Bible Text: Gene\u00adsis 3:6+7 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | Eve was tempt\u00aded by the ser\u00adpent in the Gar\u00adden of Eden on three levels: Greed, ava\u00adri\u00adce and osten\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon. The\u00adse are the same tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons we still encoun\u00adter today and seem to be the apt respon\u00adse to our lon\u00adging for hap\u00adpi\u00adness. The result is ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly shame and defi\u00adcit. Peo\u00adp\u00adle do not beco\u00adme hap\u00adpy through exter\u00adnal things, but in love for God and in being for other people.<\/p>\n
Hans had ser\u00adved his boss faithful\u00adly for seven years and recei\u00adved a lump of gold as big as his head as a reward. On his way home, he exch\u00adan\u00adged the gold for a hor\u00adse, then the hor\u00adse for a cow, the cow for a pig, then the pig for a goo\u00adse and the goo\u00adse for a whe\u00adts\u00adtone. After the whe\u00adts\u00adtone acci\u00adden\u00adtal\u00adly sank in a well, he than\u00adked God: \u00abI am the hap\u00adpiest man in the world,\u00bb he cried and wan\u00adde\u00adred home to his mother with a light heart and free of all bur\u00addens. Alt\u00adhough Hans had less and less, he beca\u00adme hap\u00adpier and hap\u00adpier. To what ext\u00adent does this para\u00adble have a ker\u00adnel of truth? \tDesi\u00adre for phy\u00adsi\u00adcal gra\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon (greed): This is the desi\u00adre to satis\u00adfy phy\u00adsi\u00adcal needs, the desi\u00adre for sen\u00adsu\u00adal plea\u00adsu\u00adre. Such desi\u00adre also cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adri\u00adses sexua\u00adli\u00adty, but is not limi\u00adt\u00aded to it. It is about a desi\u00adre to have and to enjoy that is focu\u00adsed on ones\u00adelf. The Mil\u00adka com\u00admer\u00adcial \u00abThe swee\u00adtest tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon sin\u00adce cho\u00adco\u00adla\u00adte was inven\u00adted\u00bb fits this area. When the ser\u00adpent tempt\u00aded Eve, he did it in the\u00adse three are\u00adas. When the devil tempt\u00aded Jesus in the desert, his attacks were also aimed at the\u00adse three areas. \tThe ser\u00adpent tempt\u00aded Eve in the are\u00adas of aes\u00adthe\u00adtic beau\u00adty, deli\u00adca\u00adte tas\u00adte and hig\u00adher sta\u00adtus through cle\u00adver\u00adness. Whe\u00adre do you expe\u00adri\u00adence cor\u00adre\u00adspon\u00adding temptations? Bible Text: Gene\u00adsis 3:6+7 | Pre\u00ada\u00adcher: Mat\u00adthi\u00adas Alt\u00adwegg | Series: Like you and me | Eve was tempt\u00aded by the ser\u00adpent in the Gar\u00adden of Eden on three levels: Greed, ava\u00adri\u00adce and osten\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon. The\u00adse are the same tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons we still encoun\u00adter today and seem to be the apt respon\u00adse to our lon\u00adging for hap\u00adpi\u00adness. The result\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","wpfc-sermon-single","post-2838","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nSweet temptation
\nMany peo\u00adp\u00adle are con\u00adcer\u00adned with being hap\u00adpy, fee\u00adling an inner peace, being ser\u00ade\u00adne and cheerful. But no less many belie\u00adve that they have to defi\u00adne their hap\u00adpi\u00adness extern\u00adal\u00adly. They think that if they were suc\u00adcessful, they would be hap\u00adpy. Equip\u00adped with this mind\u00adset, Eve stood befo\u00adre the for\u00adbidden tree at the very begin\u00adning of human histo\u00adry: \u00abThe woman saw: the fruit was so fresh, deli\u00adcious and temp\u00adting \u2013 and it would make her wise! So she took a fruit, bit into it and gave it to her hus\u00adband. Then he also ate of the fruit\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 3:6 NL<\/span>). It all starts with the eyes. Eve sees some\u00adthing that is aes\u00adthe\u00adti\u00adcal\u00adly beau\u00adtiful, tas\u00adtes deli\u00adcious and makes her smart. All things that pro\u00admi\u00adse hap\u00adpi\u00adness: Plea\u00adsu\u00adre of the pala\u00adte, sen\u00adsu\u00adal plea\u00adsu\u00adre and sta\u00adtus. Here we encoun\u00adter a prin\u00adci\u00adple that still works today.
