Now I'd like to read two verses
from Psalm 39 that will serve as a text for my message tonight
on the subject, Reflections of Sixty Years. Reflections of Sixty
Years. Last week I celebrated my sixtieth
birthday. I enjoyed it immensely. And thanks
to you and your cards and well wishes and remembrances, I enjoyed
it even more. But I wrote a message for tonight
while I was in Richmond, Illinois. I haven't brought this message
anywhere else. I saved it to preach here because
I think it would be of more importance to you and to me than to someone
somewhere else. In Psalm 39, because we've known
one another so long, and you can enter into some of these
things with me. In Psalm 39, verse 4, Lord, make
me to know my end. In another passage, the psalmist
said, teach me to number my days. Teach me to number my days. Make
me to know my end. that I may apply my heart to
wisdom. Make me to know the measure of
my days. What it is that I may know how
frail I am, and the marginal reference says what time I have
here, what time I have left here. You know, we were talking about
that dishwasher, Richard, and you said it had a 20-year guarantee.
I may not need it that long. be 80 years old. Ours will be
82. We were in a town in, I gotta
tell this. I'll choke if I don't. We were
in a town in Michigan. Had a long name, hard to pronounce. I couldn't pronounce it. She
couldn't pronounce it. So we went in the Waffle House
to have breakfast, get some waffles and pancakes. The waitress came
by, nice young lady, and gave us a menu, and Doris said, uh,
how do you pronounce the name of this place? She said, Waffle
House. Jerry, that's so. That happens. I'm glad we weren't in McDonald's. And verse 5 says, Behold, thou
hast made my days as a hand breath, and my age is as nothing. We talk about 60, 70, 80 years. My age is nothing before thee,
nothing. Verily every man at his best
state, settled state, is altogether vanity. I really don't mind. I wrote this down first. I don't
mind getting older. I really don't mind it at all.
I'm thankful that God has left me here to enjoy this privilege
of getting older. That's a privilege. He could
have taken me away a lot sooner. He's left me here to enjoy you
and to enjoy my children, my grandchildren. and possibly great-grandchildren,
and that's a blessing. God could have taken us out like
he did Top Lady at 35 years of age. Spurgeon died when he was
58. McShane at 29. So every age and situation has
its peculiar and particular blessings, each age. So I'm thankful that
God has been pleased to leave me here for 60 years. I read this today, a man who
celebrated his 60th birthday once said this, and I'm going
to try to remember this. A man is always as young as he
feels, but seldom as important. That's good, isn't it? We're
easily replaced. Easily replaced. Another gentleman
wrote this, and I had to put this in. I looked up some things
on old age. He said, if you want to know
how old a man is, ask him. If you want to know how old a
woman is, ask her sister-in-law. But it's only by the grace of
God that a person can grow old gracefully. It's only by the
grace of God that a man can grow old gracefully and not crabby
and hard to get along with. That's only by the grace of God
that we can grow old gracefully and accept it happily. And accept
it happily. But you know, here's something
else that I think is quite good. It's necessary. It's necessary
to grow older. It's necessary to grow older
in order to be both charitable and understanding. You know why? Because as you grow older, you
realize that there's no fault committed by anyone else that
you haven't committed yourself, either in thought or deed. Is
that not correct? Let me give you that again. it's
necessary to grow older in order to grow more charitable and understanding
with others. Because as you grow older, you
realize that there's no fault committed by anyone else that
you haven't yourself either done or thought. So that makes you
more understanding and charitable. Patient. And woe unto the person who grows
old without becoming wise in the grace of God. Woe unto the
person that grows old without becoming wise in the grace of
God, for it's so sad when the world shuts its doors, and there's
no door of grace open to the kingdom of God. When the world
closes its doors, and it will soon, the doors will be closed,
and there's no door open through which to enter the kingdom of
God. I started to say that I'd learned some things in these
60 years, but I think a better comment would be this. I have proved some things in
these 60 years that I learned quite early. Some of you listened
to a tape that I preached 31 years ago. Ronnie's made that
tape and made it available. a message I preached 31 years
ago when one of my friends said he enjoyed the tape and said,
your message hasn't changed. No, it hasn't, but I can say
this, I believe it a little more strongly. I've not learned it
anymore, but I've proved it. I've proved it. I've become more
confident I've become not less sure and uncertain, but more
confident of some things that I'm going to mention to you tonight.
