Our Greatest Ambition
Ecclesiastes: Wisdom for the Weary • Sermon • Submitted
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Intro
- Illustration- Lance Armstrong- what a success story- diagnosed with cancer in 1996- went on to win the Tour de France in 1999, but he didn’t stop there! He continued to win for 7 straight years making him one of the best cyclists of all time
o But most people can’t think of Lance Armstrong’s success without thinking of his greatest failure
§ After repeatedly denying accusations, he finally admitted to using performance enhancing drugs during all 7 of his Tour de France victories
§ His desire for success that pushed him in so many positive ways, when left unchecked, ultimately lead to the destruction of his career
- Ambition defined- A strong desire to do or achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work
- In life, ambition can be a positive motivator to help us accomplish great things, to help others around us, and to pursue what God has for our lives, but if we are not careful, it can also lead to our own destruction
- Ambition usually begins with picturing where we want to be. By contemplating what we truly desire.
o And if we desire that thing badly enough, we will do what it takes to get it!
o So much depends on what we set our sights on, what drives us
- So, as Christians, is ambition good or bad
o Well, it really comes down to our heart- glorify God or selfish motives
- Worldly ambition can pull us away from living the life God intended us to pursue, but godly ambition drives us to pursue a life that glorifies God above all else.
- So how do we distinguish worldly ambition from godly ambition?
o In Ecc. 4 Solomon identifies some of the most common ways this world hijacks our ambitions and lays out the inevitable consequences of ambition gone awry
o This morning we are going to look at how a life of balance, dependence, and wisdom can guard against worldly ambition and push us toward our ultimate pursuit of giving God the glory he deserves
First we see Solomon’s warning against pursuing…
Worldly Ambition over Balance (4-6)
Worldly Ambition over Balance (4-6)
A. The danger of competition
Illustration- I’m a competitive person, and I see it in my kids- can’t just choose one winner
- Our desire to win usually doesn’t stop there- elevate ourselves over others
1. Hard work can often be motivated by a desire to be better than those around us
a. Working hard is good, but why? Not just the works of our hands, it matters what’s in our hearts
2. What drives our competitive spirit is often envy (4)
a. Some interpreters want to say this is positive meaning a beneficial rivalry that drives success in the marketplace, essentially the Bible's endorsement of capitalism
b. But there is no positive spin on this
(1) Prov. 14:30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.
3. At the end of the day, It’s driven by covetousness
a. We want what others have. Not just stuff, but influence, glory, honor, recognition
On the opposite end we have…
B. The danger of laziness (5)
1. The slow, comfortable path to destruction
2. Motivated by comfort and pleasure
3. No drive
4. The end result is self-destruction- "eats his own flesh"
C. The importance of Balance (6)
1. Profit/success/gain in one hand and quietness in the other
2. Contentment is the antidote to envy
a. Content with what we have in this life
b. Our work should never consume us or define us
3. Prov. 15:16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble with it.
4. Mark 8:36-37 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? 37 For what can a man give in return for his soul?
Worldly Ambition over Dependence
Worldly Ambition over Dependence
A. The danger of independence
1. Independence day- we tend to view this quality in a positive light here in America
a. But in many places around the world, independence as a personal aspiration is looked at as a weakness- we see this in Solomon’s description
2. Here we have a picture of someone who is completely consumed with success and pursuing his ambition, but at great cost (7-8)
a. Illustration- Scrooge- solitary- he didn't want to share his profit with anyone
- The ghost of the future shows him what happens to all his stuff when he's gone
3. Worldly ambition can drive us into isolation
B. We were made for relationships and community
1. With one another and with God
2. Two are better than one (9-12)
a. Companionship is better than isolation
(1) Solitude can be good, but it should not define our lives
- Why?
3. We can accomplish more together (9)
a. This is true in life, but especially true in the church- Steven, volunteers
b. What are you trying to accomplish alone?
4. We can help those in need (10)
a. We can lift each other up when we fall. Isolation can drive us deeper into sin
b. Gal. 6:1-2 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
5. Comfort one another (11)
a. Not a verse to try to get someone to marry you
b. Traveling on the road- a man could freeze alone, but together there is comfort
c. 1 Thess. 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
6. We can stand together for what is right (12)
a. Protection- there is safety in numbers
(1) Illustration of an animal separated from the pack
b. A threefold cord is not quickly broken
(1) Picture of strength in unity
C. The importance of the church
1. Is church a priority to you?
2. Don’t let worldly ambition, or a desire for independence, being self sufficient, keep you from being a part of a God-honoring church community
3. That doesn’t mean just showing up on Sundays
a. It requires working together, helping one another, and standing together for what is right- this is why we have church membership
- Finally Solomon issues a warning against pursuing…
Worldly Ambition over Wisdom (13-16)
Worldly Ambition over Wisdom (13-16)
A. Power and influence cannot be our goal
1. Contrast between the two characters in vs. 13
a. Poor-king, young- old, wise-foolish
b. All of the youth's perceived roadblocks in life are overcome by wisdom
c. The foolishness of the king is evidenced in his refusal to take advice
(1) Prov. 15:22 “Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”
2. There are many in positions of influence that are not wise and do not lead well
a. Politics, business, sadly even the church
3. "Wealth and position are no guarantee of success, and poverty and seeming failure are no barriers to achievement. The key is wisdom."- Wiersbe
B. If we pursue wisdom, we must learn to take advice
C. Ambition for popularity will lead to our own destruction (16)
Conclusion
Conclusion
- So what is your ambition? What drives you?
o Solomon paints a bleak picture of worldly ambition, so why would anyone pursue it?
o When we chase after worldly ambition, we buy into the lie that we can find satisfaction and meaning in the things of this world
- Look back at our definition of ambition- requires determination and hard work
o But here’s the thing. If we have a relationship with God, our greatest “achievement” didn’t come as a result of our hard work and determination
o In fact, we can’t take any credit at all- our salvation and right standing with God is not a result of our good works, but rather a result of Christ’s sufficient sacrifice for us
o Only Jesus can transform our worldly ambition into godly ambition. Our desire for success, power, wealth, into a desire to live for the glory of God
- “True ambition is not what we thought it was. True ambition is the profound desire to live usefully and walk humbly under the grace of God.” Bill Wilson
- As followers of Christ, we should have one primary motivation in the way that we live- God’s glory
o 1 Cor. 10:31 “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”
o But what does that really mean? It can be ambiguous- just something we say
o It means exactly what Solomon has been focusing on- getting our focus off of the temporal things of this world (things under the sun) and onto the things above that truly matter
§ This does not mean that we detach ourselves from everything that’s going on around us, but it does mean that we have a vastly different perspective
· We pursue balance because it allows us to focus on what is most important
· We pursue community because it motivates us to grow in our relationship with God and keeps us accountable in our walk with Him
· We pursue wisdom because it keeps us on the path that he has set before us
o Paul shares his greatest ambitions in life
§ Rom. 15:20 “and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel”
· Our mission
§ 2 Cor. 5:9 “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim (ambition NASB) to please him.”
§ Why do we pursue these things?
· Because we realize that there is more to life than this temporal world, and we will be held accountable for how we choose to live
· 10-11 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”
o But we also pursue these things, God’s glory, the mission he has given us, living a life pleasing to him, because it is the only pursuit in which we can find lasting satisfaction
§ Jesus, knowing our innate desire for satisfaction said in Matt. 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”