Recently we were out here street witnessing and I talked to a young man that had been drinking. I asked if he’d been drinking and he said “what does that matter?” Then I asked him if he was headed to a bar and he said that he was. So I asked him if Jesus was his drinking buddy and he said “Yes He is.” The young man then proceeded to tell me that he guarantees that he’s won more people to Christ by going into the bars than I have by proclaiming the Gospel on the street.
I asked him to explain to me how that works. He proudly proceeded to tell me that he goes in and drinks with strangers and then he befriends them. It was very important to him to make friends with people first. Then after he became friends, then he could invite them over to his house and then he’d share God’s love with them at that time. I asked him if that happens a lot and he said, “Yeah, all the time.”
I’ve read the Bible many times and somehow I’ve missed where it says that we have to become friends with people before we have the right to witness to them. I must have misread Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jonah and others where God told the prophets to lift up their voices in the streets. I must have misinterpreted those verses and I sure must have missed the part where it says that we are supposed to go out drinking with sinners in order to convert them. I must have missed the part where the Bible says that Jesus is our drinking buddy.
I missed all these parts because they are NOT in the Bible. This young man that I tried to witness to is deceived like so many others. If you are out here tonight and you are partial to alcohol and you claim that you are a Christian, chances are one of your most favorite stories in the Bible is where Jesus turned water into wine (John 2:1-11). Countless drunks over the years have said to me “What about where Jesus turned water into wine?” Somehow they think that’s definitive proof that Jesus approves of their drinking. Folks, there is fermented wine and there is unfermented wine, so how do you know that the water Jesus turned into wine wasn’t unfermented?
Jesus knew the Old Testament better than anyone. He is God! He always has been and always will be, just like God the Father. So Jesus knew Proverbs 20:1 very well which says, Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. Jesus also knew Proverbs 31:4-5, It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink. Lest they drink, and forget the law, and pervert the judgment of any of the afflicted.
Jesus is God. He is God the Son so He also knew Deuteronomy 29:4-6 very well too: Yet the LORD has not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, to this day. And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and your shoe is not waxen old upon your foot. You have not eaten bread, neither have you drunk wine or strong drink: that you might know that I am the LORD your God. The Israelites didn’t drink any alcohol the whole time that they wandered in the wilderness because God is Holy! Don’t foolishly think that Jesus is your drinking buddy and that claiming Christ and getting drunk is alright. It is not alright with God.
The young man that I spoke to about Christ that claimed Jesus was his drinking buddy, also threw out the verse that Jesus was a winebibber and that He hung out with sinners. Listen to what Jesus actually said in Luke 7:33-35: For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, He has a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and you say, Behold, a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! But wisdom is justified of all her children.
Please notice that Jesus was NOT saying that He was a glutton and He wasn’t saying that he was a drunkard. Jesus never sinned! He couldn’t be a drunkard and still be sinless. No He said that He was accused of being a glutton; He was accused of being a drunk and He was accused of being a friend of sinners. In other words, some people think that means that He hung out with sinners and condoned their wicked actions. That’s absolutely untrue.
Jesus will meet you wherever you are. He will meet you tonight. Maybe you are drunk. Maybe you are a drug addict. Maybe you are an adulterer, or homosexual or a thief or a liar. Maybe you are a wicked sinner tonight. Jesus will still meet you where you are. Jesus is beckoning you to come to Him tonight. He will receive you tonight, just like you are. But He never condones sin. He never approves of sin. He is the sinless Son of God. He never sinned. If He approved of your sinful lifestyle, He would no longer be the sinless Son of God. Approving other people’s sinful lives is sinful. Jesus never sinned! Romans 1:32 says Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Remember when the religious leaders brought the woman who was caught in adultery to Jesus and they said that she should be stoned to death (they conveniently didn’t bring the man caught in adultery to Jesus to be stoned to death). They wanted to see what Jesus would do. Jesus wrote on the ground. It could be that Jesus wrote various sins in the dirt, I don’t know. But before long everyone left one by one and it was only the woman who was caught committing adultery that was left standing there with Jesus. He asked her if there were any there who accused her. She said no one. He told her that he didn’t accuse her either. Now at this point, He didn’t say “Ok, I saved your life, so you can continue going out committing adultery every night.” No, He said “Go and sin NO more!” He forgave her for her sin but He didn’t approve of it. He told her to change her evil ways.
Do not be deceived tonight. Jesus is NOT your drinking buddy. Jesus does not approve of you going into bars and drinking, even if you are foolishly doing this in order to become friends with sinners so you can witness to them at a later time. Do not be deceived. Getting drunk is wrong. Claiming Christ as your Savior and getting drunk is wrong. The Bible is God’s Holy Word and the Bible is clearly against drinking alcohol.
