Success is Futile

Good Morning

Thank you Josh and team for your leadership again this morning…

And What Wonderful Words those are to Sing about --

We are Chosen By God…

Not Forsaken, By Christ

He is For us, And even With Us, through His holy Spirit…

We are Children of God, Free Indeed through Jesus Christ…

--Yet in this world, or UNDER THE SUN, as the author of Ecclesiastes would say, we must recognize that this FREEDOM, is in fact, Costly…

To be FREE from SIN and its CHAINS, is to be ALIVE TO RIGHTEOUSNESS and to JESUS CHRIST…

The Most FREE PERSON to EVER WALK the FACE of the earth… Was it’s Creator, the God-Man, Jesus Christ…

And in Mark Chapter 8, we read these Words…

Mark 8:31–38 (CSB)

31 Then [Jesus] began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and rise after three days.

32 He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.”

34 Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me and the gospel will save it.

36 For what does it benefit someone to gain the whole world and yet lose his life?

37 What can anyone give in exchange for his life?

38 For whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

In the more well known words of the King James version… vs. 36:

Mark 8:36 (KJV 1900)

36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Let’s Pray

Father,

In our hearts, and in our minds, and then in our actions, may we glorify you today as King over Everything.

Father we live in a culture where we are taught to Live Like Kings and Queens.

That We DESERVE SUCCESS… JOY… RICHES… and Satisfaction in life…

And all of us Lord, if we are honest, are prone to believe it, and chase success in our lives, as the means to our Greatest Joy.

So Father, this morning, we ask that your word would chip away at our Self-Centerdeness.

That it would raise our eyes to a Joy GREATER than ANYTHING this world may ever offer..

A Joy that is not found in GAINING the WORLD…

But in Finding Life, in Jesus Christ… Even if it appears to be for LOSS in this life…

Father, would YOU be the King of our hearts.

We pray this in Christ Jesus’ holy name.

Amen.

As we open up our Bible’s again this morning to the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, I want to begin by posing to you a question…

It’s a Question, which at first, may seem like it has a VERY OBVIOUS Answer… But I want us to think about it… Here’s the question…

Does God Matter?

I think you understand what I mean when I say the answer seems obvious…

And I don’t mean to suggest in asking this question that you should doubt that He does…

Let’s just be Very Clear from the outset…

CLEARLY, the CREATOR and SUSTAINER of the Universe, MATTERS…

But Does He matter… in how I live my life… ?

Is there any Consequence, in how I respond to Him?

More Specifically, Is there ANY VALUE, IN THIS LIFE —Under the Sun—, to living in REVERENCE before God…?

A bit more bluntly…: Will Living for God, lead me to more SUCCESS…

Or Not…?

Have you Ever Wondered this…?

Have you ever wondered, why seemingly wicked people, are sometimes VERY SUCCESSFUL… Even while the children of God, can SUFFER!?

Maybe you are suffering right now… God Why!?

Well if we have ever asked such questions, it’s helpful to know we are in good company…

In Psalm 73, ASAPH a WORSHIP leader in Israel Confessed:

Psalm 73:3 (CSB)

3 For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalm 73:12–14 (CSB)

12 Look at them—the wicked! They are always at ease, and they increase their wealth.

13 Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?

14 For I am afflicted all day long and punished every morning.

Job, who suffered MIGHTILY because He revered God, had this to say and ask:

Job 21:7–13 (CSB)

7 Why do the wicked continue to live, growing old and becoming powerful?

8 Their children are established while they are still alive, and their descendants, before their eyes.

9 Their homes are secure and free of fear; no rod from God strikes them.

10 Their bulls breed without fail; their cows calve and do not miscarry.

11 They let their little ones run around like lambs; their children skip about,

12 singing to the tambourine and lyre and rejoicing at the sound of the flute.

13 They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.

God WHY!? Does it MATTER how I live on earth… Do YOU matter…?

The Prophet Malachi wrote:

Malachi 3:15 (CSB)

15 So now we consider the arrogant to be fortunate. Not only do those who commit wickedness prosper, they even test God and escape.”

