God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore, remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them, while the sun or the light where the moon or the stars be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain, and the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out the windows be darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low. Also, when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail. Because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about in the streets, wherever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Let's pray. Father, give us wisdom and understanding as we look at this passage tonight. Lord, we can do nothing about the past, but the days that we have help us to treasure them up for you and to live with you at the center of our lives. And so I pray that the lessons we learned here tonight would help us greatly in our lives. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Professor and theologian Kevin Van Hooser recounts his experience caring for his aging mother, who suffered from dementia. Over time, he watched her identity fade as memories disappeared one by one, like lights going out in a house at night. He observed that as dementia stripped away her abilities, it also stripped away her filters. Until, in her frailty, she began voicing her innermost thoughts aloud. Father, she called out to God, don't let me fall with every shuffled step behind her walker. At first, Van Hooser found her plea heartbreaking, and he was hardly able to bear it. But then he realized its beauty and its truthfulness. Though she had forgotten names, faces, and even parts of her own life, she had not forgotten God. Beneath the surface of fading memory, her basic reflex was still faith in God. Her last words were prayers. Father, don't let me fall. And isn't that a prayer all of us need to pray, no matter what our age? This illustration captures the heart of Ecclesiastes 11.7 through 12.7. Life is short, and old age will strip away much of what we have built around ourselves. What remains is what truly matters, that which is deeply rooted in our souls. So now Solomon the preacher urges us to live wisely, and worshipfully while we still can. In the words of chapter 12, remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth. Solomon guides us through three responses to the fleeting nature of life. First of all, he teaches us to rejoice responsibly in the gift of life. That's the first part. Secondly, he warns us to remove what brings ruin. Finally, he urges us to remember our creator before the final season of life comes and we face the end. So I want to walk through each of these tonight. Number one, we are to rejoice responsibly in the gift of life. Aren't you glad God wants you to be joyful? For some people, it seems anyway, by the way that they act, that this is a great revelation, almost a surprise. I thought that if we were Christians, we were supposed to be miserable. Well, that's not the case at all. The good news is is that God has called us actually to rejoice in the life that he's given us. You don't have to be sour all the time. And a person who is, who does not rejoice in life, is missing out on the good gift that God has given. But he also calls us to do so responsibly. And that's the key. Letter A, life is a gift to be gratefully received. And this is in verses 7 and 8. In verse 7, the light is mentioned. the sweetness of the light of the sun. And we can all understand this. I mean, just a few days ago, it seems like we had one rainy day after another and everything was overcast. And then you have a day where the light comes out, the sun comes out and you can see it. Of course, the sun's always there, right? But there's no cloud cover and you can see the light and there's just something about it that lifts your spirits. And they say in lands that are close to the poles that people have a hard time with their lives because there's so much darkness. People, I've heard in Alaska, missionaries who really have a hard time ministering there because at certain times of the year, there's very little daylight. And it really does affect the human body. But here the sweetness of the light of the sun is used to suggest that God has intended for man to enjoy life even with its troubles and its enigmas. And that is especially true for those of us in the 21st century. I look at my own life and When I consider all that I have, boy, there are times when I whine so much. I was reading just the other day about how in 1800 in Europe, around 40 to 45% of children died before age five. In other words, about one half of the population did not stand a good chance of making it past age five. Death was very, very common. Now folks, that's the good old days, right? That we all pine for. If you made it past childhood, you were expected to live 50 to 60 years. But those came with a lot of things that accompanied them. Famine struck entire countries. You know, some of our parents and grandparents were immigrants who came here because of famine. and because of disease. But most of us don't know what that's like. I have never been through a famine. I mean, you can tell I've never been through a famine. Maybe that would be a good thing for me, you know, a self-imposed famine. But I have never been through that. Infectious disease was everywhere. You had to pump your water out of a well. And especially if you were in a town and there was one source of water, a pump, It could infect entire towns before they knew what was happening. Smallpox, tuberculosis, cholera, typhus, dysentery. All of these things were very, very common before we had vaccines and other things. They were widespread and deadly. And so life is fleeting and it is limited, even with the things that we have. in the 21st century, even with the things that we all enjoy. But verse eight tempers this joy with a sober reminder, and that is the days of darkness will eventually come. And here, this is a metaphor for aging and for suffering and ultimately death. And they are many. As we go in life, we encounter more and more suffering