The American Dream
Text: 1 Timothy 6:6-10
6 Now godliness with contentment is a means of great gain.
7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of the world either.
8 But having food and clothing, we will be content with these.
9 Now those who intend to become rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evils, which some by striving for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Sermon:
Pursuing the American dream of an enjoyable, comfortable life is like chasing after the wind—at the end one has nothing to hold on to. Can you picture people chasing after the wind, reaching out with their open hands, grabbing hold of the wind, and when they have caught it—all they have is nothing? Well, that is what people make of their lives—a chasing after the wind to end up with nothing!
I worked out in the world with people before entering the ministry. I came to know what people are like. I came to know their priorities and what they wanted in life. I wonder how many times during my lifetime I have heard someone say, “All I want is to live comfortably and not have to worry about where the next buck is coming from.” That is the American dream—to have and to enjoy all the pleasant comforts and pastimes one can. To enjoy a life of ease.
But I have observed a great problem in this country of ours: People are never really satisfied! For they make happiness contingent upon what they can have and do. They get whatever their heart desires. Then the novelty wears off, they get tired of that, and they become bored. So then their heart turns to the next thing they want. They plan and strive to get that. When they get it, they are happy for only a short time until once again the novelty wears off. Then they become bored, dissatisfied and unhappy all over again. It is an endless cycle!
The above text enables me to address the American dream. The American Dream Plunges People Into A Trap Of Ruin And Destruction And Is Overcome By Godliness With Contentment.
To begin, let us understand what is the nature of the problem with the American dream. The problem is not the wealth and the possessions themselves; the problem is making the wealth and the possessions one’s goal in life. The problem is a person's desiring and loving the wealth and possessions. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, David, Solomon—all were wealthy men. The Lord made them wealthy men. So having wealth and possessions is not the problem. But the wealth and possessions become a problem when people wrap their lives around them. It is written in this text: “For the love of money is the root of all evils.” This passage did not say money itself was the root of all kinds of evil. No, the passage said the love and desire of money is the root of evil.
This text explains what happens when people pursue the American dream of the comfortable life. It says, “Those who intend to become rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.”
The problem begins with the nature of the people’s hearts. In their hearts they want to get rich—at least richer than they are. They are not satisfied with what they have, they want more. Because they want more, they fall into temptations that lead them into sins of all kinds.
What kind of sins? First, their desire for more than what they have is a sin of secret idolatry. They put money and possessions before God. They make money and possessions their god, which is a sin against the first and greatest commandment. What is more, their love and desire for money and possessions and a pleasant life can lead them into sins against the fourth commandment, namely breaking the civil laws of the land. They may resort to embezzling funds, to cheating on their income taxes, to fraud, and other such sins. Or, they may fall into sins against the seventh commandment—stealing, robbery, dishonesty. Or, they turn to sins against the eighth commandment, such as. lying about a car or a house they are trying to sell to someone, or slandering a competitor to land a sale or a business contract. How many times has the national news reported rich individuals being convicted for such crimes and sins just mentioned?
The American dream, to have money and possessions and a comfortable life to enjoy the so-called “nice” things in life, leads people into foolish and harmful desires. Why is the American dream a foolish desire? Because it is a chasing after the wind. In the end there is nothing to hold onto. For when the person dies, he cannot take it with him. In this text the apostle Paul quotes Job and Solomon: “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of the world either.” Although the pharaohs had their treasures buried with them in their pyramids, they still could not take those treasures with them into eternity. Although men like Howard Hughes and Onasis owned more than you and I could imagine owning, when they died they left it all behind for someone else to waste and to squander. Of what value is that? That is foolishness.
Jesus told the parable of the rich fool. A certain rich man went after the American dream. He had a good crop that made him wealthy for years to come. So he was going to enjoy a life of ease, and happily indulge himself in eating and drinking and the comfortable life. But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Solomon said he pursued a life of wealth and ease with the most comfortable living quarters and most beautiful property and possessions that anyone could want or imagine. He had it all! His annual income of gold was 25 tons! He brought in so much silver that silver was as common as gravel stones! Listen to what he said he did:
But do you know what Solomon, the wisest of men, said about the dream of wealth and possessions he had pursued? He said: “Then I turned myself to look on all my work, which my hands had done, and on the labor that I wearily labored to do. And behold, all was fruitless and a chasing after the wind, and there was nothing gained under the .sun.” It was all for nothing! It was all fruitless! It was all foolish! And so Paul wrote that those who want the life of ease and to be rich fall into foolish desires, for it is a fruitless chasing after the wind.
