Grace For Growing Old Proverbs 16:31; 20:29

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Dale Arnold
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1 Grace For Growing Old Proverbs 16:31; 20:29 As I begin the message, let me say that I have no personal knowledge of what it means to get old, but I have talked with some who have, and said it would be alright if I shared our conversation with you. Someone said that aging is mind over matter: If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. Proverbs 16:31 (KJV) uses an old English word to describe aging that we don't use anymore. The KJV says, The hoary head is a crown of glory. The word hoary head means silver-haired head or the grey-haired head. It is referring to old age. Growing older is a natural experience in life. In fact,as we sit here, every one of us is growing older. None of us are growing younger. We are all growing older. Solomon says that growing older or aging can be a glorious thing. Proverb16:31 says The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, IF IT IS FOUND IN THE WAY OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. If a godly man grows and matures in the Lord as he is aging, and if he becomes more and more like the Lord Jesus as he is growing older, his grey hair is a crown of glory, shining with all the splendor of royalty. The godly old man is respected for his wisdom and his maturity and his steadfast commitment and faithfulness to his Lord. -But notice Proverbs 20:29 : The beauty and glory of the grey head is most likely to be found where the strength and glory of youth has been dedicated to God. The young plant that is stunted and deformed in its youth will usually carry its crookedness throughout its aging process. How sad to see a graceless old man, with the white hairs of ungodliness waiting for the wrath that he has treasured up to reach its full ripeness. The world and the church needs both the strength of youth for energy, and the maturity of age for wisdom. I. The Process of Aging What is aging, anyway? Someone said that one sign of old age is when your knees buckle, but your belt won't. Did you know that no matter what your age, somebody thinks you are old. To a grade school child, folks in college are old. To college folks, anybody who is married and has a few children is old. Solomon has a beautiful way of expressing how old age comes to us Ecc. 12: Ecc.12:2 pictures mental dullness. When the clouds do not return after the rain, means that one cloudy mental picture after another comes to you. Have you ever heard anyone say, I can't remember anything. I must be getting old. You are! Everything seems cloudy in your mind. 2.Ecc. 12:3-7 describe in an allegory terms the physical ailments and limitations of the aging.

2 a. The keepers of the house tremble. The hands and legs become shaky and unstable. The head begins to shake and the voice sounds trembly. 57 b. The strong men bow down. The shoulders begin to droop. c. The grinders cease because they are few. Our teeth fall out. The older we get the more we have to gum our food. -A pastor was visiting an elderly lady from his congregation. As he sat on the couch, he noticed a large bowl of peanuts on the coffee table. Mind if I have a few? asked the pastor. Not at all, the woman replied. They chatted for an hour, and as the pastor stood to leave, he realized that instead of eating just a few of the peanuts, he had emptied most of the bowl. I'm really sorry for eating all your peanuts. I just meant to eat a few, said the pastor. Oh, that's alright, replied the lady. Ever since I lost my teeth, all I can do is suck the chocolate off of them anyway. d. Those that look through the window grow dim. Our eyes grow weak and we need to grow longer arms. e. The doors are shut in the street. Your hearing goes. You ask, How's that again? What did you say? I can't hear you; Speak up! f. The sound of the grinding is low. Your voice gets weaker. g. One rises at the sound of a bird. You wake up at the sound of the smallest noise. h. All the daughters of music are brought low. Your singing voice gets weak. You can't hit the notes you once did. i. You are afraid of heights. And terrors fill the way. You see possible dangers everywhere. j. The grasshopper is a burden. The least little thing annoys you. k. Desire fails. Romance is gone. We might as well admit it: we are all getting older. Some of us wish it were not so. And It Was So God created the mule and told him, You will be mule, working constantly from dawn to dust carrying heavy loads on your back. You will eat grass and lack intelligence and you will live for 50 years. The mule answered, To live like this for 50 years, Lord, is too much. Please give me no more than 20 years. Then God made the dog and told him, You will hold vigilance over the dwellings of men to whom you will be his greatest companion. You will eat table scraps and you will live for 25

