Growing Old Gracefully

Well, brethren, today is a very, very special Sabbath in that we have chosen this Sabbath to acknowledge and to honor those members we refer to sometimes as senior members, in this case those who are 60 years of age or older. Now, we've designated this as a special Sabbath because we want to show our appreciation to those who have matured a bit more than some of you out there. And I must say that this is the first time I am actually a part of this group.

I am now 60 years old. So for the first time, I'll be a part of this group. Legally anyway, I've managed to be able to go to a lot of the dinners and things in the past because being a minister, it sometimes allows those things to happen. But this is the first time Barbara and I—I won't say how old she is because she's coming along on my coattails. I'm the one who's 60. Not long ago, I could speak for all of you because I was not yet a senior member, but I guess I'll speak for us all anyway.

I know we all really do appreciate our seniors. We appreciate the stability. We appreciate the wisdom. We appreciate the overall contribution to God's Church of our senior members, especially those who have been in the Church a long, long time and who have been faithful through thick and thin, who have seen lots of interesting things happen in the Church over the years, but they're still solid and strong and stable, very encouraging people. It really is a wonderful blessing to know so many of you in this room called seniors.

We do appreciate you a great deal, and thank you very much again for the example that you've been studying for many, many years. Now I think that we realize that just growing older doesn't necessarily mean that a person has grown wiser. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're more stable. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're contributing a lot to our Church. So just growing older, obviously that doesn't just cut it.

We all grow older, but what's important is how do we grow older? I'm sure there's some truth to the statement. Some old men and women don't grow better, but they grow bitter with age. Better and bitter, there's a lot of difference. Thankfully, I don't know of any bitter ones here today. The more their teeth drop out, some have said, the more biting they get. Now you may have heard some people say, I will never be like that when I grow old. Has anyone ever heard that? Maybe some of you have even said that. But growing old gracefully doesn't just happen by accident.

That's what the sermon is about today. It's about growing old gracefully. All of us are going to grow old. But how are we going to grow old? So growing old gracefully doesn't just happen by accident unless one understands and applies certain principles while they're young. So I'm talking to all of us now. Now we all need to be applying certain principles now so that when we become older we will know how to grow old gracefully. Thankfully, our senior members here have been applying these principles, and so they are growing older gracefully, and they're a pleasure to be around.

I can look back at all the church areas I've been in, and I can say, without a doubt, some of my closest and best friends were the elderly, the older ones. I tend to gravitate to the older ones to some degree because I know I need help, and they can help me. So I think that came naturally. My father wasn't the most engaged father. He wasn't really close to me, really, or to any of us kids.

There were seven children. He wasn't really close to any of us. And so I didn't really have the type of father figure perhaps I would have liked to have had in my whole life, so maybe that's another reason why it seems like everywhere I go, I don't know, maybe not so much now that I'm as old as I am. Although I can say that there are some older men here that I really do look up to and appreciate them a great deal. And I would encourage all of you to think about that.

Who can you look to as an example? Some of these men and women who have been around quite a few years, they have a lot of wisdom. They've been through a lot. They know a lot. They've matured well. And they've grown old gracefully. And they can be of huge help to all of us. So today I would like to honor and commend those of you who have grown old gracefully. I want to honor and commend those of you who are continuing to bear fruit, spiritual fruit in your old age.

To all of us here, I ask, are you growing old gracefully? Are you personally growing old gracefully, even if you're just 20 years old? Are you growing old gracefully? To all of us here, I ask, are you becoming wiser as you grow older? Are you using wisdom? Are you more prudent in the things that you say and how you say them? And what can our younger men and women, our children learn from those of us who are a bit older? Let's go to Psalm 92 for a moment.

Psalm 92. And let's take a look at what is said here, what kind of instruction is given to us by God here in Psalm 92. Psalm 92 verse 12. Psalm 92 and verse 12. The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Huge, tall, magnificent. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Eternal shall flourish in the courts of our God.

