TEXT: I Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19

INTRODUCTION: Today, I’d like to share with you what the Bible says about gambling…

Gambling, in all forms, has become a nationwide pastime and is now considered a sport. Gamblers describe it as a game, a challenge – and even as, a profession.  Gambling has become very big business!!

Particularly, the lottery has become increasingly popular:

·         Nearly all states (except Utah and Hawaii) allow some form of legalized "gaming." Many allow legal casinos and even more have a lottery.

·         Year 2000 = $45 billion of lotto sales in North America alone. ($140 billion world-wide)

·         When the North Dakota Power Ball Lottery launched 2 years ago on March 25, 2004 it reached a rate of 2 sales per second within 30 minutes!  It averaged $137 of sales per minute on that 1^st day!

·         Canada’s biggest jackpot of $40 million (on October 22, 2005) attracted sales of $11,000 per minute!  Canadians spent over $54 million trying to win that big prize!!

·         In 2004, per capita (or per person) spending in Georgia on the lottery was 312/yr.  ($2.7 billion)

·         In Mississippi more money is spent on betting than on all retail sales combined.

·         Virginia’s lottery sales surpassed the $1 billion mark (per year) in 2002!

·         In 1998, Americans spent more money on legalized gambling (approximately $50 billion) than on recorded music, theme parks, video games, spectator sports, and movie tickets combined ($39.9 billion). Gambling Impact Study Commission, Final Report. Last Update: Jan. 28, 2001

·         Americans gamble more money each year than they spend on groceries!

·         Pathological gambling is one of the fastest-growing mental health problems in the western world. (New England Journal of Medicine, 10/5/00)

BY THE WAY… this is NOT a new problem:

* Lotteries have been documented since early Roman, Greek, Japanese and Chinese civilizations.

* The Greeks in Homer’s time had knucklebones from sheep and goats to serve as dice.

* A gambling board was discovered in Crete that dates back to 1800-1900 B.C.
* The first state run lotteries began in Europe in the mid 1500's. 

* The first regular public lottery was held by Italy, called La Lotto de Firenza.
* One of America's first colonies, Jamestown, was funded using by an English Lottery started by King James I of England. 

* The early church father, Tertullian said, "If you say that you are a Christian when you are a dice player, you say what you are not, because you are a partner with the world."
* George Washington said, “…gambling is the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity, and the father of mischief.”

BUT… what does God think of all this gambling?  Is it harmless entertainment? Is it just an innocent way to have fun? What does the Bible say about gambling?  Should a Christian gamble – in any way? 

What does the Bible teach us?

FIRST… let me repeat again what we taught last week…

1.      God’s Word has ALL the answers to ALL of life’s problems and questions!!

2.      God’s Word teaches us in two ways:

a.       Precepts = things the Bible says clearly

b.      Principles = things the Bible teaches that apply to modern issues

            NOTE: Because the Bible does not explicitly say, "thou shall not gamble," proponents of gambling (and especially the lottery) will argue that it must be alright!!  BUT…The Bible does not specifically condemn the snorting of cocaine either, but that does not make it right or acceptable to God. The word "rape" is not found in the Bible, yet it is certainly a sin!! The Bible is a book of principles. What makes gambling sinful?  It violates a number of New Testament principles.

3.      As believers, we have an obligation to obey the Word of God (its precepts and principles) because the Bible reveals to us the mind/will of God!!

The Definition of Gambling  (What exactly are we talking about?  What is gambling?)

·         Merriam-Webster = “to play a game for money or property”

·         Webster = “to play games of chance for money or other stakes, to take a risk in order to gain some advantage.”

·         American Heritage® Dictionary = “To bet on an uncertain outcome, as of a contest. - To play a game of chance for stakes. - To take a risk in the hope of gaining an advantage or a benefit.”

·         World Book Encyclopedia: = "Gamblers usually bet money or something else of value as a stake on the outcome they predict. When the outcome is settled, the winner collects the loser’s stakes."

·         Legally, gambling is the taking of unnecessary and unproductive risk in which one agrees that on the outcome of an uncertain event he may gain or lose.

·         SUMMARY = "Gambling" refers to a wager or bet in which each player agrees to risk losing some material possession to other players in exchange for the chance to win the possessions of other players without compensation to the loser, the winner(s) and loser(s) being determined by the outcome of a game.

