You may be seated. You'll have to forgive me today. Pastor VanderDusen is sick. I just got over getting sick, so I'm still a little congested. If my voice starts going out, that's the reason why. Well, several years ago, a global survey was conducted in which participants were asked a series of questions about how they viewed old age and how they were preparing for later life. And one of the initial questions was, how would you define old age? And it varied based on the age of the participant, but in general, most people said that old age began around 65 years of age, and was anything older than that. A second question was asked, and it said, what are some terms that you would describe, that you would use to describe old age? And again, the answers varied based on the age, but the four most common answers were wise, frail, lonely, and respected. Now, most people in the United States tend to think of old age as a time in which there are less responsibilities, and in many cases, less usefulness. And they tend to either think of a couple happily enjoying retirement, or of the lonely nursing home resident who's been abandoned by her family, both because of the financial and relational burdens that she was becoming. They think of either the fit and active 80-year-old running down the side of the road, or they think of the man who can't move because of medical issues. Now those are extremes, but notice those categories. And I know that all of you have experienced this before as you've talked with people. But notice the categories that those are divided into. We tend to think, as a culture, of old age either in terms of physical and mental health, or of independence and autonomy. Old age is commonly associated with a lack of independence, and a gradual decline in involvement in the community. And there's a sense that a person's usefulness is past, and that it's time for them to pass on the baton to someone who's younger, who's more energetic, and the older person's time is just done. So the question today is, is this the right lens to be looking at old age through? Is that the way that the Bible describes old age? And should those be our thoughts as we think about those who are aging and even about us as we age? And what I hope you go away with today as we look at this topic of old age is that while some of the observations of our culture have some truth in them, the Bible's vision for aging is far broader and is far more positive. Now, as we begin, we have to start like that global survey did. We have to define what is old age. Now, in the Bible, old age doesn't refer to a specific number of years. But if you look at how it's used throughout the Bible, you'll see that it's used as a general term to describe people from anywhere less than 80 to all the way over 150. People lived a lot longer back then. So it was a broad range. Now, this typically also included some of the signs of age. It included gray hairs. It included a weaker body. It included other things, like wisdom and experience. For instance, if you look at 1 Kings 1.1, it says, now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm. So here there is both an indication of a long life and also an observation of a decline in physical health. And we see similar language used throughout the Bible to speak of Abraham, Joshua, Gideon, Isaac, essentially anyone who's lived many years is described as being old. Now, that's not where the Bible stops though. the same term that is used for old age in the Old Testament, is used to describe the elders or leaders of Israel. Now these were people of authority and of wisdom who led the people of Israel and acted as their representatives, as their judges, as their leaders. And they would sit at the gates of the city and would hear legal cases and give judgments. And they were also the ones that were sent out, if there was an invading army, they were the ones that were sent out to negotiate with the invading force. I'm sorry for all of these clearing my throat. Now, they were the diplomats who would go out to negotiate. They were the people who would be sent off on these important missions. And those were the people who were trusted and who were respected in their communities. So if we were to come up with an initial description of old age, based simply on those observations. We could say that old age is described in the Bible as a state in which one is advanced in years. And that advance in years is typically marked by a lessening of physical strength and an increase in wisdom and experience. Now, there are many of you who might agree with the first part of that, that there's a lessening of physical strength in health. But what I want you to see as you go out today is that there is also truth in the second part. That God blesses those who are older with wisdom and experience, and that there are some natural implications to that. Now this sermon's not just for those of you who have gray hairs or who are older, this is also for a lot of you who are younger. Because whether you like it or not, we are all aging. And we are all getting to the point where someday we will be old. And so how we view the end of our days will drastically affect how we live our lives up to that point. Now, today I want to look at three different aspects of old age. Thank you, Sven. Hopefully that will spare you some of the loud noises every once in a while. So the first aspect is that old age is a time when our sorrows are increased. Now this is in many ways the easiest aspect of old age for us to grasp because it's the most obvious, right? We look around, we see that old age comes with a lessening of strength. Now there is truth in the fact that old age brings with it physical decline. Our bodies grow weaker, our minds don't work quite as well, We get injured more easily. We have to schedule more doctor's visits. And the sports and activities that were once played with enthusiasm are now avoided because bones break more easily. A lot of you have experienced this before. Tasks like cleaning the house or doing laundry become harder because of the strain on our bodies. And old age brings with it a steady decline