Let's read this morning from the book of Numbers, chapter 21. A very familiar passage. We're going to read verse 4 through verse number 9. Numbers 21 and verse 4. They journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea to encompass the land of Edom, and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and our soul loatheth this light bread. 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. We have spoken against the Lord and against thee. And 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. Let's turn over to John's Gospel, chapter 3. where we notice the Lord Jesus now in an instance of personal witness, speaking with a very notable man, Nicodemus, ruler of the Jews. Nicodemus is afraid to be seen talking to this new upstart of a leader, the Lord Jesus, so he comes by night. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, Rabbi, We know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, and ye receive not our witness. If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. 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. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth the truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be manifest, that they are wrought in God. May God bless the reading of His Word this morning with our Bibles open. Will you pray for your soul? Will you pray for the souls of the people that sit in front of you, behind you? Will you pray for me as I seek to minister God's Word of truth this morning? When Jesus Christ talked to men, He did not use abstract terms. He didn't even talk like the Apostle Paul in theological terms. Paul spoke often using theological terms that we recognize as being members of the body of Christ. But it's interesting to notice, when Jesus spoke to men, He spoke in very, very simple language. He did not say anything to Nicodemus about regeneration, although he might have. He came to this very learned man that Christ recognized was ignorant regarding spiritual things and He said, you must be born again. He did not say anything about sanctification, although He may have. He spoke to Nicodemus and He said, accept a man be born of water. He did not try to give a precise theological definition regarding the supernatural work of the Spirit. He simply said, it's like the wind. You have no idea where it comes from. You have no idea where it goes. Such is the effect of those who are infilled with the Spirit of the living God. You know, when you read the teaching of Christ, you'll see also that He When he wants to explain to Nicodemus the nature and necessity of saving faith, he did not go into a long theological diatribe. He referred back to an Old Testament incident that Nicodemus would have been very familiar with, the incident that we read recorded in Numbers chapter 21. And he said, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. And whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. The mention of Moses was significant. The Pharisees, you know, thought so much of Moses. And surely, when the Lord refers to Moses, immediately he has the attention of Nicodemus. As Moses was lifted up. But he goes further because he says, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man You see, there's another thing that rings a chord in Nicodemus' heart, for Nicodemus knew the prophecy of Daniel that spoke of the Messiah as being the Son of Man. So he's speaking in very direct terms, in things that could have been discernible to a common man who's ignorant of theological terms. And he uses here the brazen serpent as an illustration of Christ's death, its purpose, But you know, as we look at this illustration, we have to recognize that you and I do not have the liberty to go back into the history of Israel and drag out every incident and thrust upon it an allegorical meaning. It's very important not to attach an allegorical meaning to Bible facts without authority. Today, people love allegory. And so they go into the Bible and they say, well, here's a type of this, and here's a type of that, and here's an allegory, and there's an allegory. But friends, when the living Christ comes along, and when the Spirit of God says, here's an allegory, then we can take it with the utmost assurance. Jesus Christ said the manna, that's an allegory. Jesus Christ said the smitten rock, That's an allegory. And now as he comes to instruct this man of the nature and the necessity of saving faith, he refers to an allegory in the Old Testament. And so this morning I want to look at verse 14 and 15 as a Holy Spirit-inspired allegory suggesting a powerful remedy against an evil malady. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. What did Jesus try to convey to Nicodemus by inserting this Old Testament narrative right into the middle of his instruction? I suggest to you the first thing I think he had in mind was the terrible nature of sin. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Beneath these words there is a pathetic, a stern and yet true conception of the condition of human nature. The desert encampment, you remember, of Numbers 21, with poisoned men, Lying, dying on every hand is the emblem under which Jesus Christ looks out upon humanity. