126 - The Bronze Serpent in the Wilderness - Jesus Christ#
126 - The Bronze Serpent in the Wilderness - Jesus Christ
(JP Text Group - Grace Grass Compilation)
Numbers 21:4-9:
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom; but the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, there is no water, and we detest this miserable food!”
6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole; then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
Let us start with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank You! We come before You once again. No matter what kind of resentment or bitterness we have in our hearts, it is like the venom of a snake entering into us. But at this moment, we look up to Jesus, and we live. The dead things inside us will be washed away, and we will be renewed. Our consciences will be cleansed. Thank You and praise You. Bless every brother and sister who seeks You. We pray in the name of Lord Jesus, Amen!
Greet the people around you and say, “Do not lose heart; God still has a way.” No matter what happens, do not lose heart, because our God always has a way. Hallelujah! With our God, nothing is impossible, for His grace has already come.
Why did the Israelites complain? Because the road was very difficult to travel. ‘The people grew impatient on the way and spoke against God and Moses.’ It has been mentioned many times that in the wilderness, the temperature during the day can reach 46 degrees Celsius, and at night it can drop to minus ten degrees. In such a cold and hot wilderness, isn’t it particularly easy to become irritable in the summer heat? The higher the temperature, the more irritable people become. Under such conditions, the problems of the Israelites were exposed.
We are the same; in the face of our environment, our true inner situation will be revealed. Because the road was difficult and there was no water to drink, the Israelites became very irritable. What did they do? They began to complain.
Brothers and sisters, we also encounter some problems, and what we usually do is the same as what the Israelites did; we complain. Does complaining solve problems? No, it creates more problems. So the Israelites kept complaining, drawing more people into the complaints, and as a result, the problems were not solved but multiplied.
What kind of problems? ‘They spoke against God and Moses.’ Who were they complaining about? They were complaining about God and Moses. Did Moses have a grudge against them? Why did they complain about Moses? Would it have been better to stay in Egypt? Would they not have complained if they had stayed in Egypt? They would have complained too. In fact, it doesn’t matter who they were complaining about; what matters is that their way of dealing with problems was usually like this. For forty years, the Israelites in the wilderness frequently complained, as if it had become a habit. Whenever there was a problem, they would complain about Moses, and almost every time their complaints were similar.
“Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to let us die in this place? Is there no grave in Egypt?”
They usually used this phrase to provoke Moses. Brothers and sisters, was it Moses who brought them out? Indeed, it was Moses who brought them out. Did Moses bring them out to kill them? Did Moses want to let them die in the wilderness? Look at how these people spoke, “It is you who brought us out to let us die in this place.” As if they wouldn’t die in Egypt.
Brothers and sisters, think about it. Which environment is better, the current one or the past one in Egypt? Of course, it is the present one! They no longer have to do hard labor or be slaves every day. They did not see that God’s abundant grace had already come; they only saw a little problem and kept complaining, complaining, complaining...
This is exactly how the world is. If we handle problems and think like them, we will fall into a wrong situation. When there are problems at home, people will complain to each other. It’s as if they have no problems themselves. In fact, the problem is very small. God has given them greater blessings, but they do not see it. Did Moses really bring them this trouble? God performed so many miracles for them through Moses, but they seemed not to see it.
Brothers and sisters, when we look at the environment, it is particularly easy to forget God and forget God’s grace. So generally speaking, do believers often complain? Yes, brothers and sisters. God knows that we are very weak in the face of our environment. God wants to tell us through this word, do not look at your environment. Can your complaints make the temperature drop? No, it cannot solve your problems. What is the best way? To look up to our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
When the Israelites complained about Moses, in reality, who were they complaining about? They were complaining about God. Who is Moses? He is God’s representative; he represents God in serving the Israelites.
