Family Fun | Part 2

Where should our children learn to have fun? Listen to God's word. Happy shall thou be. That's what the Bible says.

That's why we should get serious about having family fun. If you have your Bible turn to the right place, I would like you 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 of joy, the Lord's done great things for them. And one of the marks that God has done something great for us is that our mouths are filled with laughter. Now laughter is a gift from God. Sarah said, God hath made me to 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 hath made me to laugh. We need to learn something about family fun. We need to learn how to celebrate humor. Now when 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 of fact, I found out that fun and efficiency go together. As a matter of 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'd already suspected that people who have an unusual capacity for laughter also have an unusual capacity for seriousness.

The two go together. I'll tell you something else that I learned. Laughter with a well-rounded sense of humor, psychologists tell us, is one of the hallmarks of high intelligence. It is people who 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, sports, leisure, vacations, meals, parties, 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 they said He was a winebibber and a glutton.

Now He wasn't. But Jesus went to parties. He worked His first miracle at a wedding feast. And there Jesus was the life of the party. And Jesus was a friendly person. He called Himself a friend of sinners.

And I'll tell you one thing about Jesus. The little children loved Him. The little children loved Him. The little children wanted to come and sit in the lap of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that ought to tell you something about the Lord Jesus Christ who was a man of great gladness. As a matter of fact, the Bible says concerning the Lord Jesus, thou hast anointed him with the oil of gladness above his fellows.

Jesus knew joy and Jesus knew happiness. Now Satan would love to distort things. Of course there's a time to weep. And there's a time to laugh. But Satan wants to get us out of balance.

Satan wants to turn us into grim people. I want to mention 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 2 of this psalm. I want you to be well with thee. 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're in Psalm 128. Look over in Psalm 127, verse 2.

Look at it. These psalms are linked together. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows. For so he giveth his beloved sleep. Now what is he talking 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 he is his fun. He's more interested in his labor than he is in his laughter. And God says that is vanity.

That is vanity. There's a time to work. There's also a time to rest. And don't be so busy. What he's saying is don't be so busy. Don't be so busy making a living that you forget to live. So many people are doing that.

As I've already said, it is better to live rich than it is to die rich. Friend, what does family fun do? Family fun refreshes.

Why don't you say Pastor Rogers? By God's grace. We're going to put some fun in our family. We need some refreshment in our home. We've been too grim.

We've been too much of grinding out this thing called life. But Jesus came to give us abundant life. Now here's the second thing that family fun will do. Not only will family fun refresh, but family fun repairs.

It repairs. Look again in this psalm. Verse 2, For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hand. Happy shalt thou be.

That is, it refreshes. And it shall be well with thee. It will put things back together. It will be well with thee. Did you know that laughter is a medicine? Joy is a medicine? Happiness is a medicine?

Proverbs 17, verse 22, put it in your margin. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. A merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones. If you have a grim and a solemn spirit, it's going to break your health. It'll break the health of an individual, and it will break the health of a person.

It will break the health of a family. Put this verse in your margin. Proverbs, chapter 12, in verse 25. Heaven is in the heart of man, maketh it stoop, but a good word maketh it glad.

You need to learn how to give some good words in your house. Heaven is just bows down the heart. I was reading these verses from 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 seeketh knowledge, but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishness. All the days of the afflicted are evil, but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast. I love that. When you have a merry heart, 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. I've seen those people with a broken spirit. The zest is gone. The spark is gone. The enthusiasm is gone. The attitude has a lot to do with it. You think how many times people are too sick to go to work, but seldom are they too sick to take a vacation. It's our emotions that control our physical body so often.

I have in my files a story of something that took place after World War II in Germany. There were a lot of orphans, and they took 100 children and put 50 of them in one group and 50 of them in another group. And one group of children were given everything that they need, physically, food, bedding, clothing, care, and they were also given a lot of attention and a lot of love. They took the other 50 children in the orphanage and gave them all of the same physical, material benefits, but gave them no human interaction and gave them no love. And after a year, both groups were tested. And those children who were raised in the orphanage where there was joy and happiness, listen to this, were an average of two inches taller, several pounds heavier.

The other group, where there was no love, no happiness, no personal interaction, had more diseases and more sickness. Did you know that laughter is a miracle medicine? A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. It reduces tensions.

