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Continue in what you have learned Reformation Sunday, October 26, 2008
There was a church that, much like ours, had a children’s message almost every Sunday. One Sunday the pastor invited the children to come and gather around the altar and he asked the kids a question: “What’s your favorite part about church?” One little boy’s hand shot up immediately, and he could hardly contain himself. The Pastor, impressed that this little boy had found something in a church service that resonated so deeply in him, invited the little boy to answer the question. The little boy, almost shaking with excitement, jumped to his feet and with a strong answer that could be clearly heard throughout the entire church, shouted, “I like leaving!” I haven’t the courage to ask our Confirmands this morning what their favorite part of the Confirmation process has been. You’ve been working at this for awhile now. Every Sunday your Sunday School teachers have been leading you in your studies of God’s word and how it applies to your lives. This year and last the Sunday School/Confirmation curriculum took a sharper turn and became more focused and intent on your walk with Jesus. You’ve gone to lock-ins and camps for a couple of years now. And today is the day when you stand up in front of our Triune God and this congregation and declare your belief in what you’ve been taught, and your desire to keep learning. There are just a couple of things though; a couple of final words I’d like to say to you this morning while I have a ‘captive’ audience. Our Epistle reading from 2nd Timothy is one of the best things I think you could have heard this morning. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. “Continue in what you have learned and become convinced of.” Confirmation is not graduation. You are not ‘done’ with church now. In fact, it’s just the opposite. As I met with each of you, I asked that dreaded question, “Do you want to be confirmed and why?” One of you gave me such a good answer, that I asked if I could use it in the message today. That person was Amy, and she said I could share what she said. Amy could have just said what she did because she knew it would resonate deep in my pastoral heart, and maybe earn her a point or two, but I’m determined to give her the benefit of the doubt and say that’s not the case! I said to her, “Confirmation is not graduation” and she answered, “It’s not graduation like ‘I’m finished with high school and never have to go back again’, but it’s graduation like, ‘I’m ready to go to college now, ready to go to the next level.” That’s continuing in what you’ve learned – taking it to the next level. Next Sunday morning you will all have a choice. You can stay in bed, or you can come to church. After the service next week you will all have another choice: you can leave or you can go back to your Sunday School class to continue to dig deep into the things of Jesus, or even come to the Adult Discussion time in the fellowship hall where we crack open the Bible and look at the Word of God. You will be given plenty of opportunities to take your faith to the next level. Will you take advantage of them? No, you don’t have to fill out any more Sermon notes sheets…except for Destiny, because I know she just loves them so much! Continue in what you have learned and become convinced of…because it is able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Here’s the sad news – not everyone on the earth is going to Heaven at the end of their lives. Undoubtedly many will, but even Jesus Himself said many will not. Many will be thrown into outer darkness where there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth; many will be separated from God’s people and from God Himself, and be sent to the hell prepared for the devil and his demons. I don’t say this today as an attempt to ‘scare you into Heaven’ or to literally, ‘scare the… heck …out of you’, but rather as a reminder of what exactly is taking place here today. Today you are standing up and saying very clearly that you believe what was pronounced over you in your Baptism – that you are a child of God whose sins are forgiven through Jesus and whose faith has been given by the Holy Spirit; and that while up to now others have been primarily responsible for bringing you to church and teaching you, you are now taking more and more of that responsibility for these things on yourself, especially as it relates to the next part. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. Today you are being given what I personally consider probably the best Bible ‘out there’ for people to use. It is the same one I use – the Concordia NIV Self Study Bible. Next Sunday and every Sunday after, I want to see you all bring it back to church and use it as we explore God’s word together. What you will be holding in your hands are the very words of God Himself, and the very thing that communicates exactly what it is that makes you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Will you read it, continue to learn from it and grow in it, or will you set it aside and just cross your fingers and hope you’ll get into Heaven by the seat of your pants never knowing all that God would say to you? When you were a child at your Baptisms, others spoke for you. Today you speak for yourself. In just a few minutes you’re going to get up and share your creeds with us. I’ve read them, they’re good and express your hearts and desires very well. My challenge to you is that you take what you are about to share with us, and hold fast to it in the hard times and on those bad days. My encouragement to you is that even when you fail to do so, God is always right there, ready to forgive and restore, ready to set you back on His path again. I’m very proud of each of you, and I’m very pleased that I’ve gotten to know you all a little better over the past year, as well as the past month as we’ve met and talked and worked together on your creeds. Here’s something else to know: no matter how much I’m beaming at you today, no matter how much your families are proud of you and are excited for you, Jesus’ pride and excitement over you outshines us all. At one point Jesus asked His disciples a point-blank question, “Who do you say that I am?” That same question is still asked of everyone today, and the answer we give determines not only how we live now, but where we will live for eternity. Each and every person has to answer that question for themselves. By being here today, and coming forward in a few minutes, you are answering that question. Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness… Amen. |