And Jeremiah like him asks:

Jeremiah 12:1 (CSB)

1 ...Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the treacherous live at ease?

Why!?

Why are the Wicked so SUCCESSFUL!

Does God Matter!? Is there Any Value in HONOURING HIM IN THIS LIFE!?

Please take your Bibles and open them to the 2nd chapter of Ecclesiastes…

The TEACHER of Ecclesiastes, helps to answer this questions, from a very interesting and perhaps SURPRISING perspective…

Unlike Job, who FEARED GOD, yet SUFFERED IMMENSE LOSS AND SUFFERING…

The Teacher in Ecclesiastes is notable for Experiencing EVERY KIND OF EARTHLY SUCCESS…

And yet… Having Tasted ALL THAT THE WORLD deems SUCCESSFUL, and JOYFUL.... The Teacher comes to this Conclusion:

SUCCESS UTTERLY LACKED MEANING…

SUCCESS brought NO LASTING JOY…

SUCCESS was even SHORTER than TEMPORARY…

Even HARDER TO GRASP than the WIND…

—In Fact… What we often call SUCCESS, Led the Teacher not to JOY, -----but to DESPAIR…

Look at God’s Word, Ecclesiastes 2 and let’s read the first 3 verses… These are the Words of the Teacher…

Text

Ecclesiastes 2:1–3 (CSB)

1 I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile.

2 I said about laughter, “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?”

3 I explored with my mind the pull of wine on my body—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to grasp folly, until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

Now I want to remind you, in the introduction to the book, in Chapter 1, That we saw the Teacher put Parameters in Place for His Search for MEANING and PURPOSE…

He has Set out on a Quest to find MEANING and PURPOSE, in LIFE LIVED UNDER THE SUN…

This Phrase comes up OVER and OVER again int he book of Ecclesiastes… “UNDER THE SUN”

That is, He is searching for FULLFILLMENT, ON EARTH.. In the TEMPORAL… The PHYSICAL…and the TANGIBLE…

And in Chapter 1, he has already come to a preliminary Conclusion:

EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN IS FUTILE!

Why!?

Well the most poignant reason is this:

We all Die!! Life is Temporary! It’s Broken! And we can’t fix it…

These first 3 Verses of chapter 2, echo much of what was said in chapter 1, and they also form the Preface for the rest of this Chapter…

The Teacher has already told us His Conclusion at the beginning… The life of PLEASURE, of MIRTH and EASE and LUXURY… is in fact, Futile…

These things will NEVER DELIVER what the World suggests they will!

The World suggests ENTERTAINMENT, and RICHES, and POWER are the things to LIVE FOR!

That Earning the ability to be filled with ENTERTAINMENT, and LAUGHTER and DRINK, while maintaining our RICHES and INFLUENCE, are marks of SUCCESS!

—And It’s quite amazing how much culture hasn’t changed in the millenia since THE TEACHER Wrote these words…

Humanity is still DRAWN to ENTERTAINING themselves with LAUGHTER, with DRINK, and with WHATEVER IS PLEASURABLE… And those who are able to enjoy these things without squandering their possessions, become the ENVY of many…

Well the TEACHER KNEW what it was like to ENJOY EARTHLY PLEASURES…

LOOK AGAIN at the text with me…

We are going to read about Some of The Teacher’s Earthly Pleasures…

Look at vs. 4:

The Teacher says:

Ecclesiastes 2:4–8 (CSB)

4 I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.

5 I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them.

6 I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.

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.

8 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.

Are you noticing a Theme here…?

One of the Chief Problems with Riches and Pleasures is the INCESSANT FOCUS on ME!

I Gained the WHOLE WORLD!

The Teacher says

I had many HOMES, For ME!

I planted GREAT GARDENS, For ME!

I had Servants to do Work, For ME!

I had his own ENTERTAINERS to SING For ME!

I could indulge in Sensual pleasure of Sex, with MANY women, For ME…

I GAINED THE WORLD!!! I was SO GREAT!

—He says just that in vs. 9:

Ecclesiastes 2:9–10 (CSB)

9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me.

