FBC Morning Light – May 11, 2022

The Inevitability of Aging and the Frustrations of Life Under the Sun

Well, a good Wednesday to you. We are in the middle of the week, and trust your week is going well for you. Again, I apologize for the quality level of this week's recordings. I went back and listened to a couple of the earlier recordings for Monday and Tuesday, and it sounded like I'm talking in a tin can or something, and I know that's not real pleasant to listen to.

So, I'll try to keep this short so that the lack of pleasantness, the unpleasantness won't be so dramatic. Anyway, several years ago, there was a gentleman in our church, he's since passed away, who was dealing with some physical struggles, he was an older man.

On the way out of the church one Sunday morning, I asked him how he was doing, and he said, he was telling me he wasn't feeling too good, he was struggling with this and with that. And then he said to me, Pastor, don't grow old, don't get old, just don't get old.

And I said to him, well, Tom, you know, really, when you think about it, what's the alternative? What is the alternative? Solomon addresses that reality, that there isn't any alternative, in Ecclesiastes chapter 12, as he's wrapping up this book on the frustrations of life under the sun.

And one of the frustrations of life under the sun is that we do get older. And so, that fact, that reality of our getting older, leads to some unpleasant things that we have to deal with. And those unpleasant things that we know are inevitably coming, should challenge us for how we live today.

So, by way of reminder, here's what he says in verses 1 and following of Ecclesiastes 12, he says, before the evil days come and the years draw nigh when you will say, I have no pleasure in them. The days coming when, you know, you get up in the morning and you're not really looking forward to the day with a great deal of pleasure.

I mean, I've talked to some older folks who say, you know, they get up in the morning and they look forward to going to bed at night. You know, there's just no, there's just no great pleasure in the day.

And the reason for that is what follows next. He says, he says, before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain. So it's like, you know, the, the, the pleasantness of just a day of bright, brilliant sunshine, it loses its luster.

He says in the day when the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men are bent and the grinders cease because they are few, you know, you're starting to lose your teeth and you're, you know, you're more bent over.

Those who look through the windows are dimmed. Your eyes fade. You know, they get cataracts and even when you get those removed, you know, they come back and so forth. You know, your eyes dim, the doors on the street are shut when the sound of the grinding is low and your hearing starts to fade.

You rise up at the sound of the bird and the daughters of the song are brought loud and so on and so forth. And he just talks about how just because of the decaying of the body, life becomes more difficult.

It becomes less pleasant. That's, that's the inevitability. That's what's coming. I suppose it's good for us to realize that, to be aware of that. And mainly because of his statement at the beginning of the chapter, he says, remember you're creator in the days of your youth.

Now you're younger now than you'll ever, you ever will be again, right? I mean, so I'm about to have a birthday here in a few weeks and I, I'm a year shy of collecting Medicare. That's all I'm going to say.

I'm eligible for Medicare. That's all I'm going to tell you. If you know what that is, then, then you're up in that age group too. But, but, but I'm, I'm younger now than I'm going to ever be again, you know, so I have to, I have to remember my creator now and I have to rejoice in the days of my youth now in whatever capacity I have now and the abilities that I have now, I need, I need to rejoice in those things now and, and now while I have my hearing, while I have my vision, while I, my teeth work and, oh, and, and I can walk a couple of miles a day and do hiking and all of that kind of stuff that I like to do.

I need, I need to rejoice in the fact that I can do it, but I also need to remember my creator in the days of my youth. So remember him and trust in him and count on him and look to him even at this stage of my life.

The Whole Duty of Man: Fear God and Keep His Commandments

When he comes to the end of the book, after dealing with all of this frustration of life under the sun, he says, the end of the matter, it's all been heard. This is it. This is the end of the matter. Fear God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man.

For God will bring every deed into judgment with every secret thing, whether good or evil. So when all is said and done, living in life under the sun, how are you to live it? How are you to live it with all of its uncertainty, with all of its contradictions and its frustrations?

How are you to live it? Fear God and keep his commandments. You know, many times in the course of Ecclesiastes, he says, there's nothing better for you to do than this, you know, to eat your bread and drink what God gives you and to do your work the best of your ability, enjoy the labor that God has given you, enjoy the life that God has given you, but do so in the fear of God, the reverence, the respect of God and keep his commandments in the doing of it.

That summarizes the whole duty of man. So if you're a follower of Christ, it pretty well summarizes how to be a Christ-like follower. That's what Jesus did all through his life, feared God, the Father, and obeyed his commandments.

This is, this is the whole duty of man. So whatever stage of life you're in right now, whether you're 30 or 83, fear God, keep his commandments, remember your creator in this day, it's as young as you're ever going to be again.

A Prayer for Daily Faithfulness and Living for Christ

So Father in heaven, encourage us with this today, encourage us to keep you in mind, in the forefront of our mind in the course of a day and to live each day as unto you, to fear you, to keep your commandments, to walk with you and live for Christ.

And this we pray in Jesus' name and for his sake, amen. All right, well have a good rest of your Wednesday and I trust the Lord will bless you in it. Good day. Amen.