Just like a preacher, pastor, or teacher, he represents God in serving the people. Amen! If believers attack the pastor and complain about him, it seems like they are complaining about a person, but in reality, are they not complaining against God? Their actions are actually the same as those of the Israelites. This is very dangerous. What kind of consequences will it bring? As mentioned earlier, they said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to let us die in the wilderness? There is no food, no water, and we detest this miserable food.”
They not only complained about Moses but also about God. What was the food that came down from heaven? Manna. Manna was truly wonderful! Brothers and sisters, if there were a food in the world that you could eat every day and not suffer from malnutrition, that food must be very expensive. A food that contains all the nutritional components must be costly, right?
Research says that apples contain 108 kinds of vitamins. Do you know how much such an apple sells for? In our local wholesale market, it sells for five yuan each, not by weight. Do you know why it is so expensive? Because it is rich in nutritional components, isn’t that the reason? Brothers and sisters, have you ever thought about how God prepared this food for the Israelites in the wilderness?
Exodus 16:31 This food was called manna by the Israelites; it was like coriander seed, white in color, and tasted like wafers made with honey.
Manna, like coriander seed, contained all the nutrition. They ate it for forty years without suffering from malnutrition. Did they get sick because of it? No, this is God’s grace that had already come, but they did not see it. Eating it every day, they eventually grew tired of it. Brothers and sisters, is it good to live in grace every day? Yes, but people can grow tired of it. Why do I say this? Adam and Eve were initially in grace; God provided everything for them, but they did not believe and insisted on eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, trying to gain something through their own efforts.
Many Christians under grace think the same way: “No, no, no, I must do something, then I can receive God’s grace with a clear conscience.” In fact, this kind of thinking is the same as that of the Israelites. They felt that the food came too easily; they ate it every day and got tired of it. They referred to manna as miserable food, meaning it had no nutrition, and they hated this food.
Brothers and sisters, who are they hating? The manna that came down from heaven refers to whom? Jesus Christ, Amen! Jesus Christ is God, the food that came down from heaven to give us. When many people hate Jesus, they will definitely have many problems.
The Israelites hated this manna; in reality, they were hating God’s grace. This is a very dangerous result. What effect will it have? It means: “God, do not supply me anymore. I hate this food you have given me; I hate all these things you have given me. Do not be near me anymore.” That is what it means. They complained against God and Moses, meaning they did not want God’s grace to be upon them anymore. This kind of complaint is very dangerous. When we complain against God, we are actually saying, “God, stay away from me; I do not want to see You.”
What will the consequences be? Then verse six says, ‘So the Lord sent venomous snakes among the people; they bit the people and many Israelites died.’
Brothers and sisters, when you read these verses, are you afraid? Does complaining against God mean He will punish you and send snakes to bite you? Will it? No. Did the Israelites complain? Why did God send snakes to bite them? What a cruel God! We are under grace, under God’s complete protection. Why would God be so cruel as to send snakes to bite His children? Would God send snakes to bite you? “Snakes” actually refers to what? Have you thought about what the snake represents in the Bible?
Do not misunderstand. The snake absolutely does not represent Jesus Christ. In the Bible, the snake only represents the devil, referring to the devil. How could the devil possibly enter among the people? Many churches pray, “Lord, please put up a fence around us and do not let the devil enter among Your children. Please protect us!”
As if the devil could sneak in anywhere. If we do not pray, God will leave, and the devil will come in. Is that how it works? No. Why did the snake come in to bite them? In fact, the snake had always been in the wilderness; it is called a fiery serpent, a type of snake that can withstand high temperatures, and it is common in the wilderness. But why had they not been bitten by snakes for forty years, and this time they were bitten?
In the Chinese Union Version of the Bible, many translations are not very accurate. For example, verse six says, “So the Lord sent venomous snakes among the people.”
