Look and Live !

Moses serpent 3And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up . . . That whosoever believeth in Him (the Word of God), should not perish, but have Eternal Life !”

John 3:14-15 & I John 5:11-12

“And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom; and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.” The Lord does not remove all the difficulties and trials and hardships from the pathway of his people. He would have them learn to put their trust in Him, believing that the invisible God is their mighty helper. . . .

The Promise was made that whosoever looked upon the brazen serpent should live; and to those who looked the promise was verified. But if anyone said: “What good will it do to look? I shall certainly die under the serpent’s deadly sting;” if he continued to talk of his deadly wound, and declared that his case was hopeless, and would not perform the simple act of obedience, he would die. But everyone who looked, lived !

“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Just as long as we look at our sins, and talk of and deplore our wretched condition, our wounds and putrefying sores will remain. It is when we take our eyes from ourselves, and fasten them upon the uplifted Saviour, that our souls find hope and peace . . . .

The children of Israel became accustomed to the presence of the pillar of cloud (I Corinthians 10:2, Numbers 14:14 & Nehemiah 9:19), that covered them as a canopy by day, and was as a pillar of fire by night. They came to look upon the cloud as a common thing. They did not appreciate the fact that they were favored with the Presence of the Only-Begotten Son of God, Who was equal with God; and, in spite of all their perversity, their murmuring and rebellion, He had done wonderful things for them in all their journeyings.                                                      – Signs of the Times, April 2, 1894

The Lord had said: “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way (path of righteousness), and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him, and obey His Voice, provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. But if thou shalt indeed obey His Voice, and do all that I speak; than I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. For mine Angel shall go before thee” Exodus 23:20. The one great object of the care and guardianship of Christ was the church in the wilderness.

He said of Israel: “I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour; I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Since thou wast precious in My sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee (your name) ______________ ; therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.” Egypt was desolated with plagues and became a wasted land, in order that Israel might be freed from bondage; but the people did not appreciate the goodness and mercy and love of God.

The LORD, their Redeemer, undertook to lead and guide them, but when He brought them into strait places, they were discouraged because of the way, and spake against God and Moses, saying: “Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.”

The Lord had fed them with the Bread of heaven, even with angels’ food (John 6:27-53); and yet they murmured against Him. By His power He had held in check the wild beasts of the forests, and the reptiles of the wilderness, so that they had not hurt His people; but now He removed His restraining hand, and let the poisonous serpents do as they would have done all along the way had the LORD not restrained them. The real trouble that now came upon them served to bring them to their senses, and to awaken their paralyzed thoughts as to what course to pursue.

“Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that He take away the serpents from us. And the LORD (Jehovah, Yehuwah) said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.”     Numbers 21:8

Throughout the camp of Israel there were the suffering and the dying who had been wounded by the deadly sting of the serpent. But Jesus Christ spoke from the pillar of cloud, and gave directions whereby the people might be healed . . . Yea, He sent His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonder-filled works to the children of men !” Psalm 107:19-22 and 34:8

O taste and see that the LORD is good: for blessed is the man that trusteth in Him !”

The Promise was made that whosoever looked upon the brazen serpent should live; and to those who looked the promise was verified. But if anyone said: “What good will it do to look? I shall certainly die under the serpent’s deadly sting;” if he continued to talk of his deadly wound, and declared that his case was hopeless, and would not perform the simple act of obedience, he would die. But everyone who looked, lived !

Jesus said: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him (the Word of Salvation-John 1:14) should not perish, but have Eternal Life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting Life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved (delivered, set free, rescued, healed and made whole) !” Christ is speaking to us now as certainly as He spoke to the children of Israel in the wilderness. He is the Healer of both body and soul. Our attention is now called to the Great Physician.

“Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Just as long as we look at our sins, and talk of and deplore our wretched condition, our wounds and putrefying sores will remain. It is when we take our eyes from ourselves, and fasten them upon the uplifted Saviour, that our souls find hope and peace.

