Fool Proof: A Study in Proverbs
Week 6 | Alcohol
Mark and Shelly Nelson, authors
Maybe you’re a teetotaler, just a social drinker, or maybe not even the legal drinking age. You may have been raised by an alcoholic parent, be living with an alcoholic family member, or be struggling with alcoholism yourself. Wherever you are on the spectrum, you can’t ignore the impact alcohol has on our lives.
Welcoming Bruce back next Sunday, let’s hear a brief message from him as he’s been preparing to share what wisdom we can glean from Proverbs about how to handle alcohol as we seek to live out God’s will for our lives.
Watch this video, then spend some time in prayer and meditation with the questions below.
Ask yourself
- In the video, Bruce said most will agree believers should not get drunk, but should you drink at all or is it OK to drink occasionally? What do you think?
- What are some consequences you’ve experienced or seen in others’ lives when someone drinks too much?
- Some like to study topics like this to find a proof text for their point or a loophole for their actions. What do you most hope to gain from our study of Proverbs on this topic?
Read
Proverbs 20:1
Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler;
whoever is led astray by them is not wise.
Pray
Transcendent God above all, you exist beyond that which we can comprehend. Your power is higher than any other power. Your wisdom is deeper than anything we can understand.
Though we believe in our own minds that we are wise, help us grasp the surpassing greatness of your power and wisdom. Spirit, as your people, help us see beyond our own beliefs and submit our will to your holiness. Guide us along the path that leads to joy and fulfillment found in you.
Jesus, shepherd us away from trouble and destruction. Hear our prayer. Heal our spirits. Replace our weakness with your power.
Amen.
Talk about it
As believers we can be as iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17) – helping prepare each other for defense in the spiritual battles we face each day. But too often we shy away from discussing sensitive topics. We try to avoid conversations that might upset our relationships or reveal our “secret sins,” missing out on the very help we need to live a transformed life. Who could you talk to this week?
- In your discussion, you’re not looking to fact-check anyone or question morality, just start a conversation: Is it ever appropriate to drink alcohol? If so, under what circumstances? When is it never appropriate to drink alcohol?
- Our goal in this series is to become “fool proof.” From our single verse today, what is your takeaway about alcohol and handling it in a wise way?
- Bruce challenged us to look up references to alcohol in scripture. Check out com and search for “wine”, “beer” or “drink”. (You may find over 300 depending on the translation you choose.) Skimming through the results, what patterns do you see in the references? How do these patterns impact your answers in the previous conversation?