1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:05,280 Words can't really express how much I've been looking forward 2 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:08,480 to this time together, especially the beginning of this 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,480 week. It's really a fascinating 4 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:15,440 thought, if you think about it. Not just in this place right 5 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:17,240 here, right now, but all over the world. 6 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:22,760 There are millions of people who profess Christ, yes, and we 7 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:26,720 trust that many have put their faith in Christ in a genuine 8 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,720 way. But just imagine the sea of 9 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:33,920 people this evening that are celebrating the fact that they 10 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:38,560 are no longer condemned before God, that their eternal life is 11 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:46,120 secure, that they have hope not just for tomorrow, but forever. 12 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:52,560 And I am so glad that we can remove ourselves from the 13 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:55,200 distractions of life, the responsibilities of life, all 14 00:00:55,200 --> 00:01:00,920 the noise and common focus as a family on what truly matters in 15 00:01:00,920 --> 00:01:04,640 this life. First, John 5 tells us that he 16 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:08,920 who has the Son has life. He who does not have the Son of 17 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:14,600 God does not have life. And as I've been praying about 18 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:20,240 our time, my heart was drawn to a particular passage, more 19 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:23,840 specifically a conversation that the Lord Jesus Christ has with a 20 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,560 particular individual. He had many encounters with 21 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,520 people, but this one stood out to me because Jesus in this 22 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:36,040 conversation teaches a teacher, and he's no ordinary rabbi. 23 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:39,640 This man that he converses with is one of the most prominent 24 00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:43,680 elite in structures in Jesus day. 25 00:01:45,200 --> 00:01:49,000 And in this conversation, the crux of it is that Christ is 26 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:54,680 conveying to him how he and anyone really can attain eternal 27 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:59,120 life. He references Scripture in the 28 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:06,080 Hebrew Bible that moves me, and I'm praying that it will move 29 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:09,320 you. You see, Jesus does not go to a 30 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:13,240 clear prophecy about the Messiah, even though he fulfills 31 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,480 hundreds of them. Nor does he point to the 32 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:21,360 principle found in the sacrificial system that speaks 33 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,280 of a component of the ministry of the Messiah to come. 34 00:02:25,560 --> 00:02:30,200 Instead, he reaches back to a particular episode in the early 35 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:36,160 history of the people of Israel to show what it takes to be 36 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:41,360 saved. And I'm convinced that if Jesus 37 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:46,160 did not make this analogy between the miracle and His 38 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:53,600 mission to the cross, very few would see how this scene points 39 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:57,680 to the Savior, the Savior who we are worshipping and adoring 40 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,240 tonight. And so this passage is what we 41 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:05,360 are going to focus on. Many, if not all of us know John 42 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:08,000 316 by heart. But I wonder if anyone knows 43 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,800 what Christ said to Nicodemus immediately before. 44 00:03:12,880 --> 00:03:15,640 Here's what He said in John 314 and 15. 45 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:20,120 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the 46 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:25,040 Son of Man be lifted up that whoever may believe in Him will 47 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:30,840 have eternal life. What is it about their moment 48 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,520 that shines a light on Christ and what He does and what He is 49 00:03:35,520 --> 00:03:39,000 able to do for us? Well, let's go there together. 50 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:46,840 In Numbers chapter 21, Jesus clearly references to a tragic 51 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,800 episode of the Israelites in their wilderness journey, and I 52 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:55,320 want us to look at it more carefully to see what it reveals 53 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:59,320 about our Lord. Numbers 21, beginning in verse 4 54 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:07,640 from Mount Hor, they set out, by the way, to the Red Sea to go 55 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:11,760 around the land of Edom, and the people became impatient on the 56 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:15,800 way, and the people spoke against God and against Moses. 