Grow Old Gracefully

Good morning, everyone! Thank you, Ray. Beautiful song. I love the imagery in that. When you think of all the blessings that come from God like a fountain, it just spreads out, especially on a hot summer day, nothing like cool water that blesses us. And boy, we look forward to that time when Christ will return. Beautiful song. It's nice to hear a man's voice up here singing, isn't it? Really nice. Really appreciate that. Thanks so much. Of course, people look at this time of the year in different kinds of ways. It's graduation time. Some of you may be coming for ABC graduation. Maybe you have other graduates in the family. It seems that it reminds some of the nostalgia of when they perhaps graduated years gone by. Some reflect on that. Others are looking forward to what life may bring. So oftentimes, age, becomes one of those challenges. How do you look at it? How do you see where you're at? It can often be quite different. I heard the story of a young couple invited their pastor over for dinner. As they were preparing the dinner, their little six-year-old was out entertaining the pastor. He asked the little guy, so what are we having for dinner? The little guy said, and the little guy said, goat. He said, well, so we're having, are you sure about that? The little guy said, yep, I sure am. I heard dad tell my mom, we might as well have the old goat over for dinner.

Okay, different perspectives on age, right? Do you know what is the fastest growing segment of our population?

Which group of people are growing the fastest? It's seniors. It's those over 65. It's because people are living longer, people are living healthier lives. And when you look at the statistics, it is amazing, because in less than 100 years, if you were to add up the years between 1900 and 2000, people have lived 50% longer. 1900, the average lifespan was about 49 or so. By the time we get to 2000, it's over 80. So people are living twice as long over the last century, which is really amazing when you think about it. In fact, you take that senior group. Do you know what portion of seniors are growing the fastest percentage-wise? If you broke it down into, let's say, decades, which group is growing the fastest percentage-wise? Those over 100. Centenarians are growing faster. And when you look at the numbers by many accounts, some expect that a child born today, if time were to go on, will certainly reach 90 or above without too much question. And so that changes the dynamics of our culture. It changes the dynamics of the church. How do you handle that as we grow old? As people are looking at their future at graduation time, how do you, as a young person, look at those who are seniors? And seniors, what is your perspective when it comes to God's church and His people? Of course, as I said, it certainly changes your perspective when you get older. There was a famous centenarian, George Burns. You ever hear of George Burns? He said something kind of interesting, kind of a religious quote, but not exactly. He said, I am so old, when I was a boy, the Dead Sea was only sick. That's old. That's old.

But I think the challenge is for so many of us. You know, the goal, we think about this time of the year, is the goal just graduation and then I'm done? Or is there more to it than that? Is there more to it than, well, I'm getting up there and retirement is the goal. And for so many, that seems to be the case. I just want to get to retirement. And so they plan and they save, and not that those are bad things at all, because they look forward to the time they'll have some free time to do what they like. The challenge is, does that same concept then apply to God's Church? Does the same concept apply to the Kingdom of God? Because certainly we could retire from our secular jobs, but can we retire from God's way? Can we kind of put that behind us somehow? I mean, yeah, there's some challenges as we get older. There are physical infirmities. There are certainly hindrances that come along. But can we really retire from the work of the Church? Well, as we think about that, it certainly poses the challenge, especially for all of us. I guess I've got to throw myself in here. All of us that are getting older.

How can I grow old gracefully? How can I grow old gracefully? And as a young person, I think this is important too. That may seem a long way off. I'm never going to get old.

But you can ask any of our seniors here. It comes quicker than you think. Ask our ABC students. We reminded them last August that tomorrow would be here before you know it. And here it is, graduation day tomorrow. And so time goes so quickly. So what does God want us, as older people, to do? What does He want our perspective to be? How should we face growing old? Can we do it gracefully? Now, grace has a lot of different definitions. But what are the definitions for grace? It is a disposition to be generous. A disposition or an attitude or an approach to be helpful. So how do we grow old gracefully? Or do I even need to? Can I just be a crotchety old guy? And that's acceptable because I'm old and I earned it. Is that the case or not? What does God have to say about it? There's an interesting Psalm. Psalm 92 verse 12 that speaks about this senior time in our lives. And notice what God reminds us in Psalm 92.

And for those of us who are younger, this should be our ultimate goal. Psalm 92 verse 12 says some powerful things and puts it in a way I think that is very inspiring, especially as you look at Psalm 92 and you think, I wonder what this song sounded like. Because if you've got titles in your Bible at the very beginning of Psalm 92, it says it's a song for the Sabbath day. And what a great thing that is because how often does the Sabbath come?

