Look and Live

Q: What does the Bible say about being born again?

The Bible teaches that being born again is necessary to enter the kingdom of God, as stated in John 3:3. The concept of being born again is foundational in Christian theology, emphasizing the need for spiritual regeneration to understand and enter God's kingdom. In John 3:3, Jesus states, 'Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' This rebirth is not a physical act but a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus explains further in verses 5 and 6, distinguishing between the physical birth and the spiritual birth. The necessity of this new birth goes back to our fallen state after the sin of Adam; we are born of flesh and inherit a sinful nature, which cannot inherit the kingdom of God (John 3:6). Therefore, it is only through being born of the Spirit that one can receive divine life and truly comprehend the gospel.

Q: How do we know the necessity of Christ's crucifixion?

Christ's crucifixion was necessary for the satisfaction of God's justice and for our salvation, as Jesus indicated in John 3:14. The crucifixion of Christ is a central tenet of the Christian faith, representing the ultimate sacrifice for sin. In John 3:14-15, Jesus refers to the lifting up of the Son of Man, which points to His impending crucifixion. This act is necessary for the redemption of sinners, as it fulfills God's requirement for justice—penalty for sin must be paid. Hebrews 2:16 further elucidates this necessity, stating that only as a man could Christ take our guilt and pay our debt. The atonement made by Christ on the cross not only satisfied the law and justice of God but also provides the avenue through which believers can receive eternal life. Without His crucifixion, the offer of salvation would be void, as the price for sin would remain unpaid.

Q: Why is understanding sin against God important for Christians?

Understanding that sin is ultimately against God helps Christians to grasp the nature of their rebellion and the need for redemption. The understanding of sin as being primarily against God is critical for Christians as it shapes their view of sin and salvation. In the sermon, it is emphasized that the root of sin is unbelief, representing a direct challenge to God's authority. When the Israelites spoke against God in Numbers 21, it highlighted their fundamental discontentment and rebellion against divine providence. Recognizing that all sin is ultimately directed against God elevates the seriousness of our condition and cultivates a deeper sense of repentance. In Matthew 15, Jesus explains that it is not what enters the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out from the heart. This points to the need for internal change, which can only come through recognizing our sinfulness before a holy God and seeking His mercy. This understanding fosters a greater appreciation for the grace provided through Jesus Christ.

Q: How does faith in Christ lead to eternal life?

Faith in Christ leads to eternal life by accepting Him as the lifted-up Savior, as shown in John 3:15. Faith in Christ is critical to the Christian's understanding of salvation and the gift of eternal life. In John 3:15, Jesus states that 'whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.' This illustrates that faith is not merely an intellectual agreement but a deep trust and reliance on Christ for salvation. As the Israelites looked at the brazen serpent and were healed (Numbers 21), those who look to Christ in faith will find life. The act of looking symbolizes faith—it's not about the strength of one's faith or the works done, but the object of that faith, which is Christ alone. The promise is that anyone who recognizes their need for a Savior and looks to Christ will be granted eternal life. This assurance of salvation is grounded in His finished work on the cross, demonstrating both His love towards humanity and the justice of God being satisfied.

