Watchman Radio Hour

David Schult: Welcome to the Watchman Radio Hour, coming to you from Portland, Oregon, here in the beautiful Northwest. This is David Schult, your announcer. The Watchman Radio Hour is a production of Watchman Radio Ministries International, an evangelistic ministry reaching out to the peoples of the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And now here is our speaker, Alex Dodson, to bring you this week's message from God's word.

Alex Dodson: For our scripture reading today, let us turn to the book of Ephesians, chapter five, and we'll begin reading in verse 15. Let us hear the word of God. "Be very careful then how you live, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the spirit."

Our father in heaven, we thank you for the Bible that you have given to us. We thank you that it's your infallible word and that we can put our full confidence in everything that it says. And now, oh father, as we come to study your word, we pray that you will send forth your Holy Spirit in great convicting power. In Christ's name we pray, amen.

We are living in the midst of a nation where sin is rampant. Things are being done today in our land that would be shocking to our forefathers. Lifestyles our forefathers thought wrong are now exalted. Many women have given in to fashion and discarded modesty. To be sexy has become the desire of many instead of modesty, which was encouraged by women of former generations.

Today, sexual immorality in all its forms permeates the land, whether in the actual acts or in lustful thoughts, or in the promotion of sexual immorality in movies, television, and pornography. Another great sin is drunkenness or intoxication, whether by alcohol or drugs. Many young people get caught up in drunkenness and wild parties. Even Christians drink socially and some drink too much.

Should Christians drink at all when we live in such a sinful society? That's a good question. Given today's society, is it all right for Christians to drink? Of course, the Bible makes it clear that drunkenness is the sin. Drinking in moderation and self-control are not condemned in the Bible. Even Martin Luther drank beer. Our Lord Jesus drank wine, even though the wine he drank may have been much weaker than modern wine.

Some have made that case. Though it may be okay for Christians to drink in moderation, yet there may be a good case for abstaining from drink for the cause of righteousness. Our text is Ephesians five and verse 18, which says, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the spirit."

Some years ago, I attended a wedding rehearsal in a park in upstate New York where I was to conduct a wedding for some relatives. On that same day, a group of high school seniors were having a party celebrating their graduation. Alcohol was everywhere and drunkenness and excessive drinking by these young people was very apparent. I was shocked to see this. I had seen college students do the same, but not students as young as those I saw that day.

And that was over 30 years ago. The same still happens today, I'm sure. In a nation that condones such activity among its young people, surely there's a place for Christians to abstain from drinking. Drunkenness is wrong. Abstaining from drink is commendable. The Bible teaches both. Now let us see in the first place that drunkenness is sinful.

Again our text says, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery." Excessive drinking is always wrong. In Proverbs 23, verses 20 and 21, it says, "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor and drowsiness clothes them in rags."

And then Proverbs 23, verse 29 and following says, "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine. Do not gaze at wine when it's red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly. In the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. Your eyes will see strange sights and your mind imagine confusing things. You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. 'They hit me,' you will say, 'but I'm not hurt. They beat me, but I don't feel it. When will I wake up so I can find another drink?'"

First Timothy 3, 2 and 3 says, "Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one woman, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to much wine." First Timothy 3:8 says, "Deacons likewise are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine." Titus 2:3 says likewise teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine.

All of those who were to be looked up to in the early church were to be men and women who were not given to wine or excessive drinking. All others, it is implied, were to follow their example. These verses do not teach total abstinence from alcoholic beverages. Even Paul told Timothy to drink a little wine for his health. In First Timothy 5:23, Paul says to Timothy, "Stop drinking only water and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses."

Now the wine may have been more healthy than the water at that time. We cannot say the same today with our modern purification systems in place. Yet the scripture is clear: excessive drinking is wrong. John Calvin wrote, "And be not drunk with wine. When he enjoins them not to be drunk, he forbids excessive and immoderate drinking of every description. Be not intemperate in your drinking."

Excessive drinking also leads to other sins. Again our text says, "Do not get drunk on wine which leads to debauchery." It leads to debauchery. Now the dictionary definition for debauchery is excessive indulgence in sex, alcohol, or drugs. It can also be translated dissipation, which means overindulgence in sensual pleasures. The implication is that drunkenness leads especially to sensual sins and sexual immorality in particular.

John Calvin writes, "We see that a drunken man is an example of confusion perverting all order. And there is nothing to be seen in him but a mass of all kinds of wickedness, insomuch that God's image is defaced, all reason quenched, and all things put out of order in him. Therefore, since we see that drunkenness is linked with such extremities, ought we not to abhor it?"

Matthew Henry writes, "He warns against the sin of drunkenness. And be not drunk with wine. This was a sin very frequent among the heathens and particularly on occasion of the festivals of their gods, and more especially in their bacchanalia. Then they were wont to inflame themselves with wine and all manner of inordinate lusts were consequent upon it. And therefore the apostle adds, 'wherein or in which drunkenness is excess.'"

