Recap:
The Twelve Spies
Wandering in the Wilderness
Moses Disobeys God
We have seen a lot of miracles
And a lot of what….? Disobedience
Tell me some of the miracles?
Now tell me some
The Bronze Serpent Numbers 21:4-9
The Bronze Snake Numbers 21:4-9
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” 6 Then 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. 8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 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, they lived.
God always makes a way for us to be forgiven and shows it to us very clearly. It is never too hard to understand or figure out.
In our time He has given us His son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.
When we do bad, we can go to Jesus and ask for forgiveness.
LESSON TIME!
The Israelites had just experienced God’s faithfulness as He gave them victory over the Canaanites.
Yet, after God had flooded them with His goodness, they turned their back on their loving Father and, again, became unbelieving and complaining people.
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” 6 Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.
Instead of being thankful for the manna, the miraculous food God had provided them, the people, once more began to complain against God and Moses.
Although they had witnessed miracle after miracle since God had freed them from bondage in Egypt, they were disbelieving:
"Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?
Sin has consequences.
The Lord sent fiery serpents to punish a people who had given themselves over to complaining and unbelief.
It is vital that we do not turn our hearts against God as did the children of Israel.
In such a state, we are testing God (asking for His judgment).
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:9, “…nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents.” God is holy and must judge sin.
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.
The people realized they were sinning against God and confessed their sin before the Lord.
Moses prayed for the people.
He did not tell them something mean, like, that “serves you right” kind of attitude; instead, he lifted them up to the Lord.
Remember we call that interceding prayer when you pray for someone else.
That means you are standing in that person’s place.
When we ask for a prayer request and you say something like I want to lift up my friend’s mom who broke her arm. That is intercessory prayer.
The bible tells us to pray for one another.
In James 5:16 it says:
Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, passionate prayer of a righteous man benefits much.
8 The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 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, they lived.
It is impossible for a sinful man to please a holy God;
it is equally impossible for a sinful man to fix his own sin.
God, himself, must provide the way of salvation for lost man.
God in His love for the Israelites provided a way for them to escape the dreadful consequences of their sin.
God provided a bronze serpent for the Israelites.
Those who were bitten by the snake needed only to look at the bronze serpent and be healed.
Just as the Israelites looked to the bronze serpent in faith,
we must look in faith to the cross of Jesus for redemption from our sins.
The bible tells us what we must do to be saved.
Who can tell me what we must do?
Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The bronze serpent was a symbol of judgment—that which sentences one to death.
So, Jesus took our judgment upon the cross of Calvary when, as the sins of the world were poured upon Him, the bible says He became “sin” for us in 2 Corinthians 5:21.
2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Who in the room is a Christian?
The Bible says all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Sin causes us to be separated from God—
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans 6:23).
Yet, God in His great love for us has provided the way of forgiveness—
the way of escaping from the consequences of our sin.
If we will just “look” by faith to Jesus who bore our judgment for us, we will be saved.
In John 3:16 we read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Though the wages of sin are death, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
So, what did we learn this week?
Raise your hand!
Remember how the children of Israel started out?
They started out obedient then they complained about
bread
Then water
who God is
Then meat
Then 10 spies out of the 12 feared the Canaanites
Then more water
So, God told Moses to go talk to the rock and he beat the rock
Then all that led to today’s lesson of The Bronze Serpent where God had to judge the children of Israel and make a way for repentance.
MEMORY VERSE
JOHN 3:14
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the Son of Man be lifted up,”
PRAY
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