I want you to open your Bibles
with me to John chapter 3. I'm going to get so plain and
so elementary and so simple in this message this morning, you're
going to think that you're back in the first grade. John chapter
3. Now the title of the message
is Look and Live. Look and Live. And I want to
read the first 14 verses of John 3. There was a man of the Pharisees
named Nicodemus. He was a ruler of the Jews, an
important man, a religious man, a moral man, the same came to
Jesus by night and said to him, Rabbi, Master, we know that thou
art a teacher come from God, but no man can do these miracles
that thou doest except God be with him. Jesus answered and said to Nicodemus,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a man be born again, he
cannot see, understand, perceive the kingdom of God. When Nicodemus
saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he
enter the second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus
answered Nicodemus, Truly, truly, I say to you, except the man
be born of water, that's the word of God, and of the Spirit,
the power of God. he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh, natural, carnal, physical. And that which is born of the
Spirit, capital S, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, that which
is regenerated, quickened, born of the Spirit, is spiritual,
is spiritual. Now don't be amazed that I said
to you, you must be born again. Flesh and blood can't inherit
the kingdom of God. Flesh and blood can't understand
the kingdom of God. A man's got to be regenerated,
born again, given spiritual life, given the life which Adam lost
in the fall. And this is by the power of God,
it's by the Spirit of God. The wind bloweth where it pleases.
It's up to the wind where it's going to blow. It's up to the
Lord who controls the wind. But the wind bloweth where it
pleases. And you hear the sound, but you can't tell whence it's
coming. And you can't tell where it's going. It bloweth where
it pleases. So is everyone that's born of
the Spirit. God will save whom He will. God
will quicken whom He will. God will regenerate whom He will.
I'll be merciful to whom I will be merciful. I'll be gracious
to whom I will be gracious. O man, who art thou that replyest
against God? Shall the thing formed say to
him that formed it, Why do you make me thus? He said to Pharaoh,
For this same purpose I raised you up, that I might have my
power in you, show my glory. Hath not the potter power over
the clay, to make of the same lump one vessel unto honor, and
another unto dishonor? God will save whom he will, just
like the wind blows where it pleases. You can't tell where
it's coming from or where it's going. So are they that are born
of the Spirit. And Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How
can these things be? How can these things be? And
Jesus answered and said unto him, Are you a master of Israel?
Are you a master of theology? Are you a teacher of divine things?
And you don't understand these things? Are you a student of the scripture?
A ruler of the Jews? And you don't understand these
things? Barely, barely, I say unto you, we speak that we do
know. I speak that which I know. I
testify that which I've seen. And you receive not my witness.
If I told you earthly things and you don't believe, how can
you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No man hath ascended
up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son
of Man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
in order that those who believe on him should not perish, but
have eternal life. Now our Lord was speaking here
to Nicodemus. about regeneration, about the
new birth, about salvation. You know the story well. He told
him that the new birth is the impartation of divine spiritual
life. That which is born of the flesh
is flesh. Born of our mothers and fathers,
we are natural, fleshly, physical beings. That which is born again,
begotten again by the power of by the Spirit of God is spiritual,
a new creature. The wages of sin is death, the
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. But in
order for a man to receive eternal life, in order for spiritual
life, even by regeneration, even by the new birth, in order for
divine life to be given to a sinner, The Son of Man must be lifted
up. That's what he says in verse 14. As Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up in
order that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but
have life. In order for life to be given,
in order for divine life to be imparted, the Son of Man has
to be lifted up. in order for that life to be
given. You see, he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement
of our peace was upon him, by his stripes we're healed, in
order of that. Now watch this. Also, in order
for us to have life, in order for us to have spiritual life
and divine life, the Son of Man must be lifted up, and it's the
