High And Lifted Up

INTRO:As we’re are fully into Christmas season, we should be still filled awe struck wonder of what Jesus sacrificed and did for us. That little baby Jesus was the promised Messiah to reconcile God and man for ever. Hallelujah!

John 12:27–32 “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

PRAY!!!

Jesus made an interesting statement to Nicodemus:

John 3:14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,”

So what is He talking about? take a look at this:

Numbers 21:4–9 “From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”

This a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ as savior for a sin sick world

The serpent on the pole is not preventative, it’s for bitten people. Without divine intervention they will die

God had sent the snakes in

a. Because of their grumbling

The means God chose to rescue the people is a picture of the curse itself.

3. All they had to do to be saved was to look at His provision hanging on a pole

Jesus on the cross was also cursed with all of fallen man’s sin, but was also Gods provision.

Isaiah 53:4–5 “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.”

Isa caught a glimpse of the coming messiah

Isaiah 57:15 “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy

God is always looking for someone to lift Jesus high for all to see

1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer.

Let me ask you a sobering question,

: what does God see when He looks into your heart?

2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.

I don’t know about you guys, but I need God’s strong support in every minute, of every day

Look at this incredible description of our Lord that Isa wrote after he seen Him in glory

Isaiah 6:1–3 “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

A king’s prominence was often displayed by how long the train of his robe was. well, our King’s train filled the entire temple!

Now were gonna focus on Jesus “God’s provision on the pole.”

Jesus is our provision

Galatians 3:13–14 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.”

Just like in moses account where The curse and cure were the same, so Jesus became the curse and cure.

a. Jesus, high and lifted up, is who brings life from death, He is our “look and Live”

How do we raise Jesus high and lifted up in our lives?

By our actions

a. By being the hands and feet of Jesus

Ephesians 5:1–2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

1 Corinthians 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

We are called to the work of lifting Him up to others.

1 Peter 2:21 “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.”

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

b. To love one another

John 15:12 ““This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

c. to serve one another

1 Peter 4:10 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”

d. By always doing the right thing

James 4:17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

The Holy Spirit has given us a moral compass to follow

Isaiah 30:21 “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”

2. By our words

a. We need to sound like Jesus

By listening more!!

Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

Matthew 15:18 “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.

If you want to gauge your Christian walk, listen to how you talk.

3. By taking up our cross daily

a. By denying one’s self and lifting high Jesus

Luke 9:23 “And He said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

If we are to daily lift high the name of Jesus, then we won’t have time to chase selfish ambitions that will add up to nothing at the end of the day. Money, career, prestige? That’s not your calling.

The Third And Last Vision Of Jesus High And Lifted Up

Soon we’ll see Him high and lifted up again, but this time in all His glory as King of Kings!

Matthew 24:30 “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”

CALL UP WORSHIP TEAM!!

IN CLOSING:

Considering all that Jesus did on Calvary's Hill, don’t you think that least we could do is hold Jesus high and lifted up, so others can find their way to the cross?

He values not Christ at all who does not value Christ above all.

Augustine of Hippo

PRAY!!!!!