They shall bear fruit in old age. They shall be fresh and flourishing. So you older people out there, have you thought of yourself lately as fresh and flourishing? Well, if you haven't, you should. Because you are fresh and flourishing. You have much to offer. You have much to give all of us. You are indeed fresh and you're flourishing. And that's a wonderful thing. So continue to be fresh and to flourish. To declare that the Eternal is upright. Again, the example that our senior members have set as they look to God continually in faith, trusting God, as I said through thick and thin, they're survivors.

They know how to survive. They know how to hang in there. We can learn from them. To declare that the Eternal is upright. He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him. And I would say that the key to growing old gracefully is to certainly look to the ancient of days.

Look to the ancient of days if you want to grow old gracefully, because God sets the best example, of course, of anyone. He is the oldest out there. He is the ancient of days.

God can and does use many in His service who are elderly. We know that many of the people here who are elderly serve to a large extent. In many, many different ways, we'll talk about some of those ways in our own congregation. But throughout history, throughout the Bible, we read of people who were older, who God used in dramatic and wonderful ways. How old was Noah when he built an ark? Well, we know he was 600 years old. 600? That's 10 times older than I am. I'm just a youngster.

He was 600 years old when the earth was flooded, and God used him to preserve mankind. Abraham was 99 years old when he was circumcised. He was 100, and his wife Sarah 90 years old when they had their son Isaac. When Isaac was born, Moses and Aaron were chosen to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt at the age of 80 and 83.

They continued to lead Israel in the wilderness for another 40 years. So well into their hundreds, they led the children of Israel. Joshua took over after Moses' death. He led the children of Israel into the Promised Land when he was 80 years old. So we're just hardly beginning. Those of us who are 80 or younger, we're just kind of getting started.

Caleb was also very involved as a leader in Israel when he was in his 80s. I'm not going to take the time to go to all these scriptures. Of course, you could look those up if you'd like. Daniel served God since his youth. For over 70 years, he served God. He was well past 80 when he served as one of the three governors over the Kingdom of Babylon, when he was thrown into the lion's den, when he prospered in the reigns of Darius and Cyrus of Persia, and when he received a series of prophetic visions, he was well past 80 years old.

It's likely that just about all the prophets were actively teaching and preaching in their old age. But I'm not going to comment on all the prophets, because that would take quite a while. We don't have time to do that. But it does remind me of a young, energetic pastor. He was preaching about the minor prophets one day, all 12 of them in one sermon. After two hours, he was only halfway through his message. Two hours. Everyone was getting restless, as you can well imagine.

Most had stopped paying attention by then. After four hours, to everyone's relief, he said, finally. It was almost over, they thought. Then, to their horror, the pastor said, Oh, I forgot about Micah. What shall we do with Micah? One old lady sitting in the front, she could take no more. She leapt out of her seat. She said, Hey preacher, Micah can take my seat. I'm going home. Zacharias and Elizabeth were John the Baptist parents. It says they were well advanced in years.

That's in Luke chapter 1, most of Luke chapter 1. You can read about that incident at another time. But they were well advanced when John the Baptist was born. Of course, God was working miraculously in these people's lives.

Simeon and Anna were both elderly when they were at the temple, at the time that Christ was circumcised. I think we will go to that. Let's go to Luke chapter 2.

Luke chapter 2, we'll read about Simeon and Anna.

Luke chapter 2.

Okay, verse, let's start with verse 25. Luke chapter 2 verse 25.

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout. This was the kind of man that I'm talking about. We have men like this in our congregation here. Men who have been faithful, who have been staunch, who have kept God's law faithfully over many years. He was just, he was devout, he was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. He was led by God's Holy Spirit. He had the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, guiding him, directing him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

So this was something that God was going to give to this man Simeon, a tremendous gift, to be able to see the Messiah before he died. That's the kind of man he was.

So he came by the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God, and he said, Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace. He was about to die. He knew that. You're letting your servant depart in peace. According to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation. He had seen the Messiah, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people, Israel. So that was an amazing opportunity for this man, this man Simeon, to see Christ, to see the Messiah. If we drop down to verse 59...

Wait a minute, there is no 59. Hold on, that must be a misprint.