Son of Man who must be lifted up, not an but the Son of Man. He must be crucified. You see,
atonement and payment for sin can only be made by the Son of
Man. The one who is God and man. Payment can only be made by one
who has the nature of the one who sinned. Let me show you that. Turn to Hebrews, save John 3
now, and turn to Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews chapter 2, in verse 16, only as a man could Christ take
our guilt and pay our debt. Only as a man could Jesus Christ
satisfy the law and the justice of God. Man sinned, man had to
die. By man came death, by man came
the resurrection. Look at Hebrews 2, 16. For verily
he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him
the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behooved
him, it was necessary for him to be made like unto his brethren,
in order that he might be a merciful, faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."
You see, the curse of the law was on men. The requirements
of the law were upon men. The judgment of God was upon
men. And in order for men to be free
from judgment and free from condemnation and free from curse, Christ had
to become a man. Only in the nature of those who
sin, only as a man, was Christ capable of taking our guilt. He bore our sins in his body. He had to have a body. A body
thou hast prepared me." He said in Philippians 2, the Lord Jesus
Christ took on himself the nature of sinful flesh. He was made
in the likeness of sinful flesh. He took on himself the form of
a servant. He became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Now, go back to my text, John
3. Nicodemus, a man's got to have
life. You can't inherit the kingdom of God by the deeds of the flesh. That which is flesh, born of
flesh is flesh. Flesh and blood cannot inherit
the kingdom of God. You've got to have life, divine life. You've got to be born again.
In order to even understand the kingdom of God, you've got to
have life. But God can't give life without his law being satisfied,
his justice being satisfied. And the Son of Man must be lifted
up. The Son of Man must be what?
Lifted up. Now, what's this lifting up? Well, the Jews expected him to
be lifted up on the throne of David. That's what they look
for. They look for a king to come
in splendor, in majesty, and be lifted up on the throne of
David and deliver the people from the bondage of Rome and
so forth. But before, and he is king, he's
king of kings and lord of lords. Our Lord has been king, is king
and will be king. He's always king. He's king of
kings and lord of lords. But before his kingship is manifested,
he's got to be lifted up in another way. He's got to be lifted up
on a cross of shame. He's got to endure the judgment
of God for our sins. If he's going to win a kingdom,
if he's going to conquer the enemy, if he's going to put away
every charge against us, if he's going to free his people and
deliver the captives and preach deliverance to the captives,
if he's going to set us free, he's got to come and engage the
enemy. And he's got to be lifted up
on a cross to put away our shame and our guilt. And now to illustrate,
when our Lord illustrates all this to Nicodemus, he goes back
and picks up a story that Nicodemus well knew. Something that happened
over yonder in the wilderness many, many, many years before.
And he's going to illustrate what he's talking about. Now,
let me just briefly bring us where we are. Here's a very religious
man. teacher of the Jews, all this
thing. And he comes to talk to our Lord. And the Lord said,
Nicodemus, you're not going to understand the kingdom of God,
you're not going to perceive it, you're not going to see it,
you're not going to enter it. Unless you have life, divine
life, spiritual life. See, flesh is flesh. Flesh is sin. Flesh is not going
to inherit the kingdom of God. You have to be born again. In
order to have life, the Son of Man's got to be lifted up. The
Son of Man's got to be lifted up. The Son of Man has got to
be crucified. The Son of Man's got to satisfy
somebody. He's got to fulfill something.
Now let's go back, he says, over here to Numbers 21. Will you
do so with me? Numbers 21. And this is what
our Lord said to Nicodemus. I have several observations from
this, and you stay with me. In Numbers 21, Numbers 21, verse
4, Numbers 21, 4. And the people journeyed from
Mount Orr by the way of the Red Sea to compass the land of Edom. And the soul of the people was
much discouraged Because of the way they were upset, they were
mad. And the people spake against God. They spake against God. This is where the whole problem
started. They spake against God, or against
Moses, but the whole thing was against God Almighty. And David
summed up sin in this way. Against thee and thee only have
I sinned. Against thee. My sin is against
God. Oh, I've wronged Uriah, I've
wronged Bathsheba, I've wronged my people, but I've sinned against
God. Against God. Christ said it this
