Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. From lottery tickets to riverboats, gambling spells big trouble, taking money from those who can least afford it, those hoping for a big break.
You say, I'd never gamble. Yet the lure of fast cash leads all too many Christians into serious trouble. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line.
Pastor Lutzer, there have been some sad accounts of prominent evangelical leaders making their way to Las Vegas casinos. Well, Dave, what you have said is absolutely true, but it's also very sad because gambling makes all kinds of promises that it cannot keep. I often refer to that billboard that asks the question, how can you get out of poverty?
One way is to work hard. The other way is to gamble. But all of us can tell stories about people whom we know who have gambled their assets away.
It is a tremendous lure, very deceptive, and I'll just use that word evil. But while we're talking about money, are you concerned like I am, especially during this COVID crisis? Are you concerned about the fact that our government can create it so quickly?
It creates it digitally. And there's a push that all money would eventually be digital. That is to say that the cash that we have in our pocket would become obsolete.
Could this be Revelation chapter 13, the mark of the beast where you can't buy or sell unless you have his mark? I've often backed away from that because I don't want to be sensational, but I do need to say that there are tremendous parallels between what we see happening today and what I believe can happen in the future. That's why I've spoken on a video. It's entitled COVID-19, the economy and our future.
You can have it by the way, DVD or CD, your preference for a gift of any amount. Here's what you do. You go to rtwoffer.com, rtwoffer.com, or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. Let me tell you that I made this video and spoke and gave this lecture so that we as Christians might respond correctly and biblically to what is happening around us.
Ask for COVID-19, the economy and our future. Go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. And now let us listen very carefully as we hear from the scriptures the evils of gambling. Perhaps you heard about the pastor whose church was in debt and he was praying about how it might be met and he began to dream everything in triplicate. Everything came in threes. As a matter of fact, as he sat down at the table, he somehow noticed that even the dishes were organized like triangles, like a trinity. And he began to think, God, you're trying to say something to me, but I don't know what it is. He went to the door and found the newspaper and noticed that it was the three-star edition. He opened it to the third page, the third column, and noticed that the topic was horse racing. And he thought to himself, you know, maybe God is in this somehow. And as he read, he noticed that the third horse mentioned was Trio. Now he knew for sure, so he got his board together and he convinced them to liquidate all of their assets so that they could finally win some money and they put it all on Trio. Well, you've probably already guessed it.
Trio came in third. Now, you know, we smile at the story, but it does bring to mind two important concepts. First of all, that gambling is something that is a temptation to everyone that could be a temptation to pastors as well as to parishioners. Gambling is widespread. Secondly, it seems that in gambling, someone else always wins. You're not the one who wins.
Someone else does. Gambling, of course, is taking that which is of value, usually money, and through chance, hoping that it will produce greater value, more money. As you know, this is a series of messages titled Seven Snares. And as a result of that, we're looking today at gambling, which, of course, is a snare that millions and millions of people in our society have fallen into.
This message is intended to answer four questions. The first question is, why should we be concerned about it anyway? I mean, after all, can't people do with their own money whatever they want? If they want to gamble it away, it's their money.
Let them. Why preach on the topic? There's a second question, and that is, is gambling a sin, or is it only a habit that potentially could be bad? Or is it actually a sin? There's no Eleventh Commandment that says, thou shalt not gamble. And so people have said, maybe it isn't that bad. Maybe it's something we can do.
In fact, there are churches that do it from time to time. The third issue that we're going to discuss is, we're going to take a brief tour into the mind of an addict and look at the world through his set of glasses. And then finally, we're going to answer the question, is there a way out for those who are addicted to gambling? Or for that matter, what is the way out for any addiction that might be spoken about today?
The first question, why bother? My dear friends, I want you to know that the effect of gambling on our families and on our society is devastating. Did you know that children today are targeted? And according to one report, about two-thirds of teens have gambled. In Massachusetts, 47% of seventh graders have played the lottery. Also, among those students, one in 20 has been arrested because of gambling-related charges. Gambling, as we shall learn, never happens in isolation. It always brings with it a cluster of other sins. For some, it might be alcoholism. For some, it might be despair.
For others, it might be suicide. But very seldom does gambling ever act alone. What we also find, for example, in Michigan, 45% of male college athletes admit to gambling on sports. Many people were surprised when it happened at Northwestern University, but that actually is a microcosm on what is going on throughout the whole country, because gambling has become such a deep part of our society.
