Sermon Series: Prayer, Repentance, and Worship

Things to Remember Until - Part 3

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Sermon Series

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2026-02-08

Synopsis: In this third message of the series, John Weaver explores two additional 'until' truths from Scripture. First, from Psalm 71:18, he teaches that believers are never useless until death, emphasizing the God-given role of the elderly in teaching and serving through prayer and example. Second, from Psalm 110:1 and 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, he affirms that Christ must reign until all enemies are subdued, encouraging faith over sight. The sermon concludes with applications to persevere in service regardless of age and to trust in Christ's ongoing victory.

[John Weaver] Alright, let's open our Bibles today, if you would please, to Psalm 71. Psalm 71. And we're going to be reading verse 18 to begin with. This is the third message in the series, Things to Remember Until. So if you look in Psalm 71 and verse 18, look at what David prayed. He said, Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I have showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to everyone that is to come."

[John Weaver] Let me just take the time to very quickly review the first two messages. I'm not going to go over them in detail, but just enough to give you the main points that I've covered. And I've also pointed out the fact that the word until usually refers to a specific time or at least until a project is completed or finished. So the very first truth that I gave you was based on Psalm 73, where Asap was envious at the wicked. He saw their prosperity. He saw their success. He saw that they did not have any bans in their debts.

[John Weaver] And they prospered in everything they did. And here he and other godly people were suffering left and right. And he went ahead and said in Psalm 73, verse 16 and 17, when I thought to know this, it was too painful for me. Then he said, until I went in the sanctuary of God and then I understood their end. And then he went on and said, surely thou did set them in slippery places or cast them down to destruction in a moment. And so he was envious of the wicked until he saw the end of the wicked as well. The second truth that I gave you that we were to remember until is that we are to remember our sins and our provocations against the Lord. We have been commanded to do that in Deuteronomy 9, verses 7 and 8, as well as Ephesians 2 and verse 11.

[John Weaver] But let me just point out and emphasize the fact that our sins have been totally, completely forgiven through and in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, our sins no longer condemn us. God is not going to hold them against us. Well, in that case, why in the world should we remember them? Well, we should remember them for several reasons. Number one, they are for our humiliation. In other words, we realize that we have sinned against him. We transgressed his law. Not only are they for our humiliation, They're also to lead us to a holy hatred of those sins and gives us an opportunity to fight against them and to rehearse them and say, Lord, please keep me from doing this in the future. It also shows us our impotence, our depravity, our weakness. And then it also teaches us that we are entirely, totally and completely dependent upon him. And so our Lord said it like this in John 15 in verse 5.

[John Weaver] He said, without me, you can do nothing. So clearly, then, we have to understand that our sins are forgiven, but we do remember them. We do recall them. And that is for our humility and for our dependence upon him. The third area I told you that we are to remember until was in reference to the judgment of God. And I pointed out the fact how so many people oftentimes, not just the lost, but the saved as well, somehow think that if God does not strike instantly and immediately, God is not going to judge. But God is going to judge, and He does so in His time and in His way. But clearly, God always gives us warnings. He always gives us evidences that His judgment is about to fall. And when we refuse to see those signs and refuse to listen to those warnings, when judgment falls, it's too late. It's too late to repent. It's too late to try to restore things. It's too late to try to make restitution.

[John Weaver] Lords, we should be wise. In fact, Psalm 10 tells us about the wicked, how they indeed ignore everything until God strikes them down. So today we're going to come to the fourth and fifth point. And the fourth point is actually found in Psalm 71 and verse 18. So if you look at this, here's the fourth point. Remember that you are not useless until until what? Look at this.

[John Weaver] David said now also when I am old and gray headed. Oh, God, forsake me not until I have showed my strength unto this generation and I power to everyone that is to come.

[John Weaver] Now, I can assure you of one particular truth. I have been absolutely, totally amazed at older people, both men and women, that simply because of their age, they came to the conclusion that they were useless. It is true that as we age, we lose some of our abilities. We use some of our strength, but at the same time, we have gained a lot of experience. We've gained a lot of wisdom and knowledge as well. Here's an interesting truth.

[John Weaver] In God's orderly way, in God's orderly way, the younger are to submit to the elder in order that they may be taught." Now, if you will hold Psalm 71, but if you will look in your Bibles to the book of 1 Peter 5, and look at verse 5, you will see this specifically spelled out. So, 1 Peter 5, and if you would notice, verse 5. Look what the Word of God says, Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.

[John Weaver] Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace unto the humble. So it's amazing to me how much the younger generation could learn and would learn if they would just simply sit down and listen to their parents, listen to their grandparents, listen to elderly friends and neighbors as well. It was Augustus Fowlock who said this, listen carefully, Are there better preachers of the works of God to be found than hoary parrots in the circle of their children, or grandparents in that of their grandchildren?"

[John Weaver] Now, when he uses the word hoary, that word happens to be in the Bible. It comes from the Hebrew word sona, or sone, or soba, and It literally means the age. It means white-headed, white-haired, gray-headed. It has to do with not just older age sometimes, but sometimes of office as well. The Puritans used to have a saying that went like this, I have wonderful news for a sinner if I can ever find one. And what they were saying is that most people do not want to really deal with their sins. They do not really want to admit that they are sinners, that they are wicked, that they are depraved. But the saying was, I have wonderful news for a sinner if I could ever find one. We could take that saying and change it just a little bit and say, I have great knowledge and I have great wisdom for the younger generation if I could only find one or two that would listen.

[John Weaver] All you have to do is stop and think about the fact when you were young, you thought your parents were Crazy. You knew everything. And certainly you did not. But I'm just simply pointing out the fact in God's orderly way, the younger are to submit to the elder. I have taught now for over 60 years. I'm not only preached, I've taught everything from fourth grade all the way through college. I've taught many people, that is for sure. And I'm thankful for the ones that I've taught, but I can assure you this. I've prayed about this and I've thought about this many times. I would really, really love to find just one individual that would be willing to listen, willing to learn, that I could share 60 years worth of experience and 60 years worth of preaching. How? How am I going to find someone like that? Well, let me just tell you this.

[John Weaver] It's not my responsibility to chase someone down and try to cram truth down their throats. No. Here's what the Bible says in Second Timothy, chapter two and verse two. Paul wrote Timothy. Timothy was a young man. And he said in the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men also who shall be able to teach others. He said, the things that I taught you, you now turn around and teach the faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. So it's not my responsibility to try to chase people down and teach them if they are faithful, they are going to learn, they are going to listen, they are going to be taught. And I will tell you this, faithful men are hard to find. We're off and on. We're up and down. We're in and out.

[John Weaver] We are easily diverted and distracted. We're interested and then we're not interested. And I can prove this. All we have to do is look around at our homes, at our houses, at the unfinished projects we have. We get started on something and something else gets our attention and we quit and we leave it. We say we'll come back to that. And maybe four or five years later, we might get around going back to something like that.

[John Weaver] But I'm just simply pointing out, you can find someone who's really zealous, seemingly for the Word of God and for truth. And six months later, they're nowhere to be found. So he says, faithful men, men who are really willing to learn.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to point out something. When he said, And verse 18 of Psalm 71, Now also, when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I have showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to every one that is to come. Do you realize that God requires honor and respect for the elderly, for the old man, for the elderly lady? You notice I said old man and elderly lady. By the way, I'm just simply pointing out the fact part and parcel of this honor and respect to the elderly is part and parcel of our honor and respect for God himself. I'll show you that. Look in your Bibles to the book of Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 32. Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 32. Look at what God says and how He states it. Leviticus 19 verse 32. God says, Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, there's that word, and honor the face of the old man, And fear thy God, I am the Lord. So rising up before the hoary head, that is the old gray headed man, gray bearded man or woman or white, white headed lady, I should say, or white headed woman.

[John Weaver] God said thou shalt rise up before them and honor the face of the old man and fear thy God. I am the Lord. Now, remember, I've told you before to fear God is to obey him. So obviously, if you're going to obey God, then you would respect and honor the old man and the elderly lady. Because God says, in fearing him, that is obedience. Then he said, I'm the Lord. This is what I'm commanding. This is what I'm saying to you. So it is God, then, who's commanded this reverence. It's God who's commanded this honor. And therefore, when you refuse to do that, then you are dishonoring God and you're disrespecting him.

[John Weaver] Now, I have a quote for you. This is from Matthew Poole, the old Puritan, and he's quoting on Leviticus 19, verse 32. He's commenting on it. Here's what he said. Thou shalt rise up and do them reverence when they pass by, for which in they were obliged, as the Jews say, presently to sit down again when they were passed, that it might be made manifest that they arose out of respect to them. So what he was saying is when you pass by or an elderly person passes by you, you rise up, you stand up. When they get by, you sit back down. It demonstrates that you were doing this out of respect.

[John Weaver] Then he goes ahead and he says this. Fear thy God. A reason of the former precept that is thou shalt rise up under the old head. A reason for the former precept, both because all men in some respect do most resemble God, who has styled the ancient of days, and Daniel 7 verses 9 and 13, and because this respect is due to such, listen now, if not for themselves, who may be unworthy or contemptible, yet for God's sake, who requires this reverence, and while singular and whose singular blessing old age is." So he says it's required because God requires it.

[John Weaver] Now, there's a passage in Job 29 and verse 8. You remember how Job suffered, but he said this, the young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged arose and stood up. So Joe was an older man, but he was also a wiser man and a man with great abundance. And so it's not just the young who hid themselves. He said, even the age arose for me. Now, there's an interesting thing. God not only demands honor of parents and aged, but also the elders and those who have the office of authority.

[John Weaver] So let me put this together for you. If you look in your Bibles, to the book of First Timothy, Chapter 5. First Timothy, Chapter 5. And as you're turning to First Timothy, Chapter 5, let me just tell you that something that was taught when I was a child. This is absolutely astounding because I went to a government school. I went to public school. But when I was in the first grade, second grade, third grade, fourth grade, and probably up to the fifth grade, Here's what happened. Here's what we were taught to do.

[John Weaver] Whenever an adult walked into the classroom, every student stood up by his desk or her desk, and they stood either until the teacher said, please be seated, or usually they stood until the adult left the room. Now, that's when I was a child. Look how things are different. Today, you try to teach your classroom, some of the children spit in your face, they'll throw everything at you, they talk, they don't listen.

[John Weaver] I'm just simply pointing out the fact, part and parcel of respecting the older people is part of our respect to God himself. But notice if you would, in 1 Timothy chapter 5, This carries over into the church, not just the home, but into the church. He says, Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father and the younger men as brethren, the elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters with all purity.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing is in the Hebrew, The Hebrew word for elder is the word zalkan, and it refers to an elder, one that is old, an old man, or one that is aged, one who is ancient, or one who has authority. So remember now, the Hebrew word was zalkan, and the interesting thing is the Hebrew word for beard is zalkan, So, an elderly man was a bearded man. In other words, he was an older man, and usually it was a white beard as well. When you get to the New Testament, the word elder is phrasbuteros in the Greek, and once again, it refers to an elder, to an old man, to one of age, one who is advanced in age, a senior, or one of rank or office. So when he says rebuke not an elder in this passage, he's not talking about just simply an older man, but he's talking about someone in office. He's talking about a pastor. Now, look what he says. Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father.

[John Weaver] So I doubt that there's anyone in this room. That when you were a child or a young teenager, say 13, 14, If you got angry with your father, I doubt anyone in this room would have ever walked up to his father, shook his finger in his face and said, oh, man, let me tell you something and cuss your father out left and right. You would never have done that. Especially if you're my age, because then back then, if you did something like that, you would only get to do it one time.

[John Weaver] Because they would wear you slap out. Now, please listen to me. Preachers, pastors, are sinners like everyone else. No pastor is perfect. I'm sorry, I'm not perfect. But don't ask my wife. I keep trying to convince her I am, but she knows better. But I'm simply pointing out the fact I can be wrong. I could do something that was sinful. I could do something that needed rebuke, correction.

[John Weaver] But what God is saying is this. you have to treat an elder with the respect that is due. That means you come up to me and you say, Brother Weaver, now listen to me. Here's a verse of scripture that I think you need to consider, or you need to change how you're thinking or how you're acting, because look at what the Bible says. In other words, you're not rebuking me out of anger. You're not rebuking me out of hatred. You're pointing out something that is biblical and right. That's what he says. Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father. So you treat him with respect, just like you would treat your father with respect. Now, here's what the Bible says in Romans 13, verse 7. Listen to this one. So God then demands that we give honor to those to whom honor is due. We fear those to whom fear is due.

[John Weaver] I mentioned the fact that I was amazed at how many people thought they were useless when they got older. Again, it is true. You can't do what you used to when you were 21 or 25 or 30. You can't. You lose strength. You lose abilities. But that doesn't mean that you're useless. What in the world could an elderly woman do? What could an elderly man do? Well, let me answer that for you. First of all, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 2, and let's talk about elderly women. Now, I want you to see a woman by the name of Anna. Anna. Look at this in Luke chapter 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 36. Luke 2 and verse 36. And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Penuel of the tribe of Asher.

[John Weaver] She was of a great age and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. Watch this. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. Note, if you would, here was a woman. Notice she's called a prophetess. She was a daughter of Phinuel, and she was what? Eighty-seven years old. And she was a widow. Eighty-four years old she was. She was a widow, and she parted not from the temple and served God day and night, the Bible says. Notice, if you would, served Him day and night.

[John Weaver] How did she serve Him? With fastings and prayer. Now, hang on. Let me explain something to you, if you would, please. Note, if you would, that the Bible said that she was a prophetess. That does not mean that she was a preacher. That does not mean that she was prophesying. That does not mean that she was predicting the future. Not at all, whatsoever. Now, let me explain it. Look in your Bibles, if you would, please.

[John Weaver] If you would turn there to the book of 1 Chronicles, chapter 25. First Chronicles, Chapter 25. Look at this. First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles, First Chronicles 25. And I want you to notice, if you would, beginning there with verse 1. When you talk about women in the Bible that are called prophetesses, you remember the Bible says even Philip had some daughters who prophesied. Well, what does that mean? You remember Miriam is called a prophetess, the sister of Moses and Aaron. Well, how did they prophesy? Were they preaching? No. No. Miriam took a timbrel and led the ladies in song. But look at this, 1 Chronicles 25, verse 1, Moreover, David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Juduthun, look at this, who should prophesy with harps and with solfeges and with cymbals, And the number of the workmen according to their service was, and now he lists them. But notice they should prophesy. How are they prophesying? With harps, psaltery, cymbals.

