Passover to Tabernacles - Part Seven Dec 12, 2021 by: John Herbert | Series: Passover to Tabernacles Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T004_20211212.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Nu 21:8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” We will continue to look at the type from Numbers Chapter 21 today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday December 12th 2021 Passover to Tabernacles Part 7 1). Nu 21:4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. We had seen last time that the account of the bronze serpent lifted-up on a pole is the third of three consecutive types in Numbers that all deal with the nation of Israel and the crucifixion of the Christ. a). In the first of the three types, in Numbers Chapter 19, we had seen God’s command with respect to any Jew who came into contact with a dead body. A command that decreed that the person who had done so was unclean and needed to be cleansed on the third day and the seventh day if he was not to be cut off from Israel. b). And in this type, we see national Israel, God’s adopted firstborn son, who has come into contact with the dead body of his Brother, their King whom they killed, and is therefore unclean. An uncleanness that is still in place today awaiting the conclusion of the two days of the Jewish dispensation, which will come at the end of the time of Jacob’s trouble, allowing the nation to then be cleansed on the third day, which is also the seventh day from Adam within God’s timeframe established in Genesis Chapter 1, thereby fulfilling God’s command to be cleansed on the third day and the seventh day, so that the nation would not be ‘cut off’ from the Millennial Kingdom - Eze 36:24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses………. In the second type, in Numbers Chapter 20, we saw Moses striking the Rock twice in disobedience to God’s command. A dual action that pictures both the Killing of Israel’s King and the sacrifice of their Passover Lamb. And through disobedience, rejection and loss are seen with respect to Moses and the land of promise, providing the type for the nation of Israel having the Kingdom of the heavens taken from them for all time. c). This then led us to the third type in Numbers Chapter 21, the bronze serpent lifted-up on a pole so that those who had been bitten by the fiery serpents sent by the Lord because of their disobedience could look on the bronze serpent and live. And as Jesus used this incident with the bronze serpent in His conversation with Nicodemus recorded in John Chapter 3, to point to Him being lifted-up on the cross. We can see then that all three types deal with the Lord’s crucifixion and that which would come from it. d). And through the types we firstly see uncleanness, disobedience, rejection, and loss, but the third type in Numbers Chapter 21 takes us beyond these, and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. e). And here, prophetically, for the Jewish people is their hope. Their history has been characterized by disobedience and unfaithfulness and they remain unclean through the killing of their King, finding themselves presently in the place of death because of it. They have suffered the loss of the Kingdom of the heavens and have been separated from their land with only a remnant having returned there in disobedience. But despite all of this, when the day comes that they look at ‘the bronze serpent’, lifted-up, they will live, they will have life for the age to come. f). As we have said, this looks prophetically to the future. The bronze serpent lifted-up pictures the Christ, their Messiah, lifted-up on the cross, and we know that in that future day, at the end of the tribulation, Israel will look on Him whom they pierced; they will look on the One who was lifted-up on the cross and they will live. g). This will bring cleansing for their sin, restoration for the nation, deliverance from their enemies and cleansing for their land. h). Simply put, no matter how desperate things become for the Jewish people, and they will become very desperate, the promise remains sure – look at ‘the bronze serpent’ and live, look at the Christ who has been lifted-up on the cross and live – Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Jn 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 2). Jn 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. [Life for the age] The prophetic picture we have just been looking at concerning that future day of Israel’s cleansing, is the reason that Jesus used this type in His conversation with Nicodemus. What the Lord said to Nicodemus in the verses we have just read, contextually, has nothing to do with eternal life. a). If we go back to the type in Numbers Chapter 21, those who were to look at the bronze serpent lifted-up on a pole, had already appropriated the blood of the Passover lambs. The type then did not address eternal salvation but cleansing for the sin of those already eternally saved. And prophetically, this looks to the cleansing of the nation of Israel from the sin of killing their King, a cleansing from their unbelief. b). And if we come back to the Lord’s conversation with Nicodemus, He is prophetically speaking of how the cleansing of the nation will occur in that future day, on the third day and the seventh day. Nicodemus is ‘the teacher of Israel’, one of those who sat in Moses’ seat, part of the generation who would kill their King and to whom Stephen spoke in – Acts 7:52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, Even though the Lord presented Himself to the nation as their King, He knew that He was to be sacrificed as the Passover Lamb, even if the Jews didn’t – Mt 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. And knowing