The Lord speaks to us through His Word, bidding us “Look and live !” “He that hath received His testimo-ny hath set to his seal that God is True! For He Whom God hath sent speaketh the Words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him . . . for the Words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are Life ! . . . The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. He that believeth on the Son hath Everlasting Life !” John 3:33-36 & ref: John 6:63

There is every reason why we should be encouraged to hope* for the Salvation of our souls. For hope maketh not ashamed . . . !” Romans 5:5

Hope (G1680) = faith, expectation, confidence

In Jesus Christ every provision for our Salvation (deliverance, freedom, rescue, healing and restoration) has been made. No matter what may have been our sins and shortcomings, there is a Fountain open in the house of David for all sin and uncleanness (Zechariah 13:1). Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18. This is the Word of the LORD. Shall we accept it? Shall we believe on Him?

David had been bitten by the fiery serpent, –he had been poisoned with the venom of sin, –yet hear the

Words that describe his experience after looking upon the uplifted Saviour: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit (mind) there is no guile. . . .

I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions (rebellion and apostasies) unto the LORD; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin . . . “If we confess our sins, He is faithful (God is True), and Just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness !”

ref: I John 1:9 & Romans 3:26

For this shall everyone that is godly pray unto Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found; surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. For Thou art my hiding place; Thou shalt preserve me from trouble; Thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:1-7. “The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and He saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. . . The LORD redeemeth the souls of His servants, and none of them that trust in Him shall be desolate . . . !” Psalm 34:18-22                                  – Signs of the Times, April 2, 1894

Look not to Self but to Christ !

It is in looking upon our sinful condition, and talking and mourning over our wretchedness, that distress becomes more keen, and pain accumulates. Let the sinner arise in the strength of Jesus, for he has no strength of his own, and let him assert his liberty . . .

Awake, awake; put on thy Strength, O Zion . . . put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision

for the flesh! . . . Put on thy beautiful garments (the righteousness of Christ), O Jerusalem, the holy city (Be ye holy, for I Am holy) for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean !

ref: Romans 13:14, I Peter 1:16

Shake thyself from the dust . . . Arise, and sit down (with Christ in heavenly places), O Jerusalem. Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion (for I came to set the captives free) . . . For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves ____________ (your name) for nought; but ye shall be Redeemed without money . . . or price !” Isaiah 52:1-3, Luke 4:18, Isaiah 49:8-10 & Ephesians 2:4-6

ref: I Peter 1:18-21

Let him believe that the LORD has spoken Truth (Verity), and trust in Him, whatever may be the feelings of the heart. Let the sinner say, I will look away from my own misery, from the wound of the serpent, to the up-lifted Saviour, Who has said, “him that cometh to Me, I will in nowise cast out.” Look upon Jesus. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. ref: John 6:37

Let no one make his feelings his idol, and bow his soul down to worship and serve his sensations (emotions). For our Saviour has said, “Thou shalt worship the LORD thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” It is your privilege to believe that Christ has borne your sins; for God hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (I Peter 2:24, II Corinthians 5:21 & Isaiah 53:6). You are under the shelter of the sure Refuge, under the cover of the atoning blood of the acceptable Sacrifice.

All legalism, all the sorrow and woe by which you may encompass yourself, will not give you one moment

of relief (peace – ref: Romans 8:31-34 & Isaiah 50:8-9). You cannot rightly estimate sin. You must accept God’s estimate, and it is heavy indeed. If you bore the guilt of your own sin, it would crush you; but the sinless One has taken your place, and, though, undeserving, He has borne your guilt. By accepting (through faith in God’s unfailing Word) the provision God has made, you may stand free before God in the merit (worthiness) and vir-tue of your Substitute. You will then have a proper estimate of sin, and the godly sorrow of true repentance will take the place of hopeless discouragement and grief, for you will turn from sin with grief and abhorrence.

Jesus says, Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest !”

Do not think for an instant that any human being has a more loving heart, and a more tender compassion for you, than He Who died on Calvary to save (deliver, rescue, and heal) you. Do not turn from the Divine to the human. The human messenger may bid you hope . . . on the ground that God’s Word bids you hope !

Your Heavenly Father invites you ___________ (your name) to come to Him as a little child to a loving parent, and say, Thou hast said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened . . . I say, If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask for a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit (good things) to them that ask him?” ref: Luke 11:9-13 & Matthew 7:11

O taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man that trusteth in Him . . . !”

