THE TRUTH ABOUT HAPPINESS
The Happiness Trap
Proverbs 28:14
Take your Bibles and turn to the last chapter in the book of Cinderella. The last verse reads…”and they lived happily ever after.”
Please turn to the last chapter in the book of Sleeping Beauty. The last verse reads…”and they lived happily ever after.”
Finally, please turn to the last chapter in the book of Snow White. The last verse reads…”and they lived happily ever after.”
We all long for the fairy tale ending. We’re not asking much we just want to be able to live “happily ever after”. In my house, if Kerrie and I are watching a movie that doesn’t have a happy ending, she gets mad. She wants the fairy tale ending. We desire happiness, we long for it, we search for it, we’ve got to have it.
Our search for the fairy tale causes us to seek happiness from sources other than God.
In fact, sometimes our search actually leads us away from God and to a place of sinfulness.
A place where God is no longer at the center of our life, but has been replaced by another person, possession, pleasure or ideology. This leading away is typically a very subtle thing but over time we feel ourselves falling into the happiness trap.
It feels as though there is no way to escape.
How do we avoid falling into these happiness traps? The first thing is to know what they are.
If we can identify the trap then we can avoid falling for it.
Three Happiness Traps
The values of the world are well known and have not changed.
I John 2:15-16 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
Lust of the flesh (PLEASURE); Lust of the eyes (POSSESSIONS); Pride of Life (PRESTIGE).
As we begin this let me make it clear that there is nothing inherently wrong with pleasure, possessions or prestige.
It is our attitude toward these three things that springs the trap.
Pleasure
Most people associated happiness with pleasure. You ask people, “What do you want out of life?”
“I want to have fun…I want to be happy…I want to feel good.” Those are all different ways of saying pleasure. We use phrases like, “if it feels good do it” or “if it doesn’t feel good avoid it.” That’s why we as a people spend billions of dollars each year on Entertainment. We have pleasure and thrill seekers everywhere.
Here’s the problem…Our flesh is never satisfied. It always wants more. That’s why we are so prone to addictions. And so if we try and find happiness by consistently given our flesh all of its desires we will eventually find ourselves deep in the happiness trap of sin.
Possessions
Our culture emphasizes what we own. We judge people by their possessions (clothes, cars, homes, jewelry). Our self worth becomes based upon our net worth. Again, possessions only become a problem when we see them as the answer to our happiness problem. “If I only had….”
Money can…
Buy a nice bed, but it can’t buy a good night sleep.
Buy a large house, but it can’t make it a home.
Buy the best education, but it can’t make you wise.
Buy the best doctors, but not good health.
Buy the biggest parties, but not good friends.
Buy the most extravagant vacations, but not peace in your heart.
Prestige
Image is everything. We are status conscious. We look at a person who is the CEO of General Electric differently than we do the person that picks up our garbage. Advertisements appeal to this snob appeal, Like: “Do you have any Grey Poupon?” You don’t want normal French’s mustard stuff.
The media bombards us with these values – pleasure, possessions and prestige. Even Christians get seduced by it and they become our source of happiness in life. Here’s a game for you to play, its called, “What’s the value?” or “What’s the lie?” The next time you are watching TV commercials try and determine what value they are selling and what the lie associated with it is. Magazine examples
If you buy into the world’s happiness trap you will miss God’s purpose for you life.
Two Happiness Examples
The Bible provides to clear examples of how to and how not to battle the happiness traps of life.
There are a couple of constants in both examples…
The characters are tempted by the three happiness traps of the world.
There is a central character determined to spring the trap – devil.
Subtlety is a key tactic of the enemy.
First, let’s look at how not to…
Adam & Eve
Genesis 3:1-6 “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.
There’s the enemy – he shows up with subtlety.
And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
“be as gods” – that sounds good!
6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
Pleasure – lust of the flesh.
and that it was pleasant to the eyes,
Possessions – lust of the eyes.
and a tree to be desired to make one wise,
Prestige – pride of life.
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
Jesus
The example of how to avoid the happiness traps of sin is found in none other than Jesus.
In Matthew 4 we see Jesus at a very vulnerable time of his ministry.
Guess who shows up to tempt him?
Matthew 4:1-11 “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Lust of the flesh.
Attacks at his weakest point.
Jesus responds with the word of God.
5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Pride of life
If you are who you say you are – prove it.
Jesus responds with the word of God.
8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”
Lust of the eyes
Jesus responds with the word of God.
What’s the major difference between these two examples?
Why was one able to overcome and the other fell into the trap.
One Happiness Source
I believe it was a matter of focus. Adam and Eve felt there was more happiness to be had in pleasure, possessions and prestige. And so they decided to make them their focus. Jesus was focused on the one true source of happiness. He stood in awe of his Father.
Proverbs 28:14 “Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.”
It is our fear or awe of God that will keep us from falling into the sinful traps of happiness pursuit.
When we don’t fear God we are more apt to stray away from following Him and to pursue happiness elsewhere.
Again, in and of themselves there is nothing wrong with pleasure, possessions and prestige, but they are not worthy to be pursued as the true source of happiness. Why? Because the happiness they provide is temporary. As we examine our life and the choices we make we must do so asking ourselves – what will last? When you apply that question to the happiness traps of the world you see from scripture that they don’t stack up.
The bible says in Hebrews 11:25 (pleasure) “…the pleasures of sin for a season;” Sin is fun. No one would do it if it was a bummer, but it doesn’t last. I Timothy 6:7 (possessions) “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” No hearse followed by a Uhaul.
Mark 10:31 (prestige) “But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.”
What do we do if we find ourselves in the world’s happiness trap? Two choices…
Cover Up.
That’s what Adam and Eve did.
They covered themselves with fig leaves and hid hoping that everything would be ok.
‘Fess Up.
No matter how far into the trap we’ve fallen God is always willing to forgive.
Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
Challenge:
Within each of us is a God given desire for Pleasure, Possessions, and Prestige. We so easily fall into these traps because we are made to desire them. But once again our innate desire is directed.
Pleasure – we long for that home in heaven with no more pain, tears, loneliness, but unending perfect pleasurable fellowship with our heavenly Father.
Possession – lay up for yourself treasures in heaven. Jesus says that he is building a mansion for us.
Prestige – the Bible says that we can rule and reign with Christ.
The fairy tale life is not attainable in this life through worldly happiness traps. It is, however, available to those in Christ. If we find ourselves in the world’s happiness trap it’s time ‘fess up knowing that happiness is found in the fear of the Lord and not in the foolishness of sin.
Psalm 147:11 “The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.”
Memorize that verse this week.