I've become more confident, reflections of sixty years. I've become not
less sure and uncertain at all. I'm more confident than I've
ever been in these things that I'm going to mention. Now here
they are, I'll give you eight of them. The first one is this.
I knew this, but I finally learned it. that life is certainly, indeed,
a vapor. Read James with me, chapter 4.
Life, I've learned this a long time ago. I learned the truth
of this. I knew it supported unto men once to die, and after
that to judgment. I knew that the Scripture says
that life is like a weaver's shuttle. It's like a post. It's
like a flower. It's like a vapor. I knew that,
but I've learned it. I've really experienced it. And
I proved it is. It's quickly passing away. James says in James 4 verse 13
and 14, Go to now you that say today or tomorrow will go into
such a city and continue their year and buy and sell and get
gain, whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? What is this
life? Why, he said it is even a vapor. It is even a vapor that appears
for a little time, and then it's gone. Now, I know these young
people here, they'll say, well, I've heard that so much. You
old folks are always talking about how quickly the years roll
by and how short life really is. Well, believe me, it is. Believe me, it is. Oh, you're
always talking about as you grow older, the years just seem to
go by like months and weeks. They do. I've proved that. I've proved
that. And I'll tell you this about
you. I'll say this to the young people
here. If you can't believe that, at least believe this. God may
be pleased to call an older person to knowledge of the gospel here
and there. He may be pleased to call one here and there. But
I'll tell you this. spiritual searchings and seeking
are for the young, not for the old. Let me show you that in
Ecclesiastes 12. Now, if you put off and you tarry
and procrastinate and delay these spiritual searchings and seekings,
do you get my age? And the age of some of the people
here tonight, you're acting very foolishly. The Scripture says
this, it's like the thief on the cross. There was one people
that no one may despair, but only one that no man may presume. And I know occasionally God may
call an older person in their sixties or seventies to a knowledge
of Christ, but it's rare. It's rare. Ecclesiastes 12.1
says, Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. in
the days of your keen, sharp faculties and interest and concern
and activities, while the evil days come not, nor the years
draw nigh, when you shall say, I have no pleasure in these things,
I have no interest in these things." That's what he said. I tell you this, when a person
becomes religious in old age, someone said they're merely bringing
as a sacrifice to God what they have left after squandering and
indulging body and soul, flesh and sin, and it's not often received. Life is indeed a vapor. I'm so
thankful that many years ago in days of strength and youth
and so forth that God was pleased to turn my heart to the word
and my affections to him. I'm so thankful. If you're here
tonight and you're still young or in middle age, seek the Lord
while he may be found. Call upon him while he's near.
Give your heart to seeking the Lord. Give your heart to the
study of the word, because when you become older, these things
just don't come to you like they did when you were young. Life
is a vapor. Oh, here's the second thing that
I've learned. that I've proved. I learned this a long time ago
in head, but I think I've learned it in heart, and I want to be
positive here and as clear and concise as I can. The second
thing is that salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the
Lord. David said, the salvation of
the righteous is of the Lord. It's of the Lord God. Jonah wrote,
Salvation is of the Lord. Thirty-six years ago, 1950, right
here in Ashland, Kentucky, God was pleased to reveal to my heart
the gospel of His sovereign and free grace. God was pleased to
reveal to my heart that salvation is of the Lord. He taught me
the mysteries of His divine covenant. I believed it then, and I believe
it more now than I did then. I proved it through the years.
I do not waver, I do not cut the corner or take the edge of
it all. In fact, I believe I can preach
it a little more strongly than I did back then, but with a little
more kindness and affection. Almighty God is sovereign in
all things. He's sovereign in creation, in
providence, and He's sovereign in salvation. Man is indeed a
dead creature, and when I say he's dead, I mean there's no
life. When I say that man's in darkness, I mean there's no light.
When I say that man is lost, I mean left to himself, there's
no hope. Man is no less dead now than
he was thirty-six years ago. He's just as dead, just as without
God. Without God, without hope, without Christ in this world.
