You have already heard the text read for the morning service. John chapter 3 verses 13 through 15 especially. The title of the message this morning is Christ Our Brazen Serpent. And if you would turn with me to Numbers chapter 21. Numbers chapter 21 verses 6 through 9. And we will read the companion passage to John chapter 3 verses 13 through 15. Numbers chapter 21 verses 6 through 9. And here we find the children of Israel crying out against Moses after he has led them under God's hand from Egypt. And the grim aftermath of this complaint in verse 6 of Numbers 21, And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee. Pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.' And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. The scriptures can occasionally be difficult to interpret. Anyone who has ever sat down for a lengthy conversation with a Methodist or a Presbyterian or a Campbellite on 1 Peter 3, verse 20, where we read that, wherein a few, that is eight souls were saved by water is in for a very long conversation indeed, whether regarding the biblical position of baptism and what it means here to be saved by water. But there are other passages were exceedingly easy to interpret and to understand. And in John chapter 3 verses 13 through 15, we have one of these instances. Christ makes it easy for us to understand by explaining it to us himself. The serpent held up on the pole in Numbers 21 verses 6 through 9 is Christ himself. Let there be no confusion. And it is my hope and prayer that we will look to Christ, exalted this morning, and find in Him salvation. Now in this message, I want to look at three things. I'm sorry, four things. First of all, man's problem. Secondly, God's remedy. Thirdly, man's response. And finally, the result. So let us first of all look at man's problem. Numbers chapter 21 verses 6 through 9 in John chapter 3 both open with a serious problem. The context of Numbers chapter 21 is of man's sin, man's rebellion, and man's discontent. In John chapter 3 we have a man called Nicodemus who comes to Christ recognizing that Nicodemus himself has a problem. He has devoted some 40 years of his life to building his own personal Tower of Babel. And he comes to Christ looking for insight. Christ, give me the answer that will help me to put the capstone on my Tower of Babel to finally pierce the heavens and to take hold of God myself. He recognizes that his time in this life is limited. And he seeks to complete that which he has spent his entire life building in the legalism of the Hebrew System. Man's problem, man's central problem addressed in both texts is that of sin. And what is sin? We understand that sin is a breaking of God's law. But let us lay out very quickly from the context of these passages what specifically sin, how specifically sin demonstrates itself. First of all, we see that sin is a self centered thing. John, chapter three, Nicodemus comes for insight to Christ. He seeks not salvation. Rather, he wants to find out what he can do to save himself. This is Arminianism. This is the world's religion at its very core. What do I need to do to lift myself up by my own bootstraps? He understands that Christ is very different from many of the other people who have come in times past and in that time. bringing a new way. He sees that Christ has a power that did not belong to other men. But this does not impress upon him any need for him to rest upon Christ. Rather, he comes to Christ as the magic solution to find out what he can do for himself. This is sin. What can I do for myself? In Numbers chapter 21, we find the children of Israel in much the same situation, It is not as benign a situation. They, too, are discontent with God's way. They are discontent with God's provision. They want to hold Moses and God himself to their own standard. They demand their comforts. They demand their desires, their own ways. This is sin. From the very beginning, we find Satan in the book of Isaiah calling out that he will be higher than the Most High. I, I, I, glory for me, power for me, exaltation for myself. We find Eve. relying upon her own wisdom and perception and understanding of right and wrong in taking of the fruit. We find the parable of the wicked city when they are called to come to the wedding of the king's son. They say, we will not have this man to reign over us. Sin at its very basic is the exaltation of self. It is the looking to self. And in clear contrast to this sin of looking to self, we find that the solution in both Numbers 21 and in John chapter 3 is to not look to self. It is to look elsewhere. And may God grant grace. Today, if you see your sin, your leaning upon self, your good works, may you be given grace to look to Christ and to Christ alone. But not only is this sin characterized by the fact that it is self-centered, it is a continual sin. Contrary to what the liberals claim, there is not a moment or opportunity in which we are not sinful. You know, the liberals like to talk about sin as if it's some sort of flu. And, you know, it comes and it goes. In fact, I grew up in a church where the concept of being backslidden That sort of had this connotation, you know, he's just under the weather right now. Spiritually, he's kind of backslidden, but he's still fundamentally OK. Well, that is not what is laid forth for us in the scriptures. For those who are in their natural state, there is no moment in which we are not sinful. Proverbs chapter 