in strength. And one individual that I used to run with regularly, I won't name him for his sake, but he would tease me all the time and say that I would never be as fast as I once was. And even though he didn't outright call me old, he would consistently say, hey Corey, you're past your prime, you're on your decline. So, my decline hasn't hit too hard yet. There is a lot of truth in that statement. We are all marching steadily towards the end of our days. And with that comes sorrow as we look back over our lives. We remember the times in which we could jump over obstacles, when we could run at full speed. And nowadays, that turns into a steady jog. Our high jump turns into a high step. Things naturally decrease. And along with this physical decline, we experience other sorrows. And I'm actually glad one of our readings today, if you noticed in the law, in the reading of the law, was from Galatians. And in that, it points to the fact that we reap the fruit of decisions that we've made earlier on in our lives. In Galatians 6-7, Paul says, Now those of you who are young, remember this truth. There's nothing else you remember today. This is an important thing here. What you sow now, you will reap in the future. The decisions you make now will affect you in the future. And as many here can attest, bad decisions made while you were young will come back to plague you when you are older. Maybe it's poor financial choices. Maybe it's conflict or impropriety in a relationship that you are failing to address. Maybe it's feelings of pride and self-entitlement that just gradually create this sense of miserliness or this attitude towards others where you're just pushing them away. Whatever it may be, your decisions now have future consequences. But again, even that does not describe all the sorrows of old age. Death seems to be coming ever closer, and with that comes a sense of urgency and a sense of powerlessness. We know that there's only a small amount of time left. And as you get older, every sickness and every injury takes on a new significance. It takes on a new seriousness. When COVID came through, that was a very intense time as a lot of elderly people were afraid that if I get COVID, will this be the end? And that same thing, just because COVID's done, at least for now, doesn't mean that that sense of fear leaves. There's still the sense that whatever sickness comes, is this going to be the last? And there's often a desire to do more, but there's often a feeling that it's just physically impossible. Now, we'll come back and address some of those ideas, but what I want to point out is that this is where we often stop the conversation when we talk about old age. We look back and we say, yep, being old is pretty sad, and I want to avoid that at all costs. And it is sad in many respects. I don't want to minimize the fact that old age does bring with it some sorrows. One of the effects of the fall is that sin and decay entered the world, but as Christians, there is so much more to old age than just its sorrows. Now what the Bible calls us to is a different mentality because the second aspect of old age that we need to recognize is that although old age brings greater sorrow, it also brings greater joy. Now if you think back to one of the passages we read at the beginning, Psalm 92 verses 12 through 15. I'm gonna read it again here just so that it refreshes it in your memory. The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord. They flourish in the gates of our God. They still bear fruit in old age. They're ever full of sap and green to declare that the Lord is upright. He is my rock and there is no unrighteousness in him. In light of what we've talked about so far, that might seem like an odd statement. We've talked about the sorrows of old age, so how do we reconcile that with this psalm, which talks of the righteous being like fresh, fruitful trees, which are still green and full of life. If you look at this psalm, the first thing that you'll notice is that the righteous flourish. When we talk about the blessings of old age, we have to start with the recognition that it is the Lord who brings blessing to his people. The wicked may enjoy prosperity for a time, but ultimately, they are under God's judgment. Just a few verses before this particular passage, the psalmist writes that the wicked sprout like grass, but are doomed to destruction. However, the righteous are blessed by the Lord and are like these tall, strong trees that are given lasting peace and fruitfulness even to old age. If you think about palm trees and cedars, these tall, just stately, sturdy trees, Second, notice where the trees are planted. They are planted in the house of the Lord and flourish in the courts of our God. True fruitfulness is rooted in being in God's presence. In order to be fruitful on earth, we must be heavenly minded. And being planted in the house of God implies that we are worshiping and serving him. So those that want to finish well, and run well must start with being rooted well, right? In order to finish well, you have to be rooted, you have to run, being diligent in the prayer and praise of the Lord. We talked earlier about how Paul speaks about our reaping what we sow, and we talked about the negative side of that, but there's also a positive side to that. Old age brings with it blessings as we reap the fruit of good decisions and good seeds sown in the past. Relationships that were invested in, finances wisely managed, skills practiced and developed will all bring benefits in old age. And even more than that though, if we start to saturate our hearts in the word and are diligent in prayer, when we are young, old age brings with it a knowledge and a wisdom and peace because we have learned to rest in the Lord. So approaching death, again, it may be a sorrow in one sense, but for those who are rooted well and have run well, death and the approach of death is a great blessing and is a great joy because every day is a day closer to spending it with the Lord. Right, for those who have spent their days meditating on God's word, the day of dying is not fundamentally a day of fear