Once a week. So if this is a song for the Sabbath, this is something that should be on our minds all the time. Every week we should have some thoughts in this regard. If we go down to verse 12 it says this, The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

Verse 14 is key. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age.

So whether we're going to be a graduate this year or whether we're already there, he says there's still fruit. There's still fruit like this palm tree, like this cedar. It's going to continue to bear even in old age. So the church is not just about the youth.

The church is about all of us together, every one of us. It says you as a senior shall, doesn't say, well it would be nice if you could. It doesn't leave much room for options there, does it? It just says, yeah, this is the way it's got to be. If you're going to be flourishing, you've got to bring forth fruit even in old age. It also says they shall be fat and flourishing.

And I don't think that's supposed to be a literal kind of a thing, but that's a figurative kind of thing. Well, I guess it affects our figure too. But it means we're supposed to be a blessing. We're supposed to be a blessing. Flourishing. In verse 15 it says, to show that the Lord is upright, He is my rock, there's no unrighteousness in Him. And so that's a powerful thing. It's not because, wow, as I'm getting older, I am strong physically and I can do all these things.

No, it's not talking about that at all. It's showing God's power, isn't it? It's showing His strength. It's showing the fact that His Spirit is still working in my life, even though I'm elderly. Because despite the fact I'm a senior, senior moments don't count when it comes to bearing spiritual fruit. Can't have a senior moment in that. We've got to keep it going. We've got to keep it going, because our faith is even stronger than it was when we were young.

And I think that's critical. As we grow older, our faith should be even stronger. And it says here, showing that the Lord is upright. He's got the strength. He's got the power. He has said things and I have faith in the things that He has promised.

He's my rock. There's no unrighteousness in Him. And so, despite the fact we may be struggling sometimes, we may not be in the best of health, but we have strength in God. And so, verse 14, NRSV says this in verse 14, in old age they still produce fruit. They're always fresh and green.

That's a pretty big contrast between old and gray, fresh and green. But that's God's perspective. There is certainly a place, in fact, not just a place. A critical place for seniors in the work of God and remaining fresh and flourishing is despite the fact that we're getting older. And so, God's telling us pretty specifically His view on us as we get older. He says, not only can I use older people, I will use older people. I want to use seniors. They are a vital part of my body.

And He gives us so much evidence of this throughout His Word. It's not just in Psalm 92. But can you think of examples of older people that God used throughout the Bible? Boy, they're everywhere. They're everywhere. If you go back, go back to the time of Egypt, coming out of Egypt. We think of Moses, Aaron. There's a couple of young whippersnappers that led the people. These are old guys. They're old guys. When you think about it, how old was Aaron anyway when this whole process got started at the beginning of the Book of Exodus?

83? 83 years old. They're just starting the journey. They're not done yet. They're not to the Promised Land. They're just starting. And Aaron's 83. Moses is 80. He's 80 years old. And this isn't the times of Methuselah where they're going to live 900 years. No. This isn't that time. No. This is where life spans are much shorter. And so there's no doubt. They were already seniors. And yet God chose them to lead His people.

And of course, that tells all of us something. That even as young people, can we still look to those who are senior? Or do we just write them off because they're old. What do they know? See, we've got to be careful about that because there's much to learn. In fact, when we look, if you just turn over a page or so, Psalm 90 verse 10, it already talks about this normal life span. You're familiar with this passage. It says, The days of our life are 70 years, or perhaps 80 if we're strong physically.

It says, Even then their span is only toil and troubled, they're soon gone. It says, Who considers the power of your anger, your wrath, as great as the fear that is due you? So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart. That we may, as younger people, that should be our goal. We want to be like the seniors who have set this powerful example of producing fruit in their old age, who have been vital parts of the body of Christ. We won't have a body without them. So we need them, and we can learn from them. And all of us as people need to count those days because as quick as this ABC year has gone, life goes that way.

Life goes that way. And so even in an old age, God wants us to produce that fruit. God wants us to continue to gain a wise heart, even as seniors. And so no wonder He gives us so many wonderful examples throughout the Bible. In fact, you think about Moses and Aaron. They didn't cross over into the Promised Land. A couple of other young dudes crossed over. Or were they that young, after all?

