The Comforts of Old Age

Q: What does the Bible say about the comfort of old age?

The Bible teaches that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, providing comfort and assurance in old age. Psalm 37:23-25 assures us that the steps of a good man are established by the Lord, emphasizing that even though he may fall, he will not be utterly cast down because the Lord upholds him. This promise instills comfort for the elderly as they remember that God does not forsake His righteous ones. The comfort of old age is grounded in the experience of God's faithfulness throughout life, leading to a reassurance that God will continue to provide and uphold until the very end.

Q: How do we know God's promises are true?

God's promises are demonstrated through His unwavering faithfulness and the experiences of His people across generations. The truth of God's promises is evidenced through His faithful provision and guidance in the lives of believers. For example, David declared, 'I've been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.' This realization comes from both scriptural testimony and personal experience, affirming that God continually fulfills His promises. As believers grow older, they can testify to God's grace and mercy during moments of need, reinforcing their trust in His enduring faithfulness.

Q: Why is acknowledging one's failures important for Christians?

Acknowledging failures helps Christians rely more on Christ and less on their own strength, fostering true humility. Acknowledging our failures as Christians is crucial because it leads to a deeper reliance on Christ rather than on self. As David noted, 'It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn your statutes.' Our failures teach us about our weaknesses and the sufficiency of God's grace. This recognition cultivates humility, making us more patient with others who struggle, and fosters a community of grace where believers support one another in trials. Older believers often possess a clearer understanding of their failures, making them more compassionate and less self-righteous.

Q: What does growing older teach us about God's grace?

Growing older teaches believers to appreciate God's grace through their accumulated experiences and trials. As believers age, they become increasingly aware of God's grace in their lives. Each year brings its share of trials and triumphs, providing rich context for understanding God's sustenance. Older believers, who have journeyed through life's challenges, can look back and testify to the truth of God's promises. They share insights, such as knowing that 'his grace is sufficient' or that God 'never forsook' them in difficult times. Thus, aging can be seen as a blessing, allowing Christians to grow in their understanding and appreciation of God's sovereign grace as they witness His faithfulness over a lifetime.