[John Weaver] What are they doing? They're playing the psalms. The psalms will set the music. They were playing the Word of God. It was called prophesying. They were just playing music.

[John Weaver] Now watch verse 2,"...of the sons of Asaph, Zachariah, Joseph, and Nethaniah, Azariel, and the sons of Asaph, under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king." This was not something from God particularly. This was what King David commanded. Well, they were not preaching. They were playing music and singing. Now look at verse 3,"...of Juduthun, the sons of Juduthun, Gadoliah and Zerih, Jeshiah, Hashebiah, Matathiah, six, and of the hands of their father Juduthun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise to the Lord." That's prophesied. Skip down, if you would, please, to verse 5. "...All these were the sons of Heman, the king Seir in the words of God, to lift up the horn, And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. All these," that would include the daughters,"...all these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, psalteries, harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order, to Asaph, Juduthun, and Heman."

[John Weaver] Wow. How were they prophesying? They were playing music. They were singing. How is Anna prophesying fasting, praying? Probably she's saying it's well. But I'm just simply pointing out the fact that here we have this woman who served God, an elderly woman, a widow, 84, with fasting and prayer. Now, you don't have to be a widow to serve God with fasting and prayer. You know, the Bible says also in 1 Timothy chapter 5 that the church is to support widows that are widows indeed. That is, widows who have no other means of support. I will tell you right quickly, I do not mind supporting a widow woman that I know is fasting and praying for me on a regular basis.

[John Weaver] So this is one way. Here's another way. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Titus, Titus chapter 2, Look, if you would, in Titus chapter 2, beginning there in verse 3. 1 and 2 Timothy, and then Titus. 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus. Look in Titus chapter 2 at what God says in verses 3 through 5. He says, The age women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, Not given them much wine. You could have a little, but not much. Not given them much wine. Look at this. Teachers of good things. Now, what are some of the good things that an aged woman can teach? Verse 4, that they may teach the younger women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers in home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." So notice, if you would, the aged women are to teach the younger women. I'm going to assure you, I'm going to assure you that there are a lot of younger women who do not know how to love their husbands.

[John Weaver] And men, there are a lot of younger men who do not know how to love their wives. Moreover, ladies, let me point out the fact there are a lot of younger women who do not know how to keep house. They cannot sew, they cannot cook, they cannot can, they cannot do anything. And they need to be taught. I'm just something for now. In fact, yes, this is a ministry. No matter how old you are, ladies, if you're an aged lady, you have a duty, you have a ministry, you can fast, you can pray, and you can certainly teach the younger women as well. That is a fact. So, likewise, the same is true with the aged and older men. They may teach the younger men as well.

[John Weaver] So notice, if you would, in Titus chapter 2, go back, if you would, to verse 1, what Paul tells Timothy, But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. Now, what is a sound doctrine? That the aged men Be sober, brave, temperate, sound in the faith, in charity, and patient." And then he talks about the aged women. Now if you will skip down to verse 6. Now we're going back to the men. He says, Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded in all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works and doctrine, showing uncorrupted gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. So one thing for sure. The older men have a duty, have a ministry and teaching the younger men, that is for sure. They need to know certain things. I'm surprised today, but I will tell you truthfully, there are plenty of young people who do not even know how to manage their money.

[John Weaver] They have no idea. I'm just simply saying it is a ministry. One thing for sure, let me point this out. No matter how old you are, no matter what condition you are in physically, There's more to do than spin around, folding your hands, watching TV and becoming a couch potato. I'm just simply saying, yes, if you go back in your Bibles to Psalm 71, I want you to look at verse 9, Psalm 71 and verse 9. David says this again. in a different light. Watch this Psalm 71 verse 9. David said, Cast me not off in the time of old age.

[John Weaver] Forsake me not when my strength faileth. Is that a prayer? Cast me not off in the time of old age. Forsake me not when my strength faileth.

[John Weaver] Now look in your Bibles to Psalm 92. Psalm 92. And let's begin reading there. Psalm 92 with verse 12. Look at Psalm 92 verse 12. He says, The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Now, hang on. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age.

[John Weaver] They shall be fat and flourishing, not necessarily physically, but spiritually. Why will they be fat and flourishing? To show that the Lord is upright. He is my rock. There is no unrighteousness in him. So he says again, you will be fat and flourishing in the house of God. You'll be bringing forth fruit in old age. One more. If you look in Isaiah, Chapter 46 and verse 4. Isaiah 46 and verse 4. Look what God says to His people. Isaiah 46 verse 4. He says, Even to your old age I am He, and even to hoar hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear, even I will carry, and will deliver you. God says, I'm not going to forsake you in your old age.

[John Weaver] I want to give you two quotes. I want you to listen carefully. The first one is by John Trapp, the old Puritan, and I love the way he says this. Listen carefully. He says, Now that the plum tree is full of blooms, the map of age is figured in my forehead. The calendar of death appears in the furs of my face. Let me do nothing to spot my white head. Let me with the sun give the greatest glimpse at the going down and with the rose retain my sweetness, though I've lost my color. And of course, you know, the sun is most beautiful not only when it comes up, but when it goes down.

[John Weaver] And that's what he's saying. I want to go down with the sun, with the sweetness of the rose, even though I've lost my color. And that's a fact. And then I love this one by Spurgeon. Listen to what he says. He says, There is something touching in the side of hair whitened with the snows of many a winter. The old and faithful soldier receives consideration from his king.

[John Weaver] The venerable servant is beloved by his master. Hang on. When our infirmities multiply, we may with confidence expect enlarged privileges in the world of grace to make up for our narrowing range in the field of nature. Nothing shall make God forsake those who have not forsaken Him. Our fear is lest He should do so, but His promise kisses that fear into silence. But listen to what he said, when our infirmities multiply, we may with confidence expect enlarged privileges in the world of grace to make up for our narrowing range in the field of nature. In other words, our bodies may be deteriorating, but grace is still going to be abounding.

[John Weaver] So you have to remember that you're not useless, no matter your age, no matter your health, no matter what station In life you are in, you are not useless, you are not worthless until you're dead. Or, I would say, another until. You remember that passage in Isaiah chapter 6? In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord high and lifted up his train, filled the temple up and going down.

[John Weaver] But anyhow, God said, Who shall we send? Who will go for us? Isaiah said, Here am I, Lord, send me. And Isaiah got to thinking. And then he asked, How long, Lord? Listen, Isaiah 6, verse 11. Then I said, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitants, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate. He says, You go until there's no one else to go to. So we go until we die, or until God's judgment has wiped away everything and there's nothing left.

[John Weaver] I'm not much on reciting poetry. I do like poetry, but I ran across this poem by Sir Robert Grant, and Psalm 71 has been one of my favorite psalms for many years. And this poem, although I do not know that it was written concerning Psalm 71, but it certainly expresses the truth in Psalm 71. And so here's the poem. Let me give it to you. With years oppressed, with sorrows worn, dejected, harassed, sick, forlorn, to thee, O God, I pray, to thee my withered hands arise, To lift to thee I lift up these failing eyes, O cast me not away.

[John Weaver] Thy mercy heard my infant prayer, Thy love with all thy mother's care sustained my childish days. Thy goodness watched my ripening youth, And formed my heart to love thy truth, And filled my lips with praise. O Savior, has thy grace declined? Can years affect the eternal mind, Or time its love destroy? A thousand ages past thy sight, And all their long and weary flight Is gone like yesterday. Then even in age and grief Thy name shall still my languid heart inflame, And bow my faltering knee.

[John Weaver] O yet this bosom feels the fire, This trembling hand and drooping lyre Have yet a strain for thee that is a song. Yes, broken, tuneless still, O Lord, this voice transported shall record. Thy goodness tried so long, till sinking slow with calm decay, its feeble murmurs melt away into a seraph's song. What did he just say? Lord, you brought me from an infant to a young man to an old age. I'm going downhill, and my trembling voice I can hardly speak and yet it's going to be transformed into a seraph song.

[John Weaver] We're not the losers, we're the gainers. That's why David said in Psalm 71 in verse 18, Now also when I'm old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I've showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to everyone that is to come. So let me give you a fifth Truth. We're to remember that Christ must reign until. Ah, you're going to ask, until what? You know, the truth of the matter is this.

[John Weaver] Most of us live by sight instead of by faith. And when we look around the country and we see the deterioration that our country's in, we see the immorality, we see the wickedness, We think that somehow God has abandoned His throne. However, when we look through the lens of Scripture and when we look by faith, we still see that Jesus Christ is on the throne and He is reigning and that He is subduing His enemies. We think that everything is going wrong. When we look by sight, but when we look by faith, we see that everything is going wrong just right because he is still on the throne.

[John Weaver] Now, I want to show you something. I want you to turn your Bibles to Psalm 110 and let's look at verse one. I'm going to show you the most frequently quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament. OK, so here we go. Look in Psalm 110 verse 1. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Now the Lord, that would be the Father, said unto my Lord, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Now look at verse 2. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. So I want you to notice two things here. The first one is this, if you go back to verse 1, it is God the Father who is the active person in establishing the kingdom of His Son and in making our Lord's enemies His footstool. The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I, that is God the Father, make thine enemies thy footstool.

[John Weaver] And here's the second truth before we go further. If you look in verse 2, Jesus Christ rules and reigns even in the midst of his enemies. He said, The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength down of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. There are many enemies to Jesus Christ in this world. The wicked are his enemies. Wicked rulers are his enemies. And even though the world and the wicked in all hell engage against Jesus Christ, they cannot succeed. If you look in your Bibles to Psalm 2, Psalm 2, and let's begin reading there in verse 1. Notice, if you would, how they rebel against the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] How they try to overthrow the decree of God the Father. Here it is, verse 1, Psalm 2. Why do the heathen rage? And the people imagine a vain thing, that is, that they can overthrow God. Here it is in verse 2. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointing, saying, Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us.

[John Weaver] We don't like God's sovereignty. We don't like God giving us orders. We're going to break away. Look what happens. Verse 4. He that sitteth in heaven shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Look what he says, Yet have I sent my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree the Lord hath sent unto me.

[John Weaver] Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, and thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. God said it doesn't matter if the whole world unites in rebellion against him, yet he has set his son upon the holy hill of Zion.

[John Weaver] No one is going to overthrow him. No one is going to destroy him. No one is going to try to make him where he is impotent. No, it will not work. They cannot overthrow him. They cannot hinder him. They cannot thwart him. They cannot stop him. He is king of kings and lord of lords. So notice if you would again, he's ruling and reigning in the presence of his enemies.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you another verse. If you will turn over your Bibles to Isaiah chapter nine, Isaiah chapter 9. This passage is normally quoted around Christmas time, but it is a passage that has absolute truth in it. So look at it in Isaiah 9, and let's begin reading there with verse 6. Isaiah 9 and verse 6. Look what it said. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. And the only reason Mary had a child was because the son was given. So the son then in his incarnation assumed the body that was produced by the Virgin Mary. So watch this. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.

[John Weaver] And the government shall be upon his shoulder. That is, he's going to be king of kings, lord of lords. And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

[John Weaver] Now look what the Bible says. of the increase of his government, and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment, and with justice from henceforth, even wherever." Watch this, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. No one's going to stop God. God said, My Son is going to reign, and He's going to reign in the presence of His enemies. And he's going to be ruling in the presence of his enemies.

[John Weaver] Now, Psalm 110 and verse 1 is the most frequently quoted verse in the New Testament from the Old Testament. So let me give you one illustration very quickly. If you will turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 22, and after I read this for you, I'm going to be quoting the rest. just to conserve time. But notice if you would, Matthew chapter 22, and let's begin reading there with verse 42. Remember now, remember, he's going to rule in the presence of his enemies. So Matthew chapter 22, verse 42. Let's read verse 41.

[John Weaver] While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them saying, What think you of Christ? Whose son is he? They sent him the son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, Here's the quote from Psalm 110 verse 1, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou in my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. If David then called him Lord, how is he his son?

[John Weaver] And no man was able to answer him a word, neither did any man from that day forth ask him any more question. Note, if you would, he quoted Psalm 110, verse 1. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. You will find this same truth in Mark chapter 12, verses 35 through 37. And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord, and whence is he then his son?

[John Weaver] And the common people heard him gladly. You'll find this same verse again in Luke chapter 20, verses 41 through 44. And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? And David himself said in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore called him Lord, how is he his son? Wow. And then you will find the same truth. I love this passage in Acts chapter two, verse 32 through 36. Peter said in Jesus has God raised up where we are all witnesses therefore being right at the right hand of God exalted and having received of the father the promise of the Holy Ghost He has shed forth this which you now see and hear for David is not a sinner in the heavens But he said the Lord said unto my Lord Sith thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool Therefore that all the house of Israel assuredly that God hath made Jesus both Lord and Christ.

[John Weaver] Wow! You'll also find this same truth in Hebrews chapter 1, verses 13 and 14. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. And then you'll also find it And Hebrews chapter 10 verses 12 through 13. But this man, after he'd offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God from henceforth expecting until his enemies be made his bestowal.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn, if you would, to First Corinthians chapter 15. First Corinthians chapter 15, because I told you this point, they used to remember. You must remember that Jesus Christ must reign until, and you're going to ask, until what? Here it is, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, look if you would, at verse 24. Then cometh the end, when he, that is the Lord Jesus, shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, When he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. He's going to rule and he's going to win. He is the victor. For he must reign till or until. He's put all his enemies under his feet.

[John Weaver] The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he had put for he had put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is accepted, who did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." So Jesus Christ is going to reign until he's completely, totally subdued all of his enemies. And then he's going to deliver up the kingdom to God the Father.

[John Weaver] Now, let me take the remainder time and make some applications. Here's the first one. Contrary to sight and physical senses, Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning today. Hang on. Contrary to sight and physical senses, Jesus Christ is actively subduing his enemies today.