and more and more death and disease. And so Solomon comes to this little reflective summary at the end of verse eight, and he says, all that cometh is vanity. Now remember that he's not saying that life is meaningless because it is not, especially for the believer. But what he is saying is that everything in this life is transient. It is fleeting, it is passing. Even good things are passing. The joys, the youth, the vitality, and yes, even the sorrow. This tension encourages a realistic God-centered joy. It is not hedonism. That's not what he's teaching here. He's not saying go and do your own thing. Live it up. But what he's talking about is joyful living in light of life's brevity and in light of the judgment to come. For us as God's people, we don't fear final judicial judgment. We will stand before the judgment seat of Christ, but not the great white throne, amen? Because Christ died for our sins on the cross judicially. But at the same time, we know that the end is coming and we will stand before our Lord. Now we could say it this way, what Solomon is saying in these verses, when you honor God with the life that you have on this earth, there are many joys to be had. If you truly honor God, there are joys to be had. And I hope that you feel that way. I know that I enjoy my life of serving God. And when you honor God, when you put him first, there is true joy to be had. However, don't put down your stakes too deep in this life. Because it will not last forever. What you do for Christ will last. That's the good news. Letter B, we see also this truth in verse 9. It goes right along with it. That is that liberty must be governed by accountability. So in verse nine we find this, rejoice, O young man, in thy youth. Young people are summoned to pursue true and lasting joy. I wish I could have gotten this into my head when I was young, that when you honor God, it is a life of joy. That when you lay the right foundation and you honor God with your life, it is a life of peace and it is a life of joy. And let me say this to our young people. One of the greatest lies that Satan will tell you is that you have to go sow your wild oats. And the truth is, no you don't. That is a lie. It is a lie of the devil. Do not give away your youthful years to the devil, to the flesh, and to this world. Boy, that philosophy is so prevalent, and I've heard Christians repeat this, and it is so deceptive. Give your life to God. That's what this verse is saying. And whatever the case, as a young person, you are responsible, and you're going to be responsible for your life. It's an amazing thing when I hear 30 and 40-year-olds, and they're talking about the bad and horrible conditions of their present life, and they're still blaming other people. They're blaming an authority figure in their past, or they're blaming their parents for the way that they were brought up. It's all someone else's. Well, yeah, I know I'm wrong, but this is what mom and dad did, so forth and so on. You want to be respected as an adult? Then take responsibility. Yes, it is true. that the way that you were brought up influences you. No one would deny that. But you yourself are responsible for your own life. And one day you're going to stand before God and you're going to give an account for the choices that you make. And you can't bring in mom or dad. But you're gonna have to stand and you're gonna have to face God's accountability. So the young man is to be pursuing truth and true and lasting joy, that's the good news, but also consider your accountability to God. Number one, rejoice, here it is, responsibly in the gift of life. Number two, remove what brings ruin. Chapter 11 and verse 10. In 11 and verse 10, we find, therefore, remove sorrow from thy heart and put away evil from thy flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity. Letter A, we are to guard our hearts. The word sorrow comes from a Hebrew word meaning vexation or grief. It is deep vexation that sometimes leads to bitterness or cynicism about life. The trials of this life can make you better, or as the old saying goes, they can make you bitter. And this is certainly the case. The Bible says guard your heart from this. You know, one of the best things that you can do to guard against this is to be grateful for what God has given you. You know, I gave you the illustration. And boy, I think of all kinds of things now. I think about my mom and my dad who were in heaven. And there are many times when I'm so ashamed of myself, of the way that I treated them. But you know, I talked about the Toyota truck that my dad had bought me when I was younger. I had very little appreciation of it. I wanted a sports car. And I didn't appreciate what he had given. You look back on that now and you start to appreciate mom and dad a lot more. But you know, I go back and I say, why was I not grateful then? Sometimes I want to go back in a time machine and just kind of slap myself upside the head. But you can't do that. And that is the point of these verses. You can't go back. Don't waste your youth. Don't dwell on the evils. Don't dwell on the things that you don't have. You become bitter, you become cynical about life. And you don't really see the good things that God has done for you. Now the Bible does recognize that there's a time to mourn. That's in Ecclesiastes 3, 4 if you'll remember. There's a time to weep and a time to laugh. And then the Bible says there is a time to mourn. We don't ignore the problems of this life. They're not imaginary. They are very real. But they must be seen in perspective. And for those of us who are saved and know God, they occur in a certain perspective where we know we have a sovereign God who is in control of all things. That makes all the difference. If you live in a world where there is no God and there is no ultimate purpose other than what you make it to be, which is totally absurd, by the way. But if that's the kind of universe that you live in, then yeah, you have no hope. But that's not reality, and we know that as God's people. We don't have to spend our lives in sorrow, in cynicism, in