10 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.

If there was pleasure to be had, the teacher says, I was there for it!

If I wanted something I GOT IT!

And in the midst of this foray in PLEASURE, The Teacher was Testing this question:

Does God Really Matter!?

If Living for ME can be This GREAT — Then Does God really Matter!?

Can you Imagine being The Teacher? The teacher in question here, may have been king Solomon… The Wisest person on earth… the RICHEST person around… The Husband of 700 WIVES… and 300 Girlfriends…

He had jumped HEADLONG into getting WHATEVER HE WANTED FOR HIMSELF!

If the teacher can do ALL THIS for Himself… Then does He NEED GOD!?

What if you could have ALL THE THINGS of earth that you Desire…?

What if you could have all the MONEY… All the CARS… The DREAM HOME you’ve wanted… the PERFECT HUSBAND or WIFE… And PLEASURE like you never dreamed…

WOULD YOU STILL WANT GOD?

Would He matter!?

Well, if the teacher is any indication for us… RICHES ALONE, will leave us EMPTY…

In Vs. 11 He says:

Ecclesiastes 2:11 (CSB)

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.

1. Riches are Futile

The Teacher HAD IT ALL,

but even ALL, turned out to be futile… Fleeting… and LACKING lasting Joy…

Now deep down… Let’s Be honest… This doesn’t Surprise us…

While I think MOST, if not ALL OF US, Are TEMPTED by WEALTH and RICHES… DEEP DOWN, we all know that MONEY does not equal Happiness…

We all know stories of miserable Rich People, who remind us that MONEY does not Equal Happiness!

But if we’re Honest… that doesn’t often stop us from thinking that MONEY, or a certain CAR, or HOUSE, or some other THING, will bring us the PEACE and HAPPINESS we so desire…

HERE IT AGAIN from the TEACHER… It’s ABSOLUTELY FUTILE! RICHES are FUTILE!

So the Teacher moves on from RICHES… And sets His HEART on what seems on the outside, like a much more promising OBJECT of PURPOSE and MEANING…

Look at Vs. 12: There the Teacher says,

Ecclesiastes 2:12 (CSB)

12 Then I turned to consider wisdom, madness, and folly, for what will the king’s successor be like? He will do what has already been done.

In other words, The King’s Son will also be Rich and Find it Futile… But perhaps, there will be meaning, in LIVING WISELY, rather than FOOLISHLY… Well that makes Sense! VS. 13:

Ecclesiastes 2:13–14 (CSB)

13 And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.

14 The wise person has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both.

You can here the wheels TURNING in the head of the Teacher… And there is a Tension Building…

Yes, it is GOOD to walk with Wisdom… And yet… What does it matter!? In the end, both the wise and the foolish will go to the same place, UNDER THE SUN, they will all end up in the Grave!

Vs. 15:

Ecclesiastes 2:15–16 (CSB)

15 So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?” And I said to myself that this is also futile.

16 For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise person dies just like the fool?

The Teacher is GIVING IN here, to that PHILOSOPHY of YOLO…

You Only live Once…

IF Death is then end for ALL OF US…

Then why have I BURDENED MYSELF with the WEIGHT of making WISE CHOICES!?

Why not just enjoy life while it lasts!?

Wisdom hasn’t Saved me from Death! As far as he could tell, it hasn’t even added a second to His life!

Therefore, Vs. 17:

Ecclesiastes 2:17 (CSB)

17 Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

2. Wisdom too, He says, is Futile

Now, I want you to consider for a moment, the WEIGHT of what the TEACHER is wrestling with here…

WISDOM, in the Ancient Near Eastern Context, was FAR MORE than mere knowledge…

It’s more than just BEING SMART…

WISDOM, is all about KNOWING HOW TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING In a way that leads to PRUDENT and HEALTHY decisions…

But EVEN MUCH MORE THAN THAT, as an ISRAELITE… And even more so as a BIBLICAL WRITER, The Teacher knows that the BEGINNING OF WISDOM is the FEAR OF THE LORD…

In Fact, the TEACHER, the WISEST MAN ALIVE, would conclude the book of Ecclesiastes by Dispensing THIS WISDOM in chapter 12:

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (CSB)

13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity.