The Four Essential Elements of Gambling

1. A game of chance or skill - any event of uncertain outcome.

This may be a game the gamblers play among themselves or may be some event that would have occurred anyway (such as the outcome of an election or sports event).

2. The stakes

Each player places at risk some possession of material value.

3. The agreement (wager or bet)

Before the game each player agrees to risk losing his possession in exchange for the opportunity to take the possessions of others, depending on the outcome of the game.

4. Lack of fair compensation

No goods or services of fair value are given in exchange for what is lost. The loser will give up his possessions without being recompensed, and the winner will gain possessions without repaying the loser.

Activities That Are Gambling

(THINGS THAT HAVE THESE FOUR ELEMENTS)

* Casino gambling: slot machines, roulette wheels, dice and card games (Poker), and numbers games.

* Racetrack betting on horses, dogs.

* Lotteries.

* Charity and church-sponsored bingo, raffles, etc.

NOTE: If someone says, "This raffle is for a good cause", then just make a donation and skip the gambling!

* Bazaar and fair booths where you pay to play a game and try to win a prize, etc.

* Amateur gambling -- including poker games for money, office pools, matching quarters for cokes or coffee, playing marbles for keeps.

* Any activity where the participants put money into a "kitty" and then play to try to win some or all of the money.

            NOTE: Even if small amounts of money are involved, such activities still violate Bible principles.

Where do you draw the line and say, "This much money risked is all right, but any more is immoral?"

Common Arguments About Gambling
To justify gambling, many people will say things like… “Life is a gamble… A farmer planting a crop each year is a gamble… Driving a car is a gamble… Leaving home in a car is a risk … OR… Investing in my IRA or 401K is a gamble… so playing the lottery is not any worse than all these things!”

BUT… their arguments are wrong because the 4 essential elements of gambling are NOT found in these other things!

Activities That Are NOT Gambling

(WHAT WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT)

1. The practice of casting of lots in the Old Testament, (among the Jewish people) was not gambling, but a means of making a decision. (Acts 1:26)  (In the NT Roman world, casting lots was gambling with dice.)

2. Prizes are gifts, not gambling. When one registers to win a prize at a store’s grand opening or receives a prize that is given away for advertisement, he is not gambling.

3. Competition for a prize – not a wagered possession, but a prize or trophy won by skill and fair competition is not gambling – as long as no money was put up in order to enter the competition.

4. Taking daily risks – such as crossing the street or driving a car is not gambling. This confuses risk with gambling. Not all risks involve gambling. These acts involve no wager and no stakes. There is no agreement to try to take someone else's possessions.

5. Farming or owning a legitimate business is not gambling. Some say this is gambling because one risks losing money, but again there is no wager. There is compensation, but there is no agreement to take other people's property without compensation. The intent is to produce goods or services of benefit to others in exchange for that which benefits us. This is expressly authorized in Scripture.  The farmer or business owner is not seeking to gain at the loss of another.

6. Buying insurance is not gambling.  Some think insurance is gambling. But again, there is no wager. No one agrees to gain at the expense of someone else's loss. On the contrary, the whole purpose of insurance is to compensate the insured if he does have a loss (such as death, car wreck, hospitalization, etc.). If no such loss occurs, the customer has purchased the peace of mind of knowing he would have been compensated if he had experienced a loss. It may be right to say that NOT having insurance is the gamble! But…regardless of whether or not this is a wise investment, the point here is that it is not gambling.

7. Investing in stock is not gambling.  Some say this is gambling, but what is stock? Stock is a means for people to become part owners of a company. Buying stock is no more inherently gambling than is ownership of any other business. The intent is to make a profit by producing something of benefit to customers. Investors receive their share of these profits in the form of dividends or increases in the value of the stock. Further, when stock is sold, both buyer and seller agree on the price. There is no wager - no prior agreement to risk loss at another's expense. If either thinks the price is unfair, they refuse to deal. (It may be possible to gamble or otherwise sin in the stock market, but buying stock does not inherently constitute gambling.)

JUST A NOTE ABOUT INVESTING:  If you really want to win big, consider taking that $10 a week you might spend on lottery tickets and investing it. After 35 years, you would have invested $18,200 – BUT, at 8% compounded interest; you would have saved $100,314.56.

