Hello, everyone. Maybe you've heard the old expression, getting down to brass tacks. I don't even know what that means anymore. But we're going to get down to brass serpent. Brass serpent. We're looking in John chapter 3, and we're going to look at verses 14 through 16. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. When we've been studying this discussion between Jesus and Nicodemus And I dare say it's a one-sided conversation All Nicodemus can say is what what are you talking about? What's that mean? How can that be? Jesus is really Carrying this conversation earlier in verse 12. He had said or asked If I have told you earthly things and you believe not how shall you believe me if I tell you heavenly things? now We've discussed this already and I just want to make this point that the earthly things had a connection with things that were already revealed in the scriptures and And teachers like Nicodemus should have already had some familiarity. But because the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders and teachers were missing the point, not catching the real spirit of the law, they were off establishing their own righteousness and using the scriptures. to ways that made them feel justified, but they were missing Christ, missing the Messiah. They said they were looking for him, but they really didn't know what they were looking for, and so they couldn't understand when he's standing right in front of them. They don't really know who he is. But nevertheless, because Jesus was telling him things that you could connect to scriptures already given, here is something different now. The subject of the new birth had gone completely over Nicodemus' head. Now Jesus would take a Bible story from Numbers chapter 21, verses four through nine, and explain the need for a savior to die for the sins of his people. His people would be saved from the penalty of their sins by a faithful look at their Savior. Okay, so the background story. We're not gonna read Numbers 21, four through nine. Hope you can do that on your own. But the people of Israel were coming from Egypt, walking through the wilderness, headed to Canaan, the promised land. And there was gonna have to be a conquest of many cities, and they already had encountered some battles. But the way was tough. And because of that, the people, weary and heavy in spirit, and they would often complain to Moses and to God. As a matter of fact, the Book of Numbers has sometimes been called the Book of Murmurs. So, because they often complained, there would be these moments of great testing, and God would deal with the people for this unfaithful attitude that they had. So God sent fiery serpents to bite the people and cause them to die Well, that got their attention. The people went to Moses and they confessed their sin and they asked God, or you might say they asked Moses to ask God for help and to take away the snakes and let's get all back on the same page. But God did not immediately take the snakes away. God instructed Moses to make a brass serpent. A representation of the snakes that were biting them was to be mounted on a pole and installed up in the air that the people could look at it. And the instructions were that when someone was bitten, they were simply to look at that brass serpent. No incantations, no special smoke and lights, just look at that brass serpent and they would live. And if they did not, they would die. Well, this, of course, defies normal logic. It defies medical knowledge. It was an unprecedented type of thing to have asked to do. But they better do it or else. So you might say this was a great test of faith. The brass serpent represented the penalty of the people's sins because of their complaining They're on thankfulness God sent us the snakes the snakes were a form of judgment or penalty and they're dying so this helps us understand something here as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of Man be lifted up Jesus is comparing himself to that brass snake Okay, as the snake represented the penalty of their sins, so Jesus would become a curse for us When our sins were laid on him Jesus became sin for us. He was punished instead of us Now let's let's just take a few minutes to look at some great scriptures on that I turned to Galatians chapter 3 and And verse 13, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree. Now, hanging on a tree is a reference to being crucified, being hung up on a piece of wood. There are debates among scholars about what the cross actually looked like. Some think it's just a straight state, straight up. We're not going to debate that part right now. But that that snake was put up on a pole and Jesus going to be hung up also to die Being made a curse because our sins were going to be transferred upon him Our modern day medical symbol is that of a snake on a pole, so As soon as somebody figures out that's biblical, they'll change that because we can't have biblical things today, can we? Well, I digress let me also take us to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 Statements salvation is by Christ being a substitute for us and in 2nd Corinthians 5 verse 21 It says for he hath made him Okay, we got a lot of pronouns there. God has made him Jesus Christ to be sin for us and No sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him and We we get these statements also in this area second five that God was in Christ Reconciling the world to himself. It's it's it's some amazing statements, but see this one here God caused Jesus Christ who knew no sin to become sin for us