Christian Sobriety 3-10 AM 1996

3-10 AM 1996

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

1 Thessalonians chapter 5. And would you also pick up Titus chapter 2? 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and Titus chapter 2. I want to read a passage of Scripture to you. I want to highlight a word that we're going to do a little study on this morning. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and Titus chapter 2. It's a word that every Christian is going to need sooner or later. If you didn't need it last week, you may need it this week. If you don't need it this week, you may need it a couple weeks from now or a month from now. I know we'll need it at the end of our life. There's no doubt about that. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 and Titus chapter 2. Let's get a running start. Thanks for being in church. Verse 1 of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. But of the times and the seasons, who? Brethren, that's us. Ye have no need that I write unto you, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a what? A thief in the night. By the way, nobody is expecting a thief when they come. The day of the Lord is coming that way. For when they shall say peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But ye brethren, that's us, are not in what? Say it, darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Read that again. But ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. He said, They don't know it, but you should know that the Lord is coming back. Is that right? Verse 5, ye are all the children of what? Say it. Light. And the children of the day. We are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be, what's the word? Sober. For they that sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us who are of the day be what? Say it? Sober. I want to talk to you about Christian sobriety today, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for in helmet the hope of salvation, for God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. Brother, I want to talk to you just a little bit this morning again about Christian sobriety, because back there in verse 5 he says that we are supposed to be children of the light, children of day, and we are supposed to be sober. The contrary to that is children of the night, verse 5, children of darkness, and if you would, verse 7, drunkenness. Would you agree with that? So the idea of Christian sobriety, look at Titus chapter 2. Titus chapter 2. If you've ever done any study on just words in your Bible, it's amazing how many times sober appears in your New Testament. I'll just show you a couple of them, and then I'll give you a definition. Titus chapter 2. Look at verse 1 of Titus chapter 2. But speak thou the things which become sound, doctrine. That the aged men be what? Say it, everybody. One more time, please. Sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, and charity and patience. The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviors become in holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things, that they may teach the young women to be what? Sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. Young men, likewise, exhort to be what? Sober-minded. The idea here, you see that word three times there. It's not just for one age, it's for all ages. It's for male or female, and I believe God wants us to be sober. Let me give you a definition of what sobriety is, because I know you think, well, sober and drunkenness, but listen to a few definitions of sobriety or sober. Self-control. To curb or control our thoughts and thus our actions. Here's a good one. I've been thinking about this for a while. Soberness, to be calm and collected in spirit. Huh. Not haphazard, not haried, not frenzied, not wild. Not given to panic. You know what God wants his Christians to be? Sober means that when something comes our way, he doesn't want us to be frenzied and panic and lose our self-control and our thoughts and our calmness. He wants us to be sober.

unknown 4:33

Amen.

