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But sin is a reproach to any people. The king's favor is toward a wise servant, but his wrath is against him that causes shame. It's all power, his and his word of prayer. Thank you, Lord, for bringing us here together on this Sunday morning to hear your word be preached and sing praises to you. Lord, we ask you to please fill Pastor Jones with your Holy Spirit and come forward and preach the message that you laid on his heart. Lord, please be with his mouth as he preaches that message and give him boldness and confidence, Lord, in your word. Lord, we ask you to please fill our hearts, attention to this message, Lord. And Lord, we love you, and in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen. All right, so look down at Proverbs 14, 27. It says, the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life to depart from the snares of death. I'm gonna be preaching on this verse this morning. The title of the sermon this morning is The Fountain of Youth Equals The Fountain of Fools. The Fountain of Youth Equals The Fountain of Fools and say, what are you talking about? Well, I'm talking about in the physical sense, right? Who knows somebody here that's aged, especially a guy who's always looking at the young girls, always talking about them, always trying to dress the latest trendy type clothing, or women, right? I've seen that as well, right? That's what I'm preaching against, right? Because we live in a culture today that seems to view aging as a bad thing. I mean, why do you think we have this resurgence of people going to anti-aging doctors, right? Taking pills, right? Look, I'm not saying that there aren't things you can do to age gracefully. That's really what this sermon's about, right? We're gonna talk about that, but your main focus and your main goal shouldn't be to stop aging. No one's gonna beat the clock, right? Nobody, and what you need to understand as a Bible-believing Christian, right, is that being old or aging is only temporary. Think about that, it is only temporary. Now, the heathen, they don't understand that. They don't get that, and so that's why they're on a quest to stop aging. Did you know the rich, you know what they do, the ultra-rich, like the Rothschilds and people of that sort? They do all sorts of weird stuff with their blood, right? Like they have machines that they drain their blood out and it filters it for them and it pumps it back into them so they don't get all the toxins and stuff like that that are in our food supply, in the air, in the water. Why, because they realize, I think deep down in their conscience, that they're going to hell, right? They understand that, and so they're on this mission to stop death. You know what, but God's ordained life the way it is. He's ordained man to live three score in 10 years, if he's lucky, you know what I'm saying? Seven years, and if it's found to be an extra 10 there by strength, then so be it. Nobody beats the clock. These rich people, they want to oppress us and sow discord in society and fight against God. They're gonna lose, you see them lose all the time. I don't care how much money that you have, I don't care what Rothschild or Rockefeller or George Soros says, they're all gonna go into the grave. They might do stuff that prolongs their life. It's true, they might. But what good is that when the inevitable will happen? And you sit, and just talking about that reminds me in Revelation where God takes away death. You know what I'm saying? God takes away death. The heavens are rolled back as a scroll, and they're yelling, please hide us from him who sitteth on the throne. Please hide us from him. There's gonna come a day where they wish they could die then. They sought their whole, they took their whole lives and just sought for ways to defeat death, to defeat aging. And one day, you know what? God is gonna say, okay, you got it, but I'm gonna pour my wrath out at the same time. So just something to think about, something to ponder. There's nothing wrong with aging. God has set that up. And when we, as believers, fight against that, it goes against God's will. You know, when you get older, and you start googling after these young girls, guys, it's just despicable. And I'm not saying anybody in here is doing that. The people that were in here that do that are gone. You know, Storm Morton, how about that guy, for an example? You know, the first day he walks in here, he tells me how much the girls in Vietnam love him, and is he trying to just look cool, or is he a pervert? To me, it's perverted. That's 100% what it is. And so was the guy that used to come in here all the time with his family. They was always talking about ring girls, and you know, how cute they are, and how much he loves them. I'm sure part of it is to get acceptance, but the other part is perversion. It's not right. Is that how you want to treat your wife, guys, when you get older? I mean, how do you think she's gonna feel about that? What, you don't think that's gonna get back to her? You're out of your mind. It's disgusting. And so God's people have no business at all acting like that. And that's really what this sermon's about. Turn to Proverbs chapter 13. So the verse says, so while you're turning to Proverbs 13, I'm gonna read it again. It says, the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life to depart from the snares of death. So in the Bible, you're not gonna find the phrase, the fountain of youth. It doesn't exist. But I'm not saying there isn't a fountain of youth in the Bible. I'm sure you can think of it, you know, as I go through this. We're gonna talk about it here momentarily. But the Bible here says, the fear of the Lord is a fountain of life. So obviously we know that the fear of the Lord, what does that do? It gives knowledge and it gives wisdom. So when somebody decides, you know what? I do have a fear of God. Somebody comes along, sows some seed in their heart. They receive it, they get saved. They're born again. Obviously they're released from the snares of death. They don't have to worry about going to hell. Once you're saved, you're always saved. But there's a deeper application here. See, after salvation, you know, that's not the end all, right? We should seek to live our lives to prevent us from getting caught in the snares of physical death. Because why should we die before our time, right? The Bible's full of wisdom, full of knowledge designed to keep us healthy, designed to keep us out of danger. You're there in Proverbs 13. Look at verse 14. It says, the law of the wise is a fountain of life to depart from the snares of death. So again, that describes the second application here, the law of the wise. This is another reason why I preach sermons often about wisdom and about knowledge. Because you know what? There are things out there that we need to stray from. Like, take for instance, riding a motorcycle with no helmet. It's legal here. You can do that. But is it wise? It's not wise. But I see aged men around here doing it all the time. To look cool, to embrace trends, to get acceptance. Right? Really, that's just a shortcut. That's just a shortcut to get acceptance. Because they don't want to put in the hard work to earn respect amongst their peers. That's why they do it. It's all about image. And by the way, what business does an aged man have, you know, when his family might need two vehicles, investing in a motorcycle, which