There was Joshua, and what was that other guy's name? The other faithful one? Caleb. Joshua and Caleb. Their story is also an interesting one. It was during the last 30 years of their life or so that they crossed over. Joshua lived to be about 110 or so, but he was also old by the time they were crossing over into the Promised Land. There's an interesting section that talks about Caleb and his experience. And in the book of Joshua, when they were dividing up the land, Caleb was 85.

And I won't go into all the details, but do you know they asked Caleb, what land do you want? And do you know he specifically asked for the land where the giants dwelt? You say, I'm old, I want to live where it's nice, I want to live under that palm tree, I want to be on the beach. He said, no, I'm ready to go, I'm 85, but God's with me, and I'm as strong as the day as Moses sent me out. That's what Caleb said. And I'm not sure he's talking physically, necessarily. I think he's looking at things spiritually speaking. Did he understand and have a faith that no matter what, God was going to protect him, God was going to watch after him, God was not going to allow giants to overtake him? He put his faith and his trust in the strength of God, his high tower. And so he knew that. And so he wasn't afraid of any giant. That wasn't going to slow him down. He was going to continue to bear fruit that was going to be fresh and green no matter how old he was. And so another wonderful example when you look at both of the two faithful spies, the faithful ones that went in, and they continued to exhibit that faith. Some might even think Noah was one of those. I heard the story of a little guy who was talking to his grandpa. He knew his grandpa was pretty old. And so he asked his grandpa. He said, well, grandpa, were you in the ark with Noah? Of course, grandpa said, no. So then the little guy thought, he said, well, why didn't you drown?

Okay. I guess he was pretty old.

But example after example after example in the Bible, point to that. There's New Testament examples as well of elderly who served God. One that doesn't often come to mind, there was a prophetess named Anna. Anna. And she prayed that she would be able to see the Messiah. And she was well into her 80s.

And yet if you look her up, you might check it out later, it talks about how she continued to serve God and how she served Him with prayers, night and day, and even fastings. And so they continued to set those kind of wonderful examples for all of us. And even the fact of the individual who wrote most of the New Testament by God's inspiration, we know who that was. Right? Who wrote the most of the New Testament books was Paul.

And do you know how he referred to himself? At least a little later on he did. He called himself Paul the Aged. Paul the Aged. And yet he was busy writing letters. He was sustaining by God's grace through prison. He was traveling. He was going on journeys. He was encouraging churches. Wow! An amazing example! And so just because we're old doesn't mean we have to be some fossil.

God doesn't want us to be a fossil. In fact, I think it was in the Anacatha Christie book it said something like, it's good to be married to an archaeologist if you're a wife, a woman. It's good to be married to an archaeologist because the older you get, the more interested your husband is in you. So I guess being an archaeologist would be a good thing.

That'd be a good thing. All right, so as we think about these things, as younger people looking at growing older, older people, what does God want us to do? How does God want us to behave when it comes especially to His body?

And I think even just by glancing over these couple of examples, I think it becomes critical and it becomes very clear, God wants us to serve. That's not based on age. It's not based on age. That no matter where we're at, young or old or somewhere in between, God wants us to serve. And especially from a senior perspective, there is something that I think is so special when it comes to those who are seniors. Paul wrote about this to Titus. If you turn over to Titus 2, here Titus is being instructed by Paul the aged.

So Paul, being a senior, is instructing Titus and he's telling him, well, how do you help manage the church? How do you serve the church as a pastor? What are the pastor's duties? What are his responsibilities? How should a pastor behave when it comes to those who are young, those who are married, those who are single, those who are seniors? How do you govern the church? How do you oversee the congregation? Well, Titus has given all kinds of instructions and given instructions on how all of those different age groups can help each other. And so in Titus 2, right at the very beginning of the chapter, Paul instructs him, but as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine, that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience.

So men, senior men, this is our kind of our job description of where we want to be, where our character needs to be. We want to be reverent. We need to be temperate. We need to be sound in faith. We need to love and have patience. These are the goals for all of us, and especially as older men, this is what we need to emulate.

We need to exude these character traits. That's what God sees as our goal, that this is how we should be. This should be a description of who we are. So can we plug our name in here? Am I sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience?

That's where I want to be. That's where God wants me to be. And if I'm a senior lady, verse 3, it says, the older women likewise, they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. Verse 4, and they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, because they know what that's like. They've lived it. They've been there. They've done it. They've experienced it. So as younger people, we can't say, ah, what do they know?