SPEAKER_00 4:34

Now, I didn't plan on this, but yesterday I flew to Arizona to speak at a building program banquet in Mesa, Arizona. And last night at about 10 o'clock, I got on the airplane over there, and it's kind of been a long week. I preached a few different places and a lot of different things going on in our church and got to see some people come to Christ and just a good week. I got on the airplane last night and I was thinking about, okay, time to think about now more and more. Forget about what I just did in Arizona, that's gone. Let's think about the morning message. Christian sobriety. So I'm sitting in my seat on the airplane thinking about Christian sobriety, and people are coming on. And uh two ladies come on and they're walking down the aisle. And uh they uh they have been to the bar. You say, how do you know? Because the first third of the airplane knew. They announced it. I mean, one especially, and and I don't mean to be critical of of these ladies. In fact, by the time I got off the airplane, I was I was all broken up. But I was watching these, probably in their mid-30s, these two women come and wouldn't you know it. No, not quite. There's a seat in front of me, three seats, and then right in front of them, right in front of that seat, two rows up, these uh these two somewhat inebriated women sit down. And I'm thinking, what? Christian sobriety. And I'm watching the situation unfold. Look at Proverbs 23. Proverbs 23. And the Bible has something to say about everything. You say, well, does the Bible say anything about that? Yep. Does the Bible say anything about this? Yep. Proverbs 23. And let me say this again: these these women, I don't condemn them. I was looking and observing, and you have to understand, for 16 years I've passed out to people who are passed tracks out to people who are inebriated, I've witnessed to people who are inebriated, but I've never spent an hour on an airplane watching drunkenness. It's been a while. I've just not been around it. Oh, uh please, I don't, I'm not trying to condemn anybody, because such were some of us. And I'm one of those such that were some. I remember going to a rugby tournament when I was playing for Oregon State University, and the whole rugby team got drunk. My mind flashed back to that, and I said, I can't condemn these ladies. I've done the same. And worse. But I observed this state of drunkenness, probably with a new set of eyes that I'd not quite observed it before. Just so you know the Bible speaks of it. Look at Proverbs chapter 29. I'm sorry, Proverbs chapter 23, verse 29. Verse 29. Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath what? I noticed a little bit of that last night. 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's given to the color of the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, thine heart shall utter perverse things. 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. The idea, brethren, that's talking about here is drunkenness. And there's over a hundred references in the Bible to drunkenness, but when you think about what the state of drunkenness is all about, and by the way, what I'm contrasting it to is sobriety. Uh I've been in the middle of the ocean before. I remember uh 700 miles uh west of the Galapagos Island in a little sailboat with another man. Uh we were 2,000 miles from Tahiti, and uh this guy uh who was with me, or I was with him more I should say, uh, we were pulling up uh one of the sails, and somehow we didn't get it clipped on just right. And when we pulled it up, it got about halfway, and the toggle let go, and that halyard went rising up to the top of the mast, and we looked at each other. It was our mainsail. And uh I looked at him and he looked at me and I said, I'll go up. He said, Good, I hope you wouldn't say that. He says, I don't like heights that much, especially up there. And so I got in a little bosun's chair, you know, and he got over and cranked me up, and up this mast I go. And uh, I'm up at the top of this mast, and we're, I don't know, 700 miles out from anywhere, really. And uh it just took me for a moment to look around and realize, what in the world am I doing out here? Amen. Those thoughts did cross my mind. And while I was up there, there were some waves that hit us that just, you know, it's one thing to be on the bottom of the boat and down there where you get a little bit of a, well, you get a pretty good roll. But on the top of the mast, brethren, may I say this? When the