[AI translation] The Joshua who led God's people into the Promised Land was not a timid and weak man. His hardness, his determination, his heroism, tempered by the wilderness wanderings, had already been witnessed more than once. But now he too faltered. He is faced with a task so enormous that the great general hesitates: can he dare to undertake it? It has been easy so far: Moses, this mighty man of God, has been with him, he has given advice, he has given orders, he has led the battles, he has solved the difficulties that have arisen. But Moses is no more, he is dead, Joshua is alone, and here he stands with his weary, weary people by the river, to take possession of the land the Lord has given them, to conquer the holy land of his fathers.The wandering in the wilderness had also brought many hardships. And now, when they had come to the end of it, behold, there was no peace and rest, but more strife and peril. For the country they are to conquer is full of many and powerful enemies! They would have come home at last - but the real great struggles are just beginning! That is why the brave and strong man is stumbling, and why the Lord is urging him from on high: "Did I not command you to be brave and strong? Do not be afraid, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God will be with you in all that you do." (Joshua 1:9). At this divine encouragement, Joshua and his people set out to conquer the Promised Land, to fight many dangerous battles!
According to the symbolism of Scripture, the wilderness wanderings symbolise the wanderings of a man who seeks Christ but has not yet found him, the gracious work of God to guide him home, the work of God's grace which leads a soul to the frontiers of the kingdom of God, the beginning of the way of life in which Jesus reigns as King. For the New Testament man, then, the kingdom of Christ is the Promised Land, that is, human life following Christ, obeying Him, establishing itself under His rule.
Wherever a soul prostrates itself before Jesus and says, Lord, my King, I am yours, there is the kingdom of God, the Promised Land! And as in the Promised Land of old, so here too: life with its many risks, perils and struggles only then truly begins, within the borders of Jesus' kingdom. The true people of Jesus Christ will face many and many different enemies. Life following Jesus means a constant battle with the world, with sin, with Satan. Sometimes this battle flares up more intensely than at other times, and then again there is a brief truce, but it does not cease completely until Christ puts the last enemy under His feet and every knee bows at His name, heavenly, earthly and subterranean!
Dear young Brothers and Sisters! Here you stand, like Joshua of old, on the border of the Promised Land, on the border of the life under Christ's rule, on the border of Christ's kingdom. When you now declare before God and before the church that you believe in Jesus Christ, in His saving grace, and promise and vow to be true followers and faithful, obedient and sacrificial members of our Reformed mother church, His army, until death: then this does not mean that you too have at last passed through a certain obligatory ecclesiastical formality, and are thus freed from a burden, but, on the contrary, that the time of your standing is now beginning.
So it is not that you have shaken off a forced yoke after this celebration, but that you are now putting your head into the yoke, the heavy but beautiful yoke of the Lord Jesus! You are now swearing an oath by the King and His kingdom. You have a difficult task ahead of you, because the ancient battle between Christ and the world has been rekindled and is growing ever stronger. And we, older warriors, veterans, weary and often battle-weary soldiers of the Lord, welcome and await you as a fighting army welcomes fresh supplies, a reinforcing troop. Now the faithful troops of this congregation, fighting for the kingdom of God, want to be strengthened by your joining. That's what confirmation means, which is also literally translated in Hungarian as confirmation, the strengthening of the whole church together.
I can imagine that you are hesitant and hesitating before such a tremendous turning point, because you may not yet be able to appreciate the significance of the task that awaits you. "Be courageous and strong, do not be afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God will be with you in all that you do." (Joshua 1:9).
Three times the Lord repeats, "Be of good courage." Surely there is a great reason. He immediately adds, by way of explanation, "For the Lord will be with you." The man who belongs to Christ has every reason to be bold. It was on the Western Front towards the end of the Second World War that the Germans captured some British soldiers, disarmed them and escorted them to a prison camp. But they noticed that these prisoners were behaving in a very calm, even cheerful and superior manner. They asked them why they were in such a good mood, since they had been captured. If you knew the size of the army coming up behind us, you would understand why we are so calm, and that it is not we but you who have reason to fear!
