Gambling with God's Gifts

Good morning. It's good to see you. Welcome to but that I'm glad

that you're with us. If you have your Bibles, I hope that you

do show them with assue me. If you've got them, Amen, like

to see those. Whether you have your phones or Bible on your phone or

your hard copy. Today, I'm glad you have God's word. I hope

that you've been in God's Word this week. Genesis chapter one will be the

passage I want to begin in today. I want to encourage you today.

It's going to be a little different. We're not going to be in one

singular text. We're going to be in multiples. I would almost encourage you

if you do. If you have a notepad, if you can have a

pen, maybe write down these passages as we go along. It's gonna be

maybe hard to follow every passage. We'll hope to put as much as we

can on the screen for you, but try to follow on one. Write

these things for you to study on your own this morning. The title of

my sermon this morning is Gambling with God's Gifts. Today I want to address

an issue that I believe is a very important issue in our world today.

You know, over the last few months, we've been preaching through the Book

of Acts, and we've kind of taken ay and are dealing with a few

issues I think are really important for our world today. And there's maybe no

greater need than the issue today of the issue of gambling. You know,

in our world, gambling has been a problem since creation of the United States.

Actually in nineteen twelve, I mean sixteen twelve, the British government actually

ran a lottery to assist with the new settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. Do

you know that? Do you know in seventeen seventy six, the First Continental

Congress of the United States actually sold lottery tickets to finance the American Revolutionary War.

George Washington, President Washington himself actually used to say, would say about

gambling, gambling is a child of greed and the brother of iniquity, and

the father of mischief. But the reality was, although he's knew was not

a good thing, he actually the diary of his own winning and losses.

He actually himself was one of the ones who bought the first lottery ticket to

fund the building of the capital city that's now Washington, d C. So

our country was founded actually on gambling, and today it's becoming a greater issue

than maybe ever before. Today in North Carolina, sports gambling was put into

law on March eleventh of this year, twenty twenty four, and in one

month's time since its inception in our state, in one month's time, six

six hundred and sixty million dollars were given in bets in one month's time.

Right now, as a result, we understand that just even in our own

state, that three out of ten teenage boys are addicted to sports gambling and

do not know what to do with it. Is available twenty four to seven

via the phones and via the internet. Gambling is now available in our state.

It's not only a problem that is growing, and it looks like it's

forecasted to grow even further right now within our state legislators they are pushing to

bring forth in our state for casinos in North Carolina as well as gambling machines

throughout our state. Do you know in twenty twenty one, slot machines and

table games generated four point seven nine billion dollars in one year, and they're

hoping that generates actually out of all the different means of gambling, slot machines

and table games generates the most money, and they're looking to bring that to

our state. And with this growing issue that's happening in our own world,

in our own state, I believe it's important for the church not to be

quiet, the church not to address this. I'll be honest with you.

As I started praying about this need, as I saw it growing right in

our own state and just hearing the issues that's happening among teenagers today, I

started thinking about, well, when if I, as a pastor, I've

ever heard of someone on gambling. And I'll be honest with you, I'd

never heard one. I'd never heard one, and I've never preached one.

And I thought, you know, today, it shouldn't be that way.

It should be something that we as a church are not afraid to talk about.

But it's something that looks biblically. What's the Bible say? And so

that's what I want to do. Now, what you think about for a

minute, what is gambling? I think we need to answer ask that question.

What is gambling? The word gamble comes from the word the word gamble,

gambling gambler is related to the word game. It's actually in the Latin.

It comes from I mean comes from an old English word called gaming.

The idea is a game. Gambling is a game. It's not based on

skill, it's not based on reason, it's not based on any controllable thing.

It's a game based upon sheer chance. That's what gambling is. It's

taking money and playing a game with it and hoping to win proceeds from the

game, not based on any skill, but just merely by chance. Now,

if you think about gambling for a minute, you have to think about

what what do you What do you have to have in order to gamble?

