Grace Baptist Church, Nokomis, IL.

Main Idea: All our accomplishments are like filthy rags. They serve absolutely no purpose unless we serve a God who is in them all.

Text:

As we begin this morning, I want you to imagine for yourself what success looks like for you.

Maybe success looks like a certain income, or a certain lifestyle. Maybe you can picture it clearly, because you’ve thought about it a lot, and you think it’s just within your grasp, or maybe it’s really hard for you to picture because while you can kind of define what success is, you feel like it’s never going to happen, and it’s just wishful thinking.

When you ask many people what success means to them, they’ll talk about their career or accomplishments, or even talk about raising a happy family. And certainly some of these things can be good things. Things worth doing. But as we talk about our ultimate purpose for living, true success in life, we have to ask ourselves whether these kinds of things really get at the heart of why we’re here living our lives on this earth under the sun.

Because based on these kinds of criteria, there are always some who won’t be able to do them. Maybe a physical or cognitive disability keeps you from achieving what the world calls career success. And things like singleness, infertility, lack of opportunity, or other scenarios prevent many from being able to raise a family, much less a happy one. And if that’s what we’re here for, if that’s our purpose, and we’re unable to accomplish it, what do we do? Do our lives lack meaning?

So as we take a closer look at the meaning of success, we realize that it’s often just an illusion. Many people chase after career advancements, material wealth and societal status, even a happy family, but in the end, these things in and of themselves will not bring true satisfaction or fulfillment. Pursuing these things often leads to a never-ending cycle of disappointment and disillusionment. The harsh reality is that many people, and possibly many of us, will spend our entire lives chasing after something that is actually completely unattainable, leaving us feeling unfulfilled and unaccomplished.

So this morning, the Scripture encourages us to see how what we often call success is nothing more than a mirage, unless we do all these things according to our true purpose given to us by God.

Ecclesiastes 2:4-11

I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned livestock—large herds and flocks—more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me. All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:4-11)

Father, thank You for blessing us with so many things. Thank You for blessing us with work we can enjoy, and possessions we can manage, and even struggles we can overcome. Help us to recognize that all these things are from You, and therefore give You praise for them all. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

Once upon a time, there was a farmer named Bill. Bill was a hardworking man, but despite his best efforts, his farm never seemed to be successful. One day, he decided to seek advice from the wise old man who lived on the hill. The wise old man listened patiently as Bill poured out his troubles, and then he said, “Bill, do you want to know the secret to success?” Bill eagerly nodded his head and said, “Yes, I’d love to know the secret to success! What is it?” The wise old man leaned in and whispered to Bill, “Lower your standards.” Bill was taken aback, “Lower my standards? That can’t be right!” The wise old man smiled, “Trust me Bill, if you lower your standards, you’ll be successful in no time.”

Well, I don’t think the Teacher in Ecclesiastes is telling us to lower our standards, and yet, this story should cause us to think about the standard by which we measure success. Is success about a certain amount of money, or a certain lifestyle, or even a level of happiness, or is it about something else entirely?

So the Teacher in Ecclesiastes sought to understand the pursuit of success by striving to accomplish all the things we usually measure success by, and then taking all these things to the extreme. Verse 4.

I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. (Ecclesiastes 2:4-6)

Now, if the Teacher in Ecclesiastes is King Solomon, and it probably is, it’s crazy that he begins verse 4 by saying, “I increased my achievements.” King Solomon was extremely accomplished! King Solomon was the one who built the first Temple in Jerusalem. Throughout his reign as king of Israel, he maintained peace throughout the land, not engaging in any wars with the nations around him like his father David had done. People from all over the known world came to see him and hear him, because he was known everywhere for having extraordinary wisdom!

Solomon had already achieved so much. And to add to this, to test whether achievements could really bring him purpose in life, he increased his achievements. He built houses, and planted vineyards, and made gardens and parks and so on. He was like the biblical version of Elon Musk, always striving after the next big thing.

And yet, notice the words that are repeated several times in these verses. The Teacher says, “I increased. I built. I made. I constructed.” And he writes that he did this “for myself, for myself, and for myself.” You see, a lot of what Solomon did was good! But when you’re just doing it alone, thinking you’re the star, and you’re just doing it for yourself, it’s all for nothing.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve occasionally thought, “I’m going to make my life count! I’m going to make my mark on the world, and leave it a better place!” And after all my hard work over a period of years, I may have made a small dent in the small sphere of my life, but it’s nothing compared to everything that happens on this earth.

Maybe you went through a time of your life when you defined success as your achievements. The writer of Ecclesiastes accomplished all sorts of things! But in the end, all those things were like chasing after the wind.

But achievements aren’t the only way we’re sometimes tempted to define success. Sometimes we define it by wealth and possessions. Verse 7.

