God's Hand Formed the Crooked Serpent

Q: What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in salvation?

The Bible teaches that God sovereignly chooses His people for salvation before the foundation of the world, as seen in Ephesians 1:4-5. The sovereignty of God in salvation is a central theme in Scripture. Ephesians 1:4-5 states that God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, indicating that our salvation is based on His eternal decree rather than our own actions or decisions. This choice is rooted in His grace and mercy, as seen in Romans 9, where Paul discusses God's right to show mercy to whom He wills. The truth of God's sovereignty assures us that our salvation is secure, as it is not dependent on our fluctuating will but on God's unchanging purpose. This perspective fosters a deep sense of gratitude and humility as we acknowledge that it is entirely by grace that we are saved.

Q: Why is understanding grace important for Christians?

Understanding grace is vital for Christians because it reveals God's unmerited favor and assures us of our salvation through faith in Christ. Grace is foundational to the Christian faith. It is the unmerited favor of God towards sinners, which is fully manifested in Jesus Christ's sacrificial death and resurrection. Romans 5:8 tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, illustrating that grace is not earned through our deeds but bestowed freely by God's love. This understanding reshapes our relationship with God, emphasizing reliance on His mercy rather than our own merits. Furthermore, recognizing the depth of our depravity and the magnificence of God's grace leads to profound gratitude and a desire to live in obedience to Him. As believers, we are called to extend the same grace we have received to others, reflecting the character of Christ in our actions.

Q: How does God demonstrate His grace in the story of Exodus?

God demonstrates His grace in Exodus by delivering the Israelites from slavery, showcasing His sovereign plan for redemption. The story of Exodus is a profound illustration of God’s grace in action. He chose the Israelites as His people and delivered them from the bondage of Egypt through a series of miraculous events. This deliverance was not due to their merit but because of God’s covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As recounted in Exodus, despite their sin and rebellion, God remained faithful to His promise, leading them out of slavery and into the promise land. This act of salvation not only showcases God’s sovereignty but also serves as a foreshadowing of Christ's ultimate deliverance of His people from the bondage of sin. In this way, the Exodus reveals the unchanging nature of God's gracious character, who continues to redeem and save despite human weakness.

Okay, well, good to be back with you this week. We're back in the book of Exodus, and we're in the start of chapter 7. this week, and you'll wonder about the odd title that I've given the message, God's Hand Formed the Crooked Serpent. Well, that's what it says in the Word of God. In the book of Job, Job said, the mysteries of God are so deep, God's hand formed the crooked serpent. You see, we're talking about God's gracious work, which is so profound and so mysterious. Who can plumb the depths of it? I don't know if you saw in the bulletin but I put in a little piece and at the start of it I put those words from Romans 11. Who can know the mind of God? Who can fathom? Who can say that they understand God?

This is deep, this is profound, this is mysterious. But the purpose of God, God's gracious work, has a single purpose. And that purpose is his glory. And how is the glory of God manifested? The Word of God tells us it's in the triumph of the Kingdom of God. And how does that come about? It's when a multitude of sinners, redeemed from their rebellion against God, populate that Kingdom of God.

God will be there with his people, his people with their God. You see, our God chose a people before the beginning of time, but then He created this world, this universe that we see. This, as somebody has described it, this canvas on which God's purpose of redemption is painted.

He created this world. He permitted the fall. He permitted it. And in the process, he promised a seed, a seed that would come from the woman, which was the church, which was Eve to start with, but which was the church. The promised seed, which was God himself, who would come in order to redeem His people that he chose in Christ before the world began and how would he redeem them? What when you redeem something you need to pay a price. What was the price that he paid? It was the blood of his son and who is his son God himself for in his son dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily by his death by his resurrection the people of God are cleansed from their sin, they're justified, they're fitted for heaven in Him.

That's eternal life, that's what we're talking about, eternal life. The reality of our conscious existence now is where do you stand regarding eternal life? I'm talking about you and me. All of us. None are exempt. Loads, millions, billions think they're exempt from this. They think they can carry on as if nothing matters. But all of us have to do with this issue of eternal life. You and me. You see, all of us have an appointment. All of us. All of us. And you cannot deny it. There's not one. Intellectual however clever there's not one can stand up and tell me I'm wrong about this The Bible says it is appointed to man to die once and then the judgment and we know You cannot deny that that is a fact What about you? Are you anxious to know what Job asked? How can I be right with God? How can I be just with God? How can I be accepted with God because if I'm not I? I will not inherit eternal life.