Well, first you have to have money, right, So I have brought

a few dollars with me. You first got to have this, right,

You've got to have the green. Well, you think about, where's the

green come from? Well, the money that you have comes from work that

you've done, right, So you think about first, in order to play

the game, you've got to have money to play the game. And you

you get this money, this cash, you get it from your work,

from the things that you do. That's how you receive that money. So

when we gamble, we're gambling with money that we've worked with. You also,

you're gambling with money. Think about it. You're gambling the money that

God gave you through work for what to provide for your family. Right,

So you're gambling with not only money that you got from work, but you're

gambling money that you have in your possession to help put foot on your table,

right, to help pay for your power bill, to pay for your

rent. That's what You're taking money from that pool of money that you're used

for your to care for your family, and you're taking money out of that

to play a game with it. And then lastly, what else do you

got to have in order to play? To gamble, you got to have

others who play the game. Right. Gambling is based upon the idea that

not only are you taking money from your what you where you work and taking

money that from your family. Is based upon the other the idea that others

are also take money from their work, that others will take money from their

family and you'll all put it into a game and there'll be ninety nine losers

in one winner. Right, It's what gambling is, and by chance someone

is going to win. Well, this morning, I want to look at

how the Bible addresses gambling, and I want you to see this morning,

I think biblically, I want you to see, as we kind of scan

through scripture, that when we'd gambling, we're not just gambling with our paychecks.

When we're gambling, we're not just gambling with the with money that we're

to use to care for our family. When we're gambling, we're not just

gambling with others. When we're gambling, we're gambling with God's gifts. We're

gambling with God's the gift of God's design, We're gambling with the gift of

God's provision. And then lastly, we're gambling with the gift of God's people.

So I hope today, as we look at these principles of God from

God's word, we'll understand just what we're gambling away, and therefore we would

resist the temptation to get involved in something that doesn't honor God in any way.

Would you stand with me, Let's read God's word together, and we

will start today in Genesis chapter one. I think from the very beginning we

see a biblical principle. So the Bible says in Genesis chapter one, starting

verse two, look at what it says here, and God blessed them,

and God said to them be fruitful and MULTIPI fill the earth subdued, and

that have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of

the heavens, and over every living thing that the moves on the earth.

And God says, behold, listen to this. I have given you every

plant yielding seed that is on the face of the earth, and the retreat

with its seed and its fruit, and you shall have them for food.

Let's pray together, Father. I thank you Lord for this morning. And

Lord, you know my heart today as I come and address a subject that

I think is really important for us in our world today. You know my

desire is to lead our people in understanding the real danger of gambling. And

Lord, I know today, as as we look at your word that there

will be some that this does it relate to them today? Do not gamble.

They don't have any association with this. But then there's others who have

seen family's members who've been addicted. There's some who've lost a great deal through

this. There's a lot of shame and guilt Lord that comes around gambling.

Say Lord, I pray today we would see your word, but also we

see you, the God of grace, the God of love, the God

of forgiveness, God of restoration. And today we would hear your word and

not be not push your word away, the Lord, but we would hear

your word and run to you, Father, and find Lord, your love

and your care for us. So, Lord, I pray for your spirit.

Or I pray I would decrease and you would increase. And Lord,

today I pray they not hear my words, but yours, Lord, Father,

feel me that you might pour me out. Father and Lord, use

today, Lord, for your honor and for your glory and your name.

We pray, Amen, you may be seated. First, I want to

see that when we gamble, we are gambling with God's gift, the gift

of God's design. As you look at Genesis, you know Genesis chapter one,

we see God's creative order. And God created many things. Who created

the stars, He's created the moon, created the trees, he created the

animals, He created the man, He created a woman, He created marriage,

and we've talked about that at different times. But in this passage in

chapter one, we see that God created the family, but he also created

work. He says in this passage of verse twenty eight, God bless him

and said to them and These are instructions from God. These are commands from

God from what Adam and Eve was to do with the land. And he

says, be fruitful, multiplying. That talks about starting a family. Right,

be fruitful, multiply, and then listen to that passage scripture fill the

earth. You to fill the earth with your your family, with your But

look at the next passage to the next command. Not only are you to

fill the earth, but the other command is subdue it, have dominion over

it. The words subdue there is to bring something under subjection. Right,

And the idea is if you bring land under subjection, you subdue it,

that it then produces for you. Right. I have a little garden,

and you must if you've heard me talk about this. Almost every summer,

I have a little little garden on one of those plant of raised bed gardens.