this, in His conversation, Jesus took Nicodemus to the end of the matter, which depends upon the Christ having been lifted-up. c). It is of course true that anyone dead in trespasses and sins, who will look at the Christ lifted-up on the cross, can receive eternal salvation, the salvation of their spirit, by doing so. But this was not what Jesus was talking about with Nicodemus. d). By drawing from the type in Numbers Chapter 21, the other two types inextricably connected to it in Numbers Chapter 19 and 20, would also have to come into view. e). Jesus knew that the nation would be unclean because of their contact with His dead body, knowing that they would strike Him as the elevated Rock seen in Numbers Chapter 20. And He knew, that through His sacrifice as the Lamb of God at the same time, He would provide the means for cleansing the Jews from their sin of unbelief when they look on Him who was lifted-up on the cross, the One whom they pierced. f). And all of this should be understood within the context of the reason Nicodemus came to speak to Jesus in the first place – Jn 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” That Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, is not just a reference to the time of day but an allusion to the state of spiritual darkness in which the nation found itself. A darkness that parallels the darkness that covered the deep in Genesis Chapter 1, with Christ Himself being the light, that if received would have brought the darkness to an end – Jn 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. And Nicodemus came to Jesus to ask about the signs that Jesus was performing, signs that couldn’t be done except that ‘God is with Him’, signs performed by ‘a teacher come from God’. And we will remember that the signs Jesus performed attested to both His position as King and to what awaited the nation with respect to spiritual healing upon national repentance. And as such these signs cannot be separated from the Kingdom of the heavens that He was offering. g). And we will remember particularly the eight signs that were specifically chosen and recorded in John’s Gospel, for John’s Jewish audience during the time of the re-offer of the Kingdom of the heavens to the same generation of Jews by the one new man in Christ – Jn 20:30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you [the same generation of eternally saved Jews who killed their King] may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. All pointed to Christ the King and the Kingdom He offered, all seen in the message He brought to them, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of the heavens is at hand’. And the Lord’s response to Nicodemus focuses on the same – Jn 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Let’s remember as we look at these verses that Nicodemus’s question and the Lord’s reply have to do with the Kingdom of the heavens that was the subject of the offer being made to the Jewish people with the accompanying signs that Nicodemus came to ask about. Neither the question nor the answer could have had anything to do with eternal salvation. Keeping this in mind we will realize that the use of the phrase ‘born again’ in v3, can mess us up unless we understand it correctly. The phrase is not referring to spiritual birth, passing from death to life, but that which is brought forth from above, that which is revealed by the Spirit through the Scriptures to those who have spiritual life. ‘To see the Kingdom’ in v3 and ‘to enter the Kingdom’ in v5 are synonymous statements in this respect. To see the Kingdom is to enter it, and to enter the Kingdom is to see it. h). And it is the nature of being brought forth from above that the Lord made clear in His response to Nicodemus’s question about entering the womb a second time, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. The Lord again drew from Moses and the first generation of Israel. The reference He made here takes us to the Red Sea crossing, the nation’s burial, and resurrection. Once brought forth out of the place of death by the power of the Spirit they could then be led by the Spirit to the land of their inheritance. This is what being ‘born of water and the Spirit’ is talking about – Ex 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people. And at the time of the Lord’s first advent, the generation of eternally saved Jews alive at the time found themselves in a similar situation to the first generation to leave Egypt. They found themselves in a place between the appropriation of the blood of the Passover Lambs and the Kingdom being offered to them. To reach that Kingdom required national repentance to be followed by national baptism, so that having turned from their sin and been raised by the power of the Spirit from the place of death they could have been led by the Word made flesh, who had been brought forth from above, into the Kingdom of the heavens. It may be no wonder that when John the Baptist appeared to the nation, he described himself as - Jn 1:22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” The ‘wilderness’ metaphorically pictures that place between the appropriation of the blood and the realization of the purpose for it, seen in the journey of the first generation to come out of Egypt. For that first generation though the purpose was not realized. And for the generation alive at the Lord’s first advent the purpose would not be realized either unless they would be brought forth out of water and the Spirit. i). And as we know this did not happen. And Jesus knowing this spoke to the teacher of Israel about being lifted-up as Moses lifted-up the bronze serpent on a pole. And as we have seen, the promise is certain. In the day that the Jewish people look to the One who was lifted-up, the nation will live. j). They will be raised from the place of death by the power of the Spirit and taken from ‘the wilderness’, to the land of their inheritance. 