Looking to Jesus

Believers, remember when Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness (Numbers 21?) The children of Israel had just won a victory over the Canaanites by the Hand of the Lord as they journeyed to the Promised Land. They soon forgot their God-given victory and started complaining, longing for Egypt and despising the manna that the Lord provided for them, much like many of us unwittingly do today with our "If only I hads:)" But He loves us still!

So the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. The serpents bit them and they died. They confessed their sin and Moses prayed for them.

8 "And the Lord said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent [of bronze] and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live."

9 "And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze (attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze), he lived."

This faith picture tells the story of our salvation in Christ Jesus.

Remember Christ's words to Nicodemus in John 3:14-15 "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

Remember 1 Corinthians 15:56 says- "For sin is the sting that results in death, ...." Today, many are dying from the sting of sin; death preceded by its symptoms aka all of the curses in Deut. 28.

Believers, all have sinned. Just as the snakebite victims who looked at the bronze serpent that Moses lifted up lived, anyone who has the sting of sin (all have sinned!) and believes in Jesus gets delivered from death and all of its symptoms - sin, sickness, depression, lack, oppression, every earthly ill.

Christ came in the likeness of sinful man though He was without sin; much like how the bronze serpent had the outward form of a serpent but with no poison within.

The pole that the bronze serpent was set on is a type of the cross on which our Saviour Jesus was lifted for our salvation and looking to Him is believing in Him.

He hung in our place, redeeming us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us (Galatians 3;13;)

He hung on the cross with His body broken to make us whole and Lord laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53)

He bore the fiery judgment for all of our sins. God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21. And He died our death, paying the full wages of sin for all mankind.

To not believe (look to Him) is to try to do Christ's finished work all over again with puny fasts and such and trying to keep the Law to get right with God. This is looking at one's self for salvation. This is rejecting Christ.

Recall Numbers 21: 9 "And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze (attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze), he lived."

"When he looked" here doesn't capture the essence of "nabat," the Hebrew translation. It means "to scan, i.e. Look intently at; by implication, to regard with pleasure, favor or care."

By God's grace, look to our Saviour Jesus Christ and His finished work at the cross and see just how much you mean to Him; enough for Him to lay down His life for you. Believe and receive what He has done for you and you will reign in life through Him as it is written "...much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)" Romans 5:17.

Did you notice that all that the Israelites who were bitten had to do to be saved from death was look at the bronze serpent? Likewise, all we need to do to be saved from death and its symptoms is to believe in Jesus: believe that He has finished the work of our salvation. No need to run helter-skelter looking for deliverance at "signs and wonders" conventions. The Lord does it by the hearing of faith! "Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?-" Galatians 3:5

We have nothing more to do except believe, and even this we do by His grace.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.