A year or so ago we took several months to review the sixteen Articles of Faith found in the Manual of the Church of The Nazarene. These subjects included what we believe about the Triune God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Scriptures, Sin, Atonement, Salvation, the Church, the Sacraments, the Lord’s Return, etc. These are foundational doctrines which are based entirely on the Holy Bible.
Always remember, the Manual is subordinate to the Bible and not the other way around. We hope that everything in the Manual is in harmony with the Scriptures; if not, we need to correct our doctrines found in the Manual.
But, now we are taking a look at the Covenant of Christian Conduct that all members agree to when joining the church and we are attempting to see if the elements of this covenant is mere legalism or is it a natural outflow of loving God and others?
First, let’s take a look at an example of legalism:
We all know the 4th commandment, right?
Exodus 20:8-10a
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work ….”
To strict, orthodox Jews this means ANY work … such as flushing your toilet, so, some of them have the motion sensor type of toilets installed in their homes because pushing the handle on the toilet would be considered work. It makes you wonder what they did before the invention of motion sensor flush toilets … or what they do if they discover that someone left the toilet lid down?
Is that legalism or is that what God really intended when He decreed the fourth commandment?
Today we’ll be taking look at another section of the Covenant of Christian Conduct.
34. We hold specifically that the following practices should be avoided:
34.2. Lotteries and other forms of gambling, whether legal or illegal. The church holds that the final result of these practices is detrimental to both the individual and society.
In order to see why gambling is harmful or detrimental to the individual and to society we need to first see why the Lord give us possessions and wealth in the first place.
When we say that God give us possessions and wealth we need to recognize that the entire earth belongs to the Lord.
Psalm 24:1 says,
“The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
So, if we have anything at all that has been acquired in a legitimate manner it has come from God because He owns everything, and, if you are a child of God you realize that even after you have something, it still belongs to God and you are only a steward in charge of caring for and using that possession wisely.
So, why does He give us possessions and wealth including money.
God gives us possessions and wealth for four reasons:
A. To supply personal and family needs.
1Timothy 5:8
“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.”
This providing for one’s family is talking about survival needs: housing, food, clothing, basic transportation, education, medical needs.
When this verse says that anyone who does not provide for their family has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever it shows that God takes this seriously and so should we!
So, God gives us income:
A. To supply personal and family needs.
B. To contribute to God’s work on earth.
This is specifically talking about the tithe of your income to provide for the work of the Lord.
1 Corinthians 16:1-3
“Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income,
“saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.”
Let’s take another look at the first part of that middle verse:
1 Corinthians 16:2a
“On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income …”
There was no question in their mind what “a sum of money in keeping with his income” meant - it was the tithe, and, the tithe in the OT was put into place to support the temple. Now, in the NT it is to support God’s work on earth through the church the body of Christ. This is God’s one and only plan for supporting the body of Christ in matters of evangelism, teaching and preaching.
So, God gives us income:
A. To supply personal and family needs.
B. To contribute to God’s work on earth.
C. To help the poor and needy.
Jesus points this out explicitly in the prophecy of the Sheep and the Goats in Matthew 25:35-36 when He says,
“For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in,
“I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.”
This is the expectation that God sets up for us. To share His abundance with other who are have less than us. You see, God blesses us in order that He might bless others through us. We are conduits of God’s amazing Grace!
This takes place on an individual basis as we see needs around us and on a world wide basis through our offerings for World Missions and Compassionate Ministries.
We can do more to reach the world for Christ working together as a denomination than we could ever accomplish as individuals. That is why God has called us together and that is why He has ordained for us to meet the needs of the world in this way.
So, God give us income:
A. To supply personal and family needs.
B. To contribute to God’s work on earth.
C. To help the poor and needy.
D. To support our government.
Matthew 22:21 says,
“Jesus said to them, ‘Give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and to God that which is God’s.’”
And, Romans 13:6-7 says,
“This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue ….”
This is certainly not a popular one but it is a mandate in the word of God. And, certainly the government which was in place when Christ was on earth was much worse than any government we have ever had in the USA and better than anarchy.
So, let’s recap why God gives us provision for our lives:
A. To supply personal and family needs.
B. To contribute to God’s work on earth.
C. To help the poor and needy.
D. To support our government.
Those are all pretty important. How do you think gambling would stack up against them in importance?
There are no verses in the Bible that say things like, “Thou shalt not gamble.” Or, “The wages of gambling is death.” But, we do have some indicators to look at …
Proverbs 13:11 says, “Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.”
This does not mean that when you gamble you should only place small bets and gather little by little. It is talking about working for what you have. The whole idea behind gambling is that you can make some money quickly and not have to work for it regardless of the consequences to others.
Now, the proponents of gambling will tell you that it is a benefit to society; that it brings in jobs, that the revenue goes to support education, that it’s a harmless form of entertainment, etc. but let’s take a look at what some secular people say about that
Virgil Petersen says, “Gambling produces no wealth, it simply redistributes it from the hands of the many to the hands of the few. Gambling invariably leads to higher police and welfare costs.”