They're old. They do know things. They understand it. You don't have to experience the bad stuff and make bad choices. Learn from our seniors. Learn from them so that you don't have to go through some of the things that they've learned in life. Learn from their behavior. That way, you don't have to experience some of those difficult things. And so we can listen to them. It says, teach them, verse 5, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. And what a challenge for all of us, no matter what age we are.

We want to be a living, breathing example of what God's way looks like, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. And so we have a little bit of a path that God wants us to walk down. He wants us as seniors to fulfill the responsibilities that we can.

Now we can't do everything. We're not going to be the ones to jump in here and set up the chairs and bring out those gigantic heavy tables and get those set up. No, we're not the best at that anymore. That's not where our strength lies.

But boy, we can do a lot of other things, can't we? We can definitely serve. We can be hospitable.

We can fellowship. Because many times, as we get to old age, some of us are doing fine financially. We're doing well. We planned our life and God has blessed us, and we have a sense of security. So you can do some things that younger families cannot. Maybe you can help sponsor someone to go to teen camp or our pre-teen camp, where a struggling young family is just trying to put food on the table and meet the bills.

But as seniors, you can help in that way. You have time on your hands. Oftentimes, it's like, what am I going to do today? I can do whatever I want. Well, you've got time. What a blessing that is to have the time to choose to mentor, to help, to share your life with others, to build each other up.

Boy, does the Bible say a lot about building each other up, edifying one another. Every time you see that word, edifying, that's what it's about, building each other up. And our seniors can certainly help our younger people to be built up. And so you can use that time oftentimes to get into God's word even deeper than you were able to do when you were younger, able to help others in that way.

And you know, one of the amazing things is even when you don't feel good. Because oftentimes, we get older and we don't feel good. And that's the way it is. That's just the way it is. But does that have to limit us? Does that have to be something that says, well, I guess I can't do anything? I think that's an attitude that all too often the apposer wants us to think. Well, you're old, you're over the hill, you don't feel good, you can't do anything, so you're all washed up.

But that's not God. That's not from God at all. We can do some things. Can we pick up the phone and call somebody and encourage them? Yeah, you sure can. You've got time that you could even write out a card and send it to someone that's not feeling well, too.

And the power of that card, I mean, can't be described. If you've ever been there when someone's opened a card from someone and they're encouraging them, it is a powerful thing. You can't underestimate how critical that is, especially when someone's facing difficulties in life. To receive a card to just think that, wow, somebody else thought about me. Somebody else is praying for me. Somebody else cares about me. Those are wonderful things.

And so to take time in prayer and pray about someone else, that is one of the most powerful things that you can do to bring someone else before God. To bring them, really, you're bringing them and their situation and their difficulties right into the throne room of God. You can do that because you have time to do that.

Some of the younger people are all running around like chickens with their heads cut off. And yeah, they can do it, but not in the same way that you can with supplication and with wonderful words that you can take the time to do.

And so what a power that God's given you that we don't want to underestimate, that you can serve. And you can serve the younger. Just to pray. I mean, we see our families with us every week here at church. As seniors, do we just say, wow, that little kid's running around all the time?

What a brat! Why don't they get a handle on that? Okay, we can have that perspective, and yeah, they shouldn't be running around. And we've got to get a handle on that. No doubt. No doubt. But can we step back? Maybe go home later that day. Remember that little one. Remember that family and pray for them. Pray that God would give them the strength to work with their family and to teach their children and to help them. That God would open their minds in the best way to be the best parents possible.

I mean, that's a power that God's given you as seniors. Yeah, you see that stuff. Yeah, it's not good. But would a prayer help? Absolutely. Absolutely. So next time you have to criticize them, you know, you might grab that little one and say, whoa, where are you running to? It's okay. We don't have to be in such a hurry. You might knock someone over. But then remember to pray for them, because that is a valuable service that you certainly don't want to underestimate.

So even as seniors, we can serve the young in so many ways, in so many ways. And you're shining examples. You know, stand out, you know, as that city on a hill, that yes, even in old age, you can bear fruit. And so serving the younger is certainly one of the things that God wants us to continue to do, no matter where we are in age. Now, of course, some of the direction that Paul gave Titus here leads us to a second point, I think, that is also critical. Because sometimes we get a feeling, well, if I'm retired, I'm too old, I'm not really that useful.

But that is just not true. That is just not true. I know one of the projects sometimes our young people like to do is they'll get a group together and they'll go to a nursing home, a retirement home, and try to encourage the seniors that are there and serve them in one way or another.