And so you know, I go out and every year I'll go out

to my little garden. And this year no different. I went out and

I went I got me some tomato plants, and I went to my little

garden and weeds had taken over. I mean, you couldn't even see that

there was some dirt there. And so I had to take you know,

a good thirty minutes and get all the weeds out. And I had to

plug them all out, get them ready. I had to get the ground

ready right, and then I dug my little hole and then I put my

little tomato plants in. And then, you know, once I had to

take the weeds out, I had to plant the plants. But then I

had to come back and I had to water them every you know, a

few days fissially when there's no rain, and then I had to go in

and check and like just this week to pull the weeds out that keep growing

back. Right, So then don't choke my tomato plants. And by the

way, I've got some. Really don't be jealous, but I have some

really good tomatoes coming. They're green, but they're coming. There's a bunch

of them too. I'm gonna have some tomato sandwiches. WHOA, Okay,

let's go back to get back on track, Preacher, don't talk about tomato

sandwiches. And so but I tell you all that that's the idea of this

passage of scripture. God gave Adam and even land. They couldn't just look

at the land and say produce fruit. No, they had to bring land

under subjection. They had to clear out the land like you do as a

farmer. You'd plow the land. You had to plant the seed. You

have the water the seed. You have to keep the weeds from coming up.

That's what God gave you the land to do, is to work it.

And God gave them work and gave them the land to work that through

the land God might provide for them. Do you understand that part of God's

creative order is God designed man for work, and by creating man for work,

through work, God would provide for his every need. Do you understand

that That's what God designed work for and so part of God's design for us

is that we would work, and through the work of our hens, we

will provide for us and our families. That's the way God designed it.

You know. The problem is in chapter three of Genesis, what happened man

sin right, and as a result of sin labor, I mean, it

became hard to work. Right. He says in Genesis three nineteen, by

the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread until you return to the

ground. You know, before I imagine, before Adam and Eve sinned,

it wasn't sweat. Can you imagine that there wasn't bees and mosquitoes, horse

flies. Amen, there wasn't. I wonder there wasn't these awful weeds that

came up that you imagine there wasn't. Just this week, you can see

this little thing on me. You know what that is? Poison ivy.

I don't think there was poison ivy before the fall, right, There wasn't

thorns, there wasn't rock in the soul, all these things. Now the

thing is that I go work my guard and now it's difficult. I have

to deal with the sun. I have to deal with the nats, have

to deal with the bees. I have to deal with the poison ivy.

I have to deal with all these things. It's difficult. It's not easy.

And that's the struggle for us. We know God's designed us for work,

but works hard, works hard. God. I know you've given me

work that you might provide for me, But God, it's hard. The

nine to five is just a gamut of work all in. It just never

quits. There's always issues, not only the work, and then there's drama

at work, conflict within relationships. Then there's all these deadlines and it just

never seems to end. So Lord, if I could just play the lottery,

if I could just get that scratch off, if I can do a

little sports betting and get a little money from not working, but from something