Christians also fall into the American dream of foolish and harmful desires. Paul saw them fall into those foolish and harmful desires too. He wrote, “For the love of money is the root of all evils, which some by striving for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Following the American dream of the good life is a foolish and harmful desire, because it reaps only eternal damnation in hell. That is why Jesus said, “For what will a person be benefited if he gains the whole world but forfeits his own soul?”
This text is a warning not to become obsessed with the American dream. You have not become caught up in it have you? If you have, let me ask you this one question: “And then what?” What comes next and where does it end?
Let’s say your goal is to get a good job to earn enough money to enjoy life and be comfortable. So you get that job. And then what? So you buy the home of your dreams. And then what? Then you have to furnish it and to dress up the property. And then what? Then you must have the modern comforts like a microwave and a DVD player and a stereo system and a lawn tractor and a pool and. . . and. . . and. . . And then what? You want to take vacations and trips and maybe have a cottage and a boat. And then what? Well, then you have to pay for all those things. So you have to work harder and longer and get that promotion. And then what?
And when the novelty and the first excitement wear off and you find yourself bored and restless and uneasy and you don’t know what to do with yourself, then what? Do you desire more? Buy more? Travel more? Chase after more wind? And finally, when you die, who will get all that money and those things that you spent your lifetime working for? Will you have anything to show for it in eternity? No. You will have none of it! Your whole life will have been fruitless! Your life will have been a chasing after the wind! Your life will have been a foolish and harmful trap that led you into ruin and destruction.
Whether we want to admit it or not, we all are sinfully selfish by nature. To some extent we all have chased after the wind and pursued the American dream. I did too. And one day many years ago I woke up, and I said to myself, “So what! So you are a successful young, man with a new house, a company car, an expense account, and you dine out a lot. So what! And so you go on and become even more successful and obtain even more things. So what! When you die, what good will it all be? You will be lost eternally! So wake up, John! Hell is a horrible end to a lifetime of chasing after the wind of money and things!”
But there is a cure for the American dream. That cure is found only in Jesus Christ and following him. And thanks be to God for providing the cure and for leading us to it! For Jesus took upon himself our sins of chasing after the wind, just as he took upon himself all of our other many sins and carried them to the cross. There on the cross he paid the price for our sins with his holy, precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. He bought us forgiveness for our sins of greed and selfishness and discontent. He bought us eternal life in heaven, a life of lasting blessedness that does not disappear like the wind. He bought us from hell so we may be his own and live under him in righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.
Now out of love for Jesus let us be godly and content. Let us show him how thankful we are for his having saved us from that miserable life of chasing after the wind that leads us into ruin and destruction. This is what finds favor with God, that by faith and out of love for him we live a godly life according to his commandments and are content with what we have. As Paul said, “Godliness with contentment is a means of great gain. . . having food and clothing, we will be content with these.”
You see, since we have been redeemed by Jesus for eternal life in heaven, this world is not our permanent home. This world is perishing, and so are those who love it. Our home is in heaven, which is beautiful and blessed and permanent. We are merely strangers passing through this world on our way to heaven. So what do we care about having the things that belong to this perishing world. We do not have any use for them where we are going. And we cannot take them with us either. And why would we want to? What the Lord has for us in heaven is far superior to anything we have here on earth. So let us be content with whatever the Lord gives us during our short life on earth. And if the Lord sees fit to give us only the barest necessities of food and clothing, let us be content with that.
Living for our new home in heaven and being content with what we have are the keys to happiness, not the American dream.
Amen.
6 Now godliness with contentment is a means of great gain.
7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of the world either.