or a day of pain, but it is a day when they meet their friend and savior face to face. They've had an entire lifetime of experiences and can look back and see how God has been leading them through all the pain and trials to get to this point at this time. And so with the psalmist, they can declare that the Lord is upright in their rock. Now, in my work as an engineer, I don't know how many of you know that I actually work as a civil engineer, but I sometimes get called out to go to job sites and watch as they're constructing a building. And several months ago, I went out to a job site where they were constructing a 40-foot tall, 300,000 square foot warehouse. And they were in the initial stages of preparing the foundation for this building. Now, there are a lot of steps to that. So on this particular site, they had to go through, they had to clear out all of the bad soil. They had to come and smooth the surface, bring in new soil, pack that down, smooth it out again. They had to build formwork for the foundation. They had to have surveys to make sure that the formwork was right. They had to put rebar enforcement. They had to pour the concrete, work the concrete. I mean, the list keeps going on. There's so much that they have to do in order to just get the foundation right. Well, all of that process took them about six months to complete on this building. Now, if you had a guess of how long it took them to get the walls up, on this 40 foot tall, 300,000 square foot warehouse. Think of a number in your head. Wasn't six months, it was five days. That's how long it took them to put the walls up on this. So the question is, why do they spend so much time on the foundation? Why does it take them six months when it only takes them five days to put up the walls? Why don't they just come out and pour some concrete on the ground? Well, the reason is that if your building is to be strong, if your building is to be firm, your foundation needs to be strong and firm. If you have a foundation that's bad or weak, the rest of the building is at risk of collapse. And the same thing is true of our lives. The only good and the only true foundation is Christ. And if our lives have not been built on the recognition that he is God, and that our salvation is through him alone, then our walls will soon come crashing down. Now, someone might say, well, that's all good and well. It's good and well to know that you need to have a good foundation, but I'm a recent Christian. I haven't had years to build a good foundation. My walls are already crumbling down. I've already got broken windows. You should come see, there are spiderwebs in the corner. What do I do? Well, friends, God excels in repairing broken people. And yes, you may have to remove the broken foundation. You may have to take out the collapsed walls and the broken windows. You may have to clear out those spider webs. And your past decisions may mean that there is a lot of brokenness and pain in your life, but that is all the more reason to begin building on a solid foundation now. Fruitfulness can begin in old age too. It doesn't have to remain as just something that the young practice. Now, whether we are old or young, one of the blessings that God gives us is experience. As we go through our lives, we see actions and reactions. We see character flaws and poor decisions. We see changes in culture and in the world around us. And as we meditate upon God's word, the Lord gives us a new perspective on things. Like the psalmist, we begin to see that the Lord is patient and that the Lord is just. Proverbs 16 says, gray hair is a crown of glory. It is gained in a righteous life. And a life well lived is one that honors the Lord and is founded on Christ. Gray hairs are not a disease that we have to cover up or pluck out, that we have to disguise with hair dye. That is not what gray hairs are for. Instead, they are a crown of glory and are a sign of God's wisdom and God's grace. Now in cargo ships, there are several ways to load a boat. You can either take all the cargo, you can put it on the top deck, you can strap it down, or in most boats, there's what's called the hold. You can load your cargo in there, it's lower down on the boat, you can put your cargo down there. Now if you think about those two options, if someone puts all the cargo on the top, just stacks it way up, what happens when the first wave hits? Well, it's danger all over the place, right? The boat starts tipping and all of that weight on top just causes the boat to roll and capsize. Now, if you load all of that weight lower down, though, if you put it in the hold, when that wave comes, the boat rights itself and is more steady. Now, as we get older, we often learn better ways to load the ship. When we are young and inexperienced, we're loading all of our cargo on the top deck. And so when any wave hits, we're scrambling to try and shift the weight, we're scrambling to check our ties to make sure that it's done and to save our cargo. But those who are old have weathered many storms. They've gone through all of those waves. And even if they can't yet tell you to handle the ship correctly, They have many stories of what to avoid. Again, it goes back to the point of even if you're old, you don't have to have every right answer. Thomas Edison used to say, well, I didn't find one way to create a light bulb. I found however many ways not to make a light bulb. That's true of old age too. As you gain experience, even if you don't know the right answer, you at least know what the wrong answers are. You can say, don't go that way. So this brings us to the third thing to realize about old age, and that is that old age brings greater responsibilities. The wisdom that God gives us as we age is not simply to be cast to the side because we are retired or spent years in service to the Lord. Over time, there's this idea that's developed, especially in American culture, that When we get to the point where we are older, we pass on the baton, we go into retirement, and that's it, we can just kick back and relax. And there's this thought that that needs to happen so that new life can be breathed