PURSUING
PROSPERITY: CHASING THE AMERICAN DREAM TO DEATH
Who here would like to be rich? How about well-off or
prosperous enough to be comfortable? Who believes that hard work can accomplish
almost all of our goals in life?
If you
sheepishly answered “yes” to any of these questions (because you’re not sure
where I’m going) then you are chasing the American Dream. Even though we are
Canadians, the True North Strong and Free, we have adopted the same pursuit as
our Southern cousins.
What is
the American Dream? It is a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity
for prosperity and success. It also includes the opportunity for upward social
mobility through hard work. James Truslow Adams, in 1931, defined the American
Dream this way: “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with
opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social
class or circumstances of birth.”
The
American Dream finds its foundation in the US Declaration of Independence which
says, “all men are created equal” and are “endowed by their Creator with
certain inalienable rights” including “Life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.” Sounds pretty good, actually.
But like
all ideals, reality tends to spoil the pretty picture. Sin finds a way to take
our human ideals and make them about us. So “life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness” become a pursuit of my life’s ambitions, my freedoms, and my
happiness. The American Dream has become a pursuit of material goods, wealth,
comforts and personal satisfaction. And at what cost?
James
sounds like an OT prophet as he comes down hard on the wealthy unbelievers in
5:1-6. In the previous passage he took a hard line with the Christian
businessmen who made plans without a thought of God. Now James takes aim at the
rich who are oppressing the poor believers.
Why
would James write to unbelievers who would never read his words in a letter to
Christians? Some say James is using a rhetorical device known as an
“apostrophe” to speak to people who are not present for the benefit of those
who are.[i]
Why would he do this? Two reasons: One is to assure the oppressed believers
that God is going to do something about the wealthy who ignore God; and Two,
don’t be like them.
The
thrust of our study this morning is this: Since wealth can be a dangerous trap
we should be careful not to use it in an ungodly way.
1. How choosing prosperity over God leads to judgment
a) The
short-sighted vision of the rich unbeliever – In the pursuit of wealth
there are bound to be some circumstances that will test your ethics. Decisions
will be made that affect a lot of people. In James’ day that meant that the
rich took advantage of the poor. His response to them was this, “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail
because of the misery that is coming on you,” (5:1).
It must
be said that, ‘there is no sin in merely being rich; where sin exists among the
rich, it arises from the manner in which wealth is acquired, the spirit in
which it tends to engender in the heart, and the way in which it is used.’[ii]
This is insightful. Wealth is not sinful. How it is gained, how it makes you
feel towards others, and how you use it are the measures of its power for sin.
Those
who have fallen under the spell of wealth and have pursued it at all costs have
not considered the consequences of their actions. James tells them to weep and
howl for the misery coming upon them. They have been blinded by the allure of
more.
Paul
warned Timothy, “People who want to get
rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires
that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of
all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith
and pierced themselves with many griefs,” (1 Ti 6:9-10).
b) The fleeting
nature of one’s wealth – One of the traps of wealth is its temporary
nature. Wealth doesn’t last. To pursue temporary wealth over the eternal God as
a solution to your deepest needs is foolish.
At the
time this letter was written there were three main indicators of wealth. James
points to the temporary nature of each:
“Your wealth has rotted.” The first
indicator was grain or food. If you had a lot of food you were well off. But
food that was stored away could easily rot and become useless. I read a report
this week that said we thrown away 20% of our food at a cost of nearly 2
billion dollars a year…while people in other parts of the world starve.
“Moths have eaten your clothes.” The
second indicator of wealth was clothing. In a world where most of the poor had
only the clothes on their backs, having several sets of clothes made you a rich
person.
“Your gold and silver are corroded.”
Just to be clear: gold doesn’t rust. But this third indicator is said to spoil
because when God brings judgment on them it won’t save them. We all know that
money can’t save you and it certainly doesn’t raise your status before God.
c) Wealth comes
back to bite you – The second trap of wealth is its treasonous nature: it
will betray you. “Their corrosion will
testify against you and eat your flesh like fire,” (5:3a). Wealth will
stand as a witness against the rich on the Day of Judgment when God takes
account of how they used his gifts. If they have gained it unscrupulously; if they
have used it for our own betterment; if they use it as a mark of pride, then it
will clearly tell God that they have chosen it over Him.
Jesus said very plainly, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money,” (Lk 16:13).
Jesus said very plainly, “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money,” (Lk 16:13).
Weep and
howl, James told the wealthy unbelievers, for their misery is mounting. What
was the misery in store for these people? The imminent misery was ten years
future for them when in 70 AD Jerusalem was under siege by the Romans. A
million people died in this two year siege. And the first targets of the
violence of the soldiers were the rich. But it was the eternal misery that had
universal application: Divine judgment. God knows when our hearts turn to
prosperity for deliverance instead of calling on his name. If people put their
hope in money for this world alone, they will be miserable without God in
eternity.
2. How to recognize the sins of Prosperity
James does not direct these words of judgment on the
believers. We can assume that they were the poor and the oppressed. They were
believers who may have been suffering because of their faith. To be a Christian
in those days may have meant being kicked out of trade guilds so that a
believer could not do business. James wanted to assure them that God knew their
situation. In verse 4 he says that the cries of the harvesters have reached the
ears of the Lord Almighty. God had not forgotten their oppression and he would
act on their behalf.
