the Bible and Gambling
March 21, 2004
4th Sunday in Lent
Galena-Warwick United Methodist Charge
Warwick & Galena, Maryland
Rev. Dr. Lawrence D. Jameson
larry@larryjameson.com
back to our church home page
My name is Larry Jameson and I
am a born again Christian.
For a number of years, I've been part of a coalition of Christian pastors and
lay people in Maryland. We call our group NOcasiNO. In 1995, 96, 97, and in 1998
I participated in the fight against a number of casino bills in Annapolis. We
had a shoestring budget. The gambling industry spent millions of dollars to
oppose us. But we praise God that not one of their efforts came about, because
none of their casino bills ever passed through the Maryland legislature. In 2004
we can say that God has given us the victory for nine years in a row in the
state of Maryland. And today, the need for Christians to speak out against
gambling expansion is greater than ever.
We oppose the casinos with words and ideas that a secular
audience can appreciate. We tell secular groups the simple truth that casinos
are not good economics. They are not good public policy. And they are not good
for the quality of life here in Maryland.
We often talk about the ABC's of gambling: addictions, bankruptcies, crime and
corruption. Now these are powerful arguments and they work well with newspapers
and elected officials, and the public at large. But the core of our opposition
to gambling expansion goes much deeper than that. It goes down to our commitment
to Jesus Christ. That's why I wrote this message. I want Christian people to
know the rest of the story, the Biblical and theological part, that is not
appreciated by secular audiences.
You need to know why it is
appropriate for Christians to oppose gambling expansion, for the Biblical as
well as the secular reasons. So let's get started. I have six points, and then a
practical challenge to give you.
1) ECONOMIC JUSTICE
The first point is economic justice. It is right for Christians to identify with
the poor, and to stand up for people who are not able to defend themselves. The
fight to oppose gambling expansion is a social justice issue. Commercial casinos
ruin families. They bleed away resources from men and women by trickery and
deceit.
The Bible says, "let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an
ever-flowing stream." Amos 5:24 God has a concern for the poor of this world.
That concern is reflected in the words of Jesus who said, "The Spirit of the
Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. Luke
4:18 NIV
It is right for Christians to oppose an industry that creates poverty,
heartaches, and devastation where ever it goes. It is right for Christians to
raise their voices and let the government know that expansion of gambling is not
wanted. If we do nothing, and the casinos come in without opposition, we will
have to give an account to God for our lack of concern for the poor. The fight
to oppose gambling expansion is a social justice issue.
2) STEWARDSHIP
The second point is stewardship.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, then you
have voluntarily placed yourself under his authority, and everything you have,
your time, your talents, your treasures are to be used for God's glory. That's
stewardship.
Gambling is the opposite of Christian stewardship.
Casinos want you to accept the premise that you can afford to lose a little bit,
or even a lot, because it belongs to you, and it is yours to play with. But the
Bible tells us that everything we have belongs to God, and we are his stewards.
There is a big difference between the two.
The casinos talk about "disposable income" but for Christians, there isn't any
such thing. We don't waste anything God has given us. We use it all for his
glory. And not because we have to, but because we want to.
Do you remember the parable of the man who was given five talents? He invested
the money, and he made five more. In Matthew 25.21 the Bible says: 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!' Matthew 25.21
Now what about the man who misused his talent? The Bible says in Matthew 25.30
"throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matthew 25.30
The parable of the talents points out that God really cares about how we use our
gifts.
In 1 Peter 1.18 the Bible says, "it was not with perishable things such as
silver or gold that you were redeemed... but with the precious blood of Christ"
1 Peter 1.18
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, you have been bought by the blood of
Christ. He has paid that price for you. You are important to God. It doesn't
make sense for you to waste any part of your life, or your resources, for
something that does not bring glory to God. Gambling is the opposite of
Christian stewardship.
3) THE GOLDEN RULE
My third point concerns the Golden Rule. If you consider this for only a few
moments, you will see the clear compelling logic of how the Golden Rule applies
to gambling.
