Bottom of the Fifth

Today on Richard Ellis Talks, usually religious people attack all the things the world does that they don't have a problem with. if you sit somebody who's wagging their finger about you smoking drinking doing whatever you're doing you just follow them around long enough they're doing something they got something going on you just haven't figured out what it is yet you're listening to richard ellis talks with richard ellison

We're so grateful you've tuned into the program. Richard's talks are always straight from the Bible, filled with truth. We're also very excited to tell you about a project we've been working on for quite some time now. Our mission has always been to reach the world for Jesus Christ. So this brand new concept to accomplish is bold and ambitious, and we're going to need your help. Richard will tell you more about it later on, but you can see it right now at our website.

richardellis.com. But for right now, let's go ahead and get right into today's talk. Here's Richard Ellis. All right. Here's things you know if you're getting older. I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it. My wild oats have turned into prunes and all bran. I finally got my head together, now my body is falling apart.

Funny, I don't remember being absent-minded. If all is not lost, where is it? I wish the buck stopped here. I sure could use a few. It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere. The only time the world beats a path to your door is when you're in the bathroom. If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees. It's not hard to meet expenses. They're everywhere.

The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth. That's not too funny. That's more like true. These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter. I go somewhere to get something and then wonder, what am I here after? All right, now I'm only going to read you a few of these. This is a lexicon lady of male phrases. When a man says, I'm going fishing, this is what it means.

I'm going to drink myself dangerously stupid and stand by a stream with a stick in my hand while the fish swim by in complete safety. If a man says it's a guy thing, that means there is no rational thought pattern connected with it, and you have no chance at all of making it logical. If a man says, can I help with dinner? He means, why isn't dinner already on the table? If a man says, uh-huh, sure, honey, or yes, dear.

That means absolutely nothing. It's just a conditioned response. Some of these aren't funny because they're true. If a man says it would take too long to explain, what that means is I have no idea how it works. If he says we're going to be late, that means now I have a legitimate excuse to drive like a maniac. If he says take a break, honey, you're working too hard. That means I can't hear the game over the vacuum cleaner.

Boy, these are terrible. I'm going to quit here in a minute. They have a woman read these. If he says that's interesting, dear, that means are you still talking? Now, this is a good one. If he says that's women's work, what that means is it's difficult, dirty, and thankless, and I don't want to have to do it. That's what that means.

there's too many there were some girls ones here's one if he says oh don't fuss I just cut myself it's no big deal that means I may have actually severed a limb but will bleed to death before I admit I'm hurt If he says, hey, I've got my reasons for what I'm doing, that means I sure hope I think of some pretty soon. I'm skipping over some here.

If he says, I heard you, that means I haven't the foggiest clue what you just said, and I'm hoping desperately that I can fake it well enough so that you don't spend the next three days yelling at me. Some of the guys are laughing. The women are not today. If he says you look terrific, that means, oh, God, please don't try on one more outfit. I am starving. If he says I'm not lost, I know exactly where we are.

that means no one will ever see us alive again all right i'll leave him with that all right the title of today's message is bottom of the fifth and it's not about baseball It's about alcohol, and usually those go together. It's interesting, sometimes you go to church, and maybe you grew up with this, where you'd go to church and all they were talking about was not smoking, not drinking, not dancing, not playing cards. Of course, you could play dominoes and gamble at that, but it wasn't cards.

All these things that you don't do, right? Now, sometimes people say, and it's swung so far the other way, you say, well, now you can't even church and God, you can't even mix these things and talk about things that might be harmful.

Because someone will say, well, that's all you people are talking about at church is not smoking, drinking, smoking, you know, whatever it is. Now, let me say this to me personally, and I have a stance on this, and I don't try to impose that on anybody. For instance, somebody becomes a Christian.

And I've had this happen. Go over to somebody's house and they just become a Christian. And, you know, we're having dinner or whatever. And you open the refrigerator and there's a six pack or a 12 pack or a keg or something in the refrigerator. There's no food all the racks are gone. There's just big old barrels in there

But you go and I'll open the refrigerator and they'll see me like look in the refrigerator and they go, oh my gosh, he saw the beer. Let me tell you something. I don't give a rip about whether you drink wine, beer, whatever you're drinking, especially if someone's a new Christian. If that's not what you're supposed to be doing, the Holy Spirit's going to tell you that in due time and he'll take care of that. I am not the Holy Spirit. Now, if you're a drunken sailor.

an alcoholic, and you're driving that way and living that way, I mean, I'll sit you down and say, you know what, you're wrecking your life and potentially some other people, you know, we need to talk about this. You know, I just don't think that's what it's about personally. I know a lot of people disagree with this. The whole Christian shouldn't do this. Usually religious people attack all the things the world does that they don't have a problem with.

