In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

Are you ready to answer a few questions? Are you ready to answer a question about the way to heaven? Are you ready to answer to a question about the Bible? What if a friend of yours was dying and asked you: "How do I get to heaven?" Are you ready to answer that question? What if you were at a family get-together and the topic of discussion turned to religion. Are you ready to talk about that? God's Word says...

1. TO CONFESS YOUR FAITH

God wants us to be ready to confess our faith at any time. We should be constantly ready to answer that question about how you get to heaven. I am certain that these confirmation students can handle that question and answer it correctly. But, God wants all of us to be ready, prepared, and eager witnesses.

Our faith is like a plant in many ways. A farmer doesn't plant seeds one day and harvest the crop the very next day. It takes time, so he needs to be patient. It takes good soil. It takes steady application of water and sunshine. Most of all, it requires God's blessing. Nothing grows without God's power and blessing. The same is true of faith. Faith can be planted in an instant. When a child is baptized, the Holy Spirit can work faith right then and there. But, then that faith needs God's Word to continue to grow. Over years of steady application of God's Word, faith continues to grow. This week, our confirmation students are ready to confess their faith. They are ready to receive the Lord's Supper as communicant members. But, this is not the end. God wants their faith to continue to grow. God wants them to be always ready to confess their faith.

We should always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks about our faith. Always be prepared to confess your faith! If you look at Luther's Small Catechism, you instantly see that the book is comprised of important questions and important answers, but the vast majority of the book is comprised of Bible passages. As we study this summary of the Bible, we learn how to answer questions on the basis of the Bible. We learn that the Bible is God's inspired, error-free Word. We learn the Law and the Gospel. We learn the Ten Commandments. We learn about the Triune God and what great things he has done for us. We learn about Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, and the Lord's Prayer. As we grow in our understanding of God's Word, we are better able to confess our faith. But our need to be prepared does not stop with Confirmation Day. No, we need to continue to grow in faith and knowledge of God's Word, so we are always prepared to answer questions about the Bible and faith, always ready to talk about what gives us hope.

Has anyone asked you about your faith lately? Has anyone asked you about the way to heaven lately? Maybe they have and maybe they haven't, but why would anyone ask you about your faith unless they saw your faith in action in every day life? When you were growing up, was there someone in your neighborhood who was always using filthy language? Maybe he was a church member. Would you ask that person about the way to heaven? I don't think so. Or maybe you have known someone who is always acting like they are "holier than thou." They are always looking down their noses at everybody. Are you going to ask that person? Probably not.

So, who would you ask about the way to heaven? Most people would ask a person who seems to know, and a person who seems to care. That takes two things: Christian knowledge and Christian love. That's what we want to aim for. If they don't think you know, they are not going to ask you. People are watching all the time. If you don't talk about your faith or reveal your faith in some way, they probably won't ask. But if you are in Bible study, and faith just shows in your every day life, they are very likely to ask you about it. And then what? First of all, don't be afraid. It doesn't really depend on you, or me. We are just sinners. It depends on God and his Word. He will prepare you, as you hear his Word. He will make you ready.

It's really pretty simple. If you know the way to the Post Office, you can give someone else directions, in your own special way. Do you know the way to heaven? Here's what the Bible says. We are all sinners. We all fall short of what God expects of us. As we examine God's commands we see our sins again and again. We don't love God and his Word enough. We don't love our neighbors enough. We are guilty. Let us all repent. We don't deserve to God to heaven. We deserve to be condemned. But, I have great news! God doesn't want you to go to hell! God wants you to go to heaven! He loved you and me and the whole world so much that he sent his one and only Son to be our Savior. Jesus Christ lived a perfect life for us, and died on the cross to pay the full price for all of our sins. He rose from death because he had won forgiveness for all of our sins. So, this is the result. Whoever believes in Jesus as Savior will go to heaven, and whoever does not believe in him will be condemned. Faith in Jesus is the way to heaven. There is no other way.

Basically, this is what you tell people who ask. You point them to John 3:16 and explain how Jesus did all the work so that believers in him go to heaven. That's it. Now, I wish I could say that everybody who hears this is going to say, "Great!" But, I have to be honest. Some people are going to ridicule this message. Some people are going to make life hard for you. God wants you to always be prepared:

2. TO SUFFER FOR YOUR FAITH

This is when faith really shines brightly, in times of suffering. When you look back in history, the more believers were persecuted, the more the church grew. The early Christians were persecuted and put to death. But the church just kept growing and growing. The more blood was shed, the more the church grew. There's a reason for that. God was working behind the scenes through his Word. As people saw faith in action, as they saw how those Christians faced death with confidence and firm faith, and even joy, they wanted to know more Christianity. They wanted to know more about the Bible. They wanted to know what gave these people such hope and confidence in the face of death. And that's where the questions come in. You guys are dying left and right, what is it that gives you such hope?

Today, we do not have a sword to our throat. But the day might come when that sword is there. Maybe they will threaten to take away our jobs or our homes. Maybe they won't want to be our friends anymore. So be it. The kingdom is still ours! God's Word says, "always be ready to suffer for your faith." And, you will be blessed in the end. In Jesus' sermon on the mount, our Savior said, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." It isn't much fun to suffer this kind of treatment, but God is gracious to us. He promises to take care of us and bless us. Best of all, we know that heaven is waiting at the end of the road. So, even if people make your life difficult simply because you believe in Jesus and serve him, "Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven." That's how they treated the Old Testament prophets. That's how some people treat pastors, teachers, and Christians to this very day. That's how they will treat you too, if you faith is shining brightly. So, always be prepared for that.

I've shared this poem before, but I'd like to repeat part of it. "God has not promised skies always blue, flower strewn pathways all our lives through. God has not promised sun without rain, joy without sorrow, peace without pain." And it goes on from there, but let me say this: God has promised heaven to all who believe in Jesus. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and Jesus will give you everlasting life. You can count on it, because it says in verse 18, "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God." Never forget that! Jesus saved you. Be ready to confess that at 2:00 in the morning. Be prepared to say it even when persecuted. Jesus died for you and rose again. He won heaven for you. Believe in Jesus, and you will live forever. May God grant that to us all. Amen.