In Matthew 7.12 Jesus said, "in everything, do to others what you would have
them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
Now a Christian disciple cannot follow the Golden Rule and gamble, because
they're opposites. When you gamble, you are trying to take money from another
person. You are not giving them anything in return for that money. There is no
product, and there is no service exchanged. Calling this process a game does not
make it morally right.
A Christian is obligated to care about the welfare of others. You can't be both
a predator and a care giver.
You have to choose one or the other.
The casinos have their own "flip-side-version" of the Golden Rule. It goes like
this: "He who owns the gold, rules". You can see how this is an opposite from
Christian values.
4) THE LAW OF LOVE
My fourth point concerns the Law of Love.
Jesus said, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the
second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Matthew 22.37-40.
Dear ones, a Christian cannot follow the Law of Love and gamble, because the two
are opposites. Gambling does not enrich your relationship with God or people.
Gambling requires that you harden your heart to take away the wealth of another
person. Again, calling this process a game does not make it morally right.
The casinos have their own "flip-side-version" of the Law of Love. And it goes
like this:
"Love money with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love
money as yourself." You can see how this is an opposite from Christian values.
5) OBLIGATION TO FAMILY
The fifth point that I'd like to make has to do with our obligation to family.
In 1 Timothy 5.8 the Bible says,
"If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate
family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." 1 Timothy 5.8
This verse points to the fact that for Christians there is no such thing as
"disposable family income". God wants us to use all that we have to his glory,
especially by taking care of our relatives.
This is not an option for Christians. It's a requirement. People who gamble put
their family at risk.
6) MISPLACED TRUST
The sixth point I'd like to make to you concerns misplaced trust. Jesus said, "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21
God wants you to trust him alone. Your heart belongs to him. And if you have
accepted Jesus Christ into your heart by faith, he is supposed to be your Lord
and Savior. Gambling will misdirect your trust from your heart.
A gambler will trust luck, or fate, or herself. Anything but God.
1 Timothy 6:9 describes this danger:
"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. 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." 1 Timothy 6:9
If you look at the first and last of the ten commandments, they illustrate this
point. The first of the ten commandments is Exodus 20.3 "You shall have no other
gods before me", and the last is Exodus 20:17 "You shall not covet".
Dear brothers and sisters, if you gamble, you wager more than money! You also
gamble with your inner spiritual health. Gambling will influence your heart and
mind because it is designed to lead you away from God and his values.
Challenge
Now that I have made points that are both Biblical and theological. I'd like to talk to you about a personal challenge. I'd like you to consider taking a step. I'd like to encourage you to make a faith commitment to God to voluntarily abstain from gambling for life.
This is a big step, so don't take it lightly. I want you to think about it. But
also, don't be afraid to take a big step for Jesus, because he is worth it!
Here is a suggested prayer.
Dear God, thank you for trusting me with so much. I want to be a good steward. In response to your love, and as an act of faith in Jesus Christ, I commit to voluntarily abstain from all gambling for the rest of my life. I realize this decision does not make me a better person than anyone else. I am not doing this for the bragging rights. This is my gift of love to Jesus Christ. I ask you to bless and prosper my family because of this commitment. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
If you say this prayer, you will be scorned by the world. People will ask you to
buy their raffle tickets put money into an office pool, or visit a casino. How
you respond to these invitations will become your Christian witness. And it will
not be easy.
But there are tremendous benefits. Your family will never lose their home
because of gambling debts. You will never experience gambling addiction,
gambling bankruptcy, commit gambling crime, or divorce due to gambling. You will
have a lot more money to use for your family and God's kingdom.
And by taking a personal stand against gambling, your public witness against the
casinos cannot be discounted, cannot be ignored, because you will have that
personal consistent witness that makes the big difference when you stand in a
public forum.
Best of all, you will draw closer to God because of this commitment to him. God
always honors the prayer of faith. And so I ask you to seriously consider saying
this prayer today.
this message was written by
Rev. Dr. Lawrence D. Jameson, Pastor
Olivet United Methodist Church in Galena, MD
and Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church in Warwick, MD
visit our church web site at www.21635.org
Larry Jameson
PO Box 107
Galena, MD 21635