I'm going to take your Bibles and turn to 1 Timothy chapter 6 this morning. 1 Timothy chapter 6. I'm going to use this as a basis this morning. I usually don't preach topical sermons, but I'm preaching a topical sermon. It's a two-part deal. I'll be beginning it this morning and preaching next week. And it's not that I feel like anybody has a problem with this. But from time to time you preach on subjects that are needed and that people need to know. You never know where people stand at in their lives. And we live in a time where this is a big problem. And I'll tell you what I'm talking about in just a minute. But let's read the Scripture, okay? 1 Timothy chapter 6. 1 Timothy 6 and verse number 6. It says, But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. Boy, if we could just grab a hold of verse 7 right there, we'd save ourselves a whole lot of trouble, wouldn't we? We came here with nothing. We're going to leave without anything. And boy, we put so much emphasis on the things in this life, don't we? All the stuff that we work for and all the stuff that we accumulate, we're going to leave it all behind one day, and only what we've sent before us The heavenly treasures, also are we going to be able to keep. Look at verse number 8. Having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. We live in a society that's not full of contentment, do we? We've got contentment spoken of in verse 6 and in verse number 8 there. Look at verse 9. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which, while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things, follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness, fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called and has professed a good profession before many witnesses. We'll leave off reading right there. You know, we live in a time where there are many folks who are looking to make a large quick score of money and so they can fulfill their every dream. They like to think about fulfilling their life. Well, I'd just like to just like to be able to make that one quick score and wouldn't have to work the rest of my life and do whatever I wanted to do, buy whatever I wanted to buy. and live out my day in comfort here on this earth and in ease and, you know, no worries. And because of that mentality and that attitude, which really is prevalent in our society, and I'm afraid it's also prevalent in the lives of many believers. And you'll see in our churches there's this attitude a lot of times. There's been in recent years a dramatic increase in the availability of gambling. You don't hear much spoken of about gambling in this day and time, do you? In the churches. And I believe it's because some pastors fail to see the need to preach on the subject. The Lord led me to preach on this this morning. We know that we're not living in a large gaming town. This is not Las Vegas. It's not Atlantic City. But, you know, gambling is not just in those large cities like that. You can go down here to the store, and you can play the lottery, can't you? You can go to little towns that used to be known for something else, and they've been turned into gaming resorts. I know there's a little town in Cripple Creek, Colorado, which used to be a mining town, but now they've changed it into a gambling resort. And that's happening more and more. A lot of your cruises are tied to gaming and gambling. And gambling is growing rapidly both in popularity and acceptability. It's become more and more convenient. You don't have to go to the poker room or horse or dog track or casino in order to gamble. Like I said, lotteries are available in most grocery stores and gas stations and other places. Some folks gamble in the privacy of their own home over the internet. It's been estimated by some that in excess of one trillion dollars, think about that, one trillion dollars is spent on legal, both legal and illegal gambling each year, and that figure is ever increasing each passing year. More than 10 million Americans are compulsive gamblers. I want you to think about it. That's more people than are alcoholics in our society. More than 10 million people. Now, government is an advocate for gambling. And the reason for that is because they see it as a revenue source. And churches as a whole, I believe, has spoken out very little in opposition to the presence and influence of gambling because gambling is becoming so popular even with those who name the name of Christ. But I believe that churches still ought to expose sin. and declare how it really is at odds with scripture. You say, well, you know, preacher, I don't have a problem with gambling this morning. You may have a problem with gambling and you don't even know it this morning. There's different kinds of gambling. And we'll be talking about that too. Many Christians contend that, you know, the Bible doesn't have a verse that says thou shalt not gamble, does it? It's not in there. You'll not find a verse. And so they think, well, the scripture is silent to it. And so, you know, preacher, I'll just leave it alone. We're just left to our own personal preferences. If it's my preference to gamble, that's between me and the Lord. There's nothing really from Scripture that you can pull to say that it's not alright. But the Bible may not say, thou shalt not gamble, but there are many principles found in the Word of God that shows that if you enter into the activity of gambling, that you violate the very principles that God intends for us as Christians to live by. I tried to put this together where I could preach it in one message, but it was too big. So I'm going to break it apart here and preach it in two messages like normal. You folks know I can't hardly preach without preaching a series. That's just my nature. I want you to see three things in the next two weeks. We're just going to look at the first one this morning. In answering the question, is gambling wrong? We want to see three things. First of all, how gambling affects our view of God. Second thing we'll take