INFLUENCE – 2 by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson

Introduction:  As many you know, I am a big fan of the Andy Griffith Show. The town drunk, Otis Campbell, was a big favorite on the show. He would stagger into the Sherrif’s office drunk and then lock himself inside the jail to sleep off the moonshine. Of course, he would get on Barney’s nerves, who tried many times to sober him up. Otis was lovable and funny. If only town drunks were lovable and funny, life would be great. Unfortunately, that’s usually not the case. I remember one such growing up. He lived about 5 minutes’ walk from our home. In fact, his family – wife and children – attended our church. Most Friday nights, he would get drunk, but it was especially bad on payday Friday when he would really get drunk. People would gather outside the house as he would start his show – making fun of neighbors and talking junk about people. Then, as the evening progressed, he drank more and more. He would turn his anger on his wife and children. As the children grew older, they would get away before dad got home, but his wife could not do that. Of course, he would beat her. Sometimes, the neighbors intervened, but many times, they didn’t want to get involved. My dad tried many times, but it was of no use. Even though he and his wife had a job, there were countless times that my dad and others had to help them with groceries. He spent all their money on alcohol. What is even more tragic is that the wife came from a non-Christian background and the man came from a Christian background. Imagine what it did to her impression of the Christian faith. Unfortunately, the story I just shared is quite common. I have come across so many people in my years of pastoring that have faced similar pain due to alcohol, in some cases even sexual abuse. Some of you here had to face the pain of alcohol abuse, and I know this is a tough message for you. We are still in our series through Romans. We are still learning the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are jumping ahead to Romans 13 and 14 to see the common substitute to the Spirit that people use, but we will return to Romans 9.

Romans 14 (page #1750) 17 “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men. 19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another. 20 Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats with offense. 21 It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.”

Context: As you’ve heard me repeat throughout this series, the church in Rome was divided between Jewish background and Gentile background believers. Paul wrote to bring them together while maintaining the distinction between the Israel and the church. Paul also described the 2 groups in the church as “strong” and “weak”:

• Romans 14        1 “Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. 2 For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables.”
• Romans 14:21 “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.”
• Romans 15:1 “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak…” 

In a later message, we will look deeper at the identity of the strong and the weak. What is worth noting here are the 2 different Greek words used to describe the weak – “astheneia” and “adunatos.” The first one can mean weak, sick, or failing, even powerless. The second means powerless or impotent. One of their points of contention was over drinking wine. In other words, one group felt that they could drink, but the other group chose not to. Those who chose to keep drinking felt that they were no longer bound by the Law and that “nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving” (I Timothy 4:4). Those who chose not to drink felt that they were still under the Law, in some sense, or that “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify” (1 Corinthians 10:23).

What was Paul’s solution to their disagreement? Romans 14:21 “It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.” There are 3 different descriptions given for what could happen the weak brother: proskopto (to strike or beat against, to offend, to stumble); skandalizo (turn away from God); “astheneia” (weak, sick, or failing, even powerless).

Last weekend, we learned that the alcohol content of wine back then was negligible to modern alcoholic beverages. We find evidence of this both in ancient writings as well as the Bible. While distilled alcohol was not there in ancient times, wine had to be diluted with water. In the Old Testament, there was a difference between yayin (wine) and shakar (strong drink). In recent years, there have been scholars who have made the case that shakar was actually beer. Even then, the alcoholic content with today’s beverages is no match because even children drank it! Nonetheless, Proverbs 23 told to avoid both yayin (wine) and the mimsak (mixing vessel). They were told to not be deceived by the color and the sparkle of the wine because “At the last it bites like a serpent, And stings like a viper” (Proverbs 23:32). The warning against wine was given much earlier in the Book of Genesis – “bereshit” = beginning, the Book of beginning. There are 2 horrible instances given in this book to warn against drinking:

• Genesis 9        20 “And Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21 Then he drank of the wine and was drunk (Shakar), and became uncovered in his tent.”Something terrible happened that scholars have debated over the years where one of his son (Ham) sodomized him.
• Genesis 19       31 Now the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man on the earth to come in to us as is the custom of all the earth. 32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve the lineage of our father.” 33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father, and he did not know when she lay down or when she arose. The next day, the younger daughter repeated the same act with the father.

Both the fathers did not know what was happening. These 2 incidents were put right in the first book of the Bible for a reason. In both the cases, it is what happened to the person who was drunk, not what the drunk person did to someone else. 

Someone may say: I can drink a little and put it away. I’m strong. Okay, keep listening…

Why do people drink today? We saw some reasons last time – Distilled alcohol (Whiskey, gin, rum, brandy) = hardcore; wine = refined; bottles = one of the guys/girls; cans = hard working guy. All these are general observations. 

It is no secret that alcohol affects how the body functions: When it is drunk, it goes to the stomach and the small intestines. Here it is absorbed in the blood stream and then pumped to the brain and other parts of the body. One of the effects of the alcohol is that it slows down the brain and the nervous system. Vision can become distorted, and one cannot see things clearly. It also impacts one’s balance and judgment. 