Wait a minute.

Oh, I'm sorry. That's not where I wanted to be. Let's go down to just a few verses down. Verse 38.

Now there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Fannuel of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age. She was quite old. She was very elderly.

She had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity.

And this woman was a widow of about 84 years old. Now she was at least 84 years old. We know that. There's some differences of opinion on whether she was 84 or perhaps she could have been as old as 105. Some think she was possibly about 15 years old when she was married, no longer a virgin, and then with her husband for seven years, and then widowed for 84 years.

So she could have been as old as 105. She was certainly at least 84, so she was somewhat elderly.

So this woman, she was a widow of about 84 years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fasting and prayers night and day. So she was very devout. She was very dedicated. This was what she did. She prayed. She fasted on a regular basis. She was at the temple continually on a frequent basis. And coming in that instance, she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. This was her whole life, and God was blessing her as well. So Anna was a wonderful example of a Christian woman, a very fine Christian woman, as was Simeon, a wonderfully devout, righteous man.

So obviously, it is possible to bear fruit in your old age, to bear spiritual fruit, to bear abundant fruit in your old age. The Apostle Paul refers to himself as aged, the aged Paul.

In Philemon, verse 9, we don't know exactly how old he was, probably in his 70s or 80s. He was getting up there in age by that time. I suppose it's possible he could have been a little bit younger than that, but not much. Certainly a senior. So he considered it calls himself aged. He was extremely busy, however, writing epistles, traveling, preaching the gospel, until his death. The Apostle John was advanced in years when he was exiled to the island of Patmos. He was probably at least somewhere in his 90s when he was on the island of Patmos and was given the revelation, that vision that he had on the island of Patmos, the book of Revelation.

So again, it's obvious that as we grow older, we can continue to bear fruit. Our life is not over.

Your life is not over, if you can hear me. And even if you can't, even if you can't hear me, because there may be some here that may have a difficult time hearing me. Your life's not over. You're continuing to bear fruit, and we appreciate that.

And we say thank you and keep up the good work for us.

Now, all this talk of older people does remind me of an old preacher who had spent 40 years pastoring in the same church. He was very highly respected in his community and the people, the brethren in the church. At the end of his life he was drawing nearer, and as he lay on his deathbed, he asked for the local banker and the local lawyer, the attorney, who were part of the congregation, to come and spend his last hours with him. So both the banker and the lawyer were very impressed that they would be asked. And so they discussed among themselves as they were waiting to come in to see this this aged minister. They were discussing what great pearl of wisdom would he want to share with them. So they were quite moved by this opportunity. And as they entered his room, he motioned for one to sit on his left, the other to sit on his right. As they sat down, a great peace came upon that man of God, that old preacher. And he just lay there, peaceful, this peaceful look on his face. Thirty minutes passed. Thirty minutes went by and not a word was spoken. Finally, the banker leaned forward and he asked the minister. He said, Sir, we were wondering what great pearl of wisdom you may want to share with us, since you called us here to be with you. The old preacher looked at him and he replied, As you know, Jesus has been my example all my life. And since he died between two thieves, I decided that's the way I wanted to go. Well, that's not a very good legacy to leave behind, is it?

So you never know what the old preacher might be thinking about you.

I don't know of any thieves. I don't know of anyone out there who's a thief. I think well of you. But I thought that was a little bit funny. I wanted to share that with you.

God certainly does use older people in various ways today. As I told you, some of the elderly men in the various congregations in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in Tulsa, in Oklahoma City, northwest Arkansas, and right here, some of the older people have been among my best friends, the ones that I looked to for direction and guidance and that I felt close to.

Let's turn to Acts 14 for a moment. We'll see that in Acts 14, verse 23, that elders were appointed in all the churches.

Acts 14, verse 23, in the early church, so when they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting, they commanded them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

So in every church there were elders, and obviously they were somewhat older than the average age of the congregation. They were wiser, they were older. It doesn't mean that there weren't young men that were also ordained eventually. We know Timothy was a minister, so we know that younger men were being brought into the ministry as well. But initially, I'm sure it was the older men, the ones who were wiser and had been around, lived longer, were more solid, more stable. But again, age is not the prerequisite. It's how you live your life.