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. You know, the serpent sometimes is taken as a symbol of sin. And sometimes it is taken as a symbol of evil. But here, the serpent's bite, it signifies the results of sin. I mean, why did the Lord say what He said? As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Why must the Son of Man be lifted up? Because, of course, the terrible nature of sin. Let me suggest two things to you in this allegory that speak of the nature of sin. First of all, the bite of the serpent was painful. Back in Numbers 21 and 6, and we read, And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people. Now, the description of fiery most likely refers to the burning effects of their venom. We're told by old writers that these serpents, when they bit, caused vehement heat so that there was a pain throughout the body as a hot iron had been sent along the vein. This man went on to say, those who had been bitten had a great thirst and drank incessantly and still cried for water to quench the burnings within. It was a hot fire which ran through every nerve and every sinew of the man. They were wracked in pain and they died in most fearful convulsions. To go back into the scene then of Numbers 21, the first thing we recognize is that the bite of the serpent was very painful. Well, you know, this morning we cannot say that sin instantly produces the same effect. But you know, if you let sin alone, it will develop itself in miseries far more extreme than ever the bite of a serpent could have caused. There are many Scriptures that tell us of the painful results of sin. In Romans 3 and 16, destruction and misery are in their ways. Proverbs 22 and 5, thorns. and snares are in the way of the froward. Proverbs 5 and 4, of the adulterous, but her end is bitter as wormwood and sharp as a two-edged sword. Proverbs 14 and 13, regarding the laughter of the wicked, even in laughter the heart is sorrowful and the end of that mirth is heaviness. Proverbs 13 and 15, the way of the transgressor is hard, it's painful. Perhaps the best Old Testament illustration is that of Samson. Read that they took Samson, put out his eyes, brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of brass, and there he did grind in the prison house. There are the three things that sin does to men. It blinds men. It binds them to their sins so that they become slaves. And then you see Samson here grinding. He's doing the devil's work. That's the effect that sin has on men. So the first thing I want you to recognize in light of the painful bite of this serpent is that sin brings pain to mankind. Now we also recognize the positions men occupy towards sin are varied. Because today some are reveling in the pleasures of sin. And you know, they don't see the pain of it. They're reveling in the pleasures of sin We read in Hebrews that last for a season. They haven't felt a sting yet. What are you telling me about the sting of sin? I haven't felt it. Perhaps you read the headlines yesterday. A Malaysian man known as the Snake King, for his commanding performances with scorpions and snakes over the last 25 years, he died yesterday. as a result of a bite from a king cobra. Now his records include living in a glass enclosure with 6,000 scorpions for 21 days. He also broke a Malaysian record seven years ago living with 400 cobras for 40 days. This man was very familiar with snakes and snake bites. In fact, his son said he had been bitten by snakes many times before, including three times by King Cobras. And then his son said, so we didn't think anything would happen. Doesn't that illustrate well the bite and the pain of sin? Perhaps you're in this meeting today and right now you've only experienced the pleasures of sin that are seasonal. And you have tampered and you have tasted and you are enjoying the world's goods right now. And because you have not yet felt the sting of it, you imagine, because you have enjoyed it once, you'll enjoy it again. And like the son said, we didn't think anything would happen. So there are some men today rattling in the pleasures of sin and they don't understand what this means that sin comes with an awful bite. But then friends, secondly, there are people who are enslaved now by its power and they're filled with misery. You ask anybody today who is addicted to alcohol or addicted to any other kind of drug. My wife and I saw a documentary on a heroin addict recently. Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable what that one drug will do to people. There are people now no longer enjoying the pleasures of it. They have to do it to function, and they despise it. And they describe it as hell, but they have to keep doing it. They're beginning to experience the bite and the pain of sin. And then the third degree. Others are beginning to loathe its terrible bondage and are longing for freedom. You know, of alcohol, we read in Proverbs 23 and 32, at the last it biteth. It biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder. I know we have varying views in this church regarding alcohol, but there's a verse right there that makes me very content with our position because at last it bites. It fascinates and then it assassinates. And if you have been in the home of an alcoholic, it would be a small thing for you to give up that you might save some other poor soul from going down that same stinking way. It bites. But that verse speaks of all sin. As we look then at this allegory, we recognize that if you have not yet felt the sting of sin, you will. Oh, the rich man, Luke 16, he lived all his life and apparently escaped the pain of sin. And he didn't feel the bite