In short, none of these examples constitute gambling, since no one necessarily wants uncompensated losses to occur. But the gambler always wants financial loss to occur, because he hopes to profit from the losses of others!!

Four Biblical Rules for Transfer of Property

The Scriptures authorize only four moral means for money or possessions to pass from one owner to another. Gambling fits none of them.

1. The law of honest work

·         I Timothy 5:18b = … The labourer is worthy of his reward.

·         Gambling does not fit here because the gambler does NOT want to work for his profit; he wants to win it – at the expense of others. Gambling violates the law of honest work.

2. The law of fair exchange

*    There are numerous Bible examples of people buying things for a fair price. In fact, the Bible specifically forbade the use of false weights and balances and unfair wages.

·         NOTICE… that, in a fair transaction, both parties receive what they view as fair value compared to what they give up. Neither party should attempt to take other people's property without giving fair value in exchange.

·         But again… gambling does not fit here, because the winner has no intention of compensating the loser. In fact, each gambler hopes other people will lose so he can take their property, while at the same time he hopes no one will take his property. Gambling violates the law of fair exchange.

3. The law of wise investment

·         Matthew 25:14-30 = the parable of the servants who invested their master’s money.

·         Two servants were praised for making the investment to make the most of their talents.

·         One servant was condemned because he played it safe, buried his treasure, and failed to invest wisely.

·         Gambling does not fit here because the gambler banks on others losing.  An investment is made to benefit yourself, as well as others, a wager, however, is a selfish attempt to benefit only yourself. Gambling violates the law of wise investment.

4. The law of compassionate giving

·         A person may knowingly choose, of his own free will, to unconditionally give something away as an expression of good will or kindness, with no obligation for the receiver to offer any compensation in return. (i.e. inheritance, gift, etc.)

·         Acts 20:35 = I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

·         Do gamblers consider giving to be more blessed than receiving?

·         I Corinthians 13:3 teaches that our giving must be motivated by love, compassion, and desire to help others.

·         Is this what motivates gamblers? No, they agree to give (if they lose) only because they want to win what others possess!

·         Again, gambling does not fit this category because gamblers do not give willingly, freely, as an act of love or compassion. Gambling violates the law of compassionate giving.

NOTE: Gambling violates all 4 Scriptural means for transferring property!

Playing the Lottery is Just Plain “Not Smart”

Consider your odds of winning

·         Your odds of becoming a millionaire are approximately 1 in almost 14 million.

·         In fact, you are more likely to…

o   …Be killed in a terrorist attack while traveling (1 in 650,000).  (21x more likely!)

o   …Die – during an average lifetime – of flesh-eating disease (1 in 1 million). (14x)

o   …Be killed by lightning (1 in 56,439). (248x more likely)

·         You are three times more likely to be killed in a traffic accident driving 12 miles to buy your ticket than winning the jackpot.

·         In 2002, you were about 10 times more likely to die after being bitten by a poisonous snake or lizard than to win a Lotto 6/49 jackpot. (Odds for the snakebite death are 1 in 1,241,661, according to the U.S. National Safety Council.)

·         Want to increase your chances? Buy 50 tickets a week. You are very likely to win the jackpot at least once – in 5,000 years.

·         Mike Orkin, a professor of statistics at California State University, East Bay, and author of What are the odds?, describes the odds of winning the Powerball lottery this way: "Let's say you have one friend in Canada, and you put everybody in Canada's name on pieces of paper, and put them in a giant hat and draw one out at random. Then, you are 2½ times more likely to pick your one friend's name than you are to win the Powerball jackpot if you buy a single ticket."

BUT… the most important reason why gambling and the lottery is wrong is because…

Gambling and Playing the Lottery Violates Several Biblical Principles

1. The Principle of Stewardship

What percent of your money actually belongs to God? Some think 10%; but it’s really 100% His.

Good stewardship says, "Don’t flush God’s money down the toilet/don’t throw it out the window. That would be wrong!” So is gambling with God’s money. (If you heard the church was doing that, you’d be outraged!) “That’s God’s money”!  LISTEN: Every dollar in your possession is “God’s money”!

·         Psalm 24:1, Exodus 18:4 and Psalm 50:10-12 teach that God is the Owner of ALL things!!

o   Everything belongs to the Lord!

o   Everything we “possess” actually belongs to God.

o   We are the caretakers of His stuff!!

o   Therefore, no one has the right to foolishly involve himself in taking a risk in gambling away that which belongs to God!