doesn't really benefit anybody but him? The law of the wise is a fountain of life to depart from the snares of death. You know, I'm thinking about, I knew a guy when I used to work at the shipyard. He was about 52 years old, married some young girl from overseas. We think he paid for her. I don't know, I can't prove it. I'm pretty used to joke around about it. The Bible says from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. So I'm just gonna take him at his word. He was always wearing the affliction shirts, wearing the gold chains, right? He had the jeans with the big old oversized pocket flaps, all diamonded out. You know what I'm talking about. What are those jeans called? True Legends or something? Those are the only ones I used to know about. But you guys know what I'm talking about. There's jeans out there you could pay hundreds of dollars for and wear. Is that the law of the wise? That's the law of stupidity. That's the law of foolishness. That's a snare, and that's a trap. But anyways, this guy here, in his quest to be cool, goes out and buys what's called a Gixxer, a real fast motorcycle. I think it was like, it was over 1,000 cc's, and decides he's gonna go popping wheelies all over town just like the young guys do. Breaks his leg in about five different places. Never the same again. See, if he was a God-fearing man, if he was able to receive the law of the wise, he might have departed from that snare. Now he didn't die, but he could've. And don't forget about the countless people that do die daily doing stupid stuff. Do we wanna imitate that as we grow older? No, that's ridiculous. That doesn't profit God's people. Think about all the people that are believers that get themselves in situations like that and die. Are they serving God now? No. You say, well, they were saved, amen, praise God. But now we don't have them on our roster. Now they can't go out and work. Now they can't serve God. You see, there is something you can't do in heaven, and that's preach the gospel. That's right. So we ought to seek to live our life as long as possible. You say, well, I'm afraid of aging. Well, you shouldn't be. It's a lack of understanding that you have. And if that's your fear, I hope that this sermon will calm that down, okay? So turn to Jeremiah chapter number five, and while you're turning to Jeremiah five, I'm gonna read for you Proverbs 22. And by the way, keep your place in Proverbs because we're probably gonna go back like 100 times. Keep your place in Proverbs, and you'll be able to find it quickly. And while you're turning to Jeremiah five, I'm gonna read Proverbs 22 five, which says, thorns and snares are in the way of the froward. He that doth keep his soul shall be far from them. You see, it's God's commandment, and his wisdom and expectation that we would keep ourselves from danger, that we would keep ourselves from the froward person, from the foolish people. So you say, well, I'm an aged person, but I want acceptance. So I'm gonna go out and hang out with the young guys at work. I'm gonna go out to the bars and drink with them after work. That's a foolish decision. That's a foolish decision for anybody, to be honest with you. But it should never even be considered one time amongst God's people, never. Never, no, not once. You're there in Jeremiah chapter five. Look at verse 26. It says, for among my people are found wicked men. They lay weight as he that setteth snares. They set a trap, they catch men. Did you know that the devil has people that purposely will join themselves to a church? They will purposely seek you out in the workplace for the sole purpose to derail you, the sole purpose to catch you, to destroy you. And you say, well, I don't have anybody like that. Well, you ever heard of Hollywood? You ever heard of Disney? You ever heard of the radio? Look, I'm not saying that a radio's a sin, or even a television box is. You know, obviously it's what you put on that. I don't have a TV. You know, I don't need that temptation for our family. But today we have phones, we have tablets, we have the internet. You know, it's easy to hide those things, right? It's easy to sneak that stuff into your mind so nobody knows. But you know what, eventually it's gonna catch up to you, and it's gonna catch you. And we're gonna start to see that in your countenance, in the way that you think, in the way that you make decisions, in the speech that comes out of your mouth, because we cannot help but to speak the things which we have seen and heard. That's what the Bible says. So we need to be careful. We need to understand that. This is part of maturing as a God-fearing Christian. Look at the verse again. For among my people are found wicked men. You say, well, that was back in Jeremiah's time. No, that's today as well. These things are written for our admonition. These things are written so that we can learn and be careful and save ourselves from death, save ourselves from pain and trials and trouble. You say, well, I've already got all that stuff. Well, you know what? You don't have to make it worse. You keep coming here. I'll teach you how to get out of that stuff. It's what this word is designed to do. So again, for among my people are found wicked men. They lay weight as he that set his snares. You see, you say, well, I'm just gonna watch this one show. I know it's by Hollywood, but I'm just gonna do it. Yeah, it starts there, and it lays in weight. It hides out. You know that's what a hunter does. He doesn't walk out in the woods with a howitzer and just start bombing animals, right? You gotta wait, you gotta scope, and you gotta see and determine, is this something that I can kill? Is this something I can catch and eat? Is this something that I can even handle? That's what a lion does. They walk around seeking whom they may devour. That's what wicked people do. I've seen wicked people come into this church and start throwing out little jabs. Yea hath God said. Did pastor really say that eternal security needs to be preached to people? Did God really say that we should tithe today? Did God really say that? Did pastor really say this? Those are wicked people lying in wait. It may take them a year to get exposed. It might take them two years to get exposed. But you need to understand they're here, and they're waiting, and they're seeking you. They've already got to do evangelical unto rats. The devil's got them right under his thumb. Very easy to control, very easy to manipulate. They don't have to worry about a thing. They're after us. The wicked are after us, and so we need to be careful. All right, you can leave your place there in Jeremiah, and go to John chapter number four. You know, Hollywood, news media, magazines, they're all full of people that are airbrushed. Did you know that? And this is another reason why I don't recommend you watch TV, Hollywood movies, look at these secular magazines, you know, and follow these wicked people on Instagram or Twitter. Because a lot of them clean themselves up. You see, we have this technology today to where you can make yourself look as good as you want to on the internet. And that's what the world does, right? Think about that. Let's say when Albertsons wants to put out an ad. Do you think they're gonna go find an aged person? If they do, it's gonna be the best looking one they can. No, they're always gonna find the best looking people to promote their ideologies. That's what the world does. And so when