Church Sermon - May 28, 2006

WE WILL DO EVERYTHING THE LORD HAS SAID

Rev. Bernt P. Tweit

Epistle Lesson; Romans 5:6-11
Gospel Lesson; Matthew 9:35-10:8
Sermon Text; Exodus 19:2-8

This last year the Men’s Early Morning Bible Study group tackled the book of Exodus. And when we came to the section that is our text for today, I knew right then that this was going to be the text that I would share with you, on this your very special day, your Confirmation Day.

Let’s look at those words, which are recorded for us, in Exodus chapter 19, verses 2-9.

After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, "This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."

So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, "We will do everything the LORD has said."

The reason I chose this section of scripture for your confirmation, today, is because in our text, the Children of Israel make a promise. They promise,

"We will do everything

the LORD has said."

Today you are making that very same promise, as you will be coming up to the front of church, professing to all your family, to all your friends, "We will do everything the LORD has said."

Let’s look at what happened to the Israelites here, and then we will apply it to your lives and we will also apply it to all of our lives, this morning.

Think about what had happened to the Children of Israel, right before our text takes place. Just two months before this, they had been freed from slavery in Egypt. They had walked through the Red Sea on dry ground. God had given them manna and quail. God provided water out of a rock. Now they were camped at the foot of Mount Sinai and life was pretty good. They heard God speaking to them, through Moses. God told them, "I have brought you to me. You are my treasured possession. You are my holy nation."

The people then responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said."

Oh, how I wish our text ended right there, but it doesn’t. It goes on. You see, very shortly after the promise that the Children of Israel had made, Moses went up on Mount Sinai to get the Ten Commandments that God was chiseling in stone. And while Moses was gone, the Children of Israel went to Aaron and said, "Come make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses, who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him."

The Children of Israel had forgotten their promise. Just days before they had promised, "We will do everything the Lord has said." And now days later, they were worshipping the golden calf. We pause and think about their response. Making that promise, "We will do everything the LORD has said." Just days later, worshipping the golden calf, and wonder if what they had said was hypocritical – speaking one thing, and then doing another.

But really, is it any different today, with us? How many people have stood before the LORD on their Confirmation Day, how many people have stood before us here at Holy Cross, before the LORD’s altar, and promised to do the same thing, "We will do everything the LORD has said" even, "to be faithful to the point of death." And then, just days later, falling away from that promise that we have made.

That is the very reason why we gather together every Sunday to worship. And that is why we are focusing on your big day, this your Confirmation Day. We are focusing on this day, so we don’t forget who we are, that we don’t forget that God has brought us to Him, that God considers us and you to be His treasured possession, and that God considers you to be His holy nation.

Therefore, there are three things that I would like to impress on you, and all of us, as we reflect back to our Confirmation Day.

First of all, your confirmation is not the end of your exercising of your spiritual faith, but rather it is the beginning. Throughout your couple of years of confirmation, you have learned many passages, a few of which have touched on this very thing, that we should continue to gather together as believers, to exercise our faith. One of those passages comes from the book of Colossians, chapter two.

"So then, just as you receive Jesus Christ as LORD,

continue to live in Him,

rooted and built up in Him,

strengthened in the faith,

as you were taught,

and overflowing with thankfulness."

That passage encourages us to gather together, to be strengthened in the faith, which has been taught to us.

Another passage from Hebrews chapter ten.

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess.

Let us consider how we may spur one another on

toward love and good deeds.

Let us not give up meeting together

as some are in the habit of doing.

But let us encourage one another

and all the more as we see the day approaching."

As we gather together to worship, there are times in which I am weak in my faith and it is wonderful to gather together with you, so you can strengthen me in my faith. And like manner, in which you are feeling weak in your faith, and how wonderful it is to gather together with the assembly of the brothers and sisters in Christ, so that you may be strengthened in your faith!

And the very first passage that you learned in Confirmation Class is the one that Pastor Bartels used for Chapel this past week.

"But grow in the grace and knowledge

of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

To Him be the glory

forever and ever."

On this your Confirmation Day, I encourage you to continue in God’s Word. That your confirmation is not the end of your exercising of your spiritual faith, but rather it is the beginning, as we join together to be strengthened in our lives of faith.

There are also two other things that I want to impress upon you. Some people put it this way. "Momma said there would be days like this." There are times in our lives, when we are going to be faithless. Think about the Children of Israel. They had promised to be faithful, and yet, just days after they had made that promise, they were worshipping the golden calf. Today we promise to be faithful, and yet there will be days in our lives, when we will be faithless, because of our sin. Some people call the worship of the golden calf the incredible sin.

We also are capable of committing incredible sins against God. But, this morning I want to remind you of a covenant that God has brought you into, with Him. That is your baptism. Today you are confirming for yourself what your parents or your sponsors spoke for on your behalf, (most of you fourteen years ago, when you were baptized as little infants). And as you walk up here later on this morning, you are going to be passing right by the baptismal font, and you are going to be confirming for yourself, what others once spoke for you. You are going to reject the devil and all his works, and all his ways. You are going to confess your faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And you are going to confess that you want to amend or change from your sinful way of living, to live a life that is pleasing to God.

Well, thanks be to God that our being in this covenant relationship with God our Heavenly Father is not dependent upon us, is not dependant on you. As scripture says,

If we are faithless,

"God is faithful."

While there will be times when we are faithless, always, always, always remember that God is faithful. Hannah and Jacob, Amanda and Zack, Jill and Tyler, Kent and Zack, Chelsea and Miranda, Tyler and Crystal, Nick and Mariah, Phillip and Katelyn, God loves you so much! Do you know how much it is that God loves you? In our Epistle reading today we are reminded once again,

"God demonstrates His own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners,

Christ died for us."

He died for you. God was willing to send His one and only Son to the cross for you. And Jesus died so that your sins could be forgiven, so that we can stand before the Father, perfect and have eternal life in Heaven, with Him.

On this your Confirmation Day, I am so proud of you, that you, with your very own mouths, are going to stand before this congregation, stand before your family and friends, and confess with your own mouth, your faith in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

You

are God’s chosen possession.

You

are God’s holy nation.

And so, it is on this your Confirmation Day, with the help of the Holy Spirit, let us continue together in God’s Word, strengthening one another in our faith, knowing that when there are days when we are faithless, God is faithful to forgive us of all of our sin.

Today as we have heard God’s Word, God has spoken to us. He has reminded us that He has brought us to Him. He has reminded us that we are His treasured possession. And, that we are His holy nation. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we, like the Children of Israel, respond to the LORD, just as the Israelites did,

May God the Holy Spirit grant you this for Jesus, our Savior’s sake.

Amen.

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