There's been a lot of fine young men who have been given great responsibility in God's church because they've responded well. And they've set a good example, and they've been very faithful, and they've been very wonderful servants. But you know, it takes all ages to make a congregation. And as I look out, I see all ages. We have a lot of babies here. We have a lot of pre-teen age children. We have teenagers. We have those who are young adults. We have those who are middle-aged adults. We have, obviously, the elders here as well. We have a good mix in our congregation. And that's a good thing. It's a very vibrant congregation. But I would encourage the younger ones to look to the older ones, the younger women to look to the older women for direction, to look to them for guidance. I think the women's discussion group is a good thing because I think it's it gives an opportunity for all ages, young and old, older. Not that my wife's old, but it gives everyone an opportunity to get together and to learn from each other. So I've heard a lot of good things about the women's discussion group. In our spokesman's club, we have an opportunity as well for the younger ones to learn from the older ones. And the older ones also learn from the younger ones. I mean, I've been very encouraged by some of our young men that are maturing quickly and really stepping up to the plate. They're good leaders.

It allows me to think very well of our future as God's people, as the church.

There are lots of young, fine men and women. And I'm not fearful for God's church. Whenever the Father decides to send the Son back, we're going to be okay because we have people like you in this room today. We have people that have dedicated their lives, young and old, to God's truth and God's way of life. In Titus chapter 1, again, it talks about appointing elders, but notice what it says about these elders in Titus. And really, a minister or an elder basically should have the same character as everyone else, or everyone else should have the same character as the elders.

The same things that are required of elders are, in a very real sense, are required of the younger ones as well. In Titus chapter 1, verse 5, Paul says, For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you.

If a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children, not accused of dissipation or insubordination, for a bishop must be blameless as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled.

We recognize that some of the fruits of God's Spirit, we're all supposed to be producing the fruit of God's Spirit. Whether we're elders, whether we're in the ministry, it doesn't matter.

We all need to be producing the fruit of God's Spirit.

Verse 9, holding fast the faithful word, as he has been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convict those who contradict, because there will always be those who contradict. There will always be those who are contrary, some, thankfully not too many.

At least my experience has been a very good one in God's Church. The majority of God's people, they're fine people. They're really wanting to do the right thing. They're not out to pick a fight all the time, which I appreciate that. I'm not really that much of a fighter. I can fight if I have to. I prefer not. So it's really been quite a pleasure to be a part of God's Church and to be in the ministry as long as I've been in the ministry. I was ordained when I was 30 years old.

So I'm 60 now. That's 30 years. Do the math. It's been a while. But it's been a real pleasure. Again, I've seen things happen in the Church. It's not that it's been a rose garden every step of the way. It isn't that it hasn't had its challenges. But I can honestly say that it's been a wonderful experience for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm certainly grateful to God for His calling and for His direction, for His guidance in my life. And I know you feel the same way I do.

So I speak for all of us. God's been good to us. God really has blessed us. Again, He doesn't make it easy. He allows the trials to come. He tests us through these trials. We've talked about trials a number of times in the last few months. We'll always talk about trials because they'll always be among us. We'll always have to deal with various trials. But we are to become men and women of character. And it's not too... you're not too young to start thinking about that when you're old enough to understand what I just said. So you young ones out there... I mean, you're smart. You know, you get a lot out of these messages, these sermons. You really do, more than many people realize.

So I would encourage our young people, our pre-teenage, our teenagers, to decide early in life that this is your way of life. That God has called you to this way, and this is the best way.

There is no better way out there. I mean, I've looked. I was a young man. I was 18. I did some looking before I came in God's church. And I've been doing some looking. Not that I've been longing for it, but I've kept my eyes open. I don't see it. There's nothing else out there that compares to the pearl of great price. Nothing compares to what you already have.

So I hope you're pretty content with what you have here.