·         Luke 12:42-46 teaches that we are to be “faithful and wise steward(s)”

·         Luke 16:1-2 teaches that we must someday give an account of our stewardship.

·         I Corinthians 4:2 = Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

·         Our responsibility, as good stewards, is to use His material blessings to accomplish His will in our lives.

o   providing for the needs of ourselves and our families,

o   giving to the church, preaching the gospel, and

o   helping the needy.

·         Our material possessions are not ours to use as we please.

EXAMPLE: Suppose you give some money to a friend for safekeeping. But then, without your permission, he uses your money as his stakes for gambling. Whether he won or lost, would you not confront him for misusing your money? For his own self-indulgence he risked losing what belonged to you.

·         The gambler is an unfaithful steward. Gambling violates The Principle of Stewardship.

1. The Principle of Stewardship

2. The Principle of Contentment

(Read our text = I Timothy 6: 8-10) And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

EXPLANATION OF TEXT:

Verse 8 = We have a duty to learn contentment rather than covetousness!

What is covetousness?

·         The Greek word, “pleonektes”, means “to be eager for gain”

·         Literally, the word carries the idea of “graspiness”. Covetousness is when we continually grasp for more: more of what our neighbors have, more of what we see advertised on television, more of what our culture counts as "the good life."

·         In general, covetousness is the inordinate striving for riches.

·         The root word is related to a word in Scripture that means “to defraud”. In other words, our covetous desire for more things could be so strong that we would be willing to cheat or defraud others.

·         IN SUMMARY:  A person is covetous if he desires things not authorized by God.

The Bible repeatedly warns us about covetousness.

·         Luke 12:15 = And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

·         Ephesians 5:3 = But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;

·         1 Corinthians 6:9-11 lists covetousness among the characteristics of those who are unsaved.

·         I Corinthians 5:11 teaches that church members who practice covetousness should be disciplined.

What is contentment?

·         The word, “contentment” means “satisfaction because you feel you have sufficient for your needs”

·         The root of this word means “to lift up a barrier”. This carries the idea of establishing a barrier in your heart against loving money and things!!

·         Instead of being caught up in materialism: covetousness and greed; God wants His children to learn to be content with the things He provides for them!

·         Hebrews 13:5 = Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

(I Timothy 6:9)

Verse 9 = Beware of a desire to be rich!!  (“…they that will be rich…”)

·         This is a reference to the sin of “greed” – striving for more than we should!!

o   Greed = when our desires are “misdirected”.  They are NOT for God or others!  They are for own selfish desires!

o   Greed = when our desires are “out of proportion”

·         Like many sins, greed represents a perversion of the gifts God bestows on us in creation.

o   God gives us material goods that we can use to provide for ourselves, our families, and our communities.

o   Instead of accepting these gifts in a spirit of thanksgiving, we often have a spirit of discontentment with what God has given us, and we want more.

·         Thus, greed reflects our disproportionate concern for material goods.

·         Greed gives us a new master = Mammon

o   We worship goods, instead of God.

§  Matthew 6:24 = No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

§  You cannot love God and love money at the same time!!

o   Colossians 3:5 indicates that greed / covetousness is a form of idolatry!

·         Greed gives us a new focus = materialism

o   Instead of focusing on the will of God; we begin to focus on the things of earth!

o   Materialism becomes our new “first love”.

NOTES: on Greed
 Of course, gambling is not the only thing people do out of greed. Some people work only for money, and some even make friends in order to exploit them for personal gain.

THINK ABOUT IT: If it is wrong to gamble out of greed; it would also be wrong to work (out of greed)!!

Why does the Bible say we should work?

Ephesians 4:28 = Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

(Why does the Bible say we should work?  = 3 reasons)

1.      provide for self and family

2.      support ministry

3.      give to others

(I Timothy 6:10)

Verse 10 = The love of money (not money itself) is the root of all evil.

·         Gambling encourages a greedy spirit. It emphasizes getting rather than giving, self-interest rather than self-sacrifice

·         Gambling violates The Principle of Contentment!

1. The Principle of Stewardship

2. The Principle of Contentment

3. The Principle of God’s Work Ethic

·         Gambling contradicts the Biblical Work Ethic!

o   The gambler does not want to earn his living, he wants to win it.

o   God does NOT bless the idea of getting something for nothing!

o   Proverbs 13:11 = Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.

