Family Fun | Part 1

Rollover fighting studios in Tennessee, by retiring here with your revolving scene you will providing jury today, family fun part one with Adrian Rogers let almost rhymes that's good I like that you know I think we have to make ourselves right. Take a time to rest. We have to hit the pause button. You know we have to learn in and learns a key word here. Byron to have a fun time with her family what one of the things that I remember most about Adrian Rogers is his laughter in bringing humor into moments at the right time. Absolutely that was so special. I know you had many encounters like that with him, but he reminded me that we've got to lighten up a little bit we do it we gotta make the family or make the home or the home base. We have to make it fun and we have to make it entertaining and nothing God will use and I think you will bless.

Adrian Rogers said it best. This way I believe that font is a legacy of God to do know that man is the only creature that God made that knows how to laugh knows how to blush and knows how to weep.

Animals don't do any of those things I think laughter is a part of the fact that we are in the image of God not tell parents look I can give you kind of a simple formula for home. Be firm be fair and be fun.

You're thinking about a parent who is trying to get there young toddler potty trained. They can be a real frustrating time.

You know and and some parents to get. I think too intense in the moment yes and maybe learn to lighten up a little bit and find a way that you can transition. You know, stressful times with a laugh that was in humor. That's exactly right. I think also being very sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit on how to handle certain situations. God says this John 1010 I have come that you may have life and have it more abundantly right we we serve a joyful Jesus and I believe the home needs to exemplify that as we talk about ministering to the family through the radio ministry of love are finding this listener says I love your radio program like many I listen on my way to work and find Dr. Rogers preaching very inspirational.

Even my nine-year-old boy he enjoys listening and learning God's truth through this program.

Well that's profound truth.

Simply stated, so whether your nine or 90, you receive it. But more than that you use it in your life will carry while were in the series about the family.

We have an incredible resource available this month. Yes, absolutely it takes the family is the collection of four booklets. It takes a family. God's plan for the man maximum mom and honoring father and mother.

They are the best tools in the toolbox get him and that resource, among others, to help your family grow in the relationship with Jesus Christ is available@lwf.org LWF.org well with today's message family fun part one. Here's Adrian Rogers take your Bibles five Psalm 128 were going to talk today about some home made happiness home up to be the dearest place on earth. The nearest place that happened that were talking about in this particular Psalm, God gives us a description of the ideal family. I did not say the normal family on the average family. It ought to be normal according to God's standard. But God does give us the ideal family look at it if you will. Psalm 128 bless is everyone that fear the Lord, that walk in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labor of buying hands I here's the phrase watch happy. Shalt thou be and it shall be well with the by wife to be is a fruitful vine by the sides of buying house by children, like all of plants round about my table, behold, thus shall the man be blessed that fear of the Lord, the Lord shall Leslie out of Zion.

Thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem, all the days of my life. J. Thou shalt see, like children's children, and peace upon his I say that is the ideal family now give your definition of the family so many times we don't even know what we're talking about when we talk about family, work, family has been misused and abused caricatured and sometimes refused what is a family of family is an institution ordained of God. It did not come out of the swamps of evolution and immorality, but it is ordained of God and therefore it is rooted in human nature God created the family to satisfy the deepest longings of heart and to give us a means to give and receive love to propagate the human race to provide a safe and secure environment in which to nurture T and the love our children a family is like God ordained unit related by marriage, blood or adoption. Marriage is defined as a lifetime covenant relationship between a man and a woman sometimes that relationship is severed and sometimes there is a single parent with children that also is a family that is the ideal family that we found right here. However, in Psalm 128, and how does God describe well first of all, is a godly husband in verses one into man is the head of the home. God has ordained that. Then in verse three. There is a faithful wife.

She's like a vine beside the house fruitful and faithful and then in verse three. They are happy and productive children.

They are light green olive plants round about the table. Now the Middle East. The olive was very valuable, very productive, but it needed to be nurtured and cared for and that is God's picture of the ideal family and God says this is a blessing look in verse 24 behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that fear the Lord, but we're going to have to admit that the idealist turn to an ordeal.

A lot of those looking for new deal.

Why this thing a happy family is often made fun of today and ridiculed today as if if it ever existed.

It can never ever come back. It is but an elusive green I want to talk to you about a particular part of the family owned talking about some family fun.

We talk about family, faith and family finances.

I looked out the about some old-fashioned family fun. I want us today to get serious about fun I was to learn about laughter and I want us to see that laughter is a gift from God that you are in Psalm 128 just look in Psalm 126 and verse two, when God's people got right. Notice what it says was our mouth feel with laughter and our tongue with singing, then said they among the heathen, the Lord has done great things for them. I would like for your home to be such a happy place that your neighbors who don't know the Lord your pagan neighbors.