into something. And our culture looks to younger men and women to lead companies and take over responsibilities. And even in our church, there's a tendency to think that we need a lot of younger families, otherwise the church risks dying out. And as I say that, some of you may be thinking to yourself, well, no, there is true to that. We need to be able to pass on the baton. And I agree, but what is the problem with the way that we normally apply this? The problem is that we have so emphasized the passing on of the baton that we want to do it as soon as possible, and it creates this subtle mindset that once the baton is passed, The older generation now longer has nothing left to do there. It's time for them to step out of the limelight. They're no longer needed. The baton is gone. All right, time to just relax. Now, some step down willingly from their former responsibilities. Other are pushed into retirement homes or communities to be with others their own age. Most of them are ignored by the younger generations. And one of the main things that nursing home residents complain about is that their families rarely visit them. Even visits from friends are rare, and so they sink into this cycle of loneliness and despair. Again, remember those four terms that that global survey used. Wise, frail, lonely, and respected. And that aspect of loneliness is huge in our culture. Again, because of this idea that once you reach that point, wash your hands, you're done, step away. Now friends, we've already seen that one of the blessings that God gives to older generations is wisdom, experience, and hearts which have learned to trust in the Lord. Now to the older men and women, the Lord gives a special responsibility. If you look again at Psalm 92, look at the purpose that's described. The righteous flourish to old age, too, or so that they might declare that the Lord is upright. As we read earlier in Psalm 71, it says, O Lord, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come. Now friends, I want you to hear this because it is so important. God has a purpose for old age. It's not just something that happens. God intends it to be that way. God has created old age for a reason. Titus 2 verses 2 through 8 say, older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself to be a model of good works. And in your teaching, show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us." So what do we see here? We see maturity. Older men and women are dignified. They're reverent. They're not slanderers. They're self-controlled. We see also rootedness in God's word. They are to be sound in faith and to teach what is good. We also see that they are trainers of the next generation. Their maturity and their rootedness, it gives them the stability and wisdom that they can pass on to the next generation. And this is, in many ways, a radical shift from what we typically think. Many churches have well-meaning ministries in which they have senior groups. And it's just opportunities for seniors to get together, to be able to grow together. And while those can be helpful, again, think about the subtle messages that are expressed here as we think about some of those things. Often those ministries become simply an opportunity for the seniors to disengage from the chaos of the younger generations and focus on personal growth. And again, personal growth is good. I'm not saying those are bad, that there's no place for them. Personal growth is necessary. But secluding seniors ignores one of the responsibilities of older men and women. They can't mentor and teach if they don't interact with the younger generations. Now, is it wrong for older people to want to avoid the chaos of the younger generations? And I'll admit that because us younger folks are still learning how to load our ships correctly and endure the waves of life, things can get pretty crazy. If you come to my house any day of the week, and with our five kids running around, there is a lot of noise that happens there. It's not for the faint of heart. Now, there's a lot of energy expended in the younger folks as they scramble to try and right the ship as the waves hit, right? You're still trying to strap everything down, you're still trying to get everything there, you're running all around the boat, and if an older person steps in and is used to just a well-loaded ship, it's chaotic, it's crazy. But think about what would happen if, into that chaos, there stepped an experienced sailor. who knew how to load the ship, who knew a better knot to tie, who knew what to do. Think about what that would do to the chaos. And think about what that would do to the next storm. Maybe it wouldn't be as chaotic the next time. Maybe it wouldn't be as crazy because now you have a master sailor on board who can help. So not only is the boat safer, but there's energy saved and there's more focus and purpose to the manning of that ship. Now those of you who are younger, we do need our brothers and sisters in Christ and we do them a great disservice when we treat them as if they simply needed our help. I want you to think about how you view older people. Do you view them as simply needing your help? And yes, they may need us to clean their homes or bring meals or care for them as they deal with medical issues. Again, there is that natural aspect of older age. But how much are you losing by treating them as simply a needy passenger as opposed to a master sailor? Rather than looking to them and saying, hey, share your wisdom with me. Give me some advice for how to go about this. The younger generations need the older generations just as much, if not more, than the older need the younger. But let's bring this home a little bit more. In Elk Grove alone, there are at least a dozen nursing home and memory care facilities. And for those of you who have never been to a nursing home, it's a wonderful opportunity to interact with those who are older. But as we interact with them, just as you interact with your elderly relatives or people in this congregation, Our attitude should not simply be that we are there to make them feel more comfortable or that we are there to simply