What does this mean? It seems as if God conjured up many snakes to enter among the people to bite them. Is this God being very cruel? If you understand it this way, do not complain after believing in the Lord, because once you complain, you are doomed. If you complain against God, He will send snakes to bite us. Brothers and sisters, when we grow old, how many will still be alive? Have brothers and sisters ever complained against God? Have you ever complained about your pastor? That would be terrible. Have the snakes bitten you? Why not?
Do not say we are under grace. In fact, at that time, even though they were under the law, God did not treat them according to the law. If God had treated the Israelites according to the standard of the law, they would all have died. The problem lies here. Why does it mention that “the Lord sent venomous snakes among the people”? This is a mistake in the Chinese translation. The Chinese says that God sent snakes among the people. Who is doing this? God is doing it. The Chinese translation has many similar phrases in the Bible.
For example, in Deuteronomy, there are many phrases like, “The Lord sent a certain disease upon the Israelites.” There are many such phrases, “The Lord sent something bad to the people.” In the original text, a different word is used, which means “to allow.” It means, “Okay, you want this? Then I will give it to you.” This is what it means to allow. Brothers and sisters, this is a very dangerous situation.
When we say, “Lord, leave me alone; do not care for me; do not let Your grace be upon me. I must do something. I do not want to eat that manna today; I want to eat meat.” They wanted to eat quail, which is earthly food. This means the Israelites gave up heavenly food and insisted on eating earthly food, leading to many problems.
I have mentioned before that they caught quails day and night, and as a result, the meat was still not chewed well in their mouths. Then the Lord sent a plague among the people. It seems like God is doing it. What does it mean? It means the Lord allowed the plague to enter among them. This is the same as what we read today; it is actually easy to understand. During the day, the temperature is so high, and at night it is so low. They had many dead bodies at their tent doors. Could there be no plague?
Anyone with a little medical knowledge understands that when food is exposed to heat and cold, it will rot, making it very easy to produce a plague. This is the reason. They had eaten and digested very little, and as a result, the plague had already arisen. It was not God who deliberately sent the plague upon them.
God did not send venomous snakes among the people; He allowed the venomous snakes to enter among the people. This is a very dangerous situation. At the beginning, God’s hand was actually upon them. Do you believe that God is still surrounding you with a fence today, protecting you, even if you cannot see it? You must see this with the eyes of faith; it is actually happening. Amen!
The Israelites were always enjoying God’s protection. During the day, there was a cloud, and at night, there was fire. The temperature was too high during the day and too cold at night, so they needed the cloud and fire to protect them. This protection seemed invisible to them. Every day, manna came down, and they seemed not to see God’s grace. They only saw, “It is too hot here; there is no water to drink.”
Did God not supply them with water? Wasn’t food and water always supplied? They could not see God’s grace; they only saw a little problem, which they magnified, and then began to complain, resulting in many problems. God’s hand was originally upon them, but when they complained, they were actually rejecting God’s grace.
Brothers and sisters, this is something we need to be cautious about. Although we are under grace, if we do not want God’s grace and rely on ourselves, what can God do? Remember! God’s blessings will not be forced upon you. Amen!
Our God is a God who gives you the freedom to choose. If you do not want it, He cannot force it upon you. Although eternal life is good, if a person refuses it, God cannot force eternal life upon you; it can only be your choice. If you say, “I want to receive Your Son; I want to receive eternal life,” God is very willing to give it to you. If you say, “I refuse You; I do not want You,” God cannot force it upon you. So blessings are the same.
If we refuse God’s grace and insist on living in ourselves and in complaints, God cannot give you blessings; He can only withdraw His hand. This does not mean you will go to hell; it just means that your life will have some problems, but the problems are definitely not from God. Amen!
Can you understand? The snake is not released by God. If you misunderstand, it is very dangerous. Many churches misinterpret this scripture, saying, “Be careful; do not complain. If you complain, be careful; God will send snakes to bite you.” Is this God very cruel? Let me give you an example. If your child misbehaves, do you say, “Snakes, come out and bite him to death”?