Students are gambling their tuition, gambling their allowance, gambling, gambling, gambling. Christianity Today had an article on gambling, gambling away the golden years, speaking about how casinos are deliberately seducing and targeting the elderly. For example, some are giving $25 worth of coins free if you just show up with the knowledge that among those who come, there will be others who will finally be hooked, which is what the gambling industry so desperately, desperately wants. Pat Fowler, the executive director of the Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling says, who else will pick you up and take you to an engagement in an exciting activity in a safe environment, give you lunch, call you by name, and make you feel important. Casinos have 50% discounts on many things that they sell and even for drugs for seniors, that is prescription drugs if only they gamble in their casino. Literally millions and millions of seniors are being bussed to casinos, particularly on Sundays. One casino has a card that people use to keep track of their wins and losses so that they can reward you if you've made many, many investments. The lure of gambling. Did you know that the gamblers are not subject to truth in advertising like other companies?
They can say pretty well whatever they wish. Let's go to the south side of Chicago. There was an ad which ran that said, and I'm just looking for it here, yes, this could be your ticket out.
This could be your ticket out of the ghetto. A number of years ago our mayor had an ethics commission to study the feasibility of gambling and I had the opportunity to speak to that commission. I pled with those men saying to them, look, why appeal to the very basest of all motives in order to pay taxes? I said, I don't gamble, but I should be paying my fair share of taxes. It isn't right that other people are going to be paying more than I because I do not gamble and they do. And there was an older man present who said that on the days when the Social Security checks arrive, and on the days when you have the checks coming in, the paychecks, he said 100, and now he's speaking from Chicago's south side, $100,000 flows out of my community.
The community that can least afford it. Money that should be used for clothes and tuition and food and rent is being gambled away. You know, of course, that the government used to just tolerate gambling, there were certain laws, they tolerated it, and now we live in a society in which the government is taking the lead.
We'd be surprised if the government would take the lead in the pornography business and say, now we're into pornography to raise the level of revenue in the state. And yet they're into gambling and the effects are essentially the same and just as devastating. As a result in 1997, that's a couple of years ago, Americans lost $50 billion in legal gambling, primarily casinos of course, and also in the lottery.
$50 billion. About 4% of Americans are addicted to gambling. Millions upon millions upon millions gamble, but about 4% are addicted. Gambling is a parasite that feeds on a community.
It destroys, it debilitates, it appeals to the most base of all motives. Yes, we have to be concerned and as individuals and as a church, we can do something about it. And the gambling industry is shocked that they're not hearing anything from the churches.
The church that used to stand against gambling now is silent. Listen to what's happening even in our own state legislature these days. You find opposition coming only from those groups that say it should be in our community. Where are the voices who say this is wrong? This is wrong. Of course we should be concerned. Let me give you another reason and by the way, the statistics and the information could go on endlessly.
I've had to cut this message down and pare it down so that we could get it all in today. Secondly, is gambling a sin? Is it a sin or is it only a potentially harmful habit? The new Roman Catholic Encyclopedia says that it is not a sin only if it is inconsistent with your duties and obligations. And so as you know, in many churches today, there is gambling and gambling becomes a means of revenue and people accept it and they say, well it's fine because it's fun and it doesn't hurt anybody as long as you don't get into it too deeply. So is it a sin? I prefer to agree with Augustine who said the devil, the devil invented gambling. And that could be true because the devil took the first gamble as it were against God thinking that he would receive more than he would as God's servant so he became God's enemy and the results of course were disastrous. Let me give you four biblical principles that are violated by gambling.
The first is the biblical work ethic, the biblical work ethic. You have to understand the gambling industry derides and depreciates and actually is, what shall we say, it takes work and it turns it into something that the gambling industry thinks should be derided and demeaned. Listen to this advertisement in Massachusetts. It says there are two options on how to make millions. Plan A, start studying when you are seven years old real hard, get a good job, get up early each day, crush the competition, climb over your coworkers, be the last one to leave every night, avoid having a premature heart attack, by the time you're ready to retire, you should have your money. That's plan A.
Plan B, play the lottery. Fat chance. Those are my words by the way, fat chance.
That was not part of the advertisement. Now let me simply say this friends and I pour out my heart to you today. This is a disaster.
It's an unscriptural disaster. Listen to what the Bible says about work. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ we command you brothers to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you receive from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary we work night and day laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this not because we do not have the right to such help but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.
For even when we were with you we gave you this rule. If a man will not work he shall not eat. We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy, they are busy bodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
And as for you brothers never tire of doing what is right. What the Bible says is that work is a gift and it is commanded. Now biblically there are other ways that you can earn money. There is first of all work, there is inheritance, there is investments and there is a gift.
Those are the only legitimate ways. All others would be excluded from that and please don't call gambling an investment. It does not have the qualities to be able to call it that. You know what gambling really is? It is stealing by mutual consent.