Psalm 34:8

Christ is the friend of sinners. When the scribes and the Pharisees accused Him of eating with publicans and sinners, Jesus said, “I come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” If you feel yourself to be the greatest of sinners, then Christ is just what you need; for He is the greatest of Saviours !

Lift up your head, and look away from yourself, away from the poisoned wound of the serpent, to the Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of the world. What will all your groaning and the torturing of your soul avail?

You may entertain thoughts that condemn you, but in them there is no Salvation. Put away your thoughts, and receive the thoughts of God, through which your mind may be elevated, your soul purified and uplifted. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD (Jehovah, Yehuwah), thoughts of Peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end !” Jeremiah 29:11-14

The LORD says: “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid My Face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.” Isaiah 54:8 Why will you carry your burden of sin, when Christ has come to be your burden bearer? Roll your sins at the foot of the cross. Unload! unload! He takes away the sins of the world. “I, even I, Am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine Own sake, and I will not remember thy sins !”

Isaiah 43:25

If Thou, LORD, shouldest mark (observe, keep record, preserve) iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
But there is forgiveness (to give in exchange for) with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared. I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I hope (place confidence, trust)
. . . . for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous Redemption. For He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities
!”

Psalm 130:1-8 & Ezekiel 36:25-27

You have been pronounced a sinner, and Christ has announced Himself a Saviour. Accept the remedy God has provided for you in a sin-pardoning Saviour. How would you have felt had you been in the camp of Israel and seen the people groaning and shrieking in distress because of their swollen and painful wounds, when the brazen serpent was uplifted, and when by one look they might be healed? Would you not have exclaimed: “Why do they not look at the uplifted serpent? How strange it is that they do not perform the one simple act by which they might receive healing!” ref: Numbers 21:5-9

Look unto Me, and be ye saved (delivered, set free, healed and made whole), all the ends of the earth: for I Am God (Elohim – the Mighty One), and there is none else . . . !” Isaiah 45:22-25

But is it not as inconsistent for you to refuse to look at the crucified Saviour? –Heed the invitation: “Seek ye the LORD while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the LORD, and He will have mercy upon him: and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon !” Isaiah 55: 6-7

For “I have sworn by Myself, the Word is gone out of My mouth in righteousness, and shall not return . . . unto Me void !” Isaiah 45:23 & 55:10-11

Why should the repenting sinner forsake his thoughts? It is because they are not in accordance with Truth.

(Thy Word is Truth !) . . . John 17:17. He is tempted to believe that because of his sins God has given him up to the will of his enemy, and that there is no pardon for so great a sinner as he. But all these thoughts are dishonoring to God, because man is God’s possession, both by Creation and Redemption.

“God so loved the world, that He gave up His Only-Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him [as his personal Saviour, and accepts Him as the only provision whereby he can be saved] should not perish, but have Everlasting Life !” John 3:16 You are one of the whosoever may believe. But while you cherish unbelief, and permit feelings to govern you, your case will look hopeless to yourself. Forsake these unbelieving thoughts. God says: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My Ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My Ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts !” Isaiah 55:8-9 & John 14:6

“God so loved the world, that He gave (in exchange) His Only-Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have Everlasting Life.” Poor, doubting, discouraged soul, I would address you as one of that world for whom God gave His Son. He loves you, and will save you if you will but receive the gift of His Only-Begotten Son.

Moses prayed that God would show him His glory, “and the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD (Jehovah, Yehuwah). And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and Truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty . . .” Exodus 33:18- 34:7

For He hath made Him to be sin for us, Who knew no sin . . . that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him !” “To declare, I say, at this time His Righteousness: that He might be Just, and the Justifier of him which believeth in Jesus (Yehushua) !”

II Corinthians 5:21 & Romans 3:26

This is the character of the God in Whom you are to put your trust. “God is love !” Repeat this sentence whenever temptation presses upon you. Remember that He is Just and merciful, True and gracious, and will by no means clear the guilty. God can be just, and yet be the Justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. He will accept you just as you are; for there is no hope of your becoming better until you come to Jesus for pardon and sanct-ification. Mourning and weeping will not purify you. You may mourn your life away in unbelief, and in bitterness of soul, but the power to cleanse the vilest sinner is vested wholly in Him Who can “save unto the uttermost.” ref: Hebrews 7:25

Surely His Salvation is nigh them that fear Him; so that glory may dwell in our land. For mercy and Truth
are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other
. . . !” Psalm 85:9-10

God does not ask you to feel that Jesus is your Saviour, but to believe that He died for you (because He has spoken this promise to you), and that His blood now cleanseth you from all sin . . . “For He saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted,* and in the day of Salvation have I succoured thee. Behold, now is the accepted time;* behold, Today is the day of Salvation . . . if ye will hear His Voice !”