This morning before I came to
church, I was dressing, putting my shoes
on, sitting on the side of the bed, and I said to my wife Doris,
who was combing her hair, I said, I'm going to preach on, this
morning I'm going to preach on the comforts of old age. She
said, that sounds interesting, especially since you're already
there. Well, that's my subject, the
comforts of old age. Verse 23, Psalm 37, the steps
of a good man are ordered, established by the Lord. He delighteth in
his way. Though he fall, he shall not
be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand."
Now, you know that good man is the man in Christ. There's none
good, no, not one. But in Christ, God sees no sin
in us. We're righteous, accepted in
the Beloved. Now, David said, And now I'm old, and yet have
I not seen the righteous forsaken. That's something I've never seen.
God forsaking his people. I've never seen it. And I've
never seen God's seed or the seed of the righteous. begging
bread. Now you hold on to your seat
there a minute, because this may sound a bit strange to you, but I speak the truth. I'm not
jesting. I know we joke a lot about aging
and getting older and these things, but I'm not joking when I say
this. And like Paul said, God is my
witness. I am thankful and I am contented
to grow old. I'm very thankful and I'm very
contented. I'm not just trying to look on
the bright side now, I'm not just trying to adopt a positive
mental attitude. I've never been more serious
in all my life, never more serious than I am right now. I'm glad
I'm 62 years old. I'm thankful and I am anticipating
getting older. I'm glad and I rejoice to grow
old and prove God's promises, and prove God's promises. Now you listen to me. And Mr. Spurgeon illustrates it. He illustrates
what I'm saying much better than I can. He was more gifted. But here's the illustration that
he used. When he was 22 years old, Mr. Spurgeon was 22 years old. That's quite young. And he was pastor of the New
Park Street Church in London, England. And he walked up to
one of his elders, one day a man over 70 years of
age, a man whom he loved and respected deeply. And the young 22-year-old pastor
said to the old elder, My brother, there's not a man in this church
that I envy like I envy you. And the old gentleman replied,
Envy me? You envy me? Why, he said, Pastor,
I'm seventy-five years old. Why would a young man like you
envy me? And Mr. Spurgeon replied, I envy
you for many reasons. I'll give you this morning six
of them. Here's number one. He said, I
envy you, brother, because you're much nearer home than I am. In a very short time, you're
going to see the Lord. Now you think about this. You're
going to see the Lord. In all his glory, This weary
journey of life for you is almost over. And I have many, many more
years to live on this earth. But very soon you're going to
stand in his presence, and he has promised that he'll wipe
away all tears from your eyes. And there'll be no more death,
no more sorrow, no more crying. No more pain, and God said, Behold,
I make all things new. And my brother, you are about
to enter into those new things. I envy you. I remember, I thought about this
when I read that poem. World War II was over, 1945. and 1945. And I was overseas. And so they announced that I
had been over there for about two years. And they announced that they
were going to start sending men home. They couldn't send everybody
home at once. but they were going to send men
home. And the way they were going to send them, they were going
to have a point system. And the ones to go first were
the oldest men. And the men that were married
and the men with children, the older you were, the quicker you
went home. You remember? Wife and children. I was 20 years
old. I knew I wasn't going no place.
I didn't have a wife. I had no wife or children. I
was 20 years old, just barely shaving. And I'd stand and watch
those old boys leave. They'd look back and grin, you
know. Forty-four, forty-five, forty-six years old, wife, three
or four children. And they'd put them on the plane
and send them home. And I was just standing there in a foreign
land. among strangers, and I'd watch
them go home. You fellows remember that. And I tell you, I was one of
the last ones to leave. And that's why Mr. Spurgeon,
sitting here in that old chair, he said, I envy you. You're about
to leave this foreign land. You're about to leave this foreign
land, and you're about to leave these strangers, and you're about
to go home to God. I envy you. You see, there's no bridge across
this river. We've got to go through. We've
got to go through. We've got to pass through this
vale and through this valley and through this place of the
Shadow of Death. And I'll tell you, it's good to get it over.
I hear people who've gone through surgery and gone through sicknesses
and gone through a lot of things. In fact, one of my beloved friends
said to me this morning, I'm glad that's over. And I'll tell
you, someday, someday by his grace, you and I will be able
to say, I'm glad that's over. And it's almost over, John. And
I envy you. That's what the old young man
said. Secondly, he said, I envy you, secondly, because the old
believer The older believer can talk of
the experiences of God's grace, while the young man can really
only talk of the promises of God's grace. Now don't misunderstand
me. His promises are sure. But I
want to give you an illustration. When Joseph was an older man,
Joseph was older. And he was sitting on the throne
