Well, I trust you have your Bibles open to Psalm 71, which was read moments ago. Our title of the sermon is An Old Man Restores Hope in God. If you notice, verse nine, he says, do not cast me off in the time of old age. Forsake me not when my strength is spent. Verse 18, so even to old age and gray hairs, oh God, do not forsake me. We trust that he'll bless the reading and the preaching of his word. Those of you that remember your history books, it tells a story of a Spanish explorer, Ponce de Leon, who was on a quest searching for the Fountain of Youth. The fountain was rumored to have restorative powers to the aged. There's no evidence that Leon was actually searching for the mythical fountain, however, Since third century writings, many of them depict magical waters having restorative powers. Throughout history, a search for reversing age is real. Movies, potions, medicine men, witch doctors, creams, serums, and hucksters of all sorts have promised that old age can be slowed or even reversed. Unfortunately, there's often such an emphasis on the use of various things at the expense of the elderly. It's true for both society and even sometimes churches emphasize youth over the elderly. Generally speaking, the elderly are not sought after as valuable assets unless it is by those who make big bucks for their services. Who even needs to tap the elderly for wisdom on the issues of life when you can just ask Google? Psalm 71 is the reflections of an older man in a crisis of faith seeking to restore hope. He does not want to be forsaken. The author is uncertain. However, some in Jewish tradition saw Psalm 70 and 71 as one psalm. Psalm 70 is ascribed to David. Nineteen of the prior psalms to that were ascribed to him. Also Psalm 71 bears many similarities to other psalms written by David. And then Psalm 72 concludes the second book of the five books of the psalms. And the final note is the prayers of David, the son of Jesse are ended. And so though Psalm 71 does not declare an author, it is fair to conclude with some certainty that the psalm is a psalm of David in his older years of life. He's found help in God in the past, but he seems to have lost sight of it. His faith has waned in his old age, but it has not failed. He's in a dark place, but to use a boxing term, he's not down. I mean, I'm sorry, he's down, but not out. He needs a refuge, he needs a rock, he needs a hiding place while experiencing difficulties. Now there's a spoiler alert, he finds the remedy where he always has before. His hope, as you've heard it in the reading of the psalm, is in God and in God alone. It's not in himself, but it's in his Lord. I'll be jumping around the text some, not verse by verse this morning, so I encourage you to follow along in your Bibles as we work our way through it. Our big idea is dealing with a crisis of faith in old age. The outline is encouraging us to learn from a senior citizen facing difficulties and how he resolved them. Now keep in mind, old age is a relative thing nowadays. We had a neighbor a few years ago who was in his 80s mowing his lawn, and when asked where he got the mower, he responded, he bought it used. He said some old guy bought it and didn't know how to use it, so he returned it. Some old guy, a man in his 80s talking about some old guy. So, unless the young and middle-aged in our midst begin to tune out the sermon this morning, I assure you this psalm has a lot to say to anyone of any age struggling with the trials of their faith. And even if you're not struggling now, you need to pay close attention because Jesus promised that in the world you will have tribulation. And so we note, first of all, the problems. David is facing some issues that are typical to many in older age. We notice a sense of rejection or worthlessness. Verse nine, do not cast me off in the time of old age. To cast off means to reject or discard something that has no value, something to be thrown away. Many as they age acquire this sense of rejection and question their value or their worth. and then declining strength or weakness. Verse nine again, forsake me not when my strength is spent. He is acknowledging his frailty and fears, being deserted when weakness is now his lot. Ecclesiastes 12 is an exhortation to remember your creator in the days of your youth. With somewhat poetic and difficult language at points, it opens up what it's like to be an older person. The language, the Hebrew language the writer uses describes the degeneration of weakness in various difficulties of old age. Listen to some of it, I won't have you turn there, but the keepers of the house tremble. It means the arms and hands critical of the human body begin to shake. The strong men are bent, legs and knees now crooked. The grinders cease because they are few. Perhaps you get that one without knowing Hebrew. The teeth begin to fall out and chewing is more difficult. Those who look through the windows are dimmed. The eyesight begins to fail. The sound of grinding is low. Loss of hearing sets in. One rises up at the sound of the bird, perhaps meaning that sleep becomes more difficult and one is easily