Dear Christian friends:

Greetings to you young people of the Confirmation class: Today we have seen you give proof of your faith and love in Jesus Christ during the examination. This shows that God by His Holy Spirit through His Word has done a good work in you. He has led you to believe in Jesus Christ your crucified and risen Savior. Perhaps that does not seem like a good and wonderful work because we have seen it happen very often and are accustomed to it, so we don't think it is very wonderful.

But if we stop and think and believe what the Bible says about sin and sinners, darkness and death and how God leads us helpless, lost and condemned sinners to light and salvation through Jesus Christ, we will think your faith a wonderful good work.


Your faith is a miracle which God in mercy and in love has done in you. Without Him, the Holy Spirit you cannot believe in Jesus Christ, but remain in spiritual ignorance and death, fearing God and enemies of God. But now you love Him and trust Him and rejoice in Him as dear children love their dear father.

By faith you call Him your Father. This is a good work, the best work that can happen to you or anyone. Our text says, God has begun a good work in you.

Now the question in my mind and especially in your parent's minds is this: "Will God continue to do this good work in you until you die? Will you stay believing in Jesus all your life?"

Your parents and I have good reason to ask that question because so often young people get confirmed like you do today and then later they give up faith in Jesus and fall away. Your parents and I and older members of the church have seen this happen often. And we know about the many temptations that will happen to you. The devil, the proud world and our own sinful heart try to tempt us from faith in Jesus.

Who shall we blame if we lose our faith in Jesus? We cannot blame God. In our text Paul shows that God will not forsake you or give up His work in you. "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." God shows His wonderful love and care for us when He compares His love with that of a mother for her child: "Can a mother forsake her child?" (Isaiah 49:15) He asks and then He answers "Maybe she will, but not often. Although she may, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5) His love is more sure then a mothers. So we can't blame God if we give up faith in Jesus. We can only blame ourselves.

God expects us to continue believing in Him until we die or until Jesus comes again on the Last Day. But He does not expect you to do that without His help. If you do you will fail. Depend on God by regularly attending to His good Word in your Bible and at Church. Come often to the Lord's Supper and receive God's seal of love and forgiveness. Let Him who has began the good work in you continue to perform that until Jesus comes again.

Don't think that you are finished with God's Word now. You have now only begun. He must continue in the future to do this good work in you.

The faith which you show so nicely today is like a young tree. The keeper must watch and defend a young tree, feed it and work the ground around it so that it continues to grow strong. So God must continue to feed and protect your young faith or it will die. This He does by His Word and the Lord's Supper.

You can be sure that your parents and pastor and relatives will think of you often and encourage you to stay in Jesus' Word. They will pray for you often as St. Paul here prayed for his church at Philippi. That God who has begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ.

Amen.