Confirmation Sunday – May 17, 2009

My dear confirmation friends,

No doubt, as you have been growing up, you have heard the two words “HOLD ON” more than once. As a young child riding on your father’s back, I’m sure he said – HOLD ON! The first time you went sledding, you were placed between the legs of your parent; they pushed off and yelled – HOOLLD OON! When they pushed you on the swing they reminding you, HOLD ON! Even when they taught you to ride your bike, they would have emphasized, HOLD ON! And, of course, the reason they told you this wasn’t because you didn’t know, but because they didn’t want you to forget. You see, even the slightest moment of inattention, or distraction, or carelessness, or lack of concentration could prove costly. So they lovingly reminded you – HOLD ON!

Well, when it comes to your spiritual life, the same can be said – “HOLD ON!” When temptations come from within you and from around you, HOLD ON! When life gets hard and things just don’t go your way – HOLD ON! When the waves of this wicked world try to wash you away – HOLD ON! And to what should you hold: very simply…to the truths and instruction that you have been taught from the beginning and in which you believe. HOLD ON to Jesus Christ as your only Savior and focus of your life. Of course, the reason I tell you this today is not because you don’t know this, but because I don’t want you to forget this. You see, even the slightest moment of inattention, or distraction, or carelessness, or lack of concentration can prove costly to your faith. So I, like the Apostle John did to his listeners, lovingly remind you - HOLD ON! As you do, you will continue in union with God and with Christ; and you will secure the promise of eternal life.

1 John 2:24,25 – “See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us – even eternal life.”

The readers of John’s first letter were being confronted and viciously attacked by false teachings. These false teachings were a devious mixture of man-made errors that sought to throw off all moral restraints and lead a person away from salvation through Christ alone. Because of these errors, there were those who were losing confidence in the Bible and the certainty of being saved. Others were drifting into unrepentant lifestyles and growing selfish and hypocritical. They were finding it very difficult to distinguish truth from error. For this reason John passionately urged his readers “See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you.” In other words…HOLD ON!

Hold on to the truth! That is what John was urging them to do. Throughout his letter he sought to expose the false teachers by pointing his readers back to what they knew, what they had learned, and what is truth. In the first chapter he wrote, “The blood of Jesus, his [God’s] Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). In chapter 2 he says, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1,2). In chapter 3 we are told, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). Similarly, in chapter 4, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:9,10). It was this Jesus, the very Son of God, who had taken on human flesh when he was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in whom he so desperately wanted his readers to remain. It was this Jesus, who had given his life on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, whom John wanted his readers to hold on to. Remain in this Jesus. Hold on to that truth. Because, when you do, you will remain in the Son and Father and have what he promised – eternal life.

It is, of course, no secret that Satan’s assaults on Christ, His Word, His Church, and His believers have not ceased. And the two of you are his targets. That is why these words of John are so fitting for your confirmation. You see, twice in these two verses, and 24 times overall in his short letter, John uses the word translated “remain.” In other words…HOLD ON! And why? Because it is human nature to drift. Because the sin within us causes people to give up, lose interest, grow bored, and itch for something new. And that sin and sinful nature lurks within you too.

I speak to you today, on this your confirmation - NOT GRADUATION – on this your confirmation, fully aware of how difficult it will be for you in the years to come. Mixtures of evil forces, both within you and outside of you, are just waiting to unleash their attacks on you. Just think! In the years to come the world around you will force upon you the temptation of pre-marital sex. The world will try hard to tell you that you are narrow minded, shallow, and unloving to believe a God who condemns to hell anyone who doesn’t believe in him; or to believe that Jesus is the only Savior; or to believe that everything in the Bible is true. There will be those who lay before you drugs and alcohol and invite you to the new in thing – the “pharm” party. You will become fully aware of how non-Christians live, and you will think the grass is greener on their side. You will be tempted to think church isn’t cool or fun enough. You will be tempted to think that in order to “fit in” you need to “give up” your Christian values. An attitude, which at times has already reared its ugly head with the way you looked at Sunday School, Worship and Confirmation, will not just go away. You will be tempted to tell yourself that you know the truth, how much can it really hurt if I’m not in the Bible very often.

