St Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church – Watertown, WI
Pastor Mark Gartner
Sermon for Confirmation Sunday – April 29^th and May 2^nd, 2004

John 8:31

Dear disciples of Jesus. Amen

All men are disciples of one kind or another. Every person, sooner or later, becomes a follower of something or someone. Some have been known to worship the sun, others have become disciples of the sacred cow. Today, material things and money have attracted large followings of people from everywhere. Meanwhile, across the barriers of time and distance, we hear the call of Jesus Christ, saying, "Follow Me!’’

Whose disciples are we going to be? That is by far the greatest question we must answer, the most important decision of our lives. If we would have more than one life to live, that decision would be much easier; then we could live a divided life, we could walk in different directions at the same time, then we could serve more than one master. But this is not the case; we have just one life to live. We cannot move in more than one direction at the time. We cannot serve more than one master. "You cannot serve God and Money." This makes our decision very important. Every step we take is important; every move we make can be decisive. The final outcome of our life will be determined by our discipleship. Whose disciples are we?

Confirmation day finds a number of young people in our midst prepared to give their answer to this all-important question. They will declare before this congregation and in the presence of our Almighty God that they are followers of Jesus -- that they are His disciples. They will acknowledge that they love, trust, and worship Him above all other things or persons. They will promise to follow Jesus Christ for the rest of their lives on this earth! This is indeed a happy occasion that touches the heart and mind of every person present. For parents and sponsors it is a day of special thankfulness to God. For those of us who have already been confirmed it is a day of serious reflection when we review our Christian discipleship in the light of our own confirmation vow. The younger children present at this service must be thinking of their own lives in connection with what they see and hear today. That is why I would like us all, especially you the confirmation class of 2004 t! o meditate on the theme:

Christian discipleship centers in the Word of God. Obviously, without the Word of God there would be no Church, no disciples, no confirmation service. Without the Word of God we would have no knowledge of Christ, we would be left with only the simple lessons of nature and our conscience. We would not know Jesus Christ, and we could never have heard Jesus say, "Follow Me!" We thank God for His Word to us, we thank him for those who have shared it with us. In the words of Luther’s great hymn we sing, "God’s Word Is Our Great Heritage." If there ever was a time when we wanted to hear His Word, it would be on this day of confirmation. We want to hear what Jesus has to say about our Christian discipleship. Jesus in our text says, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples." Notice how He associates "teaching" or God’s Word and "disciples." Without the one we cannot very well have the other! His ! message for us today; just eleven simple words, but pointed and direct: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples."

God’s Word is the foundation of the whole Christian Church, but it is also our personal foundation. It is no mere accident that you young people present yourselves for confirmation today. It is the power and influence of God’s Word! See how God’s Word shapes our lives! When you were just a small baby your parents brought you to Holy Baptism where the water connected to God’s Word worked saving faith in your hearts. It was the Word of God that directed your parents to do that. Early in your life you were directed along the pathways of God’s Word. You listened to the stories from the Bible, you were introduced to Jesus. Many of you can remember your first day at Sunday school; your first teacher, that little pamphlet with a beautiful picture and the golden text, "God is love." Step by step you advanced. Your journeys into the Word of God brought new and wonderful revelations. You learned to know Jesus as a personal Friend and Savior (you must have been ! amazed when you discovered that His wonderful death on the Cross was for you!). Words of Luther’s Catechism, committed to memory have, with increasing years and experience in the Word of God, come to express your personal faith. For example, his explanation of the Second Article, "I believe that Jesus Christ . . . has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy and precious blood, and with His innocent sufferings and death; All this he did that I should be his own, and live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness."

During the past two years you have met regularly with your pastors. They have had the happy experience of guiding and directing you further along the trails of Christian teachings. We have tried to explore the meaning of the Christian life, and to point out what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. You have come to understand, we believe, the connection between the Word and discipleship. When you, today, make your public confession of your Christian discipleship, it must be with sincere thanks to Almighty God who has blessed you on your way.

What about the future? In a little while this confirmation service will be over. Days will become weeks, and the weeks soon add up to months and years. What does the future hold for you? Will there be war or peace, poverty or riches, sickness or health, life or death in your life? More importantly – What about your spiritual future? Will you still be His disciples?