57 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:18,800 Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the 58 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,160 wilderness? For there is no food and no 59 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,480 water, and we loathe this worthless food. 60 00:04:25,560 --> 00:04:29,040 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and 61 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:33,560 they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died, and 62 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:37,040 that people came to Moses and said, we have sinned, for we 63 00:04:37,040 --> 00:04:38,800 have spoken against the Lord and against you. 64 00:04:39,840 --> 00:04:43,080 Pray to the Lord that he take away the serpents from us. 65 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:48,440 So Moses prayed for the people, and the Lord said to Moses, make 66 00:04:48,440 --> 00:04:51,960 a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is 67 00:04:51,960 --> 00:04:54,240 bitten, when he sees it shall live. 68 00:04:55,440 --> 00:04:59,400 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole, and if a 69 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:03,680 serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and 70 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:07,280 live. I want to divide this real 71 00:05:07,280 --> 00:05:11,200 story, this testimony, into three main categories. 72 00:05:11,400 --> 00:05:13,600 Hopefully it will be very easy to remember. 73 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:18,760 I want us to look at the people's sin, and then I want us 74 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:22,720 to see the people sentencing. And lastly, we're going to 75 00:05:22,720 --> 00:05:26,320 consider and spend most of our time looking at the people's 76 00:05:26,840 --> 00:05:31,960 Savior. What did this people do, this 77 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:37,800 covenant people of God, to warrant the Lord to unleash a 78 00:05:37,800 --> 00:05:41,360 band of fiery serpents to strike them? 79 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,760 Well, we're clearly told here that their complaint was not 80 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:47,680 merely toward Moses, their leader. 81 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:52,600 It was toward God himself. So the first thing that we can 82 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:58,040 see here, obviously, is that they were condemned for the evil 83 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:02,840 of false accusation. Ever since the beginning, Satan 84 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:08,040 has consistently and many times successfully persuaded 85 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:14,920 individuals to question God, to question his character, to 86 00:06:14,920 --> 00:06:18,080 question his motives, to question his ways and his 87 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:20,720 decrees. And we find that even in the 88 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:25,160 garden with our first parents. How Satan the Evil 1 was 89 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:30,160 successful in convincing both Adam and Eve to question the 90 00:06:30,160 --> 00:06:34,120 goodness of God because he prohibited them from eating from 91 00:06:34,120 --> 00:06:38,480 that forbidden tree. And now, many, many years later, 92 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:41,880 we look at this people called Israel and they are echoing. 93 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,000 They are following and continuing the legacy of our 94 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:49,600 first parents because here they are also questioning God's heart 95 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:53,440 and his dealings with them as he promised to bring them safely 96 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:57,560 into the promised land, and yet they believe that he was going 97 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:01,680 to kill them instead. This is what's before us. 98 00:07:02,360 --> 00:07:06,040 The sin that's being committed here is the mischaracterization 99 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:10,480 of who God is and the rejection of the intent behind His word, 100 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:16,040 suggesting that what He has to say is either untrue or it is 101 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,040 something that He is doing with dishonorable motives. 102 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:21,480 But that's not the only sin in view. 103 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:24,160 Here we come and we realize that there is a shocking 104 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:28,200 demonstration of ingratitude. Notice here that they complain 105 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:30,040 one that there is no food or water, even though God is 106 00:07:30,040 --> 00:07:31,800 sustained with food and water consistently. 107 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:36,480 But they also turn to what they call worthless food. 108 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:41,080 Well, you just said that you didn't have food, So what is 109 00:07:41,080 --> 00:07:42,440 this food that you're talking about? 110 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,600 Complaining has a way of blinding us to our blessings, 111 00:07:48,280 --> 00:07:53,480 but what they are highlighting is nothing more than the manna, 112 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:59,960 this heavenly substance that God granted to them on a daily basis 113 00:07:59,960 --> 00:08:02,640 for decades. Now, I want you to understand 114 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,640 something. What would it sound like to you, 115 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:09,680 if you think about this more carefully, of a people who 116 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,440 consider something worthless that they didn't work for, that 117 00:08:13,440 --> 00:08:18,040 they didn't pay for, that they didn't travel for something that 118 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:23,640 was brought to them right before their tents day in and day out. 119 00:08:25,680 --> 00:08:30,800 This is a complaint, yes, but it's also a violation of God's 120 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:33,440 goodness. It vandalizes his character. 121 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:37,200 Even though he showed incredible patience toward them and their 122 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:42,559 parents, they still slapped them in the face and they still 123 00:08:42,559 --> 00:08:45,920 charged him, and they still refused to acknowledge that he 124 00:08:45,920 --> 00:08:49,600 was good. I will never forget being struck 125 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:51,680 by the words of Jude in the New Testament. 126 00:08:51,680 --> 00:08:54,760 And you don't have to turn there where he tells his readers and 127 00:08:54,760 --> 00:08:57,760 he warns them really of the Lord's coming and final 128 00:08:57,760 --> 00:09:02,520 judgement on the earth. And he says this word over and 129 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:05,040 over, the ungodly, the ungodly, the ungodly. 