3 years. The dog responded and said, Lord, to live 25 years as a dog is much too much. Please give me no more than 10 years. Then God created the monkey and told him, You will be monkey. You will swing from tree to tree, 58 acting like an idiot. You will be funny and you will live for 20 years. And the monkey responded, Lord, to live for 20 years as a clown in this world is too much. Please, Lord, give me no more than 10 years. Finally God created man and told him, You are man, the only rational being that walks on the earth. You will have intelligence and will use your intelligence to have mastery over all the creatures of the world. You will dominate the earth and you will live for 20 years. The man responded, Lord, to live like a man for 20 years is too little. Please, Lord, give me the 30 years the mule refused and the 15 years the dog refused and the 10 years the monkey rejected. And so God made man to live 20 years as a man then to marry and to live 30 years as a mule, working and carrying heavy loads on his back then he would have children and live 15 years as a dog, guarding the house and eating left-overs from the pantry then in his old age, he would live 10 years as a monkey, acting like an idiot to amuse his grandchildren. Someone else put down what it's like to grow old in a poem. Everyone over fifty can identify in some ways to this little poem. I Am Fine, Thank You There is really nothing the matter with me. I'm just as healthy as can be. I have arthritis in both of my knees, And when I talk I speak with a wheeze. My pulse is weak and my blood is thin, But I'm awfully well, for the shape I'm in. Arch supports I have for my feet, Or I wouldn't be able to walk in the street Sleep has denied me night after night, But every morning I find I'm alright. My memory is failing, my head's in a spin. But I'm awfully well, for the shape that I'm in. How do I know that my youth is all spent?

4 Well, my get up and go has got up and went, But I really don't mind when I think with a grin; of all the grand places my get up has been. Old age is golden, I've heard it said, with my ears in the drawer and my teeth in the cup, My eyes on the table til I wake up. Ere sleep comes ore me I say to myself, Is there anything else I should lay on the shelf? I get up each morning and dust off my wits, Pick up the paper and read the obits 59 If my name is still missing, I know I'm not dead, So I eat a good breakfast and go back to bed. The moral is this, as this tale I unfold, That for you and me who are growing old It's better to say I'm fine with a grin, Than to let folks know the shape we're in. Whether we are young or old, we need to realize that this is the day that God has given us to serve Him. Phil. 4:11 J.A. Notthington, who died at 92, captured the spirit of Paul when he wrote his own epitaph. And it said: From the time you are born, til you ride in a hearse, There is nothing so bad that it might have been worse, So Smile! II. The Pleasantries of Aging There are some good things about growing old. Notice again 16:31. I've heard some older folks say, Well, I'm just living on borrowed time. Yet, the Bible says that long years are a reward from God for those who find the way of righteousness in Him. Well, does that mean that if someone dies young, that they were not serving the Lord? Not at all! But the principle is this: If you follow the Lord, He will extend your life if you walk in righteousness. He will not only add years to your life, but life to your years. Senior adults are taking over America. It is called the Greying of America by some. In 1900, one in 25 people in America were Senior Adults. Today, one in ten, or over 30 million people are considered Senior Adults. There are over three times as many Senior Adults than there are college students. And today in America, there are over 12,000 people who are over the age of 100. What a great thing! III. The Possibilities of Aging

5 What are the possibilities for us as a church to relate to those who are growing older? A. There is the opportunity for us to minister to them individually. The church needs to minister to all age groups. Each group needs to intermingle with the other. -The sweetest, kindest, most faithful and most caring group of people in every church I have pastored have been Senior Adults. Sometimes older folks say, I know you don't want to be around a bunch of old folks and you had rather be with the young people. Listen, I enjoy being around young people, but older folks have so much wisdom that I can benefit from, and I'm the looser if I don't listen to their wisdom And So Are You! B. Senior Adults can provide great leadership. Sadly, in the average Southern Baptist Church, only 6% of Senior Adults are involved in leadership 60 of any kind. Let me share two letters: One lady wrote: I sometimes feel that I am excess baggage over at the church. I know of other older people who feel the same way. I'm surprised at how many older people get squeezed out of their positions in the church, and it bothers me to no end. They won't squeeze us out if we're efficient, so I work very hard so they won't feel that I can't do my job any more. A man wrote: The problem of an older person being pushed out of their jobs in the churches is a critical area and much more extensive than generally believed. A well run church should have a program for both young and old members. I know that this made quite a few of the old-timers upset. Sometimes the church does not encourage us to come and the church is even cold and cruel at times. -I would say, Brethren, these things ought not to be! C. Some of the greatest achievements of life take place in the Senior Adult years. -Moses began leading the children of Israel out of bondage at 80. -Caleb joined Joshua in the Promised Land and choose the part of the land with giants in it at 85, and said he could take the land...and he did! -Abraham told Sarah, Honey, sit down. I've got something to tell you. And he started a family at age Listen to Solomon as he comes to the close of his life. Ecc. 12: Song: Take My Life and Let It Be

Ecclesiastes 12. Solomon s conclusion to his search of all things under Heaven

Ecclesiastes 12. Solomon s conclusion to his search of all things under Heaven Solomon s conclusion to his search of all things under Heaven Earlier today we began a study of We saw the book of Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon, the wisest man to ever live. Solomon decided to use