21 in verse four reminds us an high look and a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked is sin. The world around us tells us that we are sinners because we do sinful things. And so the solution is to educate in order to render people incapable or unwilling of doing sinful things. And this solves the problem of being a sinner. But the word of God reveals to us that because we are sinners, we do sinful things. Otherwise, Proverbs 21 in verse 4 makes no sense. and high look and a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked. Even those things which we do in a mundane way, going about our lives, our sin before God, simply because we are sinful ourselves and everything that proceeds from that sinful nature is rebellion against God. Proverbs chapter 21 and verse 27, the sacrifice of the wicked is abomination. How much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind. Consider this. if you have come to church today seeking to please God and to get Him to overlook your sin. Seeking to place good works on one side of the balance of your life, hoping that such good works will outweigh those things which you have done evilly. The Word of God reveals that in your intent to save yourself by coming to church, by worshiping God, That is in itself rebellion against God. Isaiah chapter one in verse six reminds us that from the sole of the foot, even unto the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. They have not been clothed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Man's sin is a continual state. Thirdly, man's sin is not only A continual state is not only a self-centered thing, but it is a deep rooted sin. Job chapter 25 in verse 4 asks, how then can man be justified with God or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Our sin is tied to us as tightly as our humanity. To be human is to be a sinner. That's the whole point of John chapter 3. In order to see God, you must be born again because that which is born of the flesh is flesh. It is corrupt. It is sinful. And finally, we see that this is a sin that is condemned even now. John, chapter three, verse 18, proceeding in Christ's conversation with Nicodemus, we see that he that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God, the world would like to tell you that your sinfulness or your righteousness is something that you can put off until the end. The word of God reveals that you are a sinner and you are condemned for such sin even now, and it is God's mercy and God's mercy alone that keeps you. Taking one breath after another that keeps your heart beating. and keeps you from appearing in the very presence of God right now to reap that which is your condition. A sin that is condemned even now. This is the problem with Nicodemus. This is the problem with the children of Israel rebelling in the desert. And this is our problem here today. Now secondly, let us look at God's remedy. God's remedy. In Numbers 21, verse 8, we find, And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole. And it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. John 3, verse 14, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. What is God's remedy for the condition? It is the lifting up. of something or someone. We find that it is God's sovereign initiative. First of all, God's sovereign initiative. The children of Israel cry out to Moses. Moses cries out to God and God gives the remedy. Nicodemus comes to Christ and Christ presents Nicodemus with something that is completely the opposite of what Nicodemus expects. God's sovereign initiative in providing a cure and a remedy for his people. Salvation is of the Lord. It is his purpose and his initiative. Turn with me, if you would, to 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 6. 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 6. 2 Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 6. And here we read, For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. How important is the first chapter of Genesis? You know, we have this great debate over a literal six day creation versus a sort of mythical, open to interpretation evolution. of the world. So important is a literal interpretation of Genesis 1 that the scriptures make the case that you cannot really understand salvation unless you completely understand Genesis chapter 1. Second Corinthians chapter 4 and verse 6 makes an interesting parallel. God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, the God who literally created the world, also literally shines the light. into our dark hearts and opens our eyes to take in the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Who was it who cried out of the darkness? Let there be light. And there was light. Was it not God himself? Who was it who opened your eyes to the truth and brought you to see that you were a sinner? is God himself. Salvation is God's sovereign initiative. Now in Kansas City, we have various initiatives. We have the government, the city government and the state government, the federal government having this day or that day, some sort of educational initiative or some sort of health initiative and so on and so forth. These are problems that men have identified and have desired to address. Man's problem with sin is not your initiative. It is God's initiative to cure it. Any solution which begins with man's perspective or man's desire to save himself is a false one if it does not first begin with