Remedy: Life

There was a farmer who found a viper in the snow.

Was going to kill it, but viper said, “I’m too frozen to harm you, help me before I freeze to death.”

Farmer took pity on snake, put it in his coat to warm it up.

When farmer’s body warmed it up enough, viper began to move around, suddenly bit farmer.

In his dying breath, farmer asked snake, “Why did you bite me? I befriended you & saved your life!”

“Don’t blame me,” the viper said, “you knew I was a snake when you picked me up!”

We all like to be snake-handlers: we think can get cozy with sin & not die.

Trap #1: act like sins aren’t snakes waiting to sink venom-filled fangs into soul.

It won’t hurt if I flirt with sin a little bit. A liitle bit is fun!

My sins aren’t a big deal. Not worth it to worry about ‘em.

Eh, I’ll get over it eventually.

But sin against God, is poisoning life support!

Trap #2: trying to self-treat venom of sin w/false holiness.

All I need to do is stop sinning in this one way, then I’ll be holy.

I’m on verge of sainthood, just need to find way to fix this sin problem!

I just FEEL so much more holy when I do X, Y, or Z

When holiness is just a feeling or an act, it’s a placebo. You’re still dying.

Sin is living death. It always bites & it always kills.

Numbers 21:5–6 ESV

5 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.” 6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.

Fiery serpents made deadliness of their sin (complaining) visible.

Our situation no less horrifying: We’ve already been bitten by sin.

We’re cursed. The venom is already coursing through our veins.

Ephesians 2:1–2 ESV

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

We live in a world of walking dead; corpses animated by a dark power

If sin is living death, you can’t do a thing.

When you’re dead, you need a source of life.

We’re all crawling to Moses begging for mercy.

The only remedy to sin & death is life.

Numbers 21:7–9 ESV

7 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. 8 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.” 9 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.

The remedy they receive is life, even in the midst of sin/death.

John 3:14–16 ESV

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus = new bronze serpent, lifted up on the cross.

He who knew no sin became sin for us.

For the remedy of life, Look to the image of our sin upon the cross.

Jesus = infinite source of life who swallows up every drop of death.

Jesus = death of death; His blood is lethal to sin’s power.

Jesus enters world of death & sin, infects it w/holiness.

Jesus gives walking dead (sinnners) the one thing they need.

LIFE! Makes lives holy (thus eternal/death-proof)

Holiness is life-giving antidote to death that can only come from God:

Holiness isn’t a feeling, not something you do.

Holiness is a contagion; it’s caught, administered, spread.

The epicenter of the holiness pandemic is the cross of Jesus.

Christianity is not just talking ABOUT Jesus or eternal life.

Even Satan talks about Jesus!

No, Christianity is remedy delivered.

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Christianity is Jesus administered.

Doctors don’t just talk about medicine, the prescribe it!

Holiness = vaccine that innoculates you against death.

Life is the remedy, comes through cross’s forgivness delivered.

Christians are priests that administer the drug, make world holy.

Life is a contagion that spreads through the Word.

“Preach the gospel and when necessary use words” is a nice thought, but the Word is what gives life! Word delivers the cross!

People dead in their sins need to be told they’re forgiven

You have authority to deliver Jesus, forgive sins in His name.

Forgiving sins in name of Jesus is the remedy of life.

Dead people can't consent to being raised from the dead.

If sin is living death, don't have to ask permission to forgive sins!

You can tell anyone Jesus died for them. God so loved the world!

Kids, parents, friends, grandkids, coworkers, pastors.

The cross is the cosmic remedy that gives life to everything in creation.

Cross = ultimate & only antidote to death; infects our world w/eternal life.

Theres a lot of snakes & a lot of false remedies out there, friends.

Don’t just get cozy w/sin, don’t make up holiness placebos.

Look to cross as infinte source of holiness that gives eternal life.

Life is the remedy to sin/death; blood of cross is the vaccine. Holiness is contagious.

Deliver Jesus. Forgive sins. Contaminate others with Jesus’ holiness.

In His name, amen. [QUESTIONS]