The American Dream is Vanity

Introduction

Well, good morning!

If you have a Bible and I hope that you do, open ‘em up with me to Ecclesiastes chapter 2…and as you turn there, if you would, stand with me as we read God’s Word together.

It says this starting in verse 1:

Ecclesiastes 2:1–26 ESV

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind. I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

This is the Word of the Lord…thank you, you can be seated.

Work hard. Dream big. Climb the ladder. Build your life. Accumulate. Achieve. And one day, if you play your cards right, you’ll sit back in a beautiful home, surrounded by the fruit of your labor, and you’ll say to yourself, “I made it…I couldn’t be any happier”

Listen, as American citizens…we’re raised to believe in a promise…one that’s woven into the very fabric of our culture…It’s the promise of the American Dream.

And listen, this dream, its not bad in itself…ambition, and opportunity, and responsibility…those things are part of being made in the image of God, right? But for most of us, this pursuit, its become all-consuming for us. And as a result of this pursuit…we begin to believe that if we just get the right job…or if we find the perfect spouse…if we hit a certain income bracket…, “If I’m just able to check off the next goal on my list…then I’ll finally be satisfied. My life, it’ll have meaning.”

But here’s the question for us this morning, “What if you actually get it all…everything your heart desires? And what if, in the end, you’re still left feeling empty?”

That’s exactly what we see in Ecclesiastes chapter 2 this morning. Understand that the American Dream isn’t something new…In fact, King Solomon, he takes this dream to the extreme. He doesn’t just pursue comfort and success…I mean, indulges himself in every pleasure…he builds these very lavish projects…he amasses all the wealth…he becomes the envy of all.

Listen, he lives the dream…and yet in the end, he calls it all vanity. And look, I don’t mean to spoil the rest of the book for you…but that’s the theme you can expect over the next several months. “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

This morning, he’s saying our pursuit…our striving to obtain pleasure and wisdom, to find meaning in work…all of it, its ultimately gonna disappoint us if its divorced from God. God never intended for life to be mastered…He intended for it to be received.

And so, if you’re talking notes this morning…I have three points for us as we walk through chapter 2 together…Point number 1, (we see) Mankind’s universal pursuit…number 2, Mankind’s Universal Problem…and then number 3, (we see) God’s original intentions.

And so, if you’re still there with me…let’s dive into this first section together.

I. Mankind’s Universal Pursuit (vv. 1-11)

Point number 1…mankind’s universal pursuit.

If you would…pay attention to the first 11 verses here. I won’t read it all again for the sake of time…but if you look at verse 1, that kind of sets the tone for this first point. He says, “I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.”

Listen, Solomon, he’s not taking jabs at America here…he has no knowledge of the future existence of our country. He’s talking about man’s universal pursuit. Again, the American Dream, its not isolated to our country. From the moment all people begin to dream, we all start to chase after something…we chase after pleasure…and success…recognition, security.

Pay attention to verse 1…Solomon, a king who had it all, he embarks on a journey that sounds a whole lot like the story our culture tells us to pursue today.

This section, it shows us that Solomon, he tested laughter…he chased happiness in wine and music. He had all the sex a man could dream of. He says he built houses and planted gardens. He accumulated wealth. There was no one more achieved than him. He built his own personal paradise, right?

But listen, after he acquired everything his heart and the world said would make him happy, he comes to a very stark reality. Verse 11:

Ecclesiastes 2:11 ESV

Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Guys, Solomon’s holding a mirror up to our life…this isn’t just directed to kings…its intended for all mankind because all humanity’s addicted to progress and pleasure just as he was. Our culture, it tells us to chase the next thrill, or the next job promotion…that next gadget that’s coming out, the next relationship. But Solomon’s saying here, its all like cotton candy…its sweet for a moment and then its gone the next. Its vanity.

Matt Chandler, he said, “We’re a people who’ve been discipled by consumerism more than by the Word of God. We’re constantly asking, “What’s next? rather than What’s enough?”

The constant pursuit of more, its not just a modern problem…its a human one. It’s a lie from the pits of hell…its a lie that if we just had a little more of that, then life would finally feel full for us.

And listen, its not that Solomon’s condemning pleasure here. He’s pointing to our expectations of pleasure. He’s pointing to man’s problem with sin. We ask created things to give us what only the Creator can.

One author writes, “God’s deliberately made the world in such a way that satisfaction isn’t gained by pursuing it. Satisfaction is a byproduct of seeking something else.”

When we idolize the gift (as Solomon shows us in this first section), we’re ignoring the Giver. And what happens, we turn experiences and pleasures into our saviors…which in the end, it’ll always break under the weight of our expectations.