wakened. in the night. All the daughters of song are brought low. Either the singing or the enjoyment of music perhaps is less appreciated. They are afraid also of what is high, fearful of heights. I've been told to stay off of ladders. And they are afraid of terrors in the way, generally more fearful or anxious in life. Various times, the almond tree blossoms, the hair turns gray and then white. The grasshopper drags itself along. The once active body literally is a burden to walk. And desire fails. Passions and desires of life weaken and wane. If you wonder why the old folks don't show up to load the truck for your next move, it's not because we don't love you. Ecclesiastes 12 is our excuse slip. Thankfully, and we should be thankful, that technology and medical advancements have made aging in many cases less of a burden, but there is no ultimate stopping the process. And David cries, oh Lord, forsake me not when my strength is spent. Isolation, verse 11, for there is none to deliver him. The assumption by his accusers is that he has been abandoned by many close companions. Your circle of close friends tends to diminish with age. Many have already passed on. Spouses are left without their lifelong companion. Divorce promotes aloneness. Opportunity for serious conflict often estranges those who were once good friends. Besides that, you have more time to develop fourth of all enemies. Verse four, rescue me, oh my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man. For my enemies, verse 10, speak concerning me. Verse 13, may my accusers be put to shame and consumed with scorn and disgrace. May they be covered who seek my hurt. The strange relationships are one thing, but constant criticism and attacks that mount up for some over the years may cause you to doubt yourself and to doubt God. Perhaps they are right. Perhaps what they're saying is correct. A loss of any sense of value may occur. And David had never been without enemies, but he's feeling the weight of it now in his old age. And to make things worse, fifth, the loss of reputation and disrespect. In you, verse one says, oh Lord, do I take refuge, let me never be put to shame. Shame means to have a painful feeling, an emotional distress, sometimes to the point of despair, having the disapproval of those around them, causing frustration and loss of hope to the person one is shaming. His enemies are taunting him, verse 11. They say, God has forsaken him. There's none to deliver him. Verse seven is, I have been as a portent to many. The word portent means a wonder or a sign. It's used in Deuteronomy 28, 46 as a sign of curses on Israel and their offspring for their disobedience. David is being perceived as a symbolic testimony, as a sign of divine judgment or chastisement or retribution. He was the king, but now he's the object of disrespect, subjected to ridicule and mockery and loss of his reputation. When David was in his mid-60s during Absalom's rebellion, he was traveling with his men along the road, and if you remember that story, Shimei called and yelled, you worthless man, and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. This was the king of Israel in his older years. Some grow old having accomplished great things only to find attacks on their reputations by bitter people. And then vulnerability. They plot, verse 10, those who watch for my life consult together. They counsel or take counsel and conspire. Verse 11, pursue and seize him for there is none to deliver him. That's what they're saying. He's vulnerable. And this is typical sometimes in older age. Easy prey for scams and trickery and being taken advantage of. And then verse 20, troubles in general. You have made me see many troubles and calamities. The older you get, the more the difficult experiences of all sorts have mounted up. Job said in Job 5, where affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. Paul said, through many tribulations, we shall enter the kingdom of God. And that becomes more and more of a reality the older you get. And though these and many issues tend to mount up, they are applicable to some degree at any age. If you read the Psalms, many of these complaints have plagued David since he was even a younger man. All of his life, he was the youngest of eight boys. Just that alone, you wonder how that would feel. When Samuel examined and rejected the seven sons to find a king, daddy hadn't considered his last born, runt shepherd boy, David. He wasn't appreciated by his siblings. They thought he was absolutely no match to fight Goliath. He was ridiculed. David had trouble all his life. He battled the Philistines. He fled from King Saul. He was exiled for months on end. He was snitched on by Doeg when he was hiding from Saul. He fell into terrible sins of adultery and second-degree murder. Because of it, he lost a baby. His own son, Absalom, attempted a revolution. His household fell apart and so much more. It is true that the older you get, the more troubles of life can wear you down. The older you get, the more opportunities there have been to be knocked around by people and circumstances. It's just