130 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:09,400 And finally he categorizes what the ungodly are and who will be 131 00:09:09,400 --> 00:09:11,800 judged. And the first one on the list in 132 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:15,400 Jude's short epistle are grumblers. 133 00:09:17,160 --> 00:09:20,560 Grumblers. Now, why am I bringing this to 134 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:21,720 your attention? Very simple. 135 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:24,560 I want to show that what we have before us in this story is 136 00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:28,640 another sobering reminder of the sins that invite God's 137 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:31,920 judgement, the sins that make us guilty before a holy God. 138 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,520 You and I may not view it as serious, but we have to remember 139 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:38,000 God is infinitely more holy than we are. 140 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,720 Impatience toward God, accusations against God, 141 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:47,720 murmuring about his dealing with us and in the world, these are 142 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:50,240 the very crimes that made this people guilty. 143 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:54,360 And the standard of our righteous and holy Creator only 144 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,760 becomes more clear when the Lord Jesus Christ arrives on the 145 00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:00,280 scene. And he teaches there on the 146 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:02,880 Sermon of the Mount that it's not only our deeds, it's not 147 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:06,160 what we say out loud, but even the thoughts and the intents of 148 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:10,680 our heart make us guilty as though we've actually committed 149 00:10:10,680 --> 00:10:13,840 them. I can't tell you the amount of 150 00:10:13,840 --> 00:10:16,400 times that I've talked to people who do not believe in Jesus 151 00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:19,000 Christ. And as I take them to the Word 152 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:23,200 to show them what it means to truly be righteous with God's 153 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:26,840 standard, they deflect. And their knee jerk reaction 154 00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:31,720 was, I am a good person. And they're absolutely certain 155 00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:34,400 that if they were to stand before this God, that they would 156 00:10:34,400 --> 00:10:38,000 be granted eternal life, enjoying His presence because 157 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,760 they earned it. It's as silly as looking at a 158 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:45,320 blank wall. And here you have bow and arrow 159 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:49,000 in hand, and you shoot it at this empty wall. 160 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:52,960 And then you run up to that wall wherever you hit the mark, and 161 00:10:52,960 --> 00:10:56,720 you take out a red marker and you draw a little circle around 162 00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:58,560 it and you say, I hit the bullseye. 163 00:11:01,120 --> 00:11:05,960 That's how silly we look when we say that we actually attain 164 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:11,480 righteousness before God, when in reality, God did set a bull's 165 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:13,920 eye mark. And every man, whether they 166 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:18,960 realize it or not, attempt to make that mark. 167 00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:21,280 And we do not just miss the mark. 168 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:27,440 We don't even hit the wall. Paul says all have fallen short 169 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:31,680 of the glory of God. And so we see the sin of this 170 00:11:31,680 --> 00:11:33,360 people. Does it remind you of anybody? 171 00:11:35,680 --> 00:11:37,600 But now we come to their sentencing. 172 00:11:38,440 --> 00:11:40,640 What do we find here in verse 6? Let's read it again. 173 00:11:41,160 --> 00:11:44,040 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and 174 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:47,360 they bit the people so that many people of Israel died. 175 00:11:48,600 --> 00:11:51,000 This principle isn't difficult to grasp, is it? 176 00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:56,080 What the Lord made known in Genesis with a serpent in a 177 00:11:56,080 --> 00:12:01,200 garden, He reveals again in a wilderness with serpents. 178 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:07,680 Sin leads to death. Sin produces the cessation of 179 00:12:07,680 --> 00:12:11,160 life, primarily life towards God in our spiritual man, and 180 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:15,520 ultimately the cessation of this body and a second death, which 181 00:12:15,520 --> 00:12:17,480 is really eternal separation from God. 182 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:22,760 Death did not exist in Genesis 1 and 2, but it entered into a 183 00:12:22,760 --> 00:12:25,200 world because we made the choice to disobey God. 184 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:29,760 It's the fruit of our distrust and a God who has nothing else 185 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:33,560 but good in mind for us. And that's what we find here. 186 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:37,160 We find this repetition, this theme that's consistent in the 187 00:12:37,160 --> 00:12:40,960 Bible and redemptive history. And for centuries, man has 188 00:12:40,960 --> 00:12:43,520 attempted to reverse this accursed condition. 