That’s the problem of sin…it causes us to place the desires of our own heart over the Creator…and it causes us to find our worth and our value in temporary things that were also created…just like us. And again, this is all mankind’s pursuit because of sin…you, as an individual, you haven’t somehow overcome this desire in your heart on your own. Paul says in Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” It’s a universal problem…and you’ll never overcome it until you realize that’s who you are at your core…and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to change that reality on your own.

Voddie Baucham, he reminds us of the underlying heart issue of mankind, “The modern man’s problem is not that he wants too much. It’s that he wants too little—too little of the right thing. He’s easily satisfied with shadows and misses the substance.”

That’s exactly what happened to Adam and Eve in the garden, right? They had everything we as Christians hope for today. And yet, they wanted to little of that thing…and they wanted more of the things Solomon says is vanity…things that were shadows and wind. Things they could never actually grab, right? They wanted to be just like God.

And listen to me, the universal pursuit of mankind, its not wrong in itself. God made us to long for beauty…He made us to long for joy and meaning. But Ecclesiastes chapter 2, its reminding us that when we pursue those things on our own terms, for our own glory, we’re just chasing the wind. Life’s not about building our own significance…it’s about receiving God’s gracious gifts…all so that it might lead to reverence and true worship…Our joy in God’s gifts, under the right pretenses, it allows us to reflect, to the rest of creation, the majesty of our great God.

When we reverse that order, we attempt to reflect our own majesty to the rest of creation…and understand that’s what mankind’s pursuit attempts to do. “Look at me…look at what I’ve accomplished…look at what I have.”

Guys, the gospel offers a better way…not the pressure to make your life matter…it offers the freedom to receive it as a gift from the One who’s already made it matter.

And so here’s a question for you, “What are you chasing? What things…or pleasures are you demanding give you a sense of worth or meaning?”

Understand that your pursuit of worldly things…its gonna leave you feeling just like Solomon in verse 11, “I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”

II. Mankind’s Universal Problem (vv. 12-23)

And here’s why…point number 2, mankind has universal problem.

As we get to verse 12, Solomon, he shifts from talking about pleasure to talk about wisdom and work. And I love what he says here to his son…, “For what can the man do…or what will the man be like (depending on translation) who comes after the king?”…And he answers, “Only what has already been done.” It’s almost like he’s saying to his son, “Don’t try to outdo me…because you can’t.” He wants his son to learn from his experiences…to learn from his mistakes…don’t repeat ‘em…don’t be like him. Solomon tried it all and no matter what he tried, it all lead him to the same place, doing the same things.

Solomon’s main point here, its not changed…he’s still talking about what man chases after…which in this case is wisdom, its knowledge, its what man can do with his hands.

Listen for many, just like it was with Solomon, by his own admission…for many of us, we think that meaning and purpose, it can be found in thinking rightly or working diligently. The American Dream (or better yet…man’s pursuit, as we just talked about), its not just about pleasures…its about us pursuing after something we’ll never be. In this case, its about being the smartest guy in the room. A lot of us, we want other people to acknowledge just how much we know. And not just about religion…but about politics…academia…whatever it is that we can show our superiority over. We put all our effort in things like work because deep down we think there’s worth and value in what we accomplish.

But listen, once again…Solomon realized the end of the road for wisdom and labor, its the same as everything else…its death.

He says in verse 15, “Then I said in my heart, ‘What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so wise?’ And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.”

Listen, Solomon’s not saying that he’s anti-wisdom…he even says in verse 13 that wisdom’s better than folly, right?…Its better to be wise just as its better to walk in light than it is darkness. But what he’s saying here…in the end, both the wise and the fool, they both go the same grave…they meet the same end. Their names fade away. Their legacies forgotten about. Their work, its inherited by someone else. And what happens next…its out of their hands.

Death is the great equalizer. Because of sin, death is mankind’s universal problem. That’s why Paul says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death…”

David Gibson writes, “Death is the preacher’s great exposé. It strips away the illusion that we’re in control, that we can build lives that last.”

Again, this is the universal problem of man. We spend our entire lives trying to build some kind of meaning, just to find out that we can’t stop what’s coming. Death, it levels every man and every woman…every CEO, every teacher, every artist, preacher…it equalizes every single human being.

Matt Chandler, he said it as bluntly as humanly possible, “You’re going to die. And people are going to eat potato salad at your funeral and then forget about you.”

Is that sobering? Yea…But guys, its necessary for you to acknowledge.

Voddie, he put it this way, “We’re not the center of the universe. We are vapor. And until we grasp the brevity of life, we’ll never understand the urgency of the gospel.”

Solomon had all the success in the world…he had all the pleasures of life…According to Jesus, Solomon was wiser than any other man. This guy had everything we all chase after today…but listen, I want you to hear the words of Solomon…forget about what our country tells us to pursue after…forget about the American Dream…forget about what you want for just a moment. Because again, even though Solomon had everything you and I want, in the end, he still ended up asking himself, “What’s the point of it all?”