bitterness because of what happened. And there are some people who may be here tonight, and you say, you know, preacher, it's too late for me now. I don't have my youth anymore, and I've already lived a good portion of my life, and I do have many regrets. Because there were so many of those early years that I did not live for the Lord. Solomon's message to you and God's message to you is that still don't dwell on those things. Don't dwell on the past. But focus on the time that God has given you. Don't let sorrow overtake you, but enjoy God. Grow in your relationship with Him. As long as you are open and submissive to the voice of God, it is never too late to serve Him. As long as we have breath in our bodies. That brings us to letter B, and that is pursue purity. Don't waste your young years on anxiety and worry, or bitterness, or cynicism. And we see surveys that Generation Z is eaten up with anxiety and worry. It's a sad thing. That was one thing that I never wanted for my children. And that's why I wanted my wife and I to have a good relationship as husband and wife. First of all, to honor the Lord. But you know, when mom and dad love each other, you'll be surprised the effect that it has on the children. It provides a stable home. It provides a happy home. Children who do not have a mother and father who love one another, but mom and dad are always fighting, it does something to the child. It removes that peace and stability. I don't want my children eaten up with anxiety and worry. And there's so many things out there. You know, we have all kinds of advances in technology and it seems like they've just brought on more anxiety because now people are trying to keep up. They live up to the level of their income and now they're on social media and they see what their friends are doing. You know, the trips that they're taking abroad and the new car that they just bought and they look at their own lives and they become dissatisfied and anxious. so much anxiety, and it's all so unnecessary. Because when you know God, He is enough. And you especially don't want to waste your youth on worry and anxiety. Cultivate a pure, single-minded focus upon God. Learn to love Him supremely. In most cases, you don't have to worry about your parents. They love you. They want to see the best for you. And the friends that you have in your life, if they're good friends, if they are true friends, the same is true for them. They want what's best for you. Those are the people you need to surround yourself with when you're young. Number one, rejoice responsibly in the gift of life versus seven through nine, and by the way, it should be seven through nine, okay? Not seven through 10, but number two, that was my error, okay, my error. But number two, remove what brings ruin, and that focuses on chapter 11 and verse 10. And that brings us to number three, chapter 12, verses one through seven. Letter A, consider God in your youth. Remember now your creator in the days of your youth. Craig Bartholomew writes that remember means much more than intellectual acknowledgement of God as creator. It's not just saying, oh, I forgot. Oh, yeah, God. That's not really what it's saying. But to remember is a very intentional word. And what it means here is allowing the notion of God as creator to shape your view of life and your handling of life's mysteries. It means that your entire worldview, your entire perspective is different because you consider God in all things. Christ is the Lord of your life. And it goes down even to the way that you dress and who you're going to marry. What job you're going to do. What you're going to do with your entertainment. What you're going to do in your private life. There is nothing that is held back from Him. You remember Him in all things. And where does it start? Lord willing and hopefully it will start in your youth. Again, don't give your life to this world. Don't think that you have to sow your wild oats to know something, to get acquainted with the ways of this world. You don't. There's nothing out there for you. But focus upon God and what he has for you. Letter B, contemplate life's brevity. In verse one through six, look at 1B, while the evil days come not, or the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. Now let me stop here, I wanna make this very clear. The passage is not saying, serve God now when you're young, because when you're old, you're gonna be miserable. That is not what it is saying. And sometimes it is misinterpreted that way. And I think one of the reasons why is because we here in America especially have a bad attitude towards the elderly. We have an improper view towards old age. Youth is worshiped. Does this go on in the Christian world? Absolutely. Almost all church life is geared toward the youth. And by the way, that's a good thing to include the youth. It's good to include all age groups, but youth is worshiped almost. By the way, there's nothing wrong with being young. I was young once, okay? And still am, it just depends on who you ask, right? But we do have a bad attitude many times towards the elderly. It's not like this in every society. You just go to the East, go to the Middle East, go to the Far East. Now, unfortunately, American commercialism has penetrated those areas, and many of those people have come to American universities, and now they've picked it up. But the fact is, is that the elderly are esteemed. They are revered. They are held to be in great wisdom. They are not an embarrassment. Did you get that? Like they are many times here in America. We just want to shove it out of our minds. We don't want to hear about it. We don't want to hear about death. It's not something that we want to consider. And we miss so many important and valuable lessons. No, you don't have to be morbid. That's not what I'm talking about either. But you do have to focus on these essential issues of aging and life and death. This is what the author of Ecclesiastes is saying. But he's not saying that when you're old, it's all misery. Because look at verse 8. Let's go back to verse 8 and I'll show you this. Go to