And the dangerous outcome of such temptations, attitudes and attacks is that it can lead a person away from salvation through Christ alone. It can cause you to lose confidence in the Bible and the certainty of being saved. It can make it very difficult to distinguish between truth and error. Unless…

You HOLD ON! You see, faithfulness and devotion to Christ and his Word doesn’t just happen by itself. Your confirmation does not mean that you are now so grown up in your faith that it is safe to walk without Christ. No, to stand your ground against such temptations; to beat down such attitudes; to withstand such attacks, the Christian needs to HOLD ON to that which is never shaken, which never waivers, and is more solid than anything else. To Jesus Christ, his Word, and the forgiveness of sins he won for you at the cross.

So confirmands, HOLD ON to your baptismal grace. There, the Father took you, a child of sin, and made you a child of God. There he made you a new person. There he washed your sins away and wrapped you in the perfect robe of Jesus. There, you were brought into an intimate union with Jesus – your brother, and God – your Father. HOLD ON to your Christian education, those Sunday school truths, and your Confirmation instruction! Here you were taught what Jesus did on the cross to give Baptism its power. Here you learned of Jesus, your Savior, who stopped at nothing to win your salvation. Here you learned that God is your God. Here you learned how true it is that although you are the chief of sinners, Christ died for you! Here you learned that the weapon against temptation is the Word of God. Here you learned how to strengthen faith. HOLD ON to your Sunday Worship, treasure it for what it is. HOLD ON to your personal study, and never be satisfied with your knowledge of his Word. HOLD ON to the Ten Commandments and let them remind you of your need for a Savior. HOLD ON to Holy Communion and let it be that magnificent comfort God wants it to be. HOLD ON to Christ and his cross - as you do, you will remain in the Son and in the Father.

What better union could there be? In the Son is the forgiveness of sins. In the Son is freedom from eternal death. In the Son is freedom from Satan’s power. In the Father is being part of his family, a recipient of every single one of his blessings. Being in the Son and in the Father means that instead of losing confidence in the Bible you will grow in grace and knowledge of your Lord and Savior. It means that instead of drifting into an unrepentant lifestyle, you will see what the life of Christian really is, daily running to the cross and laying our sins at Jesus feet, joyfully receiving the forgiveness he won for us there. It means that instead of losing the ability to distinguish truth from error, you will grow in the ability to distinguish between the two and gladly avoid the false.

Finally, to be in the Son and in the Father means securing the promise of eternal life. Isn’t this, finally, what it is all about? Your childhood lives have come and gone – can you believe you start highschool next year? Your teenage years and twenties will go just as fast. Then there is, Lord willing, parenting; middle age; and the end of life. But what then? Is it over? You know the answer to that. NO. Jesus death on the cross and resurrection from the grave has secured a home in heaven for you. A place where there is no sorrow, no pain, no agony; a place where you are not ridiculed for your faith or tempted to give up your morals; a place where there is no death. This is your goal! This is your focus! So HOLD ON to the truths that have opened that door for you – Jesus Christ, his all-atoning death on the cross, and the empty tomb! HOLD ON to that which has brought you to trust what he did counts for you and assures you he will never let you go – his holy Word! HOLD ON to that which can offer you so much more than anything in this life – your relationship with Jesus!

So go, live your life to the Lord. Enjoy the godly pleasures he has set before us here on this earth. Enjoy your teenage years, your twenties, your parenting, even your later years. But always HOLD ON to the truths of Christ that direct your eyes heavenward, with the greatest of joy, to the day when you with your very own eyes will see the marks on the hands of your Savior and his pierced side; to the day that your Father’s promise will see its ultimate fulfillment; to the day you will be with your God forever.

The story is told of an English sea captian’s son who had been confirmed on Palm Sunday morning. Sitting in the cabin of the ship with his son that evening, and anxious to deepen certain confirmation convictions within the heart of the son, the father said to him, “Light this cabin candle, go out on the deck, and return to the cabin with the candle burning.” “But, father,” said the son, if I go on the deck, the wind will surely blow it out.” Go,” said the father: “Do it.” And the son did. With much shielding and maneuvering he succeeded in keeping the flame burning and returned the candle to his father. The father said to him, “son, even so it is with your life. You were confirmed today. Your faith is still frail. And you are getting into a big, tempting world that will surely snuff out the flame of your faith unless you properly shield it.”

Confirmands. Today you are confirmed. But your faith is not so strong that it cannot become stronger. And you are getting into a big, tempting world that will surely pull away your faith unless you HOLD ON. HOLD ON to God’s Word! Treat it as the greatest gift you have ever received - because it is. It is what brought you to faith. It is what will keep you in the faith. It is what secures your place in your Heavenly Father’s house. Amen.