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

One day a traveler watched as shepherds were providing their flocks with water. Many different flocks came together at the same time to the same watering place. The sheep became all mixed together. The traveler figured that it would be an enormous task to separate the flocks again, but the shepherds did not seem worried at all. When it was time to leave, each shepherd went his separate way, calling his sheep. And each flock followed its own shepherd. Every sheep knew its shepherd's voice. There are many voices out there calling for you to follow. Don't follow just anyone. Be sure that you...

1. HEAR HIS WORD OFTEN.

You know the Good Shepherd. In verse 14, Jesus says, "I am the good shepherd." Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He laid down his life for us! He made us his sheep in Holy Baptism. In Baptism, He brought us to faith. Jesus says, "I know my sheep and my sheep know me." Jesus has always known us. We believers know him too. We have come to know him through his Word, the holy Bible.

Jesus said, (27) "My sheep listen to my voice." Sheep listen to the voice of their shepherd. We believers listen to the Word of Christ. You have been listening to your Savior's voice for some time now. In confirmation class, you studied the Bible, and the summary in Luther's Small Catechism. You learned about your Savior. You learned what he did for you.

You learned to distinguish between truth and falsehood, between God's Word and the word of mere men, between your Savior's voice and the voice of false teachers. You learned the difference between right and wrong by studying and memorizing the Ten Commandments. You learned to apply those commands to every day life too. You learned that the only God is the Triune God. You learned how the Triune God created this world, redeemed us from sin, and brought us to faith. You learned about Baptism and Holy Communion. You learned about the Keys and Confession. By now, you know the voice of your Good Shepherd very well. You are ready to promise that you will listen to his Word faithfully for the rest of your life.

You know that you are not done. You are not done listening to the voice of your Good Shepherd. Confirmation Day does not mark your graduation from God's Word! You are not done studying the Bible, hearing God's Word, or learning about your Savior. Not one person here today is done with God's Word. I am not done either. We only graduate from God's Word when God takes us to heaven. Until then, we are to listen to our Savior's voice, carefully and often. And our Savior does not speak to us from the clouds. He speaks through His Word, the Bible.

Today you are promising that you will continue to hear and learn the Word of God! You are promising that you will not fall away from hearing the word of Christ. Think carefully about what you are promising today. God takes it seriously; you should too. Sadly, statistics claim that up to 50% of confirmands fall away, and do not continue to hear the Savior's Word. We pray that you will not fall away from your Savior and Good Shepherd! Sheep that stray from their Shepherd are in deep danger.

There are many who would like to lead you astray. Satan is out to get you. He will attack your faith. He will tempt you to sin. He will try to lead you away from Jesus. He does not want you to go to heaven, and he will not give up easily. On your own, you don't stand a chance against the devil any more than a sheep stands against a wolf or a lion. But, our Good Shepherd can defeat him. Our Good Shepherd already has defeated him. Stay close to the Good Shepherd, by Word and prayer, and you will be safe. Follow the Good Shepherd instead of all the false teachers who would lead you astray. Follow the Good Shepherd instead of your old sinful flesh. Your Old Adam will give one excuse after another for not hearing God's Word regularly. Don't listen to your sinful nature! Listen to the voice of your Good Shepherd. Hear his Word often!

2. BELIEVE HE IS YOUR SAVIOR.

In this lesson from God's Word, the Jews wanted Jesus to plainly tell them if he was the Messiah, the long-promised Savior. {25-26} Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep." Those people did not believe in Jesus. They were not his sheep.

But we are. You are his sheep. Today, you are publicly declaring that you are sinners and that Jesus is your Savior from sin. That's what we believe too. Jesus knew that we would never be able to escape the eternal punishment we deserve for our sins. In love, he did all that was needed to rescue us. The Good Shepherd would not just walk away and let us perish in our sins. Jesus said, (11) "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." First, Jesus lived a perfect life as our Substitute. Then Jesus died on the cross to pay for all sin and redeem all sinners. He rose from death on the third day. That means that you are forgiven through Christ. Whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish, but have eternal life. Believe in Jesus as your Savior from sin, and you will live in heaven forever! Believe in him, and eternal life is yours.

In a certain sense, that eternal life actually begins now for a believer, because we will never be separated from our Savior, and we will never suffer eternal punishment. Even now, we live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. Even now, we know what it means to be forgiven. Even now, we know that God will make everything in our lives work out for our eternal good, even when it doesn't seem like it. Sometimes we go through hard times, and maybe no one else on earth can understand what we are going through. Maybe no one else even tries to understand, but be sure of this: your Good Shepherd understands. He makes everything work out for the good of those who love him. Yet, that doesn't mean life will be easy. 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. But God has promised to be with us, to forgive our sins and even forget them. And he will finally bring us and all believers to our home in heaven.

3. LOOK FORWARD TO ETERNAL LIFE.

The Good Shepherd said, {28} "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand." Hold firmly to that promise. Christ has promised to give us the eternal joy of heaven. In heaven, everything will be perfect! Look forward to that. This life may disappoint us, but eternal life will not. If you go through tough times during your teen years, look forward to that perfect world of heaven. You know the way there! There is only one way: faith in Jesus Christ, your Savior. You can be sure that you are going to heaven. You don't have to be doubtful. All believers in Jesus receive eternal life.

Yet, you know that your faith is like a plant. Just as a plant needs sunshine and water, so your faith needs God's Word and Sacrament to survive and grow. After all, Scripture says, "faith comes from hearing the message!" So, be sure to feed your faith often with God's Word and Sacrament. Stay with Jesus all through life.

Jesus said, "no one can snatch them out of my hand." No one can take you out of your Savior's hand! As you hear his Word, he will guard and protect you. Only be sure that you do not stray from him and his Word. Today, you (confirmands) are confessing that Jesus is your Savior, and you are promising that you will follow Him faithfully all the way to eternal life. Trust your Savior to bring you safely there.

Look forward to the future! There are things that you would like to do when you get older. You have much to look forward too. The future looks bright and fun! But do not lose your focus on what really matters. Do not forget your Good Shepherd. At the end of the road, he will be the Judge. Stay with him by faith and you'll have nothing to fear. Follow your good Shepherd all through life, and look forward to a far better world. Try to think of ways that you can serve and follow him during your time of grace. Follow and serve the Good Shepherd all the way to life everlasting. May he keep you close to his heart. May you never fall away from him and his Word. May you always be glad to hear his voice as his Word is proclaimed here at church, and in Bible study. May you finally receive eternal life. That is our hope and prayer for all of you. Amen.