189 00:12:44,920 --> 00:12:47,600 Even today, there are popular podcasters, are there not, who 190 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:51,880 want to try to live immortal, to pump all these pills and to do 191 00:12:51,880 --> 00:12:54,280 all these different tricks to try to live on. 192 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:58,040 And when they realize they fail and every generation does learn 193 00:12:58,040 --> 00:13:02,840 that they can never come close to succeeding over the 194 00:13:02,840 --> 00:13:08,200 sentencing man then tries to explain, explain death apart 195 00:13:08,200 --> 00:13:11,400 from the truth and all these philosophies and all these ideas 196 00:13:11,400 --> 00:13:13,960 and all these notions that contradict what God says about 197 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,400 it. But there's more here than just 198 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,800 being faced with the wages of sin being death. 199 00:13:22,720 --> 00:13:26,200 All the Bible is so specific. We're also reminded here that 200 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:30,600 sin brings pain. Isn't that interesting in verse 201 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:35,240 6 that the serpents that were released we're no ordinary 202 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:37,160 reptiles? We're told that they were fiery. 203 00:13:37,840 --> 00:13:41,600 Now there's debate among some if this description is meant to 204 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:47,720 show what they look like, or if it's what the venom produced 205 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:53,400 when fangs were struck and sank into the flesh of these rebels. 206 00:13:53,920 --> 00:13:59,480 I believe the latter is more likely fiery serpents, the 207 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:05,440 inflammation that would race through the veins, the pain that 208 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:09,680 would cramp in the sinews, in the muscles, this invisible heat 209 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:12,720 that would consume the organs and shut them down. 210 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:18,720 What we're being reminded here is that sin also brings torture, 211 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:26,480 not just to our bodies, in our world, in our relationships and 212 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:29,160 how we perceive and how we deal with one another. 213 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:32,400 And as I was looking at this the other night, I was thinking 214 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:38,080 about Genesis 3 when we opened the door to sin to come in 215 00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:40,440 originally. And you don't have to turn there 216 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:43,120 again, but let me read these words to you as the Lord walked 217 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,560 in the cool of the day and he found Adam. 218 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:51,800 And then after pointing out that they have sinned, he turns to 219 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:53,840 the serpent, and he says something to the serpent. 220 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:57,520 He turns to Eve and he turns to Adam and he pronounces 221 00:14:57,520 --> 00:14:59,320 judgement. Listen to what he says to Eve in 222 00:14:59,320 --> 00:15:02,760 Genesis 3/16. To the woman he said, I will 223 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:09,920 surely multiply your pain in childbearing, in pain, you shall 224 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:13,000 bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to 225 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,680 your husband, but he shall rule over you. 226 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:18,600 Notice what he says in the next verse. 227 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:22,080 Genesis 317 And to Adam, he said, Because you have listened 228 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:25,000 to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which 229 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,000 I commanded you, you shall not eat of it. 230 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:30,240 Curse is the ground because of you in pain. 231 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,480 You shall eat of it all the days of your life. 232 00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:42,320 I want to remind you that every ache in your bones, every sting 233 00:15:42,320 --> 00:15:48,720 from someone's unkind words, every sense of betrayal, every 234 00:15:48,720 --> 00:15:51,880 natural disaster, every terrorist attack, every school 235 00:15:51,880 --> 00:16:00,240 shooting is a loud and clear reminder that sin brings pain. 236 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:01,960 It wasn't part of God's original plan. 237 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:03,880 Pleasure was God's original plan. 238 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,320 Life, everlasting life, was what He desired for us. 239 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:13,920 And so we see the sentencing. It's true for us as well. 240 00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:15,640 May look different, but it is true for us. 241 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:16,720 And I want to say something to you. 242 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:22,720 Sometimes the effects of man's evil are sudden, and other times 243 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:25,520 they leak in slowly. Sometimes sin makes things 244 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:29,040 explode and other times sin erodes. 245 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:33,680 But one thing is certain, sooner or later the consequences of sin 246 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:38,440 will be felt in this life one way or another. 247 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:43,440 Now we come to the people Savior. 248 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:45,320 This is where I want to spend most of the time. 249 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:50,160 It's at this particular point Christ captures and then 250 00:16:50,240 --> 00:16:53,160 provides the true interpretation to Nicodemus. 