Sermon - March 22, 2009 (LENT 4)
Where are you looking?
Numbers 21:4-9; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert,
so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life[1]
These beginning words from todays Gospel reading – will be the focus of today’s message.
And as you can see from this passage, John starts our Gospel conversation with a comparison – that comparison being “Just as Moses lifted up the snake, so the Son of Man must be lifted up”[2]
Now the Moses and the snake story comes (as we had read to us) from the book of Numbers.
After fleeing from Egypt, the people of Israel followed Moses through the desert wilderness. At some point during their wanderings food came to be in short supply, so they cried out to God for help. In hunger and desperation they cried out for God to provide them with food – and God did! He sent food from heaven – manna.
And manna was wonderful at first - It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.[3] ‘Manna’ comes from the Hebrew “man”, which means, “what?” because that is what the Israelites said when they saw it. When the Israelites saw the manna, they asked, “What is it?” (Ex 16:15).[4]
Each and every day (except for Sabbath days) the manna fell – and God’s people collected it up and were fed.
Each and every day, God provided for His people.
But after a while, as Scripture tells us “4 The rabble [among] them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!’ “[5]
And the grumbling got worse. In our Old Testament reading we read that “5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’”[6]
Well after a while, God a little bit annoyed, and He sent snakes. Nasty snakes. Killer snakes. Nasty, killer snakes that scared the people back to their senses.
We are told that “6 … the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.”[7]
And Moses did. Moses went before God and prayed that the snakes might be taken away – but God didn’t!
Instead God said to Moses “8 … ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.‘ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.” [8]
Simple solution (I suppose). Get bit – look at the snake.
Now … God didn’t provide any other solutions to this snake dilemma – just this one. The one way to be saved if you get bitten by one of these snakes – is to look at the snake fashioned by Moses and affixed to the end of his staff.
Get bit, look at the snake, be healed.
1a
Now … You could try looking at Joey’s pet rock if you’d like ... or you could try and fashion your own version of the snake – something that is more pleasing or impressive to the eye ... or you could convince yourself that all gods (sorry all snakes) are the same, and look at one of them ... you could even trust in yourself and your own ability to heal yourself and overcome the venom ... you could ... but you’d die.
Because the only solution, the only recourse the Israelites had after being bitten by one of these snakes — at least if they wanted to live — was to look & trust — look at the bronze snake coiled around Moses’ staff ... the snake provided by God for this very purpose ... and trust in God.
2.
Our New Testament lesson breaks in at the middle of a conversation Jesus is having with Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee who came (skulking, some might say, sneakily at night) to see Jesus.
We need to remember that Pharisees were very honourable people. They were well behaved, very responsible. The upper crust of society. Not anyone could join this group, you had to be of strong moral character to be part of this group. They followed the laws of God to an exacting degree; and considered themselves righteous before God for doing so.
Nicodemus says to Jesus: “‘Rabbi,c we knowd that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signse you are doing if God were not with him.’f[9] ”
And ( as you may recall ) Jesus replies in a way that Nicodemus was not expecting. Jesus tells him “‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.1”gh”[10]
And this confuses Nicodemus! He expected to see the Kingdom of God when he died, because of his character and good deeds.
And besides that ... how can a man possibly be born again! How could a man possibly enter a second time into their mother’s womb and be born again? And Nicodemus says exactly that.
Jesus replies: “I tell you the truth, “no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spiritb gives birth to spirit.7”[11]
“You must be born of water and the Spirit”, Jesus said.
Being born of water happens at birth.
Being born of Spirit happens ... well, it happens when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. It happens when you put your trust in the one God sent to save you from your sins.
Which is exactly what Jesus tells Nicodemus:
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.e”[12]
Just as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on his staff so that everyone who was bitten could look upon it and be saved from death; so too must Jesus be lifted up, so that everyone facing death as a result of their sin could look to Jesus (in faith) and be saved.
The Spiritual birth that Jesus is talking about takes place when we look upon ... when we put our faith and trust in ... Jesus, and Jesus alone – trusting in his death on the cross to save us from our sins.
Again, it’s a pretty simple formula. Trust in Jesus ... put your faith in Christ Jesus ... and you will be saved. Trust that in Christ, God has put into place all that is necessary for your salvation. Trust that God has provided, in Christ, the means by which you might be saved.
Look & trust!
Look to Christ, and trust in the salvation he offers.
2a
Now you could I suppose, turn to Joey’s pet rock for your salvation if you’d like ... or you could try to fashion your own solution, invent your own God, define your own way.