a look at next week, how gambling affects our view of others. And we'll see also next week how gambling affects our view of ourselves. But first of all, I want you to see how gambling affects how we view God. Gambling denies the sovereignty of God in our lives. You know, when we're taking a look at the scriptural principles, one thing that we know for sure is that God is in control of it. Psalm 103 verse number 19 says this, it says, The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom, listen, his kingdom ruleth over all. God's kingdom rules. Now, do you believe that? Do you believe that God is sovereign? Well, if you're involved in gambling of any kind, you show that you really don't believe that. Probabilities, chance, and luck are the major promise of gambling's outworking. They're also the fabric of a humanistic society that wants to deny the existence of God. Of course, they're going to deny the sovereignty of God, but they want to deny the very existence of God. But gambling relies upon probabilities, chance, and luck. Not upon a God who's in control. Think about it. Somebody plays a Powerball. I think the chances are something, you know, they keep changing all the time. But let's just say it's one in, you got one in 80 million chance of winning the Powerball. You know, you got a better probability of being struck by lightning twice during your lifetime. Being struck by lightning twice, you know. Has anybody here ever been struck by lightning even once? Yeah. I don't know. I haven't, thank Lord. But if we really believe in the sovereignty of God, then we should know that if God wanted us to have riches to use for His glory, then He could give them to us, couldn't He? He doesn't have to use the lottery or any other gambling avenue to give it to us. Gambling denies the sovereignty of God in our lives. When the stakes get really, really high in the lottery and you see those numbers really get high, probably some might be tempted, boy, I could just buy one ticket. I could just, you know, and what if I hit it? Boy, just think about what I could do, you know. You might not have ever thought about gambling before, but boy, when those numbers get really, really high, Satan begins to get you thinking about something like that. But listen, understand that gambling denies the sovereignty of God in our lives. Second thing I want you to see is found in Matthew's Gospel, chapter 6. Look at Matthew, chapter 6. And I want you to see that gambling denies the care of God in our lives. Gambling denies the care of God in our lives. Do you believe that God cares for you this morning? Does He care for you and me? Well, the Bible reveals He very much so. God is vitally concerned and connected with every aspect of our lives. Look here in Matthew 6, verse number 24. It says, No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. And He says, You cannot serve God and mammon. Now, mammon is riches. You can't serve God and serve riches at the same time. So therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body what ye shall put on. It is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment. Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather in the barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" Are you better than the bird this morning? I think so. God cares for you and me. And that's why there is no place for the concept of luck in a Christian life. Look at what it says there in verse 27. Which of you by thought, by taking thought can add one cubit into his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothed the grass of the field, Which today is, tomorrow is cast in the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thoughts, saying, What shall we eat? What shall we drink? Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." In other words, God will take care of your needs if you will just seek Him and seek His righteousness. Take therefore no thought for the moral, for the moral shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient untoday is the evil thereof. There's no place for the concept of luck in a Christian's life in which God is so intimately involved. in our lives that Matthew 10 verse 30 says this, says that the very hairs of our head are all numbered. God's that intricate in our lives. If He's so interested in our lives that don't you think He can take care of our needs? You know, we're invited in 1 Peter 5, 7 to cast all of our care upon Him. It says, casting all your care upon Him for He careth for you. It's no surprise that that verse that follows it says, be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil has a roaring line walked about seeking whom he may devour. Now I want you to turn to Philippians chapter 4. And here we find that not only does gambling deny the sovereignty of God in our lives, and gambling denies the care of God in our lives, but thirdly, gambling denies the provision of God in our lives. Saying that God's not really providing for me. God's not providing what my needs are. But He does provide our needs. Look at Philippians chapter number 4, verse number 5. It says, Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. He said in verse 6, Be careful for nothing. In other words, that means not worry. Don't worry about anything. It says, Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication. See, that's God's way. prayer and supplication. With thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. You got a need? Pray about it. Look what it says down in verse number 11. He says, Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned, Paul says, I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. He says there in verse 12, I know how both to be abased and I know how to abound. You know, some people don't know how to do either one. You know, they have a lot of money. They have a lot of things. Boy, it just drives them crazy. They're like a crazy person. I remember growing up as a boy in Skerling Baptist Church in Brunswick, Georgia. There was a lady that lived right