·         Work is honorable for Christians!

o   I Thessalonians 4:11-12 = And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

o   II Thessalonians 3:10-12 = For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.

o   God’s Divine Welfare Program is very simple = “Get a job!”

o   In our modern society, work has come to be seen as an avoidable burden -- avoidable, that is, if you can beat the odds. But Christians believe that work is a blessing, not a curse.

o   God gives each of us a vocation through which we can provide for our needs, help our neighbors, and enjoy in God's will for our lives.

NOTE: Your job should be God’s will for your life.  Every believer is in “full-time” Christian service for the Lord!! Your job is where God wants you to serve Him!!

·         Gambling promotes laziness

o   The American dream has changed! It used to be “just give me an opportunity”…now it’s, “oh God, give me the right 6 numbers!”  (Then we say to God, “I’ll give most of it to the church!”)

o   Gambling diminishes the significance of hard work!

o   Gambling violates The Principle of God’s Work ethic!

1. The Principle of Stewardship

2. The Principle of Contentment

3. The Principle of God’s Work Ethic

4. The Principle of Trusting God

·         Gamblers do NOT trust God; they trust in “luck” or themselves.

·         The Bible teaches us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”…

o   …because we are supposed to be trusting Him.

o   …because we are supposed to believe that God is able to provide for us

·         A person that gambles or plays the lottery is showing that they do not believe that God is worthy to be trusted!

o   The gambler is accusing God of not being able to meet his needs.

o   The gambler is accusing God of not being good to him.

o   The gambler is accusing God of being unable to sustain and care for him.

·         Gambling violates The Principle of Trusting God!

1. The Principle of Stewardship

2. The Principle of Contentment

3. The Principle of God’s Work Ethic

4. The Principle of Trusting God

 5. The Principle of Loving Your Neighbor

Matthew 22:37-40 = Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

·         This passage teaches us that the two greatest commandments are to love God and love our neighbor!

·         Gambling breaks BOTH of these commandments!!

o   The gambler seeks to profit from his neighbor’s loss!

o   This is NOT love!

·         Gambling violates the Golden Rule:

Matthew 7:12 = Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

-          Does the gambler love his neighbor as he loves himself?

-          The very essence of gambling is hoping other people will lose, so you can profit at their loss.

·         Gambling preys on the desperation of the poor.

o   A Mississippi State University study found that the poorest citizens in casino areas spend a far greater percentage of their income and frequent the casinos more often than other income groups.

o   Those with incomes less than $10,000 spend about 10% of their income on gambling. Between $10,000-$20,000 spend nearly 4% - More than $40,000 spend only 1%.

o   Gamblers in casino counties who earn less than $20,000 per year visit casinos far more frequently than those who earn more than $40,000 annually

NOTE: NGISC Commissioner Richard C. Leone - June 2001: "In my view, state lotteries have paved the way for great increases in legalized gambling. They have promoted the notion of beating the odds, they have been able to advertise while others have not, and they have propagated the myth that gambling is good for society in general and the government in particular. Lotteries are perhaps the hardest form of gambling to justify in terms of their costs and benefits. The best studies all point in the same direction: Lotteries prey on the poor and the undereducated.” Leone, Richard C., (The Century Foundation-www.tcf.org) Statement at CASA Conference, 2001. "High Stakes: Substance Abuse & Gambling". http://www.ncalg.org/news-leone.htm

            * Gambling violates The Principle of Loving Your Neighbor

1. The Principle of Stewardship

2. The Principle of Contentment

3. The Principle of God’s Work Ethic

4. The Principle of Trusting God

5. The Principle of Loving Your Neighbor

6. The Principle of Self-Control

I Corinthians 6:12 = All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

·         This verse clearly teaches that a believer should NOT be controlled or consumed by anything other than the Holy Ghost of God!!

·         No emotion, habit, hobby, or sin should control us.

·         The believer needs to beware of things that are immersive and addictive!

·         The existence of Gamblers Anonymous tells us that gambling can be addictive!

o   Current estimates list approximately 2.5 million people as pathological gamblers, another 3 million as problem gamblers, and another 15 million people as at risk to become problem or pathological gamblers. Gambling Impact Study Commission, Final Report. Last Update: Jan. 28, 2001

The Danger Principle

Proverbs 6:27 = Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned?