251 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:55,640 And it's so plain to us, isn't it? 252 00:16:55,680 --> 00:16:59,800 In the same way that this bronze serpent was lifted up so that 253 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:02,960 those who would behold it would be redeemed and rescued from 254 00:17:02,960 --> 00:17:06,440 their poison. As Christ was lifted up, whoever 255 00:17:06,440 --> 00:17:11,280 would look on him with the eyes of faith will also be healed and 256 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:14,319 rescued from the poison and the penalty of sin. 257 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:18,319 But there's so much more, so much more in this if you just 258 00:17:18,319 --> 00:17:19,839 look at it carefully. And I want to bring up some 259 00:17:19,839 --> 00:17:23,000 thoughts that I hope will stir your heart to worship the wisdom 260 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,599 of God in this awesome book before us. 261 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:30,520 First, I want you to see how precise the Bible is. 262 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:36,880 Moses was not commanded to take one of the serpents that shot 263 00:17:36,880 --> 00:17:40,800 out of the sand and then to place it on the pole. 264 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:46,680 Was he told to do that? God told him to make a bronze 265 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:51,000 serpent. Why is that significant? 266 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,360 Well, it makes more sense if you believe that this points to 267 00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:56,280 Christ. It reminds me of what Paul says 268 00:17:56,280 --> 00:18:01,120 to the Romans in Romans 8. Three, that God sent his Son in 269 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:08,240 the likeness of sinful flesh. In the likeness of sinful flesh. 270 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:12,800 The Holy Spirit guided Paul very carefully in his wording here. 271 00:18:13,400 --> 00:18:15,520 What Paul is saying is that although Christ in his 272 00:18:15,520 --> 00:18:22,120 incarnation is fully and truly man, he was not sinful as every 273 00:18:22,120 --> 00:18:26,200 man is. That's why he says in the 274 00:18:26,200 --> 00:18:31,000 likeness of sinful flesh that once again Christ did become 275 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:34,440 every part man. Where he stopped short is 276 00:18:34,440 --> 00:18:38,480 inheriting A sinful nature. And when we come to the story, 277 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:41,800 we realize that this was previewed in Numbers chapter 21, 278 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:46,560 that the serpent on the pole was made in the likeness of these 279 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:49,760 fiery serpents, but it did not possess any poison. 280 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:53,240 In other words, the bronze serpent identified with the 281 00:18:53,240 --> 00:18:57,280 other serpents in a substitutionary sense, as though 282 00:18:57,280 --> 00:19:02,640 it represented them, and it was bronze saying why is that 283 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:04,840 important? Because bronze as a material in 284 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:07,440 the Old Testament, especially even in the new, is a consistent 285 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:13,720 pointer to judgement. So this bronze serpent, this 286 00:19:13,720 --> 00:19:18,400 material that speaks of judgement, is not corrupt. 287 00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:20,920 It's not intrinsically contaminated like these other 288 00:19:21,040 --> 00:19:25,360 serpents that are Slytherin around all this, even this 289 00:19:25,360 --> 00:19:28,440 points to Jesus Christ. But then we come secondly, what 290 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,880 do we notice? Consider how the raised serpent 291 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:37,560 became the sole source of this people's salvation, and consider 292 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:42,360 how simple it was to receive its healing power. 293 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,560 The people were not told to look to anything in the Tabernacle. 294 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:51,560 The people were not told to even look at Moses, for that matter. 295 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:56,040 God singled out this icon, set it apart, raised it up. 296 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:58,880 It says this and this alone shall you look upon. 297 00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:04,160 And this thing which moves me was detached from anything with 298 00:20:04,160 --> 00:20:08,080 the law. All the Lord was asking for from 299 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:12,440 this people was their faith. Just believe I've prescribed 300 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:14,480 this. I'm asking you now to trust me 301 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:16,720 in it. But there's more. 302 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:21,760 He lifts it up. Why is that important? 303 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:25,840 He lifts it up so that it can be visible to everyone. 304 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:29,440 Now you know what the Lord could have said. 305 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:31,640 All right, you guys all rebelled against me. 306 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:35,360 Crawl. Go touch it. 307 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:41,280 Drag your poisoned body, and hopefully you'll make it. 308 00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:46,320 Or he could have let the serpent just be on ground level. 309 00:20:46,440 --> 00:20:48,240 Right? All right. 310 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:51,160 This will benefit those who are closest to this thing. 311 00:20:51,680 --> 00:20:55,320 No, He raises it up as a banner. Why? 312 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:58,000 Because He wants to make it as available as possible. 313 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:02,840 How do we make sense of this? Well, it's not Christ. 314 00:21:02,840 --> 00:21:07,680 Equally gracious that no matter how far the poison of sin has 315 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:10,600 spread in your life, no matter what kind of destruction it 316 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:15,920 brought about, no matter how weak it has made you, Christ has 317 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:19,440 ordained that man can be saved simply by looking to the cross 318 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:22,520 and believing with your heart that he loves you. 319 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:26,600 And he's willing to remove the penalty and even the power of 320 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:30,680 sin from your life. No matter where you are, you can 321 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,000 see him and you can receive from Him. 322 00:21:36,360 --> 00:21:38,720 Certainly this is a statement of the grace of the Lord Jesus 323 00:21:38,720 --> 00:21:43,000 Christ, but I argue it's more because what Jesus offers in the 324 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,960 New Covenant is far greater than what's happening here. 325 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:47,840 Let me give you 1 instance of why. 326 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:50,560 Look again at verse 7. And the people came to Moses and 327 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:53,080 said we have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and 328 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:55,800 against you, prayed to the Lord that he take away the serpents 329 00:21:55,800 --> 00:21:59,320 from us, and then the Lord gave the solution to Moses. 