\nA few thousand years later, John was to wri\u00adte: \u00abFor the world knows only the desi\u00adre for phy\u00adsi\u00adcal gra\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adti\u00adon, greed for ever\u00ady\u00adthing our eyes see, and pri\u00adde in our pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons. All this is not from the Father, but comes from the world\u00bb (1 John 2:16 NL<\/span>).<\/p>\n
\n\tGreed for ever\u00ady\u00adthing our eyes see (ava\u00adri\u00adce): This means the desi\u00adre to pos\u00adsess and accu\u00admu\u00adla\u00adte mate\u00adri\u00adal goods. We see the beau\u00adtiful clo\u00adthes in the cata\u00adlo\u00adgue, the neighbour\u2019s e\u2011bike, the beau\u00adtiful house or the much more soulful hus\u00adband of the colleague.
\n\tPri\u00adde in our pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons (osten\u00adta\u00adti\u00adon): We are preoc\u00adcu\u00adp\u00adied with our own sta\u00adtus and want to be more. Insta\u00adgram is insti\u00adtu\u00adtio\u00adna\u00adli\u00adsing this tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon. Ever\u00adyo\u00adne pres\u00adents them\u00adsel\u00adves in the best light and shows off their pos\u00adses\u00adsi\u00adons and skills.<\/p>\n
\nAs ear\u00adly as the 5th cen\u00adtu\u00adry BC<\/span>, the\u00adre was a mino\u00adri\u00adty of phi\u00adlo\u00adso\u00adphers, the so-cal\u00adled hedo\u00adnists. They held the opi\u00adni\u00adon that a good life con\u00adsis\u00adted of con\u00adsum\u00ading as many imme\u00addia\u00adte plea\u00adsu\u00adres as pos\u00adsi\u00adble. The word hedo\u00adni\u00adstic means joy, plea\u00adsu\u00adre, delight, sen\u00adsu\u00adal desi\u00adre. Most phi\u00adlo\u00adso\u00adphers held that imme\u00addia\u00adte plea\u00adsu\u00adres were base, deca\u00addent, even ani\u00adma\u00adli\u00adstic. What con\u00adsti\u00adtu\u00adted a good life were abo\u00adve all the so-cal\u00adled hig\u00adher plea\u00adsu\u00adres. Only an hono\u00adura\u00adble or vir\u00adtuous life was a good life.
\nBit\u00adter disappointment
\nEva, at any rate, expec\u00adted a lot from the enjoy\u00adment of the fruit. Like you and me. But things tur\u00adned out dif\u00adfer\u00adent\u00adly: \u00abAt that moment their eyes were ope\u00adned and they sud\u00adden\u00adly rea\u00adli\u00adsed that they were naked. So they wove fig lea\u00adves tog\u00ade\u00adther and made them\u00adsel\u00adves loin\u00adcloths\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 3:7 NL<\/span>). Exci\u00adting! Tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adon work\u00aded through the eyes (\u00abthe woman saw\u00bb). But it was only here that Adam and Eve\u2019s eyes were ope\u00adned. And what they saw was frus\u00adt\u00adra\u00adting: shame, defi\u00adcit and effort. Ins\u00adtead of hap\u00adpier, their lives beca\u00adme hea\u00advier and more laborious.