If you sit somebody who's wagging their finger about you smoking, drinking, doing whatever you're doing, you just follow them around long enough. They're doing something. They got something going on. You just haven't figured out what it is yet. Now, I'm not saying these things can't be damaging.

And if you get to the bottom of the fifth, you are in trouble, especially if you do it in one sitting. Some of you don't even know what a fifth is. The ones that laugh do. A fifth of vodka, any other thing? What could it be? Fifth of what? See, all these people that know these things need prayer. For a long time, I thought Jack Daniels was a great evangelist. Then I found out that wasn't the case. Now let me throw something else out here.

Now, I talk to you about a Christian going to a person's house, they get a little nervous. And I tell them, I say, look, God starts from the inside and works out. The Bible says, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, what? Do it all to the glory of God. And I've jokingly said to friends, I say, you know what? I don't care whether you drink or not. If you can pop the top on a beer and say, for all you do, this bud's for you, God.

and you can glorify God in that, who am I to stop that? And as I said a minute ago, now you're laughing, but somebody's going to try that at happy hour tonight. See, you're laughing at that and say, oh, that's a no-brainer. You can't do that for God. Well, how about that third piece of cake you ate? Well, I've overstepped my bounds right there.

Too close to home all of a sudden See you sit down at dinner and have dinner and have a piece of cake and somebody comes by says would you like another piece of cake why certainly And you sit there and eat that cake. My question is whether you eat or drink, are you doing that to the glory of God? Are you just feeding your face? So it applies to many things, but today we're going to stick to this.

But whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, do it to the glory of God. I am not the Holy Spirit, and I don't think sometimes these are the issues. For instance, some of you have friends with drug problems or you have a drug problem. If you go to like an AA meeting or an NA meeting, let me tell you what's going on there. You can't even breathe sometimes the smoke is so thick. You know why? They're not drinking, but they're smoking, but I'd rather have them smoking.

than drinking i'll take a guy smoking cigarettes any day over smoking crack you say well he's not doing drugs he shouldn't be smoking you know what let god take him through that process now let me there we go you can applaud that Now let me throw this other category out one category is a believer who's working through this if you wag your finger at somebody who smokes drinks whatever they do

And pointing out and saying you're nothing but the sinner and all these things. Let me tell you something. They got no power to change any of that anyway. And if I didn't know God, if I didn't have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have the Holy Spirit living in me and have the joy, the peace, the love, the things going on in me, let me tell you something. Forget church, forget Sundays, forget anything. Let's eat, drink and be merry.

Tomorrow we die. Let's party. And until you and I as salt and light who supposedly know God. show them there is a better way. They're not buying it anyway. They're going to go back and do the same thing they're doing until they look at you and say, you know what? I'm supposedly quote unquote having fun and I'm miserable.

and i don't think you're having much fun but you're having more fun than i am and you remember what you did the next day you know you almost have to have a designated observer not driver so somebody at work tell you did we have a good time last night oh good you know As long as somebody was there to see it, because I don't remember anything that happened. And see, it all starts out fun. But I end up on the end of this thing where people come in my office that are full-blown alcoholics.

there's a kid that lives in dallas i haven't seen him in a while spent some time with him and this guy worked in deep element a bar just out there i mean this kid was out there he'd roller skate And finally one day he sat down and talked to me, and he was so terrified because he would go roller skating and black out. If you don't know what blacking out is, you drink so much, you literally, you're alive, you're breathing, you're there, but you're not there.

And he would black out, didn't know where he was, what had happened to him. This happens to people when they're driving. It gets real serious real quick. And it's all fun and social, drinking and all that's one thing.

But when a man gets in a car, drives down the road and kills four teenagers, it's not funny anymore. And I think one of the challenges in this country, at least, to getting these laws changed and there's not more severity is because if you go to Washington where the laws are changed.

they're struggling with what they're supposedly have to pass laws against a lot of times. And it's not that easy. Now, let me read you something out of Proverbs 23. And it is always amazing to me that this stuff is right here in the book. It is right here in the book. Now listen to what the scripture, how it describes this. Proverbs 23, 19, we'll start there. He says, hear my son and be wise and guide your heart in the way. Do not mix with wine bibbers.

or with gluttonous eaters of meat. For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags. And these are people who just, they're party animals, okay? All they want to do is go drinking and eat and drink and eat and lay around and drink and eat and, you know, just let's party. And some of you know people like that. And where do they end up? A lot of times, exactly here.

It will clothe a man with rags. The drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags. A lady came in our office, one of the girls in the church, and if I told you what corner, some of you would know this person just like that. You know these corners where they stand up there asking for food?