and Substitutionary atonement, okay Jesus becomes punished for our sins he becomes sin and he's punished for us and as that serpent represented the punishment Also give you Romans 8 3 Romans 8 3 As I slowly and fumblingly turn here. Okay, for what the law could not do and that it was weak through the flesh, I better explain. The law's not bad, but it is weak. Because the law can show you what sin is, but the law cannot save you from it. The law cannot save you from it, because the law depends on you in your flesh obeying, which we find out we can't do. And that's part of the reason God gave us the law, is to spend us out, realizing we cannot perform righteousness. We have to have mercy. The same law that gives us the moral code also gives us the institution of the sacrifices, showing innocent blood being shed for the guilty. So the law, Because of its weakness depending on man's flesh could not deliver us But now we read in Romans 8 3 God sending his own son in a likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh You and I don't want to go through what Jesus went through when he hung on that cross and he cried my god my god Why is thou forsaken me? He was experiencing hell a very real sense of hell on that cross because he was being made filthy, our sins were laid on him, he was being charged with them, and God was pouring out his wrath and turned his back on him and forsook him. And that's a beautiful thing to realize that Jesus would do all of that. He didn't have to, but he wanted to. so that you and I would not suffer that punishment, and conversely, we would experience wonderful love and fellowship with God forever. Okay so Jesus must be lifted up. The serpent was lifted up and Jesus must be lifted up like that brass serpent. Being lifted up is a reference to being crucified. In John 12, 32, and 33, Jesus said, and I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me. And this he spake, signifying what manner of death he should die. So that reference to be lifted up was describing crucifixion. And John 3, 14, crucifixion, lifting up of the serpent, the Son of Man being lifted up. Jesus is making it clear, like we've said earlier, the truth is hidden in plain sight. But people often are not listening. They're thinking about something else. When Jesus is talking, if we could only just remember the first time. But even his disciples did not catch the many times Jesus described that he would rise from the dead. They just didn't seem to catch it. Later, the Holy Spirit caused them to remember that he had said it. But often we're thinking about what we're going to say next instead of listening to what's being told to us. Thus is the plight of preaching and why we depend on the Holy Spirit to minister the Word of God to one another and to even receive it ourselves or minister it to ourselves. Catch yourself daydreaming while you're reading your Bible, drifting off of other thoughts while you're hearing a message preached. It's a battle between the world and flesh and the devil on us. But let's consider the look of faith. Okay, the people of Israel were told to look at that serpent. And I said already, this was a challenge to people's faith. It seemed illogical, unscientific, it was unprecedented, and a person would downright feel foolish doing it. I mean, here I am with a snake bite, and I'm supposed to just look over that way and stare at a brass piece on a pole? It doesn't make any sense, but you'll pay the price of your life if you don't do it. You have to defy human logic sometimes. You have to defy what man knows and what man's wisdom teaches to do simply what God says. So here's a guy looking at a brass snake hoping to be healed. I guess a person might have to be desperate to do that. I guess a person would have to say, well, we asked Moses for help and this is what he gave us. I'm going to have to trust him. I have nothing else. I have no one else. And I believe that's what we have to do. After we've tried all of our special tricks, all of our good works, all of our religion, all of our philosophy, we have to finally say, nothing's working. I'm going to have to trust God with this gospel. I'm going to have to trust Jesus Christ. I need to look at him. Now they needed to simply obey the instructions. And many times in the New Testament we're told about the obedience of faith. To have faith in the Lord, it's an act of obedience to do it. Because it's so easy to come up with excuses or alternatives. Okay, well. We see about them looking at a brass serpent we now see this is really what's going on in the teaching of salvation by grace through faith For by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves? It's a gift of God not of works. Listen a man should boast It's not of ourselves. It's not our efforts. It's not of our intelligence And there's no bragging because it's all by grace through faith. That's what that look of faith is like. Titus 3, 5, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration. Okay, that's another word for the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. It's a work of God, not works of our righteousness. And then a little bit longer treatment here. And I want to take a minute for this, because it's really good, really important. 1 Corinthians 1, starting with verse 18. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. But out of us which are saved, it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness. But unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, or Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. What really important words these are to us. We look by faith to what Jesus Christ did on the cross His character his promises And the confirming promises and instructions throughout scriptures, we put our faith in that, and not in works of righteousness, and not of efforts or intelligent things, or things we can say, vows we can make. It's the work of the Lord. So, just a word about propitiation. You know, even some of the newer translations still keep that word. But the idea of propitiation, it's a way of obtaining mercy. It's where God's wrath is turned away. God's wrath is satisfied. We've got it in three places in the New Testament. Your Bible may offer something like satisfaction. But let me just read the good old word propitiation and see what Jesus is here is similar to what that snake was on that pole. Romans 3 verse 25 Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation a way of obtaining mercy a way of turning away wrath God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God Can't comment here got to keep moving first John chapter 2 First John chapter two and verse two. Here we go. And he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. And I think the way that's written, it's describing how the Jews were used to all the different sacrifices and ordinances all being for their benefit as the nation Israel and everybody else was on the outside. They hadn't partaken of these covenants and these things. But John's telling us now the gospel extends not only to ours, Jews' sins, but the sins of the whole world, meaning all the Gentile people, they too can come to Christ and have their sins turned away. I should say rather God's wrath turned away from our sins. It's offered freely. Jesus is our propitiation, our way of obtaining mercy, the only way to satisfy God's wrath against those sins, even as that brass snake was the only way to be relieved of the penalty of that snake bite. Okay, also chapter 4 So the people that were already bitten by the snake we're in a situation like all of us today We are already condemned. They were already bitten. They are already dying. We are already condemned. And if we die in our sins, we will perish. We will need the look of faith. A look that beholds Jesus as the one provided to deliver us from God's wrath. He hung on the cross to take away our sins. We cannot do anything that will reverse the situation except to believe and trust Christ to satisfy God's judgment against our sins. Go back to that 16 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life Let me go on a little further here next week. I hope to talk about John 3 16 But 17 says forgot sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved He that believes on him is not condemned, but he that believes not is condemned already Because he is not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God Just like those people of old we're already bit The penalty's already there, and it'll be sealed for eternity if we die in our sins. But there's a way to look to Jesus Christ and have our sins remitted, sent away, and then we can live. Because he died, we get to live. Because he rose from the dead, we get to live forever. So this is the cure, the only cure for the snakebite of sin. Also chapter 6 verse 40 chapter 6 verse 40 And this is the will of him that sent me Jesus speaking that everyone which sees the Sun and Sees him. Okay. Now there's just different words for the word see in the new testament I can't explain them all right now, but this one means to see carefully and to know detail It's not a glance at a picture of jesus or a statue of jesus or a cross or something else like that It is to see the son of god with detail which you can only get from the gospel What the scriptures say of him and how he speaks through them This is why he'll later say in this chapter that the flesh profits nothing It's the spirit that gives life the words that I speak unto you. They are spirit They are life and he says here in John 6 40 Everyone that sees the son and believes on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day Very, very assuring words here. John chapter eight, verses 23 and 24. And he said unto them, you are from beneath, I am from above. Which, by the way, goes back to our previous message on Jesus being the heavenly man who speaks heavenly things. Let me start again. I get so distracted. You are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you that you shall die in your sins. For if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins. Could he have been more clear than at that moment? And yet, by the time his chapters ended, they wanted to take up stones and kill him. Well, I gotta move along. There's another lesson to be picked up from Numbers 21. In verse 4, it says, and let me get you back in the mindset here, Israel has come out of Egypt. They're progressing through the wilderness. I wish I could say progress, but they will go in circles for a long time. as they prepare to go to the promised land. It says in Numbers 21, 4, they journeyed from Mount Hor, H-O-R, by the way of the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. And the soul of the people was very discouraged on the way. Now I emphasize this because here they are, they fought some battles, they've endured some things, but they keep going up and down with the murmuring and the complaining. But it says here that their soul, the soul of the people was very discouraged on the way. They lost sight of the promises that God had given them. They forgot to keep counting their blessings. And by the way, Psalm 106 is a