across the street from the church. I remember her husband passed away and left her a bookle of money. She went through all that money in a year's time and didn't have anything to show for it. It was just gone. What it means is she didn't know how to abound. When she had money, she didn't know what to do with it. She didn't know how to use those things. Paul said, I know how to be a base and I know how to abound. He talks about how there in verse 13, I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. But look down at verse 18. But I have all. In fact, the verses preceding this, we would read this whole section here, we find out how the Philippians, the Philippian church had shared with The Apostle Paul, they had met his needs. They had given gifts to him, trying to fulfill the needs that he had. He says, But I have all, and abound, and am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent me from you. An odor of sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God. See, God used this church to fulfill Paul's needs. But look there in verse 19, look what he's told them. He said, But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches and glory by Christ Jesus." Do you believe that? Do you believe the Bible? Do you believe God is able to supply and will supply your need? To participate in gambling says that God has not provided for my needs. Hebrews 13 verse number 5 says, let your conversation, that word conversation is talking about our manner of living, it says, let it be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. Listen, if you've got the Lord in your life, what need do you have of anything else? The Lord will provide your needs. Gambling denies the provision of God in our lives. Look at John chapter number 15. John chapter number 15. And verse number 7, John 15, and verse number 7. Now, we're just talking about gambling with money right now, but we'll be talking about some other stuff here in a little bit. John chapter 15, verse number 7 here, we see that gambling denies the power of God in our lives. Look at the way that God wants us to be. John 15, verse 7, it says, If ye abide in me, okay, do you abide in Christ this morning? I hope you do. He said that my words abide in you. You got the word of God abiding in your life this morning? I hope so. He said, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you. You know, if you're asking according to the will of God. for things, you're going to have God give you what you need in your life. And to do otherwise, gambling denies the power of God to provide for our needs. What is God's way? God's way, we see here, is the way of power in prayer for our needs. It's not the way of gambling for our greeds, is it? God wants us to pray. But a lot of the problem stems from what James talked about. Look at the little book of James, James chapter 4. There toward the end of your Bible, right after the book of Hebrews, and look at James chapter 4. He talks about this matter of we don't pray for our needs. And James 4. And let's look at verse number 1. James 4 verse 1. It says, From whence come wars and fighting among you? Come they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members? In other words, people have desires and say, well, you know, I don't have, I want to have more. They've got this covetous lust that's in their life and they desire more. And so that's the reason why you have fighting and wars. And what he says, look at verse 2. He says, You lust and have not. You kill. and desire to have, and cannot obtain, ye fight in war, yet, notice this, ye have not, because ye ask not. He says, ye ask and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Now, what does this tell us? Well, this morning, you don't need to be praying for a million dollars, for God to give you a million dollars, do you? You need to be praying just for God to meet your needs, and thanking God for having met your needs. What do you need a million dollars for anyway? Oh, if I had a million dollars, boy, I'd give so much to missions and I'd give so much to the church. Yeah, that's what we'd like to think that we would do. But we don't know because we, you know, we have what we have because God has entrusted us with what we have. And if he thought he could trust us with more, he would probably give us more. I believe that's why God blesses some Christians more than others, because some he gives and they use themselves as a conduit. God gives, boy they give right out. They give to the needs of others, they give to the needs of the church, they support missions, they do whatever. But some people, whatever they get, boy I got this extra money, I'm going to spend it on me, this is mine. Gambling denies the power of God to provide what we need in our lives. And rather than praying for our needs, you know, we have our greeds take control in our lives. I want you to see also that gambling denies the stewardship of God in our lives. And this is the key right here. And I want you to pay attention right here because this is where it's key at. The worst possible stewardship is for somebody to throw God's resources away at the altar of a God called chance or luck. God gives you resources, and you're to glorify God with what He's given you. Gambling is a poor stewardship of God's money. Nothing that we have, that's not a penny that you have, not a thing that you own that God hasn't given you. You may say, wait a minute, Brother Jerry, I worked for all that I've got this morning. I worked for everything I've got. Listen, who gave you the ability to work? Who gave you the job? Who gave you the strength to go to that job and work, gave you the promotions that you got to earn the money that you got to have the things that you have today? Nothing we have really belongs to us. It all belongs to God and we should use all of it to His glory. Matthew 6 verse 19 through 21 says, Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt. and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust doth not corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Where's your treasure at? You can just about show me your checkbook and I'll tell you where your treasure's at. You take somebody's checkbook and see where their money goes at and you find out where their treasure's at. God alone knows how many churches are denied the funds needed for ministry because of members who waste their money on gambling. God alone only knows how many missionaries are denied the funds needed for the mission field because money that could go to faith promised missions goes down the tubes for gambling. You know, rather than give it, you know, God gives money, rather than give that money as God would have you to give, well, you could say, well, I'm going to try to get more out of it. And you waste it, waste God's resources. If you're one to throw away your money on gambling, just know that God's going to call each of us to give an account one day of our stewardship. 1 Corinthians 4 says, Moreover, it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful. I want you in your mind, go back to the parable. Remember the parable of the talents? It's told in Matthew 25. We're not going to turn over there, but in Matthew 25, verses 14-30 is where it's at. But in that parable, One servant was given five talents. Now, you say, what is a talent? Well, according to the Way of Life Encyclopedia, it was worth about 400 of our U.S. dollars back when a dollar was a dollar. You know, a dollar is not worth a dollar anymore today. But back whenever a dollar was a dollar, it was worth about 400 U.S. dollars. And one talent was that amount. But one servant was given five talents, one was given two talents, and one was given one talent. And each servant in that parable was entrusted with a portion of the master's goods. And the amount that they were entrusted with, you read that parable, it says they were entrusted according to their ability. And that's how I say that God gives us what he can trust us with, what he thinks he can trust us with. He gives us according to our ability. Two of the servants were judged to be faithful. They were good and faithful for their wise investment of the master's goods. Remember the one that had five? When the master came back and called on him, he had ten. He had made it into ten. The one that had two, he doubled his. But the one with one, remember the one with one, what did he do? He hid it. One servant was sharply rebuked for having hid the master's goods and was judged to be wicked and slothful just for hiding. Just for hiding what the Lord gave to him. Now just imagine if that servant had gambled it away. And that didn't even have what the master gave him to begin with. I wonder what the master would have said if he had gambled it down a right hole like a lot of folks do. Gambling denies the stewardship of God in our lives. Then I want you to see that gambling denies the law of God in our lives. We need to see that gambling is driven by the sin of covetousness. And could I tell you that covetousness is rampant not only in our country, but also in our churches. I believe it's probably one of the main sins that God's people have. They may not show it in gambling, but it's shown in other ways. But gambling and its accompanying greediness violates the 10th commandment of God found in Exodus 20, 17, thou shalt not covet. It assumes that God has not given us what we ought to have and that somehow there's more wealth to be had and that will finally make us happy. We're looking to be happy. Could I tell you that God is more interested in your holiness than He is in your happiness? That's right. One of these days we're going to live happily ever after. I had my little granddaughter, Mackenzie, when we got back from Disney World the other day. Of course, her mind was on all of it. She had seen the princesses and all. She asked her mama, she said, Mama, are we going to live happily ever after? Well, praise God, when you've got Jesus in your heart, you are going to live happily ever after. But your happiness is not to be here and now. We need to be filled with joy, not necessarily happiness. Have joy in our lives that we will live happily ever after with the Lord Jesus Christ. And we see that gambling denies the law of God in our lives. I don't have enough. It assumes that God's not giving us what we ought to have and that there's more to be had that will finally make us happy. The Bible says that covetousness is a form of idolatry, according to Colossians 3, verse 5 and 6. Listen to what it says in Colossians 3. It says, mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth. That word mortify means put to death. Put to death your members which are upon the earth. Fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. So he calls covetousness idolatry. And we're told repeatedly in Scripture that Christians should be content. I mean, I read there in our text in 1 Timothy chapter 6, we read in both verse 6 and verse 8, it says, But godliness with contentment is great gain. And 1 Timothy 6, 8 says, And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. Right? Philippians 4, 11, we read that Paul said, Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. And I quoted Hebrews 13 verse 5 that says, let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have. I wonder, is your life filled this morning with contentment in Christ or is it with discontentment over the things that you don't have and desire in your life? And a Christian life is to be one that's lived with contentment. Is gambling wrong? Yes, it is. It's very wrong for no other reason that gambling affects how we view God. God calls all His children to a life that is above reproach in both our personal and public lives. Ephesians 5 verse 3 says this, it says that we should not let covetousness be named among us as saints. It says don't let it be named once among you as saints. And in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 22 it says that we should avoid him in the very appearance of evil. But you know, we ask the wrong