Shall We Gamble?

Introduction

I am sure that all of you are aware that in November we will be voting on legalizing para mutual betting in Texas. The question this morning is this: Is it wrong to gamble?

We probably all know that no where in the Bible does it say, “Thou shalt not gamble,” but does that mean it is okay?

Body

I. Gambling is fired by the fuel of greed.

(1 Tim 6:9-10 NKJV) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. {10} For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

A. It has the appeal of something for nothing.

“The traditional Amerian dream based on the work ethic—if one works hard, he succeeds—has been replaced by a new dream: something for nothing.” Charles Colson – Christianity Today, July 10, 1987

B. We are to produce with our labors.

(2 Th 3:10-12 NKJV) For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. {11} For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. {12} Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.

II. Gambling is addictive.

(1 Cor 6:12 NKJV) All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

“Compulsive gambling is now estimated to claim one million citizens—people like the New Jersey woman who embezzled $38,000 from a bank to buy lottery tickets, and like the Pennsylvania youth who was so distraught after dropping $6,000 trying for a $2.5 million jackpot that he attempted suicide.”

III. Gambling is poor stewardship.

(Luke 16:10-13 NKJV) "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. {11} "Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? {12} "And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? {13} "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."

A. It is rather well established that some who gamble deprive their own families of the necessities of life.

(1 Tim 5:8 NKJV) But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

What is especially unfair is that the lottery exploits those who are particularly vulnerable to the promise of a sudden windfall. A Maryland study found that the poorest one-third of state households bought half of all weekly lottery tickets. New York’s busiest lottery agent reports, “Seventy percent of those who buy my tickets are poor, black, or Hispanic.” Another study concluded that the lotteries in Connecticut and Massachusetts were equivalent to a state sales tax of 60 to 90 percent on lower income groups. A Texas Baptist official put it well: “A lottery is the sale of an illusion to poor people who view it as the only possibility for breaking out of the cycle of poverty they live in.”

We are accountable to God for all that we possess.

The cost of gambling to too high.

In 1984, Americans wagered an estimated $177 billion—twice as much as they spent on higher education, 15 times what they donated to churches, and over half what they spent on food. Illegal gambling had the biggest share of that total, with 28%, but state lotteries ran a close second with 22 %.

Conclusion

How does all of this affect us?

I. Oppose all forms of gambling in this state.

A. Vote against it yourself.

B. Encourage your friends to vote against it.

II. Do not become involved in gambling in any way yourself. – “keep thyself pure.”

A. I believe in totally avoiding everything I can that becomes addictive to people.

B. Something as seemingly innocent as flipping a coin for who buys the Cokes changes the buying of Cokes from your generosity to an obligation. Why not simply say, “Let me buy the Cokes today”?

Sermons I have Preached Welcome to Bible Study

Hit Counter