the way it is. The temptation to lose joy and hope, even the zest for life, becomes all too common, and it seems like David is feeling some of that at this time. But it's also amazing how many young people feel isolated, few friends or rejected by others, broken homes, a sense of hopelessness, no purpose in life, Nothing to look forward to, a culture of death all around. Teen suicides are at an all-time high. Confusion about gender. Things are expensive. How am I ever going to get ahead, own a home, and so forth? It goes. It is true, the older you get, the more experience you have of difficulties in life. But it's equally true that the older you get, the more experience you have gained on how to rely on God's faithfulness, and you have the experience of many blessings and answers to prayer the older you get. And what does this age of psalmist teach us about combating all the temptations that come with growing old? We have seen the problem, notice second of all, the panacea, the remedy. There's a temptation for self-pity, for wallowing, and even for a loss of the hope that once drove your faith, many turned to drink or some other means to drown out their sorrows. Years ago I heard a pastor preaching and he mentioned asking a member why he continued these cycles of drunkenness over and over again. The man responded, I'm trying to drown my troubles The pastor told him, don't you know you can't drown your troubles? Troubles know how to swim. Instead, the old man pleads before God in prayer. Verse two, deliver me and rescue me. Incline your ear to me and save me. Be to me a rock of refuge. Rescue me, oh my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust. and cruel man. Verse nine, do not cast me off, forsake me not. Verse 18, oh God, do not forsake me. Verse 12, again, oh God, be not far from me. Oh my God, make haste to help me. There's so much lament in this psalm, the pouring out of the heart in praying. But sometimes in praying, we notice the psalmist also preach to themselves at the same time. Psalm 42.5, why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation. Do you ever talk to yourself, preach to yourself while you're praying? O my soul, why are you cast down? Hope thou in God. And there are three things we notice in this text that keeps up his hope. First, he looks to the past for hope. He finds hope in the present by remembering the past. Verse five, for you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Verse six, upon you I have leaned from before my birth. You are he who took me from my mother's womb. Verse 17, O God, from my youth you have taught me. Old age has its attendant problems, as we have noted, but the late James Boyce says, but one great advantage is in having a long experience of God's presence, faithfulness, and blessing. And so as he looks back over the span of his lifetime, from birth to his old age, he sees the hand of God has been on him all of the way, even before he was born. From the very start of his life to his golden years, he was drenched in the sovereign mercies of the Lord. And certainly a parent is a great influence on their children, but when compared to God's sovereign care, who never slumbers, never sleeps, Only God can claim the honor of uninterrupted, second-by-second, moment-by-moment, hour-by-hour, day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, year-by-year-by-year-by-year of constant vigilance and care for His people. What God began in the early years, He will complete in the final days of old age, and this psalm depicts that. You've probably heard of the second century Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna, who was to be burned at the stake for his faith. He refused to bow down to idols. Even the pagan officials who had a high regard for Polycarp pleaded with him at least to give a false bow to these idols. Save your life, bow, it doesn't mean anything, just bow to them. His response was for 86 years. I have been Christ's slave, and He has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me? I prayed for the Lord not to get me stirred up this morning with emotions, but that's gripping for a man to have seen as the psalmist has seen from his very born day of his birth to the end of his life, how can I blaspheme my king who's been faithful to me for 86 years? One rightly comments, looking back over his life on the help and grace of Christ, Polycarp was no longer weak or lonely. but he was strong in faith as he trusted the Savior who had so loved him. May the Lord give us all the same grace if he preserves us into our riper years. Perhaps thoughts like this inspired Joseph Addison, the hymn we sang earlier, who had a life of troubles. He wrote, unnumbered comforts to my soul, thy tender care bestowed before my infant heart conceived from whom those comforts flowed. When in the slippery paths of youth with heedless steps I ran, thine arms unseen conveyed me safe and led me up to man. And so as the psalmist preaches to himself about the past mercies of God, he sees also God is his only present hope. Verse seven, I have been as important to many, a sign of God's displeasure