'Poisonous' Jesus?

It is plain from the Bible (KJV) that there can only be one Jesus, but he himself warned that many false Christs shall arise claiming to be he, and that there were certain characteristics that would mark them as being counterfeit. Speaking of being fake, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the way to tell a false Jesus is to study the character of the real one. Over at the U.S. Treasury, they don't study samples of the thousands of types of counterfeit money (too time-consuming, and therefore impractical) in order to be able to discern the false, but rather they study the genuine to become expert at recognizing a substitute.
     In talking to folks today about their soul and the state thereof, I find that many (in fact, most) have what I call the 'poisonous' kind of "Jesus" in their minds. The poison I am referring to is alcohol, or ethanol, which the majority of Americans (and other nations) consume to varying degrees in 2007. Of course, the typical U.S. man or woman will in the same breath assure you that they are only 'social drinkers', and certainly not 'alcoholics' (in older/more honest days people just said a 'drunk') or anything. What is truly amazing to me (as a life-long abstainer) is that they will next say (without hesitation) that drinking must be O.K. with God, since "Jesus turned water into wine." If I had a quarter for every time someone said that to me, I'd be a fairly rich man by now. Let me state here most emphatically, this is blasphemy! It also reveals the gross ignorance of the speaker concerning the Word of God and what it actually says and teaches on the subject. Jesus was no half-sauced rabble-rouser going about telling people to have another round of beer or cup of wine. He was the only perfect man who ever lived, and had no part with those who would take intoxicants/drugs (legal or illegal, according to man's law) into their bodies for the purpose of the pleasure of the 'high' or to cloud their minds in an attempt to escape the reality of their sinful lives. Such things are a poor substitute for that which TRULY fulfills the heart of man, which is a personal walk with the Son of God, which is only available to those who have been born again-John 3:3. Used as such, the substances actually become a false idol or competitor to the Holy Spirit, and the Lord said, "thou shalt have no other Gods before me."
    The passage they (misquote/misunderstand) is found in John Chapter 2 of the New Testament-the issue is one of (mis) applying 21st century American bias/understanding to a 1st century account, which took place in history in a Jewish context and setting (see verse 6), and was unique in that it involved the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ, and also is plainly stated as a miraculous occurence in verse number 11. If the reader will reference that back to Genesis 40: 10 & 11 he will see that wine is often called such in scripture even when no alcohol (corruption) is involved in its' composition. The ripe grapes were squeezed directly into the cup of Pharoah, with no fermentation process mentioned-in other words-fresh grape juice, also called the "pure blood of the grape" elsewhere in Scripture.
    Lastly, in the Old Testament book of Numbers, chapter 6, verse 3, the definition of the vow of a Nazarite is given-notice the prohibition against strong drink (beer, etc., in today's context) and alcoholic wine,  and how that God uses the terms wine, liquor and vinegar. The New Testament tie-in to Christ comes during his cruxifiction (in Matthew), where we find "They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink." [27:34] If he had drank the vinegar/gall, he would have been guilty of breaking this vow, even though he was near death at the time. So no, he did not go around during his earthly life and ministry, freely promoting (or even producing) the consumption of intoxicating spirits, despite common popular opinion to the contrary!

Friend-don't let the bottle, needle, pill, chemical, or other demonic contrivance rob you of your opportunity to be saved today-give your addiction to Jesus, throw away that trash, and he will help you to be addicted to that which is good and right.

Written to Christians:

I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) [1 Corinthians 16:15-New Testament/A.V.]