The Cure You Need

Introduction

We all have a snake story. Snake under my feet in my house while playing the piano as a teenager - I jumped on top of the piano like a 4 year old girl.

We don’t like snakes. They squirm on their bellies. They look intimidating. They can kill with one strike.

In , introduced to a snake that tempted Adam and Eve to sin. Death brought into the world because Adam and Eve gave into the temptation of snake. Now, an amazing turn of the tables... In Numbers, a snake brings healing to a multitude of Hebrew people who are wandering in a wilderness.

A strange story, but in a way the story is a reminder that there is venomous poison in your soul that you need to be healed from. Two truths this morning that will point us to a cure that we all desperately need.

Your heart has poisoned your soul.

Recap of Bible readings: Joseph died, new Pharaoh doesn’t remember Joseph. Hebrews enslaved by the Egyptians. 400 years! God told Abraham that they would be sojourners in a foreign land for 400 years, but Abraham didn’t imagine this! Ultimately, God raised up Moses to deliver - plagues and Pharoah finally let the people go.

Off to the Promised Land - but through a wilderness. In wilderness, God proves Himself faithful. Brings them through Red Sea. Leads them by pillar of fire during night and a cloud during the day. Feeds them - manna. “What is it?” Tasted like wafers with honey. He provided quail to eat and water from a rock when they are thirsty.

Gives the people Law - makes a covenant with them - to be their God. Promises them blessings and a land. When they sin by building an idol, God forgives and continues to bless them. He doesn’t take away the manna!

But, in spite of God’s faithfulness and goodness, the Hebrews are ungrateful. They constantly complain! Complain when water doesn’t taste right (). They complain when they are hungry () and when they are thirsty (). They complain about Moses’ leadership (). Complain when it seems impossible that they will enter the Promised Land ()

- God has had enough of their ungrateful, complaining ways.

Complaining reveals a heart that is never satisfied with the work of God in your life.

For a moment, you would think there would finally be hope for the Hebrews. The older generation that came out of Egypt is dying off, and a new generation is rising up that will take the Hebrews into the Promised Land. Moses’ sister Miriam and his brother Aaron have already died. In , spies sent into the Promised Land. The people’s fear will keep them out of PL, but Joshua, Moses assistant, will lead the next generation into the PL.

Now, a battle

- God has just given the Hebrews a victory. And they respond by more complaining! It’s the same complaint they’ve made before. “Why have you brought us out here to die? (They haven’t died yet.) There is no food and water!” Yet, God was providing. They were tired of manna. (worthless food.) - “Bread of angels” - not what they thought. Younger generation is no different than the previous. Your children typically imitate your sinful ways.

God sends fiery serpents and many die that day. Seems harsh - why fiery serpents?

A reminder of Egypt - For Egypt, snake a symbol of power - Pharaoh wore image of a cobra on his crown. You want to go back to that?

Reminder of Satan - For Hebrews, snake a symbol of evil. In the garden, the enemy poisoned the soul of humanity. The lie of Satan in the garden: what God has given you is not good enough. God’s people still believing the lie in wilderness. The venom of Satan’s attack in the garden created a sickness that was killing them.

Venom - symbol of what was going on in their hearts. Their hearts poisoned by the venom of evil and it was killing them. They had a sickness that they had passed on to the next generation .

A reminder of God’s protection - - The snakes had always been there, but God had been protecting them. Now they get a taste of what God had been protecting them from.

Over and over God had protected and provided. He had given them better lives by giving them freedom, feeding, leading, etc., but their lives better by bringing them out of Egypt and providing their needs did not change them - a sickness poisoned their souls. A better life on earth was not the ultimate cure!

You might think that your life would radically change if your circumstances were better. If you could just turn over a new leaf. God changed everything for the Hebrew people, but nothing changed. God could change everything for you (circumstantially), and nothing will change internally. Our hearts are poisoned by sin, and the poison of sin is far deadlier than the poison of a venomous snake. The poison of sin has caused you to:

Take God’s blessings for granted.

