Introduction
If we make happiness our goal by trying to get people and
circumstances to give us what we want, happiness will elude us and we
will implode into the Black Hole of our selfishness. But if we turn
away from seeking happiness, and instead receive God’s love
through Jesus and then make our goal to give his love away to
others—then happiness will find us.
Tonight we want to
apply this theme to a specific area—how we use our money and
things. Specifically, I want to argue that one key way of gaining
our lives by losing them is material generosity (see Acts 20:35).
But before we do this, we need to take a look at two self-saving
alternatives . . .
The “Prosperity Gospel”
This as a gross perversion of this biblical
teaching, twisting it in order to bilk poor and ignorant people, etc.
I get furious every time I watch these preachers because they prey
on such people and inoculate many others from listening to the true
Jesus.
But most of us
aren’t really in danger of falling for this, are we? How many
in this room have ever given a dime to these money grubbers? But
instead of turning from this counterfeit/distortion to God’s
way of material generosity, most of us turn to something just as
horrible and just as ugly, to the very thing that Jesus warns
us against—the “American Dream.”
The “American Dream”
The “American
Dream” involves the assumption that I use most or all of my
disposable income and material resources for my own enjoyment. This
is what Francis Schaeffer calls the two impoverished values of
“personal peace and affluence.”
Underlying the “American Dream” is the belief that
material affluence can produce true happiness.
Is it wrong in
itself to use any of our disposable income on recreation or
entertainment? No. Don’t adherents to the “American
Dream” give some of their money to charity? Yes (though
miniscule percentages, and usually out of peer pressure). But the
underlying belief that drives it is “saving your own life.”
Walter Williams (professor of economics at George Mason University)
is refreshingly honest about this: "What is the noblest of human
motivations? Some might be tempted to answer: charity, love of one's
neighbor, or, in modern, politically correct language, giving
something back or feeling another's pain. In my book, these are
indeed noble motivations, but they pale in comparison to a much more
potent motivation for human action. For me the noblest of human
motivations is greed. I don't mean theft, fraud, tricks, or
misrepresentation. By greed I mean being only or mostly concerned
about getting the most one can for oneself and not necessarily
concerned about the welfare of others. Social consternation
might cause one to cringe at the suggestion that greed might possibly
be seen as a noble motivation. 'Enlightened self-interest' might be
a preferable term. But I prefer greed since it far more descriptive
and less likely to be confused with other human motives."
Losing your life through the “American Dream”
Because he loves
us, God expressly and consistently warns us through the Bible that
the American dream always eventually turns into the American
Nightmare!
See Solomon’s
warnings (as one who pursued this way of life) in Proverbs (11:4,28;
15:16,17; 17:1; 21:13; 23:1-8) and Ecclesiastes (2:4-8,11; 5:10,13).
Only fools have to learn everything the hard way—we can be wise
and learn from others.
See Jesus’
warnings in Matt. 6:19-23 (disappointment when they are taken
from you in this life or by death; value-system that blinds you to
life’s true path and purpose) and Luke 12:13-21.
See Paul’s
warning in 1 Tim. 6:8-11a (ruin and destruction; wander
from the faith and waste your life).
See also the whore
of Babylon in Rev. 18:3,23 (deceives, makes drunk, corrupts soul).
But you don’t
have to take the Bible’s warning on blind faith. All you have
to do is open your eyes! All around us the evidence screams at us
that if you seek true happiness in this way, you will lose it!
The PBS special
"Affluenza" provides an excellent analysis of the results
of materialistic hoarding in America: "We're filling our lives
with things—and telling others that we're empty inside."
They document the consequences of this “disease”—unsatisfied
expectations, shopping addictions, chronic stress from credit debt,
fractured families, and global infection. This is to say nothing of
the financial plight of the Third World poor that Americans could
cover and still have disposable income to enjoy!
Or consider these
conclusions by David Myers, The American Paradox: Spiritual Hunger
in an Age of Plenty (Yale University, 1999), who studies the
correlation between material wealth and happiness and verifies the
Bible’s warning. From 1960-1993, real income in America
doubled—but during that same time the divorce rate doubled,
teen suicide tripled, juvenile violence quadrupled, and unwed births
quintupled. Although the average American has more money today,
there is "less happiness, more depression, more fragile
relationships, less communal commitment, less vocational security,
more crime and more demoralized children."
Paco: “My
main goal was to make money so that I could escape poverty and have a
meaningful life. But then I noticed that the drugs that were so
dangerous that no one in the barrio would take them—it was the
middle-class kids who bought these drugs! The people who already had
the financial prosperity I longed for had lives at least as
meaningless as my own!”
Haven’t you experienced this for yourself?
How much longer do you have to pursue this before you admit that it’s
a blind alley? The “American Dream” is a horrible, ugly,
soul-destroying lie that you should decisively reject! But so
pervasive is this ethos, so powerful and seductive, that unless you
replace it with God’s way to true happiness (material
generosity) you will be drawn back into its vortex of
emptiness . . .
Finding your life through generosity
The key insight is
that life is about love relationships (Matt. 22:36-39)—receiving
and experiencing God’s incredible love, and then trusting his
love by giving it away to others. When we turn the means of material
goods and wealth in to ends, they will always lead us into
emptiness. But when we pursue love relationships with God and people
as the proper end of our lives, and generously use our material
resources to advance these relationships, this always leads to
fullness (Prov. 11:24,25). What does this fullness of life look
like?
You can better
enjoy the material blessings you have because you have a good
conscience, and you can look forward to eternal reward
(1 Tim. 6:17-19).
You will be
rewarded by God in the next life, and your affections for the things
of God will grow stronger (Lk. 12:33,34).
You can experience
the security of God’s material faithfulness (Mk. 10:28-30;
Phil. 4:19). Have you ever stayed faithful to your giving even
when unexpected bills come up—and then experienced God
providing for you? How much more secure is this than your own hoard?
100 times more!
You will receive
increased resources that will enable you to become an even greater
giver, and you will have the satisfaction of meeting real needs
(2 Cor. 9:6,7,10-12).
Becoming a
generous person: This is a way of life that God will personally lead
you into if only you believe his teaching on this subject and ask him
to direct you and then follow his directions. Here are some
practical ways that God has led me in this area:
Practice
hospitality (see Rom. 12:13; 1 Tim. 3:2; Heb. 13:2;
1 Pet. 4:9). Use your home for outreach (neighbors; kids’
friends) and home group ministry (host meetings and hangouts). Put
up Christian workers.
Make a significant
and budgeted giving commitment to advance the work of Christ through
your local church, missions, and to the poor.
Give more if you
prosper unexpectedly. Ask God to show you where
he wants you to do this—it is exciting to see how he answers!
Adopt a modest
lifestyle—live below your means. This delivers you from
consumer debt, protects you from the snare of materialism, and
enables you to be more generous.
Take a family
vacation to the 3rd world. There is nothing like seeing
with your own eyes the great need to deepen your convictions. It has
made a lasting impact on my children. You can do this through Xenos’
short-term missions trips, or through many Christian
organizations like “World Relief.”
Many of you in this room have adopted this way of
life. How has God led you into from materialistic hoarding into
generosity, and what difference has it made?
Footnotes
Copyright 2003 Gary DeLashmutt