Some of you can describe the person at certain corners in this town because they're everywhere. Well, there's a lady near my office. She works a corner. One of the ladies in the church didn't just stop. She stopped.

Brought her in. She's coming to church Sunday. We've given her some food. And I told her, look, we're not interested in just helping you get a meal. We're interested in helping you get off the corner and tracking this. And you're welcome here. And then some girls came in and they were fighting over who's going to sit next to her.

So you sit with me. She said, well, I already told her I'd sit with her. You know, this woman is a piece of work. I mean, she is high mileage in a recent model car. I mean, she is high mileage and she has had a rough life, alcohol, cocaine. She's in trouble. You know, she's not going to make it by herself. She said yesterday she made $1.75, but she said there was a day before Christmas a few years ago she made $1,600 in one day at a corner. And you know where it went? Cocaine.

So she needs help. But you know, she doesn't need me sitting there judging her. That's where it ends up, though. She's been smoking and drinking since she was 14 years old. And, you know, maybe she can get help. Maybe she doesn't want help. I don't know. But we're going to take a stab at it. But where do you end up? She's out there sleeping in a cemetery mausoleum, and you know what? You don't care. You say, well, I'm not going to end up that way. Well, a lot of people do.

Listen to your father who begot you and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it. All wisdom and instruction and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will delight in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice. My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.

For a harlot is a deep pit, and a seductress is a narrow well. And what this is describing is you're walking along and you don't see a hole in the ground, you just fall in. And he says a harlot or been in the wrong crowd or around the wrong kind of women in this case, it's like falling into a pit or a seductress is a narrow well. You can get in, but you can't get out.

A child who will just slide down in a well, they have to get backhoes and come up underneath the kid to get them out. And he says here, you can get in, but it's hard to get out. She also lies in wait as for a victim and increases the unfaithful among men. Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? And listen to that description again. Who are the people with problems, with sorrow?

with contentions, with complaints, with wounds without cause. Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed drink, do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly. I love this stuff's in the Bible.

You ever seen somebody with a glass of wine and it's swirling in the glass? It's sparkling and that glass just keeps moving. And, you know, after a while, it's, you know, you say, well, what's wrong with a glass of wine? I didn't say anything about a glass of wine. So you're saying you're telling me not to drink. I'm not telling you do anything. I'm telling you to have a personal relationship with the God of the universe and ask him what you can do.

And some people live in their life by what some church tells them they can or can't do or be or not be. Let me tell you something. You better be doing it because God tells you to or it's not relationship. It's religion anyway. And you cannot be doing it on one day of the week and fool everybody.

But I know good whatever kind of people from any kind of religion, they're sober on Sunday, but they're drinking every night at home. And everybody knows it, but nobody will say anything. Now go back to verse 29. Who has woe? I see it's one thing somebody sits at dinner, they have a glass of wine, a beer, whatever. You know, I'm around people like that all the time. That's one thing. Let me tell you something. I have seen devastation. I have to hear these stories.

you know and they always go to commercial break on tv you don't see all the problems and if you do it's all cool and you just turn it off and whoo glad that's not me it can become you and i've talked to men and women you take a woman she gets

tired of waiting she gets frustrated she gets overwhelmed too much pressure a man the same way in one afternoon doing everything right every day of the year doing the right thing and just gets overwhelmed and a friend says hey let's go to happy hour whatever And you end up there, you have one drink, have another drink. Pretty soon you're wasted. Some guy comes along and says, hey, why don't we go for a ride, have dinner.

Next thing you know, you wake up in some bed with somebody and you say, well, God forgives. Let me tell you something. That has consequence. And I would never do this. We can go around the room starting with me and talk about consequence to things. And you say, it's not that fun. It was a disaster. It could cost you your marriage. It could cost you your job. It costs you your children. This stuff is very expensive.

Very expensive. Now, the Bible does not say don't get drunk, and I'm going to read this in a minute. It encourages getting drunk. Now, y'all stay with me for a couple more minutes. Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? I've talked to guys who were laughing about it. Oh yeah, Friday night I was at some party and it's time to go home.

Man, I tried to jump over a barbed wire fence and missed. And he just, you know, it's all funny watching. Let me tell you, it wasn't funny. This guy, he ran up and jumped over that fence and landed in the fence. But he was so drunk he didn't know he was hurt. You've seen people like this. They'd be bleeding and, ah, I fell down, you know. Who has wounds without cause? There's no reason for it.

And we see these people, you're sober and they're drunk, and we kind of laugh, but then you go, wow, that's sad. And then they get in a car and drive. Wow, that's scary. Wounds without cause, redness of eyes. And he answers it, those who linger long at wine, those who go in search of mixed drink, don't look on the wine when it's red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly. At last, it bites like a serpent and stings like a viper.