in Egypt. And these brothers of his were
standing in front of him. Now listen, they had put Joseph
through a whole lot. They were responsible, these
men were responsible for his being sold into slavery. They
were responsible for his trials and agony in Egypt. They were
responsible for his going to jail. That's right. These men,
all their plotting and planting and things that they brought
to bear in his life. But here he is now on the throne.
And it's over. And he's king. He's resting in
joy and peace. And here they are in front of
him. And he has no animosity, none
whatsoever. And he looks at him and says,
What you did to me, you meant for evil. Yeah, you did. Out of your dirty hearts, you
did it. But God meant it for good. Now, I wonder why he was
in that pit, if he could say that. He might know it, but I
bet he didn't say it. I wonder when he was rotting
down there in prison, if he said, if I could just see my brothers,
I'd thank them for sending me here. No. He knew it. He knew the promise. But there's
a whole lot of difference in knowing it and experiencing it.
Isn't that right? There's a lot of difference.
And that's what Spurgeon's saying to this gentleman, this older
man. He's saying to him, he's saying, I envy you, because the
old believer, he can talk of the experiences
of God's grace while we are left to hope and rest in the promises
of God's grace. He said to the old man, you can
say with David, I've been young, now I'm old, and I've never seen
the Lord's seed begging bread. You've never heard of it, I've
never seen it. The old man can sing through
many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. T'was grace that brought me safe
thus far, and grace will lead me home." What does the young
man know about that? You can say, I have finished
my course, I have kept the faith. And I can only say, by God's
grace, I hope to keep the faith. That's right. You see, these all died in faith.
And that's when Paul said this. Paul said this. He didn't say,
I've kept the faith earlier. He said it in his last epistle. He said it in the writings to
Timothy from the prison before his execution. It's over! I've kept the faith. Don't say
that yet. I hope to keep the faith. But
the old man can say, I've kept it. I've kept it. I've finished my course, and
I've kept the faith. So it's good to come to that
place. Yes, sir. It's good. And big thirdly, Mr. Spurgeon said this, I envy you,
I envy you because you can take out all of the counsel checks
of mercy and of grace and of love. You can take them out and
look them over and ponder them and you can say, I know they're
true because I've tried them. You know something about his
healing power and sickness. He said, I've never been sick. You know something about God's
strength and grace in time of sickness and agony? I've never
been sick. He said, you know something about
God's comfort in the death of a wife or the death of a son? I've never buried a wife. I've never buried a son, he said. When God said he'd comfort, I
believe him. But you've tried him. See the
difference? I envy you, he said. I envy you. You know something of his provision
in time of need. I say, oh yes, he'll provide
for my family. You say, he always has. He always has. He's never failed
me. He said, I'll never leave you
nor forsake you. I say, I believe it. You say,
he never has. He never had. You know something
of his grace in time of guilt. You can take out those counsel
checks of mercy, grace, and precious, precious love, and you can look
back and see his love was sufficient. His grace was sufficient, His
provision was enough, His comfort all I needed. See, that's so much better than
just saying, I believe it will be. I believe it will be, and
a promise is as good as an act. But oh, the preciousness, the
preciousness, the joy. of being able to go back and
remember how the Lord ministered to me when I needed him." Huh? Oh, he said, I envy you. And
then he said fourthly, now listen to me, this, and that's the reason
I say I rejoice and look forward to growing older and proving
God. And he said, I envy you fourthly
because The old believer is not alarmed and swayed by the loud
claims of a new revelation. They have been, they are now,
they always will be, someone coming along like a shooting
star proclaiming a new revelation, a new vision, a new day. And the old believer just watches
him and listens to him and then turns back to Christ. I remember one time, was having
a Bible conference here years ago, and there was a young lady came
to town from down south. And she had had a tremendous
experience. She had had an experience. Somebody
had done something for her, but she hadn't experienced it. She
came here and she talked about how much she prayed, how much
she read the Bible, how victorious life was and all this. She got
some of our ladies together. Some of you are here this morning,
you remember this. One of them ladies came to me and said, Boy,
I wish I was as spiritual as she is. Brother man, we just don't, we're
not spiritual enough around here. You ought to hear how spiritual
she is. We ladies are not spiritual enough.
We don't read enough. We don't pray enough. We don't
witness enough. We don't have the victory. We're
not living on the mountain. We don't have the gifts like
she does. I said, why don't we just wait
until she's been saved a little longer and see how she turns
out. I said, you girls have been here
fifteen, twenty years. That little gal just got that
experience six weeks ago. Let's wait. Just calm down. Well, it wasn't but about another
