You may be seated. When I reached my 60th birthday,
I prepared a message to preach to our congregation on the subject,
Reflections of 60 Years. A few months ago, Doris found
that message in one of her secret hiding places, I guess, And she
brought it out and she said, why don't you try this on your
80th birthday? So I got the message, worked
it over and preached it on my 80th birthday. And a few people
thought it was a good message. And your pastor asked me a few
days ago if I would bring that message again. So I'm going to
preach. This morning, the Lord willing,
on reflections of 80 years, they go by so fast. But let's read
four verses from Psalm 39 before I begin the message. Psalm 39,
verse 4. Lord, make me to know my end
and the measure of my days, what it is. that I may know how frail
I really am. Behold, thou hast made my days
as a hand-breadth. You know what a hand-breadth
is. You horse-lovers know. So many hands on a horse. Isn't
that right? My life is but a hand-breadth,
and my age is nothing before thee. Verily, every man at his
best state is altogether vanity. That word selah says, read that
again, read that again, say that with emphasis. Every man at his
best state is altogether vanity. Surely every man walketh in a
vain show. Surely they're disquieted in
vain. He heapeth up riches. and knoweth
not who shall gather them. And now, Lord, what wait I for? My hope is in thee." Now, it's
always profitable, especially in our last days, it's profitable
to reflect on the passing years and determine what we have learned
as we grow old. What have we learned as we grow
old. Well, there are three things
here. First of all, I'm thankful. I'm
really grateful. And I mean this. I'm thankful
that I've reached this age, 81 years of age, because, number
one, I'm nearer home than I was last year. I'm nearer home. Think of that. And I'm in a I
borrow these words from the Apostle Paul, and I mean them. I'm in
a straight betwixt the two, having a desire to depart and be with
Christ, which is far better. But here's the other side. Nevertheless,
to abide in the flesh with you may be needful or helpful for
somebody, but I'm still between those two things. I have a desire
to go be with the Lord. But still, if the Lord is pleased
to use us, we'll be thankful. Secondly, I'm thankful not only
to reach this age, but I'm thankful to grow old. Really. In order to grow old, when you
grow old, you learn some things. We grow in grace and the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I'm thankful that Maybe,
by God's grace, I've grown a little bit in patience. It takes a while
to acquire patience. Tribulation works with patience.
It takes a while to acquire temperance. It takes a while to acquire some
understanding of this world. It takes a lot of study, a lot
of thought. It takes a while for us to learn
to be more charitable with everybody else. A little charitable toward others. I see no fault in anyone else
now that I don't see it myself. Can you say that? I see no fault
in anyone else that I haven't in thought, word, or deed felt
that very same thing. Oh, William J. went by John Newton's
study one day and walked in and he said to Mr. Newton, he said, good news. He said, Mr. Bowling from Bath
has been converted. And that old man's been converted.
And I'll tell you this, I'll tell you this, Mr. Newton, I'll
never despair of anybody else since that old man's been saved.
You know what John Newton said? He said, Brother Jay, I've never
despaired of anyone since the Lord saved me. I give thanks that he was pleased
to call me. And here's the third thing. Remember
this. This scripture, we grow in grace
and we get a little more charitable and understanding, a little knowledge
of the Word of God. Remember this, the Bible still
says there are little children, there are young men, and there
are elders and fathers. In Christ there's no shortcuts
to being an elder and to being a father. You've got to be a
child first. And children grow to be young
men. And young men grow to be fathers. And the God of all grace,
the God of all grace will perfect you, he'll mature you, and he'll
establish you, and he'll strengthen you, and after a while he'll
settle you down. Did you ever hear your father
say to you, just settle down boy, settle down, that's what
I want, I want to get settled down in him, in his love, in
his grace. So, after eighty-one years, and
fifty-seven years in the ministry of God's sovereign grace, here
are my reflections. I believe I've learned these
things. Number one, life is short. Number two, salvations of the
Lord, one hundred percent. Number three, Jesus Christ is
all in all. Number four, God will provide. He always has and He always will.