You say well yes but they are consenting to it but just because they are consenting to it it doesn't make it right. You don't take money from others and then you give it to all one person. That is not biblical. You're supposed to be motivated by a day's pay, by a day's work and that opulent life that the gambling industry tends to paint it is worldly and it is just plain wrong. First of all gambling is contrary to the biblical work ethic.
Secondly it violates the principle of stewardship, of stewardship. You see the Bible is very clear about the fact that all that we have has been God given. Do you remember that parable of the man who went, the king who went out and he gave all of his servants a mina? That's a talent of money and then it says he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money in order to find out what they had gained with it. The first one came and said sir your mina has earned 10 more and he said well done my good servant. His master replied because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter take charge of 10 cities. The second came and said sir your mina has earned five more. He said you take charge of five cities. Then another servant came and said sir here is your mina.
I have kept it and laid it away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.
And so he gave the one talent that he'd been given, the one talent or mina back to him. Listen to what his master replied. I will judge you by your own words you wicked servant. You knew did you not that I am a hard man taking out what I did not put in and reaping where I did not sow.
Why then didn't you put my money on deposit so that when I came back I could have collected it with interest. Now folks I want you to think about this parable in this way. Here's a man who was very strongly rebuked by the king for just giving back what he had been given. The king said why didn't you use it to earn more money for me. Imagine what the king would have said if this man would have said I lost the one mina that you gave me because I never even hid it in the dirt. I gambled it in the lottery. My friend you are responsible to God for your money. Who of us wants to stand before the Lord having lost it because we gambled it away.
And this by the way is very very important. A number of years ago a man called me from the hospital. He had been hospitalized.
He was a well-known Christian leader if I mentioned his name many of you would know him. And he called to say that when he was in the hospital his wife discovered something. He had been secretly gambling primarily the lottery some casinos. And he had racked up catch this now thirty thousand dollars worth of debt on credit cards and he'd been hiding it from his wife. But because he was in the hospital and the creditors began to call and the bills began to come in he had to confess to her his terrible snare that awful awful secret. Now this is a Christian man.
He's a Christian leader. Imagine him standing before the Lord and the Lord saying what did you do with all that I gave you. This was my money. This is not your money. And he has to say I gambled it all away and we have to sell our house in order to pay our debts and here we are facing retirement with nothing. Tragedy.
Double tragedy for a Christian. You know this by the way I think is the answer finally to that question that people always say say well you know I do it but I'm not addicted to it. I buy two lottery tickets a week and that's all I buy. I go to Las Vegas once a year a friend of mine says I take fifteen hundred or two thousand dollars with me and if I blow all that then I come back and blow all that they do.
You did hear did you not about the man who went to Las Vegas in a thirty thousand dollar Cadillac and came back in a three hundred thousand dollar Greyhound bus. That's the story of many of those folks. But they say I'm not addicted. I just spend so much and it's fun and that's the end of it. My dear friend I know that there are millions of people who fall into that category but that money that you have quote fun with that's God's money too. I believe that gambling is wrong in principle. In principle it is wrong and it's only a matter of degree it's a matter of amount but in in kind it still is the same gambling God's money is still gambling and contrary to stewardship.
Third it violates the principle of being satisfied with God's provision. You see God has given us certain gifts he's given us certain challenges he's given us certain ways to get money and as we begin to think about his provision Paul says my God will supply all of your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. You see the problem is if I might be clear here gambling appeals to greed.
It is what Bill Hybels calls the monster of the more. Give me more give me more it's the itch to be rich and that's what drives people. This is Pastor Lutzer one day my wife and I were driving along a highway in another state and we went past a huge gambling facility and I made the remark that perhaps you have made as well namely that that beautiful facility was built by losers.
Let's remember that gambling is very deceptive but we're living at a time of financial crisis and so people are tempted to go in that direction. I've given a lecture entitled COVID-19 the economy and our future and you can have this either as a DVD or a CD for a gift of any amount. My intention is that we look scripturally at money specifically as we are going through this time of difficulty during the COVID crisis.
Here's what you can do go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. We should not be behaving like the world as we go through these times of difficulty. We must also answer the question as to what God is trying to teach us as a result of this national crisis. I believe that this lecture will be a blessing.
Here's what you do go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Ask for COVID-19 the economy and our future and thanks in advance for standing with us and thank you for your prayers for us. Together we are making a difference. You can write to us at Running to Win 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard Chicago Illinois 60614. Running to Win is all about helping you find God's roadmap for your race of life. People watching lottery winners on TV say someday my number will come up just buy a few more tickets. Gambling is a shortcut bypassing honest labor. So why do people start gambling in the first place? Next time on Running to Win don't miss an expose of the psychology of the gambler and how to find freedom from this addiction. Thanks for listening for Dr. Erwin Lutzer this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
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