way, he that's not for me is against me. God said to Samuel,
they're not against you, they're against me. At Calvary the people
said, We have not had this man reign over us. We have no king
but Caesar. This is the foundation of all
sin. It's against God. You see what
I'm saying? It's against God. Our sin is
against God. Our will against God. I wish
people of my day could understand something about sin. The root
of sin is unbelief. It's against God. It's anti-God. It's anti-Christ. That's when
Satan fell. He said, I'll be God. When Adam
fell, he said, I'll be God. When we crucified Christ, we
said we won't have this man reign over us. Sin's against God. Come with me to Matthew 15. I
listened to a preacher on television last night. There wasn't anything
to watch, and I just turned over to this this thing we've got
out here on our television and listen to this fella. And I know
some people are sincere, but now let me be honest with you.
Here's the way he described wickedness. It's pathetic. He said, you see
these people of the world driving their big cars. And I thought,
well, would I be more spiritual if I drove Darcy's Chevette and
maybe parked my Lincoln? Does that have anything to do
with the condition of my heart or my relationship with God?
And they drive up to the country club. Well, if I eat at Chili
Willie's, would that make me more spiritual? You know, I don't
go to the Quality Inn down here. Go to Chili Willie's or the Greasy
Spoon or something and you'll be more spiritual. And they light
a big cigar. I never did take a big cigar.
Why a big cigar? Why not a little cigar, you know?
But I couldn't figure out, what's that got to do with the state
of a man's heart? If he wants a cigar, let him
smoke a cigar. Might not be good for his health,
but it ain't going to damage his soul. Then they ordered a beer,
and everybody got, his congregation got to stop in, you know, and
sit there and drink that beer. Well, I'm not advocating drinking
or anything. I know drunkenness is against
the Word of God, but my Lord made wine. and they served it,
but I just can't figure this out.
What's that got to do with the state of my heart? Here, this is the very thing
in Matthew 15 that our Lord was dealing with, these Jews. You
see, they had the tradition that before you eat, you wash your
hands. And so his disciples ate without washing their hands,
and they said, that's a no-no. You just don't eat without washing
your hands. And our Lord said in verse 10, He called a multitude,
and He said, now you listen and understand, it's not what goes
into the mouth that defiles a man, it's what comes out of his heart,
out of his mouth. And then the disciples came over
to him and told him the Pharisees, verse 12, were offended. And
I'm sure I'd offend people talking like I'm talking right now. I'd
offend religious people. They'd say, well, you ought not
say a man can smoke a cigar or drink a glass of beer. You ought
not say that. I offend people. And these Pharisees
were offended. But our Lord said in verse 14,
just leave them alone. You can't help them. They're
trying to establish their own righteousness. They're trying
to get to heaven by outward deeds of goodness. They're trying to
set up a rule and a system and things people can do or don't
do and be saved and salvation by grace. It's not by works.
Leave them alone. Quit arguing with them. You can't
shoot pool. You can't play cards. What have
these things got to do with my soul? You can't play golf on Sunday. Well, it would be alright on
Monday. Well, I didn't know God was a God of days. I thought
God was eternal. Just leave Him alone. And then
Peter said in verse 15, well, tell us what you're talking about.
And he said in verse 16, Are you also yet without understanding?
Do you still don't know? You still don't know what sin
is? You still don't know? You see, our sinful nature is
what makes us misuse things that are acceptable. That's our problem. See, sex is not wrong, but man's
wicked heart makes it wrong in certain places. Marriage is honorable
and undefiled and so forth, but people mess it up. Television,
radio, wine, drinks, no sin in things. I misuse it. I abuse it. I mess it up. Man messed up everything God
ever gave us to enjoy. Messed up everything God ever
gave us to enjoy. And if it wasn't for our wicked
hearts, wouldn't anything be wrong? To the righteous, all things
are lawful. Paul said all things are lawful.
Properly used for God's glory. That's right. And our Lord said,
do you not understand? Verse 17, that what enters the
mouth goes into the belly, goes into the digestive tracts in
the belly, and is cast out in the commode, that's what he said.
And those things, and that doesn't hurt a man, it's those things
which come out of his mouth, because they come from his heart.
That's what defiles, out of the heart comes evil thoughts, pride,
envy, jealousy, hatred, malice, all these things. murders, adulteries,