And number five, we've got to die. And that'll be soon. We've got
to go. I'd be glad. All right, let's
go with number one. Turn to the book of James. James
chapter four. James, the fourth chapter, verse
thirteen. Life is short. You know, you
hear old people say that all the time. Life is short. It really
is. It really is. I've discovered
that. They were telling the truth.
James chapter 4, verse 13. James 4, 13. Go to now. Come now. You that say today
or tomorrow will go into such a city and continue there a year
and buy and sell and get gain. Whereas you know not what shall
be tomorrow. What's your life? What is your
life? Why, it's even a vapor. James says our life is a vapor. What's a vapor? Just a puff of
smoke. Just a puff of smoke. You go
out in a cold morning and breathe, let your breath out. There it
is. It doesn't last long. It's there
for a moment, and then it's gone. It's a vapor. It's a vapor. That's what your life is. It's
a vapor that appears for a little while, and then it vanishes away. Job said this about life. James
says it's a vapor. It appears for just a second,
and then it's gone. And Job said this, life is a
shadow. What is a shadow? Well, there's
one right there. That's a shadow. He said that's
our life. A shadow is an empty thing. Nothing
there. A shadow is an empty thing, no
substance. It's just there. And then a shadow
doesn't last long. It's gone. It's gone now. And then thirdly, a shadow leaves
no mark where it's been. I've read about folks leaving
this and leaving that. They left everything. Leave their
names on things, you know. It doesn't mean a thing. It's
just gone. Just a shadow. And then Job said
this. What is your life? A vapor? Your
life is a shadow? And your life is a flower? What
is a flower? Well, it comes from the ground.
Every flower comes from the ground. That's where I came from, Adam,
from the ground. And then a flower comes from
another flower. We're born of our parents. We're born just
like them. And then a flower blooms. It's
beautiful, fair and lovely for a while. And it begins to wither
and die. And you know where it goes? back
to the ground. That's what it is. What is your
life? Oh, God, teach me to number my
days that I may apply my heart to Christ, to wisdom. Teach me to number my days that
I may apply my heart to wisdom. Now, friends, seek you the Lord
while he may be found. Call upon Him while He's near.
Let me tell you this. The Bible doesn't say a man can't
seek the Lord. He won't. They will not, but
they should. They should. And God has given
this pledge. Oh, everyone that's thirsty,
come to the water. Seek ye the Lord. Are you weary and heavy laden?
Come to me. I'll give you rest. Everyone that shall call on the
name of the Lord shall be saved. Seek the Lord. Seek the Lord. While it's day, the night cometh
when there won't be anyone seeking the Lord. Number two, turn to Romans 8.
Here's my second reflection. Romans chapter 8, verse 28. Romans 8, 28. And we know that all things work
together for good to them that love God, to them who are the
call according to His purpose by whom He did foreknow. He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of His Son. that he might be the firstborn
among many brethren, moreover whom he did predestinate, them
he called, and whom he called them he also justified, and whom
he justified them he also glorified." I love this old psalm. "'Tis
not that I did choose thee, Lord, that could not be. This heart
of mine would still refuse thee, but thou hast chosen me. My heart
owns none above thee, for thy rich grace I thirst, this knowing. If I love thee, you must love
me first. God chose us. Like the Apostle
Paul, like the Apostle Paul, I have one thing in common with
him. And like many others of you who are here this morning,
I was in an empty false profession of religion. Came out of the
Navy. Doris and I got married. I started
the school, got a job in the steel mill. And then the Lord
led me to go to Ashland, Kentucky. And I went up there and worked
with the young people for about six months and realized I needed
more education, so I went back to school. and a pastor of the
church, and a 24-year-old pastor of a Southern Baptist church
that didn't even know the gospel. That's exactly right. And so
the church in Ashton gave me an invitation to resign my church
in Chattanooga and come to Ashton, Kentucky and work with that church
again. And the day I arrived, Ralph
Barnard came into town. to preach a two-week meeting.