God. Not only is this remedy God's sovereign initiative, but we see that this remedy presented for man's problem Man's great corruption is God's prescription. Salvation is not only God's initiative, but it is God's prescription down to the very last detail. In Numbers 21, we find that God commanded what was to be made and of what materials it was to be made and how it was to be arranged and where it was to be presented and that it was to be seen. A brazen serpent, a fiery serpent, raised up on a standard and presented for all the camp to see. Now, perhaps you're like me and don't like serpents. Perhaps you simply wanted to be kind and save some kids from nightmares. Their tents are already Crawling with snakes. Why then should we make a snake for their healing? Let's elevate a fluffy teddy bear rather than a bronze serpent. You see the problem? God's prescription. Anything less is sin itself. Luke chapter 4 verse 18. We find Christ's first sermon. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised. And yet in our own day and age and all throughout human history, since the bringing down of that marvelous sermon, we have the folly of those who question whether we have been anointed to preach the gospel to the poor. Let's preach prosperity to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. Why do we labor to heal the brokenhearted God's way? Let us distract the brokenhearted. Preach deliverance to the captives. It's hard to break someone out of prison. Let's just make them comfortable in their cell. The recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Tall orders, indeed impossible to men. Let us do what is most convenient for us. This is the Pholetus left God's prescription. But not only is it God's remedy, his sovereign initiative, not only is it his exact prescription, but it is God's exalted remedy. John chapter 3 verse 14. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. The Greek word here for lifted up literally means to exalt, to lift up on high, to be raised high, to give prominence. We find this exact word in Acts chapter 5 verse 31. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a prince and a savior for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Luke in the book of Acts testifies to the fact that God has exalted Christ. Christ himself says in John chapter 3 that he would need to be lifted up. And modern theology is very glad to leave that right there. Christ needs to be lifted up but they have no place for his actual exaltation. Luke tells us in Acts chapter 5 verse 31 that God did exalt Christ. But the remedy is God's exalted remedies. Listen, salvation is not a matter of rumor. It is not a matter of secrecy or conspiracy or difficult to find. Salvation is clear and exalted. It is held up for our eyes to see and it should be given prominence. When John the Baptist doubted in his difficult circumstances whether Christ was perhaps who he claimed to be, Christ responded to him in Matthew 11 verse 5. See, the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Open your eyes, John, and see the exaltation of Christ. See the power of God working through his Messiah. And how is Christ exalted? Well, first of all, he was exalted. He was lifted up. He was given preeminence and prominence on the cross. Christ was lifted up for all Jerusalem to see on the cross. The place of his crucifixion was in a prominent place where many In that city, if they would only look up or take an exalted place, could see clearly what was going on. We see the multitudes who followed Christ to his death. They saw it. They saw him actually physically on the cross. But now, 2000 years later, how is Christ exalted? Well, the Catholic Church has solved that problem very well. They keep Christ crucified and exalted, go into Any cathedral like I have done in Brazil, you'll find a life sized Christ painted in gory detail. And if you complain about that with the local priest or official, they'll be glad to take you to John chapter three and tell you that Christ must needs be exalted for people to be saved. And see, we are exalting him as the word proclaims. But such is not the case. Christ is exalted in the word, not in some life size figurine. tacked to some cross in some edifice. Romans chapter 5 verse 8, But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Christ's death for sinners, Christ's exaltation as God's exalted remedy is laid out in his word. Dear friend today, do you see your sins? Are you troubled over them? Do you see their inevitable end? And above all, do you see how your sin, your very nature displeases God and brings his rage and wrath down upon you? Look not to your good intentions. Look not to your good works. Look not to the philosophers and philosophies of this world. Do not even look to the Baptists in whose building you are today. to Christ exalted in the word. But not only is Christ exalted in the word, but Christ is to be exalted in the preaching of the word. Every time the word is opened, every time God's word is proclaimed, Christ is to be exalted. First Corinthians chapter two and verse two, for I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified. The Apostle Paul had three doctorates, at least Jewish history, Jewish law, Jewish language, and then a fourth, which was tied up with the other three of the Jewish religion and ways, a very scholarly man, a very well-traveled man, one who could certainly tell stories and move an audience by his