8 But having food and clothing, we will be content with these.
9 Now those who intend to become rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is the root of all evils, which some by striving for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Sermon:
Pursuing the American dream of an enjoyable, comfortable life is like chasing after the wind—at the end one has nothing to hold on to. Can you picture people chasing after the wind, reaching out with their open hands, grabbing hold of the wind, and when they have caught it—all they have is nothing? Well, that is what people make of their lives—a chasing after the wind to end up with nothing!
I worked out in the world with people before entering the ministry. I came to know what people are like. I came to know their priorities and what they wanted in life. I wonder how many times during my lifetime I have heard someone say, “All I want is to live comfortably and not have to worry about where the next buck is coming from.” That is the American dream—to have and to enjoy all the pleasant comforts and pastimes one can. To enjoy a life of ease.
But I have observed a great problem in this country of ours: People are never really satisfied! For they make happiness contingent upon what they can have and do. They get whatever their heart desires. Then the novelty wears off, they get tired of that, and they become bored. So then their heart turns to the next thing they want. They plan and strive to get that. When they get it, they are happy for only a short time until once again the novelty wears off. Then they become bored, dissatisfied and unhappy all over again. It is an endless cycle!
The above text enables me to address the American dream. The American Dream Plunges People Into A Trap Of Ruin And Destruction And Is Overcome By Godliness With Contentment.
To begin, let us understand what is the nature of the problem with the American dream. The problem is not the wealth and the possessions themselves; the problem is making the wealth and the possessions one’s goal in life. The problem is a person's desiring and loving the wealth and possessions. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, David, Solomon—all were wealthy men. The Lord made them wealthy men. So having wealth and possessions is not the problem. But the wealth and possessions become a problem when people wrap their lives around them. It is written in this text: “For the love of money is the root of all evils.” This passage did not say money itself was the root of all kinds of evil. No, the passage said the love and desire of money is the root of evil.
This text explains what happens when people pursue the American dream of the comfortable life. It says, “Those who intend to become rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.”
The problem begins with the nature of the people’s hearts. In their hearts they want to get rich—at least richer than they are. They are not satisfied with what they have, they want more. Because they want more, they fall into temptations that lead them into sins of all kinds.
What kind of sins? First, their desire for more than what they have is a sin of secret idolatry. They put money and possessions before God. They make money and possessions their god, which is a sin against the first and greatest commandment. What is more, their love and desire for money and possessions and a pleasant life can lead them into sins against the fourth commandment, namely breaking the civil laws of the land. They may resort to embezzling funds, to cheating on their income taxes, to fraud, and other such sins. Or, they may fall into sins against the seventh commandment—stealing, robbery, dishonesty. Or, they turn to sins against the eighth commandment, such as. lying about a car or a house they are trying to sell to someone, or slandering a competitor to land a sale or a business contract. How many times has the national news reported rich individuals being convicted for such crimes and sins just mentioned?
The American dream, to have money and possessions and a comfortable life to enjoy the so-called “nice” things in life, leads people into foolish and harmful desires. Why is the American dream a foolish desire? Because it is a chasing after the wind. In the end there is nothing to hold onto. For when the person dies, he cannot take it with him. In this text the apostle Paul quotes Job and Solomon: “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot carry anything out of the world either.” Although the pharaohs had their treasures buried with them in their pyramids, they still could not take those treasures with them into eternity. Although men like Howard Hughes and Onasis owned more than you and I could imagine owning, when they died they left it all behind for someone else to waste and to squander. Of what value is that? That is foolishness.
Jesus told the parable of the rich fool. A certain rich man went after the American dream. He had a good crop that made him wealthy for years to come. So he was going to enjoy a life of ease, and happily indulge himself in eating and drinking and the comfortable life. But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
Solomon said he pursued a life of wealth and ease with the most comfortable living quarters and most beautiful property and possessions that anyone could want or imagine. He had it all! His annual income of gold was 25 tons! He brought in so much silver that silver was as common as gravel stones! Listen to what he said he did:
- “I carried out extensive projects of mine: I built houses for myself. I planted vineyards for myself. I made gardens and parks, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves and I had slaves who were born in my household. I also had a wealth of flocks and herds by the thousands and thousands greater than all who were before me in Jerusalem. I amassed both silver and gold for myself, and the special treasure of kings and of countries. I acquired male and female singers for myself, and the sexual delights of the sons of man--a wife and many wives. And I became great and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. And all that my eyes desired I did not withhold from them. I did not restrain my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor, and this was my lot from all my labor.”