Constantly feel entitled. (Never satisfied with what God has already given you. I deserve better!)

Constantly complain. (God why don’t you… I don’t like... etc…) PRIDE!

All of this is rebellion against a good and holy God - it’s shaking our fist and saying, “You are not good enough for me.”

We’re all working for a better life, but a better life is never enough. We need a transformed life.

(Saints game - Car dealership puts 16 billboards in ATL - Seriously! Has a great life but NOT satisfied. https://www.npr.org/2019/01/22/687540716/angry-with-nfl-after-no-call-saints-fans-resort-to-lawsuits-billboards)

Your heart needs a radical cure.

People are experiencing the full consequences of their sins. They are dying. Sometimes that’s what it takes to wake you up. They turn to Moses - “We’ve sinned against you and God - help!” God heals those who acknowledge their sin and cry out to Him.

But, it’s odd… A fiery serpent on a pole? Look at it? Serpents were killing them, and God wanted them to look at a serpent on a pole? Is this a cruel joke?

If you want healing, you have to come face to face with what’s killing you. You can’t be healed of sin until you see it for what it is. You have to come face to face with the root of your problem.

Look? Seems so simple. Not climb the pole. Not touch the pole. Not based on your effort - Just look in faith. And, someone else can’t look for you. You have to look for yourself. Look and you will be healed.

You can’t heal yourself, you have to look in faith to the One who heals and trust that healing is His work, not yours. You can’t earn it. You can’t work for it. You simply look to the Healer in faith trusting that He can heal your sick and dying heart.

Imagine - people dying in the wilderness begin to look, and they are immediately healed from their sins.

Several thousand years later, a Pharisee, Nicodemus, knew that something was missing in his life, and he wondered if Jesus had the answer. At night, he sought out Jesus, wanting to know more about his message.

Jesus told Nicodemus that if he wanted to experience real life, he needed to be born again. Changing his life circumstances wouldn’t change what was killing him. Nicodemus tried that through religion. What he needed was the poison removed from his dying heart.

. Jesus said, “Remember the serpent in ? You know that story, Nic. I’m the serpent. I’m going to be lifted up.”

At the cross, Jesus Christ lifted up not on a pole but a cross - and the poison of our sin was placed on Him. He who knew know sin became our sin. () On the cross, Jesus consumed the poison of our sin as He suffered and died then triumphantly rose again so we could be have the cure from what was killing us.

Honestly - it seems so odd - the only way to God is to look to a dead body hung on a tree. No wonder Paul said that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. () But, for those of us who choose to look by faith - we know the cross is the power of God.

To Nicodemus - you want meaning? You want a better life? You need a new heart. Look to me - Look to me taking your sin. Look to me and come face to face with what’s been killing you - your sin - and watch me take it on myself for you. Watch me suffer for you so you can be cured.

You don’t need improved circumstances. You don’t need to turn over a new leaf. You need to be saved. You are far worse off than you care to admit, and only hope for you is to look to Jesus. The cure for your poisoned heart isn’t improved circumstances, more religious work, more service, etc. It’s Jesus. Look to Him. He is the radical cure you need.

Believer: You’ve looked to Jesus. Don’t take your eyes off of Him.

Look to Jesus for salvation. (Charles Spurgeon conversion story?)

Look to Jesus for sustained growth/sanctification. () Abide in me. Make your home in me. What happens if you don’t go home every day? You’ll be homeless. You’ll wreck relationships. If you don’t come home to Jesus daily, you won’t grow in Him, and you won’t become who He wants you to be. For some, we looked to Jesus to change our circumstances, but we looked to Him to change our desires, the way we live, the way we think, etc. We’ve looked away. Come home. Learn to abide. Repent of not abiding/coming home.

Unbeliever: You need a radical cure for your heart. Look to the One who willingly went to the cross to become your sin so you might become the righteousness of God. Repent of your sin and look.

(Charles Spurgeon story?)