fornications, theft. If I didn't think wrong, I'd be in pretty good shape. And that's where it starts. That's sin. It's against God. And over here, our Lord said
in Numbers 21, 5, they speak against God. That's our problem. If we get right with God, we'll
be right with people. That's exactly right. If we have
peace with God, we'll have peace with one another. Speak against
God. Let's read on. I can't take all
day on this. And they speak against God, and
they said, wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt, Numbers
21, verse 5, to die in the wilderness? There's no bread. There's no
water. Our soul hates this manner. Oh boy. That's heavenly bread
God gave them. They hated it because they hated
God. You hear all this? This is our
problem. Talk just like us, don't you?
These Jews, just like us. And God judged them because of
their attitude toward Him. Verse 6, And he sent fiery serpents
among the people, and they bit the people, and the people died.
God sent judgment on the people for being against him, for murmuring,
finding fault with his will, finding fault with his food,
finding fault with his place. You see, sin brings death. Adam
was not content with God, and he rebelled. And by one man,
sin entered this world and death. See these poisoned serpents as
a picture of sin. They bit the people. And it wasn't
the bite that killed him. A bite of a serpent won't kill
you. It's just two little old pricks. But it's that venom in
your bloodstream. It just goes right on through
here and kills the cells and kills you. And that's what happened
when Adam fell. He lived 800 years after he fell.
But the venom, poison, in his system. Destroyed him. And that's what happened to us.
Spiritual, physical, eternal death is because of the venom.
Even my children, even when we give birth to a son. In sin my mother conceived me.
Shaping iniquity brought forth speaking lies. The wicked are
estranged from the womb. We've got that venom in us. That's
what God, against God. And God judged them and filled
their beings with venom, poison, sent snakes, serpents, flesh,
and they died. All right, thirdly, well, the
people are helpless. They're in a situation they can't
do anything about, Moses can't do anything about it, and the
law can't do anything about it, and nobody can do anything about
it. Look at verse 7. Therefore they came to Moses
and said, we've seen it. We're in a mess. We're dying.
This old outfit's dying. We've spoken against the Lord,
that's our problem. Oh, I wish. People keep wanting
to go back and say they stole a watermelon one time and it
hadn't got over it since then. Well, that's not your problem.
You've spoken against God. Your attitude toward God, that's
our problem. Our problem is not hand trouble,
it's heart trouble. And they say we've spoken against
God. And against you, now pray to the Lord that he'll take away
the serpents and that Moses went to the Lord. That's the only
place to go. Preachers tell me that come to the front. But there's nothing they could
do, nothing Moses could do, there's nothing the law could do. They
were without help, without hope, without God in this world. So
Moses did the only thing anybody with good sense will do when
he's got a sin problem, he looked to God. He said, Lord, we're
hopeless, helpless. You've got to do something for
us or we're all going to die. Don't build another building.
Don't hire another singer. Don't bring in some more preachers.
Look up! That's all we need to do. Find
out there's a solution. It's got to come from heaven.
That's what Jonah did when Jonah ran from God and rebelled against
God and God put him in the belly of the fish down there. He said
the weeds were about my head and darkness and iron bars closed
forever. And he said, I won't turn my
face one more time toward the mercy seat, toward the temple,
where the mercy seat is. because salvation is of the Lord. They got that rotten poison in
their veins. God's got to perform a miracle.
It's got to come from Him. It's going to have to be a change. It's going to have to be a renewal.
It's going to have to be a regeneration. It's going to have to be the
power of God brought to bear on that snake to make Him a child
of the King. So Moses went to God. Here we
are. Here we are. And there you are. So what's this now? This is a
strange thing. So the Lord said to Moses, make
a fiery serpent. Lord, that's our problem. The fiery serpent's our problem. We don't need any more. Yeah,
you need one. You need one. Make a fiery serpent. You see, our Lord Jesus Christ
became a man. Man's our trouble. Adam was a
man. Man rebelled. Man sinned. Man
fell. Man gave us what we got. Brought
us where we are. So our Lord was made in the likeness
of man. In Adam we die, in Christ we're
made alive. By man came death, by man came
life. The serpent that bit the people
had venom in it. The brazen serpent, no venom. Adam was a sinner. Christ Jesus,
made in Adam's likeness, had no sin. All Adam could give us
is the bite of death. Jesus Christ, man, but in him