boat down here goes like this, the top of the mast goes like this. Amen? Now that's what it that's what it says about being drunk, and it's like uh verse 34. He that lieth upon the top of a mast, it's what? It you swagger back and forth, and you and and you go back and forth and you lose your equilibrium. And I watch these ladies walking down this, you know, one of the one of these numbers like that. It's a staggering type of thing. Why? Out of balance. Just out of balance, a confused, if you would. Uh I I would say this uh the idea of if you look in there in verse 19, it says, who hath contention, who hath babbling? The mind is is out of control sometimes when there's when there's alcohol and drunkenness induced. Would you agree with that? Come on, yes or no? Is it warm in here to you? How many's warm? How many's cold? Anybody lukewarm? Are you warm up there? What's the deaf say? Yes? Alright. Would you tell Charlie to knock it down one degree? You won't get cold, it'd just get comfortable, amen. Oh, there's Charlie right there. Charlie, would you mind? What were you doing last night? I want to know right now. Watch him, is he walking? Yeah, okay. The idea, though, as I observed this idea of this drunkenness, uh, there was some uncontrolling of the mind. Every once in a while, there was this one who had an emotional outburst. Like ho ho. And after a while, don't take this wrong, I'm not trying to belittle them. It got a little uncomfortable for the people around them. You could just see people looking at each other. And not everybody was laughing. Uh see, when we're when when someone is drunk, they're more self-centered and they really don't care about the comfort of others. Their mind is not on someone else, it's on themselves, and it's self-indulgent and self-centered. It's sometimes even oblivious to anybody else around. Do you know what I'm talking about? So the idea of Christian sobriety is Christian sobriety means we're not sinning on ourselves and we're not self-indulgent. In fact, when we're sober in Christ, we are thinking of others. We're thinking of others around us. We're thinking about what can I do for them? Well, in the opposite true, is with drunkenness. Uh drunkenness, it's me, me, and and and what do I need? Not what are the needs of others. I was watching the situation last night and uh it it got somewhat uh out of control just a little bit. Especially when the uh little cart came by and they reordered. And there was some altercation with the strength of the drink or something. I didn't hear the whole thing. But it went from laughing to a little bit of anger. Who hath verse 29? Contentions. Now, I'm not saying go out to a bar and watch drunk people just so you can observe the state of drunkenness, but you don't have to think too long about the idea of contentions and babbling. And by the way, at last it does bite like a serpent, and at last it does sting like an adder. Amen. So the idea here is that Christians need to be more calm and collected, not harried, not frenzied. Whereas a person that's a child of the night, or if you would, in that state of what the Bible would turn more drunkenness, there's there's babbling, there's out of balance, there's staggering, there's emotional outbursts, the mind is not in control, the spirit is not in control, there's more panic, oblivious to other people. Look at 1 Peter chapter 1. And let me show you a couple things. Christian sobriety. Look at 1 Peter chapter 1. I want to ask you a question just to make this real practical. I want you to think with me. 1 Peter chapter 1. And when you get there, if you're if you're looking for it, go to the book of Revelations and turn left. If you get to the book of Matthew, you went too far, go back again. It's in between there somewhere and you'll get it. That's the way I had to do for a long time. 1 Peter chapter 1. Let me ask you a question, Christian. How many of you, think back to last week? How many of you had something happen to you last week that had you not been a Christian and not believed that God was able to handle the situation, whatever it was, how small or how big, that it would have possibly frenzied your mind, it would have possibly put you in a little state of panic, it would have possibly allowed your thoughts to wander, and then who knows about our actions. How many had something like that happen to you? Isn't it good to be a Christian? I'm gonna tell you something silly that happened to me just this morning. Oh it's almost