13 Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
- Proverbs 4:13, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.

5 Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?
- 1 Chronicles 29:5, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House) 1984.

Dear Friends in Christ, but especially dear 14 members of the Confirmation Class of 2000:

As we observe your Confirmation today, I would guess that many of us can recall being in the same spot.  I would guess that those of us who have been where you are now can call to mind certain memories of our own Confirmation.

What might some of them be?  Perhaps it was what we wore that day.  Or what our Confirmation verse was.  Or who the other young people were in our class.  Or how nervous we were at our Examination.

The reason Confirmation is for many of us a memorable event is because it is intended to be a memorable event in our lives.  That’s why we make such a special occasion of it.  After all, it’s not every Sunday in our youth that we wore white robes or processed to the front of the church or received an individual blessing before the altar.  We did that only on one Sunday, and so will you.  The day of our Confirmation.

In the years to come each of you will also have your own memories of your Confirmation.  Certain things that were said or done on or in anticipation of this day may stick with you.  And again, that’s how it should be, because this is a memorable event…

But what I hope and pray you will remember on this milestone occasion in your lives goes far beyond what you are wearing or how you feel today. And so, on the basis of the passages from God’s Word which we heard just a moment ago, this my prayer for you… my encouragement to you… and my counsel for you on this special day:  There are really only

NUMBER ONE:  REMEMBER YOUR INSTRUCTION.  "Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life."  The divinely inspired author of these words is Solomon.  We find this passage in the Book of Proverbs.  You will recall that Solomon was known far and wide (and to this very day) as a very wise man.  In the chapter from which this verse is taken, Proverbs 4, Solomon talks about the subject of wisdom.  And in this short little verse which we just read, God, speaking through Solomon, actually has four different pieces of advice for you…

The first piece of advice is this:  "Hold on to your instruction."  What kind of instruction do you think he’s talking about?  Math?  English?  Social Studies?  No.  He’s talking about instruction in spiritual matters – the Word of God.  This is what you are told to "hold on to."

One of the things that confirmation means is that a period of formal, systematic instruction between you and your pastor has come to an end.  Throughout your young lives all of you have studied the Word of God at one place or another and to one degree or another.  But for all of you, these last two years have been more concentrated than ever before.  On Thursday night you were examined.  You did well, proving that you had learned from your instruction…

So now what?  Hold on to it!  Think about the things you’ve learned and how they apply to every area of your life and incorporate them into every decision you must make.  Pray that God will keep you as close to His Word in the future as He has the last couple of years in catechism class.  Read your Bible regularly and periodically review your catechism.  Feed your spiritual life in whatever ways are open to you.  In other words, remember this piece of godly advice from wise King Solomon:  "Hold on to (your) instruction."

Solomon’s second piece of advice about your instruction is this:  "Do not let it go."  When you were little and you went to the zoo or a party, did you ever get one of those helium balloons?  You know, the ones that stay up in the air all by themselves.  They’re fun to have, but you have to hold on to them.  If you don’t, if it slips out of your grip or if you intentionally open your hand, it’s gone.

Think of your instruction as one of those balloons.  With God’s help, each of you has the power to hold on to the truths of the Christian faith that you have learned.  But you also have the capability of letting it go.  This can be done quite easily, actually, if… you no longer think about these things.  Or if you aren’t faithful about coming to church.  Or if you take the attitude that I know everything there is to know and don’t read your Bible or catechism.  Or if you simply don’t attend to your spiritual life.  Then you’ll be letting go of all that you’ve learned.  Like the balloon that is let go, you can still see it for a while.  But it gets smaller and smaller, and eventually it’s gone.  Solomon’s second piece of advice to you takes the form of a warning:  "Do not let it go."

Thirdly, "Guard it well."   We guard things that are important to us.  Let me give you an illustration.  If you ever collected sports cards or know someone who does, you can probably appreciate what I’m about to say…

I have a friend who collects baseball cards.  As a part of his collection he has a 1954 Bowman Mickey Mantle rookie card. (You may not know who he is, but your parents do.)  This card was given to him as a boy and it is in mint condition.  It’s a very rare card, and, according to the books, a serious collector would be willing to spend between two and three thousand dollars to have it.  All for one little baseball card.