"The word 'asotia' may signify luxury or dissoluteness and it is certain that drunkenness is no friend to chastity and purity of life, but it virtually contains all manner of extravagance and transports men into gross sensuality and vile enormities. Note: drunkenness is a sin that seldom goes alone but often involves men in other instances of guilt. It is a sin very provoking to God and a great hindrance to the spiritual life. The apostle may mean all such intemperance and disorder as are opposite to the sober and prudent demeanor he intends in his advice to redeem the time."

John Gill writes, "And it is a custom or habit of excessive drinking. For not a single act, but a series of actions, a course of living in this sin, denominates a man a drunkard. And generally speaking, excessive drinking deprives persons of the use of reason, though not always. And such are criminal who might, who are mighty to drink wine and strong to mingle strong drink as are also such who though not guilty of this sin themselves are the means of it in others."

"The sin is very sinful. It is one of the works of the flesh. It is an abuse of the creature. It is opposed to walking honestly, for it, for in persons, are to be excluded from the communion of the church, without the grace of true repentance, shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Many things might be said to dissuade from it. It hurts the mind, memory and judgment, deprives of reason and sets a man below a beast. It brings diseases on the body and wastes the estate. It unfits for business and duty. It opens a door for every sin and exposes to shame and danger and therefore should be carefully avoided and especially by professors of religion."

John Calvin writes, "In which is lasciviousness. That is, lusting, sexual interest and desire. The Greek word 'asotia,' which is translated lasciviousness, points out the evils which arise from drunkenness. Understand by it all that is implied in a wanton—that is, sexually immodest—and dissolute—that is, overindulgent in sensual desires—life."

"For to translate it luxury would quite enfeeble the sense. The meaning therefore is that drunkards throw off quickly every restraint of modesty or shame, that where sin reigns, profligacy—unprincipled in sexual matters or overindulging in sensual pleasures—naturally follows. And consequently that all who have any regard to moderation or decency ought to avoid and abhor drunkenness."

I visited a man in prison years ago who, in a drunken stupor, had shot and killed his wife and children. I knew another man who in a drunken condition cocked a pistol and aimed it at his wife and three young sons. And yet, by the grace of God, he didn't pull the trigger. I knew another man who when in a drunken condition became especially evil to such an extent that his wife feared being at home with him when he was drunk. Alcohol can ruin people. I've seen it in action.

Let us see in the second place that abstaining from drinking is commendable. It sets a good example. Though drunkenness is the sin, yet abstaining from drink is a good practice. There are those who if they did drink are subject to becoming addicted to drink, especially if it runs in their family.

My college roommate in my first year in college had a father who had been addicted to alcohol when he was younger. My roommate had never drank before. However, when he came to college through the temptation of others, he started to drink and within a short time he became addicted to alcohol and eventually became a drunkard and eventually dropped out of college. There's a good case for abstaining from alcohol altogether, and any Christian who does should be commended for it. It's a good practice in our modern sinful society. It sets a good example for others and exalts righteousness.

First Thessalonians 5:22 says, "Abstain from all appearance of evil." In our modern society, drinking alcohol does have an appearance of evil. It can lead to other sins and bad company and to being addicted to alcohol. In Proverbs 31, verses four through seven, it says, "It is not for kings, oh Lemuel, not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, lest they drink and forget what the law decrees and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish. Let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more."

King Lemuel's mother encourages him to abstain from drinking alcohol and this is commendable for any man. Abstaining from alcohol helps to strengthen our weak brothers. Even if you can easily control yourself and drink only in moderation, your drinking may cause someone who is weaker than you to begin drinking and become addicted to drink. By not drinking, you can help others avoid becoming alcoholics.

First Corinthians 10, 23 and 24 says, "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good but the good of others." To influence others to sin is a serious offense. In Matthew 18:6 it says, "But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Those who choose to abstain from drinking are to be commended. Their action may prevent many from becoming addicted to alcohol and thereby prevent other sins to arise therefrom.

Thirdly, walking in the spirit is the Christian's calling. We have a command to be filled with the spirit. Verse 18 says, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the spirit." The effect will be seen in all of life. Instead of being controlled by alcohol, the Christian is to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. He is to let the Holy Spirit rule his life and lead him in the paths of righteous living. He does this by living by the word of God empowered by the spirit of God.

William Hendrickson wrote this, "Intoxication is not the effective remedy for the cares and worries of this life. The so-called uplift it provides is not real. It is the devil's poor substitute for the joy unspeakable and full of glory which God provides. Satan is ever substituting the bad for the good. The real remedy for sinful inebriation is painted by Paul. The Ephesians are urged to seek a higher, far better source of exhilaration. Instead of getting drunk, let them be filled. Instead of getting drunk on wine, let them be filled with the spirit."

Hendrickson goes on to say by the ancients, moreover, an overdose of wine was often used not only to rid oneself of care and to gain a sense of mirth, but also to induce communion with the gods and by means of this communion to receive ecstatic knowledge not otherwise obtainable. Such foolishness was often associated with the worship of Dionysius in their orgies. As by the apostle contrasted with the serene ecstasy and sweet fellowship with Christ which he himself was experiencing in the spirit when he wrote this letter to the Ephesians.