was life. No venom, no poison. And the
serpent was repulsive. Lord, you mean our Savior, the
one who saves us, the one who delivers us, is going to look
like the one who damned us? Ugly, repulsive. A serpent is
an ugly thing. We talked about it the other
night, some of us over at the house. We all agreed that I don't care
if it's a red snake, black snake, garter snake, what kind of snake
it is. I don't want it around. It's ugly. It's repulsive. I
just don't want one. We were down in Mexico. I had
some men with us in the truck and Walter saw a bore constrictor
out on the road and he stopped the car and he went out and he
picked it up and started toward the truck. One of the men said,
what are you going to do with that? He said, take it home to Cody.
He said, not in this truck, you're not. Walter said, it won't hurt
you. It will, it caused me to hurt
myself. If it gets in, I get out. We had a real time down
the side of that road. Mexican standoff. I don't like
them, do you? snakes are ugly, the Lord Jesus
Christ became ugly. No beauty that we should desire.
He had no form, no company. A man of solace acquainted with
greed. And we hid. Would you see a snake? I know
what you women will do is just run. Hide your face from him. Ugly. But his ugliness was my
ugliness. He had to do that to give me
his beauty. So the Lord said, Moses, make a serpent. A virgin
shall be with child. Bring forth a son. And he'll
take our ugliness and our sin. Do what? Read on. Verse 8, and
set it on a pole. That's an unlikely way to save
dying people. take a serpent and put it on
a pole. That's foolish and unreasonable. Wouldn't it be better to bring
in some physicians? Wouldn't it be better to make
some ointments and salves and some antidotes and medicine?
You see, Christ lifted up on a cross is foolishness to them
that perish. It's a stumbling block to the
Jew, but it's the wisdom of God to a believer. I see, I see,
it's not just Christ on that cross lifted up, it's my sins. It's God's judgment on my iniquities,
my transgressions. That's my cross that he's carrying,
that's my death he's dying. Those are my sins for which he's
being punished. That ugliness is mine. Lifted
up on a pole, that's the wisdom of God. And that's the power
of God. And it reveals to me how God
can be just and justify by Christ taking my place. Here's a man who's murdered someone,
sentenced to be hanged. Well, they take him out and hang
him. Well, the man that hangs him is carrying out the law. The man that pulls that thing
and the bottom drops out and the man drops there and hangs
by his neck and dies. It's the law that's hanging him.
It's the law that's being satisfied. It's the law that said I shall
not kill. You can't do that and live. You
can't do that and stay in society. You've got to pay for your crime.
Well on that cross I'm paying for my crime in the person of
my substitute. I'm being hanged on a tree. I'm
a murderer. I'm a thief. I'm a liar. I'm
a blasphemer. Even if I did it ignorantly,
Paul said, I'm still those things and God's laws have got to be
satisfied. God's justice has got to be honored. And there on the cross, lifted
up on a pole, is every believer hanging under the punishment
of his transgression. That's the gospel. Now you take
a serpent, just like the ones who bit the people. But there's
no venom in this one. It's brass. And God sent His
Son, made of a woman, made in the likeness of sinful flesh,
but in Him was no sin. And He was lifted up. Now watch
this. And it'll come to pass. It shall
come to pass. I love the shalls of God's Word,
don't you? It shall come to pass. That everyone
that's bitten, when he looks, he'll live. Boy, let me tell
you something. Would you read that again? God
said, it shall come to pass. It's as certain as the throne
of God. It shall come to pass. That everyone
that's bitten, only the guilty now, only the thirsty, only the
ones bitten. Only the ones under the sentence
of death. Are you under the sentence of death? Are you bitten? Are
you helpless in hope? Only everyone that's bitten.
When he lives, it's not when he runs, or when he walks, or
when he works, or when he washes. When he lives! It's not when he does the best
he can. It's not when he joins the church. It's when he lives! He'll live. He shall live. It didn't matter how badly they
were bitten or how minor was their wound. Still had the venom. Didn't matter how young they
were, how old they were. It didn't matter how sick they
were. And the strength wasn't in the eyesight. The weakest
eyes could look. I told somebody the other night,
that thief on the cross that died, he looked to Christ. He said, I'm getting what I deserve. But Lord, you come into the kingdom.
Would you remember me? He looked. He believed. And that
brazen serpent in the person of Christ, his look saved him.
He couldn't walk. His feet were nailed to the cross.
He couldn't work. His hands were nailed to the
cross. He couldn't witness. His throat was closing up with