\nIn an artic\u00adle on hap\u00adpi\u00adness rese\u00adarch I read that start\u00ading with the hap\u00adpi\u00adness level of the blood, the sero\u00adto\u00adnin level, the\u00adre are few exter\u00adnal events that can redu\u00adce or rai\u00adse the level over a long peri\u00adod of time. You can lose a foot, get the news that you are infer\u00adti\u00adle, or watch your house burn down. Sero\u00adto\u00adnin levels drop spon\u00adta\u00adneous\u00adly as a result of such strokes of fate, but six months later you are as hap\u00adpy or unhap\u00adpy as befo\u00adre. It is simi\u00adlar when you buy an even big\u00adger house or a more expen\u00adsi\u00adve car. Dan Gil\u00adbert calls this the psy\u00adcho\u00adlo\u00adgi\u00adcal immu\u00adne system.
\nTrue happiness
\nRese\u00adar\u00adchers had found out that it is other things that are decisi\u00adve for the fee\u00adling of hap\u00adpi\u00adness. One of the most important cau\u00adses is said to be a good mar\u00adria\u00adge. Spea\u00adking of mar\u00adria\u00adge; the Bible says some\u00adthing very simi\u00adlar, even though it does not refer to mar\u00adria\u00adge as the com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty of a man and a woman. But here too it is about a sta\u00adble, las\u00adting rela\u00adti\u00adonship: \u00abHap\u00adpy are tho\u00adse who are invi\u00adted to the wed\u00adding feast of the Lamb\u00bb (Reve\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon 19:9 NL<\/span>). So who is invi\u00adted to this wed\u00adding feast? The con\u00adti\u00adnua\u00adtion of the pas\u00adsa\u00adge from John quo\u00adted abo\u00adve says: \u00abBut this world is pas\u00adsing away with all its tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons. But whoe\u00adver does the will of God will live fore\u00adver\u00bb (1 John 2:17 NL<\/span>). Being invi\u00adted to the mar\u00adria\u00adge sup\u00adper of the Lamb and living for eter\u00adni\u00adty are syn\u00adonyms. The con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon is that we do the will of God, which is ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly about living in a per\u00adso\u00adnal rela\u00adti\u00adonship with Jesus, the Lamb of God.
\nThis tog\u00ade\u00adther\u00adness with God makes us per\u00adma\u00adnent\u00adly hap\u00adpy. God and man \u2013 they fit tog\u00ade\u00adther like a ves\u00adsel and its lid. Blai\u00adse Pas\u00adcal spo\u00adke of a God-shaped vacu\u00adum in man, a lon\u00adging, a desi\u00adre that can only be fil\u00adled by God. Any\u00adthing that can also be taken away from you is not a fac\u00adtor of hap\u00adpi\u00adness. Good Hans in hap\u00adpi\u00adness had cor\u00adrect\u00adly reco\u00adg\u00adnis\u00aded this. Hap\u00adpi\u00adness can\u00adnot be achie\u00adved through depen\u00adden\u00adci\u00ades on exter\u00adnal things. Hap\u00adpi\u00adness means an inner sta\u00adte. When I am in harm\u00ado\u00adny with God and \u2013 as a con\u00adse\u00adquence \u2013 with mys\u00adelf, then I am hap\u00adpy. And when my life beco\u00admes a bles\u00adsing for others, I feel hap\u00adpy. It is not in revol\u00adving around mys\u00adelf and my needs that I beco\u00adme hap\u00adpy, but when I ser\u00adve others and awa\u00adken life in them.
\nThis is exact\u00adly what Paul is tal\u00adking about when you hear him say the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing in a text whe\u00adre he talks about all his hard\u00adships: \u00abOur heart is full of sor\u00adrow, and yet we are con\u00adstant\u00adly expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adcing new joy. We are poor, but we make others rich. We pos\u00adsess not\u00adhing, yet we have ever\u00ady\u00adthing\u00bb (2 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 6:10 NL<\/span>). This sounds absurd: How can someone who has a heart full of sor\u00adrow and pos\u00ads\u00ades\u00adses not\u00adhing, yet con\u00adstant\u00adly have new joy \u2013 that is, be hap\u00adpy? By making others rich! David also speaks of this: \u00abHap\u00adpy is he who stands by others in need!\u00bb (Psalm 41:2 NG\u00dc<\/span>).