In Titus 2, verse 3, go... Titus 2, verse 3, here it says... Well, let's go back to verse 1. Let's read all this. 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, and in patience.

The older women, likewise, that they may be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not gossipers or slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. The older women are to teach good things. The older men, they're to teach good things.

That they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children. That's sound doctrine. We should all be teaching that.

Love your husband, love your wife, love your children, love each other, develop relationships in God's church that are going to last an eternity. These relationships will last forever.

So what you can do now to develop those relationships is certainly important.

Get a head start. Work on those relationships right now.

Teach good things to one another. Verse 5. To be discreet. To be chased. To be modest. To be humble.

To be homemakers. It's good to take care of a home. I appreciate all my wife has done over the years to take care of the home. I haven't had to worry about the home. I haven't had to worry about my children. I knew she would be faithful. She'd be a wonderful mother. I haven't had to worry about any of that. She's been a wonderful wife, a wonderful mother. I would encourage all of you women to set that as a goal, to be a wonderful homemaker. That doesn't mean you can't work outside. It doesn't mean you can't do other things. There are certain times in our lives where you might be concentrating more on one thing than another. But certainly there's no shame in being a homemaker and staying home and taking care of the home and cooking the meals and doing all those things. And of course, men can help with that as well. But we should all pitch in and do as the Bible instructs. So be discreet, be chaste, be homemakers, be good, be obedient to their husbands. Wow! Can you believe the Bible has the audacity to say that? To be obedient to your husbands. Well, hopefully the husbands are worthy of some obedience. Hopefully you husbands and fathers out there, hopefully you can be trusted. Not to ask of your wife something you shouldn't, but to love her, to honor her, to cherish her. And she'd be most happy to obey. Not that we go ordering our wives around all the time. I mean, I only do that, you know, four or five times a day. And notice it says, obedient to their own husbands, that the Word of God may not be blasphemed.

That God's Word may not be blasphemed. You know, the example that we set as fathers, as mothers, as husbands, as wives, as children are all very important. They should be godly examples.

All along the way, verse 6, likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded.

In all things, showing yourself to be a pattern of good works, in doctrine, showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, incorruptible, sound speech that cannot be condemned.

That one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

So we should be very careful that we don't give people something to say about us.

We should be very careful. I haven't always been perfect at that. I'll be the first to admit it.

I certainly hope and pray I've always been repentant when I've messed up, when I've slipped up.

I know God's very forgiving, and I certainly appreciate that. But I know he wants us to set an example of faithfulness, of love, of obedience, of character, of righteousness.

And we should not make excuses for ourselves. When we sin, we should admit it.

And we should try to do better. We should fast and pray so that we will do better.

Those are powerful spiritual tools. Prayer and fasting will help us a great deal.

Older men and older women are to set an example of purity. They are to teach the younger men. They are to teach the younger women. We really can learn a great deal from older men and women in our congregation, but we have to be willing to listen to what they have to say. Be willing to listen. And certainly ministers can learn from others in the congregation. We can learn from young and old. We should always respect each other. A child who's talking should be respected. A child who's talking should be respected.

Now, if they're not saying something they should be saying, they will need to be corrected.

But they should be respected, and we should listen to our children. We should give them opportunity to speak, but we should also teach them God's way. And when it's proper to speak, and when it's proper to be silent. There are times when our children need to learn to be more silent. We should teach them these things. Hmm. This reminds me of another story. There was a new preacher that came to his first church. It was a little old country church. And the first Sunday, didn't know any better, I guess, only one person showed up for the morning service. Just one person. A little old man in bib overalls.

The preacher said, he's a little old man. He's a little old man. He's a little old man.

In bib overalls. The preacher said to the man, brother, you seem to be the only one to show up this morning. Should I preach or what? Well, the little old man replied, well, sir, I ain't no preacher. I'm just an old farmer. But if I had a truckload of hay and I went to the pasture and only one cow showed up, I'd feed that cow. The preacher, inspired by these words of wisdom, began to preach. And he began to preach like he never preached before, kind of like Jay was up here preaching. He was preaching inspired words. He began to preach like crazy. He preached everything that he had learned or heard. And then he began to even make up stuff. Finally, after two hours, he finished. And he looked to that little old man and he said, well, brother, what did you think of my first sermon here? The little old man replied, well, sir, I ain't no preacher. I ain't no preacher. I'm just a little old farmer. But if I had a truckload of hay and I went to the pasture and only one cow showed up, I wouldn't dump the whole load on him.