·         This verse teaches us that we need to be careful and cautious of falling prey to sinful habits!!

o   No drunkard ever planned on becoming enslaved when he took his first drink.

o   No rapist planned on doing that when he first looked at pornography.

o   No gambler planned on becoming enslaved with just that first nickel inserted!

§  Statistics show that upwards of 8% of those who say they gambled the first time just for fun, became compulsive gamblers.

§  Of those 8%, 22% will get divorced / 85% will steal from employer to pay debts / 79% will say they wish they were dead / 17% will attempt suicide.

·         We, as believers, are supposed to hate evil; NOT play with it!!

·         We need to be careful about walking too close to the edge!!

ILLUSTRATION: (Example of trying to walk close to the edge of all the rules)

1908, Carlisle institute and Harvard University were football rivals. The Harvard coach believed in a straight-forward, hard hitting game…he depended upon the basics. But the coach at Carlisle was different, he depended upon the razzle dazzle…trick plays, ways to bend the rules to his advantage…

Well, the week before Carlisle was to play Harvard, they played Syracuse, and when they came out on the field, Coach Warner of Carlisle came up w/ an ingenious scheme which won them the game. He took brown material, the same shade as a football, cut that material into shapes like a football, same size, and had them sewn on the jerseys of his offensive players. So, when all 11 men were out there on the field, it looked like they all had a football!

He had checked the rules, and had found out it was not against the rules.

It wasn’t breaking the letter of the law, but it certainly broke the spirit of the law…violating the principles of good sportsmanship…

Well, the next week, they faced Harvard. The day before the game, the Harvard coach met w/ Coach Warner and said, listen, are you gonna use those trick jerseys tomorrow? He answered, “There’s nothing in the rule book against it!”

Ok, he said, no problem. The next day, Carlisle trotted onto the field, complete w/ their trick jerseys…then Harvard came out w/ their crimson red jerseys on. Of course, the home team, Harvard had to supply the footballs. When they pulled the first ball out of the bag, it was crimson red!

That’s the mentality prevalent even today: people seeing what they can get away with from the Bible’s perspective. How close can I walk to the line without crossing it?…always trying to see how close they can dance around that grey area without violating the letter of the law.

Mature Christians don’t live that way!

Gambling violates The Principle of Self-Control!!

1. The Principle of Stewardship

2. The Principle of Contentment

3. The Principle of God’s Work Ethic

4. The Principle of Trusting God

5. The Principle of Loving Your Neighbor

6. The Principle of Self-Control

7. The Principle of Christian Influence and Example

*   Gamblers not only sin themselves; but they also tempt others to sin.

*   Gambling destroys your reputation as a God-fearing, God-trusting believer!

*   Gambling sets a bad example for younger Christians.

I Corinthians 15:33 = Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.

·         All gambling puts us in the company of evil men and tempts us to participate in other sins.

·         The gambler runs with the wrong crowd!!

Gambling and the Lottery are Destructive to our Society

·         The state of Nevada would probably be considered the capital of American gambling!  (It’s two big cities: Reno and Las Vegas are NOT the only gambling places in America, but they are probably the largest and most well-known.)  Here are some interesting facts about Nevada:

o   The crime rate is twice the national average.

o   One- tenth of all southern Nevadans are alcoholics.

o   The Las Vegas Yellow Pages list 136 pages of advertisements relating to prostitution.

o   Nevada is first in the nation in suicides. In fact, the suicide rate is triple the national average!

o   Nevada has the highest rate of divorce in the nation!

o   Nevada has the highest rate of high school dropouts in the nation!

·         The 2^nd largest concentration of gambling in America used to be the casinos along the Mississippi.  Here are some interesting statistics from the State of Mississippi:

o   The number of felony and misdemeanor cases in Tunica County Justice Court rose from 689 in 1992, the year the casinos opened, to more than 11,000 in 1996.

o   Crimes in the Gulfport/Biloxi area increased across the board in the first year after casinos opened, with murder, rape, robbery and car theft at least doubling.

o   Arrests for prostitution increased 55% the first year after casinos opened on the Gulf Coast.

o   Calls to the Gulf Coast Women’s Center Crisis Line doubled within the first three years of the opening of the casinos, to an average of 800 a month.

o   In Biloxi, the number of domestic violence incidents reported to authorities rose from 167 in 1992 to 715 in 1996, a 328% increase.

o   Six hundred fifty additional divorces were granted in Harrison County the year after casinos arrived. Longtime Gulf Coast chancery court Judge William L. Stewart said gambling is now a factor in at least a third of the divorce cases he oversees.