and rejection, but don't miss this in the text. But you are now my strong refuge, which completely redirects the attention from himself and all his troubles to the Lord, his God. And again, his present hope is bolstered. Verse 8, my mouth is filled with your praise and with your glory all the day. You see how you can hit the wall in a crisis of faith, but your footing, your foundation, your moorings are not ultimately shaken if you are a believer. My mouth is filled, it is now filled with your praise and with your glory all the day. By rehearsing God's mercies to him, he continues to renew his confidence and hope, and this enlarges his heart and opens his mouth with praise. And we must preach to ourselves by remembering past blessings, and that should bring present hope and praises to our Lord. But he doesn't stop with the past or the present. Notice he looks to the future with hope. He had glimpses of this future hope in the beginning, but doubt and lack of confidence threatened to shake him. He looked at past causes for hope. He was strengthened by that to a present hope. And in spite of doubts, he's now spurned to look ahead with renewed hope. Verse 14, but I will, I will going forward, hope continually ongoing and will praise you. yet more and more. He's gaining ground for days ahead with a steadfast resolve. God is not done with him, and he's surely not done with God. Verse 20, you have made me see many troubles and calamities, will revive me again. There's hope, there's a spring in his step. He believes that God is not done with working in his life. And so what were the things that caused him to praise God and cling to future hope that he wants to proclaim to others? Notice these three things in the text. The one is, first is God's righteousness. Verse 15, my mouth will tell of your righteous acts. Verse 16, with the mighty deeds of the Lord God, I will come, I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. Notice not his righteousness as David, but God's righteousness alone. Verse 19, your righteousness, oh God, reaches the high heavens. Verse 24, my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long. pinning his future hopes on God alone. He knows God's righteousness is not only who he is, his person and his character, and it's also what he does. It is his acts, his mighty deeds. They are righteous as well. A just God does justly. A righteous God does good for his people. It's hard to remember our troubles are making us better people. They're working together for our good. But closely linked to that, he also wants to proclaim verse 15, of not only your righteousness, but of your deeds of salvation all the day. Deeds of salvation means deliverance from danger and enemies. Verse 16, with the mighty deeds of the Lord God, I will come. Verse 17, I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. Verse 19, you who have done great things, O God, who is like you? Verse 23, my lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you, my soul also which you have redeemed. Redeemed is often a a reference to an original, the deliverance from Egypt when they were captive there. But David seems to apply it as a metaphor for the redemption of his own soul, salvation or deliverance on the spiritual level. Deliverance from safety means nothing if there's never been a deliverance of soul, of your own soul from the bondage of sin. And there are many righteous acts or deeds of salvation to tell about. Notice in verse 15 again, for their number is past my knowledge. He's saying I can't even begin to calculate the blessings I've experienced in my life. That old song is appropriate when upon life's billows you are a tempest tossed, when you are discouraged thinking all is lost. Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done. But God's righteousness and salvation are in full partnership with God's faithfulness. Matter of fact, many commentators see his righteousness being defined as his faithfulness as well. Notice he's still looking to the future, verse 22. I will also praise you with a harp for your faithfulness." Oh my God, for your faithfulness. He's not only speaking of the just and righteous character of God, but will continue to praise God for his faithfulness to his covenant promises. He has lived long enough to see the righteousness of God faithfully work in his mighty deeds of deliverance and redemption. his faithfulness in using all his power and providences in defending him and his beloved people along the way. Experiencing and remembering God's faithfulness over and over again gives hope for the future. As one well said, this should be the perspective of every Christian, young or old. Whatever sorrows you may now be enduring and whatever trials may lie ahead for you, through faith in Christ, this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Older people don't necessarily have all the answers. They are also never too old to learn. But with age, often a treasure trove of how God's faithfulness has worked in their lives from their salvation, their early years, undeserved blessings all along the way. And even though this psalmist