It exercises vital organs. And this goes on to say even if the laughter is forced, it replaces bad emotions and produces its own effect. I said in the introduction to this that laughter is a gift from God.

Think about it. Man is the only creature who can do three things. He's the only one who can weep. He's the only one who can blush. And he's the only one who can laugh. That is a gift of God.

God made us that way. There's a project by some researchers from Yoder and Goodman in New York. They've talked about the effect that laughter can have just to repair, to restore. And I'm going to quote now. The positive effect that it has on a person's attitude, coping skills, relationships and creativity in the way that humor can enhance motivation and morale is backed up not just by common sense and anecdotes but by research. They even have a magazine entitled Laughing Matters.

It does matter. Laughter has a way of releasing tension, whether it is a broken spirit, broken body or broken home. We've seen it in our homes sometimes. When there's tension in the home, if we can just learn to smile, just learn to laugh, that tension disappears.

Have you found that in your home? I may have told you about a time we got in the car when our son David, who's now a missionary, got in the back seat of the car. We started out and the back window was down. The air conditioner and the automobile was on. And I said, David, would you put up the window, son? There was a roaring sound in the back of the car. And so he put up the window.

We're driving along. After a while, I hear that roaring sound again. The window's down. I said, David, son, put the window up and leave it up. And it went back up.

And then after a while, it was down the third time. And I turned around and I said, David, I can put on that voice. I said, David, if that window goes down one more time, there's a window. There's going to be some serious trouble in this car. Do you understand that, son?

Yes, Daddy. So we're driving along. And a friend, I'm telling you, we were going out to have a good time, but the air was just thick. And then I looked over there on my side and there was the controls where I could lower his window. And we're going along and I pushed the button and his window went down one more time. Joyce's head snapped around and she said, David! Then everybody realized that Dad had done it. Big laugh.

The tension was gone. That's what laughter will do. In a home, we need to have some fun and not to take ourselves all that seriously.

Let me tell you something about raising children. Be firm. Be fair. Be fun.

You can just almost put it all just right there. Just be firm. Have some rules. Be fair. Be honest. But be fun. Don't be an ogre. Happy shalt thou be.

That's what the Bible says. Now, here's the third and final thing that I want to mention today of many things I could mention. Family fun remains. It will linger. It will echo through your life.

Look, if you will, here in the last part of this psalm, verse 4. The good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life, yea, and thou shalt see thy children's children and peace upon Israel. You know, folks, we're building for our children a museum of memories. We're building for our children and our children's children a museum of memories. I want the memories that my children have and my grandchildren have.

I want them to be memories of a happy home, a home that rings with laughter. You see, memories are landmarks that keep us from getting lost. Memories bring a sense of security and belonging to a child's life. Memories are anchors of the soul. What do you remember primarily? Those of you who are adults, what do you remember primarily about your home?

The sorrows, pains, deprivation, victories, what kind of car your daddy had, what kind of a house you lived in, the happy times that you had at home. My daddy died and we had a family gathering down in Fort Lauderdale. And the kids and the grandkids from all of our family, and there were four of us, and all the Rogers seemed to have four more children. And we had a herd of folks there.

I mean, they were all around. We were sitting in my sister's living room talking about my daddy. You'd have to know my daddy. My daddy never got over being a little boy. He was a man, but he was a man filled with fun.

And we laughed and talked and laughed and talked and laughed and laughed. Not a word of remorse. Not a word of regret. But just memories of good times, of fun. You see, friend, family fun remains. It goes on and on and on. Let me read to you something.

We're talking about fun and laughter, but let me read to you something sad. Many of you remember the name Christian Bernard. He was a South African, a heart surgeon. He created the Antarctic Heart Valve, an artificial valve. His name was famous because he did the first heart transplant. Before heart transplants were common and known, he was a leader.

He was on the cutting edge in that area. Dr. Bernard wrote a book, the title of the book, One Life. And in the midst of all of his great success, in the midst of all that he did, Christian Bernard lost his home. And he lost his family. Now, here it is in his own words.

Listen to what he said. Quote, it was a bright April morning when I drove out of Minneapolis. Now, you see, he had been to Minneapolis to do this work.

He literally lived in South Africa, and that's where his family was. It was a bright April morning when I drove out of Minneapolis. It seemed like a century since I had first arrived there, a time longer than all the years before it. In New York, I put the car on a boat and caught a plane for Cape Town.

