Confirmation Sunday

SERMON - Dear Confirmands—Go Forward with Commitment and Confidence!

INI

Text: Isaiah 41:10

I. Your God promises to be with you!

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

In Christ Jesus, who urges us to come to Him and make His kingdom a priority in our lives, dear fellow redeemed and especially our confirmands:

Which is greater—the most virulent form of cancer or God? Which is greater—the most violent terrorist or God? Which is greater—the worst financial crisis or God? Which is greater—the most horrible natural disaster or God? I assume that you see the pattern of my questions, and I trust that you know the proper answer. God is greater than anything in this world that ever could or ever will affect our lives. That is why Paul in Romans 8 assures us that absolutely nothing can “separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 39).

My dear friends, this morning our nine confirmands will join the great majority of the rest of us who have already made our confirmation vows to God. They will promise with the help of the Holy Spirit to remain faithful to their Savior God throughout the remainder of their lives. This is not a vow that should be taken lightly, nor is it a vow that should be taken with little thought or preparation. That is why these nine young men and women have spend the last several years studying God’s Word with Pastor Eichstadt in preparation for this day and also to become communicant members of our congregation. Today they will consciously commit themselves to their God, and He in turn through our text seeks to bolster that commitment with His promises.

I, therefore, encourage all of you, but especially I encourage you, our DEAR CONFIRMANDS—GO FORWARD WITH COMMITMENT AND CONFIDENCE, because Your God promises to be with you!

Isaiah writes: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God!” The promise of God, “I am (or will be) with you,” is repeated more often in Scripture than any other. If you read through the stories of almost every major biblical figure, you will find that promise repeated to them at one point or another in their lives. That promise is frequently accompanied by the command: “Fear not!” Fear can cripple our resolve and keep us from acting as we ought to act, thereby preventing us from accomplishing everything that God wants us to accomplish. My dear confirmands, God has great plans for your lives in this world, even as He has great plans for your eternal futures. Put your trust in Him, for He is worthy of that trust and has promised to be with you always (cf. Matthew 28:20).

In the short time that we have here this morning, let us consider three examples—all from the Old Testament. Consider first the example of Daniel. When Daniel was only a few years older than you confirmands, he was separated from his family and taken into captivity hundreds of miles away from his home and everything that was familiar. He was then placed in a school where he was to learn to be a civil servant. It was without doubt a frightening situation, especially for someone so young. Yet, Daniel and his three friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego trusted in their God and knew that He would be with them…and He was! They refused to compromise their belief system and the result was that when their training was completed, they were found by the king to be “ten times better than all” the other students and civil servants in the land (Daniel 1:20). As you confirmands proceed with your education, especially on the college level, you too may well find yourself separated from your families and all that is spiritually familiar. Your belief system will also be challenged. Do not be afraid when those challenges come! Your God promises to be with you too! But be prepared—continue from this day forward to grow in your faith and understanding of the Scripture by continuing to study them regularly!

Second, consider the example of David. Once again, when David was only a few years older than you yourselves, he was involved in what arguably was the most famous battle recorded in Scripture—his battle against Goliath. If you read through the account of that battle in 1 Samuel 17, you will find no mention of David being afraid. Why was that the case? The answer is found in David’s words to King Saul when he first suggested that he engage Goliath in battle. David pointed out that the LORD God has been with Him throughout his life. He had helped him overcome lions and bears, which had threatened his father’s sheep, and he was confident that God would be with him on the battle field as he confronted Goliath. David’s faith proved true! Dear confirmands—you will meet grave challenges in your future lives—giants of all sorts, but you need not fear! Trust that the LORD God, who was with David, will also be with you!

Third, consider the example of Joseph. Joseph too was only a few years older than you when he was sold into slavery by his brothers. What a frightening situation—to be bound by strangers, dragged through the sands to Egypt, to be put up for auction and purchased by a complete stranger who then had life or death control over you! But the LORD proved Himself faithful. We are told very simply: “The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man” (Genesis 39:2). My dear confirmands, your Christian faith will not prevent tragedy from entering your lives from time to time. This world is filled with sin and its consequences, and they at times touch our lives. But your Christian faith assures you of God’s promise to be with you, and that promise can and should calm unnecessary fears and assure you that in the end all will work together for your good (cf. Romans 8:28). DEAR CONFIRMANDS—GO FORWARD WITH COMMITMENT AND CONFIDENCE! Amen.

—Pastor Paul D. Nolting
Soli Gloria Deo!

II. Your God promises to help you!

Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

Dear confirmands, dear fellow-redeemed:

Being a good friend is sometimes nothing more than just being there. You don’t have to say anything, just sitting nearby and the presence of a friend will make all the difference. As Pastor Nolting said, we have the presence of God always with us, the greatest friend possible. Just think! He is present with you always and for that reason, you have the confidence that Pastor Nolting described.

But there is even more reason for confidence. God is not only the almighty God—Creator of heaven and earth, your Savior—who is present with you always, He is also active. He is actively helping you in whatever you face, in whatever needs you have.

