OceanSide church of Christ
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LET’S HAVE A
BEER
Victor M.
Eskew
“Simply put, beer is fermented; hop flavored, malt sugared liquid”
(alabev.come). The basic
ingredients in beer are water, malt, hops, and yeast. It is the malting process that produces
the ethyl alcohol in beer. In a
list from realbeer.com, most beers have an alcohol content level of between 5%
to 7%. The mildest is Kipling Light
Lager containing 3.4%. Sam Adams
Utopias MMII is the most potent containing 24%.
Alcohol is a very common drink throughout the world. It is a common drink among high school
and college students in the
LET’S HAVE A BEER and ruin our reputation. Proverbs 22:1 tells us that “a good name
is rather to be chosen than great riches…”
A good name involves one’s reputation and character. A good name is built piece by piece over
a long period of time. However, it
only takes one bad incident to mar that good name. Judas betrayed the Lord with a
kiss. Forevermore his name will be
associated with being a traitor. A
Christian is known for his holy character (I Pet. 1:15-16). His is one who refuses to be conformed
to this world (Rom. 12:2; I John 2:15).
When one hears that a Christian drinks beer, his/her reputation is
marred. His good name is now
associated with the devil’s brew.
LET’S HAVE A BEER and get involved with sin. Most people see nothing wrong with
having a beer or two. Very few
would associate beer drinking with sin.
Individuals only connect sin with drunkenness. What is overlooked is the fact that
drunkenness is a process. It is not
a point one reaches with the consumption of a certain amount of alcohol. The very first drink begins the process
of drunkenness. After the first
beer, a person is one beer drunk.
With this in mind, we better understand the words of the wise man in
Proverbs 23:31: “Look not thou upon
the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth
itself aright.” The inspired
admonition is to not even look at alcoholic beverages. This is much sager advice than beginning
the process of drunkenness with the first drink.
LET’S HAVE A BEER and risk harming innocent people. There have been many beer drinkers who
have hurt and killed innocent victims in their automobiles. The evening began with a few beers with
the boys. The drive home turned
homicidal. The beer took its toll
on the person’s judgment and reaction time. He swerved in the road. He failed to stop at the red light. He was traveling too fast on a back
road. His negligence caused a
horrific car accident. A mother was
killed. A small child was maimed
for life. A teenager now lies as a
vegetable in a hospital bed.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
42,642 people died in traffic crashes in 2006 in the
LET’S HAVE A BEER and bring suffering to at least five other lives. In an article entitled, “Number of
Alcoholics: Alcoholism and Other
Drug Problems,” James E. Royce and David Scratchley make this
observation:
Alcohol causes more
than alcoholism. If each alcoholic
affects the lives of four or five others “spouse, children, employer, employee,
innocent victim of accident, or other” then our 12.2 million alcoholics have an
impact on 40 to 50 million others for a total of about 60 million citizens. The president of a state association of
judges stated that “90 to 95 percent of all the cases that come before my bench”
civil, criminal, and family, “involve alcohol.” Alcohol may not be the sole cause, but
is a part-cause in much juvenile delinquency, illegitimate pregnancy, truancy,
and fights. Numerous reports
indicate that about 73 percent of felonies are alcohol-related. A survey of the literature shows that in
about 67 percent of child-beating cases, 41 percent of forcible rape cases, 80
percent of wife-battering, 72 percent of stabbings, and 83 percent of homicides,
either the attacker or the victim or both had been drinking. Hard to research, incest is now coming
out in the open; one report estimates as high as 90 percent of incest may be
alcohol-related (Murphy, 1992). As
high as 45 percent of our social welfare aid in categories like Aid to Dependent
Children, and 60% of “mental cruelty” divorce cases, have been estimated as
associated with alcohol and other drugs, which is the primary complaint in
one-third of all broken marriages (see Parker and Rebhun, 1995, Pernanen,
1991).
Most of the people in
the list are supposed to be people the drinker loves. Is it love if he brings this type of
suffering to their lives?
LET’S HAVE A BEER and hurt our health. Some people like to tout the “health
benefits” that come from alcohol.
The reality, however, is that alcohol brings much more harm than
good. On the website,
alcoholismresources.com, the following health problems are listed as a result of
alcoholism or even mild overuse over time:
heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease, impotence, nerve and
brain damage, sleep problems, cancer, and damage to the stomach and
kidneys. When these problems
finally show up, it is too late to change some of them. One must live with the frustration, the
pain, and the cost of these preventable health issues for the remainder of one’s
life. In addition to these long
term problems, more immediate health problems are also associated with
drinking. Solomon referred to these
in Proverbs 23:29-30. “Who hath
woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babblings? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine: they that go to seek mixed wine” (emp.
mine, vme). Hospital emergency
rooms and emergency clinics are filled with people who have cuts, scrapes,
bruises, and broken limbs due to alcohol related injuries. With these facts before us, does it seem
logical to say that one should drink alcohol for good health? Hardly!
LET’S HAVE A BEER and get addicted to alcohol. The estimates are that 1 out of every 10
Americans is addicted to alcohol.
Once one is addicted, his life becomes very difficult. Problems develop in many areas of life
including home and work. The
alcoholic longs to quit, but he cannot.
He has become a slave to liquor.
The best way to find out if one will become an alcoholic is to take the
first drink. But, is the one in ten
risk worthy that first sip?
NOTE: All those who refuse
to take the first drink never become
alcoholics.
LET’S HAVE A BEER and lose our spiritual appetite. This writer has never come across an
individual who drinks, even moderately, who has a deep passion for spiritual
things. Those who drink are not
regular attendees. They are not
diligent Bible students. They do
not have a fervent prayer life.
They struggle with other temptations and sin. Dear readers, the spirits of alcohol and
the Spirit of God just do not mix.
Paul wrote: “And be not
drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph.
5:18). Alcohol and faithful
Christian living are incompatible.
Christian living involves soberness of mind (Tit. 2:2, 4, 6; I Pet.
5:8). Even a small amount of
alcohol takes its toll on sober thinking.
Those who drink need to ask themselves: Do I want to be a loyal, faithful,
dedicated, knowledgeable Christian?
If so, you will not accomplish the task by pouring down the
booze.
LET’S HAVE A BEER sounds so innocent and so inviting. The consequences of that beer can spread
deep and wide. We have examined
seven consequences in the preceding paragraphs. One last consequence involves things
eternal, the loss of one’s soul. If
the evils associated with drinking come to pass, and they will, the drinker will
lose his soul. Our hope is that the
one who is asked to go have a beer will see that it is really Satan making the
invitation. In response, we pray
that the one invited will do as Peter admonishes: “Whom resist stedfast in the faith…” (I
Pet. 5:9).