You see, God reveals the mystery, the answer to this question, to his eternally loved people in his word, by his spirit, taking of the things of Christ and revealing them to us. He does it, he says in Isaiah, bit by bit, precept by precept, line by line, And here in the book of Exodus, it's very, very clear. It's in picture, but it's so clear. Israel, the people of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, pictured the elect multitude of God. They pictured them.

They contained them at that time, but they pictured the elect multitude of God. and they were liberated in the book of exodus they're liberated from cruel bondage from slavery from slavery and they're brought into the liberty of a promised land in spite of their fleshly weakness not because of their fleshly strength because they had not in spite of their fleshly weakness god brought them out of egyptian slavery and bondage into the liberty of the promised land Despite their sin and there's plenty of that in the record of the books of Moses plenty of sin and rebellion Despite their unbelief because God's plan is unstoppable God put Israel into Egypt when Joseph was sold into slavery 400 years before by his brothers wicked act and he went down into Egypt and then that led in time to to all of Jacob's family, 70-odd of them, going down into Egypt. And they grew over 400 years to become a populous nation. And the Egyptians wanted to subdue them in case they rebelled against them, and they put them into slavery. But it was God that put them into Egypt, under Pharaoh, so that he could bring them out. as a picture that he put his elect multitude in Satan's bondage in this world of sin and rebellion against God in order to show grace in redemption and to bring them to his kingdom. Let's just recap where we've got to.

God raised up Moses despite Satan's attempt to slay him. When he was a baby, and you read Exodus chapter one again, but when he was a baby, Satan tried to have him slain because he knew that from him would come that promised seed of the woman. But he attempted to have him slain as a baby, but God equipped him to stand before Pharaoh. to go in without fear into Pharaoh's palace. Because why?

He had him brought up by Pharaoh's daughter as a prince in Egypt. Some think, and I'm inclined to agree with them, that Moses, before he was 40 years old, was probably the heir to the throne of Egypt. There were no other natural heirs to that throne other than him. He was the adoptive son of Pharaoh's daughter. and God prepared him that forty years in the palace and then another forty years in the desert and then God appeared to him in the burning bush as you know in Exodus chapter three and he commissioned him and he answered all of Moses' objections because Moses like others of the prophets like Jeremiah I can't do this look at me I'm so weak I'm so there's nothing I can't speak properly look at me And so God gives him his brother Aaron, three years older than him, to speak, because Aaron could speak. And he gave him signs to convince the Hebrews. He gave him miraculous signs.

Take your rod, throw it on the ground, it becomes a serpent. Grab it by the tail, the very thing you shouldn't do, and it turns back into a rod. Put your hand next to your breast, and it becomes leprous. which was deadly, deadly then, take it out and it becomes white as snow, as completely clear of leprosy. Miracles, miracles, because God who orders all things according to the counsel of his will, God who by the word of the Lord Jesus Christ upholds all things in this world, he, he, gave these miracles.

He did these things to show that what was being said was from God. And he sent them to Pharaoh with a reasonable request. In Exodus chapter 5 and verse 3 it says, The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, as God had told them to say. Let us go three days' journey. That's in chapter 3 and verse 18. Three days' journey into the desert to sacrifice to the Lord our God. It was a reasonable request.

But what did it lead to? Did it lead to Pharaoh saying, oh, that sounds okay, yeah, well, so long as you come back, yes, you can go. No, no, he imposed upon them much worse cruelty, much harder labor. He made their conditions so much more difficult. And what was the response of the Israelites under this burden? They had believed Moses and Aaron, but now they disbelieved. But God reiterated his covenant promise. We saw it a couple of weeks ago in chapter six, verses one to eight. But they still disbelieved. But God was undeterred. You see, the grace of God is not subject to human will. God does not show his grace according to human will. He shows his grace according to his own will.

So he commissions Moses again at the end of chapter six, and we read it. Earlier, verse 28, it came to pass on the day when the Lord spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt, that the Lord spake unto Moses saying, I am the Lord, speak thou unto Pharaoh. You see, there's power in that. I am the Lord. This is the God of the universe speaking to a man. I am the Lord. Now go and say to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, all that I say unto you, all of it. And Moses said, how did he reply? Oh, yes, Lord, I'll go. No, he says, behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. I'm weak in unbelief. I'm weak in sin. How is Pharaoh going to hearten to me? And he's forgetting that it's God that said it.