·         Here’s a fact from Atlantic City: when New Jersey legalized gambling in 1978, according to F.B.I. crime statistics, the crime rate jumped 92%!

Gambling Leads to Increased Poverty and Welfare Problems

·         Our state governments are promoting the idea of gambling, and at the same time, can’t seem to understand why we have this welfare problem!

·         Harry Reid, chairman of the Nevada gaming control commission told U.S. News and World Report, “any state trying to follow Nevada’s lead will find that the social costs far outweigh any economic advantage.”

·         Virgil Petersen used to be crime commissioner in Chicago. He said, “gambling produces no wealth, it simply redistributes it from the hands of the many to the hands of the few. Gambling invariably leads to higher police and welfare costs.”

·         Senator Alexander Wiley, WI: “the idea that legalized gambling will be a revenue raiser is an illusion. Every dollar raised from such sources means 5 dollars spent in higher police costs, court costs, penitentiary costs, relief costs.”

·         Herbert Jenkins, former president of int’l assoc of police chiefs: “for every dollar received from gambling, government spends $10 fighting problems directly relating to legalized gambling: including prostitution, embezzlement, bad checks, and police corruption. Racketeers and mobsters swarm to gambling communities, and bring w/ them other sordid businesses.”

Do you know what the biggest day of the month is at the Atlantic City gaming tables? The day the welfare checks come out!

 Gambling is a Sin that Destroys Homes and Families

·         One out of every five homeless people admits that gambling contributed to their poverty.

·         Even casino owner Donald Trump admitted: "People will spend a tremendous amount of money in casinos, money that they would normally spend on buying a refrigerator or a new car."

·         The National Gambling Impact Study Commission reported: "Children of compulsive gamblers are often prone to suffer abuse, as well as neglect, as a result of parental problem or pathological gambling."

·         In Indiana, - 72 children were found abandoned on casino premises during a 14-month period.

·         In Louisiana and South Carolina, children died after being locked in hot cars for hours while their caretakers gambled.

·         An Illinois mother was sentenced to prison for suffocating her infant daughter in order to collect insurance money to continue gambling.

CONCLUSION:   What’s wrong with Gambling?

1. It violates all 4 Biblical laws of transferring property.
2. It violates 7 basic Bible Principles for Christian living.
3. It is just plain “not smart”!!
4. It is a contributing source of all kinds of social and moral problems in our society today.
5. It is a sin that destroys homes and families.
6. It is absurd even to imagine for one moment that Jesus would gamble!!

Gambling is not harmless entertainment or fun!!!

-          It is not like bowling, baseball or backpacking.

-          It is a greed-driven, predatory vice, scientifically designed to squeeze the maximum amounts of money possible from every single patron.

 Legalized gambling is harmful public policy that should be vigorously opposed at all levels.
GAMBLING IS A SIN, AND IT MUST BE CONDEMNED AS SUCH IN ALL OF ITS FORMS!

Christians should NEVER be involved in any form of gambling (raffles, lotteries, cards, casinos, racetrack betting, bingo, or prize/game booths at fairs or amusement parks)!!

INVITATION:

1.      Are you a blood-washed, born-gain believer? Can you look back to a time and place where you asked God to forgive you of your sins and come into your heart and life and make you a new person?

2.      Have you in the past been guilty of this sin of gambling – in any way? Would you be willing to make a commitment to God right now that you will from this day forward be a good steward of everything God has blessed you with?

3.      Are you obeying these simple Biblical principles?

   1. The Principle of Stewardship                

                - Are you a good steward?

   2. The Principle of Contentment  

                - Do you struggle with a spirit of discontentment?

   3. The Principle of God’s Work Ethic           

                - Are you obeying God’s Work Ethic?

   4. The Principle of Trusting God                   

                - Are you trusting God?

   5. The Principle of Loving Your Neighbor

   6. The Principle of Self-Control

   7. The Principle of Christian Influence and Example