A Little Won't Hurt

The national institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that 15.1 million people in the United States are either alcoholics or alcohol abusers, and that 107,800 deaths yearly are attributed to alcohol alone.

As 118 million watched the 1989 super bowl game, they witnessed a very subtle contradiction. During a break in the play, Oral Herschiser, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, stood before a camera and begged kids to say "no" to drugs, He said, "Losers use and abuse." Yet the very next commercial featured another sports celebrity holding up his favorite beer and saying, "It doesnt get any better than this."

Alcoholism has ravaged families and torn lives apart. In my spirit I hear the cry of a little girl who sobs quietly in her bed at night. She gently nurses the black and blue bruise on her cheek because daddy came home drunk.

In the next house lies a lonely little boy whose daddy has not been home for days because he has disappeared in the neighborhood of crack houses.

In another, a woman waits in fear and trembling, because her husband has discovered cocaine gives him a bigger thrill than marijuana. But cocaine brings on rage, which he releases in violent abuse.

Down the street a drug deal has gone sour, resulting in a spray of bullets that will leave two teenagers dead and one paralyzed.

("How many will take what the word says, over your own Ideas, and what man has taught you")? ("Even f it was your parents or your pastor")?

Now there are three things that Jesus said, would dull mans awareness of his second coming! Surfeiting, drunkenness, cares of this life! We all know that the cares of this life will dull our senses to what is happening around us! We dont have a problem with this, we have been taught this from the scriptures!

But there are some that will have a problem with what I am about to teach about the rest of this verse! But I want to say that your problem is not with me, but with what the Word says about what I AM ABOUT TO TEACH!!

Because what I am about to teach you, is directly from the Word of God! So if you have a problem with it, you need to talk to God about what His Word says, Dont look to man for the answer, but look to God!

Now most of the different versions of the Bible that I studied gave the idea of the word Surfeiting, meaning to over eat or to be a glutton! But as I studied, I found that this was a bad translation of the Word, in fact it doesnt mean this at all!

This word is used only once in the entire Bible. And if you were to look at this verse with this thinking in mind, you would think Overeating, being a drunkard, and the cares of this world are what dulls your awareness of the second coming!

But thats not what is being said here! Jesus said, "take heed, and this word means, (Look at, and be aware), that Surfeiting, and this is what this word in the Greek means, and not what the Websters dictionary says it means, and this seems to be where the translators received their definition for this word!

But this word in the Greek means, (a debauch, or a bout of excessive self-indulgence in sensual pleasure, a headache, as a seizure of pain, from drunkenness or one that over indulges). Meaning to fulfill the bodily desires!

Then Jesus says, "and drunkenness". Now was Jesus talking about the same thing twice? I dont think so! In fact Ill show you that he is talking about two different things here!

The word Drunkenness here means, (an intoxicant). And this means, (an alcoholic drink, or drugs or substance to cause or produce intoxication), sounds like one leads to another! (And it also means to poison)!

Sounds to me that these words are describing two different ways of (Drinking alcohol), With one Jesus is describing drinking an excess of alcohol, and by the other Jesus is describing, just slightly touching alcohol.

Seems that Jesus felt the urgency to go back and touch on this subject further, Jesus said, In fact if you even touch the stuff it will dull your awareness! And I can tell you from personal experience that it will!

In fact I personally know people who can drink a fifth of whiskey and not even be the slightest bit drunk, and others that can drink a half a can of beer and they are stoned out of their minds! ( Now which one is in excess")? ("Both according to scripture")!

Jesus was saying, that "the cares of this life" and drinking an excess of alcohol, or even touching it, would dull our awareness of his second coming! We cant afford anything to dull our awareness!

This portion of scripture tells us that we are not to even eat or drink with the drunken, or we will not go to heaven, but that we will receive the same portion or reward as the hypocrite! Sounds to me like Jesus was totally against the partaking of this kingdom of darkness.

I do want to say that in the last thirty years there has been an increased teaching in the church (Im talking about Pentecostal churches), it was OK in most others already, that it is OK to have an occasional drink.

Or a social drink, or even a drink with your companion on a special occasion! We havent brought the truth to those still in partial darkness. But we have excepted their way of thinking!

Let me say that if you need a drink on special occasions, to stimulate you, you need God to touch you! With a new love for your companion! You need God to touch your eyes with eye-salve, so you can see your companion through new eyes that come from God!

You dont need a drink to stimulate you! Isaiah 5:11 says, "that wine inflames and this is speaking of inflaming passions, or causing lust to rise up", And you can see this in those that drink, and most of the time the Passion or lust is toward someone other than your companion, Satan makes sure of this.