God did indeed elect a people, chose them in Christ before the
foundation of the world. Without apology, I believe that
I believe it more now than I did when I first heard it. And the Holy Spirit begets, regenerates,
and calls God's people, and all the elect will persevere. And
I suppose through these years that with all the misuse and
all the abuse and all the confusion that men have created, in trying
to tone down, explain, and reconcile these blessed doctrines, I still
believe them as strongly as I ever did. Believe them and preach
them. And I have so many acquaintances
that somehow feel that the gospel left in its naked power and truth
just will not work. So they've got to try other things.
They've got to tone it down or compromise it or take the edge
off of it or explain it or slip up on people. Just preach the
gospel. God will use the gospel. Preach
it just like it is. Don't apologize for it. Just
preach it. Just declare the truth in Christ
Jesus and God will bless you. We're responsible to plow and
sow and plant and water. God gives the increase. salvations of the Lord. It's
of the Lord from Alpha to Omega, from beginning to end. It's all
of the Lord, of God and of Him only. And the third thing that
I have proved is this. I learned this a long time ago,
but I've proved it, and I'm more confident of it than ever. I
want you to listen carefully. Christ is sufficient. Christ
is sufficient. and believers are complete, totally
complete in Him. Christ is sufficient and believers
are totally complete in Him. There's not anything to be added
to Christ for the redemption of my soul, for wisdom, for justification,
for righteousness, for sanctification, for anything. Christ is all I
need. Now I see and I've seen men.
I could stand here and call names of preachers And I mean some
of them prominent preachers, prominent preachers, men whom
I've known in the past, and men who at one time seemed to believe
what I'm saying here, that Christ is sufficient, that Christ is
all and in all, that nothing needs to be added to Christ.
But somehow as they've gotten older, they've gotten a little
more permissive or something, a little weaker. I see and I've
seen men who seem to believe and seem to understand and seem
to preach the gospel of Christ alone when they get older, start
looking for or become permissive toward gifts, gifts of the Spirit,
yea, even tomes. Isn't that right over in your
part of the world? I mean prominent men, prominent men, prominent
grace men, they say. They've become permissive towards
gifts, they've become permissive towards experiences, towards
emotionalism. They've almost come to the place,
many of them, where they accept anything religious. I say this, actually, if a person
ever understood, really understood, ever had, ever this thing ever
became quite clear in his heart, in his soul, if he ever understood
fully the holiness of God, the immaculate, infinite holiness
of God, the unapproachable, incomprehensible holiness of the invisible God,
if he ever got a true understanding of that, and an understanding
of the wretched, corrupt, sinfulness of this flesh, He wouldn't have
any trouble looking only to Christ. He wouldn't have any trouble
trusting only in Christ and resting more in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Salvation never has been anything but Christ. And sinners know
that. And what frightens me is I think
as these men get older, these preachers, that maybe, maybe
they think that their lack of interest in worldly things is
an indication that the old nature maybe is not bad as they used
to think it was when they were younger. You understand what
I'm saying? Here, when you're young and vigorous
and you're concerned with the passions and possibilities and
struggles of life and pride and envy and all these things, and
you know that it's only Christ. It's only Christ. the holiness
of God in you, this old wretched man that I am, and all this sort
of thing. But then you begin to get older, and you begin to
maybe think you're not as bad as you thought you were. You're
older, and you sit down, and you read your Bible every morning,
you know, and you rock, and you don't have any interest in the
boogie-woogie and the rock and the, you know, the whoop-de-doo
and all these things. You're not interested in the
newspaper, and you're not interested in the television. You're not
interested in getting around the country and going on vacation.
You say, going to the beach. Why you want to lie around on
that old beach? Go play a little golf. What you want to hit that
little old ball for? You know, get real holy as we get older. That's right, get real. And we
maybe think we're not quite as sinful anymore. But I'll tell
you this, that old wretched evil nature just takes a different
direction. That's all it's done. It's just going down another
road just as broad and just as evil and just as wicked as that
other of them. That's right. Now, I think it's
what's happened to these old boys. And they get to where they
just, they just, everything's all right. You know, everything
religious is all right. They said Jesus, didn't they?
Yeah. They said Jesus. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter
1. 1 Corinthians chapter 1. If I ever get that way, somebody
play this tape for me, will you? But God hath chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise. God hath chosen the
weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty.
God hath chosen the base things of the world, and things which
are despised, hath God chosen. Yea, and things which are not.
