The Needed Ministry Of Older Saints

Last week, we explored The Needed Example of Older Saints in the church.

Life is a vapor (James 4:14)

During that short period of time, we have to deal with the unpleasant reality of aging (Ecclesiastes 12)

Arms and hands begin to shake

Legs begin to bend and stoop with less strength

Fewer teeth to chew with

Eye sight is becoming dimmer

Harder to hear

Harder to sleep

Develop a fear of falling due to instability

Since our life is short, it almost seems unfair that we must meet with such trials. However, the fact is that all these trials will directly influence the character we possess as we get older.

How do we handle the trials that we are given in life? What is our goal through it all?

The ultimate goal we have is to produce good fruit for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 5:9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

Having the aim to glorify God in all we do (including growing older!) strengthens the bonds in a healthy church.

Between believers and God

Between believers and believers

Old age should bring greater love for God, for the people of God, and for the sacred things of God.

At the age of 83 — after having traveled some 250,000 miles on horseback, preached more than 40,000 sermons, and produced some 200 books and pamphlets — John Wesley regretted that he was unable to read and write for more than 15 hours a day without his eyes becoming too tired to work. After his 86th birthday, he admitted to an increasing tendency to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning!

Wow.

What are your daily goals and ambitions for the Lord?

James Dobson If we fully comprehended the brevity of life, our greatest desire would be to please God and to serve one another.

However, this is often not the reality in the church.

“Generational gaps” are forged in the old and young alike

Discontented feelings toward one another related to preferences in ministry (ex. music wars)

Larger church gatherings are prone to cliques introducing perceived divisions in the church

Overall, churches are prone to the norms and mores of society influencing its social construct rather than the Bible.

In Titus 2:2-10, the Apostle Paul prescribes a series of requirements that are necessary for members of a healthy church to have an evangelistic impact.

Read Titus 2:1-10.

Older Men

Sober-minded

The Greek word carries the root idea of being free from intoxication.

Not just speaking of alcoholic means of intoxication, but anything that brings fuzziness of mind

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 88.87 νηφάλιος, α, ον

In a number of languages νηφάλιος may be idiomatically rendered as ‘one who holds himself in’ or ‘one who always has a halter on himself.’

A sober-minded man is one who avoids extravagance and over-indulgence.

Because of his life experience, he is able to discern more clearly which things are of the greatest importance and value.

He uses his time, money, and energy more carefully and selectively than when he was younger and less mature.

His priorities are in the right order, and he is satisfied with fewer and simpler things.

He has found that what he thought he wanted that would give him satisfaction never did.  And all the possessions and all the accumulation and all the reputation and all the achievement and all the accolades have been somehow set aside on the path of life and discarded because they had no real value.

Philippians 3:8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.

Advice that one seasoned pastor resorts to telling young pastoral students in college is to “Stay close and clean.”

It can’t get much simpler than that

It is absolutely crucial for older men to dispense their wisdom to the next generation. And to do so means they must be sober-minded.

Dignified

Dignified means they are “serious; worthy of respect.”

It doesn't mean that they're boring, gloomy people. It just means they're not frivolous or flippant. 

They've lived long enough to see that life is a serious thing. 

They're over the feeling of immortality and invincibility because they've seen too much and felt too much to be trivial.

They comprehend better their own mortality, the imperfections of this present world, and the inability of material things to give lasting, deep satisfaction.

They have lived through the hopeful euphorias that said, “We're going to fix everything,”  and they're down on the other side of it.

They know with an honesty that life is the way it is because man is the way he is, and he is not going to change by himself.

Self-controlled

They should have the discernment, discretion, and judgment that comes from walking with God for many years. They control their physical passions and they reject worldly standards and resist worldly attractions.

Romans 12:3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Our society has been so conditioned by instant gratification, that people are constantly making rash and foolish decisions.

Nearly 700,000 people were scammed in 2023, resulting in nearly $10 billion in losses

Americans have $1.1 trillion in credit card debt; $1.6 trillion in auto debt; and $1.7 trillion in student loan debt

How much different would these figures be if people exercised self-control? Where are the men who exemplify this in the church?

Sound in faith

The word sound refers to that which is healthy, proper, whole, and what is as it ought to be.

The older men are to have strong, well, whole attitudes in these areas

To be sound in faith means that the older men have learned that God can indeed be trusted in every way.

They do not doubt the truth or sufficiency of His Word

They do not waver in their hope that His sovereign plan will be fulfilled

Matthew Henry sincere and stedfast, constantly adhering to the truth of the gospel, not fond of novelties, nor ready to run into corrupt opinions or parties, nor to be taken with fables or traditions.

[Sound] in love

They are to be sound in love toward God, toward God’s people, and toward those who do not yet know God.

They are examples of Christ’s love.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

They have learned to love when their love is not deserved and to continue loving when it is rejected and even when they suffer because of it. They lovingly forgive and they lovingly serve.

Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

He believes and practices the truth of 1 John 4:7,love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.

One of the tragedies of old age is when people become unloving and bitter and selfish.  This older man that the church desperately needs is healthy in his love. 

He doesn't love out of emotion

He loves out of principle. 

He loves because it's right.

[Sound] in steadfastness

Older men are to exhibit the ability:

To endure hardship

To accept disappointment and failure

To be satisfied despite thwarted personal desires and plans.

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

They have learned to graciously live with such difficulties as physical weakness, loneliness, and being misunderstood and unappreciated.

They do not lose heart when things do not turn out the way they had hoped and expected, but have the perfect confidence that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

CONCLUSION

As I mentioned last week, every church is better because of the older saints that are part of it.

Whether you are an older man or woman, you bring to the table what younger people need: wisdom and experience.

In our endeavor to be a New Testament, Great Commission church, we must seek out the relationships that will bring glory to God by helping the Body of Christ grow in maturity.