what is wrong with you, dude? You know, this weekend was rough. Me and Aunt Susie, we had too much about and do, we got a sugar rush. It's like, you'd be thinking, like, grow up, like that is so childish. What's wrong with you? But for some reason, it's almost like more socially acceptable to do that with alcohol. But Solomon says, stop, stop, grow up, don't lock on. If you find yourself struggling to engage in gatherings of people without it, that's a symptom of being locked on. And in this, Solomon is giving us her second framework here. Yes, stay sober for sure. But beyond that, stay classy.

SPEAKER_01 21:24

You're listening to the bridge with Junior Ziggler. That was part one of Junior's message, sobriety, part of our proverb series. One thing I appreciated about this message is how Junior referenced how Solomon doesn't begin with these black and white rules. Solomon begins, like he does many of these other topics, with wisdom. The verse says that wine is a mocker and strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise. Look, notice how the focus there. The warning isn't simply about a beverage, it's about being led astray. That's really the question this message forces us to ask. What's influencing me? What's shaping my decisions? What's controlling my desires? For some people, it may be alcohol, that may be the issue, but for others, it could be something completely different. But the principle remains the same. That's the tricky part with culture. Another pastor has referenced the line that I love. He says that culture tries to bait us to the line and then chastises us the minute we step over it. Which is so true, isn't it? I mean, think about it. Culture is just constantly trying to bait you, trying to get you to sin, and then the moment you do, it looks to bury you in it. God calls his people to live with clear minds, sound judgment, and self-control. And that's why I think Junior's question is so important. Instead of constantly asking, where's the line? How far's too far? How close can I get before it's sinned? The question we really should be asking is, what honors God? Do you have the approach of Paul where he says, Whether you eat or whether you drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God? As you think about today's message, maybe you just need to take a moment and you're gonna ask yourself a few questions. Am I pursuing a sober and clear-minded life? Have I been more concerned with what's permitted than maybe what's wise? Is there anything in my life right now that is slowly dulling my sensitivity to God? Because God's desire for you isn't merely that you avoid certain behaviors, God's desire is that you experience freedom, clarity, and joy that comes from walking with Him closely. And that's where sobriety begins. Now with a list of rules, with a heart that wants to honor God above everything else. We'll continue this conversation next time as Junior unpacks more of what Proverbs teaches about wisdom and alcohol. I hope you'll join us. Well, you have been listening to The Bridge with Junior Ziggler, a listener-supported broadcast. Junior is the lead teaching pastor at the bridge in Chicagoland, and we're so glad that you joined us today. As we told you earlier, we would love to send you a copy of Junior's book, The Manual. Whether you're a man, you're raising a man, married to a man, dating a man, this book cuts through the noise and gets to the raw core of manhood itself. All you have to do is jump on Junior's website, juniorziggler.com, and give a gift of any amount towards this show, and we'll send it right to you. While you're there, you'll also find great resources like today's message, all of Junior's books and podcasts, plus a link to our church, The Bridge. If you're in the Chicagoland area, we'd love to see you at one of our services. Again, that's juniorziggler.com, junior z-i e-g L E R dot com. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_00 24:46

The Bridge with Junior Ziggler is a production of the Bridge Community Church, a multi-campus church in Chicago.