3). And inevitably, through the type of the bronze serpent, we can find application for ourselves. For many, the Christ on the cross, is purely a picture of eternal salvation. And that eternal salvation comes through His sacrifice to those who are dead in trespasses and sin who believe on Him is absolutely true– Acts 16:30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” But it was not with regards to eternal issues that the bronze serpent was lifted-up. And as we have seen, it was not with regards to eternal issues that Jesus brought it to Nicodemus’ attention, drawing the parallel with Himself being lifted-up. a). The Christian can be locked into only seeing eternal issues with respect to the Lord being lifted-up on the cross, whereas what took place with the bronze serpent and at Calvary takes us beyond death and shed blood, as we can see from – 1 Co 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ‘The message of the cross’ seen in this verse is seen in connection with two types of Christians, those who are in the process of perishing, those who will not be found faithful at the Judgement Seat and those who are in the process of being saved, the salvation of the soul, who will. It is not seen in connection with the eternally lost here at all. b). Now it remains true, as we have already seen, that there is the ‘message of the cross’ to be heard by the eternally lost in harmony with that which was said to the Philippian jailor, ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved’. And what is to be believed is that Jesus died a substitutionary death in the place of those dead in trespasses and sins and that through His death and shed blood spiritual life is given to the one who is spiritually dead as he believes. And this is granted by God’s grace – Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins……. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…. Although this is an irrefutable truth, the message of the cross in 1 Corinthians 1:18, as we have seen, is for those who have already believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. The message of the cross is for those who have already appropriated the blood. And this message will either be seen as foolishness, by those in the process of perishing, or the power of God by those in the process of being saved, the salvation of the soul. c). If we might return to the historical context for Jesus drawing from the type of the bronze serpent in His conversation with Nicodemus we will realize that although we know the nation of Israel will not look on the One whom they pierced until the end of the tribulation, there was a period of time, which began fifty days after the Lord’s crucifixion, when the Kingdom of the heavens was re-offered to that same generation of eternally saved Jews who had killed their King, by the one new man in Christ. The period of time covered by the Book of Acts. d). Christ had at that point been lifted-up, just as He had said to Nicodemus, and if the nation had looked to Him, as with the disobedient Jews in Numbers Chapter 21, they could have lived, been granted life for the age. Although the nation did not do this though, many individual Jews from that generation did - Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And because they looked at the One lifted-up they were saved out of that perverse generation of eternally saved Jews who continued to reject the Christ and the Kingdom of the heavens. e). What we see in Acts Chapter 2, and what will then be the experience of the entire nation at the end of the tribulation, is a turning away from the sin of unbelief, hence repentance, a change of mind and the need to be baptized, to be born of water and the Spirit. And this sin of unbelief, of which all the other things we call sin are a manifestation, can only be dealt with by the blood of Christ. And for the Jewish nation yet future this will be accomplished in the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, the sixth of the seven feasts given to Israel, during the seventy-five days following the end of the tribulation. f). And for ourselves of course, our cleansing from the sin of unbelief, the sin that so easily ensnares us, in all its manifestations, can only be dealt with by our High Priest in the Heavenly Tabernacle, in a parallel to the Day of Atonement, as we confess our sin. And that which cleanses us from our sin is the blood of Christ shed at Calvary when He was lifted-up. Here then we find the message of the cross for the Christian. g). This is the same truth we have seen taught by the Lord on the night of the last supper – Joh 13:8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." A truth that has been repeated in - Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. And a truth repeated in - 1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. The imagery that this verse from 1 John draws from is the layout of the Tabernacle in the wilderness which was made according to the pattern of the heavenly Tabernacle, and the priestly ministry that took place there. The same priestly ministry that Jesus used in John Chapter 13 to point to His impending ministry as High Priest and is alluded to in Ephesians Chapter 5. And this we will come back to next time if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed. Passover to Tabernacles - Part Seven Dec 12, 2021 Speaker: John Herbert Series: Passover to Tabernacles Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T004_20211212.