question when we ask what's wrong with gambling. We ask what is wrong with gambling rather than what is right with it. But listen, and here's where we're getting into things other than money. Some folks, some types of gambling are more dangerous than others. There's some folks that are gambling with their soul. That's right. They're saying, I don't believe Jesus is going to come, you know, right yet. I've got plenty of time. You know, they'll gamble. They've got more time. They've got another day. that they're going to live a little longer. Not one of us is promised the next heartbeat, are we? We're not. It could be me next. It could be you. I may not make it out those doors this morning. I hope I do, but I may not make it. If I don't make it out those doors, I'll be in heaven. Amen. I ask that the fullness of the body be present with the Lord. Listen, none of us know And if you're here without the Lord Jesus Christ this morning, you don't have Him in your heart and life, you've never repented of your sin and turned to Him for salvation, listen, you are gambling with your soul. Putting off salvation and wagering that you've got plenty of time to get things right with God, that's the wrong way to view things, folks. Some folks are gambling with their salvation, they are. They're putting their trust in something other than what the Bible says is needed for salvation. So they say, well, I know the Bible says that, but I'm just going to live the best that I can, and I think that I'll be okay. That's a gamble. In fact, it's not a sure gamble. You're sure to lose because God's Word is true. If you're trying to rely on anything other than what Christ did on the cross of Calvary, listen, You're gambling with your salvation by placing your trust, by thinking you're going to be able to get to heaven some other way, and you're destined to lose because of what the Bible says. Some folks are gambling with their sin, thinking they're getting by with sin. They don't have a problem with doing certain sins in their lives. They don't realize what the Bible says, that be sure your sin will find you out. They don't believe that that's true. And they think, you know, I'm getting by, nobody knows what I'm doing. Nobody sees. Well, listen, God sees. And you'll be called to give an account to a holy and righteous God one of these days with that sin that you're gambling with. Some folks are gambling with their service, thinking that it really won't matter to them in eternity. But they're not doing anything for God today. Well, you know, I'm saved on my way to heaven. You know, if I don't have any crowns to show, if I don't have any rewards, it's not going to be a really big deal. At least I'll be in heaven. You know, you're going to wish whenever you get to heaven, you wish you had done more for the Lord Jesus Christ. You wish you hadn't had that attitude. Listen, there's only two sure gambles this morning. There's a sure gamble for the person that's lost here this morning. If you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, the only sure gamble is to trust Christ. I want you to listen to what Jesus said in John 6.37. Jesus said, Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. Listen, you place your trust in Jesus, you get a winner every time, don't you? That's a 100% sure bet right there. The only sure gamble for the saved person is sacrifice. Give your life to the Lord. Don't live your life for yourself. Live it for Him. And He says in Matthew 10, 39, this is what Jesus said. He said, He that findeth his life shall lose it. He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Listen, a winner every time. You'll give your life to Christ. You live your life for Him rather than living it for yourself. You'll win every time. Jesus guarantees it. There's no risk in that, is there? I wonder this morning, are you gambling? An attempted gamble? Are you gambling in some area of your life other than money? I hope these principles will help you this morning. Gambling affects how we view God. It denies the sovereignty of God. It denies the care of God, denies the provision of God, denies the power of God, denies the stewardship of God in our lives, and denies the very law of God. I trust that these things will be a help to you. We're going to come back next Sunday morning and take a look at how does gambling not only affect our view of God, but how does it affect our view of other people? And then how does it affect our view of ourselves? These things are important, folks, and I trust that they'll be of help to you. Let's bow in prayer. Father, we thank you today for the love that you have for us and, Lord, for providing each and every need that we have. Lord, our greatest need was salvation. And you gave your only begotten son on the cross of Calvary to pay the price of our salvation. And Lord, the only sure bet that we have as lost sinners is to place our faith and trust in Christ. You promised that we'd come to you, that you would in no wise cast us out. Thank you for that. I thank you that I've got eternal life. Thank you I've got everlasting life. But Lord, there may be one here today that does not. Help them to come. Take advantage of this sure bet this morning. Lord, for the Christian who's living their lives for themselves, help them to see, Lord, that you're going to leave it all behind one day. Everything between the cradle and the grave is going to be left behind. We came into this world with nothing and it's sure that we're going to take nothing out. Lord, you can't take any of it with us. We can only send it ahead. We can only take it and lay up treasure in heaven. And that's by serving you. Lord, help us who are your children to see that we don't need to be gambling our lives away, frittering our lives away with things that are useless and things that are senseless and things that don't mean anything. But Lord, we need to be living for you. Help us with these things today, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's stand please for invitation.