You stay with it. It's going to bite you. Listen to verse 33. This guy said like he's been there. Your eyes will see strange things. What was that? Your eyes will see strange things and your heart will utter perverse things. There are things you say when you're drunk you would never say sober. Good and bad. I love you, man.

You're the best friend I ever had. Of course, you get sober and all that stuff I said, I don't really mean that. And on the other hand, terrible stuff comes out of your mouth. And then we say, oh, he didn't mean that. He was drunk. You know what? It's in there. It just, he can restrain it somehow when he's sober. It's in there. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea.

I try doing that sometime. I mean, it's just this, you know. Or like one who lies at the top of a mast. I get on the top of a sailboat mast. Oh, I mean, this is the whole world. This is exactly the description. Verse 35, they have struck me, but I was not hurt. Same thing, get hit when you're drunk. Oh man, don't hit me. You don't even feel it. They have beaten me, but I did not feel it.

When shall I awake that I may seek another drink? I'll wake up and when I do, and I can take you to places in town right now, specifically one over here off of Harry Hines. Some guys used to live up in the woods, and I'd go early in the morning sometime, 5, 45, 6 o'clock one day to take one of them to Parkland. He said he wanted to dry out, and the other guy was going with us. And I mean, I'd honk the horn, go up in the woods.

These guys were in plastic tents, just unbelievable circumstances. And they would wake up, roll over, come out of that tent with a bottle of wine in their hand. And that's the first thing before they'd go to the bathroom, they were drinking a sip of wine. When I wake, I seek another drink. Guys, let me say something. This is a hell of a way to live. You say, well, that's not me. If you have a problem with it, get help.

And I'm telling you, sooner or later you're going to discover it. You can't do this stuff by yourself. In the New Testament, it says this. Ephesians 5.8 says this. And do not be drunk with wine. And that is the operative word. Do not be drunk with wine. And as much as I've heard people explain this away, they drank wine in the days of Jesus. It wasn't Welch's grape juice. It was wine. But he says, do not be drunk with wine.

in which is dissipation or excess he says but be filled with the spirit i see you get drunk on wine you do things you'd never do you get drunk on the spirit you'll do some things you wouldn't do either And the Bible, I think, advocates getting drunk, but it's on the Spirit of God. And some of you get stuck in the middle so long, you're sober, too sober. We're supposed to get drunk. And you meet somebody who's drunk in the spiritual sense.

There's a difference. They express themselves. They say things. They feel things. They live. And it's not out of control. And they remember this stuff. And the world needs to see and hear us say, look, getting drunk's fun when it's fun, but it's got consequence. Get drunk my way. There's benefit. There's joy. You can have a genuine good time doing it God's way. All right, let's pray.

And our Father, I thank you so much for your word. And I pray that you would give us wisdom. And literally, whether we eat or drink, whatever we do, that we would do it all to the glory of God. And that we would watch what we say, what we do, where we go. not get caught up into peer pressure, not go places alone where we're not safe, as it applies to any kind of alcohol, chemical dependency, whatever it may be, is Father, the bottom of the fifth is a terrible place to be.

And I thank you, Father, that you don't leave us without options. But when we do it your way, it's more than fun. There's joy. There's peace. There's rest. There's long-term fulfillment. and contentment the regrets father are so much less the pain the wounds the just the way we feel and live father changes dramatically give us

your control over our lives as we submit our lives to your control. And Father, for people who say, you know what, I got nothing else to do. It's the only time when I'm happy. It's the only time when I numb the brain pain. Father, I pray that you'd show them today there's a better way and that you didn't create us to leave us that way. That's not what you intended. You intended that we would have eternal life and abundant life between here and heaven.

And I pray that you would reveal yourself to anyone today, Father, who doesn't know you personally, that they would realize that they've sinned, but that that's why Jesus came and lived and died, was buried and raised from the dead. And if they'll reach out the hands of their heart.

and say, God, I've screwed up. I'm sinned. I need your forgiveness. And I believe Jesus died to pay my way and is offering me this incredible gift of eternal life. I can't pay for it. I got nothing to offer, God. But I need who you are and what you have. So I receive it as a gift. I ask you to come live in me, through me, change me. One step at a time, Lord, at your pace, not anybody else's, not even mine.

But may it be done, the change be done, not by willpower, but by your power, working through my will, my mind, and my emotions. God, thank you so much for loving us and that you do work from the inside out. And I pray that we would be patient with one another in the process and allow people to grow up and grow out of things maybe that cause so much damage in their lives. We love you. We ask you to use us this day. And we pray it all in Jesus' name who makes it possible. Amen.

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