Even the cruelest parents would not treat their children this way. So how could our God treat His children this way? Because they complained, God said, “Snakes, come out and bite them.” What happens when they are bitten? “Ah! I was wrong.” God says, “Do not kill them; just bite them halfway; give them a chance to repent.”
If you portray God this way, how miserable your life would be! Because you would live in fear every day, “Lord, I have offended You; please do not send snakes to bite me.” You would worry about how God would punish you, living in fear every day. That is not how it is, brothers and sisters. We are under God’s grace, not relying on ourselves, but solely looking to Jesus. Amen!
When God raised His hand, originally protecting them, He then withdrew that protection, and the snakes immediately entered among the people. This is the problem. For forty years, had they ever been bitten by snakes again? No, just this once. That proves that during other times, God’s hand was always protecting them. But this time, they did not want God’s protection; they did not want God’s grace. After God withdrew, the snakes immediately entered among them without giving them a moment’s pause.
What does the venom represent? Spiritually speaking, when we refuse to look at God’s grace and refuse to look at what Jesus has done for us, we will definitely look at our environment, and the more we look, the more discouraged we will become. We may even complain about people and complain about God. Many bitter roots will surely enter our hearts. Amen! Some time ago, I shared where bitterness comes from. When a person loses God’s grace, bitterness and poisonous roots arise. So when the Israelites rejected God’s grace, poisonous roots arose. Did the real snakes bite them? The venom of the snake entered them.
Brothers and sisters, in the spiritual realm, if you are unwilling to live in God’s grace and rely on Jesus, many bitter roots and bitterness will enter you. If a person complains every day and sighs, there must be a problem in their heart. Amen! But if a person is joyful, it proves that God’s joy is within them. I hope brothers and sisters can live a joyful life every day. Amen! Because you are already in grace, God’s grace has already come, and joy should fill you.
After they were bitten by snakes, many people died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord to take these snakes away from us.” This is very important. Many people say, “Look, many Israelites are confessing and praying!” That is indeed true; they have offended God. In the Old Testament, they needed to confess and pray to God because the issue of sin had not been resolved.
After the Israelites confessed to God, they said, “Moses, please pray for us to let these snakes leave us.” If they were bitten by snakes, even if the snakes left, they would still die. However, the Israelites did not say, “Please heal me!” They still feared and trembled before God.
People under grace know that Jesus has already borne all our sins on the cross. But in terms of human relationships, if you offend someone, you must confess. Amen! Remember, James 5:16 tells us, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
How do many problems arise? For example, it may not be that he is really a snake. It is just that this person, with a mouth like a snake, “hiss, hiss, hiss…” has entered you, making you so angry that you cannot sleep. You are already poisoned. What should you do? Pray to God, “Lord, give me strength to forgive him. Amen!” How do you clear out this poison? By looking up to God’s strength. Amen!
Then go to that person and say, “I’m sorry; I was wrong; I admit my mistake.” When you do this, you pour out that poison, and your heart is released and healed. Healing comes from God, and then you walk in it among people. Amen!
When the Israelites came to Moses, ‘So Moses prayed for the people.’ Brothers and sisters, do you see Moses’ humility? Did he say, “How did you treat me just now? I will not pray for you.” This is a shepherd. This is a shepherd who is willing to take responsibility for this group of sheep. Even if they attack and slander him, he is still willing to pray for them before God. Amen! He did not hold grudges against these people; Moses began to pray for the people.
At that time, God said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”
Do you see God’s method? God’s method is very simple. God did not say, “Quickly see if there are any medicinal herbs in this wilderness; gather some herbs and take some anti-inflammatory medicine.” God’s approach was very simple: He told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, saying to the Israelites, “If you look at this snake, you will live.” Amen!
Brothers and sisters, have you ever seen such a brilliant doctor in the world? But this is God’s method. When you come to church, do you need to receive everything by faith? I tell you, “No matter how big your problem is, if you look up to Jesus, He can heal you.” If you say, “That’s impossible,” then you will not receive!