But do you know what Solomon, the wisest of men, said about the dream of wealth and possessions he had pursued? He said: “Then I turned myself to look on all my work, which my hands had done, and on the labor that I wearily labored to do. And behold, all was fruitless and a chasing after the wind, and there was nothing gained under the .sun.” It was all for nothing! It was all fruitless! It was all foolish! And so Paul wrote that those who want the life of ease and to be rich fall into foolish desires, for it is a fruitless chasing after the wind.
Christians also fall into the American dream of foolish and harmful desires. Paul saw them fall into those foolish and harmful desires too. He wrote, “For the love of money is the root of all evils, which some by striving for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
Following the American dream of the good life is a foolish and harmful desire, because it reaps only eternal damnation in hell. That is why Jesus said, “For what will a person be benefited if he gains the whole world but forfeits his own soul?”
This text is a warning not to become obsessed with the American dream. You have not become caught up in it have you? If you have, let me ask you this one question: “And then what?” What comes next and where does it end?
Let’s say your goal is to get a good job to earn enough money to enjoy life and be comfortable. So you get that job. And then what? So you buy the home of your dreams. And then what? Then you have to furnish it and to dress up the property. And then what? Then you must have the modern comforts like a microwave and a DVD player and a stereo system and a lawn tractor and a pool and. . . and. . . and. . . And then what? You want to take vacations and trips and maybe have a cottage and a boat. And then what? Well, then you have to pay for all those things. So you have to work harder and longer and get that promotion. And then what?
And when the novelty and the first excitement wear off and you find yourself bored and restless and uneasy and you don’t know what to do with yourself, then what? Do you desire more? Buy more? Travel more? Chase after more wind? And finally, when you die, who will get all that money and those things that you spent your lifetime working for? Will you have anything to show for it in eternity? No. You will have none of it! Your whole life will have been fruitless! Your life will have been a chasing after the wind! Your life will have been a foolish and harmful trap that led you into ruin and destruction.
Whether we want to admit it or not, we all are sinfully selfish by nature. To some extent we all have chased after the wind and pursued the American dream. I did too. And one day many years ago I woke up, and I said to myself, “So what! So you are a successful young, man with a new house, a company car, an expense account, and you dine out a lot. So what! And so you go on and become even more successful and obtain even more things. So what! When you die, what good will it all be? You will be lost eternally! So wake up, John! Hell is a horrible end to a lifetime of chasing after the wind of money and things!”
But there is a cure for the American dream. That cure is found only in Jesus Christ and following him. And thanks be to God for providing the cure and for leading us to it! For Jesus took upon himself our sins of chasing after the wind, just as he took upon himself all of our other many sins and carried them to the cross. There on the cross he paid the price for our sins with his holy, precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. He bought us forgiveness for our sins of greed and selfishness and discontent. He bought us eternal life in heaven, a life of lasting blessedness that does not disappear like the wind. He bought us from hell so we may be his own and live under him in righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.
Now out of love for Jesus let us be godly and content. Let us show him how thankful we are for his having saved us from that miserable life of chasing after the wind that leads us into ruin and destruction. This is what finds favor with God, that by faith and out of love for him we live a godly life according to his commandments and are content with what we have. As Paul said, “Godliness with contentment is a means of great gain. . . having food and clothing, we will be content with these.”
You see, since we have been redeemed by Jesus for eternal life in heaven, this world is not our permanent home. This world is perishing, and so are those who love it. Our home is in heaven, which is beautiful and blessed and permanent. We are merely strangers passing through this world on our way to heaven. So what do we care about having the things that belong to this perishing world. We do not have any use for them where we are going. And we cannot take them with us either. And why would we want to? What the Lord has for us in heaven is far superior to anything we have here on earth. So let us be content with whatever the Lord gives us during our short life on earth. And if the Lord sees fit to give us only the barest necessities of food and clothing, let us be content with that.
Living for our new home in heaven and being content with what we have are the keys to happiness, not the American dream.
Amen.
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