Dear Christian friends:

You know that you have much trouble in your life because of sin. Sometimes because of your own sin you make trouble for yourself and for others in your family. Sometimes another persons sin makes trouble, grief and sorrow for you.

Trouble in marriage, trouble in our family, crime in our city and nation, war between one nation and another happens because of sin, selfishness and greed.

When we live for our self and not for God we make trouble for ourselves. It is not easy to live for God, but very easy to live for sin. Our nature is to sin and not obey God. Only by God's help can we turn from sin to live for Him.

But can we expect help from God? Should not God forsake us and leave us in our mess? True, we deserve that, but thank God for His great mercy and kindness. That God for Palm Sunday, for Maundy Thursday, for Good Friday and for Easter. Thank God for His Son Jesus.

For Jesus' sake He helps us in our trouble and need. Our text today very clearly tells of God's wonderful help in Jesus. So let us attend to our text and pray:


Our text tells us why and how God helps us to turn from sin and live for God in a victorious life now on earth and forever then in heaven.

Jesus, God's eternal Son became our brother. When He was born of the Virgin Mary He who is equal with God the Father became our brother. The Epistle lesson for today, Philippians 2:5-11, "though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men."

So God's Son became a true man like us our brother. Why? To help us. How did He help us? The Epistle lesson says, "he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal's death on a cross." And our text says, "he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."

He not only became our brother He became a replacement for us and God punished Him on the cross as a sinner and law-breaker should be punished. Today, Palm Sunday Jesus rides humbly on the donkey into Jerusalem to give Himself up to the Jews and the Romans. Maundy Thursday He ate His last supper and established the Lord's Supper for our forgiveness. Then on Good Friday He died to give the Lord's Supper meaning and worth. On Easter He arose from death to show His victory over sin, death and the devil.

The Epistle lesson for today says about His resurrection: Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is 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 acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

And our text says about His victory and glory: "Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong." Here God uses the idea of a great King dividing the spoils of war after He and His strong captains have conquered the enemy. The King often gave a conquered city or a whole country to his captain who fought and won the battle. So God the Father gives a great reward to Jesus captain of our salvation who saves us from sin and helps us live to God, helps us to conquer temptation and live as servants of God.

Now as God's servants we are not yet free from the sorrows, sicknesses and pains of this life. As sinners we must also die. But now we can suffer sorrow, pain, losses, yes, death with hope and peace. We know that God loves us and has forgiven us our sins because of Jesus' death and resurrection. The sting of death is gone because our sin is taken away.

So we can suffer trouble, persecution, pain and death with peace and hope. Also we know that is God's plan and will for us. And that helps us very much. When Jesus prayed in the garden on Thursday night He prayed: "Not my will but thine be done." When Jesus knew again that God wanted Him to suffer and die He arose cheerfully and with courage went to meet Judas and the soldiers.

So you, if you remember that all that happens to you is God's will, you will receive much help to accept it without complaint and to suffer it with courage and hope. Even when you stray and God corrects you. You know that is His will to help you turn from sin and live to Him.

You and I must not think that we can wait until old age or when we die to begin a new life to God. No, our new life to God begins now the minute we are baptized or believe in Jesus.

Paul says, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:4) We must not listen to our old sinful nature and fall into temptation and sin. We must die to sin. We must die to sin and live to God.

Sure that hurts. Our nature wants to continue living in sin and selfishness. If we must stop watching the state basketball tournament and attend to church council business that hurts. That's like dying. If we must stop lusting to have sex with a beautiful woman and attend only to our wife, as the Sixth Commandment teaches, that hurts, that's like dying; if we must give up a new car or a new home or a vacation trip so we can give 10% to do God's will in church work that hurts, our old selfish nature suffers and dies, but our new nature arises and wins to live for God.

But we should now begin our resurrection and new life, stop following the devil and live to God. Daily die to sin. Confess sins, seek forgiveness, and pray for God's power to win over temptation. Avoid bad places and bad people.

Remember Jesus suffered to save you. Now with His good example of dying in agreement with God's will and arising with victory and great glory, you can do the same. Do God's will not your own. Make your will agree with His.

This is the true good and happy life. May God help us because of Jesus.

Amen.