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Nu 21:8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” We will continue to look at the type from Numbers Chapter 21 today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday December 12th 2021 Passover to Tabernacles Part 7 1). Nu 21:4 Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” 6 So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. 7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. We had seen last time that the account of the bronze serpent lifted-up on a pole is the third of three consecutive types in Numbers that all deal with the nation of Israel and the crucifixion of the Christ. a). In the first of the three types, in Numbers Chapter 19, we had seen God’s command with respect to any Jew who came into contact with a dead body. A command that decreed that the person who had done so was unclean and needed to be cleansed on the third day and the seventh day if he was not to be cut off from Israel. b). And in this type, we see national Israel, God’s adopted firstborn son, who has come into contact with the dead body of his Brother, their King whom they killed, and is therefore unclean. An uncleanness that is still in place today awaiting the conclusion of the two days of the Jewish dispensation, which will come at the end of the time of Jacob’s trouble, allowing the nation to then be cleansed on the third day, which is also the seventh day from Adam within God’s timeframe established in Genesis Chapter 1, thereby fulfilling God’s command to be cleansed on the third day and the seventh day, so that the nation would not be ‘cut off’ from the Millennial Kingdom - Eze 36:24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. 25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. 28 Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. 29 I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses………. In the second type, in Numbers Chapter 20, we saw Moses striking the Rock twice in disobedience to God’s command. A dual action that pictures both the Killing of Israel’s King and the sacrifice of their Passover Lamb. And through disobedience, rejection and loss are seen with respect to Moses and the land of promise, providing the type for the nation of Israel having the Kingdom of the heavens taken from them for all time. c). This then led us to the third type in Numbers Chapter 21, the bronze serpent lifted-up on a pole so that those who had been bitten by the fiery serpents sent by the Lord because of their disobedience could look on the bronze serpent and live. And as Jesus used this incident with the bronze serpent in His conversation with Nicodemus recorded in John Chapter 3, to point to Him being lifted-up on the cross. We can see then that all three types deal with the Lord’s crucifixion and that which would come from it. d). And through the types we firstly see uncleanness, disobedience, rejection, and loss, but the third type in Numbers Chapter 21 takes us beyond these, and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. e). And here, prophetically, for the Jewish people is their hope. Their history has been characterized by disobedience and unfaithfulness and they remain unclean through the killing of their King, finding themselves presently in the place of death because of it. They have suffered the loss of the Kingdom of the heavens and have been separated from their land with only a remnant having returned there in disobedience. But despite all of this, when the day comes that they look at ‘the bronze serpent’, lifted-up, they will live, they will have life for the age to come. f). As we have said, this looks prophetically to the future. The bronze serpent lifted-up pictures the Christ, their Messiah, lifted-up on the cross, and we know that in that future day, at the end of the tribulation, Israel will look on Him whom they pierced; they will look on the One who was lifted-up on the cross and they will live. g). This will bring cleansing for their sin, restoration for the nation, deliverance from their enemies and cleansing for their land. h). Simply put, no matter how desperate things become for the Jewish people, and they will become very desperate, the promise remains sure – look at ‘the bronze serpent’ and live, look at the Christ who has been lifted-up on the cross and live – Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Jn 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” 2). Jn 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. [Life for the age] The prophetic picture we have just been looking at concerning that future day of Israel’s cleansing, is the reason that Jesus used this type in His conversation with Nicodemus. What the Lord said to Nicodemus in the verses we have just read, contextually, has nothing to do with eternal life. a). If we go back to the type in Numbers Chapter 21, those who were to look at the bronze serpent lifted-up on a pole, had already appropriated the blood of the Passover lambs. The type then did not address eternal salvation but cleansing for the sin of those already eternally saved. And prophetically, this looks to the cleansing of the nation of Israel from the sin of killing their King, a cleansing from their unbelief. b). And if we come back to the Lord’s conversation with Nicodemus, He is prophetically speaking of how the cleansing of the nation will occur in that future day, on the third day and the seventh day. Nicodemus is ‘the teacher of Israel’, one of those who sat in Moses’ seat, part of the generation who would kill their King and to whom Stephen spoke in – Acts 7:52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, Even though the Lord presented Himself to the nation as their King, He knew that He was to be sacrificed as the Passover Lamb, even if the Jews didn’t – Mt 16:21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. And