In opposition to ‘the wine of the world’ is ‘the worry of the world’. For if one has neither the wine of the world nor the heavenly wine all they are left with is the worry of the world. The state of worry is defined as being without either faith or drunkenness. This may seem too simple a definition, but frail creatures that we are with no power over tomorrow, if we have neither faith nor one of the various forms of drunkenness we simply must worry. Some understand this and attempt to place their faith in other things, like their own abilities or a myriad of other things, only to find out that these things fail them in times of crucial need. As we read in a previous post, “…the God that answereth by fire, let Him be God.” Therefore try as they might, those who trust in things that have not been proven to deliver will be left to worry whether these things will fail, and ultimately wonder what good these things will do for them as they prepare to pass into eternity. The most difficult part is that those in this condition often get by better in the world than the following group but have the most difficulty of ever coming to a saving knowledge of Christ.
Others have tried the wine of this world and found that it does not deliver what it has promised. These people are led into despair, for worry is an overcoming sin that destroys all in its wake. It leaves a person without hope, and apart from turning to Christ it leaves one with nowhere to turn for real deliverance. Since natural man is born opposed to Christ many will reject trusting Christ at this point and choose one of the more base forms of drunkenness, until sooner or later they are destroyed by it. The sooner this path is made manifest for the evil it intends to the man the better. This is a rather sorrowful bunch for whom the power of the blood of Christ can be made most manifest, which is why many who have later trusted Christ have first come to this condition.
The destructive nature of the worry of the world causes such great anxiety it forces a person to look somewhere for relief. Either the person will look to the wine of this world for contentment in the various forms of drunkenness offered, or they will look to the new wine that cometh from heaven through the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. So many choose the former, so few choose the latter!
1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.