A two-week meeting. You know, Doris and I had gone
through the Bible, reading our devotions at night, and it came
to the book of Romans. This is back some time ago. It
came to the book of Romans, and I said, honey, let's just skip
that book. I don't understand that, what I was reading here.
Whom he predestinated, them he called. I just skipped that.
So Barnard got up to preach that Tuesday morning. This is a fact. In this large Southern Baptist
Church, I was sitting on the first row. I was the song leader
and the new assistant pastor. I was sitting there on the second
row. And he looked down at me and
he said, why don't you quote Romans 8, 28 for us? Why did he do that? I know why
he did that. I stood up and I said, And we know that all things work
together for good to them who love God. I said, why? What's the rest of it? Don't
you know the rest of it? I said, I think I do, so I got
up again. I said, and we know that all
things work together for good to them who love God, who are
the call according to His purpose. quiet again. He looked at me
as only he could look at man. He said, young man, purpose. Everything God does, He does
on purpose. There are no accidents with God. Killed me, slew Doris hadn't
moved up there yet. I just got into town, the new
assistant pastor, and she was down in Chattanooga getting her
things together. And I went to the pastor's house,
and I sat down in his study and read the Book of Romans. And I discovered something I
never knew before. I discovered it. I saw the majesty
and lordship of Jesus Christ. I saw the fall and ruin of our
father Adam." I studied and learned that great confession of faith. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1, Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed
us with all spiritual blessing, courteously chose us in Christ
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy
and without blame before him in love, having predestinated
us unto the adoption of children. I've read that thing again, and
I saw it. And I learned how God can be
just and justify. I learned how God can be God
and save folks like us. And I learned this. I learned
that salvation is not an offer. It's a gift. I learned that salvation
is not by chance. That everybody ought to have
a chance. They did. But salvation is not by chance.
It's by choice. And salvation is not, I will
if you will. Salvation is according to God's
will. But as many as received Him,
to them gave He the power to become sons of God, even to them
that believed on His name, which were born, not of the will of
the flesh, Not of blood, not of the will of man, but they're
born of the will of God. I became a preacher then. I've
been playing religion for four years. And I learned the gospel. All right, thirdly, turn to 2
Corinthians 5. 2 Corinthians chapter 5. 2 Corinthians
5, verse 17. Therefore, if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things in Christ are become new. And all things are of God,
who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ. and hath given
to us the ministry of reconciliation to wit, namely, that God was
in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their
trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors
for Christ. As though God did beseech you
by us, we pray you, in Christ's name, be ye reconciled to God
the Father. He hath made him to be sin for
us. He knew no sin, but he was made
sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. I hear people say, well, I came
to the doctrines of grace. I didn't. I came to Christ. There's
a difference, isn't there? It's a difference. Isn't it? I came to Jesus as I was, weary
and worn and sad, and He, He, He has made us a holy person
in Christ. Weary and worn and sad, and I
found in Him a resting place. We didn't just learn a system
of theology. I didn't just learn a system
of theology. I learned Christ. That's what scripture says. Take
my yoke upon you and learn of me. And like Abraham of old, I didn't
any longer believe, just believe there is a God. I believed it. Abraham didn't just believe there's
a God. The devil believes that and trembles. But Abraham believed it. How
do you know he believed it? He obeyed him. That's how I know. If any man be in Christ, he's
a new creature. He's a new creation. And let
me tell you this. Remember this. He's not the old
man reformed. He's a new man. He's not the
old man with a new doctrine. He's a new man. He's not the
old man with a new lifestyle. He's a new man in Christ Jesus.
