You know, why are you partaking in another man's sin?
Why are you approving, look, by not saying anything, you're approving of what they're
doing.
And let me say this, we ought not to just take a stand for ourselves, but our stand
should be manifest to all men as well.
So when someone is doing something that's not appropriate and we're there in their household,
this is what you do, you leave!
This is what you do, say, hey, either you put that stuff away or we're leaving.
Oh, we're family.
Yeah, but either you put that stuff away or we're leaving.
Yeah, but you know, we've always done it this way.
Okay, let me say it a different way, either you put that stuff away or we're leaving.
And if they don't put it away, then leave.
Better to honor God than to offend your tia.
Better to honor God than to offend your mom or your dad.
I'm not saying do it with a negative spirit, but the fact remains is that they know where
you stand on this issue.
You know, they're basically trying to test the waters to see if you'll compromise.
Now look what the Bible says in Proverbs chapter 23, I'm going to read to you from Proverbs
chapter 20 verse 1, it says, wine is a mock or strong drink is raging and whosoever is
deceived thereby is not wise.
Proverbs 23, 31, these are familiar verses, but it's worth reading.
Look at verse 31, look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its color in
the cup, when it moveth itself aright, at the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth
like an adder, because it's poison, thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine
heart shall utter perverse things.
I mean, think about this, those of you who got saved later on in life, you know that
most of the fights break out is when people start drinking and start bringing up old things,
right?
You know, old conflicts and all these things and all of a sudden Christmas is just ruined.
Now in Hispanic homes, people typically celebrate Christmas at 12 midnight, let me know what
I'm talking about, okay?
We don't necessarily do it on Christmas day, we open our presents on Christmas Eve, midnight
is what we do.
Everyone dresses in suits and you got your clip-on tie and everything like that, and
you just have to wait till midnight.
Well, you know, alcohol ruins that, okay?
Why?
Because then people start fighting and saying perverse things, and look, that should have
no place within a Christian home.
It says here, yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as
he that lieth upon the top of a mass, they have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was
not sick.
They have beaten me and I felt it not.
When shall I awake?
I will seek it yet again.
So alcohol should never have a place in a Christian home, but not only that, let me
give you some practical tips here.
If you're gonna go to a family member's house for Christmas, and you know that they potentially
have the propensity to bring out the alcohol, you know, you need to get on the phone and
say, hey, we want to go over there, but if you guys are gonna have alcohol, we're not
gonna go.
Oh, we're just gonna have a little bit of, okay, then we're not gonna go.
Well, come on, we're not going.
Just take a stand.
What's so crazy and radical about saying we're not going to Christmas with family because
they have alcohol?
You know, oh, but you know, they're gonna have food and presents and phooey with all
the food and presents.
Go find a church member, you know, and invite yourself to their house, amen?
Come to my house if you need to come to my house.
You know, better to inconvenience yourself and do it the right way than do it the wrong
way for the sake of comfort and not offending others, okay?
So we need to make sure that we're never around alcohol, especially when it comes to this
matter of Christmas.
Because look, I'm telling you, your family members, they're gonna test you.
They're gonna test you.
And they're gonna try to see if you approve, well, you say, well, you know, how do they
do, how do they make sure that we're approving of what we're doing?
If you don't say anything, then they win.
They win if we don't stand up and say, all right, we're out of here, okay?
So let me, I'll get into some other things in just a bit.
But drinking alcohol, obviously, no Christian should be involved in alcohol.
And if you are drinking alcohol, come and see me after the service.
I got something to talk to you about, okay?
According to 1 Corinthians chapter five, you know, oh, but I'll only a sip.
Come and see me after the service.
We'll go ahead and talk about that.
But I'm about 99% sure that people here are not drinking alcohol, okay?
But you know what?
You might be approving of those who do, though.
You might be fellowshipping with those who do.
And in that case, that's wicked.