that came along with it. And so we read in Luke 16 and 24, and he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me. and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in flame." When I see those snakes biting, those fiery serpents biting the children of Israel through the words of Christ, I am reminded that sin is a painful thing. And how unique that the snakebite victim is one who feels the need to drink incessantly. Because he's got burnings within. And here is Lazarus who escaped all the lifetime, the pain of sin, now asking, cool my tongue. So the bite of the snake, first of all, was painful. But notice, secondly, the bite of the snake was poisonous. Numbers 21 and 6, and much people of Israel die. This bite was a very severe bite. It was a venomous bite. It went through the system from one part to the next until the entire body succumbed to the poison. And you know, in the last number of weeks, we've heard a lot about poison. Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian spy who has just died in London, apparently poisoned with some rare radioactive element, polonium-210. By weight, polonium is about a trillion times more toxic than cyanide. I don't know if you ever got a chance to read what he wrote in his dying bed. He said, but as I lie here, I can distinctly hear the beating of the wings of the angel of death. I may be able to give him the slip, but I have to say my legs do not run as fast as I would like. Oh man, I couldn't believe the words. I can distinctly hear the beating of the wings of the angel of death. That poor man had become horribly conscious that there was no possible way of escaping the inevitable. I tried to give him the slip, but my legs did not have the strength to run from the poison that was slowly killing me. As he lay on his bed, he was conscious that it was only a matter of time. Dear friend, today without Christ do you know the only thing? Between you and a lost eternity is time. But it's only a matter of time before you will succumb to the poison of sin. Sin will run its course and we're told that when sin is finished, it brings forth death. As this man could not escape the inevitable, what makes you think you will escape the inevitable? The wages of sin are death. What are wages but that which we rightfully deserve? What are wages but that which we can fight to claim because they're ours? We deserve wages when we work, and a man who sins, he deserves. There is something justly due unto him, and it's death. We know that death is the beginning of endless misery. Scripture describes the lost as being cast into utter darkness where the worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched. Friends, what message did Jesus Christ try to bring to Nicodemus when he said, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Was he not trying to tell Nicodemus that sin's bite is deadly and we've all been bitten? But you say, well, I don't feel it. You might not feel it, but one day you will. And God and mercy comes to tell you of the effects, whether you feel them or not. The next thing we see then in this allegory is the blessed nature of salvation. In the Gospel of John, the term to be lifted up always refers to the cross. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. What does that mean? Well, John, in the Gospel, chapter 12, verse 32, he makes it clear. He says, And if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die. So we're not left to guess what He means by lifting up. When Christ talks about lifting Himself up or being lifted up, He's referring directly to His cross. Here, Christ then likens the lifting up of the brazen serpent in the wilderness for the relief of smitten bodies to His cross where He soon would be lifted up for the relief of smitten souls. Now, in numbers, the people are face to face with physical death. In John's Gospel, mankind is exposed to eternal death because of sin. What is the Lord trying to convey to Nicodemus regarding this? As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, Nicodemus, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. When I look at that, the first thing that comes to my mind is that the remedy of Numbers 21 was a very unlikely one. And I have to imagine that if men are the same in that day as they are today, when the remedy was suggested, there should have been a few to say, you've got to be kidding me. I mean, you've got to be kidding me that you're to put a brazen serpent on a pole to lift it up. I'm looking at that brazen serpent. I'm going to receive healing. It seems almost a mockery to ask men to look at the very thing which caused their misery. You know, when people suffer from a dog bite, they are more inclined never to look at dogs and stay away from them completely. Here are these people then dying. Loved ones probably already died in some instances. And they're told to look to the very thing that caused it, or at least an emblem of it. Shall that which brings forth death bring forth life? The brazen serpent was an unlikely way At least a human reason to deal with deadly wounds. Friends, Christ crucified in the eyes of men is every bit as unlikely to save men's souls. In 1 Corinthians 1.23, but we preach, Christ crucified for the salvation of men's souls. Unto the Jews, it's a stumbling block. Unto the Greeks, it's foolishness. Imagine that that minister is telling me that my soul might be saved unto trust in a