The meaning of this saying of Jesus is very great: "In this world you will have tribulation; but have confidence, I have convinced the world." (John 16:33) This means that He has already fought the decisive battle against Satan and all his mighty ones on Calvary and Easter morning, and now only the defeat of the defeated enemy remains to be done, and even if He can still achieve some successes for a while, His fate is sealed! Can anything increase the courage of a soldier more than the certainty of knowing that he is facing an enemy already defeated, and that the battle is now only for the final, but absolutely certain, victory? Jesus Christ, who has already convinced the world, exhorts us, "Take courage!" Dare to decide for Him, dare to commit yourself to His side, dare to join His camp, dare to pledge yourself to His service to the death, dare to swear an oath to Him and henceforth undertake under His guidance the beautiful fight of faith!
Jesus made no secret of the fact that His followers would also find themselves in situations in which courage would also be needed! He told His disciples plainly, "Then shall they deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake." (Matthew 24:9) There have been times in history when this has happened, literally, as Jesus foretold. But always, Christ's fighting army has triumphed again when it has had to suffer for the sake of His people! Each time Christ's camp has been strengthened when it took personal courage to venture into the temple, when it became dangerous to follow Christ, when those who openly stood with Him were persecuted! So you can be bold, you can dare to confess that you belong to Him, even if it costs you your life!
Be brave! So dare to take on the life of Christ, even if you are alone with Him somewhere! Dare to live a believing spiritual life even in a purely materialistic world. Dare to speak of your faith even where there are unbelievers, dare to pick up your Bible even where it is laughed at, dare to confront sin even when social rules sanctify it, dare to take up the fight against the satanic power that haunts your own heart, for you are no longer his, but Christ's. Have the courage to follow Him ten, twenty, thirty years from now, dare to confess your beliefs in the factory, workshop, office, family circle or teaching post where God will place you in life. Cowardly Christians are no more worthy of God's kingdom than cowardly soldiers in an earthly army.
Be brave! Jesus is encouraging you to dare to be different from the majority, to dare to live a holier, truer, more honest, more honest Christian life, to dare to be more Christlike and Reformed than the generation before you. It is only a matter of daring, because if you dare, then the promise is true: "The Lord your God will be with you in all that you do." (Joshua 1:9) And where the Lord is present, even you alone are in the majority, if you are with Him. How can you not be courageous?!
"And be strong," says the Word, also three times in succession, and once it says: "Be strong! I tell you beforehand that the real trials of your faith are yet to come. Do not think that the tempting enemy will leave you alone! In fact, the more consciously you are Christ's, the more strongly Satan will tempt you, because he has a greater interest in bringing you down. Never forget that we live in a world where it is much easier to serve Satan than Christ, and the enemy will do his best to destroy our faith. He surrounds us with a thousand temptations, a thousand tempting wiles to offer us his wares: vanity, wealth, apparent success, beauty, fame, to ensnare us. Until the moment of your death, this ever-renewed assault continues.
Be strong! Oh, not by gathering all your strength and fighting Satan, for no human strength can stand against him, but by having strong faith in Jesus Christ, Who alone is stronger than Satan and Who promises to be with you in all things and at all times. Be strong - this means to hold firmly to His holy hand and to trust firmly in Him! Strongly believe in His presence always, believe that He is strong, believe that you have strength for all things, you can have strength in Christ who strengthens you! Believe that you can be strong, you are free to be strong, because you have a Savior to Whom all power in heaven and on earth has been given! Once, a woman who had been ill for twelve years approached Jesus, touching only the hem of her garment from behind. It is recorded that, "And Jesus said, One touched me; for I perceived that power came out of me." (Lk 8,46). As if touching a high-voltage wire, the woman was struck by some divine power and was instantly healed. Well then, you, with your prayer, with this arm of your soul, can touch not only the hem of her garment from behind, but the heart and soul of this dear Saviour. How can you not be strong! Be strong!
Here, then, you stand, as it were, on the borders of the Promised Land, and now, as a brave and young army marching to the battle of faith, swear an oath by the victorious commander, our only Lord Jesus Christ! And we, the older generation, who have already fought, have perhaps at times grown weary, and have sometimes even fallen, or perhaps even escaped from the Lord's camp: let us welcome into our midst this supply team sent to strengthen us, so that now, with a more mature head, we may all renew with them our former Confirmation profession of faith and our vows, and together with them we may go forth with renewed strength and courage under the banner of the victorious Jesus!
Amen
Date: 30 May 1948 Confirmation.