A Time To Laugh
Bereans,
In Ecclesiastes 3:4 we read that there is "a time to laugh," along with a time for all other expressions of human emotion. One of the problems with unbelievers is that they take themselves too seriously. Apart from God, men see themselves as altogether more important than they should. We speak often of how the sinful mind sees man as too big and God as too small. Yes, there are a host of comedians that belittle others and use so-called humor to insult God and Christians. They will insult people they don't like, particularly conservative politicians, but very few comedians, or people as a whole, will laugh at themselves. Their pride is too ingrained and they think too highly of themselves.
The Bible informs us that man is not the center of the universe, and that because we are fallen, everything we do will be tainted with imperfection. Therefore, all people will make mistakes and will do things that evoke laughter. Christians understand that this world is passing, and that eternal matters are more important than maintaining an "image" or "persona" of having it all together in this life. In other words, we ought to be able to laugh at ourselves and to laugh at things. In fact, God sits back and laughs at the foolishness of men who plot to overthrow Him (Psalm 2:4; 37:13; 59:8), and even the righteous will laugh (in fear) at the wicked when the riches that they trust in fail them (Psalm 52:6). Such things are truly ridiculous and "laughable."
Believers must not pridefully take ourselves so seriously that we cannot laugh at ourselves and even at the folly around us. It's not that we laugh at calamity, but at the irony, the folly, and even the desperation with which men devise ways to elevate themselves over God. Even Elijah laughed at and mocked the 450 prophets of Baal who were trying to get their false god to bring fire on their sacrifice. Elijah even suggested their god was "occupied", which was a euphemism for relieving himself (1 Kings 18:27)!
One of my favorite things about attending the conferences I've been blessed to attend are the Question & Answer sessions. In these, questions are submitted to the panel of speakers in a more informal setting after they have preached. The answers are often informative, insightful, and helpful to my ministry. However, one of the best things is that they are often funny. Most all of the reformed, evangelical preachers that regularly speak at the conferences I attend have given some entertaining, lighthearted, funny answers to questions. Yes, these same men that exposit the Word in all seriousness, and would never think of using the pulpit for jokes and laughter, can bring an audience to tears with laughter during a Q&A session! The main reason I believe they can laugh at themselves and the human condition is because they understand to their bones who God is, and their own place in this world, being "but dust."
There is a YouTuber (named Kuiper Belt Productions) who has combed through hundreds of hours of Q&A sessions from the major reformed conferences over the past couple of decades. From those, he has put together several compilations of funny responses from those conferences. Below is the link to his latest highlight reel (he has made over 20 of them to date). I had the privilege of being present at many of these, including several from Shepherds' Conferences and Ligonier Conferences. Enjoy these and be blessed by these men of stature who know their place in God's world and who take the Word of God seriously, but don't take themselves too seriously. I suspect you'll also learn a few answers to questions you didn't expect to find, even amongst the laughter!
Video Link: https://youtu.be/1xSBp-Y7MUo
Grace and peace to you,
J.W.
In Ecclesiastes 3:4 we read that there is "a time to laugh," along with a time for all other expressions of human emotion. One of the problems with unbelievers is that they take themselves too seriously. Apart from God, men see themselves as altogether more important than they should. We speak often of how the sinful mind sees man as too big and God as too small. Yes, there are a host of comedians that belittle others and use so-called humor to insult God and Christians. They will insult people they don't like, particularly conservative politicians, but very few comedians, or people as a whole, will laugh at themselves. Their pride is too ingrained and they think too highly of themselves.
The Bible informs us that man is not the center of the universe, and that because we are fallen, everything we do will be tainted with imperfection. Therefore, all people will make mistakes and will do things that evoke laughter. Christians understand that this world is passing, and that eternal matters are more important than maintaining an "image" or "persona" of having it all together in this life. In other words, we ought to be able to laugh at ourselves and to laugh at things. In fact, God sits back and laughs at the foolishness of men who plot to overthrow Him (Psalm 2:4; 37:13; 59:8), and even the righteous will laugh (in fear) at the wicked when the riches that they trust in fail them (Psalm 52:6). Such things are truly ridiculous and "laughable."
Believers must not pridefully take ourselves so seriously that we cannot laugh at ourselves and even at the folly around us. It's not that we laugh at calamity, but at the irony, the folly, and even the desperation with which men devise ways to elevate themselves over God. Even Elijah laughed at and mocked the 450 prophets of Baal who were trying to get their false god to bring fire on their sacrifice. Elijah even suggested their god was "occupied", which was a euphemism for relieving himself (1 Kings 18:27)!
One of my favorite things about attending the conferences I've been blessed to attend are the Question & Answer sessions. In these, questions are submitted to the panel of speakers in a more informal setting after they have preached. The answers are often informative, insightful, and helpful to my ministry. However, one of the best things is that they are often funny. Most all of the reformed, evangelical preachers that regularly speak at the conferences I attend have given some entertaining, lighthearted, funny answers to questions. Yes, these same men that exposit the Word in all seriousness, and would never think of using the pulpit for jokes and laughter, can bring an audience to tears with laughter during a Q&A session! The main reason I believe they can laugh at themselves and the human condition is because they understand to their bones who God is, and their own place in this world, being "but dust."
There is a YouTuber (named Kuiper Belt Productions) who has combed through hundreds of hours of Q&A sessions from the major reformed conferences over the past couple of decades. From those, he has put together several compilations of funny responses from those conferences. Below is the link to his latest highlight reel (he has made over 20 of them to date). I had the privilege of being present at many of these, including several from Shepherds' Conferences and Ligonier Conferences. Enjoy these and be blessed by these men of stature who know their place in God's world and who take the Word of God seriously, but don't take themselves too seriously. I suspect you'll also learn a few answers to questions you didn't expect to find, even amongst the laughter!
Video Link: https://youtu.be/1xSBp-Y7MUo
Grace and peace to you,
J.W.
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