Jesus gives us his answer, and we will do well to listen because he alone knows the future. "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples." That applies to the future as it does for today. His message begins with an "if." "If you hold to my teaching." This is an important word; it stands as the one condition for continued discipleship. It is a condition, which our Lord has himself spoken. The same word of God that has called you to Christian discipleship, and has brought you to this happy day, will be your strength and bond of discipleship for tomorrow. Many things are uncertain. You cannot know today what good or evil the future has in store for you, nor do you really want to know. But, Jesus would assure you, whatever your work, whatever your life brings, whatever rises up to test you — you can still be His disciples. "If." "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples!"

If you are his disciples you will face the future with enthusiasm and without fear. You will conquer over temptations in his Name. You will serve him in whatever profession you choose. You will be given the grace to live in poverty with dignity or in riches with humility. You will live the abundant life in fellowship with Christ and, when death comes, triumph in the Name of the Risen Christ. Life is a great adventure! Take it and live it to the fullest as a Christian disciple!

The first time Jesus spoke the words of our text he was talking to some new converts to the Christian faith. They were already following Him, but their faith had not been tested. He warns them against too much self-confidence. He reminds them that no passing emotion, no empty profession constitutes real and lasting Christian discipleship. Rather, a continuing in the study and practice in the teachings of God that he had given them was the condition for discipleship. "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples."

Today He speaks the same words to us. We are His disciples today. What will we be one year or five years or ten years from now? How will we remain strong and dedicated disciples? How can our attachment to God be kept from breaking? What will be the proof that our faith is genuine and our discipleship secure? Passing emotion, sentiment or mere tradition will never stand the test. Our life must be rooted and grounded in the Word of God. That is the secret of an abiding fellowship with Christ. "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples."

For one thing, you must continue your study of the Word of God. A Teen Bible class has been established especially for you every Sunday of the School year. Continue your studies in the Word with other members of your class or in the High School you are attending if possible. Our study of the Word of God must be a life-long project, and we must begin early. The Bread of Life must be included in our spiritual diet. Unless we organize our study of His Word we shall become nibblers and stragglers. We who are older can assure you that in the interesting, and sometimes trying years that lie ahead, you will be faced with many temptations, problems, and decisions. How are you going to meet those temptations without "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God"? How are you going to solve your problems unless you know what God’s will for you are? How can you make the right decisions without a knowledge of the Word of God? "If you hold to my teaching, y! ou are really my disciples!"

Prayer is talking with God. It is God talking to us. It is a wonderful way of communication with our heavenly Father. How long do you suppose your discipleship could continue without prayer? You must continue to pray; to talk to God daily about your plans, your hopes, your sins, your failures and successes. "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples."

You must continue to exercise your Christian life. If exercise is important for physical health, it is equally essential to your spiritual health. Regular attendance at our weekly worship services is a "must" for every Christian disciple. Unless you form the habit of regular attendance, you will naturally form the habit of never attending. What could be more tragic than our forgetting to meet in God’s House? Not only would it be an act of disloyalty to our Savior, but it would also weaken the witness of the Church in the world. Young people — if you would secure your discipleship and enjoy a happy Christian life, make regular attendance at the church services an unqualified "must." Not do you need the Word of God found at Church, but you will need the help and encouragement of those who are in God’s House.. You need the fellowship of other believers, you need the message of His Word, you need the inspiration of the great hymns of the Church, you! need the weekly reminder of the collection plate with its call to faithful stewardship. You need to remember that every Lord’s Day is a strengthening of our faith as we hear the announcement of God’s forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ. At Church we hear about Jesus’ resurrection, and that "because He lives, I too shall live." "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples."

Also we need to remember these words, "Do this in remembrance of me." The Lord’s Supper has been called "Our Savior’s nearest presence." The true disciple will never forget. Hungering and thirsting he will often seek the blessing of this Means of Grace. This is another way of holding to Jesus’ teachings! How can we say we are disciples of God if we are lax in our Bible Study, our Church attendance and in regular attendance at the Lord’s Supper? "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples."

How have we been doing at holding to Jesus’ teaching. We realize that we have fallen short, but we also realize that as we grow in our knowledge of God’s Word we see more and more clearly the strength that God give to his disciples through his the never-ending love and mercy that God shows to us as his children in his Word. It is my prayer that you will hold to his teachings with God’s help, of course and that you would continue to serve your Lord and Savior as active and joyful disciples of Jesus with God’s Word firmly rooted in your hearts. Amen.