Yet Even WISDOM, the TEACHER SAYS… Even FEARING GOD, seems FUTILE, UNDER THE SUN…

What’s He saying!?

Well it’s not so much what He is saying… It’s what He is Asking… And this is what He is asking:

Does God Really Matter!?

Is There any BENEFIT to LIVING FOR HIM!?

I LOVE the Honest of the Teacher…

He WRESTLES OUT LOUD, with the things we all have wrestled with, sometimes QUIETLY!

But let’s just allow ourselves to resonate with that sentiment for a moment…

Have you ever felt, that WISE LIVING… That LIVING for the GLORY of GOD, is COSTLY!?

Maybe you are Young, and Let’s face it, when we are young, our SOCIAL REPUTATION means a lot… In fact, it can seem like it means EVERYTHING!

And there can be a lot of pressure to BE WHERE the People are.

To DO what they are doing.

To LAUGH at what they laugh at and

To INDULGE in the things they Indulge in…

—Do you ever Find, that your allegiance to God just Gets in the way?!?

Do you ever find yourself asking, Does He Matter?

----***----

Or as we get older, You may notice, that it’s not always the God fearers… the Humble, Kind and Compassionate who get ahead in this life… But often it’s the liars, the cheats, and the Selfish, who seem to Prosper…

WHY!? Doesn’t God CARE!? Doesn’t He matter!?

Doesn’t He

Or finally, imagine those who have given up the comforts and security of Home, to go to places, some of them very dangerous, all around the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ… —And in many cases, they live a life of poverty to do so… and In some cases they give their very lives!

—And it sounds Honorable…

but what are they gaining from this?

And I don’t mean in Eternity, I mean here on earth, Under the Sun!?

—Honestly, Nothing! —Without ANY VIEW of ETERNITY, The VERY BEST OF PEOPLE and the VERY WORST of people have EXACTLY THE SAME END…

—DEATH will visit us all…

So our RICHES are futile…

Even our WISDOM is FUTILE…

And quite exhaustively, ALL THE WORK OF OUR HANDS are FUTILE and MEANINGLESS…

Vs. 18 says:

Ecclesiastes 2:18–19 (CSB)

18 I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun because I must leave it to the one who comes after me.

19 And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.

Everything is Futile!

Riches are Futile… Wisdom is Futile… And yes,

3. Profit is Futile too…

The TEACHER, the Richest, Wisest, most PROFITABLE person of all, is coming up BLANK in His Search for MEANING, under the Sun…

And this inevitably leads to a very dark place…

Have you ever felt, that Nothing you do Matters?

Like no one Cares?

Like God Himself is aloof and Far off?

Have you ever been SO DISCOURAGED by that feeling of EMPTINESS, that you have begun to truly Despair and Lose Hope!?

So too, did the Teacher. Vs. 20 says:

Ecclesiastes 2:20 (CSB)

20 So I began to give myself over to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun.

The Teacher had Confined Himself to looking INWARD for MEANING and PURPOSE… when He had BOUND HIMSELF to finding PURPOSE and MEANING ON THIS EARTH and in THIS LIFE...

---And the Teacher Came up completely empty… Dejected… and given to Despair…

The Teacher Models for us this Sorrowful, but vitally important Truth:

Where We think we should find Joy, there so often we find Despair…

—Many have spoken to the DESPAIR that is suffered by people when they lose the thing that they hold has most Valuable…

Their Spouse… Their Money… Their Reputation… Or their Fame…

But what is altogether Striking about the Teacher’s Despair, is that it came, not when He had LOST his SUCCESS… But at the PINNACLE of His Success…

He was the RICHEST, the WISEST and the MOST PROFITABLE MAN ALIVE!

He Held In His Hands, All the things that the world would Call SUCCESSFUL and ENVIABLE!

