Today I have chosen for our text the verse from the book of Ecclesiastes chapter twelve, verse one. Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor a year's drawn eye, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. I'm sure the Lord will bless to us the reading of that verse. Let us bow for a moment of prayer. Our Father, we bow our hearts in thy holy presence, desiring to acknowledge thee again. Surely thou art the God of eternity, the God of the Bible, the God of love. We thank thee, our Father. for sending thy beloved Son to die on Calvary's cross in order to provide salvation for poor sinners. And we pray that by thy Holy Spirit thou shalt write upon all our hearts today the words of our text. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Take our thanks for every blessing thou hast conferred upon us. And may it be that every home today, where this message is being heard, that that home will be blessed by thee. We ask it in the Savior's name. Amen. Now, just before we bring you the message from the text we have read, Let us listen again to the singing of a good old hymn. Now our text today, as I have indicated already, is taken from the book of Ecclesiastes chapter twelve. Verse one. Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth. While the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure, in them. Now if you were to take time to read through the twelve chapters of the book of Ecclesiastes, you would come to this conclusion that the preacher in connection with this book, who no doubt is Solomon, is viewing things as he observes them from the earthly point of view, looking at things on the worldly level. And over all the affairs of life, he seems to write with lightning brilliance that one word which describes the problems of life, namely the word vanity. He's saying, vanity of vanities, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. Now if you were to take time to consider the writer and the things that he possessed in life you would wonder why he says vanity of vanities all is vanity. Now throughout life man is searching for something. No doubt from the time we have children. When we reach that point in life where we begin to observe things and we begin to consider the matters of life, we begin to search. Especially so when we get into our years of adolescence, our teenage years. Our young boys and our young girls begin to search for something. They are moving from one sphere of life into another. They begin to think in a different way, and they begin to observe things, and they begin to search. Let me ask you, as you listen to me now, some of you may be looking back on life and your thinking of the years when you began to search. Have you found the thing you were searching for? plain words. Have you found the solution to your problems? Now it is an easy thing to set forth a whole catalogue of the problems of life. I've yet to meet the young person who hasn't got problems. Some young fellows have problems in school. Some have problems in their home. Others have problems when they go to work. No matter what your sphere or your calling or your social standing may be, you certainly will be faced with problems in life. And so after all, he's telling us here, as you go down through this particular book of Ecclesiastes, that there are problems in life. But then not only... do we face the problems we've got to find the solution to the problems the unfortunate thing is this that a lot of people go through life and end up in despair having missed the way somehow or another and they fail to find the solution some folk have an idea that if only they could acquire a certain amount of possessions in life, that would be the answer. Well, now let me remind you that there is a principle laid down in the Bible, and it says, A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesses. Now think again for a moment of the writer of this book, Ecclesiastes. If you agree that Solomon was the writer, and that seems to be the consensus of opinion of most Bible scholars, then remember Solomon had great possessions in life. He had houses, he had horses, he had workmen, He had everything, you would say, that man would seek to possess. He lacked for nothing. People brought to him things in abundance. Yet, in spite of all his possessions, he says this, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. And so he sees vanity and vexation of spirit, in spite of all the possessions that he possessed. Now that should teach us this outstanding lesson then, that the acquiring of possessions is not the solution to life's problems. For example, many of the richest people that this world has known have been people who couldn't face up to the problems of life and some of them committed suicide. So it's not the possession of worldly goods that is the solution to the problem. In fact, some who have come suddenly into possessions haven't been able to carry the full cup. It has landed them in physical trouble. So, my friend, Solomon would tell us this, that it's not a matter of possession. That's not the solution to life's problems. But some people seem to imagine that apart from possessions, if only they could get into some kind of position, perhaps a position of power, then that of course would be the solution to all life's problems, sitting in the seat of power. Well, remember, Solomon was a king. Solomon reigned for forty years. over the richest kingdom of that day. And yet, in spite of the fact that he was a king, sitting in the place of power, and Solomon had a great amount of wisdom, and yet he looks over life, and he says, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. It's empty, that's the thought, for the vanity there is emptiness. In plain words, you may have a great amount of the world's possessions and yet your life may be absolutely empty it may be that you can rise and occupy a great seat a position if you like of power yet your life be absolutely empty and you may miss the main calling in life on the other hand Some folks think now it's pleasures we need, and there have been certain cults down through the ages who have taught this, that the chief end in life is pleasure. And if only you can seek those pleasures and obtain the pleasures of life, then that is the solution to life's problems. No, my friend, may I remind you once again, if ever a man had pleasures, It was Solomon. He had all that the world could offer him of that day. Anything his heart desired he could have, it could go where he liked and engage in whatever pleasure took his fancy. Yet, in spite of it all, he was a man who could say, vanity of vanities, all is vanity. But then... I want you to remember something else. Here was a man then observing the things of life from the earthly point of view. And viewing these things on the earthly level, he simply says, is vanity. But now, he gives us, I suggest to you, the solution to life's problems. He's saying now there's something else you need. Remember now I quoted you that verse from the New Testament. The Lord Jesus Christ himself laid this principle before us, when he said, A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesses. You may have possessions, you may have position, you may have an abundance of pleasures. And remember, the days in which we live now, men are seeking after pleasures. rather than seeking after God. And here I suggest to you, the wise man here gives us the solution to life's problems. The fact of the matter is, most of the problems of life arise because we have crushed God out. We have forgot about God. You see, if we only view life from the earthly point of view, then we're going to miss the way. But if we can view it from the heavenly standpoint and see things as God sees them, it will make a difference. Now then, he's saying here as he gives his exhortation, Remember. Remember now, Thy Creator, in the days of thy youth. Remember what? Thy Creator. Here is something we're supposed to do. Remember thy Creator. May I appeal to every intelligent listener today, as I say this. Young people as they're growing up today need to be instructed in this vital Bible truth that God is the Creator. You see, our children have been taught and wrongfully taught that there is no Creator. They've been taught that man simply evolved from more or less nothing. That life just was kind of spontaneous and it just evolved. My friend, we've got to come back to the basics again if we're going to understand life. In the beginning... God created. Then again, let me remind you of this, that it says that he said, Let us make man, and let us make man in our own image. So God created man, and God created man in his own image. In the image of God created he him. Male and female created he them. So when you come to the book of Ecclesiastes, the wise man here is telling us very plainly that he accepts the teaching from the book of Genesis that God is our Creator. So we have to remember now our Creator. Now when should we remember the Creator? Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Now, I wonder why he lays so much emphasis on the fact that we should remember the Creator in the days of the youth. Because, may I suggest to you, that the devil always wants us to be blinded to these things and to push them off. Until when old age comes on, perhaps we won't be able to think of these great eternal realities. So we should think of God as our creator in the days of our youth. What is man's chief end? Isn't man's chief end to glorify God and to enjoy him? Listen to this. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, says the preacher. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. What then is the conclusion of the matter? Fear God and keep His commandments. That is the whole duty of man. You see, how easy it was then for people to formulate that particular part when they said, What is man's chief end? The answer, man's chief end, is to glorify God. The trouble today is this. if we do not acknowledge God as our Creator, and if we banish such a thought from our mind, then of course we will not honor God, and we will not fear God, and we will not remember God, and we will not keep His law. So therefore, in the days of youth, the time will come, remember, when this old house of clay in which we live, this body, Like a house of clay, it will begin to crumble and go into decay. And, of course, the tenant who lives in this house will require to move out. I think most of us, more or less, will have to feel that way. We know that we do not live here forever. Why, the years of a man's life are three-score in ten. Of course. By reason of strength, he may go four-score, or even a little more. But what then? Life at its best is very brief. It's like the falling of a leaf. Or as one has said, it's like the binding of a sheath. It's like the sped arrow, and so on. It's as fast as the weaver's shuttle. And so, life at its best is very, very brief. And so the evil days come upon us. That being so... May I suggest here is why we should remember our Creator in the days of our youth. Because in our youthful days our spiritual senses are sharp. We're able to think of these things. And our mental faculties are clear. And as long as we have our mental faculties, we should be able to think and remember and consider our responsibilities towards our Creator because when we're young in our youthful years our physical powers are strong plain words it's in our youthful years that we should be able to come to grips with these vital things and so therefore Solomon is making an appeal now I want you to remember that Solomon himself never lived to be an old man Now it's perfectly true that he reigned over his nation for forty years. But you should also bear in mind that he was eighteen years of age when he came to the throne. And so therefore he was only fifty-eight years of age when he died. Now fifty-eight is not old and you know that. So comparatively speaking he was not an old man when he came to the end of his day. And so therefore he's looking back and he's giving this exhortation, making his appeal to the young men, to the youth. Remember now thy Creator, he said, in the days of thy youth. Now I think of all the pictures of the Old Testament or New Testament. Here was one man who was in a position to make this appeal to the young people. Now. Think of him what he says. Remember now that I created the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not. Now he begins from there on to show us what it is like when the end days come. That is, when we leave our youthful days behind us and we begin to get a little older and the senses are not as sharp as they used to be, we're not able to come to grips with these things like what we could when we were young. So he begins now to describe, in very vivid language, what it is like when this body in which we live begins to draw near to the end and we get old, and he calls them the evil days. While the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. It seems to me that he is a young fellow, and in his youthful days he likes to get out and play the game. He likes to be in the team, and in the team he likes to give his best. And the spectators are looking on, and they may be cheering him for his exploits on the field of play. Ah, but there comes a time when he's got to give that up. And he's no longer getting any pleasure from playing in his sport. But watch him there now. He's an old man. And he's sitting on the sidelines now. And he's only a spectator. You see, the evil days have come upon him. And he's saying now is no pleasure in them. He can't go out and play now the way he used to do it. And so the writer here begins to describe what it is like. when the end of life is coming on, while the sun or the light or the moon or the stars be not darkened. In plain words, he says when it comes that the latter years are upon us, why, we cannot appreciate the light of the sun or the moon or the stars. It would almost seem that the man is bent up, we can't look up. Nor the clouds return after the rain. Then he begins to describe the various members of the body. He says, In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, the man's arms are shaking now, and he's no longer strong with the strength of youth. And then he says, The strong man shall bow themselves. He, the strong men are now bowed down. Their back is bent. And the grinders cease because they are few. His teeth are either all gone, or he's only a few stumps left. He's not able to chew the way he used to do. Those that look out of the windows be darkened. His eyesight has gone. And the door shall be shut in the streets. When the sound of the grinding is low, he can hardly hear now. He shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low. Also, when they shall be afraid of that which is high, naturally he can't look up, and the noise above him, he doesn't know how high or how low it is, and it makes him afraid. Fear shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish. You see, it's the thought now, he's getting gray-haired now, and the grasshopper shall be a burden. He's not able to lift the weight, and desire shall fail, because man goeth to his long home. and the mourners go about the streets. Then he shows us what happens at the final end. The silver cord be loose. The golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then the funeral takes place. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return unto God. Who gave it? And again he says, Vanity of vanity, said the preacher. All is vanity. Now my friend, because of these things he said, You ought to remember your Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not. Will you turn to God this very hour? Trust in the Savior's grace and power. Then shall your final answer be saved for a long eternity.