Let me tell you what my friend does not do with his Mickey Mantle baseball card.  He does not use it as a bookmark.  He does not use it to set his coffee cup on to avoid making a water ring on his furniture.  And he does not give it to his son to put on his bike and hit along the wheel spokes so that his bike makes a neat sound when he rides it.  What he does do is keep this card in a thick plastic container in a safe place.  He guards it because it is important to him and he knows how valuable it is.

What does this have to do with your confirmation?  We’re talking about guarding the things that are important to us.  And there is nothing more important than what you have learned and studied the last two years.  You have learned the Gospel message; how God in love sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross to save sinners like us from the wages of sin, which is eternal death.  You have learned the promises of God’s help and abiding presence in our life that He gives to each one of us.  You have learned the commands of God – in other words, you have learned right from wrong – which we as grateful Children of God willingly wish to obey.

In the Bible, Jesus often refers to those who have faith in Him as having a treasure.  Solomon’s counsel to you is to treat the Word and the knowledge you possess as the treasure it is, and to "guard it well."

Why?  Solomon’s last piece of information gives us the reason:  "For it is your life."  What you have learned in the Word of God translates into life in a couple of ways.  First and foremost, it means eternal life.  In the Book of Revelation Jesus encourages us by saying, "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life."  You are all young, and the thought of your own death undoubtedly seems – and we pray will be – very, very distant.  But every day with its daily reports of car accidents and shootings and tragedies that befall young people as well as old people, the newspaper reminds us that death can come at any time.  And what assurance it is to know that whenever and however our death may come, we will be in heaven – thanks be to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

But there is a second, more immediate way in which the Word of God is "your life."  Knowing what you know translates into a fulfilled, satisfying meaningful life now.  That kind of life comes only to those who know God and know that God loves them.  Unless your lives are going to be radically different from any other life that has ever been lived, you will undergo periods of trial and hardship.  What will you hang on to then?  The words and promises of God that you have learned.

There will be temptations in your life.  How do you make the right choice?  By turning to the Word and instruction from God that you’ve learned.

There will be difficulties and maybe even personal tragedies in your lifetime.  What will comfort you then?  The words and promises of God which you’ve learned.  When you think of all that the Word of God means to you, it’s no wonder that Solomon refers to it as "your life."

Therefore, the first thing today is this:  REMEMBER YOUR INSTRUCTION.  The second, which we will now consider just briefly, is this:  REMEMBER YOUR VOWS.

In 1 Chronicles 29:5 we read, "Now, who is willing to consecrate himself to the Lord?"  By way of background, these words were spoken by King David to his people.  King David loved the Lord and wanted to build God a beautiful temple in Jerusalem.  However, God told David that this was not to be his task, but the task of his son, Solomon.  God did give David the privilege of assembling the materials necessary for the construction, which he did gladly.  In addition to gathering beautiful materials from people throughout his empire, David also contributed substantially from his own personal treasures providing 110 tons of gold and 260 tons of silver (he was well-to-do).  After doing this, he asked his people the question, "Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?"  Moved by their king’s devotion, the people responded and consecrated themselves and their goods to build God’s House.

The vow they took was different but at the same time similar to the vow you are about to take.  Shortly, you will be vowing to the Lord your faithfulness and loyalty.  You will be vowing your willingness to die for Christ if need be, rather than deny Him.  That’s pretty serious stuff.

Vows can be made and taken in two ways:  seriously or not seriously.  The evidence of not taking our vows seriously can be seen all around us.  It can be seen in broken homes and broken marriages and broken business deals.  Promises made are not always promises kept.  And many pastors can tell sad stories of those who have made the same important vows you are about to make, but who are not very faithful in keeping them, or seem to have forgotten them completely.

My prayer for you and the encouragement of everyone here for you today is this:  DON’T FORGET YOUR VOWS.  Think about them.  Take them seriously.  The time is fast coming when no parent or pastor can make you keep them.  Please do all in your power to carry through on them.  Because when you do, your life will be enriched with God’s blessings and you will also have the satisfying feeling of knowing that you have been faithful to a very important promise you have made…

The time of your confirmation is literally minutes away.  In the years to come you will have varied and different memories of your Confirmation day.  And that is just fine.  But above all, you will be well served if you … #1 – REMEMBER YOUR INSTRUCTION, and #2 – REMEMBER YOUR VOWS.

Remember those two things and, no matter what the Lord may have in store for you in the future, you can be assured that all will go well.  Amen.