If you have some will look at you and see the laughter and the joy that is in your home and say I love you. The Lord's done great things for them and one of the marks that God is done something great for us is that our mouths are filled with laughter. Now laughter is a gift from God. Sarah said God has made me laugh. Now if you're one of those who think that laughter and faith are contradictory.

You need to get your Bible out and study your Bible, God has made me laugh. We need to learn something about family fun. We need to learn how to celebrate human I have a friend named Ken Davis who is a comedian godly comedian. He doesn't believe in course jokes and making fun of individual, so as to humiliate them.

But he makes me laugh. Here's what Ken Davis said allow laughter to flood your home and its echoes will last a lifetime. Someone wisely defined humor as a gentle way big knowledge human frailty humor is a way of saying I am not okay and you are not okay. But that's okay I love that I'm not okay you're not okay that's okay God loves us anyway. People who are secure in their awareness of God's love, and who have experienced his love and forgiveness are free to live good people who are secure in God's love and awareness of God's love and would experience that love and his forgiveness that ones are free to land. Humor should never be used to avoid facing issues are as a weapon to hurt members of your family, but he should be allowed to flourish as a part of family life. That's what I'm trying to say now what I'm talking about family fun. I'm not talking about silly mindless frivolity. I am not talking about irresponsibility. I'm not talking about failing to do what you ought to do because you are careless. As a matter fact I found out that fun and efficiency go together as a matter fact, if you learn how to have fun. You will probably be more efficient and in my studies for this particular message.

I found what I already suspected that people who have an unusual capacity for laughter also have an unusual capacity for seriousness. The two go together. I think something else that I learned laughter with old well-rounded sense of humor. Psychologist Ellis is one of the hallmarks of high intelligence. It is people have a well-rounded sense of humor that have one of the sure signs of being an intelligent person.

Now when I'm talking to you about family fun. I'm talking to you about not merely laughter and games. I include joy, happiness, games, humor, spore's leisure vacation meals partings celebration, entertainment, and much much more. Now don't get the idea that our Savior that we love and we said because he lives I can face tomorrow.

Don't get the idea that Jesus was some pale religious sanctimonious recluse if you study the life of the Lord Jesus.

One of the things that they crucified him for was a city with the wind never neglected 91 but Jesus went to Barnes. He worked his first miracle and wedding feast and their Jesus was the life of the party and Jesus was a friendly person. He called himself a friend of sinners after one thing about Jesus, little children love the little children love it, but little children wanted to come and sit in the lap of the Lord Jesus Christ and to tell you something about the Lord Jesus Christ was a man of great gladness as a matter fact the Bible says concerning Lord Jesus, thou hast anointed him with the oil of above the smells. Jesus knew joy and Jesus who happens now Satan would love to distort things. Of course there's a time to weep and there's a time delay, but Satan wants to get us out of balance.

Satan wants to turn us into grim people I Satan wants to take the joy out of our lives and and to distort things I want to tell you something friend leisure is not a luxury. It is a necessity below the word leisure means word leisure comes from a Latin word which means to get permission are to be permitted so leisure time is a time that you give yourself permission to have without feeling guilty for enjoying because you needed and God wants you to have. You have to give yourself permission, leisure is a lot of fun and you but you have to give permission to get out and a lot of people who have not learned to give themselves that permission. You must learn to have leisure and if you have children. Those bring all plants around your table, all my dear friend, though failed. I have that fun with your kids while they are kids you need to throw away your excuses and all of us have excuses. I don't have time when you take time while I'm working for their inheritance. Bring to be far better for you live rich than to die rich is well I'll make it up with the grandkids while they may not even be bring the grandkids around because the way that you live within. I'm saying that you need to put away your excuses you say. Well I have deadlines, you will always have deadline, but you won't always have a four-year-old you think about the word leisure simply means to give permission, and it is a biblical thing, but this verse down Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse four the Bible says there's a time to weep and there is a high class is what God says is a time to weep, there's a time to laugh, Jesus in the New Testament said in Luke chapter 6 verse 21. Blessed are ye that weep now, for ye shall is what Jesus said get the idea that you can be happy and be a Christian. Don't get the idea that God is sums of a cosmic killjoy that every time you see somebody having a good time. He moves in to break up the party. That's not God that is not the God of the Bible and that is not the God of our happy home.

And if you will learn to put some joy in your home and some laughter in your home and some fun in your home.