330 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:04,440 Is that how it happened with you and I on this side of the cross, 331 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:10,560 the God the Father send the Son only when you and I as the human 332 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:13,720 race were sick and tired of what sin was doing in our world, so 333 00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:16,560 we collected our faith and cried out to the heaven and says 334 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:19,160 please save us. Is that what we did? 335 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,800 Is that when the Lord said now it's time they've humbled 336 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:28,320 themselves, go and fetch them. No, this is what we learned 337 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:31,360 according to Romans 5 and verse 10. 338 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:36,160 For while we were enemies, for while we were enemies, we were 339 00:22:36,160 --> 00:22:38,480 reconciled to God by the death of His Son. 340 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:46,200 When your back was towards Him, when you were loving your sinful 341 00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:52,760 life, when you were consciously disobeying the will of God, it 342 00:22:52,760 --> 00:22:58,320 is that posture of yours and mine that we offer to Him as 343 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:01,640 Adam's race. And yet still the Father sends 344 00:23:01,640 --> 00:23:09,200 the Son, and the Son willingly goes to rescue us while we were 345 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:12,200 enemies. That being said, I think it's 346 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:14,760 very important to establish that we are not universalist. 347 00:23:15,920 --> 00:23:19,880 That just because Jesus Christ tasted death for everyone does 348 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:22,120 not mean that every person, no matter what they do or what they 349 00:23:22,120 --> 00:23:23,680 believe, will automatically be saved. 350 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:26,400 That is untrue. And we see instances of personal 351 00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:29,000 responsibility even here in this story. 352 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,320 Notice that no one could look for another. 353 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:40,160 Everyone was responsible to plant their eyes on the bronze 354 00:23:40,160 --> 00:23:45,160 serpent for themselves. And in like manner, please 355 00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:48,280 listen carefully. You can't depend on your mom's 356 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:52,720 faith or your father's faith. Salvation is not a family 357 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:55,960 package. It doesn't matter if your older 358 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:59,400 sibling, who might have invited you tonight, looked upon Christ. 359 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:01,720 It doesn't matter if your spouse looked upon Christ. 360 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,440 Have you? Did you make a conscious 361 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,840 decision of placing your full trust in the finished work of 362 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:14,760 Jesus Christ for your salvation? He already made it so simple for 363 00:24:14,760 --> 00:24:19,600 us, but you also have to respond as you're moved by the 364 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:22,120 simplicity and the richness of that invitation. 365 00:24:24,600 --> 00:24:28,320 Besides that, you might consider this that there are some who 366 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:30,320 would look to this story and think it's absurd. 367 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:35,000 What is a bronze serpent being lifted up have to do with 368 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:37,560 healing? How is that logical? 369 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:45,800 How does that make sense? Interestingly, that same kind of 370 00:24:45,800 --> 00:24:48,600 attitude is anticipated when it comes to the gospel message. 371 00:24:48,600 --> 00:24:52,160 Do you remember what Paul said in First Corinthians 118? 372 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:56,160 That the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are 373 00:24:56,160 --> 00:25:00,000 perishing? Where's my effort in this? 374 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:05,160 What is a Jewish man who claimed to be God being crucified by the 375 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:08,680 Romans and the Pharisees have to offer me? 376 00:25:09,120 --> 00:25:13,520 If God is real and heaven is real and hell is real, how does 377 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:18,520 this line up? You know, if you actually had 378 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:22,600 more or less than self-righteous religionists write this story 379 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:25,560 for themselves, they might change it up a little bit. 380 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:29,280 Instead of the idea of looking upon something and believing 381 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:33,240 that it is enough to redeem you, there might be the instruction 382 00:25:33,240 --> 00:25:38,280 for every Israelite for himself. Exterminate those serpents. 383 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:44,280 Team up and get rid of them. So that sounds silly. 