I preached a message on alcohol yesterday morning, addressing the issue as thoroughly as I could in a single message and dealing with numerous passages from both Testaments. I dealt with the issue more honestly than I have in the past, figuring that God said what He said on purpose and remembering that my job is to preach the whole counsel of God—not to serve as God’s filter.
The message can be found here. I hope it will be instructive and encouraging to you.
For some reason, from about 5:00 to 7:00 of the recording there are several “fades,” making it difficult to hear every word. Fortunately, it obscures only my testimony (my experience with alcohol as a child and teen, etc.). Thankfully, the portion where the Bible is explained (the rest of the message) is much clearer.
FWIW, I close the message by rejoicing in God’s use of wine as a symbol which points us both to the blessing of our salvation and to the suffering of our Savior. As you may know, I meditate often on the concept of His Robes for Mine, the biblical picture of Christ exchanging His righteous robes for my filthy ones (imputation/justification). I’ve recently been amazed to meditate also on the concept of His Cup for Mine, the biblical picture of Christ giving me the wine of salvation and drinking for me the wine of God’s wrath. What grace! That theme is considered in the new hymn I wrote with Molly Ijames, Salvation’s Cup. It focuses on a marvelous though neglected theme. I pray that it will magnify Christ and edify His church.
Filed under: Bible Exposition, Churchworksmedia.com, Contemporary Issues, My Sermons, The Cross, The Gospel | Tagged: Alcohol, Alcohology, Christian and Alcohol, Salvation's Cup, Wine | 17 Comments »