very words and by the depth of his experience. And yet, when it came time to speak to the Corinthians, those who were mired in the sin of the world, What did he do? He laid all that aside and determined to know nothing among them save Jesus Christ and him crucified. I have relatives who are offended and will not go to Baptist meetings because of what they have determined is a preaching of the word that is too direct. Too bold. How dare you stand and preach Christ crucified. Give us stories. Give us enjoyment. Share your experiences. Make me feel good about myself. There is no story. There is no experience. There is no soft and fuzzy feeling which can liberate the broken hearted, which can break the sinner from his chains. Only Christ and Him crucified. Be satisfied. for nothing else. Much is expected of pastors, that they be charismatic, that they be fun to listen to, that they be able to understand what I'm thinking and give that to me before I even know I want it. But the great demand placed upon God's men in the pulpit is that they preach Christ and Him crucified. If Christ is not exalted in the preaching of the word, There is no salvation for the exaltation of Christ. If I be lifted up, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted up. But not only is this God's sovereign remedy, not only is it God's sovereign prescription, but we can take comfort in the fact that it is God's effective remedy. John chapter 12 verse 32, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. Not if I be lifted up, might draw all men, or should draw all men, or would like to draw all men, but I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. Take comfort if you see Christ Exalted today, He is drawing you. Will you not come to Christ? Not to the front of the church, not to the altar, so-called, not to the anxious bench, but rather come to Christ. Luke chapter 19, verses 9 through 10. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation. Come to this house for as much as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. 1 Peter 2, verse 24, quoting from Isaiah 53, Who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed. God's effective remedy, what Christ came to do, He did. No ifs, no possibilities, no chance of failure. The remedy provided by God for our condition is effective indeed. And let me remind you that this is not only God's effective remedy, but it is God's exclusive remedy. Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, Isaiah 45, 22 proclaims, For I am God and there is none else. This is the great danger of the modern day when the Catholics and the Baptists and the Presbyterians and the Unitarians sit down together to worship together. Are we not all children of the same God? And now we've got the Mormons crowding in. Let's all worship God together. Oh, yes, we disagree on some points of doctrine. The Catholics over there believe we need a healthy dose of works as determined by their tradition in order to be saved. But we all agree that there is a need for salvation. And that is why we cannot sit down in these meetings with others, for I am God and there is none else. There is one remedy. Salvation is not based upon your interpretation of the remedy. I am God and there is none else. So look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth, not baptistically, but biblically. And may we always stand on that biblical principle. Acts chapter four and verse 12, neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Why do you look for your salvation elsewhere. Why do you look to words and works and intentions of men? Beware men's initiatives and men's purposes well intentioned, though they may be salvation is, has and will only be of the Lord. Now, finally, I look. I would have you look at man's response, man's response required. Numbers chapter 21 in verse 9, And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole. And it came to pass that if a certain had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. John chapter 3 verse 15, That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. The solution to the Israelites dying in the desert from the bites of the fiery serpent was to look to the serpent of brass, to behold the serpent of brass. The solution in John chapter 3 for those who would be saved for Nicodemus himself was that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life. The Hebrew here for behold means to look intently at, to regard with favor, pleasure, care, to pay attention to, to deeply consider. Now let me illustrate this very quickly. A few weeks ago, Stephanie and I were sitting on our back porch there in our apartment, and someone down the row of apartments let out a dog. It was a large dog. It was a fat dog. It had sort of a black cape and blonde underbody. I seem to recall that it even had a name, although that escapes me. Came out in the backyard, ran around, does things that dogs do, sniffed at things. and then went back home. As we were having devotions, Stephanie and I looked at that dog. And in fact, if you needed us to draw a picture, Stephanie could probably do a better job than I could, but we'd do our best to reproduce the image of that dog. We looked at that dog, but you could not say that we beheld that dog. We did not look intently at it. We had no expectations of that dog. That dog was doing nothing for us. It was simply there. Complete opposite of beholding. Beholding is a complete opposite of merely seeing. To