I heard the story about a little group of preteens that went to visit, because kids kind of brighten your faces when they're behaving. But the kids were touring the nursing home, and this one little girl asked one of the seniors how old she was. And this elderly lady said, I am 98 years old. And this little seven-year-old couldn't quite comprehend. 98? 98! And that's going around and around in her mind. And finally she said, did you start at one?

It's hard to comprehend when you're getting that old.

Now here's maybe before we go on to the second point. One other scripture that I think is really important. It's in Isaiah 46, verse 4. I will read this one. Isaiah 46, verse 4. You know, even though we change, even though we do lose strength, we can't do the things we used to do when we were young. It's just not possible. Life does change as we get older, and we face difficulties, and we face challenges, and there always seems to be maybe just the next trial on the horizon. But despite that, Isaiah 46, verse 4 reminds us where our strength comes from. And it's not spiritual strength. It's talking about spiritual strength. Look at Isaiah 46, 4. It says, even to your old age, I will be the same. So even though life changes for us as we get old, even our ABCers who are leaving, life is going to change. There's going to be a lot going on. Now we're maybe going to school. Maybe we're going to get a job. Maybe we're moving back home. Maybe we're going to a whole different location. Life's going to change, but guess what? God's the same. God's not going anywhere. I will be the same. And it says, even to your graying years, I will bear you. And so what a great reminder. When it is difficult, when it is tough, when we don't see how in the world can I be helpful or how can I serve, God says, I will bear you. He says, I've done it. I will carry you, and I will bear you and deliver you. I love that imagery. It was kind of like a letter. Well, that's one thing to put it in the box. I wonder if it's ever going to get there. Well, what does God say? Well, not only has He put the stamp on you, He's going to make sure you get to the destination. He's going to make sure you get there. Where are we going? Well, we're heading for the kingdom. And what a blessing this is to have God remind us, I will deliver you. I will deliver you. And so what a reassurance that God gives us when we recognize where that strength actually comes from. So can we continue to serve? We absolutely can. We can. All right, second point. Second point, the other thing that certainly Titus was told here is that as seniors, part of our duties is to teach, is to teach. Titus was told that the older should teach the younger. Those of us who are younger, okay, I'll throw myself in that category now, now that I'm younger, can I learn something? I better. I better learn something. I better be open to that. And all too often our society says, oh, they're over the hill. There's nothing they're going to teach you. You know, there's power to the young. But as young people, we've got to recognize that. We've got to seek it out. We've got to seek it out. That's part of our job. And as they mentor us and teach us, we have to be willing to learn. So if we turn over just a little bit to Psalm 71. Psalm 71, here we have another song.

That's a wonderful reminder of God's perspective on us. Psalm 71, and we'll begin in verse 17.

Psalm 71, verse 17. Now, this one doesn't have a title. It doesn't say it's a Sabbath Psalm or anything like that, but it's still a good reminder. Beautiful lyrics here to a song that we often sing. Do you recognize this one if you look at verse 17? For even from my youth, O God. Oh, yeah, that's it, isn't it? Verse 17. O God, you have taught me from my youth, and to this day I declare your wondrous works. Now also, I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not forsake me. Don't forsake me when I'm old and gray-headed, until I declare your strength to this generation, your power to everyone who is to come. And so as we read this, okay, I'm already there. I'm old, I'm gray-headed, or maybe less hair-headed. Even though we're in that position, does God say there's something we can give, there's something we can do? There is such a valuable service in teaching the next generation, because you're not a rookie! You're not a rookie anymore! Yeah, you're not even a sophomore, right? You're not a freshman or a sophomore. You're the graduate. You're the sage. You're the one who has lived life. You've lived God's way. You've practiced God's ways. You've seen it in action. And so our seniors can preach and teach. And it doesn't mean getting up here and having to preach, but we can pass on the Word of God. You might say, well, I'm not a teacher. I'm not qualified to teach.

Bologna. It doesn't have to be a formal kind of thing. It doesn't have to be in front of the classroom. It can be a one-on-one kind of thing. Just talking, getting to know people, being able to share your experience. When we commit ourselves to study God's Word and we learn His way, does He prepare us? I think He does. I think He does. And in that preparation, sometimes the challenge is to kind of step out and reach out to someone who could benefit from the instruction. Perhaps it is that younger person that could certainly use a mentor. And I think as we do that, I mean, it says here we're declaring God's strength to this generation.

