How Could Jesus be Like the Brass Serpent?

Tom:

We are going through the gospel of John with a particular emphasis on the gospel and the salvation we have in Christ.  And, as we have been saying, our life in Christ begins with our understanding of the gospel and our acceptance of it by faith.  Dave, last week we finished with a tough verse, John:3:13And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
See All..., so I am going to jump past that, I think we covered it.  Verse 14 also presents somewhat of a problem, I think, for some people.  Verse 14: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.”

Dave:

Tom, this expression, “lifted up” the Jews knew what that meant.  Jesus says it in John:12:32And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
See All..., if we ever get there.  He says, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”  They knew what he meant, lifted up on a cross that was the expression at that time, as a criminal.  The serpent in the wilderness, of course, that’s a strange situation.  The serpents that bit them, that was a type of sin because they had rebelled against God and they were dying.  Moses cried out for relief and God said, put a brazen, a bronze, and brass serpent on a pole and whoever looks to that will be healed.  That, on the one hand, seems rather strange, but it was a picture, Christ is telling us, of what He was going to do.  And the Bible again, some of this is difficult for us to understand.  We know that the penalty for our sin had to be paid, eternal death really, separation from God forever, in torment.  And, that this serpent lifted up on this pole was a picture, it was foretelling us that the Messiah himself would have to be made sin, the very thing that bit us; He must have to become this—I don’t know what that means.  He was made to be, He didn’t sin but He became the very thing that He hated which is why He sweat drops of blood in the garden.  Father, if it is possible for man to be saved in any other way, don’t make me go through with this.  And He had to pay the penalty for our sins and it is, just as the Israelites, there was nothing else required.  They didn’t have to change their lifestyle; they didn’t have to turn over a new leaf; they didn’t have to make any resolutions—

Tom:

Or bring sacrifices to this pole.

Dave:

No promises, it was simply, look and believe.  If you believe, look to this and believe and you will be healed.  This is what Jesus is trying to explain to Nicodemus.

Tom:

Dave, it’s interesting to note here that man has a tendency to take what God has laid out and present very clearly and corrupt it, turn it into something that it is not.  So, it’s interesting to note that down the line they had to destroy this God ordered, this brass serpent, destroyed because they were turning it into an idol.

Dave:

Exactly.  Some people do the same today with the cross.  So, the cross, the sign of the cross or the cross around your neck or the cross on a cathedral, wave a cross at demons, this becomes— no, the cross—it wasn’t that He died on a cross, that was a fulfillment of scripture, but it was that He died as a criminal, His blood was shed, He paid the penalty for our sins.  So, it’s not the cross, the shape of the cross and so forth, I think we have talked about this in the past.  But Christians, at least professing Christians have done somewhat the same thing.  It’s what happened to Him—it’s who He was, who He is, the one who died on the cross and that He paid the penalty for our sins.  And Tom, it brings us back to what we were talking about in this news item in our earlier segment.  Some people out there might be thinking, I mean, if they haven’t turned us off already, Well, these guys are so narrow minded and dogmatic.  Jesus was narrow minded and dogmatic.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, the life, no man comes to the Father but by me.”  The Bible says all other religions are false.  It doesn’t say that vindictively, it says that informatively so that people will know the truth and that there is only one way of salvation for mankind and that is through Christ paying the penalty for our sins.  That’s why we say it.  On the other hand, we are all taking different roads to get to the same place.  You know, that sounds broadminded but that’s not broadminded at all because, as these gentlemen said, these Reverends, Robert Schuller honors them all for their spiritual journey, we are all taking different roads to get to the same place.  That’s very narrow-minded, there is only one destination.  Jesus wasn’t that narrow-minded.  He said there are two destinations, heaven and hell and you will not be forced to go to either one.  But He talked about this concept. He said, “Broad is the road that leads to destruction and many there be that go in thereat.”  Well, there is only one way, one hope of salvation and Jesus is making it very clear.  But not only Tom, not only Jesus making it clear to Nicodemus, He is referring to Old Testament types.  There are prophesies concerning the Messiah in the Old Testament, dozens of them that we cannot do away with.  There are no prophesies for Buddha, no prophesies for Mohammed, no prophesies for Zoroaster, anyone else, there are prophesies only in the Bible and only for the Messiah and Jesus fulfilled them.  Then, why not accept Him as the Messiah?  Why must I demand of God that I can take my own way and the prophet Isaiah said it like that—“…all we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned to our own way.”

Tom:

Dave, as you know, what we are trying to do here is go through the scriptures and point out what it clearly says and I think a lot of times, maybe for some of our listeners out there, when they come with a presupposition, or some ideas or something they think is right where they got it, not from the scriptures but just from some individuals, or just some thoughts that they had...

Dave:

Or from a church.

Tom:

...that’s where they get into trouble.  But how much clearer can it be? “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.”

Dave:

You may not even turn over a new leaf; I don’t have to clean up my life.

Tom:

It doesn’t say it here, Dave.  I can’t find it.

Dave:

All I have to do is believe in Jesus?  See, there is a lot of criticism about that—well, then you believe in Jesus and then you can do anything you want.  Ahh, but the Bible says if you believe in Jesus, you are born again of the Spirit of God, you become a new creature in Christ Jesus.  Ephesians:2:8-10 [8] For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast. [10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
See All..., which you know very well and probably many of our listeners;  “For by grace are you saved, grace, (you don’t deserve it,) through faith, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, (you can’t work for a gift or merit a gift or pay for it,) not of works lest any man should boast, For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”  So, when you believe in Jesus you bring nothing to this, you come as a sinner trusting Him as the One who died for your sins.  This is what He is talking about—you are born again of the Spirit of God, you become a new creature created in Christ Jesus unto good works.  Now, you don’t want to do all of the—oh, how many people could we bring up here.  Tom, you could talk about it yourself—that when they believed in Jesus—wow!  All their desires changed.  The sins that had them trapped before they no longer wanted.  So, there is a transformation that takes place and it comes about through faith.  But Tom, we have to end with the next verse and we can pick it up next week.  John:3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
See All...:  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, (you don’t believe in Him but you will perish), but have everlasting life.”  That’s good news!

Tom:

Dave, you know, sometimes I think about, not only what God has done that we could not do, you know, the penalty, as you have said, the scriptures say clearly the penalty the day you eat thereof you will surely die.  That was man’s entrance into sin and there is no hope except that we believe on Christ. So, it’s not just that we couldn’t pay the penalty and God has paid the penalty for us, but the way we receive it is so incredible—just to believe.  Everybody, anybody can believe.  You know, you don’t have to go through a ritual or all of these things.  God does not make it hard, it lays it out very simply, very clearly and we can respond to that if we are willing.

Dave:

Willing to believe.