Opera Winfrey is well known for tossing off her Christian roots and proclaiming on her TV show “Jesus can’t possibly be the only way.” And there are many who would generally agree with her.
There are some who would argue that god, is god is god. That God by any other name is still God! That the pagan gods, and the Roman gods and the Greek gods and the Hindu gods and the Muslim gods are all the same. That all religions are essentially the same ... that the different religions are but different means to the same end ... that there are many paths to the kingdom of God.
Others would say that, you don’t even really need an organized religion at all – just trust in yourself, in the measure of your character, in the quality of your works. Trust in yourself, that by the purity of your countenance God will be happy and obliged to throw open the doors of the kingdom and let you in.
...
These solutions would all be fine (I suppose) if it is our job to find a way to god. If it is then fine! If it is my job to find God, then surely one way is as good as the next! If all gods are the same god, and all beliefs are but different routes to the same god – then what does it matter what route one chooses as long as you get there. Choose a religion or do-it-yourself, what does it matter?
The problem, of course, is Jesus.
Because in Jesus we see that rather us stumbling around trying to find God; it is God in Christ who has come down to find us.
If we could find or determine our own way to God, there would have been no reason for Jesus to come down to us.
If we could (by our own character or virtue) stand before the throne of God, there would have been no reason for Jesus to die on a cross.
Christian Scripture teaches that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” [13] Which means that all of us – (even the very, very best of us) have sinned (and do sin) and therefore fall short of God’s righteous standards!
Christian Scripture teaches that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”[14]
And that “God made Him who had no sin to be sina for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. ”[15]
Jesus took our sin upon himself, so that when God looks upon us, he doesn’t see us in all our sin – he sees his Son in all his righteousness.
Christian Scripture teaches that “This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”[16]
Christian Scripture teaches that “12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” [17]
Which is exactly what Jesus was saying to Nicodemus.
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.e 16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,f that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”[18]
Christian scripture teaches that God so loved the world that He provided means (the one and only means) by which we may be saved – Jesus Christ, his Son.
What we couldn’t do for ourselves, God has done for us in Jesus Christ. God came down to us, in Christ!
We are saved by God’s grace. A wonderful, generous gift of love (from the God of love) – who in spite of our sin … who in spite of our rebellion … who in spite of all the many-and-various ways we fall short of his glory loves us still, and wants our relationship with him restored.
We can try to restore this relationship some other way, some way other than Christ, if we want. But in the end, it will fail and the consequence will be death (and death eternal).
Eternal separation from God.
4
And so on this fourth Sunday of Lent, the question facing us today “Where are you looking?”
Where are you looking for your salvation?
In three weeks we will be celebrating Easter. Jesus Christ will have hung upon a cross for your sin and the sin of the world.
Is that where you will put your trust?
Is that where you will affix your eyes?
When life takes a turn, when things don’t turn out, when health starts to fail, or when the future bites you like a snake.
Where are you looking?
Are you looking to the one hanging on a cross? Are you putting your trust in the one God sent to save you from your sin?
Are you setting your sights on the one who died to set you free.
Where are you looking?
I hope, I pray that your eyes are on the Christ. I hope you can see him on the cross dieing in your stead, taking your sin upon himself so that you might be forgiven.
I hope, I pray that your eyes are on the Christ ... on the cross ... and also on his empty tomb, as he rose again in victory over sin and death. A victory that promises you and I and all those who put their trust in him life, and life eternal.
----
[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Jn 3:14-15). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[2]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Jn 3:14-15). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[3]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Ex 16:31). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[4]Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). Tyndale Bible dictionary. Tyndale reference library (854). Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers.
[5]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Nu 11:4-6). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[6]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Nu 21:-5). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[7]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Nu 21:6-7). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[8]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Nu 21:8-9). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
c S Mt 23:7
d ver 11
e S Jn 2:11
f Jn 10:38; 14:10,11; Ac 2:22; 10:38
[9]The Holy Bible : Today's New International Version. 2005 (Jn 3:2). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
1 The Greek for again also means from above; also in verse 7.
g S Jn 1:13
h S Mt 3:2
[10]The Holy Bible : Today's New International Version. 2005 (Jn 3:3). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
b Or but spirit
[11]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Jn 3:5-7). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
e Or believes may have eternal life in him
[12]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Jn 3:14-15). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[13]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Ro 3:23). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[14]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (1 Ti 1:15). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
a Or be a sin offering
[15]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (2 Co 5:21). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[16]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Ro 3:23). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
[17]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Ac 4:12). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.
e Or believes may have eternal life in him
f Or his only begotten Son
[18]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Jn 3:14-17). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.