be their friend. Rather, one of our goals should be to encourage them to be mentors and teachers. And one way that we do that is to encourage them to teach us. In order to be a mentor and teacher, they need to have someone to mentor or teach. So ask them to tell you your stories and to share lessons that they have learned. hear their words, learn from them both their failures and their victories. And there are so many things that those sweet souls can teach you. We have a ministry at CVP to a nursing home in Turlock. And there have been a lot of interesting times over the years. Again, these are older folks. There are often odd conversations that you have. But at the same time, you learn all sorts of crazy things about these people. We had one older lady who was a secret agent with the FBI and had traveled all over Southeast Asia. There was another woman at this little nursing home in Turlock who was the first woman to have her artwork in the presidential art collection. And as far as I know, the only woman so far to have her work there. And so she actually ended up teaching some art classes to some of our people at CBP. So most of the people that you meet will not be like that. Most of the people are just ordinary people who have lived hard lives, who have made a lot of poor decisions. But all of them have something to teach. Now, it doesn't stop there. You have members in this congregation who are also old and full of wisdom. Seek them out. Show them respect and honor. And above all, don't forget them. Don't just spend your time with your friends or going off. Seek them out. It's easy to get caught up in the storms of our own lives. It's easy to get caught up in the activities of our lives and to push the older generation off to the sidelines. But the Lord has placed these people in your lives for a reason, to help you weather those very storms and to help you see the Lord's goodness. So don't forget about those who may be absent from your congregation due to physical health or to other needs. If they can't come to you, go to them. Seek out their wisdom. Now friends, we need to pray for those who are older. We need to miss them when they are absent, but we need to do more. We need to also encourage them to disciple and train and to proclaim the Lord's works to the next generation. Our culture says that old age is the time of retirement and rest, but the Bible points to old age as a time when you are the most productive and the most needed. Your lives may have changed pace since you no longer have children at home or no longer have regular jobs that you need to work at, but the Lord has a special role for you. You're like the Coast Guard patrolling the seas. use a lot of ocean illustrations today, but you're like the Coast Guard patrolling the seas. As you see the storms approaching, you're to warn the ships in the area to take cover, prepare themselves for the storm that's coming. And when the storms arrive, you seek those ships out that are floundering, and you help them make it safely to shore. So what does this practically look like when you live far away? Or when you're struggling physically, or when you don't have a car that you're able to drive? What does that look like? or how are you able to mentor and train in that instance? Now, it will be different for each person, but here are a few things to think about as you start. First, start by prayer. Pray specifically and pray intentionally for those you are mentoring or see struggling, and you can pray with and you can pray for them. Even if you do nothing else, you can invite them to come and just sit quietly by you as you pray for them and go before your God and Savior. And showing by example is one of the best ways to train. Now second, reach out. Younger people are often traveling at 90 miles an hour. They're not always thinking about these things. And so sometimes all it takes is a call or a note to break into that chaos and to call them to pause for a second and devote themselves to something that's important. Sometimes that's all that's needed also to start that relationship is just you reaching out. And that can be scary at times. That can be something that you might dread as you look at the chaos and the turmoil of their lives. But that is precisely when they need you the most. Third, invite them to come to you. All Christians are called to hospitality and fellowship, and older men and women are especially to be examples in this regard. As we age, We're to grow in our relationship to the Lord and in our maturity and character. And so we can show by our example what it means to be a Christian. And you can show what it means to let your homes be a safe haven where others can come, where they can express some of the turmoil that they're feeling. Fourth, be intentional. If you're unable to go to them or they are unable to come to you on a regular basis, Be intentional about the times that you do have. For many of you, these Sundays may be the main time that you interact with others. And so use those times to have focused discussions, to have times of prayer, to have checkups with those that you mentor. So brothers and sisters, the Lord gives us a vision of a church in which the older and the younger generations are laboring together in the work of the Lord. If you think about the power of the Lord's fleet, if every ship had a master sailor on board, if every ship had a crew that had been trained by one, instead of just a few ships out in front, you'd have a mighty fleet that would be going out to do the Lord's work for his kingdom. Now each of you has a role to play in that fleet, whether you're old, whether you're young. And now is not the time to rest on the sidelines while the race continues on. There is still a final lap to run. This is the victory lap. This is the final race. So people of God, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. As you run that final lap and as you approach that finish line, may the world not only hear the pounding of your feet on the track, but the shouts of joy from your lips as you proclaim the Lord's goodness and his greatness to the coming generations. Let's pray.