ridiculous, but I thought, all right, good test, little test it was. Um I usually study during the uh hour just before I preach. And I'm in my car and I have a couple places I go and I study because all of our associate pastors, different people, teach our adult Bible studies, and and I give myself to this message and the message tomorrow, uh, message tonight, and then usually I'm Bible Institute speaking on on uh on on Monday night or somewhere else and everything. So I really try to focus in. And I'm not I'm not being lazy, I'm doing something very, very productive during that period of time. So uh a little tired this morning, kind of a long week, you know, I've been praying. I'm ready to go, and I come in at 10 till 11. And I get out of my car, ready to go. Okay, Christian sobriety, Christian sobriety, Lord, help this message to be what someone needs this morning. And I open my door and I reach in for my coat jacket. And it's not there. Now that doesn't mean anything to you, but you know what? I would be out of uniform without a coat jacket, and I'd feel I'd feel terrible. It just wouldn't be right. Anybody in the Marines used to be in the Marines in the Marines? I mean, you just can't be out of uniform, is that right? Is that right? What's your rank? Sergeant, sergeant, no way uh uh a former lieutenant could be out of uniform, is that right? Uh and he's visiting here for the first time, amen. What's your name, Sergeant? Bill? Last name. Lear, Bill Lear. Good to have you here, Sergeant. About time we got somebody squared away here, amen. Just kidding now. So it's 10 to 11. Actually, it's 9 to 11. And I thought, all right. What do I do? I'm going to get my coat. Let's see. They're gonna be singing the introductory, they're gonna, the choir will come out, they'll do this, and if they have to, they can stall. No, I thought, no, I can make it. I lived just a couple exits down, I thought, no, I can make it. And while I'm driving, I'm thinking, okay, have you ever had thoughts like this? It's small, but I thought, I wonder if my wife picked up my coat and has it there waiting for me. And when I come, my coat won't be there. In fact, I wonder if I left that coat somewhere. And then I'm thinking, wait a minute, Christian sobriety. Not frenzied, not panicked, not harried. Stay under control. It's a small thing, but it was just one of those little things where God says, All right, big boy, let's test you just a little bit. Oh, it wasn't going to be the end of my life or anything like that. And if I would have had to, I would have walked out here like this. Welcome to the lighthouse. Amen. But all the way through, I was thinking, you know what? It's so good just to be a Christian. Where the little things don't panic you anymore. Let me show you why. Look at 1 Peter chapter 1. Look at it. Verse 13. Wherefore? Gird up the loins of what? Your mind. Be what? Sober. Hey, brother, when we gird up the loins of our mind, you gird on your swords, you make ready to go to battle. Girding up the loins of our mind is making our minds prepared to go to battle. And it says, be sober, don't panic, not get harangued and harassed, if you would, in the in the spirit of your mind. Keep calm, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelations of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts, in your ignorance. But as he which hath called you is what? Say it, holy. So be ye what? Holy. In our manner of conversation, because it is written, be ye what? Say it? Holy, for I am holy. And the idea is soberness allows us more of an opportunity to be more holy, and the more holy we are, the more sober we are in our thoughts. Stay with me and hold your place in 1 Peter. We'll come back in a minute, but let me show you why. Look at Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12, stay right with me. Romans chapter 12, holding your place in 1 Peter just for a moment. Romans chapter 12. Christian sobriety is more than just in this life, it goes beyond this life. Romans chapter 12. You know verses 1 and 2. In fact, if you haven't memorized two scriptures, you ought to memorize those two. Those are good scriptures to memorize. But look, if you would in Romans 12, brethren, at verse 3. Verse 3. For I say, through the grace give it unto me to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think. But to think what? Would you agree with this statement? If you've ever been drunk, chances are you thought about yourself more highly when you were drunk.