We steal things which are not. If we have anything, it's in
Christ. If we are anything, it's in Christ. If we have any righteousness,
it's in Christ. It's not in ourselves. that no
flesh should glory in his presence, but of God are you in Christ
Jesus, who has made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,
and redemption." Christ has made all those things to us, it's
all in Him. Colossians 2, here's another scripture that says the
same thing, Colossians chapter 2. He says in Colossians 2 verse
9, that in Him, For in him, in Christ, dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in Christ." Now,
I tell you, and I'm on a point here that we need to remember,
we need to see, that everything we, everything, all spiritual
blessings are in Christ. God chose us in Christ. God adopted
us in Christ, God blessed us in Christ, God received us in
Christ, God raised us in Christ, God saved us in Christ, and God
loves us in Christ, and He's all we need. He's everything.
Nothing needs to be added to Christ. He's sufficient. I don't
need another experience. And I'm telling you this, and
I warn everybody here, and this thing sweeping over England,
this charismatic junk, I don't hesitate to say that. It's trash. It's nothing but trash. Anything
that's better than Christ is not of God. And if you have an
experience out here that's greater than when you met Christ, you
didn't meet Christ. You met another Jesus. Because
the Christ of the Bible is all you need. That's right. And every believer has the Holy
Spirit. If you don't have the Holy Spirit, you're not a believer.
It's the Holy Spirit who regenerated you, and quickened you, and called
you, and revealed Christ, and glorified Christ in your heart.
If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he's none of His.
That's so. And if any man's not baptized
into the body of Christ by the Holy Ghost, he's not His. We
have all been baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Every man who's saved has the Holy Spirit. Now we pray for
the filling of the Holy Spirit, for special needs, special preaching,
special witness, special preaching, special teaching. Be filled with
the Holy Spirit. Be not drunk with wine, but be
filled with the Holy Spirit. I pray that God, when I get up
here to preach, that God will give me a special anointing and
a special filling and a special empowering endowment of the Spirit
of God that He might speak and not leave it up to me. Young
men called me to talk to me about salvation, about Christ the other
day, about a man who had been watching us on television. And
as I talked to him, I was praying, Lord, give me the right thing
to say. Give me your Spirit. Don't leave
me alone, you see. But I'm not looking for some
special experience out here that will eradicate the old nature,
which is never eradicated. or enable me to run around lying,
saying I'm happy all the time, when I'm not happy all the time,
and you're not either. It makes me some kind of odd
person with an odd language. And don't you look for anything
like that. You look to Christ. You rest in Christ. All right,
here's the fourth thing that I've proved, and I want you to
turn to Psalm 37. The fourth thing that I've proved
is this. I knew this. Darcy and I have
proved this through the years in our home, in our family. This
church has proved it. Many of you have proved it. In
Psalm 37, listen to verse 23 through 25. The steps of a good
man, he's not good in himself, he's good in Christ. There's
none good, no, not one, but in Christ we're good. The steps
of a good man are ordered by the Lord. And God delighteth
in his way, though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down. For the Lord upholdeth him with
his hand. I've been young, I'm now old,
but I've never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging
bread." What am I saying? I'm saying this, the Lord will
provide. And I say to all the young people
here tonight and the family men, I know it's a day in which you've
got to earn a living. You've got to put bread on the
table and shoes on those babies' feet and clothes on their backs
and provide taxes and insurance and utilities and house payments
and car payments and all these things. And sometimes you feel
like your nose is up against a grindstone and a brick wall.
God will provide. He will provide. He may not provide our wants,
but He'll provide our needs. I know that. He'll provide for
our souls because He redeemed them, and He'll provide for our
bodies. Let's listen to what Christ said.
We need to be reminded of this. And some of you are young, very
young, and I say to you, I'm twice your age, and I say this,
God will provide. And you older people, He always
has provided, hasn't He? He's always met our needs. Always
has. Though we fear and doubt and
we have anxiety still, and our faith wavers, I know mine does,
our faith is not perfect, but he's faithful. And he'll provide
you need. Listen to Matthew chapter 6.
He says in verse 24, no man can serve two masters. Just can't
do it. He'll hate the one and love the
other, or he'll hold to the one and despise the other. You can't
serve God and mammon, God and riches. Therefore, I say this
to you, take no thought, that is, anxious thought, that's anxiety. I know that's what he's saying
because you've got to think about what you're going to do tomorrow,
you've got to think about your job, you've got to do your best
at what you're doing, but take no anxious thought for your life,
what you shall eat, what you shall drink, nor yet for your
body, what you'll put on. Is not your life more than meat
and your body more than raiment? Behold, the fowls are there,
they sow not, neither do they reap. nor gather in the barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not you much
better than they?" Which of you, by taking thought, can add one
year to your life? Why take ye thought for raiment?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not,
neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that even Solomon
in all his glory was never dressed up like one of those lilies.
