And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15
So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. Numbers 21:9
The Bible reports that the people whom the Lord had delivered from Egyptian bondage sinned against the Lord by their rebellious, negative, ungrateful, critical attitude (see Numbers 22:4-9). They moaned and wined. They murmured and complained about the situation, about the environment, about the food supply and so forth, to the extent that God became angry and pronounced judgment upon them, in the form of fiery snakes.
After interceding for the people, Moses was instructed to lift up a bronze snake so that whosoever was bitten and looked up to it would be healed. Only those people who complied with God’s solution were healed. Nothing else worked! You see, God’s ways are not our ways. The foolishness of God is wiser than men. The only way was to LOOK AND LIVE.
My dear friends, it is exactly like that for you and me today. OUR SALVATION DEPENDS ONLY ON GOD’S SOLUTION. We should not waste precious time debating whether the Cross makes sense. It’s not up to us to invent our own solutions to the sin-problem. The only cure for our spiritual sickness today is the One who was made sin so that we could become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
I have a suspicion that some smart people in Moses’ day forfeited their healing because they thought God’s solution was way too simple. I also have a suspicion that many people today are missing out on their salvation because of trying to complicate salvation. Please don’t fall for that trap beloveds. We are still healed from our spiritual sickness by the same method: just look to Jesus and live.
In the midst of the trials and tribulations facing you today, I urge you by the mercies of God to look to Jesus and live. I plead with you to shift your focus back to the Cross. I beseech you once again to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). Restore Jesus to the centre of your life. Put all your trust in Him. Cast all your burdens upon Jesus for He cares for you. Turn away from worthless things. Look not to human celebrities, gurus and icons. Look not to politicians, philosophers or prophets. Look to Jesus now and live!
Pastor Josh