Young people, can we say, well, how did you do it? How did you survive? How did you make it this far? How did you live this life? What did you have to go through? You see, those are great questions that we as younger people can ask our seniors. You don't know what to say to the old people? That could be kind of uncomfortable because I don't normally talk to old people because I'm young. I go talk to the young people. But that's not what God wants us to do. God wants us to be a family. And the family needs all the parts. We'll talk about that in just a second. How about giving our seniors an opportunity to recount God's mighty works? God's mighty works. That's part of the job responsibility God's given them to pass this on to the next generation.

We shouldn't shy away from someone just because they're in a different generation. There's so much to learn. There's so much to learn. In fact, if you go over just a couple of pages to Psalm 78, look at Psalm 78. It kind of says a similar type of thing. That our seniors, they have so much to give as younger people. Can we help with that opportunity for them to share that with us so that we can benefit, so that we can gain from them? Psalm 78, right at the very beginning, it says, Give ye, O my people, to my teaching. Incline your ears to the word of my mouth. I'll open my mouth in parable, I'll utter dark sayings from old. Things that we've heard and known that our ancestors have told us. Well, if we're young, we're not going to be able to say that at all if we never fellowship together. It says, verse 4, We will not hide them from their children. We will tell the coming generation of the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might and the wonders that he's done. Now, of course, we could recount the Exodus. We could recount the stories in the wilderness. We could recount the promised land and beating the lie. But I'm not sure that's limited to what this passage is talking about. What are God's mighty works in your life?

What do you know that God has brought about and maybe protected you, maybe brought you through a difficult situation. Maybe you had God calm the sea before you. Maybe He shut the mouth of a lion in your life. Can you share that with someone that's younger? Can you tell that next generation what He did in your life? How that looked? What did God's presence look like in your life, in your experience? When you face this difficult situation, how did you get through it? As younger people, we should ask those questions. We should engage our seniors, because it's such a wealth of experience. And when they're gone, we lose that opportunity. And so God is certainly telling us we need to do that. In fact, we see part of the reason why in verse 7. Verse 6, it says, well, that they know it for one thing. But verse 7 says, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments.

And so seniors, we're helping build the faith in our young adults, in our teens, in our children. You can be a faith builder. God can use you to help this next generation. And so what a wonderful blessing. What an opportunity. What an opportunity that God has given to us that we can actually do this. Now, if we're young, we should certainly remember Deuteronomy 32.7. You can just write that down. You don't have to turn there. But it says to the younger generation, consider the years of all generations. It says, ask your father and he will inform you, your elders, and they will tell you. Okay, that works both ways. Seniors, you've got a responsibility to tell them. Younger people, you have a responsibility to ask them. And when we do that, we have a family. We have a family. And so what a powerful congregation, spiritual family builder that is. Now, of course, we could probably go on, but I have one more way as seniors that we can do the things that God wants to do. And it's kind of a general one, but I think it kind of encompasses the whole thing. As seniors, we never stop being a good example. We never stop being good. Be an example of God's way. Continue to be that way. Even when times are tough, even when times are tough, we'll never forget a man many years ago had so many difficulties. Physically had problems. His family had problems. His wife had problems. He was in his upper 80s. And if I would say to him, how are you doing today? He could have said, oh man, I'm hurting. I've got this and that. I've got all these trials and all these difficulties and all these challenges. You know what he said every time? Fantastic! I said, quit lying. Quit lying. But he chose that to be his attitude, even though there were all the difficulties that he had. That was his attitude. That was his approach. So he chose to look at life that way. And what a powerful thing. When everybody knows it wasn't fantastic, but that's the way he saw it. That's the way he saw it. And so he chose to grow old gracefully. He chose to grow old gracefully and chose to be a part of the body. He wasn't just going to give up because he hurt or he had problems or trials or his family had difficulties. He was going to be a part of the body. And that's such a powerful example. You could write down 1 Corinthians 12, 12. That's where Paul goes into that whole analogy of the church is like the body. It's like a real body. And a body, he says, has many different parts. And so what would the body of Christ be without our seniors? It wouldn't be the body of Christ. And seniors, if you don't fulfill those responsibilities, what's going to happen to the body? Well, that example there in 1 Corinthians 12 makes it really clear. If part of the body doesn't fulfill its responsibilities, the body doesn't work right. The body doesn't work right. The body is limited then. And so by not fulfilling our God-given responsibilities, whether we're old, whether we're young, wherever we are, if we're not fulfilling those responsibilities, the body just isn't going to function the way it should. And that's why he says in that section that if one member suffers, all of them suffer with it because we're the body. And boy, when your big toe hurts, yeah, your whole body works. If you fall down and bash your knee, it affects your whole body, doesn't it? It does. It does. And it works the other way around as well. When your body, you know, when one part is honored, everybody rejoices because we're the body. We're the family. Yeah, we're individuals, but at the same time, collectively, we are the body of Christ. And so what that reminds me of, this constant example, this consistent example.