So then in the first seven verses of chapter seven, God endows Moses and Aaron with divine authority and anointing, as he does for all who he calls to preach his gospel. Look in verse 1 of chapter 7. The Lord said to Moses, see, you know, he says, I'm not fit to go, but the Lord said to Moses, Look, I have made you as a God.

I've given you divine power to speak to this king, to this king who shows no interest in me. I've given you divine power. I've made you a God to Pharaoh. And Aaron, your brother, shall be thy prophet. He's the one who speaks the word of God. He'll speak to Pharaoh. I'll make you a God and a prophet to him. You'll speak with the power and the authority of God, and you will speak God's message. Verse two, you shall speak, look, that little word, all. That's important. You shall speak all that I command you. All of it, all of it.

God's true preachers. There are lots of people calling themselves preachers in this world. In religion, that looks very like the true religion. But there's a problem. They don't speak all that God commands. God's true preachers preach the whole counsel of God.

That's what Paul said he'd done. The apostle Paul, Acts chapter 20, verse 27, he says, I haven't shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God, all that God speaks. He says in writing to Timothy, he gives instruction, and he says to them, hold fast sound words. He says, Hold fast these solid words of the truth of God that I give you. He then calls it in another place in one of his epistles to Timothy.

He says, the words of Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? He's the Word of God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And in John 1, 14, that Word was made flesh. and dwelt among us. God became flesh and dwelt among us. That God could die and save his people with his own precious blood. How can God die? God is a spirit. He sends his Son. He sends Jesus Christ, the Word, to die. He says to them in Timothy, he says, preach the Word. What's your job? Preach the Word. What does that mean? Declare it. Declare it. Declare what God says. You shall go and say all that I tell you to say. including that which flesh dislikes, because flesh doesn't like much of it.

Oh yes, flesh, religious flesh, loves to hear of the grace of God, but it doesn't particularly like to hear of the sovereign grace of God. It likes to hear of a grace of God that's mine if I choose to accept it. But it doesn't like to hear of a grace of God that is His by sovereign decree. Oh, the flesh, religious flesh, loves to hear of redemption.

Oh, that Jesus died for sins. They've got notices down on our local Methodist church down our lane that say all these things. What they don't say is what all the Word of God says, that That death for the sins is for the sins of his people. Particular redemption for the people that he chose. Oh, they acknowledge that we're depraved in sin, but not totally depraved. There's enough in us to choose God. Oh, we're all right in ourselves. We're not dead in trespasses and sins. We don't need the new birth completely. Yes, you do, except you be born again. You cannot see the kingdom of God.

So, God tells Moses and Aaron, go and tell Pharaoh to send Israel. Look, he says that he send the children of Israel out of his land. Not just three days journey now. This is coming with the power of God's said to Moses and to Aaron, you will speak with my voice, you will speak with my authority to this stubborn, unbelieving, rebellious earthly king, and you'll tell him, send my people out of your land, not just three days journey.

But he says, look, look what he says. Who says this? God says, I will harden Pharaoh's heart. I'll make him not do as you ask him to do. Why? So that God can multiply his signs and his wonders in the land of Egypt. It's a mystery, I know, but it's all in the purposes of God. To get glory to his name in the salvation of his people and the judgment of sin, we cannot understand it.

As I said in that little article I put in, and many people have used the picture, that when you look at the back of a tapestry, it just looks like a... Just like a random tangle of threads, it makes no sense at all until you turn it round and look at the other side. And then you can see the picture. Then you can see the complete picture that was intended. And so it will be with us. When we go, if we're in Christ, when we get to glory, we'll see why he did all of these things. Our God is too good, too kind to get these things wrong.

As Abraham said, when he was coming to judge, when God was coming down to judge Sodom and Gomorrah, and his nephew Lot was there, and Lot had to be got out of that place. And in all of it, Abraham's confused that the power of God is coming and is going to destroy so many. But then Abraham concludes this, shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Yes, the judge of all the earth shall do right.

It says in Romans chapter nine, in Romans chapter nine, In verse 17, the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might show my power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout the earth. Why did God do this with Pharaoh? To show his power in all the earth.

And so Moses and Aaron, verse six, Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them. So did they. They did exactly that. In the wisdom of their old age, 80 years old, 83 years old, verse 7 it tells us that in the wisdom of their old age now finally Empowered by the Word of God, they obeyed and they did exactly what God had told them to do.