For example, when Moses had already hung up the bronze snake and began to say to the people, “Anyone who is bitten by a snake, look at this snake, and you will live.” If someone did not look at the snake on the pole and said, “Lord, I was wrong; I should not have complained; I should not have complained about Moses; I confess my sins; I will confess all the sins I can remember from my birth until now.” Would he die? Yes. Why? Is it because his confession was not thorough? No, because God’s word now is that if you look at this snake, you will surely live. Amen!
If someone hears Moses say this and says, “That’s impossible, Moses. There is no such good doctor. Such a doctor does not exist. I am poisoned like this; my whole lower body cannot move. Just looking at that snake will make me live? Impossible; this thing cannot exist.” Will he die?
Brothers and sisters, can you understand? Why are there so many people in the church who hear the word and say, “Why doesn’t God heal me?” The reason is not with God; it is not that God has not provided healing; it is whether you really believe. Amen!
Some time ago, someone told me, “Teacher Ren, why hasn’t God healed my illness yet?”
I said, “It’s not that God does not heal; do you believe that God can heal you? Do you believe that God has already healed you?”
He said, “Oh, I see that Pastor XX is very capable; I want to find a certain pastor.”
I said, “If you want to, go ahead!”
Brothers and sisters, if you keep looking to people, it proves that you really have no faith. A few days ago, dozens of people were healed on the spot because I shared a word with them. I said, “Right now, as you are listening to the sermon, you are hearing the words of Jesus, not mine. The Bible tells us that when Jesus preached, power went out from Him and healed the people present.” Just this one sentence caused many people to be healed.
Was it my ability? Absolutely not. So do not look to people. Do not say that this pastor has the ability, or that pastor has the ability. Where does his ability come from? It comes from looking to Jesus. Why don’t you look directly to Jesus? Do you really believe that God can perform miracles?
There was an old lady who had insomnia for many years. She said, “I have been unable to sleep for many days. I have prayed, but it does not work. I have believed for many years, but the insomnia problem has never been solved.”
I said, “Do not tell me how serious your problem is anymore.”
She said, “Can you pray for me?”
I said, “Sure. First, you must believe that when I pray for you, you will be able to sleep tonight.”
She said, “Okay, then pray for me.”
I then laid my hands on her and said, “In the name of Lord Jesus, you are healed; you will sleep tonight.”
A miracle really happened. The next day she told me she fell asleep last night.
When you truly believe in Jesus, God can solve all problems in an instant. Because the bronze snake hung on the pole is the solution to the Israelites’ problems, no matter how serious your problem is now, you say, “I am already poisoned and about to die.” It does not matter; as long as you are willing to look up to the bronze snake on the pole, you will surely live. God’s word is not a possibility; it says that if you look up, you will surely receive. Amen! Is this an absolute matter? You must believe in this absolute. Hallelujah!
Anyone who is bitten and looks at this snake will surely live. Who does the bronze snake on the pole refer to? That’s right, Jesus. As we said earlier, the snake is not Jesus, but the bronze snake represents our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! What is the reason? “Bronze” in the Bible represents judgment. In the courtyard of the tabernacle, everything was made of bronze. In the courtyard, there were constantly deaths occurring, as large numbers of clean, unblemished lambs and cattle were brought in and sacrificed on the bronze altar. That represents God’s judgment, allowing people’s sins to be covered. This is what was done in the courtyard of the tabernacle. But everything there was made of bronze, so on that bronze altar, animals were constantly dying.
“Bronze” represents judgment. When Jesus became the bronze serpent hung on the pole, He was bearing our sins. Amen! Therefore,
2 Corinthians 5:21 says, ‘God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.’
Why can God heal you? Because Jesus bore your sins; He took away all your sins inside you and cleaned you up. No matter how deep the poison is inside you now, Jesus can clean it up. Do not worry about how many times you have been bitten by snakes; that is not what you should be concerned about. What you need to do is look up to the bronze serpent on the pole. Hallelujah!