It's going to be a long hard ride through Ulster Gulch Bible says is a time to weep, yes are some things we need to be serious about deadly serious things that break the heart of Jesus ought to break our hearts with the thing that gave Jesus joy ought to give us joy and we ought to enjoy the things of God. Dr. Vance have no was a friend is now in heaven. This many of us have learned so much for" often Dr. happiness that I have no sympathy with those who say the devil never takes a vacation. I am not following the sitcom, ye yourselves apart and rest a while, then Dr. happiness said if you don't come apart. You will come apart. You will go to pieces you see what we talking about. There is a time to work this time.

The rest is a time to weep, there's a time to laugh, and we need some home made happiness. We need some family fun. I would imagine three things three things that family fun will do.

Are you ready for them. Number one family fun refreshes family fun refreshes look in verse two of this Psalm, thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands happy. Shalt thou be and it shall be well with the now we have to work and sometimes work is difficult. We come in and we eat.

However, the labor of our hands and God refreshes us now work is necessary, but it can't be all work and no play you in Psalm 128 look over in Psalm 127 verse two. Look at it.

These Psalms are linked together.

It is in vain for you to rise up early to set up late to eat the bread of sorrow forcibly given his beloved sleep now talk about the man who rises up early and stays up late he's talking about the man who is more interested in his finances than is his fun. He's more interested in his labor that he is in his laughter. And God says that is vanity that is that there's a time to work.

There is also a time to rest and don't be so busy what he saying is don't be so busy making a living that you forget so many people are doing that as I've already said it is better to live rich than it is to die rich young preacher came to a town that was a mill town. A small church was there.

The young preacher went to see the owner of the mill to invite the owner of the mill in this mill town who literally own the town really to come to the church and this is what the man said to the minister.

He said young man you not see me in church and you will not see me until my funeral. I own this town and this mill it is my pot of gold. When I came here as a young immigrant I heard that in America there was a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I have found the goal but young man I have lost the rainbow. I wonder how many I'm talking to right now you're working for that pot of gold and forgetting the rainbow it is vain to rise up early to stay up late eat the bread of solace, for he giveth his beloved sleep that literally means that he he giveth his beloved in his sleep, and somebody said if you're burning the candle at both engine not as bright as you think you are as bright as you think your life is passing you by your children are failing to have been enjoying the happiness that God wants you to have with that family. This showed up on the World Wide Web. You we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but more narrow viewpoints. We spend more, but have less we buy more but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences but less time we have more degrees, but less common sense. More knowledge but less judgment, more experts but more problems, more medicine but less wellness we spend to recklessly laugh too little drive too fast, get angry too quickly stay up too late get too tired read to seldom watch TV too much and prayed to sell. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much love to seldom and live too often we learn how to make a living, but not a life we've added years to life but not like to use. We build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication we have become long own quantity but short on quality, more leisure and less fun, more kinds of food but less nutrition. These are days of two incomes, but more divorce of fancier houses, but broken homes.

It's a time when there's much in the show window and nothing in the stock room think about Brynn. What does family fun, family fun refreshes.

Why don't you say pastor Rogers by God's grace we don't put some fun in the family. We need some refreshment in our home.

We been to Grimm we been too much grinding out this thing called life.

But Jesus came to give us abundant life.

Here's the second thing that family fun will do. Not only will family fun, refresh the family fun repairs. It repairs look again in this Psalm verse two for thou shall eat the labor by man happy shall that be. That is, it refreshes and it shall be well with the pain, it will put things back together. It will be well with the bid. You know that the laughter is a medicine joy is a medicine happiness is a medicine Proverbs 17 verse 22. Put it in your margin. A merry heart with good like a medicine merry heart with good like a medicine but a broken spirit via the bone. If you have a Grimm and a solemn spirit is going to break your help you break the health of an individual and it will break the health of the family, but this verse in your margin. Proverbs chapter 12 in verse 25. Happiness in the heart of man make it its due but a good word.

Make glad you need to learn how to give some good words in your house. Happiness just house down the heart. I was reading these verses from Proverbs. This past week read in Proverbs 15 verses 13 through 15. A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken, the heart of him that hath understanding, secret knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness. All the days of the afflicted or evil. But he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.

I love that when you have a continual feast. It doesn't matter whether it's hamburger helper or filet. You have a feast.

If you have a merry heart when you have a merry heart you have a continual feast. What a great reminder as we conclude part one of today's message will hear part two coming up tomorrow. In the meantime, maybe have a prayer request that you like to share if you can go to our website homepage LWF.org/radio and scroll down to find a prayer wall you find the option there to submit a prayer request or to pray for others.

This resource is one of our favorite ways to keep the ministry in the community praying continually, can't wait to hear from you again go to LWF.org/radio and scroll down to where prayer thanks for studying God's word is today. Spend some time with your family and remember the fun we have with their children will remain in their hearts for Mike. We hope you'll join us for part two family fun tomorrow.

Right on love, worry