Then, there are some deeper reasons that people drink. A mirror (don’t like how they look), ship (their goals did not come in), photo-album (bad memories of bad decisions, bad memories of other’s actions), ideal view of life (portrait), hurts (Tissue box), some unexpected of life. It is the numb the pain or to temporarily forget their hurts. Some may even drink because of some “health reasons.” Unfortunately, none of the reasons people drink are ever truly satisfied. In fact, there’s an opposite effect: Wayne Grudem in Christian Ethics: Living a Life That Is Pleasing to God gives some statistics from the Addiction Center – “there are 11 million children in the United States under the age of 18 living with at least one alcoholic parent. Of married couples who get into physical altercations, some 60 percent to 70 percent abuse alcohol…Roughly 50 percent of individuals with severe mental disorders are affected by substance abuse. Some 37 percent of alcohol abusers and 53 percent of drug abusers also have at least one serious mental illness. Of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29 percent abuse alcohol or drugs.” Those who think that alcohol is good for health (Didn’t Paul tell Timothy to use a little for his stomach?) need to read the studies that the results are inconclusive. In fact, the chances are high that you may get liver disease, pneumonia, esophagus cancer, internal bleeding, etc.

Law enforcement statistics are not my field of expertise. So, I called for help to my good friend – Greg Hughes who has spent most of his adult life training law enforcement officers:

1. Numbers from NCDMV for 2023: In 2023, there were 345 fatal alcohol-related crashes, 5,457 non-fatal injury crashes, 6344 property damage-only crashes, and a total of 12,146 alcohol-related crashes, with 8,480 injuries total.

Source:  https://connect.ncdot.gov/business/DMV/CrashFactsDocuments/2023%20Crash%20Facts.pdf

2. Numbers from MADD, as reported in the 2021 document:

The 2021 MADD Court Monitoring Report offers a comprehensive overview of how impaired driving cases were handled in U.S. courts, drawing on the observations of over 120 court monitors who reviewed approximately 33,000 cases across 12 states. The findings reflect trends in outcomes, defendant profiles, and the challenges faced by the justice system in holding drunk drivers accountable.
Key Findings

– **Age Profile:** 60% of defendants were between ages 21-39.
– **Gender Breakdown:** 73% of defendants were male, with 32% being men aged 21-39.
– **Repeat Offenses:** 78% of cases were first-time offenses, 12% second offenses, and 22% involved multiple offenses.

Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Levels

– **BAC Distribution:**
  – 45% registered BAC of .08 to .14.
  – 48% registered BAC of .15 or higher, indicating a high prevalence of elevated intoxication among offenders.

– The program monitored misdemeanor impaired driving cases and did not include cases involving serious injury or death.
– Data reflects only the states and jurisdictions included in the monitoring program, and is not a complete national analysis.

Source (MADD):  https://online.flippingbook.com/view/869012837/

3. NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation):

Every day, about 34 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that’s one person every 42 minutes. In 2023, 12,429 people died in alcohol-impaired driving traffic deaths. These deaths were all preventable. Drunk driving deaths in 2022 represented 30% of all traffic fatalities. Drunk driving deaths are up 22% since 2019. In 2023, an estimated 360,441 people were injured.
2 out of 3 people will be impacted by drunk driving in their lifetime.
NHTSA study

Source:  NHTSA – https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
Source (MADD):  https://madd.org/statistic_type/drunk-driving/

The risks of drinking are such that 1 in 10 drinkers will become alcoholics. In fact, it is a gateway to other forms of addictions.

Objection: Didn’t Jesus turn water in wine? Go back and the read the story again in John 2 – 6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. That’s about 150 gallons of water! To get an idea of how much that is, imagine a fish tank, 6 feet long, two feet tall, and two feet wide. That’s a lot of water! What is it for? For ceremonial hand washing and ritual cleansing of the vessels. During the time of Jesus, these rituals were at an all time high. Even John the Baptist’s disciples got into arguments with the Jewish people over purification (John 3:25). Listen to what Jesus did – 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” Think about it, Jesus could have easily told them to fill the wine jars with water but he specifically commanded them to fill up the purification pots. Remember, this is a sign. Jesus is telling them that he has come to replace all those purification laws and rituals with something much better. John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” What happened next? He told them to get some out and take it to the Master of the feast. When he tasted it, he was amazed and said to the bridegroom, 10 “…Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” Apparently, they would serve the best quality wine first and when people were drunk and didn’t know or care what they were drinking, then they would serve the inferior quality. This passage is not about to drink or not to drink. This passage is about Jesus being the good wine who brings true joy and celebration! Everything prior to him was inferior. When he comes into your life, then the real wedding feast can begin! 11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. Imagine stopping at a sign (To Atlantic Beach) and thinking you’re there!

Romans 14 (page #1750) 17 “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

There is even a deeper reason – Spiritual

Illustration: Carl Jung was a major psychologist of the previous century and was definitely not in line with Christian beliefs about Jesus Christ. Nonetheless, there is a story about a man named Rowland H. he went to him seeking help for alcohol. Jung treated him for a year, but he went right back to drinking the moment he left Jung. He tried to get Jung to help him. To which, Jung told him that the only thing that would help him would be a spiritual awakening. Rowland replied that he believed in God. Jung told him that he needed more than just some casual belief. He needs to make a rock-solid commitment. In the end, Rowland H. came to faith in Christ, and he was set free. See Pass it On, Alcoholic Anonymous.

Ephesians 5:18 “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”

We don’t need to temporarily forget or permanently discard. We are to daily take it to the lord in prayer. We are to never give up, never stop talking to God about it. 

• When the voice says, “you are not pretty enough or good enough,” the Holy Spirit reminds you that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• When the voice says, “you will never reach your ideal portrait,” the Holy Spirit reminds you that “he who has done a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
• When the voice says, “your ship has not and will not come in,” the Holy Spirit reminds you that you are already seated in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
• When the voice reminds you of all the bad and painful memories, “the Holy Spirit reminds you that “you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
• When the voice brings you to tears over life’s struggles,” the Holy Spirit prays for you with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Are you saved? Are you surrendered to the Holy Spirit? Is Christ being formed in you?