the burning fever. And he couldn't wash in the river
Jordan. But he could look. He could look. Alright, verse
9, the promise fulfilled. So Moses made a serpent of brass.
And I tell you, this morning I'm preaching Christ. I'm lifting
up Christ. He was lifted up on the cross,
and I'm lifting Him up in the Gospel right here in front of
you again. And put it on a pole, it did,
it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, if he's a
sinner, when he beheld, when he looked to Christ, he lived. Now let me show you this now
quick. There's several ways that serpent does not betray our Lord. Number one, that serpent only
healed physical sickness. My Lord Jesus Christ healeth
all our diseases, spiritual diseases. And those people who looked to
that serpent later died. But those that look to Christ
will never die. And that serpent was a temporary
type. Christ has an eternal priesthood.
They look to it once. We continually look to Christ.
Let me show you something here. Turn to 2 Kings chapter 18. Now let me warn you. Let me warn you. It's Christ to whom we look and
not the cross. I know there are a lot of people
who are, and these preachers who get on television and sell
these trips to the Holy Land. I don't know why they call it
the Holy Land. There's nothing holy about that land. But they
go over there and they stand before the open tomb and they
kneel at Calvary. And this fellow's got these crosses
all over the hills of West Virginia. That is all an abomination to
a holy God. An abomination. That's idolatry.
Don't you ever talk about the Catholics kissing the Pope's
ring when you go to the Holy Land and stand in front of a
hill and kiss the ground. Same idolatry. Don't you talk
about the Israelites making a golden calf when we do the same thing
in this day. Wear crosses around your neck
and in your lapel and hanging off your Bible and put them all
over your churches. It's idolatry. It's exactly right. And what'd they do with that
brazen serpent? You ever thought about it? I'll tell you what
Israel did with it after the plague was over. They took it
down and put it in a box. I don't know why Moses put up
with this. He ought to have been kicked. But they put that thing
in a velvet-lined box and they worshiped that thing? They sure
did. We say, but that was special.
It wasn't anything but a worthless piece of brass. It represented
Christ. It had no saving benefit, no
saving power, no healing power. It represented Christ. God was
through with it. And so when old Hezekiah became
king, 2 Kings 18, Verse 4, he put away the idolatry. 2 Kings 18, verse 4, he removed
the high places, he broke the images, he cut down the groves,
he broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses made. My,
my, what sacrilegious! For unto those days the children
of Israel did burn incense to it, and he called it in the Huston
a worthless piece of brass. I bet you that old boy got some
static. That would be like taking down the church covenant off
the wall of the church or taking down a picture of Christ. Go
in somebody's home and pull down a picture of Christ and rip it
in two. Idolatry. And I'm telling you
this, my Lord was lifted up on that cross. As far as I'm concerned,
if you could find that identical cross, and bring it here today,
it would be a plague rather than a blessing, because people would
turn to it and not to Christ. They're just types. They've made
a God out of a day. They've got a whole denomination,
seven-day Adventist. They've made a God out of the
woman that bore Him. People have made a God out of
the Word. They worship the Word. I don't worship this book. I
worship Christ. to whom this book points. I don't
rest in the cross. I don't sing about the cross.
The preaching of the cross is the preaching of Christ crucified. Don't look to Him. Look to Him. And don't find something, some
place that gives you a religious feeling. Just look to Him right
there. Look to Him out there. Look to
Him up there. Look to Him down there. Just
look to Christ. out of the eyes of faith. Alright, Mike's going
to sing for us. What's the name of the song?
I want you to follow while he sings that. It's on page 48.
The words of this song are marvelous. They're just, I was reading it
last night, hoping Mike would sing it someday, and he's going
to sing it this morning.

Look and Live

What does the Bible say about being born again?

How do we know the necessity of Christ's crucifixion?

Why is understanding sin against God important for Christians?

How does faith in Christ lead to eternal life?

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Look and Live

What does the Bible say about being born again?

How do we know the necessity of Christ's crucifixion?

Why is understanding sin against God important for Christians?

How does faith in Christ lead to eternal life?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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