Summary: <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/westside-christian-fellowship/id386117063">If you want to stay up on the latest audio messages from Westside Christian Fellowship, don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes.</a><a style="line-height: 1.5em;" href=""> </a><a class="twitter-share-button" href="http://twitter.com/share">Tweet</a><a style="line-height: 1.5em;" href=""></a> Complete Sermon Notes Silence The Mocking Voices You will go through seasons where you “HEAR THE MOCKING VOICES” - the culture, the court's, friends, enemies, and family. to joke, jest, scoff, and ridicule the goal is to sidetrack - “you’ll never amount to anything”; “you’ll always be a drunk, or an addict”; “you’re a failure and will always be.” Matt. 27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. They Mocked His Position - Be careful who you mock. CHARISMATICS MOCK CONSERVATIVES AND CONSERVATIVES MOCK CHARISMATICS 32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross. 33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. Mark says Simon is the father of “Alexander and Rufus.” No evidence for the crucifixion happening on a hill. Sour wine was too bitter or He didn’t want to dull His senses. Talmud - “When one is led out to execution, he is given a goblet of wine containing a grain of frankincense, in order to benumb his senses….” A WORD ABOUT WINE: The person who consumes alcohol walks a very fine line between freedom and sin, responsibility and carelessness, liberty and abuse. Two purposes - Joy and Relief for suffering Self inflicted mocking: Proverbs - “Wine is a mocker and beer a brawler; whoever is led astray by them is not wise.” Pastor John MacArthur states what many of us feel but seldom discuss. "It is puerile and irresponsible for any pastor to encourage the recreational use of intoxicants — especially in church-sponsored activities. The ravages of alcoholism and drug abuse in our culture are too well known, and no symbol of sin's bondage is more seductive or more oppressive than booze." The Bible never encourages crossing the line. A preoccupation with alcohol is just one indicator of alcoholism; a preoccupation with drinking at events or social gatherings is another. This is not liberty; it's addiction. Jesus was filled with the Spirit. This cannot be said of those who consume alcohol regularly. What is the fruit of today's preoccupation with alcohol? Conversations often turn away from God, if they were there to begin with. We begin to compromise our time and interests; we'd rather head to Vegas than a prayer meeting. In Jesus' day, society was much more isolated. We cannot calculate how many people are affected by today's social media. A person with 500 "friends" may be encouraging dozens to stumble. It is the selfless motivation of love that keeps us from causing others to stumble (cf. Romans 14). Be honest. How much do you drink? Is it really one? Do you often plan activities around alcohol (kids...