[John Weaver] Now you're going to ask me, how is he going to subdue them? Or how is he subduing them? Well, the answer is in any way that he chooses. For instance, if you were to take a vote in the first century of the man most likely to bust hell wide open, no doubt Saul of Tarsus would have won it hands down. But what did God do to his enemy Saul? You remember when he knocked him down on the Damascus Road in Acts chapter 9, our Lord said, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

[John Weaver] So in persecuting the Lord's people, he is persecuting Jesus Christ. And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And of course, he was willing to bow and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. And what did he tell Ananias? What did our Lord tell Ananias? I'll show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake. And the apostle Paul became one of the greatest of the apostles, wrote most of the New Testament.

[John Weaver] How did God subdue him? He convicted him, he converted him, he regenerated him. God may subdue his enemies by making them his friends. He may subdue his enemies by taking their lives. He's done that in many instances. He did that to King Herod. He did that to many individuals. He may also subdue his enemies by taking away their positions of power and authority and from their money. He can subdue them any way that he chooses. You and I may not see because our vision is limited and we only know what is going on in our surrounding areas. We don't even know what's going on in the state next to us. We certainly don't know what's going on in other countries. Well, we get news, but that doesn't mean we don't see that we see everything we don't. But our Lord is subduing his enemies.

[John Weaver] He is on the throne. He is ruling and reigning whether we perceive it or not. That's what Scripture declares. So let me say it like this. Let's put it together. It is correct to say that the kingdom has come because the king has come. It is correct to say that the kingdom is here because Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning now. It is also correct to say that the kingdom is coming because it will be coming in its fruition, in its fullness, in its completeness, in its totality. So the kingdom has come, the kingdom is here, and the kingdom is coming in the fullness of its glory. So we may rest assured of the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] In fact, the Bible says in Revelation 11, verse 15, listen carefully, And the seventh angel sounded, and there was great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. So our Lord is the victor. He is reigning. He will continue to reign until he has subdued all of his enemies.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make another application. I must remind you that there are distinct advantages to old age. We may have our disabilities. but yet we're not useless. Have you ever stopped to think that God sent Moses into Egypt to face and to fight against Pharaoh and all of his court and deliver his people out of Egypt when Moses was 80 years of age?

[John Weaver] Think about that. Think about Caleb. Caleb was one of the men who followed the Lord in the wilderness. He was one of the men who brought forth a good report. Did you know that Caleb said, I want that mountain and the Amorites were there and some of the giants were there. And when Caleb fought and took his portion, he was 85. You'll find that Joshua 14, 10 and 11. Let me read it. And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty-five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, when the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. And now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. Listen, as yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me, as my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, both to go out and to come in.

[John Weaver] And he defeated all of his enemies at age 85. Some of the greatest battles were won by men in their 70s and in their 80s. Delavalette, if I remember correctly, was 75 or 76. when the siege of Malta and 40,000 Turks attacked 1,100 fighting men and the Levalet defeated them. When that battle was over, less than 10,000 Turks left alive. I'm just simply pointing out old age does not mean that you're useless. So here is what I'm going to tell you. Based upon the Word of God, I don't care how old you are. I don't care what disabilities you have. I don't care what your physical condition is. Here is what I'm giving you from Scripture.

[John Weaver] Do not ever give up. Do not ever quit. Do not ever throw in the towel. Do not ever come up and say, I'm useless. No, no, no. You may not can do what you used to do, but you must do and you can do what you are able to do. God does not require us to do that which we cannot do, but he does require us to do that which we can do. And certainly we can do nothing without Him, but there are some things that He does indeed give us strength to continue to do. And we must do it. We must do it. He is able to keep us in the fight.

[John Weaver] I had a friend this week visit, and he told me, he said, you know, if it would please the Lord, if I had 20 years left, I'd be thankful and glad just to give it with you so you could live 20 more years if the Lord allowed that. I said, well, brother, I said, I really appreciate that. I said, but the only reason and the only way that I would accept that if the Lord granted it is if you'd let me continue preaching for another 20 years.

[John Weaver] But I'm just simply saying, folks, listen, we can't do everything, but there's some good things that we can do no matter how old you are. No matter how old you are, no matter what condition you're in, you just can't give up. What did David say? Now, when I'm old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until. Until I have showed thy strength to this generation and thy power to everyone that is to come, as long as I have life in me, He said, I'm going to be teaching. I'm going to be living. I'm going to be declaring. I'm going to be talking. I'm not giving in. I'm not giving up. I'm not quitting. Use me, Lord, until I'm gone. So remember. You're never useless until you're dead.

[John Weaver] And you need to remember, our Lord is right now actively reigning and subduing and conquering his enemies, and it will be done in His way, in His time, at His pace. Because He's God, and He knows how to bring honor to Himself. Things to remember. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask Then you would indeed help us to remember. Teach us, Lord, for your grace and your mercy and your goodness and your kindness. And we love thee, Lord. And help us to remember these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Things to Remember Until - Part 3

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	223261855526528
Subject	Sermon Series
Course	Sermon Series: Prayer, Repentance, and Worship
Genre	Sermon
Date	2026-02-08
Dictation Name
Book	Book 193: Things to Remember Until — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	80

Formatted Transcript

Opening

Alright, let's open our Bibles today, if you would please, to Psalm 71. Psalm 71. And we're going to be reading verse 18 to begin with. This is the third message in the series, Things to Remember Until. So if you look in Psalm 71 and verse 18, look at what David prayed. He said,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 71:18

"Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I have showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to everyone that is to come."

Review of Previous 'Until' Truths

Brief recap of the first three points: the wicked's end (Psalm 73), remembering sins for humility (Deuteronomy 9, Ephesians 2), and the certainty of God's judgment (Psalm 10).

Let me just take the time to very quickly review the first two messages. I'm not going to go over them in detail, but just enough to give you the main points that I've covered. And I've also pointed out the fact that the word until usually refers to a specific time or at least until a project is completed or finished. So the very first truth that I gave you was based on Psalm 73, where Asaph was envious at the wicked. He saw their prosperity. He saw their success. He saw that they did not have any bands in their deaths.

And they prospered in everything they did. And here he and other godly people were suffering left and right. And he went ahead and said in Psalm 73, verse 16 and 17,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 73:16-17

"When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me."

Then he said,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 73:16-17

"Until I went into the sanctuary of God and then I understood their end."

And then he went on and said, "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places, thou castest them down to destruction in a moment." And so he was envious of the wicked until he saw the end of the wicked as well. The second truth that I gave you that we were to remember until is that we are to remember our sins and our provocations against the Lord. We have been commanded to do that in Deuteronomy 9, verses 7 and 8, as well as Ephesians 2 and verse 11.

But let me just point out and emphasize the fact that our sins have been totally, completely forgiven through and in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, our sins no longer condemn us. God is not going to hold them against us. Well, in that case, why in the world should we remember them? Well, we should remember them for several reasons. Number one, they are for our humiliation. In other words, we realize that we have sinned against Him. We transgressed His law. Not only are they for our humiliation, they're also to lead us to a holy hatred of those sins and give us an opportunity to fight against them and to rehearse them and say, "Lord, please keep me from doing this in the future." It also shows us our impotence, our depravity, our weakness. And then it also teaches us that we are entirely, totally and completely dependent upon Him. And so our Lord said it like this in John 15 and verse 5.

He said, "Without me, you can do nothing." So clearly, then, we have to understand that our sins are forgiven, but we do remember them. We do recall them. And that is for our humility and for our dependence upon Him. The third area I told you that we are to remember until was in reference to the judgment of God. And I pointed out the fact how so many people oftentimes, not just the lost, but the saved as well, somehow think that if God does not strike instantly and immediately, God is not going to judge. But God is going to judge, and He does so in His time and in His way. But clearly, God always gives us warnings. He always gives us evidences that His judgment is about to fall. And when we refuse to see those signs and refuse to listen to those warnings, when judgment falls, it's too late. It's too late to repent. It's too late to try to restore things. It's too late to try to make restitution.

Lord, we should be wise. In fact, Psalm 10 tells us about the wicked, how they indeed ignore everything until God strikes them down. So today we're going to come to the fourth and fifth point. And the fourth point is actually found in Psalm 71 and verse 18. So if you look at this, here's the fourth point. Remember that you are not useless until—until what? Look at this.

Fourth Truth: You Are Not Useless Until Death

Introduction of the fourth point from Psalm 71:18, where David prays not to be forsaken in old age until he has declared God's strength to the next generation.

David said, "Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I have showed my strength unto this generation and my power to everyone that is to come."

God's Order: Younger Submit to Elder

Exposition of 1 Peter 5:5 and Leviticus 19:32, showing that honoring the elderly is part of fearing God, and that the younger are to learn from the older.

In God's orderly way, in God's orderly way, the younger are to submit to the elder in order that they may be taught. Now, if you will hold Psalm 71, but if you will look in your Bibles to the book of 1 Peter 5, and look at verse 5, you will see this specifically spelled out. So, 1 Peter 5, and if you would notice, verse 5. Look what the Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 5:5

"Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder." "Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace unto the humble."

So it's amazing to me how much the younger generation could learn and would learn if they would just simply sit down and listen to their parents, listen to their grandparents, listen to elderly friends and neighbors as well. It was Augustus Fowlock who said this, listen carefully, "Are there better preachers of the works of God to be found than hoary patriarchs in the circle of their children, or grandparents in that of their grandchildren?"

Now, when he uses the word hoary, that word happens to be in the Bible. It comes from the Hebrew word sebah, and it literally means the age. It means white-headed, white-haired, gray-headed. It has to do with not just older age sometimes, but sometimes of office as well. The Puritans used to have a saying that went like this, "I have wonderful news for a sinner if I can ever find one." And what they were saying is that most people do not want to really deal with their sins. They do not really want to admit that they are sinners, that they are wicked, that they are depraved. But the saying was, "I have wonderful news for a sinner if I could ever find one." We could take that saying and change it just a little bit and say, "I have great knowledge and I have great wisdom for the younger generation if I could only find one or two that would listen."

All you have to do is stop and think about the fact when you were young, you thought your parents were crazy. You knew everything. And certainly you did not. But I'm just simply pointing out the fact in God's orderly way, the younger are to submit to the elder. I have taught now for over 60 years. I've not only preached, I've taught everything from fourth grade all the way through college. I've taught many people, that is for sure. And I'm thankful for the ones that I've taught, but I can assure you this. I've prayed about this and I've thought about this many times. I would really, really love to find just one individual that would be willing to listen, willing to learn, that I could share 60 years worth of experience and 60 years worth of preaching. How? How am I going to find someone like that? Well, let me just tell you this.

It's not my responsibility to chase someone down and try to cram truth down their throats. No. Here's what the Bible says in 2 Timothy, chapter 2 and verse 2. Paul wrote Timothy. Timothy was a young man. And he said, "The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men also who shall be able to teach others." He said, the things that I taught you, you now turn around and teach the faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. So it's not my responsibility to try to chase people down and teach them. If they are faithful, they are going to learn, they are going to listen, they are going to be taught. And I will tell you this, faithful men are hard to find. We're off and on. We're up and down. We're in and out.

We are easily diverted and distracted. We're interested and then we're not interested. And I can prove this. All we have to do is look around at our homes, at our houses, at the unfinished projects we have. We get started on something and something else gets our attention and we quit and we leave it. We say we'll come back to that. And maybe four or five years later, we might get around to going back to something like that.

But I'm just simply pointing out, you can find someone who's really zealous, seemingly for the Word of God and for truth. And six months later, they're nowhere to be found. So he says, faithful men, men who are really willing to learn. Now, I want to point out something. When he said, in verse 18 of Psalm 71, "Now also, when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I have showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to every one that is to come." Do you realize that God requires honor and respect for the elderly, for the old man, for the elderly lady? You notice I said old man and elderly lady. By the way, I'm just simply pointing out the fact part and parcel of this honor and respect to the elderly is part and parcel of our honor and respect for God himself. I'll show you that. Look in your Bibles to the book of Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 32. Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 32. Look at what God says and how He states it. Leviticus 19 verse 32. God says, "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head," there's that word, "and honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God, I am the Lord." So rising up before the hoary head, that is the old gray-headed man, gray-bearded man or woman or white, white-headed lady, I should say, or white-headed woman.

God said thou shalt rise up before them and honor the face of the old man and fear thy God. I am the Lord. Now, remember, I've told you before to fear God is to obey Him. So obviously, if you're going to obey God, then you would respect and honor the old man and the elderly lady. Because God says, in fearing Him, that is obedience. Then He said, I'm the Lord. This is what I'm commanding. This is what I'm saying to you. So it is God, then, who's commanded this reverence. It's God who's commanded this honor. And therefore, when you refuse to do that, then you are dishonoring God and you're disrespecting Him.

Now, I have a quote for you. This is from Matthew Poole, the old Puritan, and he's quoting on Leviticus 19, verse 32. He's commenting on it. Here's what he said. "Thou shalt rise up and do them reverence when they pass by, for which end they were obliged, as the Jews say, presently to sit down again when they were passed, that it might be made manifest that they arose out of respect to them." So what he was saying is when you pass by or an elderly person passes by you, you rise up, you stand up. When they get by, you sit back down. It demonstrates that you were doing this out of respect.

Then he goes ahead and he says this. "Fear thy God." A reason of the former precept, that is thou shalt rise up before the hoary head. A reason for the former precept, both because all men in some respect do most resemble God, who has styled the Ancient of Days, in Daniel 7 verses 9 and 13, and because this respect is due to such, listen now, if not for themselves, who may be unworthy or contemptible, yet for God's sake, who requires this reverence, and whose singular blessing old age is. So he says it's required because God requires it.

Now, there's a passage in Job 29 and verse 8. You remember how Job suffered, but he said this,

Scripture Reading — Job 29:8

"The young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged arose and stood up."

So Job was an older man, but he was also a wiser man and a man with great abundance. And so it's not just the young who hid themselves. He said, even the aged arose for me. Now, there's an interesting thing. God not only demands honor of parents and aged, but also the elders and those who have the office of authority.

Respect for Elders in the Church

Application of 1 Timothy 5:1-2, explaining that rebuking an elder must be done with the respect due a father, reflecting God's command for honor.

So let me put this together for you. If you look in your Bibles, to the book of 1 Timothy, chapter 5. 1 Timothy, chapter 5. And as you're turning to 1 Timothy, chapter 5, let me just tell you that something that was taught when I was a child. This is absolutely astounding because I went to a government school. I went to public school. But when I was in the first grade, second grade, third grade, fourth grade, and probably up to the fifth grade, here's what happened. Here's what we were taught to do.

