Purpose: To convince the congregation not to participate in gambling in any form or to vote for having it available.

Introduction:

1. (Gambling Violates Scriptural Principles and, Therefore, is Sinful.)


Our first question today, then, is "what does the Bible teach about any action in which we would risk what is ours to get what belongs to another with nothing given in return?"

1. Does the Bible speak about this desire to take what is another’s without giving a fair return?

 
1. This is the real appeal of gambling--the lure of getting something for nothing. This is the excitement--I will get something for nothing.

 
2. If you took away this appeal, the great attraction would be gone. We had horse racing in Oklahoma before paramutial betting on horses, but few people went. It is not the horse race that appeals but the chance to get something for nothing that draws people to the races.

 
3. But if I get something for nothing, then somebody got nothing for something. Is this an activity for Christians?

 
4. This very desire is described in the Bible--the desire to have what belongs to another without giving a fair return. It is called coveteousness or greed. Thayer’s Greek Lexicon defines the Greek term to mean those "eager to have more, especially what belongs to another." Surely this is an apt description of those who crowd the gaming tables and the slot machines and buy the lottery tickets. Ephesians 5:5 says that no coveteous man "hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ." Thus, the price one pays for material gain to satisfy his coveteous desire is the loss of his eternal inheritance.

 
5. Ths spirit of gambling, then, is the very spirit of coveteousness which the Bible repeatedly condemns. Whether small amounts or large, all gambling is built on a violation of this principle.


Transition--Does gambling violate any other principles of scripture?)
 

2. Gambling is sinful also because it violates the principle of gain only by productivity. We are to make our gain by labor not luck. Ephesians 4:28--"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth." And II Thess. 3:10--"If any would not work, neither should he eat." We are to work constructively, be productive not take money from others.

 
3. Still another principle which I as a Christian violate by gambling is my stewardship to God. I am responsible to God for the use I make of every moment of my time and every dollar of my money. I Corinthians 4:2--"It is required in stewards than a man be found faithful." Paul calls us stewards of what we have. How could I justify risking my Lord’s money on chance--especially to take what belongs to another without a fair return. Had Jesus been here today and given me $500 to take care of for Him, would I risk it on gambling? Actually, whatever I have, Christ has given me to use for Him and the good purposes He approves. Even to risk small amounts of money for which I am responsible to Him is a wrong use of that money. Church treasurer.

 
4. Finally, gambling is sinful because the pleasure it gives is based on the pain of others. In gambling, no one wins unless someone else--usually many others--lose. Surely if I am treating others as I want to be treated, I will not seek pleasure at the pain of others. Matt 7:12. Romans 13:9 says the commandments, including "thou shalt not covet," may be summed up by saying, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." Could you win big in the lottery and look into the faces of those who lost the money you had won?


Transition: We have seen then, that gambling, risking what is ours to take what is another’s without a fair return, violates at least these four principles of scripture. But let us ask another question, "Is gambling good for the individuals who do it and for the society in which they live?"
 

2. ( Gambling is also Wrong Because of the Effects it has on both Individuals and Society.)

 
1. ( Gambling is harmful to the character of those who participate.)

Is gambling good for those who participate?
 
1. Gambling tends to whet the appetite for material things. Our hardest battle is to keep the material from overtaking the spiritual in our lives. Constantly we must fight to keep God over mammon, to keep our spiritual desires stronger than our physical desires. II Cor. 4:18--look not at the seen but at the unseen. Participating in an activity that puts such emphasis on "more" makes it harder to keep the perspective we should.

 
2. Gambling is often a launching pad for other sins. The vast majority of those who gamble lose significant sums of money. Many of them then turn to stealing, embezelling, lying, and deception to cover their gambling problem. Millions in our country have begun to gamble with small sums and in what they thought was an innocent pasttime only to have the "monster of more" grab them by the throat and cast them into many other sins. In fact, forty percent of all white collar crime is by compulsive gamblers.

 
3. Gambling is addictive and becomes an ever-increasing weight around the neck of the gambler. Eventually it transforms his character, remolds his goals, and changes his companions. Once gambling has someone in its grip, it is as difficult to stop as drinking is for the alcoholic. Gamblers Annonymous is one of the most rapidly growing support groups. Stan’s story. I Timothy 6:10--"The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." Have you ever known gambling to make one a stronger Christian?


So gambling harms the individuals who participate. But what about the societies in which it is done? Is gambling good for our communities?
 

2. (Gambling is also harmful to society.)

 
1. Some suggest that legalized gambling provides tax money for the public good. It might provide a little, but the harmful effects far outweigh any good. Some have estimated that Oklahoma will get about $50 million a year from the lottery at first and then about $40 million when the newness wears off. In terms of a state budget of billions, that is not very much. $1 million per mile of freeway.

 
2. But look at its other effects. Most of the money going into the lottery is from the pockets of Oklahomans. That money would have been spent on food, clothing, or other needs and taxed while it was spent in these ways. And such dollars spent in the economy are, in turn, spent by those who receive it and are taxed again. Under the proposed lottery, 35 percent of the money taken in goes out of state to those operating the lottery and thus is lost to Oklahoma.

 
3. Everyone who spends money to purchase goods gets something useful. Under the lottery, most get back none of what they put in while a few will get much more. So many of those without enough to live on will spend even some of that for lottery tickets. Remember that in New Jersey, one third of the poorest families spent one-fifth of their income on the lottery. So society has to pay more to care for these less able to care for themselves. Crime increases, poverty increases, and family problems increase where state supported gambling goes. Twenty percent of all wife-abuse cases involve domestic tension over gambling.

 
4. Do we really want our government to be encouraging our citizens to become involved in gambling?

 
5. Particularly the lottery places false hope before people. They begin to place their hopes on the lottery and think it will solve their financial needs while it is actually eating up some of the meager resources they have. Brazil. Tickets on every corner. This has affected the whole mental attitude of the nation.