What is wrong with Gambling?

Introduction:

Gambling is huge in the United States and even in other countries.

Many people become addicted and ruin their lives.

It stems from greed and everyone wants to be rich.

What happened to just being content with your life?

Christians must stay far away from Gambling and learn to be content with what God has blessed them with.

Transition: Greed is the center of the problem.

I. Gambling springs from Greed, not Godliness.

A. A Desire for quick gain.

a. Proverbs 28:20 “A faithful man will abound with blessings, But he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.”

i. There are consequences with wanting to be rich quick.

ii. We lose track of what is more important and become consumed with being rich.

b. Ephesians 4:28 “He who steals must steal no longer, but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.”

i. God calls us to labor and to do it honestly.

ii. We are to do our best with labor and not cheat.

c. Luke 12:15 “Then He said to them, “Watch out and be on your guard against every form of greed, for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions.””

i. Our life cannot be measured by how much stuff we have.

ii. Your life here might be good, but your spiritual life is suffering.

B. The heart of Greed is idolatry.

a. Colossians 3:5 “Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.”

i. Every sin listed here becomes an idol in our life.

ii. We worship it and not the true God.

b. James 1:17 “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”

i. The blessings that we receive is not from our own, but from God.

ii. He has given us everything that we need to survive.

Transition: Gambling will corrupt all of us.

II. Gambling corrupts Character and destroys lives.

A. The Fruits of Gambling.

a. Matthew 7:17–18 ““Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.”

i. The Fruits of Gambling are bad and a good tree does not bear bad fruit.

ii. We cannot allow ourselves to bear bad fruit.

b. Proverbs 15:27 “He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, But he who hates gifts of bribery will live.”

i. The cost would be terrible because people have lost their homes, families, and friends.

ii. Most importantly your soul.

B. The Loss of Self control.

a. Galatians 5:22–23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

i. Self control is a fruit of the spirit and we must practice self control.

ii. When one Gambles, they will lose all self control.

b. 2 Peter 2:19 “promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”

i. They become slaves to gambling and never break free.

ii. Not only are we slaves to gambling, but to greed.

Transition: We are called to be content with this life and what we have.

III. The Christians calling

A. Godliness with contentment

a. 1 Timothy 6:6–8 “But godliness actually is a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”

b. contentment- A state of happiness and satisfaction.

B. True treasure is in Heaven

a. Matthew 6:19–21 ““Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

b. Our treasures are up in Heaven, not here on earth.

Transition: Gambling is a sin and we must avoid it at all costs.

Conclusion:

At the center of Gambling is Greed.

It can corrupt character and destroy your life.

We are called to be content and to store up treasure in Heaven.

True christians will live for God by believing and obeying.