six months until she was as far out in left field as she was
over here in right field. She ran into some good-looking
fellow, you know, swept her off her feet, and she loved him more
than she loved Jesus. And it fell through. The old believer says the cross
is enough, Christ is enough, his righteousness is sufficient.
And when these shooting stars and new revelations come through
and new preachers come to town and they're going to win the
tristate to Jesus, they'll be gone a little while and we'll
still be preaching the glorious grace of God in Christ Jesus.
That's right. Should all the works, should
all the works that hail and devise assail my faith with treacherous
art, I'll call them vanities and lies, and bind his gospel
of grace to my heart, and walk in steadiness and perseverance
with Christ Jesus. Beware of any untested, unproven
new revelation. And in that same point, the old
believer is not only not alarmed and swayed by the loud claims
of new revelation, but he's not too much moved by the fall of
religious professors. He's seen too many of them fall. You see, he worships God in spirit,
he rejoices in Christ Jesus, and he has no confidence in the
flesh, in his or yours or anybody else's. So he doesn't get too
excited when people climb too high, and he doesn't get too
upset when they fall too low. Are you with me? He doesn't get too excited when
they plant their feet on higher ground, and he doesn't get too
upset when they seek the lower stratosphere, because he knows
Christ is the same. Christ is all and in all, and
we need nothing but him. I'm satisfied with Christ Jesus.
He's my wisdom, he's my righteousness, he's my sanctification, he's
my redemption, and all the fullness of God dwelleth in him, and I'm
complete in him. Is that right? And I tell you, my dear friends,
the more snow gets on the roof, and the more fur is in the brow,
and the more stoop to the shoulders, and the slower the steps, the
more you know that it's Christ and Christ alone. And don't you
put any confidence in any flesh. I don't care how high it is in
religious pretense, or how high it is in religious experiment,
experiment and emotionalism, and how high it is in we're all
going to get together and we're going to in unity and victory
accomplish all this sort of thing, you just rest in Christ. And
it doesn't matter how many fall by the way, you walk with him. And like Enoch of old, you'll
walk right into glory some day. All right? Fifthly, he said,
I envy you. I envy you because your own failures. You see, God blesses not just
our victories, he blesses our failures. Did you know that?
David said, It's good for me that I've been afflicted, for
in affliction I've learned your statutes. I've learned a whole
lot more in affliction than I have in mercies and blessings. Well,
afflictions are mercies. I envy you, he said, because
your own failures and falls along the way have left you less cocksure
of your faith and more confident in Christ. It's good for me that I've fallen. It's good for me that I fail,
because all of my confidence in myself is gone, and my confidence
and rest and hope is in Christ alone. There's nothing good for
a man or woman like finding out they are sinners. There's nothing so good for us
as to find out that in the flesh dwelleth no good thing. And you're less cocksure of your
faith, you're less cocksure of your strength. Brother Jack Shank
said to me one time, he said, my favorite verse of scripture, Before I came to know Christ
and after I came to know Christ has remained the same. I used to say, I can do all things
through Christ which strengthens me. Now he said, I can do all
things through Christ which strengthens me. See the difference? I can do all things. No, you
can't. You can't do nothing. But I can
do all things through Christ, through Christ. And sooner the
eye comes down, I tell you this eye, God hateth the pride of
men's hearts, how his spirit goes before a fowl. God said,
I'll humble the proud, I'll give grace to the humble. We're going
to have to, we're going to have to lose some of this confidence
in our strength and confidence in our profession and confidence,
in our righteousness, and become more dependent upon Christ Jesus. And that's what age will do for
you. Honest old men don't claim to
be getting better. And honest older women don't
claim to be more holy. They claim to be more confident
in Christ. Your own experience with weakness
makes you patient with the weak. Young preachers are impatient
with men's weaknesses. That's right. That's the reason
that Almighty God said, Let a man first be tried and proven before
you lay hands on him. Don't you ordain and put in the
pulpit a novice, because he'll butcher God's people. Brother
Jim Burge said one time, God help a church with a 25-year-old
pastor. Well, he may be right. I wish
I'd have been older when I started this battle. See, your own tears
have made you able to weep for those that weep. And your own
failures and weaknesses make you patient with those who fail.
And having judged yourself, you're not nearly so quick to judge
others. Is that right, older folks? You're
not quite so quick to judge. Well, aren't you glad you're
there? You want to go back? Young men write books on how
to live the victorious life. Old men say thanks be unto God
who gives us the victory. Young men write books on how
to raise children. Old men sit back and grieve over
their failures and commit them to God. That's right. That's right. I told a young preacher one time,