Well, ministers also need to learn when to shut up. And it's not quite time to shut up yet.

Now, we've got plenty of time. Let's go to 1 Peter chapter 5. 1 Peter chapter 5. 1 Peter chapter 5 verse 1. The elders who are among you I exhort.

Peter says, I exhort these elders, I whom a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed. Now, we know Peter's background. You know, Peter was a little rough around the edges. You know, he made some mistakes. He denied Christ three times. He made some mistakes. But he also learned from those mistakes. Verse 2, he says, Shepherd the flock of God, which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly, not because you're compelled to, or someone's making you, or someone's paying you to do it, but do it willingly, not for dishonest gain, but eagerly, nor as being lores over those entrusted to you. Now, that's how I look at all of you. You have been entrusted to me. I don't own you, but you've been entrusted to me. How I treat you is important. What I say to you, how I say it, it's all important. Sometimes I don't do as good a job as I'd like, but it is important to me.

So it says, not being lores over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock, and when the chief shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.

I want that crown. I'll be the first to say that. I do want that crown, but I'm not going to get there by stepping over people.

That's not how you gain a crown. You gain a crown by loving and respecting each other, and dedicating your lives to each other. And I'm speaking to all of us now. That's how we all will earn that crown. By following God the Father's example, and being willing to give His only Son to die for us, and Jesus Christ's example to lay His life down for His friends.

So we should follow the example of the chief shepherd at all times.

And when the chief shepherd appears, we're all going to receive that crown of glory that will never fade away. Every last one of us in this room, I hope and pray, receives that crown of glory and lives forever. That should be our desire for each other, should it not? Every one of us. I know you feel the same way I do.

So it is really a wonderful brotherhood that we're all a part of.

So how can we grow old gracefully? We've talked about some of the things, surely, by growing in character, by loving each other, by keeping God's commandments, by being honest, by being respectful and faithful toward each other. We can continue to bear good fruit by yielding to God's Holy Spirit and allowing the fruit of the Spirit to guide us and to direct us at all times.

Now, recently I was looking at a survey. It was actually a research group. It was called the Pew Research Group. It was entitled Growing Old in America.

The question was asked, when does old age begin?

When does old age begin? Well, I'm sure there were a lot of answers. The average answer was 68 years old.

So I'm not there yet, people. But what do you think those who were 68 said?

I assure you, they did not say that a person got old at age 68. It was much higher.

Much higher. In fact, they talked to a group that were 65 to 74 years old, and only 21% of them said they were old. Just one-fifth of a group 65 to 74 only 21% of those people considered themselves old. Then they talked to a group that was older than 75, and only 35% of them considered themselves old. Either they're delusional...

I'm kidding. When I'm 75, I don't think 75 is that old. I know some men in here that are 87, and I'm thinking, he's going strong. At 87, that's a great encouragement to me.

I think I've got 30 more good years. Look out! 30 more good years! My life's not over, not by a long shot. I've got a long life ahead of me, hopefully. And some of you, not as long, some of you a lot longer. If you take care of yourself, and God's merciful, and looks after us, allows us to live, there's no guarantees. Obviously, we don't know how long we're going to live.

I thought this was very interesting. From this Pew Research group, they said, of all the good things about getting old, the best by far, according to older adults, is being able to spend more time with family members. More time with family as they grow older.

In response to an open-ended question, 28% of those ages 65 and older say that what they value most about being older is the chance to spend more time with their family.

So you know what tells me? It tells me that we should all try to spend more time with our family, because we don't know how long we're going to live. What if your life is cut short? You won't grow old to regret that you didn't spend more time with your family.