is old in age, he says he's going to proclaim them all the day, day after day, all my days. His proclamation is continually, all day long, lifelong, since my youth, even when I am old and gray, he says. David has a new lease on life, even in his golden years. He has every reason to keep on living as long as God gives him life and breath. If the elderly can't do anything else, they can pray, they can praise God, and they can proclaim to the next generation the glorious blessings and faithfulness and righteousness of God. He sees future usefulness even in his old age. Verse 18, so even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me until Until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those who come. I have hope now, he says, preserve me so I can go and tell. I have hope I will continue to praise him. It is the privilege and the joy of the older generation to encourage the next generation in the powerful ways of the Lord. And that means the next generation though, listen up young people, they should avail themselves of the things these old folks have to share. In the first church I pastored over 40 years ago, we had an elderly English couple, I've talked to them many times. Being around them was an experience of devotion beyond explanation. They were filled with Christ and a sense of worship and praise that was contagious. They had years of experience in the Lord and their stories were like manna from heaven. And we often spent time with them with our boys when they were young. When it was time to go, we would gather around. Edna had a little pump organ stuck in the hallway, and we'd gather around and we'd sing, sing hymns and praise to the Lord. We always ended with, abide with me. When other helpers fail and comforts flee, help of the helpless, oh, abide with me. But the ironic thing is there were only a few young people that ever availed themselves to the wealth of wisdom and devotion of this elderly couple. And many years later, one of the remaining deacons I've kept in touch with who often visited them to soak up their priceless treasures before they went to heaven would lament to me that it was still the same. Other than the leaders of the church, young people were not availing themselves of the wealth that this aging couple had to offer, even when encouraged to do so. One has said, David's plea urges younger believers to make every effort to benefit from the testimony of aged Christians. In this way, he says, churches that foster intergenerational fellowship go a long way to strengthening the faith of the rising generation of believers. What a shame that many churches isolate the young from the old with a greater emphasis on the youth. It should strike us that Paul's letter to the Ephesians was read to a multi-generational church. His exhortation to children and their parents was read aloud to young and old alike. But more than just assembling together, young people should be encouraged to visit and mix with older people, soaking up whatever godly influence and wisdom they have to offer. Whatever besets us, we can pray and preach to ourselves like this, no matter what age you may be. Praise was on his lips in the past, that put praise upon his lips in the present, and now with a new spring in his step, there's an implied expectation of the Lord's future usefulness. As old as David may have been, he was wearing a button on his lapel that said, God is not finished with me yet. I will proclaim. And as we age, we need to remember that God is not done with you until either you can't speak, you have no mind left to understand, or you're six feet under. You may retire from the workplace, but you can never retire from being a witness for the Lord. James Boyce observes again, he knew that if God had left him in life and had not yet taken him home to be with him in glory, it was because there was work to do. And so with that, we have some final thoughts. So much of this Psalm relates to Jesus. He was a portent, a sign, a wonder, When he appeared on the scene, he was presented in the temple by his parents to the aged Simeon on the 40th day of his birth. As a baby held in Simeon's arms, he told Mary, behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that is opposed. Jesus was born for adversity. From day one, he was to be either a sign for the rising of some or the falling of others. All his life he was mocked and rejected by men. They maligned his reputation all through his life until the very end. He was accused of being deserted by God as one who was under judgment, a wonder or a sign of divine rejection. And his cry on the cross appeared to prove them right. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? David's cry is, oh Lord, do not forsake me in my old age. Oh my God, why have you forsaken me? They shouted at him on the cross, he saved others, he cannot save himself, he's the king of Israel, let him come down now from the cross. And we will believe in him. Bearing shame and scoffing rude, in my place condemned he stood. But he was under a curse, and he was rejected, and he was a sign to some for a fall and to others a rising, to some divine judgment and others to eternal life, to some blessings and to other curses. Paul said of the messengers of the gospel, for we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? For the rising of some and the falling of others a fragrance of death or a fragrance of life, Jesus became a sign in his death, bearing the curse of sinners so that sinners could be saved and grow old, proclaiming God's righteousness, his salvation, and his faithfulness in the gospel. It is Christ alone that is the rock. He alone is your refuge. He alone is your hiding place. You will not find rest. You will not find peace. You will not find hope anywhere else but in Him and Him alone. And so if you're an unbeliever, I ask this question. Which category are you in? Is the message unto life or is it unto death? Is it a fragrance of a sweet aroma of the gospel or it is that message that's condemning your soul eternally, forever and ever? Have you embraced the gospel? The preacher urges you to remember your creator in the days of your youth before time passes, and you are too old, if you even become old. You may be snuffed in the younger years of life, but at that point of age, your interest may be completely lost. I'll never forget sitting at the bedside of a dear lady's husband in the first church I pastored. She was a faithful member with an unsaved husband. At one point, her elderly husband, who fell ill, was in the hospital and I sat by his bedside. And he was so eager to talk with his dying breath about how he had built classic cars over the many years of his life. He was excited to tell me these stories. And this is what he wanted to talk about in his last days on earth. At one point I got out my Bible and I said, let us turn to the gospel of John. And I began to rehearse to him the story of Nicodemus and the new birth. And he then turned toward the wall with his back toward me as I preached the gospel to him. Not many days he entered eternity and I preached his funeral. I'll never forget that. Classic cars, excitement, gospel, beyond his desire. The pleasure for it was gone, the interest was gone, and he was gone to his eternal place before God. No wonder the preacher says, remember your Creator in the days of your youth, Unbeliever, where are you going to hide in the day of judgment? You must face that question. And then Christians, finally, the church needs godly senior citizens. Older women to come alongside younger women. older men to share their wisdom with younger men, mature saints, parents, grandparents sharing with the next generation the powerful works of God. Oh, how they desperately need what you have to offer. And I would say to young people, aspire to grow up to be godly Christians so you can face the trials of life, even into old age. Older folks, make sure you have something to say in your old age that is worthwhile to pass on to the next generation. Just because we're old doesn't necessarily mean that we've acquired the wisdom that we should have over the years. And then finally, have I said finally a few times? Finally, be reminded, as one writes, an ancient writer Whatever may befall believers here, it is certain that their career in the next world will be brighter and brighter forever. Verses 20 and 21, from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. Some believe this is a phrase that is referring to, at least in a hinted way, of a future bodily resurrection, which is the greatest deliverance of all. And if that's true, in the eternal state, verse 21 says, you will increase my greatness and comfort me again. And then in verse 24, he also speaks in the present of what would be a future vindication from all his enemies, for they have been put to shame and disappointed who sought to do me hurt. One says, he was so confident of triumph that he sang of it before it came. To his mind, it was as if judgment had already been executed. Meanwhile, Isaiah tells us, listen to me, O house of Jacob, O the remnant of the house of Israel who have been born by me from before your birth, carried from the womb, even to your old age, I am he. and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made and I will bear, I will carry and I will save. And so as we grow old, our eternal hope is in the one who never grows old, the Ancient of Days. We sung about it, for I, the Lord, do not change. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And so immortal, invisible, God only wise, in light inaccessible, hid from our eyes, most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days. almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise. Let us pray. Our Father, we pray that the Word of God has met our hearts, young or old, that we have not just seen a person, David, but we have seen him typified as that great Savior and hiding place and refuge and rock, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. I pray that all of us will take to heart what has been spoken, not for our own selves alone, but for the next generation and the generations after that, but ultimately for the glory for the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.