As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness...

See John 6:35-38 "Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. I have told you this explicitly because even though you have seen me in action, you don’t really believe me. Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. I came down from heaven not to follow my own whim but to accomplish the will of the One who sent me."

Believers, we're not the ones holding on to Jesus for dear life. The arm of flesh will fail. He holds us and will never let go. He Himself said "I will never leave you nor forsake you." He will accomplish the will of the One who sent Him (See John 6:35-38.)But what is the will of our Abba Father? Hear from our Saviour Jesus Christ Himself in v.39-40:

39 "And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those He has given Me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see His Son and believe in Him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

That who should have eternal life? NOT those who are doing their best to keep the law in order to get right with God. Wonderful as this may seem, the result of law-keeping to enter God's good books is the production of "a harvest of sinful deeds that lead to death." (Romans 7:5.) The result is being cut off from Christ according to Galatians 5:4-

"For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace." 

You have to keep the WHOLE law to qualify, and no one can says, Roman 3:20.

It is only "all who see His Son and believe in Him" that will have eternal life. How do we see Christ and believe Him? The same way the Israelites that were bitten by snakes in the desert looked at the bronze snake and were healed. 1 Corinthians 15:56 says "For sin is the sting that results in death, ...." The venom from the bite of the snakes (a picture of sin in man) was killing the Israelites. See Numbers 21:

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."

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 death aka 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.

No matter how little or how far the venom had spread or the damage done (today, the extent of sin and its fruits in one's life,) without looking at the bronze snake, the Israelites would have died. No matter how well they kept the law, how many sacrifices they offered, good deeds they did, fasts or church toilets washed, without looking at the bronze snake, all these "good deeds" would be an effort in futility. All they had to do was look and believe.

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 for salvation 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;) But many do not believe and so are still following pastors that tell them to say "I break every generational curse of my father's house," rejecting our Saviour's finished work!

He hung on the cross with His body broken to make us whole and the 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 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. This is akin to the Israelites looking away from the bronze snake and depending on their law-keeping and good works (human effort) to save them. The venom would have spread in them and the people would have died.

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 original Hebrew word that it was translated from. 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 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. In Him we reign in life; reign over fear, acts of sins, sickness, pride, self-deprecation, lack, stress, every ill.

Did you notice that all that the Israelites who were bitten had to do to be saved from the sting of death (venom) and its symptoms was look at the bronze serpent? Likewise, all we need to do to be saved from sin and its symptoms (acts of sin, depression, oppression, sickness, lack, etc) is to see and 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, according John 6:44. When your believing is right, right living will follow.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right.