Whenever an adult walked into the classroom, every student stood up by his desk or her desk, and they stood either until the teacher said, "Please be seated," or usually they stood until the adult left the room. Now, that's when I was a child. Look how things are different. Today, you try to teach your classroom, some of the children spit in your face, they'll throw everything at you, they talk, they don't listen. I'm just simply pointing out the fact, part and parcel of respecting the older people is part of our respect to God himself. But notice if you would, in 1 Timothy chapter 5, this carries over into the church, not just the home, but into the church. He says, "Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father and the younger men as brethren, the elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters with all purity."

Now, the interesting thing is in the Hebrew, the Hebrew word for elder is the word zaken, and it refers to an elder, one that is old, an old man, or one that is aged, one who is ancient, or one who has authority. So remember now, the Hebrew word was zaken, and the interesting thing is the Hebrew word for beard is zakan. So, an elderly man was a bearded man. In other words, he was an older man, and usually it was a white beard as well. When you get to the New Testament, the word elder is presbuteros in the Greek, and once again, it refers to an elder, to an old man, to one of age, one who is advanced in age, a senior, or one of rank or office. So when he says rebuke not an elder in this passage, he's not talking about just simply an older man, but he's talking about someone in office. He's talking about a pastor. Now, look what he says. "Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father."

So I doubt that there's anyone in this room that when you were a child or a young teenager, say 13, 14, if you got angry with your father, I doubt anyone in this room would have ever walked up to his father, shook his finger in his face and said, "Oh, man, let me tell you something," and cussed your father out left and right. You would never have done that. Especially if you're my age, because then back then, if you did something like that, you would only get to do it one time. Because they would wear you slap out. Now, please listen to me. Preachers, pastors, are sinners like everyone else. No pastor is perfect. I'm sorry, I'm not perfect. But don't ask my wife. I keep trying to convince her I am, but she knows better. But I'm simply pointing out the fact I can be wrong. I could do something that was sinful. I could do something that needed rebuke, correction.

But what God is saying is this. You have to treat an elder with the respect that is due. That means you come up to me and you say, "Brother Weaver, now listen to me. Here's a verse of scripture that I think you need to consider, or you need to change how you're thinking or how you're acting, because look at what the Bible says." In other words, you're not rebuking me out of anger. You're not rebuking me out of hatred. You're pointing out something that is biblical and right. That's what he says. "Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father." So you treat him with respect, just like you would treat your father with respect. Now, here's what the Bible says in Romans 13, verse 7. Listen to this one. So God then demands that we give honor to those to whom honor is due. We fear those to whom fear is due.

Ministries of the Aged: Anna and Titus 2

Examples of elderly service: Anna's fasting and prayer (Luke 2:36-37) and the teaching roles of aged women and men (Titus 2:1-8).

"She was of a great age and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. Watch this. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day." Note, if you would, here was a woman. Notice she's called a prophetess. She was a daughter of Phanuel, and she was what? Eighty-four years old. And she was a widow. Eighty-four years old she was. She was a widow, and she parted not from the temple and served God day and night, the Bible says. Notice, if you would, served Him day and night.

How did she serve Him? With fastings and prayer. Now, hang on. Let me explain something to you, if you would, please. Note, if you would, that the Bible said that she was a prophetess. That does not mean that she was a preacher. That does not mean that she was prophesying. That does not mean that she was predicting the future. Not at all, whatsoever. Now, let me explain it. Look in your Bibles, if you would, please.

If you would turn there to the book of 1 Chronicles, chapter 25. 1 Chronicles, chapter 25. Look at this. First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles, 1 Chronicles 25. And I want you to notice, if you would, beginning there with verse 1. When you talk about women in the Bible that are called prophetesses, you remember the Bible says even Philip had some daughters who prophesied. Well, what does that mean? You remember Miriam is called a prophetess, the sister of Moses and Aaron. Well, how did they prophesy? Were they preaching? No. No. Miriam took a timbrel and led the ladies in song. But look at this, 1 Chronicles 25, verse 1,

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 25:1-5

"Moreover, David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, look at this, who should prophesy with harps and with psalteries and with cymbals, and the number of the workmen according to their service was,"

and now he lists them. But notice they should prophesy. How are they prophesying? With harps, psalteries, cymbals.

What are they doing? They're playing the psalms. The psalms will set the music. They were playing the Word of God. It was called prophesying. They were just playing music.

Now watch verse 2, "...of the sons of Asaph, Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king." This was not something from God particularly. This was what King David commanded. Well, they were not preaching. They were playing music and singing. Now look at verse 3, "...of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun, Gedaliah and Zeri, Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise to the Lord." That's prophesied. Skip down, if you would, please, to verse 5. "...All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. All these," that would include the daughters, "...all these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, psalteries, harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman."

Wow. How were they prophesying? They were playing music. They were singing. How is Anna prophesying? Fasting, praying. Probably she's saying it as well. But I'm just simply pointing out the fact that here we have this woman who served God, an elderly woman, a widow, 84, with fasting and prayer. Now, you don't have to be a widow to serve God with fasting and prayer. You know, the Bible says also in 1 Timothy chapter 5 that the church is to support widows that are widows indeed. That is, widows who have no other means of support. I will tell you right quickly, I do not mind supporting a widow woman that I know is fasting and praying for me on a regular basis.

So this is one way. Here's another way. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Titus, Titus chapter 2. Look, if you would, in Titus chapter 2, beginning there in verse 3. 1 and 2 Timothy, and then Titus. 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus. Look in Titus chapter 2 at what God says in verses 3 through 5. He says,

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine."

You could have a little, but not much. Not given to much wine. Look at this.

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"Teachers of good things."

Now, what are some of the good things that an aged woman can teach? Verse 4,

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"That they may teach the younger women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

So notice, if you would, the aged women are to teach the younger women. I'm going to assure you, I'm going to assure you that there are a lot of younger women who do not know how to love their husbands.

And men, there are a lot of younger men who do not know how to love their wives. Moreover, ladies, let me point out the fact there are a lot of younger women who do not know how to keep house. They cannot sew, they cannot cook, they cannot can, they cannot do anything. And they need to be taught. I'm just saying for now. In fact, yes, this is a ministry. No matter how old you are, ladies, if you're an aged lady, you have a duty, you have a ministry, you can fast, you can pray, and you can certainly teach the younger women as well. That is a fact. So, likewise, the same is true with the aged and older men. They may teach the younger men as well.

So notice, if you would, in Titus chapter 2, go back, if you would, to verse 1, what Paul tells Timothy,

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine."

Now, what is sound doctrine?

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in the faith, in charity, in patience."

And then he talks about the aged women. Now if you will skip down to verse 6. Now we're going back to the men. He says,

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded in all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works and doctrine, showing uncorrupted gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."

So one thing for sure. The older men have a duty, have a ministry in teaching the younger men, that is for sure. They need to know certain things. I'm surprised today, but I will tell you truthfully, there are plenty of young people who do not even know how to manage their money.

Promises of Fruitfulness in Old Age

Scriptural assurances from Psalm 92:12-15 and Isaiah 46:4 that the righteous will still bear fruit and be carried by God even in old age.

"Forsake me not when my strength faileth." Is that a prayer? "Cast me not off in the time of old age. Forsake me not when my strength faileth." Now look in your Bibles to Psalm 92. Psalm 92. And let's begin reading there. Psalm 92 with verse 12. Look at Psalm 92 verse 12. He says, "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon." Now, hang on. "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age."

"They shall be fat and flourishing," not necessarily physically, but spiritually. Why will they be fat and flourishing? "To show that the Lord is upright. He is my rock. There is no unrighteousness in him." So he says again, you will be fat and flourishing in the house of God. You'll be bringing forth fruit in old age. One more. If you look in Isaiah, chapter 46 and verse 4. Isaiah 46 and verse 4. Look what God says to His people. Isaiah 46 verse 4. He says, "Even to your old age I am He, and even to hoar hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear, even I will carry, and will deliver you." God says, I'm not going to forsake you in your old age.

I want to give you two quotes. I want you to listen carefully. The first one is by John Trapp, the old Puritan, and I love the way he says this. Listen carefully. He says, "Now that the plum tree is full of blooms, the map of age is figured in my forehead. The calendar of death appears in the furrows of my face. Let me do nothing to spot my white head. Let me with the sun give the greatest glimpse at the going down and with the rose retain my sweetness, though I've lost my color." And of course, you know, the sun is most beautiful not only when it comes up, but when it goes down.

Fifth Truth: Christ Must Reign Until All Enemies Are Subdued

Introduction of the fifth point from Psalm 110:1, showing that Christ reigns at God's right hand until His enemies are made His footstool.

Most of us live by sight instead of by faith. And when we look around the country and we see the deterioration that our country's in, we see the immorality, we see the wickedness, we think that somehow God has abandoned His throne. However, when we look through the lens of Scripture and when we look by faith, we still see that Jesus Christ is on the throne and He is reigning and that He is subduing His enemies. We think that everything is going wrong when we look by sight, but when we look by faith, we see that everything is going wrong just right because He is still on the throne.

Now, I want to show you something. I want you to turn your Bibles to Psalm 110 and let's look at verse 1. I'm going to show you the most frequently quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament. OK, so here we go. Look in Psalm 110 verse 1.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 110:1-2

"The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool."

Now the Lord, that would be the Father, said unto my Lord, that is the Lord Jesus Christ,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 110:1-2

"Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool."

Now look at verse 2.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 110:1-2

"The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies."

So I want you to notice two things here. The first one is this, if you go back to verse 1, it is God the Father who is the active person in establishing the kingdom of His Son and in making our Lord's enemies His footstool.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 110:1-2

"The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I,"

that is God the Father,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 110:1-2

"make thine enemies thy footstool."

Christ's Reign in the Midst of Enemies

Exposition of Psalm 2 and Isaiah 9:6-7, demonstrating that despite worldly rebellion, Christ rules and His government will increase without end.

How they try to overthrow the decree of God the Father. Here it is, verse 1, Psalm 2.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-9

"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"

That is, that they can overthrow God. Here it is in verse 2.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-9

"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us."

We don't like God's sovereignty. We don't like God giving us orders. We're going to break away. Look what happens. Verse 4.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-9

"He that sitteth in heaven shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure."

Look what he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-9

"Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree the Lord hath said unto me."

"Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, and thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." God said it doesn't matter if the whole world unites in rebellion against Him, yet He has set His Son upon the holy hill of Zion. No one is going to overthrow Him. No one is going to destroy Him. No one is going to try to make Him where He is impotent. No, it will not work. They cannot overthrow Him. They cannot hinder Him. They cannot thwart Him. They cannot stop Him. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. So notice if you would again, He's ruling and reigning in the presence of His enemies.

Now, let me show you another verse. If you will turn over your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 9, Isaiah chapter 9. This passage is normally quoted around Christmas time, but it is a passage that has absolute truth in it. So look at it in Isaiah 9, and let's begin reading there with verse 6. Isaiah 9 and verse 6. Look what it said. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." And the only reason Mary had a child was because the Son was given. So the Son then in His incarnation assumed the body that was produced by the Virgin Mary. So watch this. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given."

"And the government shall be upon his shoulder." That is, He's going to be King of kings, Lord of lords. "And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Now look what the Bible says. "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever." Watch this, "The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." No one's going to stop God. God said, My Son is going to reign, and He's going to reign in the presence of His enemies. And He's going to be ruling in the presence of His enemies.

New Testament Quotations of Psalm 110:1

Survey of Matthew 22:41-46, Acts 2:32-36, Hebrews 1:13, and Hebrews 10:12-13, showing the frequent use of this verse to affirm Christ's exaltation.

Now, Psalm 110 and verse 1 is the most frequently quoted verse in the New Testament from the Old Testament. So let me give you one illustration very quickly. If you will turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 22, and after I read this for you, I'm going to be quoting the rest just to conserve time. But notice if you would, Matthew chapter 22, and let's begin reading there with verse 42. Remember now, remember, He's going to rule in the presence of His enemies. So Matthew chapter 22, verse 42. Let's read verse 41.

"While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, Here's the quote from Psalm 110 verse 1, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then called him Lord, how is he his son?" "And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions." Note, if you would, he quoted Psalm 110, verse 1. "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." You will find this same truth in Mark chapter 12, verses 35 through 37. "And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord, and whence is he then his son?"

"And the common people heard him gladly." You'll find this same verse again in Luke chapter 20, verses 41 through 44. "And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? And David himself said in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore called him Lord, how is he his son?" Wow. And then you will find the same truth. I love this passage in Acts chapter 2, verse 32 through 36. Peter said, "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens, but he said himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."

Wow! You'll also find this same truth in Hebrews chapter 1, verses 13 and 14. "But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?" And then you'll also find it in Hebrews chapter 10 verses 12 through 13. "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting until his enemies be made his footstool."

The Consummation: 1 Corinthians 15:24-28

Explanation that Christ must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet, with death as the last enemy, then He will deliver the kingdom to the Father.

Now, I want you to turn, if you would, to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, because I told you this point, they used to remember. You must remember that Jesus Christ must reign until, and you're going to ask, until what? Here it is, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, look if you would, at verse 24. "Then cometh the end, when he," that is the Lord Jesus, "shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power." He's going to rule and He's going to win. He is the victor. "For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet."

"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." So Jesus Christ is going to reign until He's completely, totally subdued all of His enemies. And then He's going to deliver up the kingdom to God the Father.

Applications: Trust Christ's Reign and Persevere in Old Age

Practical applications: believe Christ is actively subduing enemies (e.g., Saul's conversion) and never give up serving God regardless of age or ability.

Now, let me take the remainder time and make some applications. Here's the first one. Contrary to sight and physical senses, Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning today. Hang on. Contrary to sight and physical senses, Jesus Christ is actively subduing His enemies today.

