Whosoever Believes In The Son of Man

Numbers 21:4-9

I would ask that you all bear with me as we go through the Gospel according to John the apostle. There is so much to get through that some of the study will carry over into Sunday’s sermon. That is what is happening today. I have felt a leaning within me to further study in John chapter 3, which leads us to, if you will turn with me to Numbers 21.

The Old Testament is a marvellous example of the depravity of man, salvation through Jesus Christ! All of it leads us to Jesus Christ.

I will set this particular historical account of the wanderings of the children of Israel up.

The book of Numbers is set up in 4 parts. From chapter 1-10 continues the record of the exodus from Egypt to the promise land.

The 2nd part of the book chapters 10-14, deals with the approach to Canaan and the rebellion against the promise of God.

The 3rd part (15-21) is the punishment set forth by God because of their refusal to believe in the promise of God. They began to wander in the wilderness.

The last part is their 2nd attempt to enter the promised land.

We are going to deal with the wandering in the wilderness today. Just a brief event that takes place in their wanderings.

To understand this a little better we must understand this journey or wandering. The Israelites had just defeated the Canaanites in their first victory over them. The Lord gave them this victory because Israel was obedient. Now, after the victory, Moses takes them “by the way of the Red sea”, which was basically the long way around. This took them around Edom, which would make this journey longer and harder.

This long route, led to impatience and frustration on the part of Israel.

Let’s now read in verses 4-9........

Pretty rough! First, let’s deal with the complaining by the Israelites. This was not new to God from their mouths and hearts!

This seemed to be their regular course of action, was when something did not go their way, they would grumble and complain against the Lord!

There is no bread!

There is no water!

The bread that God gave them was miserable and they hated it!

They declared that they would be better off in Egypt than to die in the wilderness!

God had something greater prepared for His people, but they were so impatient and spoiled!

You would think that they wouldn’t be spoiled after being captivity for a severely long period of time!

It seemed that nothing suited them, that God done!

Psalm 78 is a good read to explain and sum the heart of the Israelites and the heart of God!

Psalm 78:21-22 “Therefore the Lord heard this, and was wroth: So a fire was kindled against Jacob, And anger also came up against Israel; 22 Because they believed not in God, And trusted not in His salvation:”

Now, this complaining led to the wrath of God, snakes were sent and they bit some the Israelites some of them died. It took this to cause them to understand that they were wrong, their thoughts were evil and would cause them worse condemnation than snakes biting them.

They repented! They declared to Moses that they have sinned in speaking against the Lord and against Moses, who was following the Lord’s commands.

“Take away”........have mercy on us!!!!!

Moses interceded for the people in prayer.

God does something that is perfect but to a small simple mind might seem like the wrong way!

He could of just sent the snakes away, but didn’t, He told Moses to make a fiery or brass serpent and put in on a pole. Anybody who looks at the serpent on the pole, shall live!

That was done, and those that looked at the serpent after they were bitten lived!

They had to fix their gaze upon the serpent to live!

Now, turn with me to John 3:14-18........We often wonder why things happen and why there is so much trouble in the world. We make our interpretations of why we think this is happening or that is happening! The world is completely and totally fallen as well as human effort and flesh and having our trust in it, is a complete waste of time! It leads to despair and also to a horrible kind of arrogance.

This is where the children of Israel was and in some ways I believe we are!

Jesus in John 3 is talking to Nicodemus, who at the time was a perfect example of this, or at least the role he played in front of folks and his fellow Pharisees, was like this!

Secretly, however, Nicodemus knew something wasn’t right and he sought out, under the cover of night, Jesus!

In this discussion Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again, redone, renewed. But this time in the Spirit, not in the flesh!

I was talking to Tommy Lambert Friday and he said he was studying in Ecclesiastes and the declaration of the preacher (Solomon), was that there is no value in anything under the sun! Nothing! Vanity, vanity, all is vanity!

In the Spirit however, is value, eternal value, this can be found only in Jesus Christ!

So, we move down to verses 14-19............Jesus declares the deliverance from the despair and vanity that the flesh brings! It is as though we are being bitten by the serpents and we need deliverance!

We have been bitten by the serpent, the same one the beguiled or deceived Eve, is doing the same to us! Causing us to look at the temporary and be dictated by that, rather than to look at our deliverance!

If you read again with me verse 18, we are condemned from birth, bitten if you will! We need deliverance, if we don’t look/believe in Jesus Christ the condemnation remains!

It is not like we were or have always been good, no God cast judgement of fallen humans long ago and we are all born into it!

God in casting His judgement, has also made us a way to escape!

Motivated by His love, He placed His Son Jesus as sinful man to take our penalty! Made Him a ransom for many!

Now, if anyone believes in the essence of Jesus Christ, they will live forever!

People ask why God didn’t just go ahead and do away with devil and just forgive us, and let’s continue that way! I would ask the opposite, why didn’t God just go ahead and destroy us all be done with unfaithful mankind!

It was out of love, that He didn’t do either!

His love for us! 1 John 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us.” That is the true reason! He desires our love, the relationship, the trust! He has always had good for us, but we haven’t always had good in mind!

The journey of the Israelites was difficult, life is difficult, but there is deliverance from this in the form of trusting God! We now do that through Jesus Christ! He is a perfect representation of God, He showed His love while on the earth, Jesus showed God’s power while on the earth, Jesus showed God’s forgiveness while on the earth, and Jesus showed God’s eternal nature while on the earth! All we have to do is believe, set our heart and affections upon Christ Jesus and we will live forever!

1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.”

This is the essence of what Paul said John 3:16!

The children of Israel continued to be dictated by life and circumstances. God told them to look on His prescribed way and they would live, well instead of worshipping God, we read in 2 Kings 18:4, where a good faithful king Hoshea was cleaning out all the idols and in verse 4: “He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.”

They worshipped the pole and the brazen serpent, gave it a name, rather than worshipping and believing in the living God!

Hoshea destroyed it and they got back to worshipping God!

John 12:20-33.........Jesus speaks of His death, If He is lifted up those who look upon Him will live spiritually and eternally!!!

John 12:34-36.....Let us step out of the darkness that we live in now, stop trusting in the earthly and fleshly things, let us look upon Jesus in faith and walk with Him, serve Him while we are living in these days of grace!