else besides what you design me to do, then I'll make it a little

easy. And what we're trying to do is saying, God, I know

you designed for me to get my provisions through work, but God, don't

really like your design. And God, I really don't want to do the

way you create it, and you're designed for work. I'd rather just get

money from taking it from something else. And so we when we gamble,

we're gambling against the gift of God's design. You know, Scripture says on

Genesis and Exodus. But I want you to understand it's all through scripture and

second Thessalonians three ten, he says, even when we were with you,

we would give you this command. If anyone's not willing to work, let

him not eat. God's commanded in Genesis and all the way into the New

Testament that God has given us work to provide for our needs. This way

he designed it. And one Corinthians four twelve he says, we labor working

with our own hands. We are commanded to work. God created his work,

and he created us the work that we might provide for us and provide

for our families. You know, the reality is that the heart of gambling

is is greed. We want more. We want more than what our jobs

will produce or the working our own hands will produce. We want more,

and that we want more money without the work. And so therefore we play

the game and sometimes we think, well, it'd be better if we could

just win the lottery. How many jokes have you heard if I won the

lottery, I would do this, And that is saying, essentially, God,

I know what you designed for how you might provide for the needs of

me or needs of my family. But God, there's a better way,

and it just involves me playing a little game. I'll never forget, you

know. You hear all kinds of things in Sunday school. And I remember

one time Brandan and I were in a couple's class at the church and somehow

the lottery came up and one guy said, I tell you what. I'll

tell you what. I'd be a better Christian if I wanted the lottery,

Sure would. I'd be a better Christian if I wanted a lottery. Tell

you what, I wouldn't have to work again. I can just be at

my house and every day I wouldn't have to worry about it. If I

wanted the lottery, have somebody could could fix my meals for me, so

I wouldn't even have to think about even working to fix the meal if I

if I wanted the lottery, I wouldn't have to work, so I could

just get up every morning and just pray and read my Bible. I'd be

more holy if I wanted a lottery. And I tell you that, and

I'll never get everybody's class just mouth just fell up, like are you kidding

me? But reality is that's I many times what we think right. If

we win the lottery, my happiness will be in getting more what money,

and by getting more money than that makes me happier. And I'll have to

do what God designed me to do, is work, and then I will

be happier and I'll be able to do more things for God. And instead

of saying, God, I know you gave me work for my provisions,

and God, I'll be content with what you gave me. And God,

I'll depend upon you and the word do you give me to provide for my

needs, and I'll find my satisfaction not in wanting more or getting rich easy,

but God, I'll find my provisions. And you, God, and

what you have for me. And God, you are more than enough,

you know Scripture says. Jesus says in Luke twelve fifteen, take care be

on guard against all covetedness, which is greed, because for life does not

consist in the abundance of possessions. That's what our world tells you. Play

the lottery, do the scratch off sports bet, play the slot machine,

go to Las Vegas, get more possessions. And Jesus says, life is

more than possessions. Is about finding your fulfillment and how I design you and

finding it in how I can provide for you. When we're gambling, we're

gambling with God the gift of God's designed but also we're gambling with the gift

of God's provisions. Want you to think about something with me. Do you

believe that everything on this earth is the Lord's You believe that everything the hills,

the mountains, the trees. We saw the ocean this week with our

student at Virginia Beach, A beautiful ocean beautiful sand. Everything in this earth

is the Lord. You believe that we contellu you. Scripture tells us that,

and Proverbs I mean in Psalms twenty four to one says the earth of

the Lord and the fullness. Therefore the world and those who dwell within it.

So Scripture says, everything in this earth is the Lord. Not everything

is just the trees and the oceans, and the mountains and the sand.

All that, everybody in it is the Lord's. And Psalm fifty ten through

twelves is for every beast of the forest's mind, every cattle on a thousand

hills, I know, all the birds on the hills, and all that

moves in the field is mine. If I were hungry, what I tell

you for the world and its fullness is mine. Everything in this earth is

the Lord's. Everything. Everything, this pews are the lords. The carpets

the lords. The flowers are the lords. This pulpits the lords, the

lights, the trees, everything here, your car in the parking lot.

Your name might be on the title, but it's the Lord's your hate.

Your name might be in the deed of your house, but it's the lords

that you may have a blanket and maybe your favorite blanket. I've got one

that's a tar hill. Don't just me and love putting that thing on light

laying and just fall asleep on the recliner. But my blanket and my recliner

that I love is the lords. Amen, everything's the lords everything. You

go to your bank account and you pull up on your online banking, you

see what you've got in your bank account? Can't I tell you? It

may be at your bank, whatever it may be, it may be in

your name, but it's the Lord's. Everything's the lord's, right, That's

what scripture says. Now, I understand that if everything's the Lord's, and

then in this life and I am the Lord's, then God's given us all

these things as a revision for us. Right, He's entrusted us with these

things. He's entrusted you with your car. He's entrusted you with your house.

He's trusted you with your children, he's entrusted you with your grandchildren.

He's entrusted you with your job. He's entrusted you with the money that's in

your bank account. He's entrusted you with all these things. Right, do

you understand that? Well, there's Bible turned with me to Matthew eight twenty

five. In Matthew twenty five, there's a story what Jesus talks about.