knowing this, in His conversation, Jesus took Nicodemus to the end of the matter, which depends upon the Christ having been lifted-up. c). It is of course true that anyone dead in trespasses and sins, who will look at the Christ lifted-up on the cross, can receive eternal salvation, the salvation of their spirit, by doing so. But this was not what Jesus was talking about with Nicodemus. d). By drawing from the type in Numbers Chapter 21, the other two types inextricably connected to it in Numbers Chapter 19 and 20, would also have to come into view. e). Jesus knew that the nation would be unclean because of their contact with His dead body, knowing that they would strike Him as the elevated Rock seen in Numbers Chapter 20. And He knew, that through His sacrifice as the Lamb of God at the same time, He would provide the means for cleansing the Jews from their sin of unbelief when they look on Him who was lifted-up on the cross, the One whom they pierced. f). And all of this should be understood within the context of the reason Nicodemus came to speak to Jesus in the first place – Jn 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” That Nicodemus came to Jesus by night, is not just a reference to the time of day but an allusion to the state of spiritual darkness in which the nation found itself. A darkness that parallels the darkness that covered the deep in Genesis Chapter 1, with Christ Himself being the light, that if received would have brought the darkness to an end – Jn 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. And Nicodemus came to Jesus to ask about the signs that Jesus was performing, signs that couldn’t be done except that ‘God is with Him’, signs performed by ‘a teacher come from God’. And we will remember that the signs Jesus performed attested to both His position as King and to what awaited the nation with respect to spiritual healing upon national repentance. And as such these signs cannot be separated from the Kingdom of the heavens that He was offering. g). And we will remember particularly the eight signs that were specifically chosen and recorded in John’s Gospel, for John’s Jewish audience during the time of the re-offer of the Kingdom of the heavens to the same generation of Jews by the one new man in Christ – Jn 20:30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you [the same generation of eternally saved Jews who killed their King] may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. All pointed to Christ the King and the Kingdom He offered, all seen in the message He brought to them, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of the heavens is at hand’. And the Lord’s response to Nicodemus focuses on the same – Jn 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Let’s remember as we look at these verses that Nicodemus’s question and the Lord’s reply have to do with the Kingdom of the heavens that was the subject of the offer being made to the Jewish people with the accompanying signs that Nicodemus came to ask about. Neither the question nor the answer could have had anything to do with eternal salvation. Keeping this in mind we will realize that the use of the phrase ‘born again’ in v3, can mess us up unless we understand it correctly. The phrase is not referring to spiritual birth, passing from death to life, but that which is brought forth from above, that which is revealed by the Spirit through the Scriptures to those who have spiritual life. ‘To see the Kingdom’ in v3 and ‘to enter the Kingdom’ in v5 are synonymous statements in this respect. To see the Kingdom is to enter it, and to enter the Kingdom is to see it. h). And it is the nature of being brought forth from above that the Lord made clear in His response to Nicodemus’s question about entering the womb a second time, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. The Lord again drew from Moses and the first generation of Israel. The reference He made here takes us to the Red Sea crossing, the nation’s burial, and resurrection. Once brought forth out of the place of death by the power of the Spirit they could then be led by the Spirit to the land of their inheritance. This is what being ‘born of water and the Spirit’ is talking about – Ex 13:21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night. 22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people. And at the time of the Lord’s first advent, the generation of eternally saved Jews alive at the time found themselves in a similar situation to the first generation to leave Egypt. They found themselves in a place between the appropriation of the blood of the Passover Lambs and the Kingdom being offered to them. To reach that Kingdom required national repentance to be followed by national baptism, so that having turned from their sin and been raised by the power of the Spirit from the place of death they could have been led by the Word made flesh, who had been brought forth from above, into the Kingdom of the heavens. It may be no wonder that when John the Baptist appeared to the nation, he described himself as - Jn 1:22 Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said: “I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the LORD,” ’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” The ‘wilderness’ metaphorically pictures that place between the appropriation of the blood and the realization of the purpose for it, seen in the journey of the first generation to come out of Egypt. For that first generation though the purpose was not realized. And for the generation alive at the Lord’s first advent the purpose would not be realized either unless they would be brought forth out of water and the Spirit. i). And as we know this did not happen. And Jesus knowing this spoke to the teacher of Israel about being lifted-up as Moses lifted-up the bronze serpent on a pole. And as we have seen, the promise is certain. In the day that the Jewish people look to the One who was lifted-up, the nation will live. j). They will be raised from the place of death by the power of the Spirit and taken from ‘the wilderness’, to the land of their inheritance. 