It's better to spend lots of time with your family right now, no matter what your age is. Spend lots of time with your family, make that a priority.

Don't make your job more important than your family. Don't make anything more important than your family. God is a part of that family.

He's the head of the family, and it filters down. The family is the most important thing.

Also, from the research, it says that 28% of those ages 65 and older say that what they value most about being older is the chance to spend more time with family. An additional 25% say that, above all, they value time with their grandchildren. I know those of you who have grandchildren would certainly agree with that. A distant third on this list is having more financial security, which was cited by 14% of older adults as what they value most about getting older. It's not the financial security that's near as important as having spent time with your family. So I would again encourage you to spend time with your family. So the elderly, again, they serve in many ways in this congregation.

Many of our elderly are very hospitable. They host Bible studies. They host other activities, women discussion groups. They open their homes to entertain people, even when they may not have the energy to do that. I'm not saying everyone needs to be doing this. I'm saying for some, it works very well, and this is a way they can serve. Others serve in various ways. Hopefully, everyone is serving through prayer and fasting. That should be one of the most important areas that our older people are elderly can serve in prayer and fasting for one another, for the church, for those who are ill. Setting examples of faith, integrity, and perseverance. Those are very, very important ways to serve. If you're setting an example of faith, integrity, and perseverance, you're doing much to serve this congregation. Some have even helped preach the gospel. I know some of the older people were the most active when we had programs to distribute the Plain Truth magazine, or the Good News magazine, or Waiting Room program, or various ones. Some have been even effective in helping spread the gospel. Again, we are to serve one another. The younger should also learn to serve the elderly. The younger should serve the elderly. Right? Yeah, they should.

The elderly should serve the younger. It's a two-way street. We should all be serving one another.

Where would we be without our senior members in this congregation? Where would we be? I guarantee we would be lacking. We would be greatly lacking without our seniors.

A couple scriptures and we'll wrap this up. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 16.

2 Corinthians chapter 4 verse 16. Therefore we do not lose heart, even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. As we grow older, yes, more aches and pains. Definitely. I don't run as well as I used to. I don't climb stairs quite as well as I used to. I can still climb them, but slowing down a little bit.

But that's not the important thing. There's a far more exceeding thing. It's an eternal weight of glory that's going on here. While we do not look at things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporary. Those things are temporary, but the things which are not seen, they are eternal. They will last forever. The character that we develop, the love that we have for each other, these are things that you don't easily see. They're not visible. You might see them in some ways, but they're not tangible, physical things.

In Philippians chapter 3, a final scripture, Philippians chapter 3, verse 12. Paul says, Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting these things which are behind.

And reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let us, as many as our mature, have this mind, and if anything you find otherwise, or you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule. Let us be of the same mind. Let us walk together. Those of you who are younger, again, would be wise to get to know those who are older among us. If you don't know all the older people here, why not? Why don't you know them? Maybe you should get to know them. Maybe you should make it a goal to get to know each and every one of them. We can all learn much from those who have lived much and have lived well. Let me say that again. We can all learn a great deal from those who have lived much, have lived long, and have lived well. So, rather, let's take to heart the words of the the Apostle Paul, the aged Paul. Let's continue to press toward the mark, all of us, and although our physical bodies grow older each day, let us renew the inner man and the inner woman daily.

Let's keep our eyes on God's eternal kingdom, and let's press toward the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We are indeed a family, and let's march on to the kingdom together as a family. This evening we'll be having a special dinner and dance for our seniors.

The dinner will begin at 6 p.m., and it's two doors down. Just right over there, there's a couple, there's another meeting room down there, so I think you go out here and then go down a couple, and then you'll see us. We'll be in there. We'll have the dinner, and then afterwards we'll be having a dance, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the older folks dance and show me a thing or two. Mr. Wright claimed that he heard that I was, what did he say? He heard that I was, what's that guy's name? Not Fred Astaire, the other one. Gene Kelly. He heard that I was Gene Kelly, the modern-day Gene Kelly. I don't know who's been talking to him and who's been lying to him, but no, I am more like Fred Astaire.