historical psalm that talks about this. And you might want to look at Psalm 106 verses 13 through 14 and verse 21 as samples of how they soon would forget God. They forgot to thank him. They forgot to remember what he had done. And it would affect them in a very negative way. And with depression and heaviness and weariness would then come bitterness. Okay, they allow difficulties and discouragement to make them bitter, complaining, and unfaithful. So the lesson from this is, to you who have looked to Jesus for salvation, keep looking. Don't get your eyes off Him. Don't get your eyes on other things. Do not get sidetracked by religion, philosophy, politics, economics, pleasures, or sufferings, or a whole bunch of other things I could suggest here. Let us take a look at this in Hebrews chapter nine, verse 27 and 28. Hebrews chapter nine, verses 27 and 28. And as it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many. And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Now, yes, it's a one-time look that affects the new birth, or the new birth affects it. Whatever you want to say here, by the new birth, by the gospel, by faith in what the gospel says, by faith in Christ, we have a transformation. We're born again, but the characteristic of those who are born again is that they keep looking. So there's a healthy warning in scriptures to keep on looking to him for him The word here in the Greek actually means to eagerly wait for him So don't go off, you know chasing butterflies Keep looking for Jesus. Hold firm to your faith, because the battles and the weary things of life can discourage you and get your eyes off Christ, and you're going to be like Peter, who will one minute walk on water, the next minute he's screaming out, Lord, save me. Okay, let's look at another one, and that's Hebrews chapter 12, verses one through three. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1 is kind of commenting on the previous chapter Chapter 11 is the Hall of Faith and it describes the faith of so many of the saints and so it says wherefore seeing we also are Surrounded about with so great a cloud of witnesses Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which thus so easily beset us and let us run with patience the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus I made sure I connected the first part of chapter 12, verse 2 with this. You're running this race with endurance by looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him. that endured such contradiction of sinners against themselves, lest you become wearied and faint in your minds and give up, quit. Okay, do you keep his joy before you? Are you operating in his strength? If you don't keep your eyes on Jesus, if you aren't looking for him, keeping your eyes on him, if you aren't contemplating him and keeping him before the front of your mind, then you may drift away. You may become weary and faint, give up, quit, and fall in the ditch. So there's a healthy warning here. To you who have looked, keep looking. Now, for the rest of Israel's journey, they didn't have to keep looking at a snake. That was for the moment. But Jesus is not for the moment. It is forever, from here and forever, keeping your eyes on Jesus. Oh, I like that very much. And I can't help it. I'm trying to keep these in short time, but you've got to make sure you apply this to Colossians chapter 2, starting with verse 6. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. Root it and build up in him. Establish in the faith as you have been taught, avowing therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit. after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power. Keep your eyes on him. Don't let people distract you. Religion itself can distract you. I'd love to elaborate on what Colossians 2.8 is really saying there, but maybe you can get a study Bible to help you a little bit with that. One last word. It's the word nehushtan. Well, aren't you glad I said that? Well, here's what that's about. Years later, the brass serpent had to be destroyed. In 2 Corinthians 18, 4, King Hezekiah broke it in pieces because people had started to make an idol out of it. They were offering incense to it. It had become this thing, this magical, powerful thing. We've got to have it. But after Hezekiah destroyed the serpent, which had become an idol. It was called nehushtan. Most Bibles print the word, and then somewhere it will tell you the definition. It means a piece of brass. Now, if the Lord happened to use a certain thing in your life, that thing's not to become an idol. That's not the focus, it's the Lord who gives. And he may use wonderful things in our life, but there's many things that have become religious distractions today. Don't put your faith in religious icons, pictures, statues, or other artifacts. Even traditions and rituals, especially the ones that are purely made of men. It's Christ and Christ alone. Put the real meaning into things by always, always looking to Jesus. Looking unto him, looking for him, responding to him, seeking him with all your heart. Have a real two-way relationship with him by faith. We need to pray. Father, please bless these words. Give us the faith we need. Please send this out, Lord, so others can hear. Maybe someone needs to receive Christ, be saved from their sins. Maybe someone needs to be refreshed, Lord, and revived, and get their eyes back on the Lord, and not get stuck in religious ritual and rut. Whatever the case, do your work through these words and bless with faith. I ask in Jesus' name, Amen. Thank you very much.