A couple weeks ago, I was paging through this magazine really quickly, and there was an advertisement, but it caught my attention because it was a great big print. So I had to cut it out, and I stuck it on my bookshelf in the office there. And it was a reminder of this very thing.

It said something like, consistency always beats a flash of brilliance.

And that is so critical because, you know, we may look at our lives and say, you know, never really did anything very special. I never did stand out that much. I never... But wait a second. You've been consistent. And that's exactly what God's been pointing to here, continuing to grow. You know, somebody can fly up there and grow, and then die. We know those examples of the sower and the seed. Sprounce up so fast, boom, it's gone. That flash of brilliance isn't going to last. But God looks at consistency, and we can be constant and consistent and continue to be flourishing and growing. And so growing old gracefully, it doesn't mean we fade away.

Yeah, we may in one sense be winding down, but I think it might be better to look at it like we're changing gears. We're changing gears. Yeah, we might be downshifting, but you downshift to get up that hill, don't you? Yeah, you put in the lower gear so I can get up that hill. And then we get to the top and we start cruising for a while. And so I think growing old grace fully means staying engaged in the family. Staying engaged in your personal families, staying engaged in the family of God. We can't disengage from the church. God certainly doesn't want that. Instead, I think he points us to this very thing, and I think in chapter 12 of 1st Corinthians, Paul's telling us that. That growing old gracefully means I'm going to seek out different ways to serve. And different isn't less significant. Different isn't somehow not such a big deal. No, different is good. Different is powerful. Different is necessary. Different is going to strengthen the body. And so we must do that. We must. So growing old gracefully, I'm going to stay engaged and find different ways. I'm going to be prepared to take it to a different level. New ways to help. New ways to serve. Different ways that, yeah, even as a senior, I can lead. I mean, I'll never forget talking to one senior, and they were definitely hurting. Physically, they were hurting. Came to church one day, and we were talking a little bit. And I ventured out there, you know, how you've been feeling. Sometimes you don't ask that question because it's just a bad answer anyway. But I ventured out there, and they said, well, I'm fine. I said, well, no, really, how are you? They said, well, I'm hurting.

But then they said, I'm here. I'm here. They said, I could stay home and hurt, or I could be here among God's people and hurt. I'd rather be here. And so just that fact that they were here spoke volumes, spoke volumes of their dedication to God, spoke volumes of their dedication to the body of Christ, to their brothers and sisters in Christ, that it didn't matter that they were hurting. They loved God. They loved His people, and they were going to be here to help and serve in whatever that means. And so despite the physical infirmities, yeah, we can't stop that aging process. But it doesn't change the fact inwardly, we can be renewed. And it's different. It's different being here than being at home.

It's different. And there's a sense of being renewed. I think that happens when you're here. It seems that those batteries get recharged. I can get through another week. I can make it this week. I can make it this week. In fact, I'll do more than make it. I'm going to be that example. I'm going to strive to live that way. And so I think growing old gracefully, what Paul points to here, and maybe even in Romans 12 kind of comes to mind. Romans 12 verse 1 talks about being a living sacrifice. Yeah, sometimes being here is a sacrifice because it's hard. It's hard to get up, get out, get dressed, all those things. It takes a whole lot longer than it used to. And that in itself just wears you out. But the fact is, he says, we are to be living sacrifices. And a sacrifice, yeah, it costs something. It costs something. And so we can look at it like, well, it's all bad. It's all difficult. It's all a trial. Or in a way, we could choose to be fantastic. We could choose even to look at these challenges and celebrate the fact that we are old. And that means God's kingdom is one step closer. Can I have that perspective? That even despite the fact that I can't do all this stuff anymore, God's still giving me spiritual gifts, and I can appreciate those things. In fact, I can relish in those things. I can enjoy those things. And I can recognize the power of God even working through an old geezer. I say that because my dad said that to me one time.