And he is now a new person, one who never lived before. Isn't
that true? The old man's lived a long time. I've lived 81 years as an old
man, still got the old man. But I have a new man when I was
24 years old, a new man, a new nature, a new heart, a new spirit,
a new life was begotten in me by the power of God that day. Turn to Ephesians 4. Ephesians chapter 4 verse 21. Ephesians 4 verse 21. Listen to this. Ephesians 4 verse 21. If so be that you've heard him,
and been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, That you put
off concerning the former conversation, that old man which is corrupt,
according to deceitful lust, and be renewed in the spirit,
in heart, in the spirit of your mind. That you put on that new
man which, after God, is created. It's a new creation. It's created in righteousness.
and holiness, true holiness. Jesus, listen, this is a, this
hymn writer wrote this, Jesus Christ, thy blood and righteousness,
my beauty are, my glorious dress, mid flaming worlds in hymn array,
with joy I lift up my head. Bold I stand in that great day,
for who ought to my charge shall lay." A new creature. That old
man died and one day we're going to bury him, be done with him. And that same new man that he
created in regeneration, in the new birth, and saved our soul,
that new man is going to be with the Lord. That's just so. Now here's my fourth fourth reflection. Turn to Psalm 37. Psalm 37. Psalm 37, verse 23. Psalm 37, verse 23. The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, He'll
not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his
hand. I've been young, and now I'm
old, yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed
begging bread. God, I've learned this, he will
provide. He will provide. That first time,
when I got out of the Navy, they got a job at the steel mill,
working where my father worked and where Doris' dad worked.
And Doris worked at the church, church secretary. And when they
invited me, 21 years old, didn't know the gospel, but the Southern
Baptists invited me to come up there and be a song leader and
youth director. And I went. What did we have? I quit my job. She quit hers. We lived with my parents. We
didn't have a stick of furniture. Didn't have an automobile. And
we went to Ashland, Kentucky. And they paid me $40 a week to
be a song leader and assistant pastor. And Darsh got a job at
the insurance company. We lived in two rooms. Didn't
have a refrigerator. We put the butter and stuff on
the windowsill to keep it cool. But God provided. And I pastored
that Southern Baptist Church for four years. after they call
after the pastor left and I became pastor and preach grace, grace
of God. And I've tried to pastor two
churches, one brave grace and one brave works and free will. And I've preached for four years
and finally On one Saturday night, I got a bunch of men together
and I said, I had all this I can stand, all this fussing and quarreling
and arguing. Let's get out of here and go
start a church. I got up the next morning, Sunday
morning to resign. Doris was eight months pregnant
with yours truly over here. And we quit. Moved out of the
parsonage, rented a house. But I resigned that Sunday morning
knowing God will provide. And I resigned and when I stepped
out of the pulpit, Lawrence Gilley, you knew him well, came walking
up. He's a truck driver. Drove a truck for Ashland, Auburn,
years and years and years. Walked up to me and handed me
a check for $1,500. Back in 1955, that was a heap
of cheaper shackles. He handed me a check for $1,500. He said, now that's on the new
church. I handed it back to him. I said, Lawrence, it's too early.
I don't know whether we're going to have a church. I'm just not
going to pastor this one anymore. I'm not going to fight over grace
and worth. I'm going somewhere where I can
preach. He said, take the check, preacher. If you get run out
of town, you'll need some gas to go home on. Well, he's furnished
me gas ever since. God will provide. He always has and he always will.
You found that out time and time again. Listen to this. Though troubles assail and dangers
affright, Though friends should all fail and foes all unite,
one thing assures us, whatever betide, His promise assures us
God will provide. The birds without barn or storehouse
are fed. From them let us learn to trust
God for our bread. His saints what is feeding would
never be denied as long as the Word says God will provide. When life sinks apace and death
is in view, the word of His promise will comfort us through. Not
fearing, not doubting, with Christ as our guide, we hope to die
shouting, God will provide. He always has and He always will.