you subject yourself to that, you say, well, okay, I'm watching this show and it's great. Yeah, but they've purposely placed people there that are like Absalom, right? That pull their hair, they have the perfect white teeth, no blemishes in them. And then you say, well, I'm not like that, so I need to seek that. I need to go get cosmetic surgery. I need to go on TERT, testosterone replacement therapy. And look, maybe you do, I don't know, there may be a time and a place for that depending on your medical needs. I'm not a doctor. But if just your looks is your goal, why need to be Jack like Arnold Schwarzenegger? Or I need to be ripped like these guys on TV, right? Who put that into your mind? It's you subjecting yourself to those kinds of people. You know what, there are people on this planet that are born strong and they look good and there's nothing you can do about it. There are ladies that are born with thick hair, perfect teeth, perfect figure, they can go to McDonald's every single day and there's nothing that's gonna change that. But that's not everybody, is it? That's the minority. But when you subject yourself to this entertainment, to the media, what it does is it clouds your mind and it takes the natural process of aging in your mind and it makes it a bad thing. And if I could read this verse one more time, for among my people are found wicked men. You know what, you could apply that to TV, to the magazines, to the beautiful people, right? They lay weight as he that seteth snares. You know what, Hollywood, Disney, Nickelodeon, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, all these news anchors on there, what do you think they find those people? They're put on, I mean, if you watch TV for eight hours straight and they don't recommend you do this, you're not gonna find that many people on there that have blemishes. And what that does, you say, well, I just watched the news eight hours straight, that's not a sin, is it? No, but it's not wise. It's not wise to subject yourself to that because those people are put there with an alternate purpose and it's to make you feel bad because you're not ripped like they are. You don't have the perfect hair, you don't have the perfect looks. And now all of a sudden you're gonna be on a quest to spend all your hard-earned money to look better, to supposedly feel better, to be an anti-aging type person. What does that profit the kingdom of God? Nothing. How does that profit your family? Not at all, not at all. So I said there's no fountain of youth in the Bible and I said physically, but there is a fountain of youth found in the Bible, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. For example, John chapter three, what did Jesus tell Nicodemus? You must be born again. Right, so think about it. As God's people, we should rejoice. You say, well, I'm aged. So what? It's just temporary. You're born again, you're a Bible-believing Christian, you're not gonna age anymore. When you die and go to heaven, you're gonna need that perfect body. We don't fully understand how that's all gonna look and every nuance and detail about that, but that's a glorious thing. Age and death, you're free from that. You know what, and by the way, we shouldn't make fun of old people. I mean, think about it. Think about God's attitude towards that. What did God allow Elisha to do to the 42 children which said, go up, thou bald head, go up, thou bald head. He let those bears tear him apart, didn't he? Right, God has set our age up for a reason. Go read Genesis chapter three if you're confused about that. When we try to defy that or we make that a bad thing, we're mocking God in the way he set things up. It's not okay. But like I said, there is a fountain of youth and it's called being born again. You know what, and I just think like yesterday when we went out soloning, right? It was a pretty rough area, pretty rough area. And you know, as we're leaving, I'm kind of thinking about this sermon a little bit and I'm like, you know what? Someday, if these people don't get saved, if they don't wake up, you know they're gonna get to hell and realize that they missed out on the fountain of youth. They could have had it, but they rejected it. They wanted it in the here and in the now. But instead, they'd rather slam the door in our face, yell at us, pretend to stick their dogs after us. Don't worry, because we're coming back. But anyways, being born again. Remember John chapter one. What's the requirement of a child of God? Is you have to be born, not of the will of the flesh nor the will of man, but of the will of God. Right, why? Because flesh and blood shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Our bodies aren't going to heaven. We have to get a new one. Right, so when you see that thing start to get old and decay, look, get some wisdom, right? Take, you know, live righteously, obviously. You know, there's vitamins, there's diet, all that stuff's important and I'm not saying it's not. Right, there is wisdom to be found in nutrition, in healthy lifestyles. I'm not saying we should just throw caution to the wind and you know, because think about this, if you, you know, eat a poor diet and you're just always living unhealthy, you know, you're not gonna be able to go soul winning as long as you would like to. Everybody in here who's zealous for soul winning would like to go until the last day, right? I wanna go till I drop. I don't wanna be alive on this earth and not be able to knock on somebody's door. That's horrifying to me. Right, that's the goal, is to keep us going strong. So you're there in John chapter four. Let's just do some review here. Let's see this fountain of youth that's in the Bible. John chapter four, you know the story, verse five. Let's pick it up there, it says, Then cometh ye to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there, Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the wall, and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said unto her, Give me to drink, for his disciples were gone away into the city to buy meat. Verse nine, Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou art, I'm sorry, that thou being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. But obviously you understand the story, Jesus has some information that he wants to teach her. And he's gonna say this in verse 10, Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. This is your fountain of youth, the living water that Jesus offers. And it's kind of interesting that he kind of puts this to her in that fashion, living water, right? He takes what she's seeking after in the physical and explains that to her in the spiritual. Verse 11, the woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep, from whence then hast thou this living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. There's your fountain of youth. Jesus taught about it. The only problem for the heathen is it's not physical yet. It will be someday, but think about that. You actually, as a Bible-believing Christian, have a river of life flowing out of your belly. John chapter seven. And you have the ability to go give that to other people. You have the ability to stop somebody from aging. Spiritually. And by the way, the Bible talks a lot about how to handle stress and that stress will kill you. So to the Bible-believing Christian who now realizes, hey, I can bring my petitions before God and he'll help me, that's a huge stress reliever. You