Confirmation Sunday May 17-18, 2025
“An Exhortation” I Corinthians 15:58
Rev. John R. Larson Ascension Lutheran Church Littleton, Colorado
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. I Corinthians 15:58
Do you know what an exhortation is? It is a command. A direction. “Do this; Do that.” Coaches are good at exhortations. Bosses are good at exhortations. Parents are excellent at this – even though their kids may not like what they tell them to do.
Who else is good at exhortations? God is. You’ll find them all over the Bible. Here is one from II Corinthians, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” (II Corinthians 5:14-15) He tells us that now we are compelled no longer to live only for ourselves but for God. Here is an exhortation from the book of Romans, “Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your body as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:1-2) One more – “Since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:1-2)
Today is Confirmation Sunday at Ascension. A number of our baptized youth speak a word of promise to God. They have heard the exhortation, “Whoever confesses me before men, I will also confess before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will also disown before my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32-33) This is the day of their public confession. This question is asked of them today:
Do you intend to live according to the Word of God, and in faith, word and deed to remain true to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, even to death? (The Rite of Confirmation) Their answer? Yes, with the help of God.
Is that your confession as well? Have you ever publicly spoken that word of your faith to others? Is that where you stand this day? I pray that you do. I pray that you take a stand and confess that the Triune God is your God and that Jesus Christ is your Savior.
Did you notice that all of those exhortations are all based upon what God has done for us first? “In view of God’s mercy…” “For Christ’s loves compels us…” “Since you have been raised with Christ…” It is always God’s work which comes first. It is always God first bringing His grace and favor. And then we joyfully respond. I chose this text from I Corinthians 15, the resurrection chapter. Christ rose from death. He defeated the onslaught of evil and sin and hell and the devil and death. That is our foundation. Jesus is our hope. In the verse just before our text we read, “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Corinthians 15:57) Then we get the exhortation – “Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, for you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
“Stand firm!” In our daily lives we are asked too often to deny God’s word, to compromise what God has spoken in His word. We are challenged to accommodate to live our lives in a way that is opposite of what God says in the Scriptures. Beliefs and values are important. They are important to God, and they must be important to us. It would be a shame for us to lack courage and backbone for how God wants us to live. “Stand firm. Let nothing move you.” Many people deny that God is the designer and creator of this world. Confess the greatness of God and tell everyone that His fingers are on everything that we see. Confess that God created life and that from the time of conception until a natural death that we are to treasure and love life. Be courageous and stand strong.
Standing firm means that you know what you believe and even why you believe it. With joy confess the greatness of Jesus. A portion of Philippians 2 says, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” (Verses 9-11)
Stand firm. Let nothing move you. What would move you away from your God? What would cause you to fall? Temptations. They can be strong. Your own self – it can be weak and not strong. The devil desires you to lose your faith and walk a path that is filled with failure. Remember – your strength doesn’t come from you but from God and His Holy Spirit. The more you know Him the more you will stand strong. “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13) “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” (I John 4:4)
When you fall, and sadly, we do fall, get up and go to the cross of Jesus, there will find the place of forgiveness and a new beginning. Go to that cross every day!!
The exhortation also says, “Give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord.” You have a high calling in life. God is seen in your work and your play and your living every day. God’s work is seen when you use your skills for the good of others. I thank God for the one who brings food to my grocery store, and for all the farmers and ranchers, and especially for the ones who make delicious donuts. How about those with skills to take care of our bodies? How about the artists and musicians? How about the folks who improve our roads? Oh yea, there are some preachers and teachers who have given themselves fully to the work of the Lord. Maybe you’ll have God’s calling in life to do that.
Our vocations in life are God’s great calling to live our lives for His glory and for the good of others. When you start taking that perspective about life and the work that you may do in life from early on, it sets our path on the right course. Paul writes, “Whatever you do, work at it with your whole heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24)
A good exhortation also gives us a reason for hope. There is a pat on the back, an “atta boy”. So also here. “You know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” Sometimes folks put everything they have into their care for others, their witness of the faith in Jesus, the sacrifice of themselves for others and they wonder, “What good did it do?” “Was there any benefit in what I did?” What a good word here – “You know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Isaiah writes God’s word of promise, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering he earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)
Peter, in his epistle asks the question, “What kind of people ought you to be?” He gives this answer, “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (II Peter 3:11-12)
This is a great day in the life of this church. You have a great God. You belong to Him. Live with a strong faith. Live a brilliant life. Amen!!