SPEAKER_01 18:55

That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 18:57

Pete, let's me and you talk for a minute. Nobody else wants to admit it. Just me and you, just for a minute. You ever been drunk, Pete?

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Yes, sir. I've been there.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

Have you ever thought of yourself more highly than you are?

SPEAKER_01 19:08

Higher than everybody is. Why?

SPEAKER_00 19:11

Look up here. When we get drunk, we exaggerate who we are. Better yet, when we used to get drunk, we exaggerate who we are. To make ourselves feel good about ourselves. And we want everybody else to think highly of us, so we we exaggerate and and we imagine in our minds. Brother, it's so good to be a Christian and know who we are and what we are and that we're nothing without Christ. I mean, I'd rather live in reality and look at myself and say, buddy, one day in the mirror, you're gonna die. Are you ready? Rather than looking in the mirror drunk and say, I want to live forever. Amen. It's so good to live in reality. It's so good to be able to look at yourself and then see our faults and see our need for Christ. I'm much better like it than going out and saying, okay, I'm having a hard week. I've got to go get my mind off of it for Friday and Saturday and Sunday. Who's got the candy going on? It's so good to be sober this morning. It's sober when I got on the heart last night. To be sober, but more than sober, like the world Christian sobriety. Because he says this. He says not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but to think soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the major of what? Say it. Faith. And faith helps us to think soberly. Faith helps us to be calm during the times when there shouldn't be panic going on. Faith helps us to have the emotional stability, to look at some situations in the soul. I can do all things through Christ. And we're going to face some things, and you're going to face some things. You've already faced some things, and there's more coming. I mean, I'm God, I'm sure glad God makes everything consist. That means He holds it all together. And there's been times I've quoted God that and say, start with me. Hold me together. Especially when you face some things. Look at Romans 4. Holding your place in 1 Peter. Faith. Help us to be sober, stay with me. How are we doing, Sergeant? Okay. Let me know if I mess up, will you? I'm a former Marine. Okay, you'll let me know. What's your MOS? O three. A ground, huh? Oh three means he's a ground pounder. O three what? O three eleven. That means he's a real ground pounder, amen. I'll save that. I'll sell that when you're making it. Somebody said, go lady. I'm just kidding with the mouth. I'm just kidding, don't get the fuck out of the faith. Romans 4. Look at it. Look at verse 19. Verse 19. Romans 4, 19. Look at the example here. And being not weak in what? Say it again, please. Being not weak in what? Faith. He, this is Abraham, consider not his own body now dead. When he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's room. She wasn't very young either at the time if you studied, amen. He staggered. Look at that word. He what? Staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief. But was strong in what? Say it. Faith. Giving glory to God and being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also to do what? Perform. Brethren, the more we have that faith that grows, that God gives us, that God authors, and that he's finishing, the more when we face situations and we say, now wait a minute, as far as I know, I'm in God's will here. And I believe by faith God's going to take me through this thing. The less staggering that goes on, the less that we act like drunk people. From the standpoint of what the state of drunkenness is, and the more look up here, the more we can stay focused and keep on going. Not frenzied, not panic, not harried. I'll go ahead and say it. Not running to the radio psychologist, but running to this book. If that radio psychologist doesn't use this book, then turn the radio off and get back to the book. Because that's where the stability is. You'd be surprised the suicide rate of so-called psychologists. It's very high. I don't know about you, but I found stability in the pages of this book and the living God speaking to me through this book and saying, you know what you need now, Doug? You need more faith to be more sober with what you have to face in the future. Look back at 1 Peter, you're doing well. Stay with me. A couple more scriptures. 1 Peter chapter 4. Faith is so necessary. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the what? The Word of God. I'm glad you're in church today working on your faith. Lord, increase our faith. Why? So we can be more sober with what we have to face. And don't be offended because I mentioned something about psychologists. I'm sure that there's been people who've got help from different people, but I'm talking about not everybody do you get help from. That's a so-called psychologist. And because they have a degree on the wall doesn't mean they know their book. Stay with me. Look what he says in 1 Peter chapter 4. And notice verse 7. Verse 7. But the end of all things is at hand. Be ye therefore what say it? Sober. What's sober? Calm-minded. Self-control. Actually, not just self-control, but God-controlling self and yielding to God in us to control self, to curb our thoughts, our imaginations, our emotions, to keep us calm in our spirit and collected and not get wild with what we do. Sober. And then it says verse 7, look at, and do what? Watch unto what? Prayer. I'll tell you two things that'll keep us sober: faith and prayer. Faith and prayer go hand in hand above all things. Have fervent charity among yourselves, for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. So we know he's talking to Christians there, where he says, be sober. I don't know if you've ever thought about this, but with whatever you're facing right now, and it may be something huge, well beyond you, overwhelming, it wouldn't hurt to say, Lord, give me a sober mind. Just say, wait a minute, I'm not drunk, but Lord, give me a sober mind. Give me a sober mind past the fact that I'm not drinking alcohol, but give me a sober mind that by faith in prayer I can see if you would. Hmm. You know what faith in prayer does? Please look up here. When we were out on the ocean, I remember once in a while we needed to look through a pair of binoculars. In old days, they had this long telescope, and they looked through that telescope to see where they were going. You know what faith in prayer does? Please look up here. It allows us to look at things here and get our telescope out and look past it. Faith in prayer allows us to see the unseen, that God has a plan and a purpose well past what this thing is right here. For example, it helps us to look past death. Somebody says, Well, have you ever died? Well, theologically, yes. But physically, not yet. How about you? If God tarries, we all have to face it. What do you mean if God tarries? I mean if he doesn't come back before the end of our life, we all have to face what, say it? Death. Physical death. You know what's so good though is to be able to look at the page of this Bible and look at our little telescope and look by prayer and faith past the casket and on into the future. It allows us to be sober-minded. If you've never received Christ as your Savior, God drew you to this place because you faced death too. And he cares about you. I'm not trying to be arrogant, but how many in here are Christians already? Now look, let me let me let me ask you something. Do you look at death in a different way now? Do you look at it as a, okay, I'm here alive, and then I'm there alive, and the way I get from here to there is through death?