So then we see a miracle displaying grace. And that's what I want to focus on for the rest of our time. In verses 8 and 9, God says to Moses and to Aaron, when Pharaoh shall speak to you saying, show a miracle for you. You've come to me saying that you've come from God. Well, I don't believe you. Show me a miracle. Show me something that will... People, other people cannot possibly do that. I know the words you speak come from the God of the universe. Show me a miracle is what Pharaoh is going to say to you.

And he says, take that rod, Aaron's rod. It's called Aaron's rod from now on. Take that rod and cast it before Pharaoh on the ground. and it shall become a serpent. We saw that at the burning bush with the rod of Moses. It shall become a serpent. What's all this about? God said he will require a miracle. A rod turned to a serpent. What does it mean? What's its significance? Are we just reading an ancient story about worldly magicians and, you know, as they do? ever seen a really good magician do their act.

I have, at one company thing, we had a guy coming round the tables before we all went into this dinner. And he was doing things and he asked me to... I can't remember the detail now. Maybe Christine can, but I can't remember the detail. But I was absolutely staggered. I just hadn't got a clue how he knew. It was as if he read my mind. Because I didn't make my mind up about what I was going to say. until about two seconds before he said, you've just thought this, haven't you? And it was exactly that.

I tell you, lying signs and wonders, lying signs and wonders. It was absolutely amazing. Worldly magicians with sleight of hand can deceive the eye. Pharaoh's magicians made their rods appear. You know, Aaron cast his rod, as God had said, down on the ground and miraculously it became a serpent. Oh, come on, you don't believe that, do you? In this day and age of science? You mean you're telling me that he got a rod like a big pole out of the hedge and he put it on the ground and he became a serpent? Oh, come on.

I'm telling you, God is over all things. The one who upholds the very molecules that are in the chair legs that are supporting your weight now is doing it actively. He actively controls all those things. If he is the one that upholds all things, he is the one that can change things for his purpose. I have a science degree, and I know lots of other believers that have science degrees, and we have not the slightest, slightest problem believing that our God is a God who is not only capable of doing miracles, but for his purposes does them.

This rod appeared as a serpent. So Pharaoh says, go and get my magicians, and they come in, and he says, they've just done this. And somehow, I don't know how, maybe by a trick of the sleight of hand, Maybe by the power of the devil and his principalities and powers, they made their rods appear as serpents when they threw them on the ground. But Aaron's rod swallowed them up. What's it all about?

Jesus said in John 5.39, these Old Testament scriptures testify of me. He said in Luke chapter 24 when he'd risen from the dead, And he was with those disciples, beginning at Moses and the prophets, these books of the Bible, he expounded to them, he explained to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Surely then, this miracle of the rod becoming a serpent must relate to Jesus Christ, God's son. It must do. Oh, you're over-spiritualizing. It's what the word of God tells me to do, is to spiritualize this. It's about Jesus Christ. Let's go back to the Garden of Eden, just for a minute. Genesis chapter 3 and verse 1. What's this about a serpent? Why does the rod become a serpent? Why doesn't it become a little lamb or a horse or whatever? Why does it become a serpent?

Genesis chapter 3 verse 1. The serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. He made it. And he said unto the woman, yea, hath God said, et cetera. And he deceived the woman. Back there in Genesis chapter three. That serpent, who is he? He's Satan. This is Lucifer. This is the rebel against God. We read it in Revelation chapter 12 and verse nine right at the start. That old serpent, the devil. That old serpent, the devil. It's again in Revelation 20. He bound that old serpent, the devil. It's Satan, it's Lucifer. The son of the morning, he's called. He's the rebel against God. Why was he the rebel against God? I believe it's this. That Satan was furious that God would exalt man to the highest place. And he fell from heaven.

Look at some scriptures with me. This is important. Isaiah chapter 14. Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 12. You know, this is all inspired by the Spirit of God. Written by multiple authors, but all inspired by the one Spirit of God. And the Spirit of God inspired Isaiah the prophet in chapter 14 and verse 12 to talk about the casting out of Satan from heaven. He says this, verse 12, how art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations? For thou hast, look, what was his fault?

Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will sit also on the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the cloud. I will be like the Most High.

You see, that's the wickedness of Satan. That's the rebellion of Satan. And in Luke chapter 10, in Luke chapter 10 and verse 18, Jesus talks about this. Can you imagine this? There's a man in whom was no comeliness that we should desire him amongst his disciples and those that heard him. And he made this claim. In verse 18 of Luke chapter 10, he said, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

He saw him cast down out of heaven. And Satan fermented, caused the fall. And he held the world of mankind in bondage under sin, under divine justice. And God couldn't commune with man because of sin that had been brought in at the fall in the Garden of Eden. And there's a world that's blinded in unbelief. And it says, the nations were deceived by this one Satan. But God had promised redemption. God had promised someone who would come from the woman, from Eve, the one who was deceived, someone would come who would reverse that fall, who would put right what Satan had made wrong.