At the
same time that James does not direct any exhortations at the believers, his
harsh words to the ungodly rich provide an application for us who follow
Christ. He gives four signs that help us to recognize the sins of prosperity:
a) Are you
hoarding your money? (5:3c). Is there a difference between hoarding and
saving? I believe so, though the definition may be slight. We need to save
money to provide for our families and for some unforeseen eventualities. We
save money for our children’s education; we save for retirement; we save for
vacations. These are not sinful things.
What
James emphasizes is that we are living in the last days. We have been living in
the last days since Pentecost. The question he asks is: Where is your treasure?
Are we storing it up on earth so that we can live in comfort, planning for a
long life here? Jesus tells a story about a man who had a good crop, built
bigger barns and was going to take life easy – that night he died (Lk
12:13-21). Then Jesus says, “This is how
it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward
God,” (21). John Rockefeller, one of the richest men in the world in the
early 20th century was asked, “How much wealth is enough?” He
replied, “Just a little more.”
The
point is not that owning wealth or saving money is sin per se. Rather it is the
act of hoarding it rather than using it for kingdom purposes. Hoarding is an
act of doubt that God will not provide for you if you invest it in the kingdom.
Instead,
Jesus says, “…use your worldly wealth to
gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into
eternal dwellings,” (Lk 16:9).
b) Are you
cheating your employees? (5:4). If you are like me you have to say, “I
don’t have any employees.” James was speaking to wealthy landowners who were
cheating their laborers out of daily wages. In those days a worker was paid at
the end of each shift. If wages were withheld the worker literally had nothing
to live on. It was hand-to-mouth living.
God sees
this evil. James writes that “the wages
you failed to pay the workers” are testifying against the oppressor. How
intimately is God involved that he knows when you are not being paid your full
due? Is that not amazing? If you are underpaid, God notes it. If we are doing
the underpaying he notes it.
The
point is that we must be fair and pay those we owe what we owe them. To be
generous, even beyond what is fair, is to be like God. He gives us far more
blessing than we deserve. So it makes sense for us to be generous with others
in the same way.
c) Are you
over-indulging yourself? (5:5ab). The imagery of this sign is not very
nice. “You have lived on earth in luxury
and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter,”
(5:5). This is a picture of a cow separated from the herd and placed in a stall
to be fed the best grain. As far as the cow is concerned this is the life. What
the cow is unaware of is she is being fattened for slaughter and to be cut into
steaks.
The rich
were living a life of ease, a soft life, a life with no wants or needs. They
have no cause for sacrificing or labor. But the rich person’s selfish
indulgence and lack of compassion for the poor reflected his godless focus of
life.
When is
it okay to indulge in a winter vacation?
As I asked someone this question recently the answer popped into my
head. When we have given to God the firstfruits of our income (tithes &
offerings), given to those in need, taken care of our family needs and debts,
and don’t need to take out a loan to get away, then we can travel with a clear conscience.
That’s my understanding.
d) Are you hurting
others to get ahead? (5:6). Was James thinking of literal murder when he
wrote, “You have condemned and murdered
the innocent one, who was not opposing you”? Probably not. But this may
refer to a practical outcome of the failure of the rich to share their
possessions and pay their workers. To take away a worker’s pay was to take the
food out of his and his family’s mouth.
If
getting ahead in social standing, if getting a promotion at work, or if going
into debt to appear affluent means hurting others to prosper, we break the
Royal Law mentioned earlier in this letter: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Workaholics are not remembered for being good parents. Ambitious people tend to
be lonely because they are always in competition with others. And going into
debt to enjoy the good life does not make you any friends on earth.
In our
unavoidable pursuit of the American Dream, these are the dangers and traps of
prosperity.
Show me your faith
Consider this loose paraphrase of James 5:1-6: “You think
it’s good to be rich? Well, you’re wrong. Riches are a mess. It’s you poor who
are fortunate. You think it’s good to be well fed now? You’re wrong. You’d be
better off hungry. You think you should pursue laughter? That’s a mistake.
Those who weep are ahead. You want to be respected and admired by everyone in
sight? Well you’ve got it upside down. Respect is a problem. You’re fortunate
if people despise you and won’t even let you into their churches and clubs.
What Jesus is telling us is that we have it all backwards. The direction we’re
headed does not lead home. What we need to do is to turn completely around and
go the opposite way."[iii]
The way
up is down. Followers of Jesus live in the Upside-Down Kingdom of Christ. That
means that the way to the top of the kingdom is to humble yourself and consider
others as better than yourself. To be rich in this world is to be poor in the
kingdom, because, as Scripture says, where your treasure is, there is your
heart (Mt 6:21).
In
reaction to the pursuit of the first century “American Dream,” Paul urged
Timothy, “But you, man of God, flee from
all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and
gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to
which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of
many witnesses,” (1 Ti. 6:11-12).
We have
been given a great gift in North America: the power to earn. What we do with it
reveals whether it is our god or a tool to use for God.
AMEN
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