THE GOSPEL ON A POLE

In the Holy Scriptures the gospel is symbolized in a number of ways at different times. The reason for this is to help us understand the gospel as it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the theme of the Bible. Some examples of Biblical symbols of Christ are as follows:

1. In Noah's day the ark symbolized the gospel as the good news of salvation. The ark was a type of the Saviour.
2. In Abraham's day his son, Isaac, was a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Joseph was a type of Christ.
4. In Moses time the serpent on the pole symbolized the Lord Jesus Christ.

The gospel means good news. It is the best news in all the universe. Whether it is in the ark with Noah, on the altar with Isaac and Abraham, on a pole with Moses, or on the cross at Mount Calvary, the gospel is the greatest news in all the world!

The gospel is good news because it gives 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." A coworker of the great preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon, whose name is Dr. Archibald Brown gave this advice to young preachers: "The gospel is a fact; therefore, tell it simply. It is a joyful fact; therefore, tell it cheerfully. It is an entrusted fact; therefore, tell it faithfully. It is a fact of infinite moment, therefore, tell it earnestly. It is a fact of infinite love; therefore, tell it feelingly. It is a fact of difficult comprehension to many; therefore, tell it with illustration. It is a fact about a Person, therefore, preach Christ."

The wonderful thing about the gospel is the fact that it holds out hope for the hopeless. The gospel gives forgiveness as a free gift to the poor. Some hold the notion that salvation is for good people, for those who fight against temptation, or for the spiritually healthy. But, how different is God's Word. God's medicine, the gospel, is for the sick, and His healing is for the diseased. The grace of God in the gospel by the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ is for people who are guilty.

The serpent on the pole was the gospel. The serpent was good news to those who had been bitten. Friend, if you feel the sickness of sin, if you feel hopeless and without a shelter in the time of storm, the cross of Calvary is your cure. Look to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." Isaiah 45:22. Whatever the poisoning, a remedy was provided. It was of God and altogether of divine origin.

1. God provided the blood and the animal skins for Adam and Eve.
2. God provided the ark for Noah and his family.
3. God provided the Lamb in the thicket for Abraham and Isaac.
4. God provided the brazen serpent on the pole for Moses and Israel.
5. God has provided His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ for the whole world.

This month I want to present four things for our consideration. Let us look at those BITTEN and those BIDDEN. Then, I want us to see those BENEFITED and those BEHOLDING.

I. Those Bitten By the Serpents

I remember as a small boy, our family was sitting out under the trees in our backyard when our dog came up from the garden foaming at the mouth and staggering as he walked. "What's wrong with the dog?" someone yelled.

My Dad took one look and replied, "He's been bitten by a poisonous snake." He was right for in a few minutes the dog died. My oldest brother took the garden rake and went into the garden. Pulling back the pea vines, he found the snake, killed it and brought it to the yard on the end of the rake. Like the poor dog, the people of Israel were bitten with fiery serpents, meaning they were bitten with a poisonous venom.

II. Those Bidden to Come and Look at the Brazen Serpent on the Pole

They were not only bidden to come, they were also instructed as to what they should do. They were only to look. Shall the bite of a serpent be cured by the look at a serpent? Shall that which brings death bring life? Yes, and here is the reason. God is the One who ordains the way of the cure. We need not know how it will work; we just need to know that it will. God's will, His word, and His Almighty grace are sufficient. The serpent on the pole is the gospel of grace. This act is a type of our Lord Jesus Christ. The wonder of it all is that our Lord should condescend to be symbolized by a dead serpent.

Please notice this, the brazen serpent had no venom of itself, but it took the form of a serpent. Christ is no sinner, and in Him is no sin. So, the brazen serpent was in the form of a serpent. And so, the Lord Jesus Christ was sent forth by God "in the likeness of sinful flesh." Romans 8:3. When people came to be healed, they only had to look.

1. Man through Adam and Eve became sinners by a look. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food..." Genesis 3:6.
2. Man (any human) is saved by a look. "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." Isaiah 45:22.
3. Christians continue to look. "...let us run with patience the race which is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;..." Hebrews 12:1,2.
4. At the end of the Christian's life, we are still looking. "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:" Philippians 3:20.
5. We are looking for the blessed hope of our Savior's return. "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" Titus 2:3.

Now, friend, from first until last, from the beginning to the end, we are to look to the Saviour for salvation and righteousness.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon's conversion is a unique story. On Sunday, January 6, 1850, a snowstorm almost crippled the city of Colchester, England, so Spurgeon was unable to attend his regular church. Instead, he made his way down the street to the primitive Methodist chapel where a layman filled in for the regular pastor. Young Spurgeon was under deep conviction about his sins and God's salvation.

The Bible text the layman chose for his sermon was Isaiah 45:22. "<+#>Look<-#> unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." The layman stressed that anyone can look, even a child. At this part in his sermon he pointed at young Charles Spurgeon and said, "Young man, you can look." When Spurgeon repeated that experience more than once, he would say, "I looked so hard I almost looked my eyes out."

III. Those Benefited By Looking At the Serpent

The benefit was the glorious fact that the Israelites lived. They did not die. "...and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." Numbers 21:9.

It is my prayer that those reading the sermon this month will understand once and for all that by looking at the brazen serpent on the pole people were cured and lived. And that is the same as it is in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to look to the cross. We glory in the cross and thank God, we live because of the cross. We look to Jesus on the cross. We look to the empty tomb, and we rejoice in His resurrection.

According to Romans 1:4, Jesus is declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead. Those who benefited learned to lean on the brazen serpent on the pole. They found a cure for their misery. They looked continually to that pole. So it is with the Christian, we learn to lean on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Those who benefited learned that the serpent and the pole were enduring. As long as they were in the wilderness, they had the pole and serpent to look at. So it is with Christians. As long as we live in this dark wilderness of our world, we can continue to look at the cross and the Saviour. Those who benefited learned that God does some unusual things to teach His children lessons. The greatest lesson of all is that the serpent on the pole symbolized the cross and the Lord Jesus Christ.

IV. Those Beholding the Brazen Serpent to be Cured and Blessed

Now, friend, had the serpent been made out of other materials it might have broken or decayed, but a serpent of brass would last as long as the fiery serpents were in the camp. As long as there was a person bitten, there would be the brazen serpent. So it is with the Lord.

The Israelites were not bidden to:

1. Manufacture their own medication. Medicine was not the answer, but rather God's method.
2. They were not told to minister to others who were bitten in order to cure themselves.
3. They were not told to fight the serpents. Fighting the serpents would not cure them, and friends, fighting sin will not save you.
4. They were not instructed to make an offering to the serpent in order to be cured.
5. They were not told to pray to the serpent. Praying is good, but we must look to Jesus.
6. They were not told to look to Moses.
7. They were not told to look at their wounds.

   The gospel on the pole is the gospel at Mount Calvary. The pole pointed to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of God, the giving of His Son, is the fulfillment of the pole in the wilderness. "Grace be to you and peace from...Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins..." Galations 1:3,4.

   Canadian author, William D. Matheson, in My Grandfather's War tells of a veteran who walked through the streets of his hometown with an empty sleeve. When a passerby commented on the loss of his arm, the veteran replied, "I didn't lose it. I gave it."

   Friend, Jesus gave His life on the cross, and that is the gospel in the pole at Mount Calvary.

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