Wherefore, if your God so clothed the grass of the field, which
today is, and tomorrow Shall he not much more clothe you?
Oh, ye of little faith! Therefore take no anxious thoughts
of what we are going to eat, what we are going to drink, what
we are going to wear. After all these things, the Gentiles seek
heathen. Your Father knows you have need
of all these things. He knows that better than you
do. Seek ye first, foremost. Number one goal, the kingdom
of God. and his righteousness in Christ.
And these things, they'll be added, okay. He'll provide. He
will provide. He will provide. Hadn't we learned
that? We've been together. Well, we
learned that, that God will provide. He always has. And He always
will. And I tell you this, we can't
take any credit for it. He provided. All right, here's
the fifth thing I've learned. Tribulation and trouble. I haven't
had a great deal of it, had a little bit of it, had enough to learn
and maybe prove this, that tribulation and trouble does indeed work
patience. And we have to have trouble. David says, good for me, I've
been afflicted. I had to be afflicted. And that's
when I learned God's statutes in troubles. Turn to Romans 5. Let's look at this scripture.
What kind of patience are you talking about, preacher? What
two-fold? Tribulation worketh patience, and we've learned to
be patient with the good providence of God, to wait on the Lord.
Wait on the Lord. I tell you, the Lord God is not
in near as big a hurry as we are. I think about every mistake,
or most mistakes that I've made in judgment, I've made in a hurry. instead of waiting on God. I
just make that decision like that, and usually it's wrong.
Instead of waiting on God to open the door and reveal His
will and His wisdom. Learn to wait on the Lord, and
then patience with others. And this no man learns from a
book. You can stand up here and you
can preach faith, you can preach humility, you can preach patience,
you can preach long-suffering, And you can indoctrinate people,
but there's only one place you learn patience and faith and
humility, and that's in trouble and trial. That's right. And suffering and sorrow. You
learn it there. By degrees, you learn it. But
here in Romans 5, listen to verse 3. And not only so, but we glory,
we rejoice in troubles, tribulations. We rejoice in tribulations. Now,
that's not what the present-day television preacher's preaching.
Jim Bakker doesn't preach that. He says, if you've got troubles,
it's because you don't have faith. Oral Roberts doesn't preach that.
If you've got troubles, you don't have faith. If you're sick, you
don't have faith. And here Paul's talking about glowing in troubles.
Jimmy Swagger doesn't preach this. We rejoice in tribulation
and trouble, knowing that trouble, tribulation, and trials work
at patience. and patience, experience, and
experience hope. How about the scripture over
in James, chapter 2? And I tell you, I don't know
why people keep listening to these fellows. This is just not
reality. I tell you, the Christians, believers
in Russia are suffering. The believers in Africa are suffering. The believers in Mexico They
don't have a nickel to spend. They get up every morning wondering
what they're going to eat. And the whole day is spent trying
to get something to feed their children. And the women bear
their babies at home in those shanties. They don't have anything. They're not wealthy. They don't
drive automobiles. They don't have two changes of
raiment. They're suffering. They're God's people, the people
in St. Kitts, the people in In St. Lucia, poor people. Those
preachers down there don't have any books. We sent them books.
They can't buy books. Where's all this miracle thing,
you know? God wants you to be only in the
United States. And only in the United States
will people support and listen to that kind of junk like we've
got on this five out here and all these other television stations.
I'll tell you why those fellas do that is because it's a profitable,
profitable business. In James 1, listen to verse 2.
My brethren, count it joy when you fall into different troubles
and trials and temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your
faith worketh patience. And let patience have her perfect
work, that you may be mature and entire, wanting nothing. I tell you the grace of faith
and humility and long-suffering and patience grows best in the
soil of trial and trouble and heartache. And then the next thing, I learned
that. I've learned that I learn a whole
lot more about God in trouble than I do on the mountaintop. A whole lot more. You can see
God a whole lot clearer through the telescope of tears. than
you can any other way. When I'm weak, then am I strong.