look intently at, to regard with favor, to pay attention to, to deeply consider. Likewise, in the Greek, this believe means to be persuaded of, to place confidence in, to entrust a thing to the fidelity of one, to have confidence, to look with expectation. And so it is you are called to look to God's exalted remedy, not merely academically, not merely intellectually, that one, two, three, there's a problem and one, two, three, this is the response. But rather, you are called to look yourself with expectation that such problem is indeed your problem, that this salvation can be indeed your salvation. Isaiah 45, verse 22, again, look unto me. and be ye saved. Look intently at me, pay attention to, deeply to consider, look with confidence and expectation to me and be ye saved. All the ends of the earth. Again, Romans chapter 10 in verse 13, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Those who will entreat God shall be saved. Look with expectation of salvation, we look to Christ expecting that he will save us as he has promised. This is true faith. We look expectantly for the healing relative to the problem. I suppose that in the. Israelite camp, there were other problems, other physical problems than those presented by the serpent. We might think of a man or a woman who had a physical malady along with the bites of the serpents. They could look to that brazen serpent exalted all day long for the healing of whatever other physical problem, but they would have died just the same from the serpents bites. They were to look to the brazen serpent exalted for healing relative to their central problem, their disobedience their rebellion against Moses. There are many who look to Christ for salvation from their financial difficulties. Just turn on the TV and you've got Joel Osteen, Creflo Dalla, trying to tell you how to be saved so that you will never have another financial problem. I come from a background in Brazil of growing up in a community where the Pentecostals were entreated. For healing from physical problems, people would flock to the Pentecostal church for the removal of tumors and for the sudden healings of paralysis and so on and so forth. Everything that you're dealing with here in Tulsa and Broken Arrow. But we're not called to look to Christ for the healing of paralysis or the removal of a tumor. Or the solution of our financial problem, we are called to look to Christ for that greatest problem, that greatest disease, that death of sin and rebellion against him. Secondly, we are not only to look with expectation, but we are to look with surrender. In Numbers chapter 23, as we have seen after the Lord sent the serpents among the people, they repented. In Luke chapter 23, verses 41 through 43, Here we find the thief on the cross. And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds. But this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Look with surrender. You are called to lay off your own works. You are called to rest with confidence in what Christ has done in his crucified exaltation. You are called to rest in his work, to see his stripes as your healing. So many today do not look with surrender. Consider how foolish it would have been for an Israelite there in Numbers 21 to grasp with one hand the fiery serpent and to even cradle it and love it. And at the same time to look to the brazen serpent. Such was their condition that they were glad to cast off the fiery serpent and to look to God's salvation in the brazen serpent. And yet how many people today hold to their sin and delight in their sin and yet say that they are looking to a crucified Christ. Look with surrender. Look with repentance. Cast off that which is your problem and look to Christ for deliverance thereto. The false theology of the carnal Christian is precisely this, that you can cuddle the snake and still look to God's deliverance and you can't. But not only are we to look with surrender, but we are called to look with humility, a sense of worthlessness of self. Even our own works and intentions and desires are not enough. Mark chapter nine. Verses 23-24, a man cries out to Christ for the healing of his child. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. Look with expectation. Believe, Christ says. And straightway the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief. This man admits that although he is looking with expectation and hope, he cannot do it. He cannot do it in and of himself. His expectation is not sufficient to force the hand of God. If something is to be done, God must do it. Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8, For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Look with humility, seeing that it is not your faith that you created that saves you, but rather God's work. in you. Will you not cry out today, God give me that which I need to trust in thee for in and of myself I cannot save myself. And above all, look with haste. Look with haste. The venom spreads. The wages of sin, which is death, will be discharged and collected. Look with haste today. Consider again the Israelite camp. Perhaps there is someone who had been bitten. And in their affliction, they hear that Moses is exalting a brazen serpent, that if they will only look to it in faith, they will be healed. But perhaps it was an inconvenient time. Perhaps it was drawing nigh to dark. Let's wait until the morning and then we will look. Folly, is it not? The venom spreads, death