And yet the teacher was given the clarity to see through it, and to see that it was MEANINGLESS… FUTILE… TEMPORARY and FLEETING…

When we LIVE and THINK as if GOD DOESN’T MATTER, as that HIS TEMPORAL BLESSINGS are the ONLY PROOF THAT HE CARES; Then we will be DRIVEN TO DESPAIR!

If We LIVE looking only UNDER THE SUN for God’s BLESSING and PURPOSE… Then we are BOUND TO MISS HIM ALTOGETHER!

And Yet, this is what we do!

We HOLD in our HANDS, little Trinkets like

MONEY…

LIKE APPEARANCE…

Like SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS…

LIKE RELATIONSHIPS…

LIKE DEGREES and CERTIFICATIONS...

LIKE SENSUAL PLEASURES

and our own WISDOM

And we THINK, that these things will give us JOY, and PURPOSE and MEANING…

And dont get me wrong… These things CAN give us some happiness… This is why we CHASE THEM!

But they can NEVER give us lasting JOY!

They are ABSOLUTE FUTILITY… ALL OF IT, is FUTILITY…!

NONE of these are truly meaningful, under the Sun…!

None of them is ultimate!

Young People here today… Flee the Temptation to believe that your MEANING and YOUR VALUE is bound up in what other people think about you!

or how many LIKES you get on instagram…

Run from the temptation to find fulfillment in your Grades,

or in the University Acceptance you’re hoping for

And at all costs, run from the quicksand of CHEAP PLEASURE…

Which PROMISES MUCH, but ROBS you of even more…!

These things are FUTILE! They SEEM TO PROMISE FULFILLMENT.. But when you reach out to GRASP IT, it is gone!!

Friends don’t live for the TEMPORAL and TRANSIENT THINGS…

RATHER Live your lives for the GOD who MATTERS!

Because He does!

Centuries after the honest musings by the teacher in the book of Ecclesiastes, God brought an answer to the FUTILITY of all our Labour…

The answer came in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In 1 cor. 15 Paul expounds upon all the many implications of the Resurrection, and in the very last verse He concludes this portion of His letter, with this verse which seems to be a DIRECT RESPONSE to the AUTHOR of ECCLESIASTES and HIS QUEST for MEANING in Life…

Paul says this… IN LIGHT of the RESURRECTION of JESUS CHRIST:

1 Corinthians 15:58 (CSB)

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

How do we know that!?

Because Jesus’ resurrection, is OUR HOPE of Resurrection to a World ABOVE THE SUN!

Riches Here, are but a GRAIN OF SAND, compared to the lavish inheritance prepared for us By God with Christ Jesus…

The PLEASURES OF EARTH, are NOTHING compared to the GLORY of Being in HIS PRESENCE!

And our TOIL HERE, will Last FOREVER THERE, if our WORK is done to the HONOUR and GLORY of CHRIST JESUS our LORD!

By the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Teacher seems to forsee this HOPE, when he concludes chapter 2 with these words:

Ecclesiastes 2:24–26 (CSB)

24 There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand,

25 because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from him?

26 For to the person who is pleasing in his sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Friends: God Does Matter!

Every Blessing we have on Earth, is a GIFT FROM HIM to be ENJOYED!

We do not need to be ASHAMED of ENJOYING HIS BLESSINGS…

But, Let us not SET OUR HEART ON THEM…

In our Lives, may the GIFTS never be as GREAT as the GIVER!

Enjoy His Gifts here… But REMEMBER…

The BEST IS YET TO COME!

The ETERNAL PRESENCE of GOD AWAITS US!

OH YES, He MATTERS.

OH YES, He CARES.

OH YES, life on earth may be COSTLY…

But our ETERNAL GAIN, through HIM, Is TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Let’s Pray.

Father,

I pray that you would expand our Vision of your work in our lives and in this world.

Train our EYES on the eternity you have prepared for those who love you.

Father, please set our HEARTS, on following you and OBEYING your commands…

Not because that is always PROFITABLE in this life…

But because it is ALWAYS GAIN, for the LIFE YET TO COME.

We pray this in Jesus Name. OUR RISEN SAVIOUR

AMEN