unknown 27:58

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_00 28:00

I know somebody says, no, I'm thinking about the rapture. I think about that too, amen? I'd rather go in the twinkling of an eye, but if God tarries and we go from here living to there living, we pass through death. It's just an avenue that we pass through. But Christ already passed through, and he already came up on the other side, and he came up. So we can look through that telescope right past the casket and say, Oh no, everything's gonna be okay. It's all gonna be okay. I'm not gonna wake up on the other side weeping, wailing, gnashing my teeth. That's what the that's what the children of darkness do. That's the children of the night, and I used to be the child of darkness, and I used to be the child of the night, and I used to be the drunk and screaming, and then I'm not gonna wake up on the other side of the drunk and screaming and walking and emotional, screaming the promise, and making promises because of this. No time for promises, then it's important when the man wants to dump it, and after this the judgment. So good to know that when we pass through the other side, absent from the body, present with the Lord. Children of the day, present with the Lord, children of the night, not yet saved, not yet forgiven. Please look up here. Only to come before the Lord one time. Only to come before the Lord one time to be judged, and then according to Revelation, to be cast in the outer darkness. Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Only get to see the Lord once, according to this Bible. And by the way, I didn't create that. I'm just telling you what the book says. But there's still time. There's still time to receive Christ as Savior. Look at Peter, 1 Peter chapter 5 once, and we're just about finished. I'm watching your time. 1 Peter chapter 5, stay right with me. Look at verse 8, brethren. Oh, you know this one. First two words are what? Say it. Calm-minded, under control, not harried, not frenzied, not given to panic, not wild. Be vigilant. Because your adversary, the devil, is a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may what? Devour. Whom resist steadfast in the what? Faith. We be sober. It's faith. Please look up here. I remember quite a while back seeing one of those nature videos or something like that, and it showed a group of lions hunting. And the narrative on there said when a group of lions come up to, oh, uh, one of those uh antelope type of herds or wildebeest or whatever it is, and they look in that herd, they typically have a tendency to look for someone in there, uh, one of the animals that's a little bit weak or frail, maybe with a limp. Or maybe one of the animals that's got themselves strayed away from the pack just a little bit. And they'll try to single that one out and surround it. And I was thinking, as I was thinking about this idea of being sober, being vigilant because your adversary, the devil, and by the way, he has principalities and powers. And what they're looking for is Christians who leave off girding up the loins of their mind, leave off, leave off their faith, leave off their prayer, begin to get a little bit more, if you would, panicked and harried. Maybe get outside the flock just a little bit from the idea of faith and being preached to and being around Christians. And please look up here. Unfortunately, I've seen many a Christian whose testimonies were devoured. Wildly doing something that they should have never done. Regretting it? Oh yeah. Can they get back? Yeah. But some of them don't. And they stay out long enough to where their life, literally, look up here, please, is devoured from ever doing anything for God. It says seeking whom he may devour. Look at verse 8. Seeking whom he may devour? May demot denotes permission. Who gives permission? Look up here, who gives permission? Would God give Satan permission to devour me? You know who I think gives permission is me. I don't think God would give permission for Satan to devour me. Oh, I know there's scriptures and different things, but you study it out. I think if anybody gives that permission, it's going to be me. That's why he says, be vigilant and be what? Grow it up at the points of your mind. Walk in for it, walk in prayer, do what you're supposed to be doing, drop in the mouth, and the motion drop all over the place, you're still over the plants, and you don't have the dumping, and you're not worried about what the windows you can spend, strip, because the cable getting started in the floor and get devoured. Those ladies last night. Boy, about, I don't know, halfway into the flight, somewhere over Yuma, El Centro. I just started. I mean, I went through the stages like this, and here I thought about this, and don't take it wrong. I thought, you know what? When I was 22, unsaved, Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, look up here, I would have looked at those ladies and said, hmm. Inviting, attractive, drunk. That was my old man. Now as a new creature in Christ. Some 16 years now. I looked at them and said, a little bit ugly. Not the ladies, the drunkenness. Obnoxious. Uncomfortable. Repulsive. Not so much the ladies, the drunkenness. I don't want to have anything to do with