But all the time, Satan's world thrived until it got so wicked in Genesis chapter 6 that God sent a flood. And there was only Noah and seven with him who were saved out of the whole world. All the rest were swept away. But then society got going again, and Nimrod arose, and Babel, which became Babylon, arose, and the empires of the ancient world. All Satan's means to try to destroy the coming seed of God to redeem his people from the law's curse. And Egypt was the first of those old nations. Egypt symbolized Satan's world.

Have you been to the British Museum? Because if you have, you'll see lots of stuff to do with ancient Egypt. And you'll see images of the pharaohs. And you know what they look like? Have you seen what they look like? You know, they have this headdress. And what does it look like? It looks like a cobra. It's intended to look like a cobra. It's intended to look like a poisonous serpent. The cobra headdress symbolized Satan's world in rebellion against God.

But God had a people there in Egypt from which the promised seed must come to redeem the people from the curse of the law. That people must be free to serve God. The seed must come to redeem from the curse of the law. This rod, this serpent, Miracle, pictures how God would accomplish redemption liberty for his people, and also how Satan mocks and mimics God, tries to mimic God. The rod of Moses and Aaron symbolized the power of God. That rod symbolized the power of God. You know, it says in Psalm 23, that most loved of Psalms, it said, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

This is the power of Christ that comforts the people of God. That manifestation of God's being and of God's power. Jesus Christ was cast down into Satan's world. that he'd taken over at the fall. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Word, was cast down into Satan's world.

If you look in Romans chapter 8, because you see, you might be wondering, what am I saying? What am I actually saying? In Romans chapter 8 and verse 3, we read this. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, because we can't keep that law, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin, in the flesh.

When God sent his son, he sent him in the likeness of sinful flesh. That rod symbolizing the power of God, was cast down and became a serpent. The manifestation of God's power was made to look like sinful flesh. The rod was made a serpent. It resembled Satan's rebellion.

Why? Why did he do that? So that infinite God could be a substitute for his sinful elect. So that he could be, as a man, loaded with their sin. so that he as a man could pay the debt of that sin with his lifeblood, that he as a man could satisfy the justice of God and qualify this people for glory.

Does the scripture say this or am I making it up? Quickly, look with me at some scriptures. You don't need to turn to them, I'll read them out to you. Philippians chapter 2 and verse 8, being found, this is Jesus, the seed of the woman being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the cross Hebrews chapter 2 Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14 for as much then as the children this is the people of God are partakers of flesh and blood we are aren't we yeah we're flesh and blood He also, Jesus, himself likewise took part of the same.

That why, through death, he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them whose fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily, he took not upon him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham. It behoved him in all things to be made like his brethren. First Peter, chapter two. First Peter, chapter two and verse 24.

Jesus Christ, who his own self bear our sins in his own body on the tree, so that he might save us from them. 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21, God has made him his son who knew no sin, he was sinless, yet he's made him to be sin for us. Why has he made him to be sin for us? That he might punish sin in him, that we through the righteousness of God, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Now, stick with me, if you can, just for a moment, just for a little bit longer, because this is about you. It's about me. You see, by nature we're God's enemy. And the day you stand before God's judgment is an important thing. Please don't disregard it as irrelevant. It's so important. You need to ask this question.

What will wash away my sin? What will rid me of sin when I stand before the throne of God? John tells us. 1 John 1 verse 7. The blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses us from all sin. What will give me life when the poisonous serpent, Satan, has bitten me with the curse of sin? Turn to Numbers chapter 21. I know it's ahead in the Exodus, it's part of the wilderness wanderings, but it's so important is this. Numbers 21, verse 5.

The people spoke against God and against Moses. They were always complaining in their wilderness wanderings. Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in this wilderness? There's no bread, neither is there any water, and our soul, we're fed up of this manna. It's always the same thing, manna, manna, manna, we're fed up of it. sent fiery serpents among the people, poisonous serpents, and they bit the people. And much of the people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses and said, we have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee. Pray unto the Lord that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

And the Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it on a pole, and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, and he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Wow, there's some power in that, isn't there? Look at John three. Does anybody not know this? John 3 verse 14, Jesus says to Nicodemus, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, we just read it. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted. Who's the Son of Man? He's the Son of God. He's God in human flesh, the God-Man. Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

Why? That whosoever believeth, that whosoever looks on him should not perish from their sins. but have everlasting life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. I'd just say as an aside, what is the world that God loved? God so loved the world. What is the world that God so loved? I'll tell you what. It cannot be the world for which Jesus refused to pray. In John 17 verse 9, Jesus said this, I pray not for the world. It can't be that world that he so loved, can it? Or else he would have prayed for it.