Jesus knew no sin but became sin. On the cross, Jesus became that bronze serpent, the image of the cursed being, so that you and I could be free from the curse. Is disease a curse? Is aging a curse? Brothers and sisters, do not say, “When I reach a certain age, my body will show certain symptoms or syndromes.” Remove these thoughts completely from you; these are curses. Amen! If you say that disease will come upon you, remove those thoughts. Jesus hung on the tree and bore our curse.
Galatians 3:13, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.’”
Was Jesus hung on a pole? Therefore, He has already borne the curse you should have received. Disease has no qualification to be upon you. Do you believe this? If you truly believe, miracles will happen to you immediately. Do not think about how this will come to pass; this is God’s work. Amen! When the Israelites looked up at the bronze serpent, many people lived. It does not mean that the poison was still in their bodies; they were completely healed. So since Jesus has already borne the curse for you, He has already brought you out from under the curse. This is also a picture of grace.
So brothers and sisters, in life, often meditate on the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, meditate on how He bore the curse for you, and give all the curses upon you to Him. You will become healthy; you will become a blessed person; you will become prosperous and healthy. God can turn the bad into good.
Although the Israelites were “suffering from their own sins,” that is true, but if they were willing to turn back to God, we speak of repentance, turning to God, then God would still be willing to heal them. Amen! So God’s way is to continually let you look up to Jesus, look up to Jesus on the cross. When you look up to Jesus, your problems will be solved. Do not look at people; the more you look at people, the worse your problems will become.
Many years ago, I knew an aunt who had been married for many years without having children. The church she attended was very small, with only a dozen people. Their pastor was also very young, probably in his thirties, about the same age as I am now. The sister thought, “Our pastor is too young; he does not have enough power.” That is what she meant, although using the term “power” is not quite correct; she meant that he seemed to lack spiritual power.
So she wanted to find a famous pastor to pray for her, and she went to Hong Kong. At that time, there was a famous evangelist in Hong Kong, and she paid nearly two thousand yuan for a ticket. After a few days of training, that pastor also laid hands on her and prayed. After returning home, she was full of faith, saying, “Pastor XX has laid hands on me; this time I will definitely be able to have children.”
What was the result? Nothing happened. After a while, she said, “I guess that pastor is old, and God is no longer using him; I need to find another pastor.” Later, she remembered that there was a very famous pastor in H country who had the largest church in the world. She thought she needed to find him because he had many abilities displayed, and she wanted to find this pastor.
So she got a passport, went to that place, found that pastor, and begged him to pray for her. After returning, she still did not receive healing and became discouraged, saying, “What should I do? I have already looked for so many, and none of them worked. I have looked for those abroad, and it seems that does not work either.” After making a big circle, she returned to her original church. At that time, God revealed to her, “Go find your young pastor to pray for you.” Then at a meeting, this young pastor laid his hands on her head and said, “In the name of Lord Jesus, you are healed.” After going home, not long after, she became pregnant.
Brothers and sisters, why did God want her to learn this lesson? In fact, at first, she seemed to be looking to God, but in reality, she was looking to people. Amen! It is the same here; you are not looking at what I am saying on stage, but at the words that come out of my mouth, whether they are the words of Jesus Christ. If they are, they will have power because there is not a single word of God that does not carry power. Amen! If you can receive it, you can receive it and see God’s wonders in you. Amen!
