THE LOTTERY; GAMBLING
Have you ever paid a
dollar to throw balls to win a twenty-five cent stuffed bear?
Wikipedia
- The lottery is a form
of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize which may
be a certain amount of money and is taxable if over a certain amount
depending on the country and or state the lottery was drawn. Most lottery
expenditures go to various institutions, primarily public school systems.
- Gambling is the wagering of money or
something of material value (referred to as "the
stakes") on an event with an uncertain outcome with
the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods.
Gambling thus requires three elements be present: consideration, chance
and prize.
- Typically,
the outcome of the wager is evident within a short period.
First Word
- God is not against
riches or wealth; in fact it is God that gives us the ability to obtain
wealth. It all belongs to God and
what we give back to God is only a portion of what He has already given
us.
- We are cautioned not
to be arrogant and cocky about our finances, not to put our hope in them
as our continued finances is fairly uncertain; but to put our hope in God.
- These
thoughts present three questions.
- By what means did you
obtain your wealth?
- Where does wealth
rank in your priorities?
- How do you use your
wealth?
Deut 8:18 – God gives the ability to obtain wealth
18 But remember the LORD your God, for it is he
who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant,
which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today. NIV
1 Chron 29:12-14 – It all
belongs to God
12 Wealth and honor come from you; you are
the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power to exalt and
give strength to all.
13 Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise
your glorious name.
14 "But who am I, and who are my people, that
we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and
we have given you only what comes from your hand. NIV
1 Tim 6:17 – Riches are uncertain.
17 Command those who are rich in this present
world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which
is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us
with everything for our
enjoyment. NIV
Risk Taking
- Part of life is risk
taking whether it is with your own money or someone else’s assets that has
been entrusted to you.
- This would include
your natural talents and God given Gifts in the service of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ; stepping out and “taking a risk at failure” in your own
church.
- God
encourages LEGITIMATE risk taking.
He also says to count the cost first to see if you can accomplish
your desires. – Don’t lean on your own understanding, but seek Godly
council; wisdom, understanding and knowledge. – Many advisors bring
success.
- In the Parable of the
talents, the servants were entrusted with “talents”; some invested wisely and others hid their talents.
The faithful servants were rewarded; the un-faithful servants lost all they
had. – Read it.
Luke 14:28 – Count the cost before you take a risk.
28 "Suppose one of you wants to build a
tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has
enough money to complete it? NIV
Prov 24:3-4 – Seek wisdom,
understanding and knowledge
3 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding
it is established;
4 through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures. NIV
Prov 15:22 – Many advisors will bring success
22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with
many advisers they succeed. NIV
Prov 3:5-7 – Do not lean
on your own understanding – Seek God
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean
not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will
make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the
LORD and shun evil.
NIV
Matt 25:14-30 – Faithful
use of talents
14 Again, it will be like a man going on a
journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.
15 To one he gave five talents of money, to
another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.
Then he went on his journey.
16 The man who had received the five talents went
at once and put his money to work and gained five more.
17 So also, the one with the two talents gained
two more.
18 But the man who had received the one talent
went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.
19 "After a long time the master of those
servants returned and settled accounts with them.
20 The man who had received the five talents
brought the other five. `Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with five talents.
See, I have gained five more.'
21 "His master replied, `Well done, good and
faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
22 "The man with the two talents also came.
`Master,' he said, `you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two
more.'
23 "His master replied, `Well done, good and
faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
24 "Then the man who had received the one talent
came. `Master,' he said, `I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you
have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your
talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
26 "His master replied, `You wicked, lazy
servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where
I have not scattered seed?
27 Well then, you should have put my money on
deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back
with interest.
28 "`Take the talent from him and give
it to the one who has the ten talents.
29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he
will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be
taken from him.
30 And throw that worthless servant outside,
into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' NIV
Greed
- The
LOVE of money is the root of all evil. – It’s not the
money; it’s the love of the money.
- Is your risk taking
motivated by greed? People who want
to get rich fall into the trap of temptation and wander into foolish and
harmful desires bringing them into ruin and destruction.
- When we make hasty
decisions “without planning” and counsel we fall into the snares of
Satan. – It is faithfulness that is blessed; NOT eagerness
for a buck.
- Greed is an equal
opportunity employer. You don’t
have to be rich to be greedy - Stinginess and eagerness for a buck leads
to poverty.
- Did you notice that
one of the Ten Commandments was
about coveting what others have?
- "Everything is
permissible"- but not everything is beneficial. - You can
become addicted to getting MORE money.
- When the occasional
Bingo, Lottery or Gambling changes from amusement to dependency, you are
in trouble. – It certainly does not start out that way, but that’s how it
ends. I have been in a gas station and observed a customer purchase $45.00
worth of scratch off tickets and hastily scratched them off right then and
there.
1 Tim 6:5-10 – The love of
money is the root of all kinds of evil
5 Men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the
truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial
gain.