Here's the next thing I've learned is this. The old nature does
not improve. The old nature does not improve.
Turn to Romans 7. Now then. The old nature does not improve.
I don't care what anybody... I know all the arguments. I know
all the exhortations. I know what the Puritan writers
wrote. I've read them. I know the fears and the goals
of the Reformers. I know all those things. I know
the charges brought against those who preach free grace alone,
righteousness and sanctification in Christ alone. I know they're
called libertines and antinomians and everything else, but listen
to me. Listen to me. While there's a growth in grace,
and there is, grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. I'll
stand by that. There's a growth in grace. There's
a growth in faith, and love, and joy, and humility, and peace,
and righteousness, and patience. There's a growth in those things
as you mature, and men are sanctified by the Word of God. The Word
of God is the food on which we grow. It's the children's bread. Now, I know there's a growth
in grace. And I know that believers seek more and more to adorn the
doctrine of God their Savior. And I know that we seek to avoid
the appearance of evil. We don't want to bring any reproach
on the gospel. I don't and you don't. And I
know that we're His workmanship created in Christ Jesus. But
I also know this, the old nature is not dead. Now don't tell me
it is. The old nature is quite alive
and active. And while we walk not in the
flesh, nor make provisions for the flesh, I'm telling you this,
and like I said a while ago, it takes different roads and
routes. And our whole trouble in understanding
the flesh, the reason we don't understand it, is we catalog
sins. Do you know that's our problem?
Our problem is cataloging sin. Do you know that all unrighteousness
is sin in God's sight? Which do you imagine would be
the greater sinner before God? A rapist or a Pharisee? Oh, my soul preacher, that's
no contest. Oh, you're wrong. You're wrong. God named seven things he hated,
and the rapist wasn't number one. In fact, he wasn't even
mentioned. God said he hates, number one,
a proud look. That's what he hates, number
one. A lying tongue. That's what God hates. Covetousness. Which do you think is the greater
sin, murder or covetousness? Now, think a minute. Why do you
say murder? My goodness, pray no condom.
Wait a minute now. Wait a minute now. God saved a lot of murderers,
but covetousness is idolatry, and God doesn't save idol worshipers. I'll tell you this, I'd rather
be charged before the throne of God right now with murder
than to be charged with self-righteousness. That's exactly right. And that's
our whole problem. We're not aware of the fact that
passion and lust is not always connected
with sex. It's ambition. Ambition. It's clamoring after the things
of this world. Materialism. That's lust. Materialism is lust. Jealousy. And these things are always there.
They're there. The passion and the possibilities
and the pride of the flesh is always there. And it can only
be subdued by he that is greater He that is in you that's greater
than he that's in the world. And it's not your strength that
does it, it's His. Read Romans 8. This is what Paul is saying
in Romans 7. I beg your pardon, Romans 7.
Listen to this, starting with verse 18. Romans 7. I know that
in me, that is, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing. How old was Paul
when he wrote this? to will is present with me, how
to perform that which is good, holy, perfect, I don't find that
in me. But I find that the good that
I would do, I do not. And the evil which I would not
do, that I do. You mean Paul was out lying and
drinking and gambling and swearing and committing adultery? No,
sir. But Paul knew a little bit more about sin than we do. Sin
is an attitude. It's a principle. It's a nature. And you can keep yourself Outwardly
as clean as a hound's tooth. But God looks on the heart. That's
where the eyes of God search out of man. Try my heart, O God,
he said, and see if there's any wicked way in me. You want God
to try your heart tonight? Now then, verse 20, if I do that,
I would not. It's no more I that do it, it's
that nature that dwells in me, that sin that dwells in me. It's
not to save me, the one that knows God. I delight in the law
of God after the inward man. I delight in God's commandments
and His law. I'll be glad when I can be perfectly
holy, won't you? But I see another law in my members
warring good night against the law of my mind, bringing me into
captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members, O wretched
man that I am. Don't ever forget that. I don't
care if you get eighty or ninety years of age. And don't talk
about how worldly this world is. It ain't no more worldly
than it was when I was a kid. That's right. These young people
are no more sinful or worldly than men and women were 140 years
ago. Sin is sin. It always has been. They just might display it a
little more. But it's there. It's always been there, and God's
no different, the Word's no different, sin's no different, and man and
