Baptism | Chasing After the Win - Pastor Greg Mah (full service)

Devotional

Day 1: When the Applause Fades and Kimchi Remains

The thrill of achievement often leaves a hollow echo. After months of preparation, a moment of glory passes, and what remains is the quiet question: "Was it worth it?" Like a dance performance that ends in wandering a festival, our pursuits can leave us tasting emptiness instead of fulfillment. Even good things—relationships, dreams, reputation—fail to satisfy when we expect them to fill a soul-sized void. The ache of anticlimax reveals a deeper hunger, one that outlasts fleeting victories. True meaning isn’t found in what evaporates but in what endures. [27:14]

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.
(Ecclesiastes 2:11, ESV)

Reflection: What “three minutes of glory” have you pursued that left you feeling empty? How might this emptiness point you toward something lasting?

Day 2: The Elusive Grasp of Wind-Chasing

Wind slips through open fingers, leaving only a memory of its touch. We chase careers, followers, or milestones, convinced they’ll anchor us, only to find them as insubstantial as air. Like Solomon surveying his achievements, we discover our striving feels like clutching at breezes—exhausting and futile. Even good desires twist into restless hunger when disconnected from their source. The futility isn’t a flaw in the world but a signpost: we’re made for more than what fades. [28:03]

I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
(Ecclesiastes 1:14, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you straining to grasp something that keeps slipping away? How might releasing it create space for what truly remains?

Day 3: Desire’s Whisper of Another World

A thirst no earthly drink quenches hints at a deeper reality. C.S. Lewis called this ache “news from a country we’ve never visited.” Our unmet longings—for purpose, connection, joy—aren’t failures but clues. They point beyond the temporary, like a compass needle trembling toward true north. The psalmist found this in God’s presence, where joy isn’t a fleeting spark but an unending flame. Eternal pleasures aren’t postponed; they begin now in the One who outlasts time. [31:05]

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
(Psalm 16:11, ESV)

Reflection: What unmet desire feels like a “news from another country”? How might this longing draw you closer to God today?

Day 4: Eternal Life as the Unfading Win

Eternal life isn’t a distant reward but a current reality. It’s the joy of being fully known, fully loved, and irrevocably held—starting now. Jesus’ sacrifice tore the veil between fleeting and forever, offering a life that death cannot dim. Like a tree planted by streams, this life deepens roots while bearing fruit. John 3:16 isn’t a slogan but an invitation: believe, and step into a story where every chapter matters. [34:13]

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16, ESV)

Reflection: How does “eternal life” reshape your view of today’s struggles or joys? What would it look like to live this day as part of that forever story?

Day 5: Chasing Wins, Not Wind, as God’s Family

Churches, like individuals, can mistake growth for glory. Crowds, programs, and budgets may bloom like weeds—impressive but shallow. True wins are quieter: a heart softened, a doubt surrendered, a life reborn. Baptism declares this shift: death to self, alive in Christ. Celebrating these moments isn’t about noise but noticing where eternity breaks through. The kingdom grows in whispers, not trophies. [36:37]

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.
(Matthew 6:19-20, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you confused “treasure on earth” with “treasure in heaven” in your spiritual life? How can you celebrate an eternal “win” this week?

Sermon Summary

The search for meaning does not always lead toward obviously bad things. Relationships, a good reputation, health, and even religion can become places where people look for deep satisfaction. Those things may be good, but they cannot carry the weight of giving life its lasting purpose. Months of work can lead to three minutes of glory, followed by the empty question of what comes next.

Ecclesiastes calls that experience “chasing after the wind.” Achievement feels real for a moment, and it may even feel good, but it cannot be held. The dream job gives way to another dream. A higher salary creates a higher target. The thing that seemed like enough turns out not to be enough at all.

Lasting meaning requires something that can still be enjoyed fifty years later, a hundred years later, and beyond death itself. The desire that nothing in this world can satisfy points toward another world. Eternal life is not merely life that keeps going. It is the never-ending joy of relationship with God the Creator. Psalm 16 locates fullness of joy and eternal pleasure in his presence.

Jesus makes that life available by dying for sin. The death that sin deserves falls on Christ, and those who receive God’s gift by faith receive forgiveness and eternal life. John 3:16 holds out the hope that believers will not perish but enjoy God forever.

Churches can chase wind too. Large crowds, beautiful buildings, and busy programs can create a false sense of health. The real wins are changed hearts, renewed minds, and people entering eternal life. Baptism publicly declares that the old life has ended and new life with Christ has begun. That crossing from death to life deserves a celebration far greater than a crowd’s excitement over a ball crossing a line.