Ecclesiastes 11 and verse 8. It says this, but if a man live how many many years and what? Rejoice in them all. By the way, that's what God wants you to do. One of the greatest testimonies is to see an elderly man or woman of God. Who has lived his or her life? in obedience to God from the time of their youth. And now when they are old, they can say, I have no regrets. That's not to say that they're perfect. Of course, there are things that they would have done differently. But I'm talking about the overall trajectory of their life. They have walked with God for their entire lives. And they can say, no regrets. But what the passage is talking about here is when you don't do that, when you waste your life, when you don't lay that proper spiritual foundation, when you give away your youth to the world, the flesh, and the devil, and then all of a sudden, the dark times come. And now you've got to meet God. I have known many people who have given this testimony. I've known elderly people and they get saved later in life and praise God that they do, but they say, I have lived my entire life for myself. I've got very little to give God. Now praise the Lord that they're still saved. But the tragedy is, is that as far as this life is concerned, they've got regrets. They didn't lay that foundation. And here what Solomon is saying is, lay that foundation in your youth while you have time. Take those years and serve God with them before old age and death comes. And I'm not going to go through these metaphors in depth, but the aging body here in these verses in chapter 12 is likened to a decaying house. You know, the keepers of the house, the arms and the hands, once strong and steady, now tremble and shake. The so-called strong men, the legs are bent and weak. They're no longer firm or athletic. The grinders, and some people take this to be the teeth, perfume, making chewing difficult. The windows or the eyes grow dim, progressing from glasses to surgery, Now we can barely read large print with a magnifier. I mean, I use 14-point type even with reading glasses. It used to not be this way. The doors of the house representing the ears are shut. Hearing fades. Loud noises become muffled. Sleep is restless. The elderly rise at the faintest morning sounds. Their voice weakens, becomes thin and unsteady. Singing is no longer possible. They fear heights and feel unsafe venturing out, especially alone or at night. White hair is pictured by the blooming almond tree. The grasshopper, which symbolizes how you were at one time, light and agile, now symbolizes frailty, either because light burdens feel heavy or because movement has become slow and halting. Desire fades, food loses flavor, and natural appetites vanish. This is just the way things happen. I can remember my mom, she was a human dynamo when she was younger. And when I was a kid, she was out in the yard digging up a tree stump. She was in her 50s at the time. And I remember my friends came over, and they were amazed. They said, is your mom digging up the tree stump? And I was doing something else in the yard. I said, yeah, that's mom. And that's just how she was cut. Now, when she had open heart surgery in her early 60s, she never was the same, and things started to slow down. And isn't that the way of life? So we do have that opportunity. It's not just about using youth and vitality for the Lord, but it's also about this, and that is that when you're young, you have opportunities that you're not going to have later. You'd better establish that foundation while you're young. You're putting into place the structures. That will support you for the rest of your life. It's not that you can't get along without that, because when you're old, The Lord can still do great work in your life, but it's going to be hard. It's going to be difficult. You're going to have a lot of baggage when you don't give him your youth. So we come to letter C and that is commit yourself to God. There is coming a time. When the dust shall return to the earth and the spirit shall return unto the God who gave it. We know from other scriptures that the believer goes to be with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5.8, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. On the other hand, the unbeliever goes to Hades or hell, a place of fire and a place of punishment, waiting to be thrown into the lake of fire after the final judgment, the great white throne. But the point that Solomon is making is that the spirit of man rests in the sovereign hand of God. And as far as this life is concerned, it's over. Any opportunities that you have come to an end. As this elderly woman we mentioned at the beginning, near the end of her earthly journey, stripped of memory and strength, what remained was her quiet dependence on God. Father, don't let me fall. And that simple prayer was not weakness, but it was wisdom. It was the fruit of a life rooted in trust. Such a life does not happen by accident. If we want our last words to be words of faith, our final days to be filled with hope and not regret, then we must live intentionally today. Rejoice in the days God gives you, but rejoice responsibly. Remove from your life whatever draws you away from Him. And most of all, remember your Creator. Now, while strength remains and your heart is tender. Let's pray. Father, we do thank you for the life that you've given us. And although there are sorrows, and we do acknowledge that because of our sin and because of the fall, you have given us many, many joys and many, many blessings. And with the time that we have as your people, as those who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, we pray that we would use this time to serve you, to grow in our knowledge of you, Lord, to set the stage for what is to come. And we thank you that for those who know Christ as Savior, there is a glorious eternity beyond where any of the joys of this life are going to be magnified beyond anything we could ever imagine. And all the sorrows will be gone. We thank you for that. We thank you for Jesus who makes all of this possible. In his name we pray.