Here's my fifth one. Turn to Job 5. Job chapter 5. Job 5 verse 26. Job 5, 26 and 27. Listen to this. Job 5, 26. Let's
just take a phrase at a time. Thou shalt come to thy grave.
Thou shalt come to thy grave. All of us got to come to the
grave. All of us. All of us must die because it's
appointed unto man once to die. Got to go down there. Thou shalt
come to thy grave. You know, the Lord said to that
unbeliever, He said, The Lord requires your soul this day. Remember that? Your soul to be
required of thee. Not the believer. His soul's
not just required. He comes to the grave willingly. He be glad when God calls him
home. That's right. When the time comes,
we go to be with the Lord. The way we go to glory is the
way we came to Christ, willingly. The way we go to glory is the
same way we came to Christ. And thou shalt come to thy grave
in a full age. When is that? Well, my son died
at 28, 20, 21. My daughter at 42. That's full
age. Somebody said, I hate that your
son was killed, you know, so early in life. I said, God gave
him 21 years. That's all God gave him, took
him home. Now, you see, my friends, our bounds are set. The number
of our months are with God. He hath determined when we'll
die. That's right. We're going to
come at a full age. A full age. A full age. Whatever the age is, in the fullness
of time. Now watch this. I shall come
to thy grave in a full age, like a shock of corn cometh in in
its season. Somebody said one time, if corn
is harvested before it's ripe, it's no use. If corn stayed in
the ground too long, it'll come to nothing. But when God's purpose
for us is fulfilled and His church is fulfilled, we'll be plucked
from the field just at full age, just at the right time for His
glory and be seated with Him at that great marriage supper
of the Lamb, plucked by God. It's tough, it's very tough,
but it's of God, so be it. So be it. It's of God. All right,
verse 27. Lo, this, hear this, hear this. We have searched, we have studied
it, and so it is. No doubt about it. What we've
been talking about today, that's it. We studied it and we searched
it. And so it is. Hear it and know
thou it. I believe I got a hold of something
here. Life is short. Salvation is of
the Lord. Christ is all. And God will provide. That's so. Study that. Oh, Roland
Hill was a great preacher over in England. And he was a great,
great, like your pastor, illustrations. Roland Hill was very, very, had
great ability to illustrate, make people understand things.
And he said he dreamed he died. And he went to glory. And when
he got to glory, He said, I heard most beautiful singing, most
beautiful singing. And he said, I moved closer and
closer and there was a great, wonderful choir. And they were
singing to the glory of God. And I moved up close and I thought
to myself, I said, I'd sure like to sing with them. I'd sure like
to be a part of that choir. And he said, I looked up and
there was a seat. Empty seat, right up there. And he said,
I began to make my way to that seat. I wanted to sing with them
that song that they were singing. And he said, I made my way to
that seat. And I look, and on that seat
was a name, Roland Hill. And he said, I sat down and I
started singing. And he said, I never missed a
note. Never missed a word, because I'd been singing that song for
a long, long time. Oh, that will be glory for me. Glory for me. Glory for me. When by His grace I look on His
face, that's going to be glory for you and me. Let's sing that hymn, 505. 505. When all my labors and trials
are o'er And I am safe on that beautiful shore Just to be near
the dear Lord I adore Will through the ages be glory for me Oh, that will be glory for me,
glory for me, glory for me. When by His grace I shall look
on His face, that will be glory, be glory for me. When by the gift of His infinite
grace, I am accorded in heaven a place. Look on His face, will through
the ages be glory for me. Oh, that will be glory for me. Glory for me, glory for me, when
by His grace, look on His face. That will be glory, be glory
for me. Friends will be there, I have
come a long ago. Around me will glow, yet just
a smile from my Savior I know. will through the ages be glory
for me. Oh, that will be glory for me,
glory for me, glory for me. And by His grace, I shall learn
of His grace. That will be glory, be glory,
for you. It's a great pleasure to be here. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.