It's called the Parable of the Talents. And in this parable he is a

parable about stewardship. And in the parable, there's a man is going off

the journey. He brings in his three servants in and as he leaves,

he gives them all a provision. Right, and then when he comes back,

he's going to ask them to give an account for what he's given them.

He goes to the first one. The first one comes up and he

gives them scripture says, five talents. It would be like, you know,

if we want to use dollars five dollars or whatever it may be.

He gives the other one two, and then the third he gives one talent.

Scripture says, and terrible Jesus tells us that the first the first one

who got five talents, that went and he used it and he he gained

more. Right, he invested it, and he reaped five more. Second

one, as well, he know, only just did just that. He

did just what the fifth one did, and he went and took it and

used it and invested it. And then it produced a return of two.

The last one, the one got one talent. He was worried about it,

so he took it home and he dug a hole and back like they

used to do. Maybe had a d mayo jar, I don't know,

stuffed it in there, put the cap on it, dug a hole,

and then forgot where to put the hole, you know. And then Jesus

came back, or the servant came back, or the master came back,

and he called all his servants. Then he called the one who had the

fifth come in. And the one fifth came in. He says, what

did you do with it? He said, Master, I took it,

and I went to the bank and I invested it, and they actually returned

and I got five more. Well, dumb, I couldn't faible servant.

The second one came back, says, he said, what did you do

it? He said, I too, just like him. I took it

and I invested it and to the bank and it returned to it gained profit,

and I brought I got two more. He went to the one who

had one, and he said, sir, and let's read what he says.

I want you to go with me to their verse. I think it's

twenty five. Look what it says. This is his response, and I

think it's very important for us to see this. In verse twenty five,

it said, So I was afraid, and I went, and I hid

your tale in in the ground. Hear what hear? You what you have?

What is yours? The man's master answered him, says, you weakeed

and soulful servant. You knew that I reap where I've not sown, and

gathered where scattered no seed. Then you ought to invest in the money with

bankers, and at my count, at my coming, I should have received

what my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it

to the one who has ten talents. For everyone who has, I mean,

for everyone has will be given. I mean I'm sorry. Who has

will more be given, for he will have an abundance. But from one

who has not, even when he has, will be taken away the good

verse thirty and casts the worthless servant into utter darkness. In the place there

will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. You see this past yus it on

stewardship, and Jesus says, for you and I, God's entrusted us with

provisions. God gave you work right, and he designed you for work,

and through that work you might get a provision. And through those provisions,

listen. Scripture says that we're going to give an account to the Lord what

we did with what he's given us, what he's did with our families,

how we care for our children, how we led our children, but also

what we've done with the money he's given us throughout our life, how everything

he's given us, the homes, the way he's will give the land,

everything he's given we're gonna have to give an account for. And the Lord

says, if those who listen what wastes that Scripture says, what will be

their judgment? Those who are slawful and waste what God has given them?

He says, in that place cast the worstless service, in the utter darkness,

where does that hell? And in that place that we be weeping and

gnashing of teeth. So listen. This person who got the possessions, listen,

didn't just gamble them. They just didn't even use them rightly. For

God. They said, I just keep on God, you gave me these

talents, you gave me this money, and I just keep it for myself,

God, I won't use it that advanced your kingdom. I'll use it

off for me, God, and I'll just save it all for me,

and I'll use it all for my happiness. And when you come back,

I'll say, God, I really didn't do anything to advance your kingdom with

this money. I just use it off for myself. And God says you

worth a servant, I'll cast you into hell. Can you imagine if the

Lord comes back and the Lord says, what did you do with what I

gave you? And you say, you know what, I really didn't use

it advance the kingdom. I really just gave some of the way gambling.

I gambled a way God. I lost it. If God's going to bring

judgment to those who just kept it for themselves and didn't use it for the

avincement of the kingdom, what would God do to those who gambled it away?

Listen, when we're gambling, we're gambling with God's design, but we're

gambling with God's provision to you. This really like sinks home with me.