Now you're going to ask me, how is He going to subdue them? Or how is He subduing them? Well, the answer is in any way that He chooses. For instance, if you were to take a vote in the first century of the man most likely to bust hell wide open, no doubt Saul of Tarsus would have won it hands down. But what did God do to His enemy Saul? You remember when He knocked him down on the Damascus Road in Acts chapter 9, our Lord said, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"

So in persecuting the Lord's people, he is persecuting Jesus Christ. And he said, "Who art thou, Lord?" And of course, he was willing to bow and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. And what did He tell Ananias? What did our Lord tell Ananias? "I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake." And the apostle Paul became one of the greatest of the apostles, wrote most of the New Testament. How did God subdue him? He convicted him, He converted him, He regenerated him. God may subdue His enemies by making them His friends. He may subdue His enemies by taking their lives. He's done that in many instances. He did that to King Herod. He did that to many individuals. He may also subdue His enemies by taking away their positions of power and authority and from their money. He can subdue them any way that He chooses. You and I may not see because our vision is limited and we only know what is going on in our surrounding areas. We don't even know what's going on in the state next to us. We certainly don't know what's going on in other countries. Well, we get news, but that doesn't mean we see everything. We don't. But our Lord is subduing His enemies.

He is on the throne. He is ruling and reigning whether we perceive it or not. That's what Scripture declares. So let me say it like this. Let's put it together. It is correct to say that the kingdom has come because the King has come. It is correct to say that the kingdom is here because Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning now. It is also correct to say that the kingdom is coming because it will be coming in its fruition, in its fullness, in its completeness, in its totality. So the kingdom has come, the kingdom is here, and the kingdom is coming in the fullness of its glory. So we may rest assured of the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In fact, the Bible says in Revelation 11, verse 15, listen carefully, "And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever." So our Lord is the victor. He is reigning. He will continue to reign until He has subdued all of His enemies. Now, let me make another application. I must remind you that there are distinct advantages to old age. We may have our disabilities, but yet we're not useless. Have you ever stopped to think that God sent Moses into Egypt to face and to fight against Pharaoh and all of his court and deliver His people out of Egypt when Moses was 80 years of age?

Think about that. Think about Caleb. Caleb was one of the men who followed the Lord in the wilderness. He was one of the men who brought forth a good report. Did you know that Caleb said, "I want that mountain," and the Amorites were there and some of the giants were there. And when Caleb fought and took his portion, he was 85. You'll find that in Joshua 14, 10 and 11. Let me read it. "And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty-five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, when the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. And now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, both to go out and to come in."

And he defeated all of his enemies at age 85. Some of the greatest battles were won by men in their 70s and in their 80s. de Valette, if I remember correctly, was 75 or 76 when the siege of Malta and 40,000 Turks attacked 1,100 fighting men and de Valette defeated them. When that battle was over, less than 10,000 Turks left alive. I'm just simply pointing out old age does not mean that you're useless. So here is what I'm going to tell you. Based upon the Word of God, I don't care how old you are. I don't care what disabilities you have. I don't care what your physical condition is. Here is what I'm giving you from Scripture.

Do not ever give up. Do not ever quit. Do not ever throw in the towel. Do not ever come up and say, "I'm useless." No, no, no. You may not can do what you used to do, but you must do and you can do what you are able to do. God does not require us to do that which we cannot do, but He does require us to do that which we can do. And certainly we can do nothing without Him, but there are some things that He does indeed give us strength to continue to do. And we must do it. We must do it. He is able to keep us in the fight.

I had a friend this week visit, and he told me, he said, "You know, if it would please the Lord, if I had 20 years left, I'd be thankful and glad just to give it with you so you could live 20 more years if the Lord allowed that." I said, "Well, brother, I said, I really appreciate that." I said, "But the only reason and the only way that I would accept that if the Lord granted it is if you'd let me continue preaching for another 20 years." But I'm just simply saying, folks, listen, we can't do everything, but there's some good things that we can do no matter how old you are. No matter how old you are, no matter what condition you're in, you just can't give up. What did David say? "Now, when I'm old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until. Until I have showed thy strength to this generation and thy power to everyone that is to come." As long as I have life in me, he said, I'm going to be teaching. I'm going to be living. I'm going to be declaring. I'm going to be talking. I'm not giving in. I'm not giving up. I'm not quitting. Use me, Lord, until I'm gone. So remember. You're never useless until you're dead.

And you need to remember, our Lord is right now actively reigning and subduing and conquering His enemies, and it will be done in His way, in His time, at His pace. Because He's God, and He knows how to bring honor to Himself. Things to remember. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask then that You would indeed help us to remember. Teach us, Lord, for Your grace and Your mercy and Your goodness and Your kindness. And we love Thee, Lord. And help us to remember these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Value and Purpose of the Elderly

Summary: Older believers are not useless; they have a God-given ministry of teaching, prayer, and declaring God's strength to the next generation.

Evidence: Psalm 71:18: 'Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation.'

Honor for the Aged as Part of Fearing God

Summary: Respecting the elderly is commanded by God and is integral to honoring Him, as seen in Leviticus 19:32 and 1 Peter 5:5.

Evidence: Leviticus 19:32: 'Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord.'

Christ's Present Reign and Subjugation of Enemies

Summary: Jesus Christ is currently ruling at God's right hand, actively subduing His enemies, despite appearances to the contrary.

Evidence: Psalm 110:1: 'The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.'

The Certainty of Christ's Ultimate Victory

Summary: Christ must reign until all enemies, including death, are defeated, and then He will deliver the kingdom to the Father.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 15:25: 'For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.'

Perseverance in Service Regardless of Age

Summary: Believers are called to continue serving God with whatever strength they have, never giving up until death.

Evidence: Psalm 71:18 and the examples of Moses (age 80) and Caleb (age 85) who served mightily in old age.

Key Arguments

Old age does not render a believer useless

Summary: David's prayer in Psalm 71:18 shows that the elderly have a vital role in testifying of God's power to future generations.

Evidence: David said, 'Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation.'

Honoring the elderly is a direct command from God

Summary: Leviticus 19:32 links rising before the aged with fearing God, making disrespect toward the elderly an offense against God Himself.

Evidence: God says, 'Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord.'

The younger are to submit to the elder for teaching

Summary: 1 Peter 5:5 instructs younger believers to submit to elders, and Titus 2 gives specific teaching roles to aged men and women.

Evidence: 1 Peter 5:5: 'Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.'

Christ reigns now in the midst of His enemies

Summary: Psalm 110:2 shows that Christ rules even while enemies are present, and Psalm 2 depicts the futility of rebellion against Him.

Evidence: Psalm 110:2: 'The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.'

Christ's reign will continue until total victory

Summary: 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 outlines the sequence: Christ reigns until all enemies are subdued, then delivers the kingdom to the Father.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 15:25: 'For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.'

God subdues enemies in various ways, including conversion

Summary: The conversion of Saul of Tarsus demonstrates that Christ can subdue His enemies by making them His friends.

Evidence: Acts 9: 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?' and 'I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.'

Believers must persevere and not give up

Summary: Based on biblical examples and promises, Christians should never consider themselves useless but continue serving as they are able.

Evidence: Caleb at 85 said, 'As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me.'

Scripture References

Psalm 71:18

Context: David's prayer not to be forsaken in old age until he has declared God's strength to the next generation.

Psalm 73:16-17

Context: Asaph's envy of the wicked until he entered the sanctuary and understood their end.

Deuteronomy 9:7-8

Context: Command to remember sins and provocations against the Lord.

Ephesians 2:11

Context: Call to remember former state of being without Christ.

John 15:5

Context: Jesus' statement that without Him we can do nothing, emphasizing dependence on God.

Psalm 10

Context: Description of the wicked ignoring God until He strikes them down.

1 Peter 5:5

Context: Command for younger to submit to elders, with a call to humility.

Leviticus 19:32

Context: Command to rise before the aged and honor the old man as part of fearing God.

Job 29:8

Context: Job's recollection that young men hid and the aged arose when he approached.

1 Timothy 5:1-2

Context: Instruction to treat elders as fathers, younger men as brothers, elder women as mothers.

Romans 13:7

Context: Command to render honor to whom honor is due.

Luke 2:36-37

Context: Anna, an 84-year-old widow, served God with fasting and prayer in the temple.

1 Chronicles 25:1-5

Context: Prophecy through music with harps, psalteries, and cymbals, including daughters.

Titus 2:1-8

Context: Instructions for aged men and women to teach sound doctrine and younger generations.

Psalm 71:9

Context: David's plea not to be cast off in old age or forsaken when strength fails.

Psalm 92:12-15

Context: Promise that the righteous will flourish and bring forth fruit in old age.

Isaiah 46:4

Context: God's promise to carry and deliver His people even to old age and gray hairs.

Isaiah 6:11

Context: Isaiah's commission to go until cities are wasted and the land is desolate.

Psalm 110:1-2

Context: The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool; rule in the midst of your enemies.

Psalm 2:1-9

Context: The nations rage against the Lord and His Anointed, but God laughs and sets His King on Zion.

Historical References

Augustus Fowlock (quoted by John Trapp)

Context: Quoted as saying, 'Are there better preachers of the works of God to be found than hoary patriarchs in the circle of their children, or grandparents in that of their grandchildren?'

Matthew Poole

Context: Puritan commentator on Leviticus 19:32, explaining the custom of rising before the aged and the reason for honoring them.

John Trapp

Context: Puritan writer quoted: 'Now that the plum tree is full of blooms... let me with the sun give the greatest glimpse at the going down.'

Charles Spurgeon

Context: Quoted on God's faithfulness in old age: 'When our infirmities multiply, we may with confidence expect enlarged privileges in the world of grace.'

Sir Robert Grant

Context: Poem recited expressing the sentiments of Psalm 71: 'With years oppressed, with sorrows worn... O cast me not away.'

Moses at age 80

Context: Moses was 80 years old when God sent him to Egypt to deliver Israel.

Caleb at age 85

Context: Caleb was 85 when he claimed his inheritance and defeated the giants in the land.

Jean Parisot de Valette

Context: Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, aged 75 or 76, who led the defense of Malta against 40,000 Turks.

Important Quotes

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Significance: The most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament, foundational for the fifth point on Christ's reign.

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

Significance: This verse from 1 Corinthians 15 defines the 'until' of Christ's reign, pointing to the final subjugation of all enemies.

Even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Significance: God's assurance of His sustaining presence throughout the believer's entire life.

When our infirmities multiply, we may with confidence expect enlarged privileges in the world of grace to make up for our narrowing range in the field of nature.

Significance: Spurgeon's quote that encourages believers that spiritual grace increases as physical strength declines.

As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, both to go out and to come in.

Significance: Caleb's testimony at 85 demonstrates that God can empower the elderly for great tasks.

Discussion Questions

How does Psalm 71:18 challenge the common view that the elderly are no longer useful in the church?

Context: The sermon emphasizes that David prayed to continue declaring God's strength even in old age.

In what practical ways can younger believers submit to and learn from older believers according to 1 Peter 5:5 and Titus 2?

Context: The message outlines specific teaching roles for aged men and women.

Why is honoring the elderly considered part of fearing God, based on Leviticus 19:32?

Context: The sermon connects respect for the aged with obedience to God's command.

How does the truth that Christ is reigning now (Psalm 110:1-2) affect the way we view current world events?

Context: The fifth point stresses that Christ rules in the midst of His enemies, even when circumstances seem contrary.

What are some ways God subdues His enemies today, as illustrated by the conversion of Saul?

Context: The sermon notes that God may subdue enemies by conversion, death, or removal of power.

How does the promise of 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 give us hope and motivation to persevere?

Context: Christ's ultimate victory assures believers that their labor is not in vain.

What can we learn from the examples of Moses and Caleb about serving God in old age?

Context: Both men accomplished great things for God at ages 80 and 85, respectively.

How can we encourage older members of our congregation to continue using their gifts and not give up?

Context: The application urges believers never to quit but to do what they are able.

Applications

Persevere in service regardless of age

Summary: Believers should never consider themselves useless but continue to serve God with whatever strength and abilities they have.

Evidence: Psalm 71:18 and the examples of Moses and Caleb show that God uses the elderly mightily.

Honor and learn from the elderly

Summary: Younger believers are commanded to submit to elders and learn from their wisdom and experience.

Evidence: 1 Peter 5:5 and Titus 2:1-8 instruct the younger to submit and the older to teach.

Trust in Christ's present reign

Summary: Instead of living by sight and despairing at world events, believers should trust that Christ is actively subduing His enemies.

Evidence: Psalm 110:1-2 and the conversion of Saul demonstrate Christ's sovereign power.

Engage in ministries of prayer and teaching

Summary: Elderly believers, like Anna, can serve through fasting and prayer, and older women and men can teach younger generations.

Evidence: Luke 2:36-37 and Titus 2:3-5 show specific ministries for the aged.

Remember sins for humility and dependence

Summary: Though forgiven, recalling past sins fosters humility, hatred of sin, and reliance on God.

Evidence: Deuteronomy 9:7-8 and John 15:5 emphasize remembering sins and dependence on Christ.

Do not give up or quit

Summary: No matter the physical limitations, believers must do what they are able and not throw in the towel.

