Chasing after success
Scriptures: Ecclesiastes 3 & 4; Proverbs 4:23; 1 Kings 3:7-9; Psalm 31:14-15; John 2:7; John 2:6; Romans 5:6; James 3:16
Series: The Chase
Pastor Sam Pepper
New Day Christian Church, Port Charlotte, FL
July 5/6, 2025
- INTRODUCTION
- To understand Solomon you have to know that the Lord blessed him with two things: wisdom and wealth. But, Solomon added a third “W” – worldliness. A life of unmatched potential became a cautionary tale.
- Solomon was king of Israel for 40 years
- He wrote 3,000 proverbs, composed more than 1,000 songs
- Spoke with unmatched wisdom on nearly every topic. Rulers from across the world sent envoys to hear him speak.
- King Solomon was a multi-billionaire. You could compare him to someone like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos’, but more fittingly, one of the Saudi princes. He had so much silver the Bible tells us he made it as common as rocks in Jerusalem.
- He built parks, buildings, and cities for his enjoyment. His crowning achievement was the Temple in Jerusalem.
- His kingship was peaceful and prosperous.
This was success like Israel had never experienced.
We all want to be successful. For some of us, it’s pushing our kids to achieve what we never did. For others, it’s landing the corner office with the window or climbing the org chart. Sometimes success feels like the right certificate on the wall, number in our bank account, or followers on social media. Maybe for you, it’s about image – being seen, noticed, or admired. Maybe you believe your worth comes from what you do, not who you are. Maybe you’re building a life that looks successful on the outside…but feels hollow on the inside.
Solomon fell into the same trap. From building wealth to building projects Solomon chased success. And he learned that chasing something other than God will always leave you feeling empty.
We’re going to be in Ecclesiastes chapters 3 and 4. Solomon gives us four wake-up calls, warnings, to help us avoid the Success Trap.
- EVERYTHING HAS A SEASON (ECCLESIASTES 3:1-8, 11)
Beginning in chapter 3, verse 1, Solomon writes,
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
A few verses later in the first half of verse 11 he concluded,
“11 He has made everything beautiful in its time…”
Solomon, even as king, isn’t spared the seasons of life.
Are you making the most of your current season or are you impatiently forcing a new one?
Solomon’s father, King David, wrote,
“But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hands…”
Wake Up call #1: You force your own timing, rather than trust in God’s
Even Jesus had to trust in God’s timing. On more than one occasion Jesus referenced this.
In John 2:4 Jesus told his own mother, “Woman, why do you involve me?…My hour has not yet come.”
In John 7:6 Jesus told his own brothers, “My time is not yet here…”
Jesus had plenty of things he needed to accomplish in his short life on this earth, but he had to do it in God’s timing – not his own. Not someone else’s. And because he was faithful in that, we read the blessings that came from it. Passages like Romans 5:6 it says,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
God’s timing is more important than your timing. Stay in the right season. Trust His timing.
Every time we rush to do things on our own, there are consequences. Have you noticed that?
Have you ever rushed into a decision out of impatience, rather than taking time to wait, pray, and seek wise counsel first?
- A CRUEL PLACE FULL OF OPPRESSION AND INJUSTICE (ECCLESIASTES 4:1-2)
Ecclesiastes 4:1-2 says,
Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.
2 And I declared that the dead,
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.
King Solomon is noting that the world is tough. It’s cruel. It’s not safe. People will take advantage of you. They will use you. They will oppress you. He goes as far as saying that it’s so bad, the dead are better off than the living!
What’s interesting is that while King Solomon is recognizing the oppression people face, he’s failing to recognize that he had become one of the worst oppressors of them all.
In Solomon’s early season as king God came to him in a dream and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” [1 Kings 3:5 NIV]
How would you answer that?
Listen to Solomon’s response.1 Kings 3:7-9 says,
7 “Now, Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. 8 Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. 9 So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
Solomon recognized that his position on the throne was not something he earned—it was a gift from God. He saw himself as a servant, not an owner.
Over time, Solomon’s humility gave way to pride. The comforter would become the oppressor.
The Bible tells us King Solomon taxed the people heavily and then forced tens of thousands of people into labor to build the Lord’s Temple, the royal palace, the supporting terraces, the wall of Jerusalem, and the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer. In other words, the very people he asked God to help him to rule fairly and serve well, he turned into his personal slaves.
Solomon’s purpose was to serve the people well, but his ego drove him to turn them into slaves for his pet projects.
WAKE UP CALL #2: YOU ALLOW YOUR PRIDE TO OVERCOME YOUR PURPOSE
Pride will replace Jesus if you let it. And your ego will replace the mission and purpose he’s given you. Here’s how that plays out in everyday life if you allow it to.
One greater than King Solomon, King Jesus, said, “The greatest among you must be the servant of all.”
- A Competitive Place Where Envy Drives Our Decisions (Ecclesiastes 4:4)
4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Solomon noticed envy is a big motivator for our achievements.
WAKE UP CALL #3: YOUR ENVY OF OTHERS DRIVES YOUR DECISIONS
James 3:16 says,
“For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.”
God tells us in the Bible the penalty for our sin is death. And instead of death, look at how generous our Lord is. Every breath is a gift. Every day is an opportunity. Our very lives are more than we deserve.
- A Lonely Place Where People Aren’t Working Together (Ecclesiastes 4:7-12)
WAKE UP CALL #4: YOUR WORK LEADS TO LONELINESS
Too many people are going it alone – to the detriment of themselves and everyone around them.
Ecclesiastes 4:7-12 says,
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
We don’t know whether Solomon intended for us to see the 3rd strand as God himself or just three friends.
But the point is that when we’re isolated, we’re vulnerable. And this is exactly where the devil wants us to be. The Bible describes the devil as a lion that prowls around looking for someone to devour. You know which animals the lions go after…the ones that can’t keep up with the herd.
We’re at our strongest when we stop trying to do life on our own. Strength comes not from independence, but from connection — staying rooted in church, showing up for worship, leaning into community, and pouring into our families. These relationships offer a kind of support we simply can’t manufacture alone.
- CONCLUSION
Let’s wake-up from the trap of chasing success. Let’s choose purpose over pride, gratitude over envy, community over isolation, and God’s timing over our own.
At just the right time, Christ died for the ungodly—that includes you and me. He came to free us from the chase and give us lasting peace and purpose. Will you trust Him?