Gambling Fever

Colossians 3.5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Definition “To play or game for money or other stakes; to hazard; wager, betting on the result of a game” (Webster).

What’s Wrong with Gambling? The “Loss” principle; winners win only when losers lose.

What’s Wrong with Gambling? It is Wrong Economically

Gambling is Wrong Economically “The people who govern this state will try to separate you from your money in a game of chance that affords you virtually no chance...You invest $1 in a lottery ticket, in hopes of winning $1 million Your odds of winning are one in a million, right? Wrong. Try one in 125 million ... For a realistic return on risk, the lottery is a farce. You are 250 times more likely to be hit by lightening.” – St. Petersburg Times.

What’s Wrong with Gambling? It is Wrong Economically It is Wrong Socially Adversely alters the behavior of people in their dealing with one another – seen in its fruit.

Gambling is Wrong Socially John Dryden, English Poet: “Bets, at the first were fool-traps, where the wise, like spiders, lay in wait for the flies.”

Gambling is Wrong Socially Estes Kefauver, after investigating national crimes said: “Pages could be filled with examples heard by the senate committee of the old familiar story of how fine citizens and family men became paupers, embezzellers, and worse of the enticements of the gambling tables.” (Crime in America, p. 125)

Gambling is Wrong Socially Testimony before the senate committee revealed that “65 percent of the lottery machines in Delaware are located near ‘the lowest socioeconomic group ... and lest they forget whet they are supposed to do with those machines, we found a doubling of advertising by the State lottery on the day welfare checks arrive”

What’s Wrong with Gambling? It is Wrong Economically It is Wrong Socially It is Wrong Morally 1. Moves it from waste and folly to that of truth and right. 2. To Christians, God’s word is the measure of morality – but many in world see it as immoral.

Gambling is Wrong Morally George Washington: “Gambling is the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity, and the father of mischief.”

Gambling is Wrong Morally National Council of Churches in 1951 reaffirmed its “vigorous opposition to gambling as an insidious menace both to personal character and social morality”

Gambling is Wrong Morally “Gamblers gamble as lovers love, as drunkards drink, inevitably, blindly, under the dictates of an irresistible force” (Horace Levinson, The science of chance, p. 26).

Gambling is Wrong Morally “The fascination of gambling to many people is so strong, in my opinion, it would be complete folly to make the facilities more available than they are.” – Senator Kefauver.

Gambling is Wrong Morally “Curst is the wretch enslaved to such a vice, who ventures life and soul upon the dice.” – Horace in Rome, 2000 years ago. d. What assurance does gambler have that his “sport” will not lead to his child’s addiction? e. What assurance does he have that he will not encourage the weak to get caught? (Rom 14:21). f. A Christian who gambles puts church on bad light before the world who knows what gambling is. g. He also weakens the churches voice against worldliness of all kinds (Rom. 2:21-24) – it is weak enough already.

What’s Wrong with Gambling? It is Wrong Economically It is Wrong Socially It is Wrong Morally It is Wrong Spiritually

Gambling is Wrong Spiritually May not be mentioned by name, but neither is suicide, embezzling, racketeering, etc. We must be able to discern between good and evil – Heb 5.12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:12-14

Gambling is Wrong Spiritually Fits NO divinely revealed means of gain Not freely given for sake of giving – Acts 20.35; 2 Cor 9.7 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

Gambling is Wrong Spiritually Fits NO divinely revealed means of gain Not freely given for sake of giving Not working at honorable employment for wages – Eph 4.28; Acts 20.35; 2 Thess 3.8 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Ephesians 4:28 Acts 20.35 “work with hands…support the weak” 8 nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. 9 It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:8-10

Gambling is Wrong Spiritually Fits NO divinely revealed means of gain Not freely given for sake of giving Not working at honorable employment for wages Not buying and selling for profit Not investing for a reasonable return

Gambling is Wrong Spiritually Fits NO divinely revealed means of gain Not freely given for sake of giving Not working at honorable employment for wages Not buying and selling for profit – James 4.13-15 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

Gambling is Wrong Spiritually Fits NO divinely revealed means of gain Not freely given for sake of giving Not working at honorable employment for wages Not buying and selling for profit – James 4.13-15 Not investing for reasonable return - Matt 25.27 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. Matthew 25:27

Gambling is Wrong Spiritually Contrary to good stewardship Encourages impure heart Attracts undesirable elements and companionship Weakens our influence for good Its fruits are no good IT IS COVETEOUSNESS, WHICH IS IDOLATRY – Col 3.5