And I didn't think about this until just this week as I was preparing and

I struggled with to tell you this, but I'm just gonna be transparent with

you. My dad passed away last year. Last may you know, the

Bible says that, let's see if I found my passage of scripture. A

good man leaves in inheritance for his children's children. My dad was a good

man, and he left me inheritance. And over the last months, I've

been like trying to figure out what do I do with this that my dad

left me. And one of the biggest weights that I have felt is I

just don't want to I didn't want to use it unwisely. I felt like

my dad gave me a gift, he gave me a provision, and I

didn't want to squander. I didn't want to foolishly use it and just waste

it and be gone. I've heard so many stories of people who get inherritange

and within twelve months it's gone. It's all gone. And I didn't want

that to be me. So I prayed, and I looked, and you

named it under the Son. I looked about what to do with the heritage

that God gave me. I mean, I'm sorry my father gave me.

And just this week, as I was looking at that, I realized the

Lord was using this to teach me. Jonathan just says, you have felt

the pressure of being faithful with the money your dad left me. I left

you that money, and Jonathan, I don't want you just to be a

good steward with the money that your dad gave you, But I want you

to be a good steward with everything I've given you. And that's the heart

of this passage of scripture. The Lord is saying to you, you and

I I want you to be good stewards with what I've given you. Use

it to advance the Kingdom of God. Don't waste it. Don't waste it,

don't use it storing up treasures for yourself. Lastly, as we finish

up this morning, when we're gambling, we're gambling with the gift of God's

design, but we're gambling with the gift of God's provision. But lastly,

we're gambling with the gift of God's people. You remember what I said earlier.

In order for you to gamble, you've got to take the money that

you worked with. You've got to take money that God's given you as provision

for food and other things, and you've got to use it for the game.

But you can't play it alone. You gotta have others people play too.

Can I tell you that studies have showed us that gambling is the pursuit

of prosperity at someone else's expense. It's saying I want money and I want

to gain well through playing a game, but I want someone else to lose.

I want someone else to lose their provisions. I want someone else to

take money from their family or take money from their resources. It strits families

from resources. You know, now you can gamble, and you can gamble

on debt. You can gamble with a credit card. We understand today and

through the history that those who are the biggest contributors to gambling are people and

the lowest income brackets. They spend four times as much on their as much

as gambling as others do. Four times those the lowest income bracket spend four

times more gambling than others do. Can I tell you that in Scripture and

Deuteronomy fifteen, you know God has always given a provision right to give the

people of a provision for work, in order that through work they'll be provided

for their families. God has given us provisions of different things, and part

of how God designed his people is that God gave his people Israel a way

to provide for the poor in the community. In Deuteronomy fifteen, it was

commanded, and I'll see that for He'll say, he says this in fifteen.

This is Moses and short of the people. As they're going into the

promised land, he says, for there will never see to be in the

land. Therefore, I command you, you shall open wide your hand to

your brother into the needy and to the poor in the land. God's instructed

his people is listen, you need to care for the poor among you,

even so much so in Leviticus twenty three. In twenty two he described he

taught farmers that when they reaped the harvest, they should not reap all the

way up to the edges, but they should leave some parts in the field

that the poor and the sojourners may come and gather food. You see,

God's created God's people, Israel and the church to care for the poor.

But when we gamble instead of caring for the poor, we're taking from the

poor. Just two months ago, less than six months ago, I went

to a gas station down the street, and I was there pumping my gas

and a guy came up and he was asking me for money. He was

homeless. We see that growing in our community. He asked for money.

I didn't have any cash. I said, sorry, man, I don't

have any cash. I finished up in my gas, went in to I

think I don't I went in for something, and when I went in,

he'd been he just had went to every pump. He went to me.

He went every pump, just getting some cash. When I went in,

here's this man homeless, and I saw he met the counter. You know

what he's doing. He taking that money that he'd gotten from people. He

was in there playing to scratch off this. When we gamble, we're taking

Listen to this, we're taking money God's given us through work to provide for

us and to provide for the poor. And we're saying, listen, instead

of caring for others, I'll just I'll gamble it away. Proverbs fourteen thirty

one says, whoever presses the poor man insults his maker. Listen to that

whoever presses the poor man and sualts his maker. He who is generous to

those in need to the needy, honors him. Listen. When we gamble,

we're gambling with God's gift, the gift of God's design, the gift

of God's revision, and the gift of God's people. You know, as

we as I finish up, I want to tell you a story. It's

in the Bible. Send Luke fifteen and I'll ask the band if you want

to make your way. You know, there's a story in the Bible called

the Prodigal Son, and Jesus tells us parable. And you remember the parable.

