Finishing Well: Maximizing Our Later Years for His Purpose

Big Idea

Retirement is not a time to check out, but to press in—to invest our wisdom, time, and resources into building God’s kingdom and discipling the next generation.

Introduction

Berry trained for this Marathon for months now. He had a strict regimen and he followed it. He was very careful with what he put in his body, he made sure he got enough sleep, he would exercise and push himself regularly.

On the day of the big race Berry was as prepared as he could be, he stepped to the line with the other men and women who were prepared to run this race. As the signal was given everyone took off. Berry found his pace and kept it. He was making good time and he felt strong. Minutes turned to hours as he ran…

Prayer

God our father in heaven as we come before you today to talk about old age and retiorment

Berry’s race reminds us—finishing matters as much as starting. And God’s Word says the same about our spiritual lives. Retirement isn’t the finish line; it’s a stage where faith can still flourish. Psalm 92 shows us this truth: even in old age, the righteous still bear fruit.

Psalm 92:12–14 ESV

12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green,

Discipleship Doesn’t Have an Expiration Date

The righteous still bear fruit in old age.

Proverbs 16:31 “31 Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life.”

They will find that they are getting older but not getting any holier. Time is their enemy, not their friend.” — A. W. Tozer

God uses every season for His purposes.

Isaiah 46:4 “4 even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”

Example: Abraham & Sarah were called late in life; Anna & Simeon served faithfully in the temple until the end.

Joshua 14:6–7 “6 Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. 7 I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart.”

Joshua 14:10–12 “10 And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. 11 I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. 12 So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the Lord said.””

Application: Don’t check out spiritually because you’ve checked out vocationally. Keep growing!!

If God calls us to keep bearing fruit, then how we view retirement itself must change.

Retirement isn’t a retreat from purpose; it’s a resource for kingdom work.

Ephesians 5 calls us to make the best use of our time…

Ephesians 5:15–16 ESV

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Retirement Is a Resource, Not a Retreat

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

Colossians 3:23 “23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

Retirement = unique season with more discretionary time and often financial stability.

Matthew 6:19–21 “19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Time and treasure are stewardship opportunities, not self-indulgence licenses.

1 Timothy 6:17–19 “17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

Even if you are not rich in financial terms, are you investing your wisdom into the next generation?

Application: Use this stage for kingdom-building - - - short-term missions, mentoring, serving in ministries, generous giving, extended prayer!

But using retirement well isn’t just about what you do with your schedule or savings—it’s about people.

The next generation is watching, learning, and longing for mentors.

Titus 2 gives a blueprint for how older believers can invest in younger ones.

Titus 2:1–8 ESV

1 But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. 6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. 7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

The Next Generation Needs Your Faithfulness

Scripture explicitly calls older men and women to disciple younger ones.

You may think you have nothing in common… your wrong!

The church needs young blood in its veins. Our strength for holding the faith may lie in experienced saints but our zeal for propagating it must be found in the young.” — Charles Spurgeon

Young believers need seasoned saints to show them what walking with Christ for the long haul looks like.

Psalm 78:4–7 “4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. 5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, 6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, 7 so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;”

Doug Rasmusen

Dan Hibdon

Ron Moore

Dan McRae

Men in this church

Let’s pan back to Berry…

As the last mile came into view Berry chose to slow his pace. He was a little discouraged at his performance, from time to time he lost his cadence, there were even a few times that he tripped and stumbled. Here at the last mile he was tired and felt that maybe some of the other younger racers should push forward instead, maybe Berry would just coast to the end he thought.

Thats when out of the sidelines he saw his grandson. There he was chearing him on. Berrys grandson had known how hard he trained for this race, he saw him go for his runs, he saw him say no to the extra desserts. How can I coast now? thought Berry, I cant let him down he thought.

Berry might have been surrounded by a crowd of witnesses that day but the face in the crowd that caused him to continue to push to the end was just the one. The one whom he wanted to teach to continue to run, continue to push, even to the end!

Application: Get intentional—invite young couples, mentor a younger believer, teach skills with spiritual application, share stories of God’s faithfulness…. take them fishing for crying out loud!!

Mentoring and investing are part of a bigger call: to finish strong. Let’s look at Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 4 and see what it means to run hard through the final stretch.

2 Timothy 4:7–8 ESV

7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

Finish the Race Faithfully!

Paul’s vision: not coasting into heaven but finishing strong.

Philippians 3:13–14 “13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Crowns are not for those who “retired well” but for those who endured and poured out their lives.

Hebrews 12:1–2 “1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 4:9–11 “9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. 11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.”

Application: What legacy do you want to leave behind for those who are watching?

Conclusion

Challenge:

Who will define your retirement, the culture or The Christ

Will you spend yourself keeping up with the joneses or serving Jehova

Closing Call: Don’t waste your retirement—leverage it. Finish strong. Invest in eternity.

REMEMBER: Retirement isn’t the finish line—it’s the final lap where your stride can inspire generations.

Prayer: “Father of glory and giver of every breath, We come before You as people who are passing through this life like grass that withers and flowers that fade. You have numbered our days, and each one is a gift from Your hand.

Lord, as some of us stand in the later chapters of our journey, and others look ahead to those years, we ask You to stir our hearts. Guard us from the temptation to drift into comfort or small pursuits. Teach us to see every sunrise, every relationship, every ounce of energy as an opportunity to display Your worth.

Let the wisdom of years become a blazing testimony to Your faithfulness. Give us courage to take risks for the gospel, generosity to invest in people and mission, and joy to serve even when our strength feels thin. May our final days be our finest days—days that point a watching world to Christ.

In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, Amen.”

Group Questions

Psalm 92:12-14 says the righteous “still bear fruit in old age.” What kind of “fruit” do you hope to bear in the later years of your life?

How does Caleb’s bold request at age 85 (Joshua 14:10-12) challenge your view of aging and spiritual usefulness?

Share a story of a seasoned believer (like Anna or Simeon) who impacted your faith. What did their example teach you?

Ephesians 5:15-16 calls us to “make the best use of the time.” What are some practical ways retirees (or future retirees) can steward extra time for the kingdom?

Matthew 6:19-21 warns about storing up earthly treasure. What are ways to lay up “treasures in heaven” with your finances, skills, or wisdom?

Piper’s seashell illustration warns against trivial pursuits. What might “seashell collecting” look like in our culture today?

Titus 2 commands older men and women to disciple younger believers. What barriers keep generations from connecting, and how can we overcome them?

Think of someone younger in faith you could intentionally invest in—what’s one first step you could take this week?

For younger members: how can you honor, invite, or seek out the wisdom of older believers in your church or family?

Reflect on Hebrews 12:1-2 and 2 Timothy 4:7-8. What “weights” or distractions might you need to lay aside so you can finish your race strong?