Is Wine Potentially Destructive? (Eph. 5:18)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/5/2019 8:57 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                            Focus:  Is Wine Potentially Destructive?

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Ephesians 5:18a

 

            Message of the verses:  “Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you” (GNBE).

 

            As mentioned in earlier SD’s we are looking mostly at what John MacArthur teaches about the drinking of wine and other alcoholic drinks.  In today’s SD we are looking at the fifth sub-section under the main section entitled “Guidelines for Christians.”

 

            MacArthur again quotes the pagan writer Mnesitherus who spoke earlier “of wine mixed with half water as causing madness and of unmixed wine’s bringing bodily collapse.  The mental, physical, and social destructiveness of alcohol is too evident to need much documentation.”

 

            We will look at some statics at this time and the first one is that over 40 percent of all violent deaths are alcohol related, and at least 50 percent of all traffic fatalities involve drinking drivers.  We can also see that there is an estimate of at least one fourth of all hospitalized psychiatric patients have a problem with alcohol.  Now these statics are probably old and as we look at society today we can see that drugs, both prescription and non prescription probably have cut into these numbers, making the alcohol problems less, but the results are the same. 

 

            John MacArthur writes “Dissipation,’ to which drunkenness inevitably leads, is from asotia, which literally means ‘that which is unable to be saved.’  It was used of a person who was hopelessly incurably sick and also was used of loose, profligate living, as in that of the prodigal son (Luke 15:13).  ‘Dissipation’ is therefore a form of self-destruction.

 

            As mentioned earlier in the chapter, the Old Testament gives many vivid accounts of the close association of heavy drinking with immorality, rebellion, incest, disobedience to parents and corrupt living of every sort.  Violence is a natural companion of strong drink (Prov. 4:17), and ‘wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler’ (20:1).

 

            “The prophet Joel cried, ‘Awake, drunkards, and weep; and wail, all you wine drinkers, on account of the sweet wine that is cut off from your mouth’ (Joel 1:5).  Later in his message he said, ‘They have also cast lots for My people, traded a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine that they may drink’ (3:3).  Habakkuk warned, ‘Woe to you who make your neighbors drink, who mix in your venom even to make them drunk so as to look on their nakedness!  You will be filled with disgrace rather than honor.  Now you yourself drink and expose your own nakedness.  The cup in the Lord’s right hand will come around to you, and utter disgrace will come upon your glory’ (Hab. 2:15-16).”

 

            As believers we need not have anything to do with stories like these that were found in the OT, and are probably more prevalent in the NT.

 

            If it is true that what happened to Noah after the flood was the first time that one could get drunk, then we can say that it was sin that has caused this to happen, just like sin has caused all bad things to happen.

 

            Quotation today is from Charles Swindoll who writes “Surrender…is the key that unlocks the vault of God’s best and deepest treasures.”

 

7/5/2019 9:42 AM