Buying The Lies of This World; Amy Winehouse In Memoriam

Proverbs 23: 23 Buy the truth and do not sell it-- wisdom, instruction and insight as well (NIV)

Another tragic death this week. Another super star passing far before her time. The decades of my life are littered with the bodies of the talented who bought into the lies of this world until those lies killed them. From Marilyn Monroe to John Belushi. From Janis Joplin to Chris Farley. And now from the celebrity ghosts of our past to Amy Winehouse. She was only 27 years old. Let that sink in a moment while we start to consider what she bought into during her very short stay in this world.

It was widely known that Amy Winehouse had serious problems with alcohol and drug abuse. During one hospitalization it was reported that she overdosed on heroin, ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine and alcohol. That's at one time. This world constantly sells us on alcohol and drugs as a way to fit in, feel more "normal", or escape from the world. Alcohol is advertised as something that sports stars do and cheerleaders love. The devil works overtime convincing us that there is an escape from this world in drugs and alcohol. But those promises are fleeting and always end the same way. The escape is always temporary and always costs you more than you bargained for. The end result is you start spending more time dealing with the behavior which becomes a problem, than an addiction. The Bible speaks clearly about not allowing our minds to become so polluted:

So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1Thessalonians 5: 6 (ESV)

The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 1Peter 4: 7 (ESV)

teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, Titus 2: 12 (NKJV)

Sober is also translated as self controlled. And that really gets to the heart of the matter. Alcohol and drugs are about losing your self control. You turn it over to the drug in exchange for a sense of euphoria or detachment from reality. You are no longer in complete control of your mind. As with all worldly systems, this is in direct opposition to God:

Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, "Who can know the L ord 's thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?" But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 1Corinthians 2: 15-16 (NLT)

When saved, the mind of Christ is in control. In fact one of the fruits of having the Holy Spirit within us is self control. When you have God's spirit, you will find no real need to escape this world because you will have already overcome it through Christ!

Besides drugs and alcohol, Amy Winehouse dealt with an eating disorder. She was actually quoted as saying that she "flirted with every eating disorder there is." The psychology of eating disorders is grounded in self worth and self-image. The person suffering from eating disorders has a distorted and often completely inaccurate view of how they look. They confuse how they feel, possibly unloved, for how they look. Another lie of the world is that somehow emaciation is attractive when in reality it is unhealthy. Yet who is on every billboard? The other lie is that beauty is somehow only evaluated by other people. Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder but rather the Creator:

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139: 14 (NIV)

The world sells you on the notion that somehow you can make yourself more lovable when the reality is that you are already loved by the way in which your Creator made you! People suffering from eating disorders have bought the lie that there is some shape or size they can attain that will help them feel better about themselves or feel like they can be loved. But God already sent His Son to die for us and there is no love greater.

There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. John 15: 13-14 (NLT)

As if this was not enough, Amy Winehouse also suffered from self abuse, or cutting as it is known. During an interview with Spin Magazine, Winehouse stunned everyone when she took a shard from a broken mirror and began to carve "I love Blake" into her stomach. Cutting is a relatively new phenomenon where someone deliberately cuts themselves. As the age we live in rapidly approaches its end, we see the devil working overtime in creating new and more depraved ways for people to be miserable. Cutting to gain attention is just as much a lie from hell as "gender confusion" is. God doesn't make mistakes beloved. But the devil is feverishly trying to convince people that He made a mistake with them. We have confused our feelings with reality. What we feel is completely subjective compared to the objective reality of God. Because while our feelings often betray us, God never will.

Adding to the lies Amy Winehouse bought into, mental illness was also in the mix. Claiming to suffer from bipolar disorder, she often spoke about depression and how she drank as a means of self medication. According to the World Health Organization, depression affects 121 million people worldwide with over 850,000 suicides per year in the wake. The devil sells despair and we too easily buy into it. What the world sells is again in opposition to the promises of God:

When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. Isaiah 43: 2 (NLT)

He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. Psalm 147: 3 (NLT)

But too often we buy into the lies the world sells. The victim mentality that convinces us there is nothing that can be done, that we are born a certain way; that a generational curse is forever. But God doesn't operate as we do. Our key verses today are a critical teaching from Proverbs. First of all, we must buy the truth. Instead of the lies the devil wants to sell us, we must only buy the truth:

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. John 17: 17 (NIV)

To sanctify means to be set apart for God. To be separated from the world and the lies it sells. We are set apart by knowing the truth. That truth is the Word of God. If you know the promises God has made in His Word, then you will know the lies when they are whispered into your ear. These are the words of Jesus:

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8: 31-32 (NIV)

Free from what? From the lie of depression. From the lie that God made a mistake with you. From the lie that you can be loved better if you only looked different. From the lie that you need to escape this reality. God's Word sets you free from this world beloved. After the Jews objected to this statement, Jesus explained:

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. John 8: 34-36 (NIV)

Amy Winehouse was a slave to the world and the lies it sold her. She tried to escape from that bondage through drugs and alcohol and all sorts of dysfunctional and destructive behaviors. She did not buy the truth. The second part of that key verse is after you have bought the truth don't sell it! What does that mean? Why would you sell the truth once you know it? I believe this speaks to the compromises we allow into our lives even once we are saved. We know the truth but we keep stepping back into the slavery. We dabble here or there. We know the drink is not good but we rationalize it as only one little drink. We know in God's presence is fullness of joy but we allow our soul to be downcast within us. We know the truth but we sell it off, a little bit at a time. That is how the enemy develops a stronghold in our life. A stronghold is an area of thinking we have that is contrary to the Word of God contrary to the truth. In Christian circles we like to use the phrase backsliding to describe someone who was once sold out to the truth but now is slipping back into old bad habits. The reality is that the backslider has sold a portion of the truth he or she once knew.

The key verse ends with applying the same standard of buying and not selling to wisdom, instruction and insight. Knowing what the Word says is often not enough. Wisdom refers to knowing how to act because of knowledge. True wisdom defers to God:

Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. Proverbs 3: 7 (ESV)

Instruction in the Word also must be valued. We need to actively seek the knowledge that sets us free. Remember, the world doesn't give up without a fight. It will keep on fighting even once you are saved. The more selling of the truth the enemy can get you to do; the less effective he makes you for the kingdom of God. Lastly, the key verse speaks of insight into the Word of truth. Insight is given divinely by the Holy Spirit living in every believer of God. The more we stay in the truth and out of the world, the deeper our relationship with the spirit within us develops. The deeper that relationship is, the more easily we can "hear" from the Spirit. When we hear from the Spirit often times we quickly sell off the insight as us "talking to ourselves" or doubting what we heard. Remember, God will always confirm what He has spoken. Cross references:

1. Proverbs 3:7 : Rom 12:16; Proverbs 12:15
2. Proverbs 3:7 : Job 1:1; 28:28

Lastly when buying the truth we must address what the world believes and what God has said about eternal life:

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14: 6 (ESV)

The world will sell you on the notion that there are many paths to heaven. There is only one. They will sell you on the notion that we all serve the same God. We do not. I do not say this because of elitism, selfishness, meanness or spite. I say it because God said it. I heard someone say recently that you never attend the funeral of a no good scoundrel. The inference being that out of respect everyone only says the nice things when standing over a coffin. Likewise, we already hear the resounding chorus of, "she's in a better place" when it comes to Amy Winehouse. I am telling you today that she is not. It brings me absolutely no pleasure say so. It saddens me greatly because while we are alive, we rarely deal with the death that is approaching us all. We say trite sayings to make ourselves feel better but I am telling you that unless Amy Winehouse got her soul right with God before she died, she is absolutely in a worse place. This life can be harsh and we dream of a "better place" all the time. We want to believe that place exists. We need to believe that place exists. The good news is that it does. The bad news is that you do not gain admission merely by dying in this life. How you live counts. What you buy into on this earth counts. This poor girl was 27 years old beloved. We do not know when our life will be required of us. When it is, we better be right with God; or the life of Amy Winehouse will seem like heaven compared to an eternity separated from God.

Heavy drinking and drug use. Eating disorder. Self abuse and cutting. Depression. I am telling you today do not believe the lies this world sells you. This is how they end. This is how the world's promises are kept. In the tragic death of Amy Winehouse I pray you find the glorious life that can only be found in Christ Jesus.

Reverend Anthony Wade July 25, 2011