384 00:25:44,880 --> 00:25:47,480 They were already bitten, yes, But that's what we're doing 385 00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:51,800 today in society, is it not? What are we doing here as a 386 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:53,080 culture? What have we been doing since 387 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:57,040 the beginning of time? Dealing with the consequences of 388 00:25:57,040 --> 00:25:59,400 sin? With human philosophy, man made 389 00:25:59,400 --> 00:26:05,160 ideology, being told by others? Suppress, reform, resist in your 390 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,080 own strength. Here's another school of thought 391 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:10,240 that can bring enough self esteem here. 392 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:12,240 Here's another idea that could bring inner healing. 393 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:15,240 Here's a way for you to attain Christ's consciousness. 394 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:18,280 All these different concepts and all we're really doing is trying 395 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:20,880 to swat away these serpents that have already successfully 396 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:29,040 poisoned us. So if you struggle as a skeptic 397 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:32,160 with this story, not just with the account itself, but with the 398 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:37,480 idea that looking at something is actually going to help me. 399 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:41,600 More importantly, looking at Jesus with the eyes of faith and 400 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:43,640 receiving him is actually going to save me. 401 00:26:44,080 --> 00:26:46,880 Can I remind you that this is God's idea did not originate 402 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:50,520 with man? Was it Moses that went to the 403 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:51,920 Lord and says, Lord, you know, I have an idea. 404 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:55,880 Why don't we take a bronze serpent and why don't we lift it 405 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:58,320 up on a pole? That wasn't from Moses, it was 406 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:02,520 the Lord's. Equally true, the plan of 407 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:05,200 salvation was determined from eternity past. 408 00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:10,880 Men did not conjure it up. Bunch of disciples in Jerusalem 409 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:13,520 thousands of years ago didn't think about this idea so that 410 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:16,880 they can gain popularity in their unique movement. 411 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:18,760 No, in fact they all died for this movement. 412 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:25,200 So we see something clearly here about Jesus and what he offers 413 00:27:25,200 --> 00:27:29,000 us in the simplicity of it and how demands our humility in 414 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:31,400 order to benefit from it. Let me make a final point. 415 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:35,400 I want you tonight to consider the efficacy of God's provision 416 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:39,280 in Christ that outshines what we see in this account. 417 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:43,200 This is not the last time that you and I read of the bronze 418 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:44,800 serpent. And for those who come on Friday 419 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:46,720 night Bible studies, you remember this from our recent 420 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:50,520 study that you see it appear much later on. 421 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:55,160 We're talking 800 years after this moment, long after the 422 00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:57,280 people of Israel were established in the Promised Land 423 00:27:57,280 --> 00:28:01,560 and a Kingdom arose and different kings that most of 424 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:04,040 them failed to uphold God's standard of righteousness. 425 00:28:04,240 --> 00:28:06,560 We do come to 1 king by the name of Hezekiah, and he's a 426 00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:10,120 righteous man and he longs to bring spiritual renewal and 427 00:28:10,120 --> 00:28:12,080 revival to his people. So what does he do? 428 00:28:12,640 --> 00:28:16,200 He starts a campaign to consecrate everything and part 429 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:21,000 of that campaign was to destroy idols, idols that the same 430 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:26,040 people who experienced the true and living God we're now 431 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:29,040 worshiping. And here's what we read in 432 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:33,600 Second Kings 18 verse 4, as this is our final verse for tonight. 433 00:28:34,760 --> 00:28:38,040 He, being Hezekiah, removed the high places and broke the 434 00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:42,000 pillars and cut down the ashra, and he broke in pieces the 435 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,680 bronze serpent that Moses had made. 436 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:48,400 For until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to 437 00:28:48,400 --> 00:28:51,440 it. It was called Nehushtan. 438 00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:58,720 So obviously this symbolic serpent meant a lot to the 439 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:00,800 people of Israel. They preserved it for centuries, 440 00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:05,320 but like many good things, they made it into an object of 441 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:08,200 worship. And at this point, it became a 442 00:29:08,200 --> 00:29:14,400 regular event for these citizens of Israel to offer things to 443 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:18,240 this bronze pole and to worship it. 444 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:21,640 But here's what's so astounding to me. 445 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:26,400 There is no evidence whatsoever that it could do anything for 446 00:29:26,400 --> 00:29:30,880 the people, that the only healing virtue that flowed from 447 00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:34,000 it was available on this particular awful day in Numbers 448 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:37,920 chapter 21. So they memorialized something, 449 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:39,760 but it was just that it was a memory. 