know, even heathens in the science world, you know they've done studies on people that meditate and say that it's good for them and stuff, and I'm sure that it is, even to people that don't believe that they've done studies. But how much more of a benefit is it to the believer who can pray and seek comfort and counsel amongst God's people with fellowship, iron sharpened with iron, but also knowing that you can go before the throne of God. He's your high priest. You can go to him with your requests, with your petitions, and get help. And that always relieves stress. You see, so when I see a Bible-believing Christian, it's like, I'm stressed out, I got all these problems. It's like, okay, great, have you prayed? Do you believe what you even prayed for? Or are you double-minded? Bible says a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways, all his ways. You wanna bring something before God, and you're, well, maybe I don't think you'll give it to me because I did this or I did that or I said this yesterday or I had this thought. Probably not gonna get what you asked for, and that's gonna accumulate stress in your life and cause health problems. And by the way, just a little disclaimer, I know people that are God-fearing, Bible-believing Christians that are pretty vain, okay? They'll go get the Botox, the lift kit installed on their feet or whatever, you know? They'll, you know, pour the makeup on, but they serve God with a whole heart, and they've been faithful for years. I'm not saying you should do that, and if you're like that or not mad at you, I'm just saying, you know, there is exceptions out there. So just bear in mind, don't misunderstand me that I'm saying, well, you pastor's saying that I'm vain and that I'm a reprobate, because people tend to hear what they want to hear today, and that's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that we should age gracefully. The Bible says that aging is a blessing. Did you know that? Physical age is a blessing, if you're saved, if you do things God's way, it's a blessing. It's not something that should be feared. So turn to Proverbs chapter 16, and while you're turning there, I'm just gonna read for you John chapter seven real quick. It says this in verse 37, just listen. It says, in the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. So being saved is the fountain of youth. It's the promise that you don't have to worry about your physical age. In fact, you need to use that in the manner that God's prescribed, because that actually blesses everybody around you. And it earns you rewards too. Obviously, if you read the Bible, one thing you should definitely understand is that obedience earns rewards. I mean, what's the first reward that somebody gets when they decide to hear the word of God on their doorstep? Salvation, eternal security. I no longer have to worry about where I'm gonna go when I die. It's a done deal, it's forever. Jesus, who's over-lived and believeth in me, shall never die, believeth thou this. Right, that's a reward. But after that, there's also promises. If you mature, if you seek to walk in his ways, if you seek the wisdom which is also a fountain, a fountain of life, which will help you depart from the snares of death, look, you could live a blessed, aged life. So let's move on here. I wanna start talking about the many blessings that can come with age. Now, for example, in Genesis chapter 25, you can read about Abraham. What does the Holy Ghost say about Abraham? That he died in a good old age. Now, the heathen, the person that mocks God, that lives to 80 years old, do you think God would say he died in a good old age? Not at all, he died in a bitter, angry old age. Right, Gideon, Judges chapter eight, it says that he died in a good old age. And that should be the goal. If it was to be written about us, right, if there was something to be written about this church in the future, it should be so-and-so died in a good old age. That's how I would want it to be written about me, right? Because guess what? Gideon and Abraham, they're not old anymore, but they're still alive. It was just temporary. You're there in Proverbs 16, look at verse 31. It says, the hoary head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness. So what you should learn from this verse here is that we should seek to live and act our physical age. We shouldn't seek to be younger by placating the world and just being trendy, going down to Forever 21 when you're Forever 51, right? Going to the Hot Topic store, which is satanic, by the way. I'm sure just one look at the front of the store should show you that. We should seek to live and act our physical age. What does it say, the hoary head? What's the hoary head? The gray head. Now I've had gray hair since I was like 18. It's gotten a lot worse over the years. But when I was 18, it wasn't found in righteousness. It was probably just genetic. Or it's God's warning to me, hey, if you don't stop acting like an idiot, you're gonna die. Turn to Proverbs chapter 20, Proverbs chapter 20. So the hoary head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness. That tells us that we should seek to act our physical age, we should seek to mature as a Bible-believing Christian, and then when you're old and you look in the mirror and you've got the gray hair, you've got the wrinkles, you've got the age, guess what? That's a glorious thing because it's found in the way of righteousness, doing things God's way. That's a blessing. There are blessings that come with age. 1 Corinthians 13, 11 says this. When I was a child, I spake as a child. I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things. We're gonna talk about that in more detail here momentarily. But we shouldn't be 30, 40, 50 years old seeking to act like little kids or act like a child or act like a teenager. That's counterproductive. It does no good. You're there in Proverbs 20, look at verse 29. The glory of young men is their strength. You say, I'm a young person. The sermon doesn't apply to me. Yes, it does. There should be a blessing found no matter what age you are, whether you're really young, whether you're young, middle age or old, look at the rest of the verse. And the beauty of old men is the gray head. Now, does that mean that George Soros and Rothschild because they have gray hair that that's a beautiful thing? No, because they're heathens, they hate God. It's not found in the way of righteousness. But look at this here. This talks about young to old. No matter what area of life you're in, you should realize you're blessed. And this isn't some Joel Osteen sermon, all right? But it's true. You should not be 50, 60 years old dreading anything. You should be serving God and doing the things that we're gonna talk about here momentarily. But look, the glory of young men is their strength. You have strength, great, amen. Praise God, use it, use it with all your might. And the beauty of old men is the gray head. So as you begin to mature physically, as you begin to age physically, rejoice in that. Be okay with it, realize it's temporary. It's not the end of the world unless you're not saved. Or unless you're one of these Christians that just doesn't care about God's word right now and you just wanna live like how you wanna live, then you know maybe you should be a little concerned about the judgment seat. Not that you're gonna have your sins brought before you, but that you're gonna have nothing but