crucified Savior. Nonsense! Now, the gospel appears to be the height of folly in man's estimation. But, friends, in the estimation of God, it's the height of brilliance. And God has ordained His Son to be the means whereby the smitten souls of sinners would be redeemed. So the first thing is, this remedy appears to be a very unlikely one. But I want you to notice here, furthermore, a serpent wounded. And now a serpent is healing. The first that wounded had poison. The fiery serpents, they had poison. But the second, those called a serpent, remember, it was a serpent without poison or sting because it was a serpent of brass. It had all the appearance of a serpent, but it had no venom. And friends, you know the gospel message is entirely and can be defined by the first Adam and the second Adam. The first Adam, like the first serpent, lost mankind. The second Adam redeemed mankind. The first had sin and venomous poison in him. The reason he had it, because he listened to the old serpent. Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, so death passed upon all men. You know that poison cannot be reduced to one area of the body. It goes through the bloodstream and it affects all of the body. That's why the Scripture says, as in Adam, all die. By one man's offense, death reigned by one. Therefore, as by the offense of one, judgment came upon all the condemnation. And so in the first Adam, we have been poisoned by sin. Friends, the second Adam, though he was called a sinner, though he was made to bear our sins and had the appearance of sinful men, yet he was without sin. As the serpent lifted up on the pole was an image of the very thing that had poisoned the Israelites. Even so, Christ had in Himself no sin. And yet He was made and crucified in the likeness of sinful flesh. The brazen serpent was a serpent without poison. And Christ was a man without sin. Friend, the thing you need to see in Christ crucified is our sin was laid upon Him. And He was counted as the sinner. He was treated as the sinner. He was punished as though he were a sinner. And it is by his stripes that we are healed. How could a serpent fitly typify the Holy One of Israel? That's what you and I might ask. I don't think any man who would be inclined to allegorize would ever suggest that the Son of God should be pictured by a snake, the very symbol of the curse. And yet we read in Galatians 3.13, Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth upon a tree. And so as we see, then, this brazen serpent lifted up, we recognize that there is no mistake, that the Lord Jesus Christ is pictured as being that curse, that He might save us from the poisonous bite. But I want you to notice here the serpent was to be made of brass. And I know you can go on and on and on in endless types as to what this might mean. Let me suggest to you very briefly the two things that I think are very in keeping with the rest of the Scripture. Brass is suggestive of two things. In the symbolism of Scripture, brass is the emblem of divine judgment. The altar of God was designated to be made of brass. And there is no mistake in that. That brass instrument then that was made for the sacrifice of the animals that were slain, that altar that received the consuming fire of heaven was made of brass. The serpent spoke of the curse which sin entailed, but the brass told of God's judgment falling and the One made sin for us. We look at that brazen serpent. We're reminded that the judgment of God fell upon our substitute. But then brass is also harder than iron, harder than silver, harder than gold. The altar could never have been made of gold. It could never have withstood the temperatures upon that thing that was constantly running or constantly inflamed as sacrifice after sacrifice was offered. Brass speaks, then, of endurance. The serpent of brass speaks of Christ's power to endure all the awful judgment that fell upon Him. Had Christ been a mere creature, He would have been consumed. But, dear friend, thank God Christ endured our hell, that you and I might escape its flames. I want you to notice this was not just any remedy. This was the only remedy. Numbers 21 and 8, 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. There is only one reason why Moses was commanded to lift up that serpent. It was not set up for any other reason except for the poison that had been killing and continued to kill those who had been destroyed by it. As Moses lifted up the serpents in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Friends, Jesus Christ must be lifted up because there is no other name given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved. The brazen serpent was to be established in public view for all the camp to see. Christ is preached abroad. He's given among men. Revived through His name, men and women would truly be saved. Let me lead you on then to the final thought this morning, and that is the application of the remedy. And really, I believe here is where the Lord sought to underline to Nicodemus the importance of saving faith. Sometimes we get lost in our theological understandings of saving faith. What does it mean? What does it require? When does it happen? The best way to understand saving faith is to go to the very illustration that Christ uses that Nicodemus might understand it. And how does the Lord say it? As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. Verse 15, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. To understand the nature of saving faith, we have to go back to Numbers 21, verse 8. 