So the bronze serpent hung on the pole is not a real snake but a bronze serpent. This bronze serpent is a symbol of Jesus Christ being cursed. Amen! We need to see a picture. When Jesus was on the cross, all judgment fell upon Him. God does not want you to look at yourself because if you look at yourself after being bitten by a snake, you will become more and more discouraged and hopeless. God does not want you to look at yourself; He wants you to look at the bronze serpent hung on the pole. He has already been cursed. Do not look at your problems, and do not look at the people around you; just look up to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 17:20, Jesus said, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Jesus did not say, “You have little faith, as small as a mustard seed, so you cannot have faith.” He said, “If your faith can be as big as a mustard seed.” That proves that the disciples did not have faith. They did not even have faith as big as a mustard seed, which is actually smaller than sesame seeds. They did not have even that little faith because the disciples kept looking at themselves. If you look at yourself, can you find faith? You cannot find it.
But when you look up to Jesus, His faith becomes your faith. You see Jesus doing this, and you believe that Jesus can accomplish this for you. So Jesus said, if you can have even that little bit of faith, start speaking to that mountain. Jesus did not say that when you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you should keep looking at yourself. If you look at yourself, you will not even have faith as big as a mustard seed.
God does not want you to look at yourself, look at your environment, or look at how big your problems are. God wants you to look at how powerful Jesus Christ is. Amen! Then start declaring to your problems. Amen! Speak to that mountain and say, “You move over there!” Can you say to the disease on you, “You, get out!” Be sure to move it to someone else; that is a terrible prayer.
There was a joke that said, “This disease on me, in the name of Jesus, get out!” Someone asked, “Where to?” “Go to Japan.” That is a terrible prayer!
Brothers and sisters, understand that in the name of Jesus Christ, speak to your mountain, your current pressure, your problems that are suffocating you, and say, “In the name of Lord Jesus, get out!” Amen! Where will it go? It will go to Jesus because these mountains are nothing before Jesus. Amen! Move these to Jesus. Often meditate like this; you will find that there is nothing you cannot do.
The bronze serpent was hung on the pole, and Moses would lift it high because he was afraid that someone might not see it. So he wanted all the Israelites who were bitten by snakes to see it. Similarly, in this era, we need to lift up our Lord Jesus Christ and tell the world what Jesus has done for them on the cross. We need to tell the world that Jesus has borne their sins and their curses, so come and receive His health, healing, and prosperity.
By lifting up Jesus in this way, people will see miracles here. Amen! In the last days, what people need is Jesus Christ. In the sermons a few days ago, I did not deliberately heal anyone; I just kept talking about Jesus. As a result, many diseases were healed. I understood that it is not about how rich the words are, but whether Jesus is correctly communicated to people. When people think about Jesus, their problems will be solved. Amen! Thank the Lord.
There was an old sister with arthritis who was in great pain. While we were praying in tongues, she felt a warm current coming down from her head, and instantly her leg was healed. Why did such a miracle occur? Because she saw Jesus in the word, and the faith of Jesus entered her. Amen!
She believed that Jesus’ power was already upon her, so do not doubt. At this moment, you are already receiving His power because we are now lifting up Jesus Christ. Amen! We need to tell this gospel to those around us, especially those who are bound under the law, so they can receive release. Hallelujah! Thank the Lord.
John 3:14-19, when the Israelites were bitten by snakes, many were close to death. Moses did not say, “Now you know you were wrong; you should obey the law well from now on.” Moses did not give them the law; he gave them a way to receive life: look up to Jesus Christ. Amen! Jesus also personally taught us,
John 3:14-19 says: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”
When Jesus was lifted up, many people received life because of Jesus. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world’ (John 3:16-17).
Through Moses, the law was proclaimed, which indeed condemned many people. But when Jesus was given, it was not to condemn you but to bring you forgiveness. Amen! It is to save the world through Him. In your life, in your family, manifest Jesus more, and many lives will be transformed. Our church will always be a place that lifts up Jesus. Hallelujah! Your lives will continue to be transformed. It also says here, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned.” Jesus has already been lifted up; when you look up to Him and believe in Him, you will not be condemned.
“Whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
Jesus is the light. The light came into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. I want to tell brothers and sisters that even though your deeds are evil, God is still willing to shine His light upon you. Even though we have our own transgressions and mistakes, leading to many problems, if we are willing to come before God, He is willing to place His healing power upon you. He is willing to turn your bad things into good. As long as you look up to Him, Amen!
So complaining does not solve problems. What truly solves problems is coming before Jesus. Do not focus on yourself and your own efforts. Focusing on yourself will lead to many problems and complaints. Do not look at how terrible your environment is; just look up to Jesus Christ. Amen! Just as the Israelites looked up to the bronze serpent, the Bible tells us that when they looked at the bronze serpent, they lived. Hallelujah!
This week, I hope brothers and sisters will meditate on this scripture. Many Israelites were bitten by snakes, and many might have been unable to move. But when they could still move their necks, if they looked at the snake, they would live. Meditate on this scripture repeatedly. No matter how much poison is in you, when you look up to Jesus, all that poison will be cleared away. This is what God is doing. Amen!
Do not rely on yourself; just look up to God. Many Christians, although they have believed in Jesus, still rely on themselves, saying, “Lord, look at me; I did not do this, do not punish me; I did not do this, has God left me today?” It is not about what you did or did not do; it is about whether you have looked up to Jesus. I have been telling brothers and sisters that even if you do not kneel down and keep confessing, you will still die. What God wants you to do now is to look up to Jesus.
Under grace, looking up to what Jesus has done for you every day can solve many problems in your life. Brothers and sisters, do not focus your attention elsewhere. If you look to people, when that person falls, you will fall with them. Look to Jesus on the cross, who has accomplished everything for you. Amen! Search for Jesus in the Bible, and your heart will become fervent. You will see that Jesus always manifests His love upon us. Amen!
So this week, I hope our brothers and sisters will shift their focus away from the diseases on them! Shift away from your difficulties! Shift to Jesus. You need to ask yourself one thing: Can Jesus overcome this problem? If He can, then do not lose heart. Just look up to Him and completely entrust this matter to Him. Even if there are no results today, I still believe that God can remove it. Amen! Even if there are no results tomorrow, I still believe that God can remove it. Have that unwavering faith.
Just like Paul said, “Lord, if You save me from this trouble, I will continue to testify for You. If You take me away, I am very grateful to You; that place is truly beautiful.” If you have such faith, the devil will flee from you because he cannot bite you. You are harder than a rock. If he bites you, he will hurt his teeth. If you become a pile of steel, will the snake be so foolish as to bite you? It will look and see that it cannot bite; if it bites, it will hurt its own teeth and look for the soft ones. It will look for the weak, not the strong. Why are you strong? Because you are always looking up to Jesus; He is your strength.
Focus on Jesus. You know how much He loves you. Although we will make mistakes, when we come before God, we say, “Lord, give me strength to overcome these sins in my life! Give me strength to overcome this weakness!” God will truly give you strength because Jesus wants you to be victorious in life and to come out of sickness. Hallelujah!
We just sang that song, “By His stripes, we are healed.” Has He been beaten? He has already suffered, so you need to receive His healing. Do not say, “Lord, when will You heal me?” You need to tell yourself, “God, You have already healed me; I am receiving Your healing right now.” Hallelujah! Thank and praise the Lord! Turn to Jesus; He can save you because the meaning of Jesus is “to save.” Amen!
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank You. Thank You for watering us once again through Your word. We will encounter some problems in life, but I do not want to be like the Israelites who complain. I am willing to look up to You alone. When I look up to You, problems will be solved, sorrows will turn into joy, and sickness will become health because Jesus has already accomplished this on the cross for me. Just as the Israelites looked up to You, the bronze serpent on the pole, I will look up to You, and my problems will be solved.
Lord, this is a week filled with Your grace. Your grace has already come, and I have entered into Your grace. My life has already changed. Hallelujah! All glory belongs to You! We pray in the name of Lord Jesus, Amen!