\nHow enjoya\u00adble are the fol\u00adlo\u00adwing acti\u00advi\u00adties for you? Give values bet\u00adween 0 (no plea\u00adsu\u00adre) and 10 (grea\u00adtest plea\u00adsu\u00adre): Your favou\u00adri\u00adte cho\u00adco\u00adla\u00adte, fight\u00ading for your coun\u00adtry in war, accom\u00adpany\u00ading a per\u00adson in need, indul\u00adging in your hob\u00adby, rai\u00adsing child\u00adren, tel\u00adling unchurched peo\u00adp\u00adle about Jesus, stop\u00adping glo\u00adbal warm\u00ading, sex, wat\u00adching the World Cup, visi\u00adting a per\u00adson in an at-risk group, a spa holi\u00adday in the Carib\u00adbe\u00adan. Most peo\u00adp\u00adle rate sex, cho\u00adco\u00adla\u00adte, the World Cup and well\u00adness at 9 or 10, while rai\u00adsing child\u00adren is found at 2 or 3. Fol\u00adlow-up ques\u00adti\u00adon: How meaningful do you think the abo\u00adve acti\u00advi\u00adties are? Again, give values bet\u00adween 0 and 10. For most peo\u00adp\u00adle, the order now looks quite dif\u00adfe\u00adrent. Hmmm. What real\u00adly counts now? Which acti\u00advi\u00adties make for a hap\u00adpy life \u2013 the \u00abplea\u00adsura\u00adble\u00bb ones or the \u00abmeaningful\u00bb ones? A Har\u00advard psy\u00adcho\u00adlo\u00adgist gives an ans\u00adwer in a remar\u00adkab\u00adly crass way: \u00abThe Nazi war cri\u00admi\u00adnal sun\u00adbathing on an Argen\u00adti\u00adne beach is not real\u00adly hap\u00adpy, while the pious mis\u00adsio\u00adna\u00adry who has just been eaten ali\u00adve by can\u00adni\u00adbals is happy.\u00bb
\nBles\u00adsed to be a bles\u00adsing. A per\u00adson who has fil\u00adled his vacu\u00adum with God has found the mea\u00adning of life. From this he can live a meaningful life and beco\u00adme a bles\u00adsing to others. Which per\u00adson in need could you stand by in the coming week? Don\u2019t do it for sel\u00adfi\u00adsh reasons, becau\u00adse you are see\u00adking hap\u00adpi\u00adness. Do it out of love and hap\u00adpi\u00adness will find you!
\n
\nJames aptly sum\u00adma\u00adri\u00adses today\u2019s ser\u00admon in his let\u00adter: \u00abHap\u00adpy is the one who pati\u00adent\u00adly endu\u00adres the tri\u00adals of faith. When he has pro\u00adved hims\u00adelf, he will recei\u00adve the eter\u00adnal life God has pro\u00admi\u00adsed to tho\u00adse who love him\u00bb (James 1:12 NL<\/span>). Like Eve, we will face many tempt\u00ada\u00adti\u00adons. Let us never belie\u00adve when gre\u00adat hap\u00adpi\u00adness is pre\u00adsen\u00adted to us through exter\u00adnal things or pres\u00adti\u00adge. Ins\u00adtead, you can say, \u00abLie, you are expo\u00adsed!\u00bb Ever\u00adyo\u00adne beco\u00admes hap\u00adpy in love for God and in being the\u00adre for other peo\u00adp\u00adle. This is worth focu\u00adsing on!
\n
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRea\u00adding the Bible text: Gene\u00adsis 3:1\u20137<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat truths are hid\u00adden in the sto\u00adry of Hans in Luck?
\n\tDo you belie\u00adve that \u00abmeaningful\u00bb things cau\u00adse more hap\u00adpi\u00adness than \u00abplea\u00adsura\u00adble\u00bb things? What does that mean?
\n\tWill you be invi\u00adted to the \u00abmar\u00adria\u00adge sup\u00adper of the Lamb\u00bb (Reve\u00adla\u00adti\u00adon 19:9)? What is the basis of your answer?
\n\tWhich per\u00adson in need could you stand by in the coming week?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"