Where do I sign? Life

Numbers 21:4-9 • Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22 • Ephesians 2:1-10 • John 3:14-21

Once upon a time

Once upon a time

Numbers 21:4-9

• What happens before this?–The Israelites grumble, complain and

rise up to rebel against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 14)–The Israelites then wander in the

desert 38 years until all those that refused to go into the land die (Deuteronomy 2:14-19)

Numbers 21:4-9

• What happens before this? (Numbers 20)–Miriam dies– The Israelites grumble again–Moses and Aaron strike the rock and

produce water–Aaron dies–All that is left is Moses

The BIG Question?

• "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food."

The result of these kinds of questions

Attitudes

• The research paper "How, When, and Why Bad Apples Spoil the Barrel" points out, studies have shown that even if a substantial majority of a group is exhibiting a positive attitude, one person with a negative attitude will not only bring down the neutral members, but also the positive members.

GOD OFFERS A WAY

• To a bad attitude world of grumbling, complaining, ungrateful, untrusting, unhappy, confused, angry, ambitious, arrogant, jealous, …… people

Why?

Psalm 107:1-3, 17-19

O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his STEADFAST LOVE endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction; they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then THEY CRIED TO THE LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;

How?

Psalm 107:20

He sent outHIS WORD

and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.

We too are at a juncture

• Will we continue to hold to an attitude of mistrust towards God and die?

• Or will we recognize that our attitude is killing us, is sinful and LOOK UP to HIS WORD for life?

GOD OFFERS A WAYJohn 3:14-15

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the

wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in

him may have eternal life.

Jesus Christ

Jesus said,…

• Matthew 3:10– The ax is already at the root of the trees,

and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

• Matthew 23– “Woe to you, teachers of the law and

Pharisees, you hypocrites!

Jesus said,…

• Matthew 10:38–Whoever does not take up their cross and

follow me is not worthy of me.• Matthew 17:17– “You unbelieving and

perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.”

That is why Jesus tells Nicodemus

For God did not send his Son into the world to

condemn the world, but to save the world

through him.

What do this all mean?

• The serpents were an agent of the peoples judgment

• They also symbolically became the conduit of their salvation when looked upon in humility, with a repentant heart and with a re-committed faith in God and in God’s human servant

What do this all mean?

• Jesus is the agent of the peoples judgment

• He is the conduit of our salvation when looked upon in humility, with a repentant heart and with a re-committed faith in God and in God’s human servant (Jesus)

John 3:18-21

Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

John 3:18-21

For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

We are all in this together

All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ

We are all in this together

by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:2-6

The choice is yours. What will you choose?