What he is saying therefore is this: getting drunk on wine leads to nothing better than debauchery. It will not place you in possession of worthwhile pleasure, usable knowledge, and perfect contentment. It will not help you but hurt you. It leaves a bad taste and produces no end of woe. On the other hand, being filled with the spirit will enrich you with the precious treasures of lasting joy, deep insight, and inner satisfaction. It will sharpen your faculties for the perception of the divine will.

Francis Foulkes writes, "It is no more coincidence than in Acts 2 also the fullness of wine and the fullness of the spirit are set side by side. There is the implication there repeated here that the Christian knows a better way than by wine of being lifted above the depression and the joyless monotony of life. A better way of removing self-consciousness and quickening thought and word and action than by the use of intoxicants. It is by being filled with the spirit."

He goes on to write finally the tense of the verb—the present imperative in the Greek—should be noted, implying as it does that the experience of receiving the Holy Spirit so that every part of life is permeated and controlled by him is not a once-for-all experience. In the early chapters, the Acts of the Apostles, it is repeated a number of times that the same apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit. The practical implication is that the Christian is to live his life open to be filled constantly and repeatedly by the divine spirit.

Matthew Henry writes, "Instead of being filled with wine, he exhorts them to be filled with the spirit. Those who are full of drink are not likely to be full of the spirit, and therefore this duty is opposed to the former sin. The meaning of the exhortation is that men should labor for a plentiful measure for the graces of the spirit that would fill their souls with great joy, with strength and courage, which things sensual men expect that wine should inspire them with. We cannot be guilty of any excess in our endeavors after these. Nay, we ought not to be satisfied with a little of the spirit. Now by this means we shall come to understand what the will of the Lord is, for the spirit of God is given as a spirit of wisdom and of understanding."

John Calvin writes, "The children of this world are accustomed to indulge in deep drinking as an excitement to mirth. Such carnal excitement is contrasted with that holy joy of which the spirit of God is the author and which produces entirely opposite effects."

We're to walk in the way of the spirit. Christians are called to walk in the way of the spirit. Christians five, in Galatians 5:16 it says, "So I say live by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." And then in verse 22 it says, "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit." We are called to live by the spirit and keep in step with the spirit. We're to live our lives in the way of the spirit in obedience to the Lord in all we do, living by his word daily.

This is to be our daily walk, living by and in the way of the spirit. Living by the spirit affects all of our life and relationships. Paul tells the Ephesians to be filled with the spirit by singing and encouraging each other, submitting to each other in the family and in the workplace and all our relationships.

John Calvin writes, "Now let us fall down before the majesty of our good God, with acknowledgment of our faults, praying him to make us so to feel them that we may truly repent of them and always resort to him to ask his forgiveness of them in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. And may he bear with us until he has drawn us completely and utterly away from all the corruptions of the world and of our flesh. And may we be so reformed that we seek nothing but by all means to come to the perfect righteousness to which he exhorts us."

We should always strive after righteousness in our lives as Christians. We do this with the help of the Holy Spirit living by his word. In Matthew 6:33 it says, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." In all of life, whatever we do, we should seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. That is the key to joy and contentment in the Christian life.

God calls you today to repent of your sins and to come to Jesus Christ and begin following him as your Lord and Master. Maybe you've been addicted to alcohol. Maybe it's ruined your life. But God calls you out of that misery to a life of righteousness in Jesus Christ. Repent at once and turn to Christ and follow him. Receive him into your life and the Holy Spirit will abide with you forever to enable you to overcome sin and to live for righteousness.

Our father in heaven, we pray that you will help us to live lives of righteousness and holiness. We pray that by the power of your spirit that you will help us to live all of our lives for your glory. We know that this is our calling as Christians. Oh Lord Jesus, help us, oh Lord, to be filled with the spirit. Help us to abstain from sin and to be filled with the spirit. Oh Lord Jesus, we pray for the furtherance of the gospel all over this nation. And we pray for a great outpouring of your spirit that those who are addicted to alcohol may repent and turn to you, and for those who are addicted to other sins may repent and turn to you. Oh Lord Jesus, send your Holy Spirit upon us. In Christ's name we pray, amen.

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David Schult: We hope this week's broadcast has been a blessing to you. If you have any questions about Mr. Dodson's message, please write us. You may email us at info@watchmanradio.org. Our mailing address is Watchman Radio Ministries International, Post Office Box 13251, Portland, Oregon, 97213. That's Watchman Radio Ministries International, Post Office Box 13251, Portland, Oregon, 97213. You may listen to this broadcast at any time on the internet at www.oneplace.com. In the list of ministries just select the Watchman Radio Hour. This week's program and previous programs are always available there for listening. Our web address is www.watchmanradio.org. That's W-A-T-C-H-M-E-N-radio.org. www.watchmanradio.org.