A northwest wind was blowing when we came over the sea with the waves close below. My wife was there with the children. I had not written much in the last two months, yet I was unprepared for her greeting.

Why did you come back? There was no longer a smile in her eyes. I made the most terrible mistake of my life.

Don't look so surprised, she said. We gave you up. We decided you were never coming back.

Well, there was only a little delay. I wrote you, April, first. No, you wrote once to say you weren't coming home.

But we were building valves, aortic heart valves, I answered. No, you were building a family, that is, until you dumped it in my lap, she said. I said bitterly, we have ceased to exist for you. I wanted to say I came home because I loved my children, and I thought I loved her.

I wanted to because I felt it. But what could I say now that didn't sound meaningless? It began to rain. The city was gray under a gray sky. It was winter in Cape Town.

But in Minneapolis, the trees were a splashy green color. How was it possible to lose a whole springtime? Well, I want to say to you, friend, don't lose the springtime.

Don't lose the springtime. It's vain. It's vain to rise up early, to stay up late, to eat the bread of sorrows. I want to call our family and your family to some fun. Folks, it is our legacy.

It is our necessity. And I call you to it. But, folks, if you're having fun and laughing your way to hell, that also is pathetic because I remind you there are no fun and games in a Christless grave. And if you don't know the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what kind of time you have with your children, if you don't know Jesus, one of the these days you're going to kiss them all goodbye. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord.

Do you know him? The fear of the Lord is love on its knees. Have you ever bowed your head, humbled your heart, and said, Lord Jesus, come into my heart, into my life, and save me? Would you bow your heads right now?

Heads bowed, eyes closed. And if you're not certain that you're saved, I want to lead you in a prayer. And in this prayer today, now, this moment, you can receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Would you pray like this? Dear God, I know that you love me, and I know that you want to save me. I need to be saved. My sin deserves judgment, but I need and want mercy. Jesus, you paid for my sin with your blood on the cross.

Thank you for dying for me. I'm sorry for my sin. I turn from my sin to you. I now, right now, yield my heart, my life to you.

I receive you by faith as my Lord and Savior. Forgive my sin. Save me, Jesus. Would you pray that from your heart? Pray it from your heart. Save me, Jesus.

Did you ask him? Then by faith, thank him. Say thank you, Jesus, for saving me.

I receive it by faith, and that settles it. You're now my Lord, my Savior. My God, my friend, and Lord Jesus, because you have forgiven me, I will live for you and follow you all of my life. You're my Lord and my master. I will not follow you in order to be saved. I am following you because I am saved by your grace.

But I will never be ashamed of you. In your name I pray. Amen. Welcome to Jesus Christ just now. We want to celebrate with you, and we invite you to our Discover Jesus page. There at the website you'll find answers you may need about your newfound faith.

There's a response section. You can share your testimony or tell us how this message has impacted you. Go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab that says Discover Jesus. Welcome to God's forever family. We can't wait to hear from you. If you'd like to order a copy of today's message, call us at 1-877-LOVE-GOD.

Mention the title, Family Fun, when you get in touch. This message is also part of the powerful and convicting series, It Takes a Family. For the complete collection, all seven powerful messages, call 1-877-LOVE-GOD, or order online at lwf.org slash radio. Or you can write us at Love Worth Finding, box 38600.

Memphis, Tennessee 38183. Thanks for studying God's word with us today. Is your home marked with laughter and your leisure time full of family fun? Remember, Adrian Rogers said, We are building for our children a museum of memories, and memories are our landmarks.

They keep us from getting lost. We hope you'll tune in next time for more profound truth simply stated by Adrian Rogers right here on Love Worth Finding. A listener reached out to us on Facebook recently and said, Because Adrian Rogers' messages are rooted in Scripture, they are still relevant today.

I feel convicted and responsible for sharing them with my family. Knowing God's word doesn't change even today. Thank you for continuing Pastor Rogers' ministry. Well, we are honored to equip you with the timeless truth of the gospel through the messages of Adrian Rogers. At Love Worth Finding, we believe it's more important now than ever before to keep Christ at the center of our homes. And that's why we want to send you our It Takes a Family booklet collection. When you give to the ministry right now, we want to send you four powerful booklets that deal with family matters from a Godly perspective so that you and yours can honor God in these glorious times. Request the bundle when you call with a gift at 1-877-LOVEGOD or give online at lwf.org slash radio.