he's sitting holding his baby, his little boy in his arms, I
said, wait till that kid gets about twenty before you write
a book to your members on how to raise children. Yes, sir, he said, I envy you
because your failures and falls have left you less confident
in yourself. and more confident in Christ.
Is that right? All right, the sixth one. He
said, I envy you because no tested tribe believer does not have
the doubts, the doubts about the doctrines
of God's grace and the gospel of God's grace
that the young man or woman has. You see, this old man knows that
the gospel of God's grace and glory is the only gospel. It's the only gospel. He knows
it. He knows that this is, if God's
not God, he knows that God doesn't show mercy to us. He knows that
God doesn't call us. He knows that God doesn't love
us. He knows that if Christ didn't do all the work, then there is
no gospel, because he's seen all the other rise and fall,
rise and fall, rise and fall, rise and fall. He's seen all
the commotion and the much ado and the religious activity, and
all of it failed to bring anybody peace and joy and rest and happiness. For in this flesh, well, it's
no good thing. I'm so positive of my gospel,
this gospel of the free grace of God. I'm so positive of this
gospel, the gospel that glorifies God in all things, the gospel
that shuts men up to his mercy, the gospel that's true to the
Old Testament scriptures, every type, every shadow and every
picture, the gospel that's able to lift sinners from their kid of despair, save the chief
of sinners, the gospel that preaches an effectual sacrifice, a sufficient
sacrifice, a certain sacrifice through the blood of the Lamb,
through the righteousness of Christ, that gospel that teeps
me insane. I'm so confident of that gospel,
I can say with power, if anybody preaches any other gospel, God
damn him. Let him be accursed. That's how
certain I am of this gospel. You say you've been preaching
it for thirty, going on thirty-nine years now. That's right. That's
right. But I wasn't near as confident
of a thing as I am now. Not nearly. I know whom I have
believed. There is no other gospel. Yeah,
Paul stood back and said, even if it's an angel from heaven,
even if he has the highest credentials, I'm tired of these silly preachers
talking to me about getting credentials. Get credentials. You get your
credentials and they'll open doors. You listen to me. God
opens a door. And if God opens it, no man will
shut it. And if God shuts it, you can bring all your credentials
you want to, and it will not be opened. Huh? Paul said, I
don't care if it's an angel from heaven, if he preaches any other
gospel than that gospel which I preached unto you, let him
be accursed, let him be damned. Brother, I tell you, it's good
to get old when you don't get old in uncertainty and compromise,
but you get old in a concrete confidence in the grace of God. I'll tell you this, in all the
years that I've been involved in this matters of the soul,
my life has touched a lot of lives, a lot of preachers, a
lot of people. I know preachers and people and
evangelists and missionaries all over this world, and I've
preached nearly all over this world. I've not seen, heard or been
able to find any foundation more secure, more certain and more
comforting than the gospel of God's sovereign grace. Never
have. I've watched men come and I've
watched them go. I've watched them compromise,
I've watched them try all the different methods and means and
ways. But I'll tell you this, when
we come to our closing days on earth, when our years are numbered
in hours and not months, when everything is considered in the
light of God's acceptance and God's judgment, not my pleasure,
I rejoice in his covenant, not in my decision. that he is able to save to the
uttermost them that come to God by him. I rejoice not in my faithfulness,
but in his who is able to keep me from falling. I rejoice not
in my works, but in him who is able to present me faultless
before his glory with exceeding joy. I rejoice in him who is
unchangeable in his grace, unchangeable in his love, and unchangeable
in his mercy through Christ Jesus our Lord. The gospel of the grace of God
is the gospel. The blood of Jesus Christ the
Lord cleanseth us from all sin. And there is one mediator between
man and God, and that's the man, Christ Jesus. Other refuge have I none, hangs
my helpless soul on thee. Leave, O leave me not alone,
Lord, still support. and comfort me. Every refuge
have I known, hangs my helpless soul on thee." Can you say that?
But I'll tell you this, when you come to this point, you better
be able to say it, because he's the only refuge. Only refuge. All right. Let's sing as a closing
hymn this morning, number 509. I think an appropriate song to
sing at the conclusion of this message Number 509, the sands
of time are sinking. That stands why we sing.

The Comforts of Old Age

What does the Bible say about the comfort of old age?

How do we know God's promises are true?

Why is acknowledging one's failures important for Christians?

What does growing older teach us about God's grace?

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The Comforts of Old Age

What does the Bible say about the comfort of old age?

How do we know God's promises are true?

Why is acknowledging one's failures important for Christians?

What does growing older teach us about God's grace?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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