approaches. Look with haste today to God's exalted salvation. And what was the result? Finally, Numbers 21.9, And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole. And it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. John 3, verse 15, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. The word lived here in the Hebrew means to revive, be quickened, to be restored to life and health. In the Greek, eternal life means life without end, never to cease, everlasting life, real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed in the portion, even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, to last forever. The result is a result that reverses our prior condition. As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Hebrews chapter 2 verse 9, but we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Look to Christ. for the resulting, for the reversing of your great problem. Your great problem is not financial. And if you look to Christ, you will not suddenly find yourself in riches. Your great problem is not a physical malady. If you trust in Christ today, I have no guarantee that you will be healed. Your great problem is sin. It is spiritual death. And I can guarantee you by the word of God that if you will look to Christ, you will have the reversal of that problem. You will have life. Your spiritual needs will be met. But not only is it a reversal of our prior condition, it is a result that exceeds our need. John chapter 10 and verse 10, the thief cometh not, but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. how the health, wealth, and prosperity preachers have ruined this verse. That they might have it more abundantly. The Greek there literally means over and above, more than is necessary, super abundantly. We are not just given spiritual life that we might walk as Adam and Eve in a sense of perfection in the Garden of Eden, but rather we are given eternal life which brings us into the very presence of God as children of God. We gain more in Christ than we lost in Adam and Eve. Listen, the health, wealth, and prosperity gospel preaches a return to Eden. Eden isn't good enough for me. God has promised me his very presence in heaven itself. Have done with your expectations of material blessing and turn with both hands by faith to seize and grasp God's super abundant meeting of your need, heaven. and his presence at last. Not only is there a result that exceeds our need, but it is a result of everlasting benefit. The Catholic Church would teach you that you get life and benefit for a time, but then you need to go back for more. It's a very clever theological construction. But we don't need to go back for a second helping of this everlasting life. We have all that we ever need for all time. Hebrews 8, verse 12, for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more. John 4, verse 14, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. How long is eternal? It is forever. This is the great folly of those who believe that you can lose your salvation. A result of everlasting benefit means to them that it's a result of everlasting benefit if you can work it out sufficiently, but you couldn't work it out sufficiently to get it. How can you work it out sufficiently to keep it? How foolish are man's methods and hopes. They may assuage the guilty conscience for a moment, but there is no eternal satisfaction in them. They may promise momentary relief, but none can provide eternal life in abundance. I knew a woman once she had cancer down in Brazil. She went down to her local Pentecostal church and they claimed to have removed the cancer. She believed that so intently that for a while it did seem as if they had removed the cancer. But within a month she had to go back for a second dosage. And a month after that, the pain came back. And so she went back again. And at last she died in a hospital of untreated cancer. How foolish are men's promises. And praise God that it is not such with him when he comes and when his everlasting response to our condition is exalted. We look to that with the faith which he gives us and our spiritual need is met eternally. In application and in closing, let me ask, will you look today? Christ has been lifted up. Will you look? Will you trust? Will you rest? Will you find that which you need? Let me also point out that the object of our salvation is also the object of judgment upon those who will not look. Acts chapter 17 verses 30 and 31 tells us that at the times of this ignorance, God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead. The great evil genius of our time is that the world has portrayed Christ as a good man. And you may take him or leave him as you desire. But let me add urgency to your looking. If you will not look to him as savior, you will face him as judge. Look to Christ today. And for those here today who have looked to Christ, let me urge you to keep looking. The great joy of the Christian life is that we can fill our eyes with God's exalted remedy. In Numbers 21, after a certain period of time, the brazen serpent came down. Those who looked were healed. Those who didn't died. There was no more need to look to the brazen serpent. There was no more opportunity to look to the brazen serpent. But for those of us in Christ who have seen God's exalted remedy, we can fill our eyes every day in his word with that beautiful, exalted Christ who will and who has saved. May the Lord add his blessing to his word.