3). And inevitably, through the type of the bronze serpent, we can find application for ourselves. For many, the Christ on the cross, is purely a picture of eternal salvation. And that eternal salvation comes through His sacrifice to those who are dead in trespasses and sin who believe on Him is absolutely true– Acts 16:30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” But it was not with regards to eternal issues that the bronze serpent was lifted-up. And as we have seen, it was not with regards to eternal issues that Jesus brought it to Nicodemus’ attention, drawing the parallel with Himself being lifted-up. a). The Christian can be locked into only seeing eternal issues with respect to the Lord being lifted-up on the cross, whereas what took place with the bronze serpent and at Calvary takes us beyond death and shed blood, as we can see from – 1 Co 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ‘The message of the cross’ seen in this verse is seen in connection with two types of Christians, those who are in the process of perishing, those who will not be found faithful at the Judgement Seat and those who are in the process of being saved, the salvation of the soul, who will. It is not seen in connection with the eternally lost here at all. b). Now it remains true, as we have already seen, that there is the ‘message of the cross’ to be heard by the eternally lost in harmony with that which was said to the Philippian jailor, ‘believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved’. And what is to be believed is that Jesus died a substitutionary death in the place of those dead in trespasses and sins and that through His death and shed blood spiritual life is given to the one who is spiritually dead as he believes. And this is granted by God’s grace – Eph 2:1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins……. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…. Although this is an irrefutable truth, the message of the cross in 1 Corinthians 1:18, as we have seen, is for those who have already believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. The message of the cross is for those who have already appropriated the blood. And this message will either be seen as foolishness, by those in the process of perishing, or the power of God by those in the process of being saved, the salvation of the soul. c). If we might return to the historical context for Jesus drawing from the type of the bronze serpent in His conversation with Nicodemus we will realize that although we know the nation of Israel will not look on the One whom they pierced until the end of the tribulation, there was a period of time, which began fifty days after the Lord’s crucifixion, when the Kingdom of the heavens was re-offered to that same generation of eternally saved Jews who had killed their King, by the one new man in Christ. The period of time covered by the Book of Acts. d). Christ had at that point been lifted-up, just as He had said to Nicodemus, and if the nation had looked to Him, as with the disobedient Jews in Numbers Chapter 21, they could have lived, been granted life for the age. Although the nation did not do this though, many individual Jews from that generation did - Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” 40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And because they looked at the One lifted-up they were saved out of that perverse generation of eternally saved Jews who continued to reject the Christ and the Kingdom of the heavens. e). What we see in Acts Chapter 2, and what will then be the experience of the entire nation at the end of the tribulation, is a turning away from the sin of unbelief, hence repentance, a change of mind and the need to be baptized, to be born of water and the Spirit. And this sin of unbelief, of which all the other things we call sin are a manifestation, can only be dealt with by the blood of Christ. And for the Jewish nation yet future this will be accomplished in the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, the sixth of the seven feasts given to Israel, during the seventy-five days following the end of the tribulation. f). And for ourselves of course, our cleansing from the sin of unbelief, the sin that so easily ensnares us, in all its manifestations, can only be dealt with by our High Priest in the Heavenly Tabernacle, in a parallel to the Day of Atonement, as we confess our sin. And that which cleanses us from our sin is the blood of Christ shed at Calvary when He was lifted-up. Here then we find the message of the cross for the Christian. g). This is the same truth we have seen taught by the Lord on the night of the last supper – Joh 13:8 Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." A truth that has been repeated in - Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. And a truth repeated in - 1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. The imagery that this verse from 1 John draws from is the layout of the Tabernacle in the wilderness which was made according to the pattern of the heavenly Tabernacle, and the priestly ministry that took place there. The same priestly ministry that Jesus used in John Chapter 13 to point to His impending ministry as High Priest and is alluded to in Ephesians Chapter 5. And this we will come back to next time if we remain and the Lord is willing, and we have prayed.