I read you a couple of verses earlier. Here are some more. Leviticus 11:45 says: For I am the LORD that brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. Ephesians 5:8 states: And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit. Isaiah 5:11 tells us: Woe to them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! Woe to them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink (Isaiah 5:22).
Isaiah 28:3 states: The crown of pride, the drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden under feet. Isaiah 28:7-8 continues: But they also have erred through wine, and through strong drink are out of the way; the priest and the prophet have erred through strong drink, they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble in judgment. For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean.
Hosea 4:11 says: Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart. Jesus is NOT your drinking buddy. Listen to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11: Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
The apostle Paul says do not be deceived. The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. No drunkard will inherit the kingdom of God. Former drunkards will, if they turn from their sins and put their trust in Jesus. Former alcoholics will make it to Heaven; if they have repented and put their faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Former ____________ will be sons and daughters of God forever, if they have repented and believed the Gospel. But please don’t miss 1 Corinthians 6:11 where Paul says such WERE some of you. He’s pointing out that when you are saved, you are changed. He’s pointing out that through the conviction of the Holy Spirit, you will be convicted when you are committing sin. The Holy Spirit will convict you that what you are doing is wrong.
Do not be deceived tonight. Jesus is NOT your drinking buddy. Don’t foolishly lift a drink high in the air and claim Jesus is your Savior. I used to do the same thing; back when I was lost. I used to claim Christ as my Savior and I used to drink alcohol. But I was lost. Chances are you are lost too if you still love the bottle. Remember, Jesus told the woman caught in adultery to go and sin NO more. If you are truly saved, Jesus will convict you that getting drunk is wrong. We are to be holy because God is Holy. If you are truly saved, God does not want you, the temple of the Holy Spirit frequenting bars. If you still love your sins, if you still love alcohol, you are still lost.
Repent tonight. Turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. Be saved tonight. Believe the Gospel. Belief is so much more than intellectual belief. Belief is where you surrender your life to Jesus. Belief is when you confess your sins and forsake your sins, it’s when you forsake all for Jesus Christ our Lord. Belief is when you say: you can have all this world, just give me Jesus. Belief is godly sorrow over your sins. It breaks my heart when I break God’s heart. It breaks my heart when I sin. I’m not perfect, but I grieve over sin in my life.
If you proudly raise that drink high in the air and claim that Jesus is your drinking buddy; you are lost. You are still headed straight for Hell. It’s out of love that we are out here tonight to plead with you to get right with God. No drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Truly turn away from your sins, confess and forsake your sins and cry out to Jesus to save you. Repent and believe the Gospel and inherit the kingdom of God. Receive eternal life tonight. Repent and put your faith in Jesus. Be saved. Be saved tonight. When Jesus is truly your buddy; when He is really your friend (Abraham was called a friend of God), then you will truly love Him and love others.
Then out of your love for Him and obedience to Him, you should then go out and warn others that there is judgment to come. You should warn others to get off the broad road to Hell and get on the narrow road of life – life eternal. When you are truly saved, instead of desiring to go out and get drunk, you will desire to see others saved. You too will go out and plead with sinners to get right with God. Be a true buddy to Jesus. Call upon the name of the Lord and be saved and then go out and proclaim the Good News, the wonderful words of life to this lost and dying world.
(This message was proclaimed in the open-air on October 25, 2014 on the square in downtown Springfield, MO during the 2014 Halloween Pub Crawl)
Great job, brother. Very good job. As I was reading it, I was thinking this would sound good preached.
Thanks Michael.
You have began a long journey…it will not be easy. Jesus gave to the world a complete way of life which would have endured forever, if man had but comprehended HIM. For did HE not tell man to look…WITHIN HIMSELF…to find the answer to all things. Jesus taught one could find God within themselves, and all things would be added unto them…’if you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you’. For of the Holy Spirit to come upon, and to dwell within, for by the grace of God…this life has come to know…a priceless gift to share ‘Brotherly Love’. Also to know a heavy burden ‘to be’…for many know not of the Holy Spirit within.
Love, Peace and Hope …to all that come ‘close by’…Praise God.
Jesus gave His life a ransom for many and when He redeems us, it does last forever. We are to look at the 10 Commandments like we look in the mirror to see that we don’t measure up to God’s righteousness. We’ve all sinned. We’ve all lied, most have stolen, we’ve all lusted and coveted and none of us have always put God first in our lives. After we look at the commandments then we can look inside and see that we are sinners. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
We are all born with a a sinful nature. Inside we are spiritually dead. We must be made alive and we are only born again through repentance and faith in Jesus. When we confess and forsake our sins, when we turn from our sins and put our trust in Jesus, when we surrender completely to Him, then the Holy Spirit lives inside us and we have eternal life. Salvation doesn’t come from within, it comes through Jesus Christ alone.