450 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:43,200 No matter how many sacrifices they made before, it could not 451 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:45,800 heal anyone. No matter how long they stared 452 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:52,000 at it, it could not heal them. But then remember, this points 453 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:54,560 to Christ. And we know that Christ was 454 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:58,040 lifted up in our calendar today, around 2000 years ago. 455 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:02,360 Here's the difference. You today, sitting in that Pew, 456 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:08,120 if you're a Sinner, if you know that you are not saved, you can, 457 00:30:08,120 --> 00:30:11,280 with the eyes of faith, look upon the gospel message, Believe 458 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:13,840 that He died for you. Believe that if you repent and 459 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:16,760 trust them, you can be saved and you will be saved. 460 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:22,040 It will work. What Jesus Christ did on the 461 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:25,200 cross 2000 years ago still has power. 462 00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:28,400 It can transform you right here, right now. 463 00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:30,800 Isn't that why we've gathered here? 464 00:30:31,920 --> 00:30:34,040 We're not here out of ritual. We're here because we want to 465 00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:36,840 sing and we want to honor Christ for what He's done in US. 466 00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:41,400 And I'm sure if we take the next hour or two and open this pulpit 467 00:30:41,400 --> 00:30:44,600 up for people to come up and share what Christ has done for 468 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:48,520 them, you would realize that what He did 2000 years ago still 469 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:52,360 has power in 2025. And that's where I want to 470 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:55,800 conclude before we break bread. Are you in sin? 471 00:30:57,480 --> 00:30:59,480 Do you know down deep in your heart you don't believe in 472 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:01,480 Christ? He's not your Lord, He's not 473 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:05,600 your Savior. It's very possible that you're 474 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:08,480 here and you've heard all these truths before you. 475 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:11,800 You've probably even heard a sermon out of Numbers 21, like 476 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:13,680 what you just heard in this past 30 minutes. 477 00:31:14,800 --> 00:31:18,240 But it hasn't moved you, hasn't convicted you. 478 00:31:21,000 --> 00:31:23,360 But perhaps even now in the sound of my voice, there is 479 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:26,440 there is a feeling you've never known before, and that is 480 00:31:26,440 --> 00:31:29,760 conviction. And your eyes are beginning to 481 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:33,320 open up and realize there's something here. 482 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:41,120 There's something here if you are experiencing that conviction 483 00:31:41,120 --> 00:31:44,640 for sin, if you realize in this moment something about the love 484 00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:48,000 of God, don't silence your conscience. 485 00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:53,640 Scripture says today if you hear His voice, today if you hear His 486 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:57,360 voice. And so if you hear His voice 487 00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:00,640 today, I want to invite you to make the most important decision 488 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:05,240 that you can make in this life. And that is to renounce your sin 489 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:12,960 and to recognize that God loves you and that every vile thing 490 00:32:12,960 --> 00:32:16,880 that you have done, the poison you've allowed in your life, the 491 00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:22,320 poison that you have brought to other people's lives, anything 492 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:27,960 and everything can be forgiven if you in this moment want to be 493 00:32:27,960 --> 00:32:32,480 forgiven. Do you see Him? 494 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:36,800 Is this truth real to you in this moment? 495 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:43,080 Do not take that for granted. That's a supernatural act of 496 00:32:43,080 --> 00:32:48,760 grace, and it's your moment to acknowledge that Christ is 497 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:52,200 calling you home and that you can be born again. 498 00:32:52,200 --> 00:32:56,120 Do you realize that when Jesus shared that analogy from John 499 00:32:56,120 --> 00:32:59,000 chapter 3, it's in the context of him teaching about what it 500 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,880 means to be born again? What does it take to be born 501 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:08,080 again, to be new, to be spiritually revived? 502 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:11,960 What does it take? Look, look upon him. 503 00:33:12,160 --> 00:33:13,360 What do you mean? Like, what am I looking at? 504 00:33:13,360 --> 00:33:17,560 Like a screen? No, no, no, in your heart of 505 00:33:17,560 --> 00:33:22,760 hearts you behold His love, you understand the implications of 506 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:27,040 His sacrifice on the cross, and you respond to that message. 507 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:30,520 Thank God we don't have to go anywhere. 508 00:33:30,520 --> 00:33:32,560 Thank God we don't have to jump through hoops. 509 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:35,600 Thank, thank God there isn't this elaborate process before we 510 00:33:35,600 --> 00:33:38,680 get God's attention. He has already lifted up His 511 00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:42,000 Son. All you have to do is look upon 512 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:43,360 Him by faith.