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. When he looketh upon it. And friends, we learn so much of the gospel by considering what they were told not to do. They were not told to manufacture some ointment as the means of healing their wounds. Now, that might have sounded more practical and more reasonable, but it would have destroyed the type. And yet today, are there not many engaged in the works, the very work, religious doctors of our day, busy inventing spiritual lotions that have absolutely no cure? It reminds me of that woman who had the issue of blood 12 years. Mark 5 and 26, and she had suffered many things of many positions. The doctors of their day were a little different, maybe not so much different, but they would give them a potion, send them home and see how it works, and they'd come back. Well, it didn't work very good. In the meantime, it burned out this and did that. If you've had any dealings with doctors, some doctors are not much different. But it says she had suffered many things of many positions and had spent all that she had and was nothing better, but she grew worse. There are people today who say, well, education is what this country needs. And so we are educated. And we're as depraved. The only difference is we're now educatedly depraved. And that's worse. So we're not told to manufacture some ointment so that we can be saved from sin. We're not told to minister to others who are wounded in order to get relief themselves. That might have been more practical, more desirable. But how could one who was dying, unable to deliver himself, help others in a similar state? Yet again, friends, there are people today engaged in works of charity. And their expectation is that if they give relief to other people and show acts of kindness, that somehow will counteract the deadly virus of sin that is working within their own souls. I met a man in Ireland who insisted that his children and his wife would go to church. Of course, he didn't feel the need to go himself. Very often he would pick them up and drop them off at the functions, happy enough that they should go along, even encouraging them to go along. He obviously felt that this was a part of his duty as a man in the home to make sure the children and wife are well taught in the things of truth. Maybe they'll get some morality and it'll make them well-rounded individuals. Friends, what use would it be for a man who could not swim to jump in to save another drowning man? And yet, that's exactly what that man was doing. The best thing a man can do for his family is to look after the needs of his own soul, that he might look after the needs of those committed to his care. So they were not told to minister to others. They were not told to fight the serpents. I had to laugh when I read Arthur Pink. He said if some of our moderns had been present that day, they would have urged Moses to organize a society for the extermination of serpents. And you know, that just about defines the evangelical church of America. We've got men in pulpits who are more concerned about global warming than the preaching of Jesus Christ. Now, with all due respect for that cause, global warming is not the work of the Church of Christ. The Church in our day has taken on business that, quite frankly, does not belong to it. And I beg you to go through your New Testament and find one instance of Christian activism. But today we have become Christian activists and we're setting up society after society for the extermination of all kinds of evils. What use would the society of the extermination of serpents being to those who were already bitten and dying? Friends, absolutely none. And so we recognize that the Lord did not tell them to fight the serpents. They were not told to make an offering to the serpent on the pole. God did not ask them to leave their $25 donation at the base of the pole or to swipe their credit card like they do today. Benny Hinn would have had no place in Numbers 21. There was no way of squeezing coins out of people. Grace ceases to be grace if any price is paid for what it brings. They've got men today preaching, just give your heart to Jesus. Just give your trust to Jesus. Just give your life to Jesus. Just give your devotion to Jesus. Just give your prayers to Jesus. Friends, God does not ask the sinner to give anything, but to receive Jesus Christ without money and without price. Now, you say, does it not say, my son, give me your heart? Of course it is. But a man who's a son is a man who's adopted into the family. And that's what God wants of all of his children. So they were not told to make any offering. They were not told to pray to the serpent. Today, we hear just pray the sinner's prayer. Sadly, men and women across this nation are told if they're very earnest in their prayer, God will hear them as if they should be heard for their much speaking or their earnest speaking. Do not make the fatal mistake of substituting prayer for faith in Christ Jesus. There are people today who are trusting on the prayer they prayed 20 years ago. They imagine that they're saved. Why? Because they once prayed a prayer. Prayer does not save. Jesus Christ saves. And prayer is that which brings us into contact with His saving virtue. The question is, are you looking to Christ today? Not