woman's no different. They're all the same. no matter
what generation or age it came up in. All the same. And it's
that evil heart. That's what it is. I tell you
this, I found this out. It's number seven, and I'll move
along quick. All flesh is grass. Look at 1 Peter 1, 24. 1 Peter
1, 24. Listen to this. This is just
so. All flesh is grass. 1 Peter 1, verse 24. Listen to
this. all flesh is as grass and all
the glory of man, the glory of man. Oh, what we glory in, our
strength, our beauty, we glory in our ranches, we glory in our
property, we glory in our accomplishments, we glory in our education, we
glory in our riches, we glory in our talents, we glory, all
this is grass. It's all grass. The grass withers
and the flower fadeth. You know the only thing that's
going to stand? The Word of God. The Word of God. But the Word
of God endureth forever. That's true. I tell you this,
the hymn writer said this. Paul said, the fashion of this
world fades away. Swift to its close ebbs out life's
little days. Earth's joys grow dim, its glories
fade away. We glory in our children, and
that's while they're gone. We glory in our beauty, and that's
while we look in the mirror and we're not so pretty. We glory
in the fact we can outrun everybody, and that's while we can't have
them out walk them. We glory in the fact we can hit
a ball farther than anybody else, that's while we can't even see
it. It all goes. Loose of it, the glory of this
world, change and decay in me and around me, I see. O thou
that changest not, abide with me. That's my interest. It's gonna go. Family strength, beauty, accomplishments. You're living on top of the world
right now, but I tell you this, you're gonna be buried beneath
it pretty soon. And all of it's just going to
be like the tumbleweed out on the desert and the wind just
blowing it along. And it's gone. But I tell you,
this is going to live forever. This and the Living Word. Christ,
the Living Word. Now, here's the last thing, and
I don't know how to handle this, and I don't even know how to
present it, but I just know it's so. I just know it's so. And I believe
I'm to come into some kind of decision on this thing. As you grow older, death becomes
acceptable. It becomes acceptable. At one
time it just... I don't know, you didn't want
to talk about it, you didn't want to think about it, you didn't want to
even consider it. But I tell you this, and like I said, hardly
quite know how to handle it, but in me, in me personally,
this thing that I never used to talk about much or think about
much has become such a reality that I'm conditioning myself
by the Word of God, by the grace of God, to accepting it when
it does come. And I think there are two, for
our older people who are here, there are two things, there are
two things that that have helped us along this line. Number one,
Simeon says, now let me go, I've seen the Lord. I've seen thy
salvation. I've seen Christ. Have you seen
Christ? I mean, without any question. Now, you're not torn between
the free wills and the Calvinists and the Catholics and the Baptists
and down the aisle and in the barn and all. You just have seen
the Lord's salvation. I've seen Christ. in the covenant
on the cross on the right hand and globe. I've seen God. He's
my salvation. I've seen Him. Then the second
thing, Paul said, I'm ready to depart. I've finished my course. I've finished it. Now if we can,
I just know that that's the two things. If we come to the place
that we've seen the Lord, now we've seen Him. But now when
our course is finished, and who's to say but God when it's finished,
but all right, when he says it's finished, it's okay by me. And
we learn to accept it. We're not going to fight the
providence of the Lord or complain about the providence of the Lord
when we finish our course. And when I tell you, when we
finish it, when he says it's finished, it's finished. Now
anything after that's just marking time. When he says it's finished,
it's finished. And we're ready to go. And I believe God gives
that dying grace. And here's the third thing, and
I know this is the one they work on all the time, so you're familiar
with it, but I think the first two are more, I've seen the Lord,
I've finished my course, but there's laid up for me a crown
of righteousness. Let me tell you something. Just
like that. The things of this world are
not worthy to be with what we're going to be, what we're going
to see, John, what we're going to be, what we're going to experience,
what we're going to have. God says there'll be no more
pain, no more suffering, no more sorrow, no more tears, no more
death. When the former things are passed away, behold, I make
all things new. There's laid up for me a crown
of life. Now then, I can die knowing that
with some commitment. And I'm not saying, now don't
get me wrong, I say I'm learning this, Cecil, I'm not saying that,
I'm proving it. And it's more acceptable now
than it was five years ago. Even more. And after a while,
when the time comes, I believe it will be totally acceptable.
Totally.