a platter of wood, hay, and stubble. Is that what you want? That's crazy. Turn to Titus chapter two. In Titus chapter two, we're gonna learn that the aged men and the aged women, they have roles. You say, well, I'm an aged man or I'm an aged woman. Well, you know what, you need to pay attention. And if you're young, you need to pay attention too because you will one day more than likely be aged. And there's certain things that God expects of you amongst his people. There's certain things that he wants you to do and apply to help out his people. Titus chapter two, look at verse one. Look what Paul tells Titus. He says, but speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. Verse two, that the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. That the aged men, he doesn't say that the aged men be found at Hot Topic. They be found out at Buffalo Wild Wings drinking beer and watching things on TV that they should not be looking at. That the aged men be found popping wheelies down Fairview with no helmet on. That the aged men be found staring at all the young girls on the street corner. No, it doesn't say that. That's not for you, Mr. Christian. That the aged men be sober. And by the way, that means sober from pride. Not just from the bottle, both. Be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. You know, as an aged man, you should be developing some level of patience. And same for the women. You know, he's gonna shift gears here to the women next but then he's gonna come back and tell the aged men why they need to be this way. So verse three, the aged women likewise, so they should also follow these things. Sober, right? Grave, temperate, all these things. It's for everyone. The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things. Did you know that God has an expectation for the aged women? To teach, not up here in front of the congregation, obviously, right, but to teach the younger women. Look at verse four, teaching good things. Look at this. That they, the aged women, and this also applies to the men, but it says that they, the aged women, may teach the young 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. Did you know that as an aged woman, you have a great blessing, a great responsibility to help teach the younger women not to blaspheme God? You know when the young wife says, you know what, I wanna be just like the world. Or you know when the aged women can see a young wife maybe making some decisions, cosmetically, trendy, or whatever the case may be. You know the aged women needs to go up to her and gently, with patience, with meekness, with charity, and correct that behavior. That's your role. That's your responsibility. Tell me that's not a blessing. That's a responsibility that you have. Your responsibility isn't just to come here and sit down in a chair and listen to me, cos I might be wrong. I'm about to lose my voice, so this sermon may get cut short. I don't know. You have a great responsibility. That is a blessing that God has trusted you with those things. We need a mixed crowd in church. We need old, we need young. We need everybody. Some churches, you know what, you know why their pastor gets up in front of the congregations with holes in his jeans, and he's got the painted on t-shirt, and the makeup on, like the bozo that's renting the cinema down here? Because they want the young crowd. Because in their minds they realize they probably make the most money. They say there's no profit going down to the assisted living home, and starting a ministry there. That's not profitable. We want to look cool. We want to be forever young. Isn't there a movie called Forever Young? There probably is. And that movie can go straight to hell and everybody in it. How about that? Verse six. Young men likewise, so now he's talking to the aged men. He says young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded. Who's going to exhort the young men? The aged men, that's right. Now when the aged men or you men in general get up here and preach sermons, you're also fulfilling verse four. Right, you say I don't want to preach. That's fine. You still have a responsibility. Verse six, young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded. He's not just talking about alcohol here. You see, young men struggle with pride. Everybody struggles with pride, but it's more prevalent in young men. And we need the help of the aged men to flush that out. So he says young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded. Not necessarily beating them into submission and just railing on them, but exhortation. You know, saying hey brother, that's not good. Get a helmet. Get out of Forever 21. You don't belong at Aero Postal or whatever the hell that store is called in the mall. You don't belong there. Go get a paint scraper and scrape those jeans off and get you some real man pants. Because all that's doing is clouding your mind. You're not sober right now. That's the job of the aged men. That's a blessing. Verse seven, in all things, showing thyself a pattern of good works in doctrine, showing uncorruptness, 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. We need aged people in the churches to be examples to the young people coming in. This is why the New Evangelical is failing. That's why there's a New Evangelical Church every single month. The Vector, Create Church, The Journey, The Pursuit, Life Church, Stonehenge. They all change monthly. Why? Because it's just a fad. They just set and build these things, these so-called churches on a trend, and when that trend changes, the people get bored and they gotta hop to the next trend. You know what? If you go talk to these pastors, and I've talked to them out soul winning before, they'll tell you that one of the problems they have is keeping consistent members. And why is that? Because they've set up their services in a trendy fashion. This week I've got stonewashed jeans. Next week I've got the ones with the big pocket flaps that stick out a mile. Looks like I'm about to take off on a runway. Right? You know, any time I see somebody wearing those, I wanna be like, just show, do you have your pilot's license? Are you gonna go gliding? How do you stand up straight in those things? Do you have a counterweight like in your pocket? I don't get it. But you get what I'm saying anyways. You know? And once that fad's gone, they have to keep changing and adapting. And so all these people are trying to do the same thing. Well, this week our pastor's out of trend. I'm gonna go down to Stonehenge. What is that church called? Stonehenge? Stonehill? Who cares, right? They're all stoned anyways, right? Turn to Proverbs five. There you go. Proverbs five. I'm just gonna read a couple more verses here. It says, Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things, not answering again, not prolonging, but showing all fidelity that they may adorn the doctrine of God and Savior in all things. See, we need the age of men to teach these young guys how to work hard, how to be an example in the workplace. We need the age of women to teach the younger women to love their husbands because it's not natural. I mean, it's natural for young couples to fall in love. But it's the maintenance. It's the upkeep after that that they need the exhortation. Right, because think about it. When a couple gets married, things are good for a while, and then the combos come out. Right? I mean, think about it, Mary. There's ups