did you pray a prayer twenty years ago. They were not told to pray to the serpent. They were not told to look at Moses. Now, they had been looking at Moses. That's the first guy they went to. And they urged him to cry to God on their behalf. And when God responded, God says, take your eyes off of Moses and look at the serpent. Remember, Moses was the lawgiver. And how many people got their eyes right on Moses today for the salvation of their souls? They're trusting by their own imperfect obedience and able themselves to get to heaven. Paul said, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us. John said, for the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Friends, there is nothing you can do as a work of the flesh to merit God's salvation. So they were not told to look at Moses. I want you to notice they were not told to look at their wounds. You can imagine looking at their wounds and saying, well, I got bitten here. Look, my bite's worse than your bite. And all this is an awful bite. And you know, sometimes that's what we're like. We'd rather look at our sin than look at Christ. We'd rather look at our repentance than look at Christ. We'd rather look at our feelings than our resolutions. Some men look at their baptism. Do you not see the devil is well pleased if he can get the awakened sinner to look at anything but Jesus Christ? Numbers 21 and verse 8, 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, he shall live. What was Jesus Christ saying to Nicodemus? The same thing He is saying to you. Look to Me. Look at me. Get your eyes off of everything else and look at me. When a minister of the gospel who was not trained in the preaching of it felt so constrained with this invitation that Christ gave that he could only say, look, would you look? Would you open your eyes and look? It was that invite that brought C.H. Spurgeon to the place where he finally, where he finally saw that it's Jesus Christ alone that saves my soul. But who was it that was to look? Numbers 21 says, everyone that is bitten. There are no specifications made. It didn't say, well, if you're beyond this case, well, don't bother looking because you're in trouble. And if the poison has reached this stage, well, there's no point looking. Some of you might feel that the poison of sin has advanced too far in your life for you to be saved. Jesus Christ would say to Nicodemus, as He would say to us all, the vilest wretch on the face of God's earth, the most degraded the most miserable and wretched of all humankind who believes in Christ shall be saved with an everlasting salvation. Look unto Me." So that's who was to look, but why the look? Well, one reason is man became a lost sinner by a look. The first thing recorded in connection with the fall of our first parents is that when the woman saw And the woman saw that the tree was good for food. And like man, a lost sinner is saved by look. The Christian begins by looking. Isaiah 45 and 22, look unto me and be saved. All the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else. The Christian journey continues by looking. Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking on to Jesus. Why? Because daily we are wounded by sin. And at the end of our Christian life, we're still looking to Christ. For our conversation is in heaven, from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile bodies into the image of His glorious body. Maybe you're here this morning and you say, I don't know if I'm looking the right way. God doesn't ask you to look at your look. God doesn't ask you to have faith in your faith. He simply says, look at me. Don't look at your look, but look at Christ. You know, in that great crowd of bitten Israelites, there were surely some that were young and some that were old. Some there with clear vision, some with dim vision. Some who had a full view of the serpent by reason of their nearness. And there were probably those who could scarcely see because of the great distance between them and the serpent. But the Scripture says, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. And that's what Jesus says to Nicodemus. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. You know, the verse says nothing about the strength of our belief. It says nothing about the intelligence of our belief, for it is not the character or the degree of faith that saves. That's the direction in which we look. Friends, don't rest on your faith, but rest on the Savior alone. The feeblest look from a dying Israelite, if it was true and sincere, brought salvation to that man in the bodily sense. If today you will come and but touch the hem of his garment and look away from yourself and your sin and say, I need to be saved from this awful poison, And thank God the promises you will have eternal life. Amelia Hull, the hymn writer, she said, and put it this way, there is life for a look. At the crucified one there is life at this moment for thee. And look, sinner, look unto Him and be saved. Unto Him who was nailed on the tree. May God give you grace today to look and behold Him. Behold the purpose of the living Christ. Behold the purpose of the crucified Christ. Jesus speaks in plain terms. I hope you've heard him. If you have, I'm your minister and servant for Christ's sake. Come and speak to me. Speak to Pastor Craig. I'd love to give any of you more opportunity to see the Savior that can save your soul. Let's all pray.