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SermonCentral.com (use browser's print feature to print out this page) Lift up Jesus and live by William Baeta John 3:14-3:21 Theme: Lift up Jesus and live Text: Num. 21:4-9; Eph. 2:1-10; John 3:14-21 The season of Lent is centred on the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. What makes these events so significant? The resurrection of Christ was undoubtedly significant because it was the first time someone had risen from the dead with a glorified body and who then ascended into heaven. The cross was significant because of the person who was crucified on it and the reason for His crucifixion. The cross was an instrument of death before the crucifixion of Christ and many people had died on it including the two thieves who died with Christ. Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, was crucified on it because it was the Fathers ordained way to pay the penalty for sin and purchase our salvation. Writing about this, the writer of Hebrews declares in 10:14, that By one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Perfected and forever speak of a sacrifice that comprehends every need of the entire human race, and its effects extend throughout time and into eternity. A single sovereign act of God brought together all the guilt and the suffering of humanity and offered one all sufficient solution, the cross. However, to receive Gods all sufficient solution to sin, we must look up at the cross where Christ was lifted up that we might live. The cross was Gods response to mans sin. Sin separated God from man and led to spiritual and physical death. God, to be able to deal with sin, gave the Jews the Law to point them to sin and their need for salvation. The Law could not save them as, apart from Christ, no one was capable of keeping it. Immediately after the giving of the Law 3000 Israelites were condemned by the Law and lost their lives. In the wilderness the Israelites continued to sin by speaking against God and against Moses. God was with them in a pillar of fire by night and in a pillar of cloud by day. He provided them with manna from heaven and gave them water from the rock. He gave them victory over their enemies yet all they did was complain. They were not grateful to God for His presence, guidance and provisions. The Law immediately condemned them and demanded punishment for their sin. Sin always leads to judgement, suffering and misery and the Israelites paid a price for their rebellion. God allowed fiery serpents to invade their camp resulting in painful bites and death. The serpents poison was deadly and had no human cure. When the Israelites acknowledged their sin, God because of His great love, provided a solution. He did not remove the serpents but commissioned Moses to make a brazen serpent and lift it up on a pole. When bitten all they needed to do was to find a place where they could look up at the brazen serpent to be healed. This pointed to a greater healing that would take place by looking up at the cross on Calvary. How could healing result from looking up at a serpent raised on a pole? This was a supernatural work of God to save the Israelites and had nothing to do with man. Mans part was to believe God and look up at the brazen serpent. It pointed to a greater supernatural act of God when Christ would hang on the cross to save mankind. Mans part is to believe God and accept by faith what Christ had done on the cross. The brazen serpent on a pole is a picture of Christ on the cross. But why a brazen serpent? The serpent is a picture of sin and when Jesus hung on the cross He was made sin with our sinfulness. He died because of our sin. He bore our sin so that we do not need to bear them. Jesus was made sin just as it was portrayed by the brazen serpent. Jesus Christ took our place and became sin that we

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might have life. He was made sin with our sinfulness so that we could be made righteous with His righteousness. The cross is a place of victory over sin. Christ was made sin with our sinfulness to free us from slavery to sin. He bore the sin of the whole world, past, present and future. At the cross God forgives us and remembers our sin no more. The cross is a place of victory over Satan. At the cross Jesus crushed the head of Satan and delivered us from under his rule. Christ not only defeated Satan on the cross and delivered us from his rule but has restored our dominion over him. Our restored dominion has restored all that was stolen from us to enable us live the abundant life. The cross is a place of victory, not only from sin and Satan, but also from death. Gods righteous judgement demanded the death penalty for sin, the shedding of blood. At the cross, the sinless Son of God, died in our place that we might have eternal life. The cross reveals the greatness of Gods love and the enormity of mans sin. The cross was Gods way to save and restore man and it meant suffering and the shedding of blood. His blood flowed from His skin, His face, His back, His head, His hands, His feet and His side. As the Roman soldiers laid deep stripes on Jesus back with their whips, His blood flowed for our healing. As the Roman soldiers took a crown of thorns, a result of the curse, and forcibly drove it onto Jesus head, the blood flowed to free us from the curse and sanctify our minds. As the soldiers pierced His hands His blood flowed to cleanse our hands and make them fruitful. As the soldiers pierced His feet, the blood flowed to restore our victory over the enemy who has been put under our feet. After His death one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear. His blood and water flowed out of His heart to fill our hearts with living water. (John 7:38). The tragic sight of Jesus suffering and death on the cross was more than even God Himself wished to witness but He went through it for our sakes. Like the brazen serpent, the cross on which Jesus Christ was nailed, was lifted up. Just as the dying Israelites by faith looked up at the brazen serpent and were saved so we can look up by faith at the cross of Christ and be saved. On the cross Christ destroyed the power of Satan and purchased salvation for His people. Today He is seated in glory at Gods right hand. The cross demands a new way of thinking. It demands that we are no longer ruled by the flesh but by the spirit. The flesh is a way of thinking that is contrary to the Word of God. We cannot have the mindset of Christ and continue to be controlled by the flesh. The blood of Christ has sanctified our minds and we need to renew our thinking and align it with the words of Scripture. The cross demands a new life of victory. It has purchased for us victory over the enemy who is now under our feet. Christ does not want us to come to Him and continue to lead a life of defeat and discouragement. He wants to show the riches of His grace through us. The cross demands that we know what these riches are so that we can walk in them. We are a new creation made righteous by the grace of God. Jesus Christ bore all our sin, past, present and future so that we do not have to bear them to fulfil the words of Scripture that there is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. This truth empowers us to live our lives in accordance with the Word of God. The final outcome of sin is death and when Jesus became identified with our sin, it was inevitable that He should also experience death, the outcome of sin. He died that we might have life For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. His sacrifice on the cross would have served no purpose if we continued to live our old life. We are no longer under the Law but under grace. The Law pointed to sin and our inability to keep it and to death. Grace reveals our righteousness in Christ and empowers us to deal with and overcome sin as we focus on honouring and glorifying His name. Whereas the Law demanded righteousness, grace offers it as a gift. The Law says give to receive, grace says give because you have received. The Law says meet the need of others and yours will be met. Grace says meet the need of others because your needs have been met. The Law is always demanding whereas grace is always giving. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Jesus Christ shed His blood on the cross to pay the penalty for sin and offer us forgiveness and eternal life. Have you received Gods forgiveness, righteousness and eternal life? Jesus Christ wants you to partake of His abundant grace today. Christ has achieved what the Law was not able to do. The way to God is not through works but through Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life. This truth is illustrated by taking a look at the ark of the Covenant. It contained the tablets of stone, the rod of Aaron, and a pot of Manna. They all pointed to mans rebellion against God. They pointed to their rejection of Gods Law, Gods appointed leadership and Gods provision. These articles, however, were hidden from view in the ark and covered by the mercy seat. What God saw in the Holy of Holies was not the symbols of mans rebellion but the blood of innocent animals that had been sprinkled on and around the Mercy seat. Today what God sees is the eternal blood of Christ that has been sprinkled on and around the heavenly Mercy seat. It is His blood that was shed on the cross that makes us righteous. Christ died as our substitute. He died instead of us, so that we might not have to die for our sins. But He also died as our representative, so that when

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He died we died with Him and when He rose from the dead we rose with Him. Gods grace has provided the solution to all the problems of mankind. Are you looking for solutions to problems in your life? Come to Christ, accept by faith what He has done for you on the cross, and see glorified at Gods right hand. Let Him be the focus of your life as you honour and glorify His holy name. Amen!

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