Guys, that’s not just his problem…its our too.

I mean, just listen to the frustration in Solomon’s voice here. Verse 22 and 23:

Ecclesiastes 2:22–23 ESV

What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.

We work, we stress, we stay up at night plotting and planning…and yet in the end, we can’t even guarantee what happens to the fruit of our labor.

Alistair Begg, in talking about this section of text, he said, “You can amass a fortune and hand it off to a fool. You can craft a legacy and be completely misunderstood. What then was all the striving for?”

The weight of trying to secure your own legacy…your own glory…your purpose…its crushing. When work’s separated from worship…when labor becomes a tool to justify your existence…when wisdom becomes your idol…it all leads to sorrow.

Listen, we’re all on the same pursuit thinking that somehow we’re gonna master this world through our wisdom or through our work. But Solomon’s book here, its reminding us that trying to master life, in the end, it just ends up mastering us.

Listen, mankind’s universal problem, it’s not just death…its the idea that we can somehow avoid it through our own achievement, or productivity…through our wisdom. Solomon’s testimony here, its meant to bring us low…its meant to crush us. Its meant to humble us…its meant to do those things so that we might see the folly of our ways…to remind us that sin is real and that its consequences are just as real. When we fail to acknowledge sin and when we fail to acknowledge its power over us, we lose sight of God’s grace and God’s mercy in our life…and as result, we end up living just like Solomon, a life attempting to glorify ourselves rather than God…and because of that, we end up missing out on the joy and the blessings God’s planned for us right now.

David Gibson, he said, “When we accept the limits God’s placed on our lives, we become people who live wisely and joyfully within those limits.”

Listen, we have to stop pretending that we’re the author our own stories. We have to stop trying to outwit death or outwork futility. You’re not in control. God’s been gracious to you…He’s allowed you to see the truth of our situation…of our nature…He’s allowed us to see the truth about sin and what sin leads to.

But listen, while we might not have control over our life…the God of the universe, through His Spirit and by the means of His Son…He invites you and I to rest in His sovereignty.

Guys, see Solomon’s point here…he’s showing us the nature of our heart and the consequences of our pursuit…he’s showing us our universal future destiny. Quit chasing after things that are vanity…that are here one day and gone the next…things that have absolutely no eternal weight. Those things are gonna pass away just like you and me.

See your pursuit, acknowledge your problem…allow those things to show you God’s intentions for your life.

III. God’s Original Intentions (vv. 24-26)

Which moves us to our third and final point this morning…God’s original intentions.

Look at verse 24 with me again.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 ESV

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,

Now let’s just pause right there…Doesn’t this sound a little bit surprising after everything Solomon just said? I mean, he’s been hammering home the futility of pleasure…the despair we see in work…the inevitability of our death…and now, all of a sudden, he’s saying that eating, and drinking, and the enjoyment of our work, its a good thing? He says, its all “from the hand of the Lord.”

Listen, understand…he’s not contradicting himself here. The problem, it was never the gifts themselves…the problem was always our hearts. Again, the issue, its not eating or building or working hard…its not enjoying what you have…the issue, its when we allow those things to define us…to determine our identity, our worth…our purpose. Solomon’s showing us here that God’s intention was never for those things to give us meaning in and of themselves. They were always meant to point us back to the Giver.

One author put it this way, “Satisfaction is never found by chasing it. It’s found by receiving what God’s already given you with gratitude.”

And that’s what Solomon begins to recognize here…The simple, daily pleasures of life…food, work, laughter…when those things are received with the right heart posture, those things are no longer vanity…instead they’re vessels of grace…causing us to grow more deeply in our love for God.

You see, Solomon’s not contradicting anything he just said. He’s clarifying it. Life under the sun, its vanity when its lived apart from God. But life with God, a life rooted in His purposes and a life enjoyed in His presence…that’s a life full…a life meaningful…one that’s eternal.

That’s why he says in verse 25, “for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment.”

Listen, that’s not just a rhetorical question…it’s a theological bombshell. Apart from God, real joy, its impossible. You’ll never find fulfillment or satisfaction in this life. You might be apart of some happy moments…you might have moments of comfort…but listen to me, you’ll never find lasting peace. You won’t have a deep joy. Because apart from the Giver, the gift, it’ll always come up short.

Alistair Begg, he put it like this, “Joy’s not the result of getting what you want. It’s the result of receiving what God gives.”

God is a good Giver. Amen?

