Scripture Reading: Psalm 71:1-8
How Shall the Old Secure their Hearts?
Intro.
1. Song: “How Shall The Young Secure Their Hearts?”
2. Also appropriate to ask, “How Shall the Old Secure Their Hearts?”
3. You have so much to give, Psa. 92:14.
I. THE TIMES OF OLD AGE.
A. Old Age is a Time of Physical Weakness and Infirmity, Psa. 90:10.
1. Good health is relative (The doctor says you are in good health “for your age”).
2. Fact: Our bodies run down, Eccl. 12:3-8.
a. Poetic description of decline to death.
b. Remember God early before age brings its hindrances to obedience, Eccl. 12:1-2.
3. Age need not be an overwhelming discouragement – There is much the aged person can do. 2 Cor. 4:16
B. Old Age is Often a Time of Solitude.
1. Find yourself a stranger in the world.
2. Things change (cotton field becomes a subdivision); Contemporaries precede you in death (husband, wife).
a. Loneliness/Isolation can set in as the world moves on.
b. Lord will not fail you, Heb. 13:5.
c. Younger brethren should be sensitive to these trials.
C. Old Age is Often a Solemn Time.
1. End of life is approaching: On the threshold of death and the border of eternity.
2. Your beauty is your age -- if you live in righteousness and use the wisdom of your age to honor God, Prov. 16:31; 20:29.
II. HOW SHALL THE OLD SECURE THEIR HEARTS? Psalm 71 (71:9) – Psalmist would do what he could and rely on the Lord.
A. He Would Pray for God’s Help, Psa. 71.
1. Petition God for deliverance and security.
2. The exercise and expression of your faith!
B. He Would Trust the Lord, 71:1-7; Psa. 9:9-10.
1. Unscrupulous will take advantage of the aged, 71:4, 10-11.
2. But…71:12 -- God does not forsake His people in their old age, Psa. 37:25.
3. God will perform His word, Isa. 46:3-4.
4. Allow the Lord to be your Protector/ Guide / Helper.
C. He Would Hope Continually, 71:5, 14, 19-20 (33:18-22).
-Desire with expectation is an anchor of the soul (Heb. 6:19).
1. He would wait on the Lord, 71:19-20. He had seen His power and mercy in trials, 2 Tim. 4:16-18.
2. Hope is a mainspring of life, an incentive for vigor and energy, a motive to be strong in the faith and to have the confidence to press forward.
D. He Would Speak of God’s Righteousness, 71:15-16, 24.
1. You can be an effective teacher by reason of your age (experience, knowledge, wisdom), cf. Job 32:7; Psa. 90:12.
2. If you are living in righteousness Prov. 16:31 (Be filled with good, Eccl. 6:3).
E. He Would Tell the Next Generation of God’s Wondrous Works, 71:17-18.
1. Leave a spiritual legacy to your children, Gen. 18:19; Psa. 78:1-7.
2. Use your influence to encourage your children and grandchildren to obey Christ.
a. Tell what He has done for you, 71:17.
b. Tell of His mighty power, 71:18.
3. Do what you can while you still have time.
F. He Would Praise God Always, 71:8, 14-15, 22-23 (148:12-13).
1. God’s powerful works of creation, redemption and provisions.
2. Anna did not depart, Lk. 2:36-38.
3. What a joy to see aged Christians not depart from worshipping (Heb. 10:25).
Conclusion
1. Aged Christians have important places in the kingdom, Tit. 2:2-3.
2. Psa. 92:12-15: Continue to bear fruit in your old age by living in righteousness (Matt. 6:33).
By: Joe R. Price
Posted: June 15, 2013