Key Takeaways

1. Good Things Cannot Carry Ultimate Meaning. Relationships, reputation, and control over life do not have to be bad things to become misplaced sources of purpose. The trouble begins when they are expected to provide the deep satisfaction they cannot sustain. Their limits expose the difference between enjoying something good and depending on it to make life meaningful. [21:55]
2. Achievement Cannot End The Chase. Ecclesiastes names the letdown after accomplishment as “chasing after the wind.” A goal can be reached without the heart finding rest, because the next salary, opportunity, or measure of recognition soon takes its place. Recognizing that pattern challenges the assumption that one more achievement will finally be enough. [28:03]
3. Eternal Life Means Enjoying God Forever. Lasting satisfaction is more than a good experience stretched across a few years. Psalm 16 places joy and eternal pleasure in God’s presence, where relationship with the Creator does not disappear when earthly life ends. Christ’s death for sin opens that life as a gift received by faith, not another accomplishment to chase. [32:03]
4. Church Health Requires More Than Growth. Large crowds and full calendars can give a church a false sense of success. Fast growth alone proves little, just as a yard full of weeds is not a healthy garden. The victories worth pursuing are people coming to Christ, minds being renewed, and hearts being changed by God’s love. [36:06]
5. Baptism Celebrates A Crossing Into Life. Baptism declares the end of the old life and the beginning of eternal life with Christ. Its significance rests in faith in Jesus, whose death means that believers will not perish. A crowd may erupt when a ball crosses a line, but a person crossing from death to life gives the church a far greater reason to celebrate. [38:45]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[21:55] - Looking for Meaning in Good Things
[22:32] - Three Minutes of Glory
[27:44] - Ecclesiastes and Chasing the Wind
[30:15] - Satisfaction That Lasts Beyond Death
[31:46] - Eternal Joy in God’s Presence
[32:38] - Christ’s Death and the Gift of Life
[35:29] - When Churches Chase the Wind
[36:37] - The Wins That Really Matter
[37:38] - Baptism and New Life in Christ
[38:45] - Celebrating the Crossing From Death to Life

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Ecclesiastes 2:11
“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.” [27:55]

Psalm 16:11
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” [32:03]

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” [33:31]

Observation questions

What pattern appears in the examples of getting a dream job, gaining followers, and reaching a salary goal? How does that pattern connect with Ecclesiastes 2:11? [28:35]
In Psalm 16:11, where does the psalmist find joy, and how does that joy differ from the satisfaction of reaching a goal? [32:03]
In the explanation of John 3:16, what does Jesus do about sin, and how does a person receive the life he offers? [32:38]
What signs of changed lives were contrasted with large crowds, beautiful buildings, and busy church programs? How do those signs connect with the hope of John 3:16? [36:37]

Interpretation questions

Why can a good thing, such as a relationship or a good reputation, become a form of chasing wind? How does Ecclesiastes 2:11 help distinguish enjoying something from depending on it for lasting meaning? [22:07]
How does Psalm 16:11 help explain why eternal life is more than simply living forever? What difference does being in relationship with God make? [31:46]
How does receiving eternal life as a gift through faith challenge the mindset of someone who feels that worth must always be earned through achievement? [33:01]
In light of John 3:16, why is a baptism worth celebrating so deeply? What is the person publicly declaring, rather than earning, through baptism? [37:45]

Application questions

Which good thing—perhaps a relationship, your reputation, your health, or religious activity—are you most tempted to depend on for a sense of worth? What might help you enjoy that gift without asking it to give your life ultimate meaning? [22:07]
Can you remember reaching a goal and soon wondering what came next? As you think about a goal you are pursuing now, what would help you approach it without expecting it to finally make you feel complete? [28:35]
Psalm 16:11 places lasting joy in God’s presence. When have you experienced joy in knowing God? What is one realistic way you could make room to enjoy that relationship this week? [32:19]
Where do you find yourself trying to earn God’s acceptance rather than trusting what Jesus has done? How might receiving forgiveness and life as a gift change the way you respond to a failure this week? [33:01]
When you think about our church’s health, what tends to catch your attention first: attendance, activities, or changed lives? What evidence of God changing someone’s heart could you notice and encourage this week? [37:14]
Baptism celebrates new life with Christ. What has your own baptism—or witnessing someone else’s—meant to you? How could you help someone taking that step feel celebrated and supported beyond the day itself? [39:14]

Sermon Clips

33s

#WinningSouls

“At the end of the day, I realized God doesn't really care so much about how many bodies we can bring into a building. I think what he really cares about is how many individuals are entering into eternity. Like, many souls are being won over for Christ, how many hearts are being changed and transformed, and lives are being saved by the love of God. Those are the wins.”

36s

#EternalJoy

“And I think he's absolutely right. I believe that meaning, as we learn in the scriptures, is really found in that which provides the deepest satisfaction for the longest period of time. And I don't think we could find that in anything else other than eternal life. Never ending joy, namely the everlasting thrill of being in relationship with God our creator. I think that's where our meaning lies.”

35s

#GraceThroughFaith

“the bible says that he dies that death for us, for the wages of sin. In other words, the consequence for your sin and mine is is supposed to be death, eternal death, and yet Christ came to do that death for us, to forgive us completely. And if we accept that by faith, and we receive that gift from God, the Bible says that in that moment of faith we are not just joined with God, but we enjoy him forever. We enjoy it forever.”

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