II Corinthians 6:2, Hebrews 3:7 & Isaiah 49:8-9

You have been bitten by the serpent, and as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness that the dying might look and live, so Christ was lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him (The Word of God) should not perish, but have Eternal Life. Saving faith is simplicity itself. You must cry no more; you must cease to hang down your head as a bulrush.

Look to the uplifted Saviour, and, however, grievous may have been your sins, believe He saves you. All the remedies and medicines of the world would have failed to cure one soul who had been bitten by the venom-ous serpent; but God had provided a remedy that cannot fail. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved !” Acts 16:31 & Romans 10:9. Be not among the number to whom the Saviour said, “Ye will not come unto Me that ye might have Life.” Oh, how He longed to save them; for while we were yet sinners (not waiting for us to make ourselves good), Christ died in exchange for us.

And in that He died, He died unto sin once; but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God . . . !” “For He hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, Who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him !
And this is the name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
!”

Romans 6:10, II Corinthians 5:21 & Jeremiah 23:5-6

 

Believe now that God loves you; for He hath declared it, and when Satan tries to fasten the burden of sin and horror upon you, take your Bible, and read aloud, “God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him (The Word) should not perish, but have Everlasting Life.”

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord !” “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us; and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only-Begotten of The Father, full of grace* (G5485) and Truth (Verity) !” Romans 6:23 & John 1:14

And this is the record (evidence, testimony), that God hath given unto us eternal Life, and this Life is in

His Son . . .” “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; but the Last Adam was made a quickening (Life-giving) Spirit !” For “it is the Spirit that quickened; the flesh profited nothing. The Words that I speak unto you . . . they are Spirit, and they are Life !”

I John 5:11, I Corinthians 15:45 & John 6:63

You cannot repulse the enemy by relating your fearful doubts, by telling him that you are horrified by the thought that you are lost. All this is music in his ears. He wants to make you as miserable as he is himself, but you can answer him by proclaiming the Promise that you believe in the Son, and therefore shall not perish. As you turn your eyes away to the Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of the world, the controversy with the enemy will be ended for that season. You can repulse him by declaring that “Christ was wounded for my trans-gressions. He was bruised (beaten repeatedly) for my iniquities. The chastisement of my peace was upon Him, and with His stripes I am healed !” Isaiah 53:4-5

Take the Word of Jesus Christ as more sure and valuable than any word that can come from the human agent. Thank God with your whole heart and soul and voice that you are barricaded with the rich Promises of His infallible Word, so that the wicked one shall not touch you !

For “there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful (He will keep His promise), Who will not suffer (allow) you to be tempted above that which ye are able . . . but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear (the trial of your faith in His Word) it !”

I Corinthians 10:13

When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard (a gate, an escape) against him . . . And the Redeemer shall come to Zion (God’s children – ref: John 14:15-20), and unto them that turn from transgression (James 4:7-10) in Jacob, saith the LORD . . . .

As for Me, this is My Covenant (Oath, Promise) with them, saith the LORD; My Spirit that is upon Thee, and My Words which (are Spirit and Life) I have put in Thy mouth, shall not depart out of Thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of Thy children (seed), nor out of the mouth of Thy seed’s seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth for ever . . . !” Isaiah 59:19-21

For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh !” “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; but with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation (deliverance, freedom, and healing). For the Scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him (The Word) shall not be (put to shame) ashamed !”

Matthew 12:34 & Romans 10:10-13

God will give you the Holy Spirit, even though it may seem to you that it is too good to be true. “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who then can be against us? He that spared not His Own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give* (grant favor, kindness, pardon, rescue, deliver, forgive) us all things?” Romans 8:31-32

– Signs of the Times, April 9, 1894

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