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 we brought nothing into the world, and we can
take nothing out of it.
8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be
content with that.
9 People who want to get rich fall into
temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that
plunge men into ruin and destruction.
10 For 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. NIV
Ex 20:17 – You shall not covet
17 "You shall not covet your
neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant
or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your
neighbor." NIV
Prov 21:5-6 – We are to
diligently plan
5 The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.
6 A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting
vapor and a deadly snare. NIV
Prov 28:20 – The faithful
man is blessed
20 A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one
eager to get rich will not go unpunished. NIV
Prov 28:22 – A stingy man
is eager for riches
22 A stingy man is eager to get rich and is
unaware that poverty awaits him. NIV
1 Cor 6:12 – Don’t become addicted to money
12 "Everything is permissible for
me"-but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is
permissible for me"-but I will not be mastered by anything. NIV
The Lottery
- I take no special interest
in the state lottery except when they start talking on TV about the
winning amount is now up to $500,000,000; then that gets my attention and
I go out and buy
- I told my son Mike
that I had bought a lottery ticket – He proceeded to tell me about how
many “millions to one” chances I had in winning and that the lottery was
designed to exploit the poor - I told him I was going to give him part of
my winnings… He said he thought he would be further ahead if I would just
send him the dollar.
- Winning the lottery
does not get my mind thinking about how I can help people get educated or
how I can help the state get its projects paid for. Not at all, I think about what the money
can do for ME.
- I think about giving
all my kids a few million each, my Church and a few missionary outreach
programs a few million each, and for me; I need a new floor in the kitchen
and I might take a cruise if my back doesn’t hurt that week.
- CONTENTMENT. I speak of these things because I’m old
and I am content with where I am. I
am not asking God to bless me just for the MONEY’S sake. He supplies all my needs according to
His abundance in Glory through Christ Jesus.
- Whether I win the
lottery or not, I will eventually get my kitchen floor fixed and if I feel
like it, I might save for a cruise and with luck, the RAPTURE will come
while I am sitting on the balcony watching His sunset over the ocean.
- THE
QUESTION;
Why do you play the lottery? Is it
a thirst for wealth? Do you not
trust God to supply your needs?
- If your life is not
content, then you are driven by greed.
God will not bless greed.
- Isn’t it foolishness
to think that God needs you to have a winning lottery ticket just so He
can get ten percent of your winnings or even one hundred percent for that matter? God doesn’t need our money. He has cattle on a thousand hills – He
can sell some cows if He needs to do something and that’s no “bull”. When we give to God, it just allows us
to get in on what He is doing.
- Need
Money, Trust God
– Give away what you can and it will come back to you in good measure,
pressed down, shaken together and running over. - If you measure out a
tablespoon of giving, God will repay you with a shovel full. – You can’t
out give God.
Phil 4:19 – God supplies all my needs
19 But my God shall supply all your need
according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. KJV
Prov 10:22 – It is God that make one rich- with no sorrows
22 The blessing of the LORD makes one rich,
And He adds no sorrow with it. NKJV
Ps 50:10 God has cattle on
a thousand hills
10 for every animal of the forest is mine, and the
cattle on a thousand hills. NIV
Luke 6:38 – Give and it will be given to you
38 Give, and it will be given to you. A
good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured
into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
NIV
Two Masters
- We watch others;
non-Christians at that, succeeding at what they are doing as we seem to be
passed by in the shadows waiting patiently for our ship to come in.
- Remember it not what
you have, but how you got it.
We are taught to seek the resting place of God not the “Wheel of
Fortune”.
- We are to store up
treasures in Heaven not on earth, because where your treasures are, so is
your heart. If your eyes are on
money, you cannot see God; you cannot serve God and Money.
Ps 37:7 – Wait patiently
for God and do not fret
7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently
for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out
their wicked schemes. NIV
Isa 65:10-12 – The “Wheel
of Fortune” displeases God
10 Sharon Valley of Achor
11 "But as for you who forsake the LORD and
forget my holy mountain, who spread a “table for Fortune” and fill bowls
of mixed wine for Destiny,
12 I will destine you for the sword, and
you will all bend down for the slaughter; for I called but you did not answer, I
spoke but you did not listen. You did evil in my sight and chose what
displeases me." NIV
Matt 6:19-21 – Your heart
is where your treasures are.
19 "Do not store up for yourselves
treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in
and steal.
20 But store up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in
and steal.
21 For where your treasure is, there your heart
will be also. NIV
Matt 6:22 -24 – You can’t seek God and money at the same time
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body.
If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
23 But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will
be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is
that darkness!
24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he
will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and
despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. NIV
Hard Work
- Somewhere within us we want to make it
BIG so we won’t have to work anymore.
- Our very makeup pushes us to take
short cuts, to not work hard for what we want; some times we chose to
steal and gamble and even steal so we can gamble.