No. The likeness of a serpent is lifted up. That likeness of the serpent, it wasn't the serpent, it was an image of it. It was molded out of brass. Brass is a strong metal. Brass is a brown metal. And much brass, and this is the illusion here, has a poisonous additive. Often they put arsenic in it or something else that was poisonous. It symbolizes sin. He was made of brass, strong and brown in color with a poisonous additive. Satan tried to imitate with the magician's rods, but Aaron's rod swallowed them. The world's and Satan's false religion always tries to imitate God's ways, but without success. But God triumphs in seeming defeat. God triumphs in seeming defeat.

Jesus said in Matthew chapter 12, verse 29, how can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, take his goods, except he first bind, tie up the strong man, and then he'll be able to take his goods. He's saying, how can I, as the Son of God, come into the world of Satan, the strong man's house, and take from him the people that I want for myself, except I first tie him up? How did the Lord Jesus Christ, how did the Son of God, how did that rod cast down and become a serpent tie up the serpent himself by removing his ability to accuse the people of God of sin. Look in John chapter 12, John chapter 12 and verse 31, Jesus said this, now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. He was lifted up from the earth.

On the cross of Calvary, he was that serpent, Christ. The Holy One of God, the rod of God, was made a serpent and put on that pole for people to look at. How was he made a serpent? He was made the sin of his people. He who knew no sin was made sin, that his people might be made the righteousness of God in him. God in the person of his son had his elect's sin imputed to him. He bore that sin in his own body on the cursed cross tree. He was judged by the justice of God as guilty of that sin. He paid the penalty for that sin to the justice of God, which is death. In the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die. The soul that sins, it shall die. He paid that penalty, dying. He shed his life blood, for the life is in the blood. And in God's justice, and by his decree, do I understand it? No, but I believe it. When Christ died, all his elect died in him. And for all his elect, the justice of God was satisfied. And Satan, the accuser of the brethren, was disarmed. It said that in Revelation 12 that we read at the start. Satan, the accuser of the brethren, had all his accusations removed from him.

He had nothing left that he could point the finger at the people of God. Because it says in Romans 8 verse 33, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ has died. No charge can be upheld. The record is clean. It says in Psalm 103 that God has removed the sins from his people as far as the east is from the west.

It says in Jeremiah 50 and verse 20, come the day of judgment when the sins of the people of God symbolized by Judah and Israel are looked for, they shall not be found. Why? Because they've been taken away. It says in Numbers 23 and verse 21, even the false prophet Balaam had no choice but to say what God gave him to say. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob the people of God, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him and the shout of a king among them. Christ has triumphed.

It says in Colossians 2.15 that Christ by his death has spoiled principalities and powers and made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in him.

So with the eye of faith, Can you look and see him lifted up, loaded with your sin, paying its debt, and making you righteous in him? If you can, you can be assured that what he started in you, this grain of faith, he'll finish it. He'll take you to eternal glory. He's showing his signs in this evil world, but he will bring all of his redeemed ones out of it, just as he did with Israel in Egypt. Here, this life, is the valley of the shadow of death, as we know, we all experience. But the multitude God eternally loved will be brought safe through to his glorious kingdom.

What a comfort. The apostle Paul preached this truth to the ruler, Festus, and Festus, without The enlightenment of the Spirit of God, Festus, said, your much learning has made you mad, Paul. You're a lunatic. But Paul was confident. He said this, I know whom I have believed, and I'm persuaded that he is able to keep that which I've committed unto him against that day. In Christ, God's rod was made a serpent and lifted up. I know I have an eternal inheritance of bliss because of what he accomplished. Whatever else the ups and downs of this life, that is my prayer for all who hear me now.

God's Hand Formed the Crooked Serpent

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in salvation?

Why is understanding grace important for Christians?

How does God demonstrate His grace in the story of Exodus?

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God's Hand Formed the Crooked Serpent

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's sovereignty in salvation?

Why is understanding grace important for Christians?

How does God demonstrate His grace in the story of Exodus?

Sermon Transcript

About Allan Jellett

Comments

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