Look at verse 26 again:

Ecclesiastes 2:26 ESV

For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy…

Listen, don’t misunderstand that. Solomon’s not saying, “Earn God’s approval and He’ll pay you with joy.” No, this isn’t transactional in any way…it’s transformational. The one who pleases God is the one who walks in humble dependence of God…realizing their pursuit, their problem…because of sin. They realize the consequences of sin, that it leads it death…and they realize there’s nothing they can do about that problem on their own. And listen, its people who acknowledge God for who He is…they acknowledge Jesus for who He is…and they receive God’s gifts with a heart of gratitude and worship. That’s what Paul echos in Romans 12 when he says, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice…this is your spiritual act of worship.”

That’s how the gospel transforms us…it reorients our hearts to receive God’s gifts in the right order…all so that it might bring us joy and bring Him glory.

But if you read on in verse 26, did you catch what happens to the sinner? Look at verse 26 again in contrast to the one following God. Again, it says:

Ecclesiastes 2:26 ESV

For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

In other words, even the efforts of the wicked, they ultimately serve the purposes of the righteous…because without God, nothing has meaning…or purpose…nothing lasts, right? It’s all vanity. There’s no letup or peace for the sinner. They’re in this meaningless pursuit after the wind…and when they’re finally done, they have to give it all up to the one that pleases God. Because in the end, only the one’s who are righteous have eternal promises…only those that please God, through Jesus’s righteousness…only those get the inheritance and dominion of God’s kingdom.

Guys, understand…all the systems of the world…the industries…the empires that man builds…none of those things are gonna last. But listen to Solomon here, God will use the sinner’s striving to accomplish His will. And that’s not karma…that’s God’s sovereignty.

Guys, that’s the endgame Solomon’s pointing us to. A life of control, a life of striving, a life of self-made meaning…the America Dream that so many of us chase after…that kind of life, it’ll wear you out…and listen, it’ll leave you feeling empty in the end.

But a life surrendered to God…to the lordship of Jesus Christ…a life that recognizes every gift as God’s grace…that kind of life, that life is free…that life has peace.

One preacher said, “God’s not interested in your best life now. He’s interested in conforming you to the image of His Son.”

And that’s what Solomon’s slowly realizing. You can’t control the outcome. You can’t master this life. But you can live it well under God’s authority and grace…And listen, when you do that…when you live with open hands, when you find joy in your work and pleasure in your meals…when those things orient your heart to worship God…that’s a life God intended.

And so, let me ask you…what’s your posture this morning?

Are you still trying to build your life? To control every outcome?…Or are you learning to receive it all from God’s hand with humility and worship?

Guys, God’s original intention wasn’t for us to master life…it wasn’t to go out and grind for all our provisions, chasing after things that’ll never last…God’s intentions, it was for us to enjoy all of it with Him. Not apart from Him. Not as little gods of our own kingdoms. But as image-bearers, walking with our Creator, receiving His good gifts, reflecting His glory to the rest of creation.

Closing

And so listen, as we close this morning and prepare our hearts for communion…I want to bring us back to the heart of Ecclesiastes chapter 2.

We’ve seen the universal pursuit—we’re all chasing something because of sin.

We’ve seen the universal problem—none of it satisfies, none of it can stop what’s coming.

But praise God…we’ve also seen His original intention—that life wouldn’t be something we build to earn worth, but a gift we receive from His hand.

And listen—nowhere is that gift more clearly seen than at the communion table.

Because the gospel of Jesus Christ is this:

That while we were striving…He was surrendering. While we were chasing meaning in the world…He was laying down His life to give us eternal meaning. While we were trying to build something that lasts…He was preparing, for us, a kingdom that would never fade.

The table reminds us that the work is finished—not by us, but by Christ. His body broken…His blood poured out…so that we could stop striving after the wind and find rest in Him. It reminds us that the power of sin, its been defeated by the work of Christ…and so, our desire, through the Spirit of God, it can be for God. His gifts, they can bring us joy and they can allow us to worship Him in the way He deserves.

But listen, before we come to this table, let me urge you this morning as Scripture does—search your heart. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:28, “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

I want you to ask yourself this morning:

What are you clinging to that can’t save you?

What are you trying to build that God’s already offered freely?

What pleasures or pursuits have taken the place of the Giver in your life?

Communion, its not a religious ritual. It’s not a spiritual pit stop. It’s an act of worship that says, “Jesus, You are enough.”

I want you take this moment as Wendy comes and plays…confess what needs to be confessed. Surrender what needs to be surrendered. And then, come to the table—not in your own strength, but in the grace and finished work of Christ…Because guys, listen to Solomon, you don’t need to earn the gift—just receive it.

And so listen, I want you to take this time…our deacons are gonna come…Wendy’s gonna play…search your hearts…and then we’ll gather around the table in just a moment. You take this time.

[Prayer]

Matthew 26:26 (ESV)

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”

Matthew 26:27–29 (ESV)

And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”