- I met a guy on a cruise ship that
saved thousands so he could gamble once a year. I asked him, how much had he won. He responded that he had lost more than
he had ever won, but the way he looked at it, they were just “holding
his money for him” till he came back.
- Scripture says if we have stolen; to
steal no more and to work with our hands so we will have something to
share with others
- God goes on to say, if you don’t work,
you don’t eat – (Unless you have a
career in welfare.)
- If you are lazy, prefer to sleep than
work, poverty will pounce on you like a bandit. – You want wealth; then
work, it’s a fool that chases games of chance and get rich quick schemes.
Eph 4:28 – Work so you can share with others
28 He who has been stealing must steal no
longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own
hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. NIV
2 Thess 3:10 – You don’t work – You don’t eat
10 For even when we were with you, we gave you
this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." NIV
Prov 6:9-11 – The lazy man
will find poverty quickly
9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When
will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little
folding of the hands to rest--
11 and poverty will come on you like a
bandit and scarcity like an armed man.
NIV
Prov 10:4 – You want
wealth – Then Work
4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent
hands bring wealth. NIV
Prov 12:11 – A fool chases fantasies.
11 He who works his land will have abundant food, but
he who chases fantasies lacks judgment. NIV
Witness
- Paul writes of his
concern for others that his own “personal freedom” does not cause someone
else to stumble because of their weakness and lack of knowledge.
- A Christian
participating in gambling and the lottery can affect his witness to
others.
1 Cor 9:19-22 – I am free
to do what I want to - But
19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I
make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the
Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I
myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.
21 To those not having the law I became like one
not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's
law), so as to win those not having the law.
22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak.
I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might
save some.
NIV
1 Cor 8:13 – Will it cause your brother to stumble
13 Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to
fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to
fall. NIV
Last Days
- We are now in the
last days and are warned that men will lose their love for God and their
desires will run rapid seeking money, pleasure and will become
lovers of themselves.
- They will say they
are Christians, but will only have a “form of godliness”.
- They will rob God of
His tithes and offerings and it will not cross their minds to obtain
wealth in order to share with others.
2 Tim 3:1-5 – Lovers of
Money, pleasure, themselves
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous
times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers
of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without
self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its
power. And from such people turn away! NKJV
Mal 3:8-9 – Man will rob
God of His tithes and offerings.
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, `How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings.
9 You are under a curse-the whole nation of you - because
you are robbing me. NIV
Prosperity
- It is God’s “Good
Pleasure” to bless us, to choose us, to predestine us to Himself.
- God wants us to
prosper in health and in our finances and to have fun. He delights in our well being.
- For the
one that works,
it is his heritage to enjoy the good that comes from the work of
his hands –
Eccl 5:18 – Eat, drink and enjoy the good of your labor
18 Here is what I have
seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy
the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of
his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage NKJV
Eph 1:3-5 – It is the good pleasure of His will - we were
chose
3 Our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
in Christ,
4 just as He chose us
in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love,
5 having predestined us
to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will,
NKJV
Ps 149:4 – God takes pleasure in us
4 For the LORD takes
pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. NKJV
Ps 35:27 – God delights in
the well being of his servants
27 May those who delight in my vindication shout
for joy and gladness; may they always say, "The LORD be exalted, who delights
in the well-being of his servant." NIV
3 John 2 – As our spirit
prospers, so will our health
2 Beloved, I wish above
all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as thy soul
prospers. KJV
Closing Thoughts
- When I find a penny
on the street, I pick it up and quote “My God supplies all my needs
according to His abundance in glory through Christ Jesus”. – He is my
source.
- I will probably buy a
lottery ticket when they start talking about it again on TV and I might
play Bingo if I hang out with some ole folks and I might put 50 cents on a
Gamecock football game, but it will be few and far between. - It will be
just for fun and amusement with no expectations.
- Everything I have or
will have comes from God. He gives
me the ability to obtain wealth. - He
is my source.
- God wants me to enjoy
the proceeds from the hard work of my hands, talent and mind; to
- It is my commitment
that no earthly thing will become the master of me, not even
- In my FREEDOM, I pray
that because of my actions, I do not cause someone else to stumble.
- We are back at the
beginning of the study with the first questions.
- By what means did you
obtain your wealth?
- Where does wealth
rank in your priorities?
- How do you use your
wealth?
In the multitude of counselors,
there is wisdom.
Prov 11:14
I am grateful for those that went before me providing concepts, ideas, historical information, and scripture verses. Because of them I can stand on their shoulders and see further than I otherwise ever could have.
Annotated
Reference Bible – Dake
Antiquity of the Jews – Josephus
Bible Dictionary – Harper’s
Gambling and the Lottery – Tony Evans
King James Version Bible - KJV
Koinonia House
– Chuck Missler
New International Version Bible – NIV
New King James Version Bible – NKJV
Who’s Who in the Bible – Gardner
Wikipedia
.
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