Confirmation Sunday at Star of Bethlehem is the culmination of three years of study for both parents and students. This past Sunday our three confirmands gave a confession of their faith by reading an essay for the congregation. They did a great job. I am proud of their hard work over the past three years. It has been a joy to see the Spirit go with God's word and grow in their hearts. Please consider these discussion questions as you read the sermon below.
- What do you think of Hawking's comment that he is not afraid to die?
- Why might speaking be a very real fear for Christians, especially ones of confirmation age? (~8th grade)
- Which comes first: justification or sanctification? Chronologically and logically?
- What would you say to one of these three young Christians as they face temptations and trials that may make them want to "lose hope"?
- How do you fix your eyes on "what is unseen"?
2 Corinthians 4:13-18
13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. 15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Last month Stephen Hawking told the world that there was no such thing as heaven and hell. Yes, the physicist from England, who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease, said "I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years, I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first.” He compared the brain to a computer that just stops working when the components fail. To him people are the same. He added: “There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.”
I really like a lot of what he said. He said that heaven or afterlife is for people who are afraid of the dark. That used to be me. The thought of death, ultimate darkness – that one day the coffin lid will close and never open again... well that is until Jesus comes back and flips my body like a coin from the tomb. Heads I win, tails death loses. Paul reminds us of this fact in verse 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
I don’t agree with his comment about a fairy story. There is nothing fictional with any part of the Bible, especially the Easter accounts. Jesus is alive! Do you remember what our theme has been throughout this Easter season? Easter means… No Fear – We’ve covered Death, Poverty, Insignificance, Pain, Guilt, Judgment, and today on this confirmation Sunday we’ll see that Easter means no fear of speaking.
Over the past three years Michael, Adrienne, and Carmen have not had speech class. In fact there have been no class reports. They only had class with me on average once a month. The majority of the instruction was with their parents or grandparents. Why does Easter mean no fear of speaking? 13 It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, Today we are talking about the faith of Adrienne, Michael, and Carmen. What is it that they believe? Reading a few passages, answering a few questions, memorizing a few passages, studying the catechism, and then taking a quiz, doesn’t necessarily make a Christian. Yet we have God’s promise that faith comes from hearing the message. The passages, the lessons, and the quizzes were just a framework – an organized way so that Adrienne, Michael, and Carmen could get to know their God. Their confirmation is only a starting point. Listen to verse 14 once more 14 because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence.
Jesus being raised from the dead – is known as justification. If you are justified in your actions – it’s ok to do them. The problem is that you don’t need that cookie before bed, you won’t starve in your sleep. You didn’t need to hit your sibling back – that’s not self defense. When you sin you are justified before God when he takes your sin to the cross and leaves them there. That doesn’t make you a better person – that just means that you forgiven. Jesus rising from the dead proves it! and present us with you in his presence – if you make it to heaven the only way you’re going to look is holy, perfect, spotless. Starting the second you believed Jesus died for your sins the Holy Spirit started working on you. Changing you into the wonderful you man and women you are today. He’ll keep working on you the rest of your days.
15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.
My benefit? How? Um Heaven right – NO you get to tell people. Easter Means No Fear – We believe therefore we speak.
After such uplifting message Paul’s next few words may seem curious at first. Therefore we do not lose heart. Why would we lose heart? Because the Christian is a mix. We do believe that God loves us, but the nagging doubts will never go fully away, because this side of the grave, our sin will never fully go away. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. Everyday we can wake up ready to attack the sinful flesh and master it. Sure troubles will come, we will make new messes despite our best efforts. After defeating one sin, another will wriggle in where we are weakest, but day by day we can go back to the cross to be reminded that our God still loves us.
We need not be overwhelmed by what is right in front of us. It only gets better. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Remember light and momentary include getting ship wrecked. Having large rocks thrown at you and covering you until you can hardly breath. Falsely accused, imprisoned, and punished. Enduring the fevers of malaria. Being betrayed by friends. Yes, Paul experienced a few light and momentary troubles. But he had something waiting for him that far outweighed them all. He focused on what was to come.
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is, seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. All of Paul’s troubles including malaria, unwanted weigh gain or hair loss, a bad credit history, all of the troubles that were right in front of him, he didn’t focus on. Because no matter how bad they may seem, they are all temporary. For the rest of the week the little boy wouldn’t get a cookie, but next week his mother would buy him more. He fixed his eyes on the unseen things. For the rest of your life you will endure temptation, sin and the consequences that go along with it, but don’t focus on the rest of your life, focus on eternity. Focus outside of yourself on the promises of God that will never go bad and will never end.
There is the story of an English captain whose son was just confirmed. That Sunday evening the two were in the captain’s cabin talking. The captain took a candle and lit it. Then he handed it to his son and told him to go up on the deck. It wasn’t stormy, but there was a strong wind that night. The son thought this was unwise because the wind would surely blow out the candle. At the captain’s insistence the son went up to the deck. After a few steps with constant turning the son successfully made one lap around the deck and returned to the cabin with the candle still lit. The Father said, “Well done! Your faith is like this candle. Even though you have vowed to stay faithful to your God, unless you shield your faith from the trials and temptations of the world it will surely go out.”
That’s a great story. I understand the point, as I’m sure you do. However I like a slightly different version. The boy received the candle from his father. He goes up to the deck and at the first wind the candle is extinguished. He returns to his father disappointed and broken, but his father lights the candle again and sends him back up the to the deck. Again and again the candle is extinguished. Again and again the boy returns to his father where it is lit once again. That, my young three, is being faithful. You cannot stop sinning. You are hopeless. Even though God has promised that there will always be a way to escape from every temptation, you won’t be able to do so. I’m not trying to set you up for failure, but to remind you how gracious and faithful your God is. Return to him. Return to the empty tomb. See once more that Easter means no fear.
Stephen Hawking says that he is not afraid to die. This fear is based on ignorance. He’s content to simply not know. God has told you everything. You know what’s coming when you die. You know that when your eyes close, the next time they open you will be in paradise with your Lord. That belief is why you can speak. Witness to any who will listen all that God has done for you. Yes, Easter means no fear of speaking. Amen.