I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned livestock—large herds and flocks—more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men. (Ecclesiastes 2:7-8)

One of the ways that you can test any idea to see if it’s rational is to take it to its extreme to see if it still holds up. And that’s exactly what Solomon did in regards to wealth and possessions. Being the king of Israel, he was already rich, but he wanted to see how rich he could become, and if that would satisfy him.

He acquired male and female servants, and had slaves. Now this isn’t an endorsement of slavery, it’s just how things were at that time in the world. Plus, it just shows how wealthy Solomon was. He had so much livestock and silver and gold that it made other kings jealous. Materially speaking, he had everything that he might want!

Imagine a person sitting on a pile of cash, surrounded by fancy cars and big houses, with a sign on his back that says, “I’ve made it!” But as he looks around, he realizes that he’s all alone. After a while, a homeless man walks by, reads the sign on the man’s back, and asks him, “You’ve made it? Made it to where?”

Maybe you’ve been tempted to define success by what you can gather in life. Maybe you want a big house and a boat, or whatever. Solomon acquired all sorts of things! He had it all! But in the process, he learned that it doesn’t satisfy. It’s all for nothing.

But maybe we can all easily tell that life isn’t about achievements or possessions. And yet, I think many of us do sometimes define success as if it’s about the status we can achieve. Verse 9.

So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me. All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. (Ecclesiastes 2:9-10)

Maybe you define success as being a person of importance. To struggle and overcome is a great accomplishment. It proves that you’re a “somebody.” Someone others look up to. Solomon was great! He had great wisdom. And it says that he surpassed all who were before him in Jerusalem.

Now, if this was Solomon talking, and it probably was, this is kind of a funny thing to say. Other than his dad, there was only one other king before Solomon over Israel, which was Saul, but Saul wasn’t a great king, and he didn’t even rule from Jerusalem; he ruled from Gibeah. So Solomon’s statement that he was great and surpassed all who were before him in Jerusalem basically amounts to saying, “I’m better than my dad!”

And the thing that really makes this unusual was that his dad was King David, of whom it was said that he was a man after God’s own heart. All the Jews, both at that time and in the future, considered David to be the greatest king of Israel. So to think that you’re better than that takes a little bit of ego. And yet, I think Solomon spoke this way to show the foolishness of defining your life by your greatness.

I’m sorry to break this to you, but you’ll probably never be the best. And if you ever think that you are, you probably need to be humbled, so that God can exalt you.

Once, there was a young boy named Timmy who dreamed of becoming the best baseball player in the world. He practiced every day for hours, hitting balls off a tee and working on his swing. But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t seem to hit the ball as well as the other players.

One day, Timmy went to a baseball game and saw the best player in the league, Babe Ruth. As he watched Babe Ruth hit home run after home run, Timmy realized that he would probably never be as good as Babe Ruth, or any of the other great players.

But instead of getting discouraged, Timmy decided to focus on becoming the best Timmy he could be. He continued to practice and improve, and eventually became the star player on his little league team. And even though he never made it to the big leagues, he was happy with his own achievements and enjoyed the game of baseball for what it was.

So the moral of the story is this: don’t worry about being the best, just be the best version of yourself.

Now, that’s a nice, inspirational story, but even that misses the mark of true success. Because what if no matter how hard you try, you still fall short? Because the truth is, we’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

So I think we’ve sometimes defined success as being great not in all the world, but just with the small group of people around us, like our family, as we struggle through life together. Maybe we don’t need to be famous and well-liked everywhere, but we do sometimes think life is about being well-liked by our own little sphere of family and friends.

But check out what he said about all these things, including being great, and well-liked, and wise. Verse 11.

When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

All our accomplishments, the ways that we seek to make something of ourselves by our own strength, are like filthy rags before God. They serve absolutely no purpose unless we serve a God who is in them all.

Without faith, we cannot please God, and we can do nothing of true importance. But with faith, nothing is impossible to him who believes.

Without faith, it’s all for nothing. But with faith, everything we do has a purpose. Our achievements are to the glory of God. Our good works display the righteousness of God. And God Himself lives in us and through us, and therefore there’s meaning in absolutely everything we do, even in this life.

You see, the problem with our standard for success isn’t that it’s too high, but that it’s often far too low. We think we can be happy with just a certain income, or a certain achievement, but those are far too small of things. God desires that we be happy in Him! God doesn’t want us to lower our standards, but to recognize that we will only be ultimately satisfied in Jesus.

So instead of defining success by anything we can accomplish, have faith in the God who accomplishes all things according to His purpose. Rather than needing to accomplish anything or have anything to make your life mean something, rest in the love of God. That’s your purpose. That’s why God made you, so that you would rest and rejoice in Jesus.

That’s the message of the gospel. God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, when we could do nothing to prove ourselves successful to ourselves or others or Him, that’s when Christ died for us. He gave His life, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God, and to show you that it’s not all for nothing, because He made everything and does everything so that you would know Him, and rest in His love for you.