that, other than I wonder how they'll face death. After about 15 minutes, I thought, I wonder how they're going to face death. And that was me years ago. And I guess that could have been me today, but praise God for his grace. And I thought about it. And I got a little sympathetic towards him. And my new nature really wasn't so concerned about the outward. It was more concerned, I guess, about the inward. What would happen to their soul? And even tonight they were laughing and having a good time, I guess, if you want to call it a good time and oblivious to everything. And I thought back of how I used to do that once in a while and make wake up the next morning empty. Void. Something missing. I thought about the scriptures that says that women should adorn themselves with shamefaceness and sobriety. 1 Timothy chapter 2. If you're not a Christian in here today, death is imminent. If God tarries. Or if God doesn't tarry, if you're not a Christian, death is imminent. Please look up here. And I wish just for a moment we could all be transported and we could see that judgment throne. I wouldn't have to beg, I wouldn't have to plead, I wouldn't have to persuade, I would just have to say, come and we'll show you from the Bible how you could be saved, and you wouldn't even hesitate. It would be done. Why? Because those who are drunk, drunk in the night, children of the darkness, please look up here. One day, weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, frailing, uncontrolled. For how long? For how long? See, that's hard for us in our humanism to think about. For how long? Forever and ever and ever, the Bible says. Is that right? Somebody says, Well, I just can't see how the God of love, you don't understand. He's a holy God. Let me say it again. He's a holy God. And he's given us a way. It's through his son, Jesus Christ. And there's no one in here that has an excuse. Now we know how. He's paved the way, it's all been done. But he's a holy God. And those that enter in must have their sins forgiven. If your sins are forgiven, may I say this to you? One day we'll be able to face him soberly. Not frantic, not panting, not not emotionally uncontrolled, not failing. Please look up here. You know how we're going to face him? Humbly. Very humbly. But trusting for his grace. And I'm glad his grace never fails. Today, if you've never received Christ as Savior, it would be a good day. In fact, it would probably be the best day. And please look up here today, if you're a Christian, maybe it wouldn't hurt to say, Lord, give me more of that sober mind to go through this life calm, more collected, facing adversity, facing suffering, facing things. God, build my faith, increase my faith, teach me to pray. That I can have that kind of sober mind when I face the things that are overwhelming to me. And please look up here. Maybe you know somebody today. And they're Christians, but they're they're frantic and their faith hasn't grown. And they're given to some panic, and they're they're they're here, and then they're there, and they're emotionally over there, and then they're there, then there, and the stability factor isn't there. And it's almost like, please look up here as a Christian, it's almost like they're staggering through this life and and can't really know what God's will is and there's confusion. And why don't you pray for their sobriety? Not so much God keep them from alcohol, but God give them that sober. And then how else would they learn? The aged are supposed to teach the younger men. The aged women, the younger women. How can we teach those who've been Christians for a while, others, if we don't have it ourselves? One last thing. Our children are watching us. Many here have children. Our children are watching us. And we need to give them an example of a Christian sobriety. Christian sobriety. That's all I'm saying. Without leaving, please. Without leaving. Without leaving. And look right up here just for a moment. If Christ be lifted up, the Bible says that the Father will draw all men to him. And this morning, may I say, Christ is lifted up. Jesus Christ is the answer for everything in our lives. Without him, brethren, we would be nothing. If God's drawn you to this place today and you don't know Christ as your Savior, and you're unsure of your future. Death. And what after that? I can tell you that many years ago I faced the same, and through the pages of this Bible, and the work of the Holy Spirit of God and a Christian. I now know for sure what's going to happen to me at death by faith. And I no longer panic. And God can do the same for you. If you don't know Christ is your Savior, today would be the day that I wouldn't wait any longer. You don't know what faces you, even on the way home. If you're a Christian and we're a little bit older than the Lord, and we're supposed to be given to that sobriety and teach others, it would be good today to say, Lord, make me more sober. If you know somebody that's weak in that area a little bit, it wouldn't hurt to pray. And then we need to pray for the next generation coming up that they have an example of Christian sobriety. People are looking for stability. People are looking for people who have faith and stability. With your heads bowed now, please.