Evidence: The sermon's closing exhortation: 'Do not ever give up. Do not ever quit.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:13:12Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:51:00Z

Clean Transcript

Things to Remember Until - Part 3

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Alright, let's open our Bibles today, if you would please, to Psalm 71. Psalm 71. And we're going to be reading verse 18 to begin with. This is the third message in the series, Things to Remember Until. So if you look in Psalm 71 and verse 18, look at what David prayed. He said, "Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I have showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to everyone that is to come."
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Let me just take the time to very quickly review the first two messages. I'm not going to go over them in detail, but just enough to give you the main points that I've covered. And I've also pointed out the fact that the word until usually refers to a specific time or at least until a project is completed or finished. So the very first truth that I gave you was based on Psalm 73, where Asaph was envious at the wicked. He saw their prosperity. He saw their success. He saw that they did not have any bands in their deaths.
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And they prospered in everything they did. And here he and other godly people were suffering left and right. And he went ahead and said in Psalm 73, verse 16 and 17, "When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me." Then he said, "Until I went into the sanctuary of God and then I understood their end." And then he went on and said, "Surely thou didst set them in slippery places, thou castest them down to destruction in a moment." And so he was envious of the wicked until he saw the end of the wicked as well. The second truth that I gave you that we were to remember until is that we are to remember our sins and our provocations against the Lord. We have been commanded to do that in Deuteronomy 9, verses 7 and 8, as well as Ephesians 2 and verse 11.
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But let me just point out and emphasize the fact that our sins have been totally, completely forgiven through and in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, our sins no longer condemn us. God is not going to hold them against us. Well, in that case, why in the world should we remember them? Well, we should remember them for several reasons. Number one, they are for our humiliation. In other words, we realize that we have sinned against Him. We transgressed His law. Not only are they for our humiliation, they're also to lead us to a holy hatred of those sins and give us an opportunity to fight against them and to rehearse them and say, "Lord, please keep me from doing this in the future." It also shows us our impotence, our depravity, our weakness. And then it also teaches us that we are entirely, totally and completely dependent upon Him. And so our Lord said it like this in John 15 and verse 5.
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He said, "Without me, you can do nothing." So clearly, then, we have to understand that our sins are forgiven, but we do remember them. We do recall them. And that is for our humility and for our dependence upon Him. The third area I told you that we are to remember until was in reference to the judgment of God. And I pointed out the fact how so many people oftentimes, not just the lost, but the saved as well, somehow think that if God does not strike instantly and immediately, God is not going to judge. But God is going to judge, and He does so in His time and in His way. But clearly, God always gives us warnings. He always gives us evidences that His judgment is about to fall. And when we refuse to see those signs and refuse to listen to those warnings, when judgment falls, it's too late. It's too late to repent. It's too late to try to restore things. It's too late to try to make restitution.
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Lord, we should be wise. In fact, Psalm 10 tells us about the wicked, how they indeed ignore everything until God strikes them down. So today we're going to come to the fourth and fifth point. And the fourth point is actually found in Psalm 71 and verse 18. So if you look at this, here's the fourth point. Remember that you are not useless until—until what? Look at this.
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David said, "Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I have showed my strength unto this generation and my power to everyone that is to come."
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Now, I can assure you of one particular truth. I have been absolutely, totally amazed at older people, both men and women, that simply because of their age, they came to the conclusion that they were useless. It is true that as we age, we lose some of our abilities. We lose some of our strength, but at the same time, we have gained a lot of experience. We've gained a lot of wisdom and knowledge as well. Here's an interesting truth.
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In God's orderly way, in God's orderly way, the younger are to submit to the elder in order that they may be taught. Now, if you will hold Psalm 71, but if you will look in your Bibles to the book of 1 Peter 5, and look at verse 5, you will see this specifically spelled out. So, 1 Peter 5, and if you would notice, verse 5. Look what the Word of God says, "Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder."
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"Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace unto the humble." So it's amazing to me how much the younger generation could learn and would learn if they would just simply sit down and listen to their parents, listen to their grandparents, listen to elderly friends and neighbors as well. It was Augustus Fowlock who said this, listen carefully, "Are there better preachers of the works of God to be found than hoary patriarchs in the circle of their children, or grandparents in that of their grandchildren?"
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Now, when he uses the word hoary, that word happens to be in the Bible. It comes from the Hebrew word sebah, and it literally means the age. It means white-headed, white-haired, gray-headed. It has to do with not just older age sometimes, but sometimes of office as well. The Puritans used to have a saying that went like this, "I have wonderful news for a sinner if I can ever find one." And what they were saying is that most people do not want to really deal with their sins. They do not really want to admit that they are sinners, that they are wicked, that they are depraved. But the saying was, "I have wonderful news for a sinner if I could ever find one." We could take that saying and change it just a little bit and say, "I have great knowledge and I have great wisdom for the younger generation if I could only find one or two that would listen."
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All you have to do is stop and think about the fact when you were young, you thought your parents were crazy. You knew everything. And certainly you did not. But I'm just simply pointing out the fact in God's orderly way, the younger are to submit to the elder. I have taught now for over 60 years. I've not only preached, I've taught everything from fourth grade all the way through college. I've taught many people, that is for sure. And I'm thankful for the ones that I've taught, but I can assure you this. I've prayed about this and I've thought about this many times. I would really, really love to find just one individual that would be willing to listen, willing to learn, that I could share 60 years worth of experience and 60 years worth of preaching. How? How am I going to find someone like that? Well, let me just tell you this.
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It's not my responsibility to chase someone down and try to cram truth down their throats. No. Here's what the Bible says in 2 Timothy, chapter 2 and verse 2. Paul wrote Timothy. Timothy was a young man. And he said, "The things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men also who shall be able to teach others." He said, the things that I taught you, you now turn around and teach the faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. So it's not my responsibility to try to chase people down and teach them. If they are faithful, they are going to learn, they are going to listen, they are going to be taught. And I will tell you this, faithful men are hard to find. We're off and on. We're up and down. We're in and out.
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We are easily diverted and distracted. We're interested and then we're not interested. And I can prove this. All we have to do is look around at our homes, at our houses, at the unfinished projects we have. We get started on something and something else gets our attention and we quit and we leave it. We say we'll come back to that. And maybe four or five years later, we might get around to going back to something like that.
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But I'm just simply pointing out, you can find someone who's really zealous, seemingly for the Word of God and for truth. And six months later, they're nowhere to be found. So he says, faithful men, men who are really willing to learn.
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Now, I want to point out something. When he said, in verse 18 of Psalm 71, "Now also, when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I have showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to every one that is to come." Do you realize that God requires honor and respect for the elderly, for the old man, for the elderly lady? You notice I said old man and elderly lady. By the way, I'm just simply pointing out the fact part and parcel of this honor and respect to the elderly is part and parcel of our honor and respect for God himself. I'll show you that. Look in your Bibles to the book of Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 32. Leviticus chapter 19 and verse 32. Look at what God says and how He states it. Leviticus 19 verse 32. God says, "Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head," there's that word, "and honor the face of the old man, and fear thy God, I am the Lord." So rising up before the hoary head, that is the old gray-headed man, gray-bearded man or woman or white, white-headed lady, I should say, or white-headed woman.
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God said thou shalt rise up before them and honor the face of the old man and fear thy God. I am the Lord. Now, remember, I've told you before to fear God is to obey Him. So obviously, if you're going to obey God, then you would respect and honor the old man and the elderly lady. Because God says, in fearing Him, that is obedience. Then He said, I'm the Lord. This is what I'm commanding. This is what I'm saying to you. So it is God, then, who's commanded this reverence. It's God who's commanded this honor. And therefore, when you refuse to do that, then you are dishonoring God and you're disrespecting Him.
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Now, I have a quote for you. This is from Matthew Poole, the old Puritan, and he's quoting on Leviticus 19, verse 32. He's commenting on it. Here's what he said. "Thou shalt rise up and do them reverence when they pass by, for which end they were obliged, as the Jews say, presently to sit down again when they were passed, that it might be made manifest that they arose out of respect to them." So what he was saying is when you pass by or an elderly person passes by you, you rise up, you stand up. When they get by, you sit back down. It demonstrates that you were doing this out of respect.
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Then he goes ahead and he says this. "Fear thy God." A reason of the former precept, that is thou shalt rise up before the hoary head. A reason for the former precept, both because all men in some respect do most resemble God, who has styled the Ancient of Days, in Daniel 7 verses 9 and 13, and because this respect is due to such, listen now, if not for themselves, who may be unworthy or contemptible, yet for God's sake, who requires this reverence, and whose singular blessing old age is. So he says it's required because God requires it.
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Now, there's a passage in Job 29 and verse 8. You remember how Job suffered, but he said this, "The young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged arose and stood up." So Job was an older man, but he was also a wiser man and a man with great abundance. And so it's not just the young who hid themselves. He said, even the aged arose for me. Now, there's an interesting thing. God not only demands honor of parents and aged, but also the elders and those who have the office of authority.
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So let me put this together for you. If you look in your Bibles, to the book of 1 Timothy, chapter 5. 1 Timothy, chapter 5. And as you're turning to 1 Timothy, chapter 5, let me just tell you that something that was taught when I was a child. This is absolutely astounding because I went to a government school. I went to public school. But when I was in the first grade, second grade, third grade, fourth grade, and probably up to the fifth grade, here's what happened. Here's what we were taught to do.
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Whenever an adult walked into the classroom, every student stood up by his desk or her desk, and they stood either until the teacher said, "Please be seated," or usually they stood until the adult left the room. Now, that's when I was a child. Look how things are different. Today, you try to teach your classroom, some of the children spit in your face, they'll throw everything at you, they talk, they don't listen.
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I'm just simply pointing out the fact, part and parcel of respecting the older people is part of our respect to God himself. But notice if you would, in 1 Timothy chapter 5, this carries over into the church, not just the home, but into the church. He says, "Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father and the younger men as brethren, the elder women as mothers, the younger as sisters with all purity."
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Now, the interesting thing is in the Hebrew, the Hebrew word for elder is the word zaken, and it refers to an elder, one that is old, an old man, or one that is aged, one who is ancient, or one who has authority. So remember now, the Hebrew word was zaken, and the interesting thing is the Hebrew word for beard is zakan. So, an elderly man was a bearded man. In other words, he was an older man, and usually it was a white beard as well. When you get to the New Testament, the word elder is presbuteros in the Greek, and once again, it refers to an elder, to an old man, to one of age, one who is advanced in age, a senior, or one of rank or office. So when he says rebuke not an elder in this passage, he's not talking about just simply an older man, but he's talking about someone in office. He's talking about a pastor. Now, look what he says. "Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father."
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So I doubt that there's anyone in this room that when you were a child or a young teenager, say 13, 14, if you got angry with your father, I doubt anyone in this room would have ever walked up to his father, shook his finger in his face and said, "Oh, man, let me tell you something," and cussed your father out left and right. You would never have done that. Especially if you're my age, because then back then, if you did something like that, you would only get to do it one time.
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Because they would wear you slap out. Now, please listen to me. Preachers, pastors, are sinners like everyone else. No pastor is perfect. I'm sorry, I'm not perfect. But don't ask my wife. I keep trying to convince her I am, but she knows better. But I'm simply pointing out the fact I can be wrong. I could do something that was sinful. I could do something that needed rebuke, correction.
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But what God is saying is this. You have to treat an elder with the respect that is due. That means you come up to me and you say, "Brother Weaver, now listen to me. Here's a verse of scripture that I think you need to consider, or you need to change how you're thinking or how you're acting, because look at what the Bible says." In other words, you're not rebuking me out of anger. You're not rebuking me out of hatred. You're pointing out something that is biblical and right. That's what he says. "Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father." So you treat him with respect, just like you would treat your father with respect. Now, here's what the Bible says in Romans 13, verse 7. Listen to this one. So God then demands that we give honor to those to whom honor is due. We fear those to whom fear is due.
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I mentioned the fact that I was amazed at how many people thought they were useless when they got older. Again, it is true. You can't do what you used to when you were 21 or 25 or 30. You can't. You lose strength. You lose abilities. But that doesn't mean that you're useless. What in the world could an elderly woman do? What could an elderly man do? Well, let me answer that for you. First of all, I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 2, and let's talk about elderly women. Now, I want you to see a woman by the name of Anna. Anna. Look at this in Luke chapter 2, and let's begin reading there with verse 36. Luke 2 and verse 36. "And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher."
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"She was of a great age and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. Watch this. And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day." Note, if you would, here was a woman. Notice she's called a prophetess. She was a daughter of Phanuel, and she was what? Eighty-four years old. And she was a widow. Eighty-four years old she was. She was a widow, and she parted not from the temple and served God day and night, the Bible says. Notice, if you would, served Him day and night.
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How did she serve Him? With fastings and prayer. Now, hang on. Let me explain something to you, if you would, please. Note, if you would, that the Bible said that she was a prophetess. That does not mean that she was a preacher. That does not mean that she was prophesying. That does not mean that she was predicting the future. Not at all, whatsoever. Now, let me explain it. Look in your Bibles, if you would, please.
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If you would turn there to the book of 1 Chronicles, chapter 25. 1 Chronicles, chapter 25. Look at this. First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles, 1 Chronicles 25. And I want you to notice, if you would, beginning there with verse 1. When you talk about women in the Bible that are called prophetesses, you remember the Bible says even Philip had some daughters who prophesied. Well, what does that mean? You remember Miriam is called a prophetess, the sister of Moses and Aaron. Well, how did they prophesy? Were they preaching? No. No. Miriam took a timbrel and led the ladies in song. But look at this, 1 Chronicles 25, verse 1, "Moreover, David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, look at this, who should prophesy with harps and with psalteries and with cymbals, and the number of the workmen according to their service was," and now he lists them. But notice they should prophesy. How are they prophesying? With harps, psalteries, cymbals.
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What are they doing? They're playing the psalms. The psalms will set the music. They were playing the Word of God. It was called prophesying. They were just playing music.
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Now watch verse 2, "...of the sons of Asaph, Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph under the hands of Asaph, which prophesied according to the order of the king." This was not something from God particularly. This was what King David commanded. Well, they were not preaching. They were playing music and singing. Now look at verse 3, "...of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun, Gedaliah and Zeri, Jeshaiah, Hashabiah, Mattithiah, six, under the hands of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise to the Lord." That's prophesied. Skip down, if you would, please, to verse 5. "...All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. All these," that would include the daughters, "...all these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the Lord, with cymbals, psalteries, harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman."
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Wow. How were they prophesying? They were playing music. They were singing. How is Anna prophesying? Fasting, praying. Probably she's saying it as well. But I'm just simply pointing out the fact that here we have this woman who served God, an elderly woman, a widow, 84, with fasting and prayer. Now, you don't have to be a widow to serve God with fasting and prayer. You know, the Bible says also in 1 Timothy chapter 5 that the church is to support widows that are widows indeed. That is, widows who have no other means of support. I will tell you right quickly, I do not mind supporting a widow woman that I know is fasting and praying for me on a regular basis.
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So this is one way. Here's another way. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Titus, Titus chapter 2. Look, if you would, in Titus chapter 2, beginning there in verse 3. 1 and 2 Timothy, and then Titus. 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus. Look in Titus chapter 2 at what God says in verses 3 through 5. He says, "The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine." You could have a little, but not much. Not given to much wine. Look at this. "Teachers of good things." Now, what are some of the good things that an aged woman can teach? Verse 4, "That they may teach the younger women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed." So notice, if you would, the aged women are to teach the younger women. I'm going to assure you, I'm going to assure you that there are a lot of younger women who do not know how to love their husbands.