Senator Alexander Wiley, WI: “The idea that legalized gambling will be a revenue raiser is an illusion. Every dollar raised from such sources means 5 dollars spent in higher police costs, court costs, penitentiary costs, relief costs.”
Nevada is the gambling capital of the nation, and the crime rate is twice the national average, and the suicide rate is triple! No wonder Harry Reid, chairman of the Nevada gaming control commission told U.S. News and World Report, “any state trying to follow Nevada’s lead will find that the social costs far outweigh any economic advantage.”
Herbert Jenkins, former president of int’l assoc of police chiefs: “for every dollar received from gambling, government spends $10 fighting problems directly relating to legalized gambling: including prostitution, embezzlement, bad checks, and police corruption. Racketeers and mobsters swarm to gambling communities, and bring w/ them other sordid businesses.”
Legalized gambling, including the lottery, is a regressive tax that preys upon the people who can least afford it! The zipcode areas with the lowest income levels traditionally spend four times the average of the non-poverty zipcode areas.
Do you know what the biggest day of the month is at the Atlantic City gaming tables? The day the welfare checks come out!
Gambling does not glorify God
Colossians 3:17,23 says,
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.”
Did you know that it is more likely for you to die by having a vending machine fall on you than for you to win a mega-millions jackpot?
With gambling you can be assured of one thing; that your personal finances and your life will be in worse shape as a result of gambling, even if you win.
34.2. The church holds that the final result of these practices (lotteries and other forms of gambling) is detrimental to both the individual and society.
And society … let’s take a look at what some others who have studied the affects of gambling have to say …
Addicted gamblers cost the United States between $32.4 billion and $53.8 billion a year.
Baylor University Professor Earl Grinols
"The rate of attempted suicide among compulsive gamblers is 200 times the national average."
Arnie Wexler, the former executive director of the New Jersey Council on Compulsive Gambling
A study conducted at the University of Georgia states that there are:
Business and Employment Costs: These costs include lost productivity on the job, lost time and unemployment, sick days off for gambling, extended lunch hours, leaving early to gamble, and returning late after gambling. Problem and pathological gamblers often impose costs on their employers (in addition to theft or embezzlement) in the form of an unreliable presence on the job and reduced productivity when present.
Among the forms of sickness associated with gambling or affected by it are depression, stress-related illness, chronic or severe headaches, anxiety, moodiness, irritability, intestinal disorders, asthma, cognitive distortions, and cardiovascular disorders. This category of costs includes therapy/treatment costs, unemployment and other social service costs (including welfare and food stamps).
A report from the Buffalo news states that:
Ironically, it's been found that stress-related illnesses associated with people with gambling problems, such as headaches, high blood pressure, anxiety and depression, also have been found in family members.
Nearly 400 members of Gamblers Anonymous were surveyed, 57% of whom admitted stealing to finance their gambling. On average these 400 people stole $135,000 and their total theft was over $30 million. (Liesur)
Up to 50% of spouses of addicted gamblers are abused. When casinos opened in South Dakota child abuse rose by 42% and domestic assaults by 80%.
National Research Council, The Guardian, 11.5.04
Who pays for the higher law enforcement costs to combat sex trafficking, drug trafficking, organized crime, vagrancy, assault, murder and suicide? We do and sometimes police officers, crime victims and family members pay with their lives.
Does this sound like the result of godly activities?
Does this sound like a result that would flow out of loving God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength?
Does this sound like a result that would flow out of loving your neighbor as you love yourself?
Does this sound like a good witness to the world of the peace and contentment that comes from knowing and serving Christ?
OK. So, what if you don’t have a gambling problem? What if you just do it for fun and have it completely under control?
Let’s pretend. Let’s pretend that everyone here has scrimped and saved over the past month and has brought a $100 dollar bill to church with them and at the beginning of the service we each took out our $100 bill and wrote our name on it and announced that at the end of the service we would draw one of the bills out of that pile of bills and whoever’s name was on that bill would win all of them.
During that service everyone of you would be secretly hoping that everyone else would lose and you would win. What would come from that?
Jealousy … broken relationships … hardship … envy … strife … sin! That’s what would come from it! Sin!!!
That is the whole idea behind gambling.
If you are a gambler, in reality it is your hearts desire that everyone there except you loses their money so that you can win.
If you are a gambler at least be an honest gambler. The next time you go into a casino or a betting race track or an Off Track Betting establishment or stand in line to purchase a lottery ticket or go to a church bingo night, be honest. As you enter look each person in the eye, make eye contact with them and say to yourself, “I hope you lose so that I can win. I hope you lose everything so that I can go home with the money God has given you to provide for your family and for the Kingdom of God and that He has provided for the poor and for your responsibility to the government. I hope you lose it all so that I can have it.”
Because that’s the reality of it all.
Just what responsibility do you have to the other gamblers?
Genesis 4:8-10
“Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
“Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’
‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’
“The LORD said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.’”
Well, are you your brother’s keeper or are you the one to exploit your brother? Is your brother’s money calling out to God from your wallet or bank account?
You be the judge: under the Covenant of Christian Conduct is the prohibition of gambling a legalistic rule or something that would flow out of a genuine love for God and others. You decide …
Let’s pray …
