Todays' report I want to approach a bit differently. Traditionally, at this time of year, we hear sermons on the birth of our Savior, and it is appropriate that we do, after all, the Lord gave everything He had, He suffered like no one in history has ever suffered, [ Isaiah 53 ] to pave the way for all of us who believe in Him to have eternal life!
Come back with me, in your minds eye, to Moses and the Children of Israel in the wilderness, Numbers 21:1-9. This is when the People of God, the Jews, complained and the Lord sent fiery serpents to His people because of their complaining and after the people were bitten by the serpents they would die. You'll recall that after the people recognized their sin and became repentant, Moses prayed and God provided the answer and the solution. It's worthy of our time to contemplate that it was only after repentence was realized and the heart of man was humbled that the Lord provided the remedy. We would do well to remember that God is the same yesterday, today and forever!
The solution was really very simple and yet it was extremely prophetic and powerful. Not only would the solution heal them and stop them from dieing, it would require something that we are all asked to do today:
- Trust in the Lord with all of your heart - Click here to read Proverbs 3
- Have faith in the Lord and His word and exercise that faith - Read This
Without faith, Hebrews tells us, it is impossible to please God. All of us are called to exercise faith everyday. The Children of Israel had to exercise this child like faith, otherwise they would have suffered for their sin and eventually they would have died.
So what did the Lord require of them and what did they have to believe in, while they were on a forty year trek through the wilderness?
God told Moses to build a bronze fiery serpent and lift it high on a pole so that when any of the Children of Israel would look up at that bronze serpent, after being bitten, they would live and not die. All it took to live was a simple act of faith. Interesting as well, if they sinned again and got bitten, all they would have to do is look up, not allow that circumstance of the moment to distract them, believe and have faith and they would be healed. God was asking His people to simply believe that what He said through Moses was true and act on it and if they did they would live! This serpent being lifted up was an indicator and was symbolic of what our Messiah would do for the whole world some 2,000 plus years later.
If this story has a familiar ring to it - it should. Today we are asked to do really the same thing; [ Romans 9:10 ]. We are asked to have child like faith and believe in our hearts that what God says in His word is true and if we look up to that cross of old, to Yeshua our Messiah, and we believe that He lived as the Man-God and took our sins upon Himself, that He suffered and shed His blood for you and for me, and that God raised Him from the dead, we too will live and never die! Moses and the Children of Israel were mapping out in real time, in their lifetimes, what the plan of the ages was before anything existed.
The Christ (Messiah) loved His creation so much that He created us even though He knew He would have to suffer and die for us all. As I write this sentence it shakes me to my core and brings tears to my eyes, that One who I personally have not seen with my natural eyes yet, could love us and care for us so deeply. Oh it is "The Plan of The Ages."
So we have it, an example of the Christmas story to come was first given in the wilderness when Moses lifted up that bronze serpent. A "Prophetic" symbol of what our loving and caring Savior would do for us all in the days ahead. Exciting when you ponder this, isn't it?
In conclusion; let's take a minute and identify the meaning of the symbolism in Numbers 21.
Bronze is symbolic of judgement. Meaning sin has been judged. When they acted on their faith to look at the bronze serpent high and lifted up in their midst, the person who looked up to the serpent was healed and forgiven. So when we look to Christ on the cross and ask to be forgiven, we are forgiven, we are healed and death has no more power over us! Looking to Christ takes a small act of faith, faith as small as a mustard seed and He saves us. The thief on the cross while dieing asked the Lord to save him and the Lord did so that very second. If you do not have a real living and personal relationship with Jesus Christ (Yeshua), read Romans 9 and confess Him and believe in Him with all of your heart today!
So here we see two pictures, one in the "Old Testament" and one in the "New Testament." Both are powerful and both were used by God to demonstrate His love and desire to forgive and cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness.
Thank God that Yeshua (Jesus) from the foundation of the world desired to redeem us from sin and death and He was willing to do this before anything was created.
The Father, His Son and The Holy Spirit had a board meeting in the universe and asked the question, "who will go and redeem man whom we will create?" And Yeshua said I will go and I will take on human form and by the shedding of my sinless blood I will redeem our creation, all of mankind! Oh how amazing it is that we were loved and bought by the blood of Jesus Christ before the worlds were ever created!
Glory to God in the Highest and PEACE and Goodwill Towards Men!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY!
Watch this-- The Mystery of The Maggi
Remember, the Lord loves us more than any of us will ever know. After all, He died and shed His blood for us and held nothing back!
How are you treating God today? I know how He's treating you...
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Until next time God willing...
Keep looking up because Messiah's return is at the door!
Peace and Love in Jesus The Messiah,
Shalom v'ahava b'Yeshua Ha'Mashiach
שלום ואהבה בישוע המשיח
Bro Stef
Watchman & Publisher
'But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman's hand.' Ezekiel 33:6
But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 1Thessalonians 5:1-6
“My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD. Because they lead my people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace …” Ezekiel 13:9-10
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