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And men, there are a lot of younger men who do not know how to love their wives. Moreover, ladies, let me point out the fact there are a lot of younger women who do not know how to keep house. They cannot sew, they cannot cook, they cannot can, they cannot do anything. And they need to be taught. I'm just saying for now. In fact, yes, this is a ministry. No matter how old you are, ladies, if you're an aged lady, you have a duty, you have a ministry, you can fast, you can pray, and you can certainly teach the younger women as well. That is a fact. So, likewise, the same is true with the aged and older men. They may teach the younger men as well.
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So notice, if you would, in Titus chapter 2, go back, if you would, to verse 1, what Paul tells Timothy, "But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine." Now, what is sound doctrine? "That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in the faith, in charity, in patience." And then he talks about the aged women. Now if you will skip down to verse 6. Now we're going back to the men. He says, "Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded in all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works and doctrine, showing uncorrupted gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you." So one thing for sure. The older men have a duty, have a ministry in teaching the younger men, that is for sure. They need to know certain things. I'm surprised today, but I will tell you truthfully, there are plenty of young people who do not even know how to manage their money.
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They have no idea. I'm just simply saying it is a ministry. One thing for sure, let me point this out. No matter how old you are, no matter what condition you are in physically, there's more to do than spin around, folding your hands, watching TV and becoming a couch potato. I'm just simply saying, yes, if you go back in your Bibles to Psalm 71, I want you to look at verse 9, Psalm 71 and verse 9. David says this again in a different light. Watch this Psalm 71 verse 9. David said, "Cast me not off in the time of old age."
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"Forsake me not when my strength faileth." Is that a prayer? "Cast me not off in the time of old age. Forsake me not when my strength faileth."
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Now look in your Bibles to Psalm 92. Psalm 92. And let's begin reading there. Psalm 92 with verse 12. Look at Psalm 92 verse 12. He says, "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon." Now, hang on. "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age."
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"They shall be fat and flourishing," not necessarily physically, but spiritually. Why will they be fat and flourishing? "To show that the Lord is upright. He is my rock. There is no unrighteousness in him." So he says again, you will be fat and flourishing in the house of God. You'll be bringing forth fruit in old age. One more. If you look in Isaiah, chapter 46 and verse 4. Isaiah 46 and verse 4. Look what God says to His people. Isaiah 46 verse 4. He says, "Even to your old age I am He, and even to hoar hairs will I carry you. I have made, and I will bear, even I will carry, and will deliver you." God says, I'm not going to forsake you in your old age.
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I want to give you two quotes. I want you to listen carefully. The first one is by John Trapp, the old Puritan, and I love the way he says this. Listen carefully. He says, "Now that the plum tree is full of blooms, the map of age is figured in my forehead. The calendar of death appears in the furrows of my face. Let me do nothing to spot my white head. Let me with the sun give the greatest glimpse at the going down and with the rose retain my sweetness, though I've lost my color." And of course, you know, the sun is most beautiful not only when it comes up, but when it goes down.
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And that's what he's saying. I want to go down with the sun, with the sweetness of the rose, even though I've lost my color. And that's a fact. And then I love this one by Spurgeon. Listen to what he says. He says, "There is something touching in the sight of hair whitened with the snows of many a winter. The old and faithful soldier receives consideration from his king."
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"The venerable servant is beloved by his master." Hang on. "When our infirmities multiply, we may with confidence expect enlarged privileges in the world of grace to make up for our narrowing range in the field of nature. Nothing shall make God forsake those who have not forsaken Him. Our fear is lest He should do so, but His promise kisses that fear into silence." But listen to what he said, "When our infirmities multiply, we may with confidence expect enlarged privileges in the world of grace to make up for our narrowing range in the field of nature." In other words, our bodies may be deteriorating, but grace is still going to be abounding.
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So you have to remember that you're not useless, no matter your age, no matter your health, no matter what station in life you are in, you are not useless, you are not worthless until you're dead. Or, I would say, another until. You remember that passage in Isaiah chapter 6? "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple."
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But anyhow, God said, "Who shall we send? Who will go for us?" Isaiah said, "Here am I, Lord, send me." And Isaiah got to thinking. And then he asked, "How long, Lord?" Listen, Isaiah 6, verse 11. "Then I said, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitants, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate." He says, you go until there's no one else to go to. So we go until we die, or until God's judgment has wiped away everything and there's nothing left.
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I'm not much on reciting poetry. I do like poetry, but I ran across this poem by Sir Robert Grant, and Psalm 71 has been one of my favorite psalms for many years. And this poem, although I do not know that it was written concerning Psalm 71, but it certainly expresses the truth in Psalm 71. And so here's the poem. Let me give it to you. "With years oppressed, with sorrows worn, dejected, harassed, sick, forlorn, to thee, O God, I pray, to thee my withered hands arise, to thee I lift up these failing eyes, O cast me not away."
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"Thy mercy heard my infant prayer, Thy love with all a mother's care sustained my childish days. Thy goodness watched my ripening youth, and formed my heart to love thy truth, and filled my lips with praise. O Savior, has thy grace declined? Can years affect the eternal mind, or time its love destroy? A thousand ages past thy sight, and all their long and weary flight is gone like yesterday. Then even in age and grief Thy name shall still my languid heart inflame, and bow my faltering knee."
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"O yet this bosom feels the fire, this trembling hand and drooping lyre have yet a strain for thee that is a song. Yes, broken, tuneless still, O Lord, this voice transported shall record Thy goodness tried so long, till sinking slow with calm decay, its feeble murmurs melt away into a seraph's song." What did he just say? Lord, you brought me from an infant to a young man to an old age. I'm going downhill, and my trembling voice I can hardly speak and yet it's going to be transformed into a seraph's song.
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We're not the losers, we're the gainers. That's why David said in Psalm 71 in verse 18, "Now also when I'm old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I've showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to everyone that is to come." So let me give you a fifth truth. We're to remember that Christ must reign until. Ah, you're going to ask, until what? You know, the truth of the matter is this.
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Most of us live by sight instead of by faith. And when we look around the country and we see the deterioration that our country's in, we see the immorality, we see the wickedness, we think that somehow God has abandoned His throne. However, when we look through the lens of Scripture and when we look by faith, we still see that Jesus Christ is on the throne and He is reigning and that He is subduing His enemies. We think that everything is going wrong when we look by sight, but when we look by faith, we see that everything is going wrong just right because He is still on the throne.
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Now, I want to show you something. I want you to turn your Bibles to Psalm 110 and let's look at verse 1. I'm going to show you the most frequently quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament. OK, so here we go. Look in Psalm 110 verse 1. "The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Now the Lord, that would be the Father, said unto my Lord, that is the Lord Jesus Christ, "Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Now look at verse 2. "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." So I want you to notice two things here. The first one is this, if you go back to verse 1, it is God the Father who is the active person in establishing the kingdom of His Son and in making our Lord's enemies His footstool. "The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I," that is God the Father, "make thine enemies thy footstool."
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And here's the second truth before we go further. If you look in verse 2, Jesus Christ rules and reigns even in the midst of His enemies. He said, "The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." There are many enemies to Jesus Christ in this world. The wicked are His enemies. Wicked rulers are His enemies. And even though the world and the wicked and all hell engage against Jesus Christ, they cannot succeed. If you look in your Bibles to Psalm 2, Psalm 2, and let's begin reading there in verse 1. Notice, if you would, how they rebel against the Lord Jesus Christ.
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How they try to overthrow the decree of God the Father. Here it is, verse 1, Psalm 2. "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?" That is, that they can overthrow God. Here it is in verse 2. "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us."
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We don't like God's sovereignty. We don't like God giving us orders. We're going to break away. Look what happens. Verse 4. "He that sitteth in heaven shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure." Look what he says, "Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree the Lord hath said unto me."
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"Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron, and thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." God said it doesn't matter if the whole world unites in rebellion against Him, yet He has set His Son upon the holy hill of Zion.
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No one is going to overthrow Him. No one is going to destroy Him. No one is going to try to make Him where He is impotent. No, it will not work. They cannot overthrow Him. They cannot hinder Him. They cannot thwart Him. They cannot stop Him. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. So notice if you would again, He's ruling and reigning in the presence of His enemies.
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Now, let me show you another verse. If you will turn over your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 9, Isaiah chapter 9. This passage is normally quoted around Christmas time, but it is a passage that has absolute truth in it. So look at it in Isaiah 9, and let's begin reading there with verse 6. Isaiah 9 and verse 6. Look what it said. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." And the only reason Mary had a child was because the Son was given. So the Son then in His incarnation assumed the body that was produced by the Virgin Mary. So watch this. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given."
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"And the government shall be upon his shoulder." That is, He's going to be King of kings, Lord of lords. "And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."
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Now look what the Bible says. "Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever." Watch this, "The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." No one's going to stop God. God said, My Son is going to reign, and He's going to reign in the presence of His enemies. And He's going to be ruling in the presence of His enemies.
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Now, Psalm 110 and verse 1 is the most frequently quoted verse in the New Testament from the Old Testament. So let me give you one illustration very quickly. If you will turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 22, and after I read this for you, I'm going to be quoting the rest just to conserve time. But notice if you would, Matthew chapter 22, and let's begin reading there with verse 42. Remember now, remember, He's going to rule in the presence of His enemies. So Matthew chapter 22, verse 42. Let's read verse 41.
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"While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, Here's the quote from Psalm 110 verse 1, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then called him Lord, how is he his son?"
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"And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions." Note, if you would, he quoted Psalm 110, verse 1. "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." You will find this same truth in Mark chapter 12, verses 35 through 37. "And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord, and whence is he then his son?"
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"And the common people heard him gladly." You'll find this same verse again in Luke chapter 20, verses 41 through 44. "And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son? And David himself said in the book of Psalms, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore called him Lord, how is he his son?" Wow. And then you will find the same truth. I love this passage in Acts chapter 2, verse 32 through 36. Peter said, "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens, but he said himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."
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Wow! You'll also find this same truth in Hebrews chapter 1, verses 13 and 14. "But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?" And then you'll also find it in Hebrews chapter 10 verses 12 through 13. "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting until his enemies be made his footstool."
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Now, I want you to turn, if you would, to 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians chapter 15, because I told you this point, they used to remember. You must remember that Jesus Christ must reign until, and you're going to ask, until what? Here it is, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, look if you would, at verse 24. "Then cometh the end, when he," that is the Lord Jesus, "shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power." He's going to rule and He's going to win. He is the victor. "For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet."
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"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." So Jesus Christ is going to reign until He's completely, totally subdued all of His enemies. And then He's going to deliver up the kingdom to God the Father.
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Now, let me take the remainder time and make some applications. Here's the first one. Contrary to sight and physical senses, Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning today. Hang on. Contrary to sight and physical senses, Jesus Christ is actively subduing His enemies today.
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Now you're going to ask me, how is He going to subdue them? Or how is He subduing them? Well, the answer is in any way that He chooses. For instance, if you were to take a vote in the first century of the man most likely to bust hell wide open, no doubt Saul of Tarsus would have won it hands down. But what did God do to His enemy Saul? You remember when He knocked him down on the Damascus Road in Acts chapter 9, our Lord said, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"
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So in persecuting the Lord's people, he is persecuting Jesus Christ. And he said, "Who art thou, Lord?" And of course, he was willing to bow and acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord. And what did He tell Ananias? What did our Lord tell Ananias? "I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake." And the apostle Paul became one of the greatest of the apostles, wrote most of the New Testament.
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How did God subdue him? He convicted him, He converted him, He regenerated him. God may subdue His enemies by making them His friends. He may subdue His enemies by taking their lives. He's done that in many instances. He did that to King Herod. He did that to many individuals. He may also subdue His enemies by taking away their positions of power and authority and from their money. He can subdue them any way that He chooses. You and I may not see because our vision is limited and we only know what is going on in our surrounding areas. We don't even know what's going on in the state next to us. We certainly don't know what's going on in other countries. Well, we get news, but that doesn't mean we see everything. We don't. But our Lord is subduing His enemies.
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He is on the throne. He is ruling and reigning whether we perceive it or not. That's what Scripture declares. So let me say it like this. Let's put it together. It is correct to say that the kingdom has come because the King has come. It is correct to say that the kingdom is here because Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning now. It is also correct to say that the kingdom is coming because it will be coming in its fruition, in its fullness, in its completeness, in its totality. So the kingdom has come, the kingdom is here, and the kingdom is coming in the fullness of its glory. So we may rest assured of the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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In fact, the Bible says in Revelation 11, verse 15, listen carefully, "And the seventh angel sounded, and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever." So our Lord is the victor. He is reigning. He will continue to reign until He has subdued all of His enemies.
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Now, let me make another application. I must remind you that there are distinct advantages to old age. We may have our disabilities, but yet we're not useless. Have you ever stopped to think that God sent Moses into Egypt to face and to fight against Pharaoh and all of his court and deliver His people out of Egypt when Moses was 80 years of age?
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Think about that. Think about Caleb. Caleb was one of the men who followed the Lord in the wilderness. He was one of the men who brought forth a good report. Did you know that Caleb said, "I want that mountain," and the Amorites were there and some of the giants were there. And when Caleb fought and took his portion, he was 85. You'll find that in Joshua 14, 10 and 11. Let me read it. "And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty-five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses, when the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness. And now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, both to go out and to come in."
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And he defeated all of his enemies at age 85. Some of the greatest battles were won by men in their 70s and in their 80s. de Valette, if I remember correctly, was 75 or 76 when the siege of Malta and 40,000 Turks attacked 1,100 fighting men and de Valette defeated them. When that battle was over, less than 10,000 Turks left alive. I'm just simply pointing out old age does not mean that you're useless. So here is what I'm going to tell you. Based upon the Word of God, I don't care how old you are. I don't care what disabilities you have. I don't care what your physical condition is. Here is what I'm giving you from Scripture.
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Do not ever give up. Do not ever quit. Do not ever throw in the towel. Do not ever come up and say, "I'm useless." No, no, no. You may not can do what you used to do, but you must do and you can do what you are able to do. God does not require us to do that which we cannot do, but He does require us to do that which we can do. And certainly we can do nothing without Him, but there are some things that He does indeed give us strength to continue to do. And we must do it. We must do it. He is able to keep us in the fight.
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I had a friend this week visit, and he told me, he said, "You know, if it would please the Lord, if I had 20 years left, I'd be thankful and glad just to give it with you so you could live 20 more years if the Lord allowed that." I said, "Well, brother, I said, I really appreciate that." I said, "But the only reason and the only way that I would accept that if the Lord granted it is if you'd let me continue preaching for another 20 years."
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But I'm just simply saying, folks, listen, we can't do everything, but there's some good things that we can do no matter how old you are. No matter how old you are, no matter what condition you're in, you just can't give up. What did David say? "Now, when I'm old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until. Until I have showed thy strength to this generation and thy power to everyone that is to come." As long as I have life in me, he said, I'm going to be teaching. I'm going to be living. I'm going to be declaring. I'm going to be talking. I'm not giving in. I'm not giving up. I'm not quitting. Use me, Lord, until I'm gone. So remember. You're never useless until you're dead.
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And you need to remember, our Lord is right now actively reigning and subduing and conquering His enemies, and it will be done in His way, in His time, at His pace. Because He's God, and He knows how to bring honor to Himself. Things to remember. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we ask then that You would indeed help us to remember. Teach us, Lord, for Your grace and Your mercy and Your goodness and Your kindness. And we love Thee, Lord. And help us to remember these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-06T00:13:12Z