Here was a son and he went to his father and he said,

Father, I want all my propossessions. And the father gives him all the

propossessions, right, and then he goes out and Scripture says that all the

provisions that God had given him, I'm sorry his father had given him.

Scripture says, he squandered it, he wasted it, he blew it.

And what he wasted on, Scripture says, reckless living. But one day,

Scripture says, one day after he squandered it all, he realized something.

He realized this, if I continue this way, I'm going to perish.

And he realized that he would perish and said, therefore, this is

why it says in Luke fifteen storying verse seventeen, it says. But when

he came to himself, he said, how many of my father's hired servants

have more than enough bread, But I'll perish here with hunger. I will

arise and go to my father, and I'll say to him, father,

I've sinned. I've sinned against heaven, and before you I'm not worthy.

I'm no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of

your hired sir, vince. And after he arose and he came to a

father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw

him and felt compassion, and he ran and embraced him, and he kissed

him. And the son said to them, father, I have sinned against

heaven, and before you, I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.

But the father said, to his service, bring quickly the best robe

and put it on him, put a ring on his hand, his shoes

on his feet, and bring the fat and calf, and kill it,

and let us eat and celebrate. For listen to this, for my son

was dead in his life again, he was lost, and it's found.

And they began to celebrate. You know, I wondered today there's many and

maybe here, maybe watching online or TV. And you've gambled with God's design.

You've gambled away God's provisions in your a lot like the particle Son,

You've squandered what God's given you. You've wasted it. You've taken advantage of

others, taken advantage of the week. Today, may you say you know

what, Lord? If I continue this way, I'm gonna perish. And

maybe today you say, Lord, the good news is you're waiting for me.

And Lord, if I come back to you, Lord, you'll forgive

me, you'll restore me, and you'll leave me. And will there be

those today? Say Lord? Today, Lord, I'm coming back. I'll

tell you no matter what you've done in your past, whether it's gambling or

whether it's some other sin, can I tell you there's a loving savior today,

Father, heavenly Father, who says, if we could fess our sins

to him, he is faithful in us to forgive us of our sins.

So today, would you say, Lord, I don't want to continue this

way anymore. Lord, I want to come back to you. Can I

tell you today Today he wants through today, he wants to forgive you.

Today, he wants to restore you. Will you turn him? Will you

pray with me every head, bounty, every I close? Lord, we

love you. We thank you Lord for your word today, thank you for

this passage of scripture. Lord. I pray today would be a day that

just as the prodigal son recognize what he had wandered of Yours, God,

recognize the direction he was headed, Lord, and knew God to that day,

that you were a forgiving God. Today, I'd pray that be people

in this room. I pray there be people on TV or online and recognize

today, Lord, that today you are a God that will receive them.

You are a God that will forgive them if they were turned. And I

prayed there'd be those who would return and repentance today, who would come to

you, Father and find your loving and forgiving arms. Lord. I know

today there are many who are filled full of shame and guilt over things that

they've done in their past. Lord, I pray today they would see that

you are God waiting. You're waiting for them for return. God. I

pray they would find your loving arms today, ready to receive them, forgive

them and restore them. Lord. I pray there be those who would run

to you Father today and find your love, your forgiveness, and your restoration.

Today. Lord, lead us in this time, Lord, pray this

some need to come to this altar and pray. I pray that, Lord,

there'd be those that would do that. I pray they be those that

I can pray with. Lord, you'd lead them become Lord. I pray

there'd be some that know some family members who are struggling with this issue.

I pray they'd be those who would come to this alter and pray over them.

Lord. I pray Lord today that we would as you lead us to

respond that God, we respond to your word, not mine. Lord,

lead us now in this time of response. In your name, we pray, Amen Jesus