Each of you nine confirmands as well as everyone else who came here this morning, came in with a pocketful of problems—things with which you could use some help. Maybe you have a pocket that is overflowing with problems, maybe two pockets.

I’d like everyone here to think of one thing about which you are currently struggling—a problem you have today, May 2, 2010. Whatever that problem is, God promises to help…and He will…and He can…and He does.

Everybody think of a problem that you will likely still have or have anew in about a month. God promises to help, He can, He does, and He will.

For you nine confirmands, Lord-willing, you have many years ahead of you to experience and in which to serve your Lord. Think about one problem you anticipate having in young adulthood as you move into older adulthood. Whatever that problem is, God will help. He promises to do so and He can and does deliver.

Our Lord is not just a presence—as great as that is—He is also an active helper. In the larger section of Isaiah from which our verse was taken, God describes Jesus as His servant. God sent Jesus as His servant to serve…you!...and everyone here and all sinners. Jesus “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7-8).

Not only is your eternal God a living presence with you, but He is active as your servant to help and He promises to do exactly that. “Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you.” God promises to help each of us by giving us boldness, confidence, and strength. Where do we need that the most? Certainly against our spiritual enemies including the Devil. Remember the success Jesus had against Satan when he tempted Him in the wilderness. Jesus resisted and defeated the temptation by being strong, by being bold.

You have a helper who promises to give you the same boldness and strength and He does so through the power of His Word. You can stand up against the power of Hell itself, not on your own strength, not on your kickball strength from yesterday’s picnic, not on your own wisdom, but with the strength of your Helper. God will give you the strength to stand up against whatever temptation the Devil, the world, or your own sinful flesh can bring your way.

We often like to do things on our own. There is a certain independence that we all carry to a greater or lesser degree. We don’t’ always like to admit that we need help because that would demonstrate a certain vulnerability, a weakness.

Nevertheless, we know from experience as well as from God’s Word that we need help in a lot of ways. We need help in the day-to-day kinds of things just to live. Right now you (the confirmands) are all receiving help from your parents. This is not a bad thing; it’s just evidence that you need help.

When we consider our salvation and the forgiveness of sins which we need lest we perish eternally, we need help. We can’t save ourselves. God promises, He has delivered, and He continues to deliver help.

Now, go back to the problems that you were thinking about a few minutes ago. From the every-day kinds of things in this world in which you might need help—financial management, making decisions about what lies ahead, or help in the big things—whom will I marry, what will I pursue in my career as a way to serve my Lord. Whether big, small, medium, or in between, those situations are the very things for which God promises “I will help you; I will assist you; I will give you the aid you need to accomplish these things according to My will.”

God also promises, “I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Simply put, God promises to hang onto you.

If you’ve ever had a dream in which you were falling from a high place, or have actually fallen a large distance, you know how great it would be for someone to take hold of you and save you from the fall into danger. God your helper promises that He will hold onto you. He will preserve your soul and not let go. Jesus is your good shepherd who grabs hold of you and says “I’m going to hang onto you and be your shepherd. I ‘m going to keep you safe; I’m going to feed you, provide for you, protect you, lead you. You are mine. Nothing can touch you because I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:27-29). God promises to hang unto you so securely that nothing—not even the gates of Hell—can overcome you.

This Lord, this Helper, promises to hear when you pray. There are helpers who may be around but we can’t get to them, or they to us when we need them. Even in the world of fiction, superheroes take some time to get there. But God is right there wherever you are, always, ready to help, ready to answer every prayer, and to address every need you have.

Like any helper, if the helper is there offering help and we turn away, we are running from the help and will remain in need. God is going to help through His Word; if we don’t go to His Word, if we ignore what He says, if we turn away, we’re going to be left in need. God is going to help us in our hearts, and minds, and souls, with the confidence of faith by strengthening that faith with the Word of God. We can’t expect God’s help if we turn away from His source of help. We can’t expect God’s help if we read and listen to His Word, but then do our own thing and go our own way. You can’t expect help and reject the Helper. Jesus says, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).

Knowing that you have this active God helping you is a huge asset for you throughout your life. When you prayerfully make a decision while using God’s Word to guide that decision, you can be certain that your God is there helping you make the decision, and He will bless it.

When you are following God’s Word and as a result it feels like you are alone, forsaken and rejected by others, remember how God assured Elijah that there were other believers following the same Word he was following—he wasn’t alone (cf. 1 Kings 19). God told Elijah to confidently continue to confess God’s name and follow Him. God will help you and enable you to do that too.

So you are able to go forward this day with commitment and complete confidence because God is that eternal God who is present with you, but He is also there to help. He is actively strengthening you, helping you, upholding you with His power and grace and according to His will.

In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul expresses the confidence you have and can continue to have: “The Lord is at hand, be anxious for nothing”—His presence is your confidence—“but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”— take every need to your Helper who is ever at the ready to aid you; and the conclusion is: “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” – your Helper! (Philippians 4:5-7).

—Pastor Wayne C. Eichstadt