Things to Remember Until - Part 3

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this third message of the series, John Weaver explores two additional 'until' truths from Scripture. First, from Psalm 71:18, he teaches that believers are never useless until death, emphasizing the God-given role of the elderly in teaching and serving through prayer and example. Second, from Psalm 110:1 and 1 Corinthians 15:24-28, he affirms that Christ must reign until all enemies are subdued, encouraging faith over sight. The sermon concludes with applications to persevere in service regardless of age and to trust in Christ's ongoing victory.

Opening

Scripture Reading — Psalm 71:18

"Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I have showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to everyone that is to come."

Review of Previous 'Until' Truths

Brief recap of the first three points: the wicked's end (Psalm 73), remembering sins for humility (Deuteronomy 9, Ephesians 2), and the certainty of God's judgment (Psalm 10).

And they prospered in everything they did. And here he and other godly people were suffering left and right. And he went ahead and said in Psalm 73, verse 16 and 17,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 73:16-17

"When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me."

Then he said,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 73:16-17

"Until I went into the sanctuary of God and then I understood their end."

Fourth Truth: You Are Not Useless Until Death

Introduction of the fourth point from Psalm 71:18, where David prays not to be forsaken in old age until he has declared God's strength to the next generation.

David said, "Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not until I have showed my strength unto this generation and my power to everyone that is to come."

God's Order: Younger Submit to Elder

Exposition of 1 Peter 5:5 and Leviticus 19:32, showing that honoring the elderly is part of fearing God, and that the younger are to learn from the older.

Scripture Reading — 1 Peter 5:5

"Likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder." "Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility. For God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace unto the humble."

Now, there's a passage in Job 29 and verse 8. You remember how Job suffered, but he said this,

Scripture Reading — Job 29:8

"The young men saw me and hid themselves. The aged arose and stood up."

Respect for Elders in the Church

Application of 1 Timothy 5:1-2, explaining that rebuking an elder must be done with the respect due a father, reflecting God's command for honor.

Ministries of the Aged: Anna and Titus 2

Examples of elderly service: Anna's fasting and prayer (Luke 2:36-37) and the teaching roles of aged women and men (Titus 2:1-8).

Scripture Reading — 1 Chronicles 25:1-5

"Moreover, David and the captains of the host separated to the service of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, look at this, who should prophesy with harps and with psalteries and with cymbals, and the number of the workmen according to their service was,"

and now he lists them. But notice they should prophesy. How are they prophesying? With harps, psalteries, cymbals.

What are they doing? They're playing the psalms. The psalms will set the music. They were playing the Word of God. It was called prophesying. They were just playing music.

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine."

You could have a little, but not much. Not given to much wine. Look at this.

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"Teachers of good things."

Now, what are some of the good things that an aged woman can teach? Verse 4,

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"That they may teach the younger women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed."

So notice, if you would, in Titus chapter 2, go back, if you would, to verse 1, what Paul tells Timothy,

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine."

Now, what is sound doctrine?

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in the faith, in charity, in patience."

And then he talks about the aged women. Now if you will skip down to verse 6. Now we're going back to the men. He says,

Scripture Reading — Titus 2:1-8

"Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded in all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works and doctrine, showing uncorrupted gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."

Promises of Fruitfulness in Old Age

Scriptural assurances from Psalm 92:12-15 and Isaiah 46:4 that the righteous will still bear fruit and be carried by God even in old age.

Fifth Truth: Christ Must Reign Until All Enemies Are Subdued

Introduction of the fifth point from Psalm 110:1, showing that Christ reigns at God's right hand until His enemies are made His footstool.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 110:1-2

"The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool."

Now the Lord, that would be the Father, said unto my Lord, that is the Lord Jesus Christ,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 110:1-2

"Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool."

Now look at verse 2.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 110:1-2

"The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies."

Scripture Reading — Psalm 110:1-2

"The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand until I,"

that is God the Father,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 110:1-2

"make thine enemies thy footstool."

Christ's Reign in the Midst of Enemies

Exposition of Psalm 2 and Isaiah 9:6-7, demonstrating that despite worldly rebellion, Christ rules and His government will increase without end.

How they try to overthrow the decree of God the Father. Here it is, verse 1, Psalm 2.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-9

"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"

That is, that they can overthrow God. Here it is in verse 2.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-9

"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us."

We don't like God's sovereignty. We don't like God giving us orders. We're going to break away. Look what happens. Verse 4.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-9

"He that sitteth in heaven shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure."

Look what he says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-9

"Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree the Lord hath said unto me."

New Testament Quotations of Psalm 110:1

Survey of Matthew 22:41-46, Acts 2:32-36, Hebrews 1:13, and Hebrews 10:12-13, showing the frequent use of this verse to affirm Christ's exaltation.

The Consummation: 1 Corinthians 15:24-28

Explanation that Christ must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet, with death as the last enemy, then He will deliver the kingdom to the Father.

Applications: Trust Christ's Reign and Persevere in Old Age

Practical applications: believe Christ is actively subduing enemies (e.g., Saul's conversion) and never give up serving God regardless of age or ability.

Things to Remember Until - Part 3

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	223261855526528
Subject	Sermon Series
Course	Sermon Series: Prayer, Repentance, and Worship
Genre	Sermon
Date	2026-02-08
Dictation Name
Book	Book 193: Things to Remember Until — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	80

Lecture Guide

Outline

Review of Previous 'Until' Truths: Brief recap of the first three points: the wicked's end (Psalm 73), remembering sins for humility (Deuteronomy 9, Ephesians 2), and the certainty of God's judgment (Psalm 10).
Fourth Truth: You Are Not Useless Until Death: Introduction of the fourth point from Psalm 71:18, where David prays not to be forsaken in old age until he has declared God's strength to the next generation.
God's Order: Younger Submit to Elder: Exposition of 1 Peter 5:5 and Leviticus 19:32, showing that honoring the elderly is part of fearing God, and that the younger are to learn from the older.
Respect for Elders in the Church: Application of 1 Timothy 5:1-2, explaining that rebuking an elder must be done with the respect due a father, reflecting God's command for honor.
Ministries of the Aged: Anna and Titus 2: Examples of elderly service: Anna's fasting and prayer (Luke 2:36-37) and the teaching roles of aged women and men (Titus 2:1-8).
Promises of Fruitfulness in Old Age: Scriptural assurances from Psalm 92:12-15 and Isaiah 46:4 that the righteous will still bear fruit and be carried by God even in old age.
Fifth Truth: Christ Must Reign Until All Enemies Are Subdued: Introduction of the fifth point from Psalm 110:1, showing that Christ reigns at God's right hand until His enemies are made His footstool.
Christ's Reign in the Midst of Enemies: Exposition of Psalm 2 and Isaiah 9:6-7, demonstrating that despite worldly rebellion, Christ rules and His government will increase without end.
New Testament Quotations of Psalm 110:1: Survey of Matthew 22:41-46, Acts 2:32-36, Hebrews 1:13, and Hebrews 10:12-13, showing the frequent use of this verse to affirm Christ's exaltation.
The Consummation: 1 Corinthians 15:24-28: Explanation that Christ must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet, with death as the last enemy, then He will deliver the kingdom to the Father.
Applications: Trust Christ's Reign and Persevere in Old Age: Practical applications: believe Christ is actively subduing enemies (e.g., Saul's conversion) and never give up serving God regardless of age or ability.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Old age does not render a believer useless

David's prayer in Psalm 71:18 shows that the elderly have a vital role in testifying of God's power to future generations.

David said, 'Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation.'

Honoring the elderly is a direct command from God

Leviticus 19:32 links rising before the aged with fearing God, making disrespect toward the elderly an offense against God Himself.

God says, 'Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the Lord.'

The younger are to submit to the elder for teaching

1 Peter 5:5 instructs younger believers to submit to elders, and Titus 2 gives specific teaching roles to aged men and women.

1 Peter 5:5: 'Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.'

Christ reigns now in the midst of His enemies

Psalm 110:2 shows that Christ rules even while enemies are present, and Psalm 2 depicts the futility of rebellion against Him.

Psalm 110:2: 'The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.'

Christ's reign will continue until total victory

1 Corinthians 15:24-28 outlines the sequence: Christ reigns until all enemies are subdued, then delivers the kingdom to the Father.

1 Corinthians 15:25: 'For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.'

God subdues enemies in various ways, including conversion

The conversion of Saul of Tarsus demonstrates that Christ can subdue His enemies by making them His friends.

Acts 9: 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?' and 'I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.'

Believers must persevere and not give up

Based on biblical examples and promises, Christians should never consider themselves useless but continue serving as they are able.

Caleb at 85 said, 'As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me.'

Scripture References

Psalm 71:18: David's prayer not to be forsaken in old age until he has declared God's strength to the next generation.
Psalm 73:16-17: Asaph's envy of the wicked until he entered the sanctuary and understood their end.
Deuteronomy 9:7-8: Command to remember sins and provocations against the Lord.
Ephesians 2:11: Call to remember former state of being without Christ.
John 15:5: Jesus' statement that without Him we can do nothing, emphasizing dependence on God.
Psalm 10: Description of the wicked ignoring God until He strikes them down.
1 Peter 5:5: Command for younger to submit to elders, with a call to humility.
Leviticus 19:32: Command to rise before the aged and honor the old man as part of fearing God.
Job 29:8: Job's recollection that young men hid and the aged arose when he approached.
1 Timothy 5:1-2: Instruction to treat elders as fathers, younger men as brothers, elder women as mothers.
Romans 13:7: Command to render honor to whom honor is due.
Luke 2:36-37: Anna, an 84-year-old widow, served God with fasting and prayer in the temple.
1 Chronicles 25:1-5: Prophecy through music with harps, psalteries, and cymbals, including daughters.
Titus 2:1-8: Instructions for aged men and women to teach sound doctrine and younger generations.
Psalm 71:9: David's plea not to be cast off in old age or forsaken when strength fails.
Psalm 92:12-15: Promise that the righteous will flourish and bring forth fruit in old age.
Isaiah 46:4: God's promise to carry and deliver His people even to old age and gray hairs.
Isaiah 6:11: Isaiah's commission to go until cities are wasted and the land is desolate.
Psalm 110:1-2: The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool; rule in the midst of your enemies.
Psalm 2:1-9: The nations rage against the Lord and His Anointed, but God laughs and sets His King on Zion.

Historical References

Augustus Fowlock (quoted by John Trapp): Quoted as saying, 'Are there better preachers of the works of God to be found than hoary patriarchs in the circle of their children, or grandparents in that of their grandchildren?'
Matthew Poole: Puritan commentator on Leviticus 19:32, explaining the custom of rising before the aged and the reason for honoring them.
John Trapp: Puritan writer quoted: 'Now that the plum tree is full of blooms... let me with the sun give the greatest glimpse at the going down.'
Charles Spurgeon: Quoted on God's faithfulness in old age: 'When our infirmities multiply, we may with confidence expect enlarged privileges in the world of grace.'
Sir Robert Grant: Poem recited expressing the sentiments of Psalm 71: 'With years oppressed, with sorrows worn... O cast me not away.'
Moses at age 80: Moses was 80 years old when God sent him to Egypt to deliver Israel.
Caleb at age 85: Caleb was 85 when he claimed his inheritance and defeated the giants in the land.
Jean Parisot de Valette: Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller, aged 75 or 76, who led the defense of Malta against 40,000 Turks.

Important Quotes

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

The most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament, foundational for the fifth point on Christ's reign.

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

This verse from 1 Corinthians 15 defines the 'until' of Christ's reign, pointing to the final subjugation of all enemies.

Even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

God's assurance of His sustaining presence throughout the believer's entire life.

When our infirmities multiply, we may with confidence expect enlarged privileges in the world of grace to make up for our narrowing range in the field of nature.

Spurgeon's quote that encourages believers that spiritual grace increases as physical strength declines.

As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now for war, both to go out and to come in.

Caleb's testimony at 85 demonstrates that God can empower the elderly for great tasks.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does Psalm 71:18 challenge the common view that the elderly are no longer useful in the church?

[Context]

The sermon emphasizes that David prayed to continue declaring God's strength even in old age.

[Question]

In what practical ways can younger believers submit to and learn from older believers according to 1 Peter 5:5 and Titus 2?

[Context]

The message outlines specific teaching roles for aged men and women.

[Question]

Why is honoring the elderly considered part of fearing God, based on Leviticus 19:32?

[Context]

The sermon connects respect for the aged with obedience to God's command.

[Question]

How does the truth that Christ is reigning now (Psalm 110:1-2) affect the way we view current world events?

[Context]

The fifth point stresses that Christ rules in the midst of His enemies, even when circumstances seem contrary.

[Question]

What are some ways God subdues His enemies today, as illustrated by the conversion of Saul?

[Context]

The sermon notes that God may subdue enemies by conversion, death, or removal of power.

[Question]

How does the promise of 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 give us hope and motivation to persevere?

[Context]

Christ's ultimate victory assures believers that their labor is not in vain.

[Question]

What can we learn from the examples of Moses and Caleb about serving God in old age?

[Context]

Both men accomplished great things for God at ages 80 and 85, respectively.

[Question]

How can we encourage older members of our congregation to continue using their gifts and not give up?

[Context]

The application urges believers never to quit but to do what they are able.

Applications

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