His favorite word was usually cotter. I'm an old cotter, but obviously God exists because look at He's worked with me in my life. And so that is a tribute to God. And it's a tribute to you that is a living tribute, a living, breathing example of God's way. And we don't want to discount that in any way. And so as we grow old, I think growing old gracefully in a godly fashion means we don't shut ourselves off. We open the doors. We open the doors of our heart. We open the doors of our mind. We can open the doors to our homes. When we're feeling good, we could certainly do that. We open the doors to God to strengthen our weaknesses so that even though physically if I'm weak spiritually, I can be strong. And God, if we pray to Him and ask Him, God send me new ways to serve. I don't know of a prayer that's like that that God doesn't answer. When you pray, God, I'd like to serve. Help me to recognize a way that I can contribute. You think God will honor that prayer? You think God will open that door? I believe He will. I believe He will. And God will send an opportunity, maybe send a person, bring some opportunity before you. And we demonstrate our faithfulness in that way. Now, the Apostle Paul, I suppose he had every excuse in the book to quit serving, to quit giving. I mean, when you're beaten up and stoned and whipped and scourged and rods on you, the whole thing, yeah, you probably don't feel too good. Your eyes are bad. You can't see. Yeah, he had every opportunity to just say, I can't do it anymore. The evidence points otherwise. 2 Timothy 4, verse 6. Let's notice what 2 Timothy 4, verse 6 says. That can probably help us get a little bit different perspective on aging. It certainly did for the Apostle Paul. 2 Timothy 4, verse 6. With everything that Paul went through, and as he is facing those last years, here's what his perspective went. He says, I am already being poured out like a drink offering. I'm being poured out as a drink offering.

A couple of important things. Paul is old, but what was his life? It was an offering. It still was an offering to God. He was still presenting his life before God. And he uses this example of a drink offering. And a drink offering, when you study through that in the Old Testament, it wasn't like a burnt offering. It wasn't like some of those other sacrifices where they took parts of it, and then the priest could eat of those offerings. It wasn't like that in a drink offering. A drink offering was poured completely out. Completely out. And so Paul says his life was like a complete and total offering to God. A special sacrifice poured out his life. And of course, if you know what a glass looks like as you're pouring something out of it, you've got to tip that thing all the way over to get every drip out, don't you? Well, in a way, our life should be like that. We don't want to waste that bit in the bottom. We want to continue to pour it out on God's behalf. And Paul is seeing this as a special offering. An offering that is a sweet and a savor before God. And so he's pointing out his complete, total commitment, his total willingness to follow God no matter what life was like. And so literally he's saying, I'm giving it all to God. I'm giving it all to the cause of the kingdom of God. I'm giving it all to my family, my spiritual family, so that they may learn and they may grow. And so growing old gracefully, yeah, there's times we probably got to sit back and relax and catch up and get rejuvenated. But I think it also points out, it's not time to give up. It's not time just to settle and not recognize the tremendous blessings that growing old kin bring. I mean, even though the vision might be dimmed, seniors are something special, I think you have, that we don't as younger people.

Eyes are growing dim, but you have the vision. You have the vision. You have the vision for the body, I think in so many ways.

Your visionaries for the future, your visionaries for the future, and God wants to use you to help the body function the way that it should. And so what a wonderful opportunity. Continue to influence us, continue to guide us and lead us, continue to encourage us even all the way to the point of being completely poured out because God wants you to still bear fruit in old age. So let's let that attitude be our attitude. I mean, even if you've got to sit back once in a while to limit the activities, that's okay, that's okay. But find your stride. Find your stride. It might be a little slower than before, but that's okay. There is so much to give. It's okay to saunter. It's okay. But don't forget, we're still on the journey. We're still on the journey. So stay in good humor. That'll help others to enjoy the rest of the trip with you, right? It will. So as you think about it, let's consider this graduate weekend. You're our graduates. Seniors are our graduates. You're stage of life. Now you're in graduate courses, right? You're in the graduate. You're studying for your masters, right? And you're serving the master. So strive to be that person who's decided to serve. Strive to be that person who can impart wisdom, who will impart sound judgment to others. Be that person who's decided to be an example for all of us. And when we consider that, and we strive to live that way, you can't help but to show that grace, to have that disposition of being generous and helpful. And certainly with God on our side, you will pass on the experiences as you grow old gracefully.