and downs. And as a young person, sometimes there's struggles like, oh, am I the only one that's going through this? You need the age of women to say, hey, don't worry about it. You're gonna get past us. Here's what you do. This is why we need the age of people. It's a blessing. We need them. So don't shame yourself. Don't be like, oh, I'm just, you know, there's no use for me in God's house. Yes, there is. More of a reason, more of a use than you might even imagine. It's, you know, we need all ages of people. But then he goes on to say, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. Did you know that the age of people have a job in the local church to exhort the younger to be that peculiar people? To be separated. Saying, hey, look, I went through that as a young person too. I was mocked at work. I was mocked out in the neighborhood. I was mocked here. But I'm still standing. I'm still blessed. When the younger see that, you know what? They say, I can do that too. That can be me. I can save money from going to the anti-aging doctor. I don't have to go to the mall anymore. Look, you just follow the wisdom of the Bible. You can save a lot of money. You can save a lot of time and a lot of heartache and a whole lot of trouble. A whole lot of snares. Where do I have you turn? Proverbs five. Proverbs five, look at verse 18. This is a message to those that age in marriage. Proverbs five, 18. Let thy fountain be blessed and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Doesn't say rejoice at the girls on TV. Yeah. Rejoice at the ring girls in the boxing match? No, rejoice in the wife of thy youth. How do you get a wife in your youth? How do you get to the status to where you can rejoice of the wife in your youth? It means you fought. It means you worked. It means you aged, you matured, you stayed together. And now you can look back and say, I can rejoice in her. And same with the wives. You can rejoice in the husband of your youth. It goes both ways. You don't have to turn there, but Proverbs 17, six says this. Children's children are the crown of old men and the glory of children are their fathers. You know there's nothing wrong with being a grandparent. I see some young grandparents sometimes, young relatively speaking, you know, and oftentimes you'll talk to them, you'll be like, I can't believe I'm a grandma. I can't believe I'm a grandfather. I'm only 40 years old or I'm, you know. You should be rejoicing in that. That's a blessing that God allowed you to live to see those children for one thing. But think about how much wisdom you have to teach to those kids, right? Because mom and dad who are 20, 30 years old don't always have it all figured out and they still need help from time to time. They still need your counsel, your wisdom. But if you've lived your life in a manner to where now you've aged but it's not a good old age, you've just lived in the world, what are you really gonna have to offer those kids, right? You're not gonna have that glory that it talks about in Proverbs 17. Children's children are the crown of old men. You see as an old aged person, you should have these crowns. You should realize these blessings, right? This is why it's important to realize, hey, there are blessings to be found in age. Now Proverbs five, look at verse 19. It says, let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe. Let her breast satisfy thee at all times but be thou ravished always with her love, not with the world's love, right? You're supposed to keep these things and let those things be pleasant to you for your entire lives, for the rest of your lives. Eyes forward, not looking off like Storm and other bozos that have been in this church. Always talking about, oh, well, she's looked pretty good. It's okay to look, isn't it? It's okay to look at the menu as long as you don't order. Who's ever heard that one? That's ridiculous. That's not the wisdom of God, guys. That's the wisdom of the world. That's ridiculous. Verse 20, and why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman and embrace the bosom of a stranger? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings. So when you go on YouTube, when you go on Facebook, when you go on Twitter, when you go on Instagram, when you go on the TV, guess what? The eyes of the Lord are watching you. And he sees that and you need to be careful. You need to be careful what you set in front of your eyes. Can you guess what? That's just gonna cause you to physically age quicker. I've seen people that are 75 look like they're 90. I've seen people that are 80 that can understand a clear presentation of the gospel and get saved. I got an 83-year-old guy saved in Sacramento one time. And I used to always make fun. There was a point in my life where I thought people that were above a certain age couldn't get saved. I mean, I was like this close to like, there's no way. And Kayden, you were there with me when we got that guy saved. How many times did I ask him, like, if he understood? Probably like seven or eight times. The guy like knew the gospel so well by the time he like quoted the whole thing back to me. He's like, yes, I'm saved. I believe it. I believe all this. I just didn't know. And I was like, okay, man, I'm just, I've never seen somebody 83 years old before be able to comprehend like this. And he was just like, I just didn't know. So it is possible, right? Verse 22, his own iniquities shall take the wicked himself and he shall be holding with the cords of his sins. Verse 23, he shall die without instruction. And in the greatness of his folly, he shall go astray. This is what we don't want. Turn to Ecclesiastes chapter seven. This is what we don't want. See the beginning here part that we read talks about, you know, being satisfied with the wife of thy youth. Obviously that can go both ways. You know, the wife needs to be satisfied with her husband, not in the world the same way. Why does it gear this towards men? Because there's more of a temptation for men to look. That's why. And you know, that's true. We've seen it, we've dealt with it and that's over. But the rest of this part here that we read verses 20 to 23 is now a warning to those who would say, you know what? I'm gonna neglect this teaching and I'm just gonna live the way I want because I'm saved. God says, hey, you could die without instruction. It's why it's important to get instruction in your life. We need the instruction in God's word. It's very important. You don't believe me? Look at verse 17, Ecclesiastes 7, 17. Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish. Why shouldest thou die before thy time? Did you know that even as God's child, you could die physically before your time? Is that what you want? That shouldn't be the desire here. But the only way you're not gonna make that mistake, honestly, is by subjecting yourself to God's word, being around God's people. Because think about it. You come to a church like this, you get the preaching, but you also get each other. We have a variety of ages here that can help you, that can straighten you out and help you from going down that wrong road. And we've seen what happens to the young bucks here that decide they don't want anything to do with it. Where are they at now? Out in town, running around, doing who knows what. Living in the world, not serving God. Drunk on pride, hugging trees, licking spoons. So we don't have a physical fountain of youth, but following foolish people can cut your life short. Read the verse again. Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish. Why shouldest thou die before thy time? Listen to this. Proverbs 22, 15, you don't have to turn there. Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him. So here's what you need to understand. You say, yeah, I'm an aged person, but I just wanna be cool and hip. I'm gonna go follow these kids around town. You know what? These worldly children and kids, teens, they grew up in homes where they didn't have the rod of correction, and they haven't had that foolishness driven from them. So what do you think's gonna happen when you decide to go follow them? Possibly your life could get cut short. You say, well, I wanna go do wheelies with them. I wanna go skydiving with them. Look, I'm not against skydiving, right? But honestly, there may become an age where you don't need to do that, okay? I'm just being honest. You decide you wanna go hang out and follow the trendies. Go follow these Josh Ties, these Ben Shetlers, these Pastor Polka Dot type idiots. You're making a bad decision. You're making a bad choice. You're following a child, in essence, who hasn't had the rod on his backside to drive out foolishness from him. Go look up these trendy type pastors. Go to Southern Hills Baptist Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, and listen to Josh Ties for about five seconds. You know what I hear? Foolishness. The King James Bible can't be the only one that could help a Bible-believing Christian out. I think all of the Bibles are God's word. We love queers in our church. How do you think a person gets like that? Because he never had this rod, I'll tell you that. Or they rejected it. He's like, I grew up with the King James Bible. Well, you must not have believed it. Or maybe you didn't have a preacher that actually whooped it on you a little bit. So trying to be young and hip like the world, you know what? It could cut your life short. It's dangerous. That's why I'm preaching the sermon. We need to act our age. Look, we need the young. Don't get me wrong. We need the strength. We need their zeal. We need their energy. We need the aged, because we need their wisdom. We need their instruction. And we need their steadfastness. We need it all. So don't ever treat people that are older like dirt. Ecclesiastes 4.13 says this, "'Better is a poor and wise child "'than an old and foolish king, "'who will no more be admonished.'" You know these wise and rich politicians and leaders that run countries, that own banks, that are CEOs of companies, you know that most of them are nothing but a bunch of foolish, spoiled, rotten little kids? But God's people look to them and say, I want to attain to that. I want their products. I'm gonna make that my focus. You know what? You're better off poor and wise as a child than dying like a rich fool. Because you know what? When they go lay down in the grave and they open their eyes in hell, then what? When is your body gonna look then with worms and torched skin for eternity? There goes that title. There goes your pomp. Down into the grave where it belongs. Turn to Isaiah chapter 57. So on that same thought, I'm gonna read to you 1 John 5.16, which says this, "'If any man see his brother sin of sin, "'which is not unto death, "'he shall ask and he shall give him life "'for them that sin not unto death. "'There is a sin unto death. "'I do not say that he shall pray for him.'" So you need to understand, there are sins that believers can get wrapped up into, like drugs, that can cut your life short. A sin unto death. And as God's people, we need to be weary of these things. We need to be knowledgeable and wise. Why? So that we can talk a brother off a cliff. And when we see somebody going down the wrong road, don't worry about offending them. Say, hey, what's wrong with you, man? You need to wake up. Your path right now is destructive. It's not okay. You know, you see somebody that used to be zealous, maybe, and they're skipping church a bunch, you know, it's okay to get on them a little bit. Say, hey, man, is everything okay? What's going on? You know what the foolish person does, though? They start to look at the preaching. They start to look at you and say, you know what? You're doing all this against me. You're preaching against me. That's what selfishness does. That's what pride does. That's what following the world does. That's what happens when you decide, you know what? I don't like my age. I'm gonna try to be hip. I'm gonna try to be young. It's a snare and it's a trap. You should embrace age and just grab those blessings that are available to you. So Isaiah 57. So what I'm gonna do now is I'm just gonna give you some tips that the Bible gives on how to have a long life. We learned we don't have to have our life cut short early, right? But you know what? It is possible to have a long life. The Bible talks about that. But I wanna give you a disclaimer first. Isaiah 57 one says this. The righteous perisheth, and no man lieth it to heart, and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. He shall enter into peace. They shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness. Turn to Ephesians six. So the Bible's clear here. It says that the righteous perish. Sometimes, you know why? To spare them from trouble. Maybe sometimes there's a situation where you have somebody that something terrible would happen to them and God decides to take them home. And you say, well, that person did everything right. He honored his parents. He lived by the commandments. He did all these wonderful things and God still took them out. I don't want anything to do with. No, you lack understanding. God could have done that for a reason. Maybe there was some circumstance down the road where they would have got molested or something of that nature. And God said, you know what? No, I'm gonna take you home now. And we just need to sometimes be aware of that. So these tips that I'm about to show you, it's not a 100% guarantee that you're gonna live to the end of your life, okay? Because sometimes God allows his children to suffer persecution unto death for a witness and a testimony unto the nations. Think about Stephen. We're gonna talk about him tonight, Acts chapter six, Acts chapter seven. What happened to him? Stoned to death for the word of God. I'm sure he was full of the, the Bible says he was full of wisdom from the Holy Ghost. He was full of the Holy Ghost, but his life got cut short. Not because of any bad decisions that he made, but to glorify God. So just keep that in mind, okay? So now here's a promise that comes with age. Ephesians six, look at verse one. Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. So you kids need to pay attention. You need to obey your parents. Say, well, what if they're going against God? Well, you need to make sure you understand that they're really going against God first, right? When they tell you to get to bed at eight, nine o'clock or whatever, don't be like, well, that's unbiblical, okay? Because chances are you kids, you probably don't know the Bible as well as your parents, all right? So just keep that in mind. Verse two, honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise. So when you honor your mother and father, there is a promise associated with that. Verse number three, that it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. Turn to Deuteronomy chapter four. Deuteronomy chapter number four. The Bible says, and there's more verses that talk about this. When you honor your mother and father, God says there's a promise associated with that. And a lot of times it's long life. Sometimes you know it when I see somebody that's older and I'm like, man, you're 90 something years old. You can still communicate and talk and even walk around and do work. That might be somebody that obeyed their parents, that honored their mother and father. Another one is this. You don't have to turn there and just listen. Keeping and following God's commandments. Proverbs 3, one versus two says this. My son, forget not my law, but let thine heart keep my commandments. For length of days and long life in peace shall they add unto thee. So when you decide, you know what? I'm just gonna go all out for God. That can add long life to you, but it can also add peace. And with peace comes good health. It comes strong bones. You know, milk does a body good. Yeah, well the milk and meat of the word do it better. A lot better. And yes, I'm also talking physically. But it says length of days shall be added unto you. I'm sure everybody in here wants that. But you can have a little bit of life extension and you don't have to pay a million dollars to get your blood filtered by some raw child, George Soros blood pumping machine. I don't know what they're called. I just read about it. Deuteronomy four, look at verse 40. Thou shall keep therefore his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong the days, prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee forever. There is health and length of life associated with keeping God's word. Deuteronomy 25, 15. You don't have to turn there, but it says this. But thou shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have, that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God hath given thee. So when you're an honest and just person, you don't have respect of persons, you seek to have balance in your life, God says he'll add length of days unto you. Say, well, I'm worried about my life getting cut short. Follow what I'm telling you. And you know what? You might just get healthier. This stuff, this wisdom is better for you than that coconut oil. And I'm not downing coconut oil, I take it all the time. And you should too, right? But you know what, you know what's better than that? Keeping God's commandments. You know, it doesn't say that organic grass-fed meat and butter's gonna increase your days. It might, I'm sure it's good for you. We do the best we can to eat healthy most of the time. But you know what, we are Baptists and we do like to go to some of these restaurants around here, so we need to really rely on the wisdom found in God's word, all right? Did I have you go to Proverbs nine? Turn to Proverbs chapter nine. If you kept your place there, it should be pretty quick. Proverbs nine, look at verse 10. It says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Well, how are you gonna get the knowledge of the holy? Reading the Bible, meditating on God's word, being around God's people, coming to church. Verse 11, it says this, For by me, thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased. Look at verse 12. If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself, but if thou scornest, thou shalt bear it alone, or thou alone shall bear it. You decide, you know what, I'm gonna take up a scornful attitude. You know what, you're gonna have to answer that. That's on you. Don't say, oh, God made me this way. No, you made yourself that way. You got bitter, you compromised, you got complacent, and now you've got to deal with it. All right, just a couple more and we're done. Psalm 71, turn to Psalm chapter 71. Psalm 92, 12 says this, so you go to Psalm 71. It says, the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 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 talking about body fat so much, but did you know that it is possible if you seek the wisdom of God to even bring forth fruits in your old age? I had a pastor who was, what? How old was Richter, 60, 70 years old, still getting people saved, still bringing them to church, still baptizing them. Those guys are out there and we need to become those guys as we age. And he's not a man that's like, I'm terribly distraught that I'm this age, however old he was. He's just trying to go for the gold. That's the attitude. Psalm 71, look at verse 17. Oh God, thou hast taught me from my youth and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. Would be to God's people that you could say at the end of your life, oh God, thou hast taught me from my youth, implying that you've continued to seek his teaching and his wisdom and his knowledge. Verse 18, now also when I am old and gray headed, oh God forsake me not until I have showed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to everyone that is to come. You know what that is? That's Titus chapter two for the aged men, the age of women. You have a gift. You have experience and wisdom that you could share with other people and change lives. One last verse, go to 2 Timothy chapter two. 2 Timothy chapter two. So I said the title of the sermon is this. The fountain of youth equals the fountain of fools. It is a foolish decision for the aged to want to seek to be young and to follow the young. Why? Because you're following people that haven't had the foolishness driven from their hearts. The Bible says the foolishness is bound in the heart of a child and the rod of correction shall drive it far from them. What business do we have looking and seeking the company and the ammunition and the exhortation of the world's young people, the soap opera people, the sitcom actors, the movie stars? They're all fools. They're all fools. They didn't grow up in homes where they learned righteousness, learned wisdom. You want to seek to be young like them and follow that garbage? It's a foolish decision. The fountain of youth equals the fountain of fools. Unless you want to get the fountain of youth that we all have that flows from our bellies, right? That everlasting life. That's what we should seek. That's what we should be going for. One last verse, 2 Timothy 2.22. Flee also youthful lusts, but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. That's the goal for everybody. You know that bozo that was in our church for almost a year, trying to be hip, trying to be trendy, always looking at the girls, always talking about how he's going to get the latest and greatest this, that one upping type attitude. That is the opposite of what God wants. He says, hey, no, aged man, flee youthful lusts. You need to flee from those things. You need to run as fast as you can and follow after righteousness, faith, charity, right? With them that call upon the Lord out of a pure heart. That's church. At least that should be. You should be in a church with people that have called upon the Lord out of a pure heart. That's the goal. That's what God's desired for us. So if you get one thing out of the sermon, get that. Flee youthful lusts. Nothing out of it is going to benefit you or I or God's people. Let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer. Lord, thank you so much for these teachings and the word again. I just thank you for the infinite wisdom that can be found in this book, Lord. I pray you bless the fellowship, the soul winning and the evening service to come. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.