THE BRAZEN SERPENT
INTRODUCTION
The lessons of the Israelites are great for our learning.
Romans 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were
written for our learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
The account of the Israelites gives us a snapshot of human thinking, rebellion, and character. The account of the Brazen serpent is one such account. The brazen serpent was a type of Christ.
Numbers 21:4-9 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.And
the people spake
against God, and against Moses, 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.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 Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee
a fiery serpent, and
set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one 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.
THE BRASS SERPENT AND JESUS THE SAVIOR
Jesus himself made the parallel between him and this account of the brazen serpent remember the statement of the master concerning this account.
John 3:14-16 And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
That whosoever believeth in him 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.
Lets all study some of the points of analogy or likeness of the lifting up of the brass or brazen serpent as a remedy for the deadly venom of the poisonous bite of the viper. And the lifting up of the sinless son of God as a remedy for our sin sick souls and see if we are not profited through the comparison.
Israel was a murmuring people. As a matter of fact God when commissioned Moses to deliverer them from Egypt and they murmurred.
Your putting a sword in the hands of the Egyptians to slay us. Let us alone the Egyptians are making our tasks much more difficult to the making of bricks using less and less straw that we must gather.
Let us alone Moses, it is remarkable how unwilling we are to pay the price for preparation and liberty. Moses led the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.
Shortly they were against the Red Sea surrounded by the wilderness and the Egyptian army is bearing down, And they said lord thank you for delivering us from Egyptian bondage and we look to the for.... No they didn't they murmured, griped, grumbled and complained. Let us alone now you brought us die. I'll turn on the tape recorded because its the same complaints.
They felt hopeless and complained. This is an amazing fact before us. We walk on God's earth, eat his food, wear his clothing, enjoy his sunshine, breathe his air and complain constantly.
These people had lived through and witnessed the power of God's deliverance by the ten plagues that devastated Egypt.
These people forgot God and was murmuring again. Moses said stand still and see the salvation of Jehovah which he will work for you this day. God said to Moses, why cry to me stretch out thy rod over the sea and he did. The lord sent a strong wind from the east that blew all night long.
In the morning there was a path of dry land and the Israelites escaped the army of Pharaoh. Israel sang the song of deliverance while the Egyptians floated and washed to their feet. the divine record says that God saved Israel that day.
Exodus 14:30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand
of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians
dead upon the sea shore.
There was 40 years of wandering in the wilderness because of their stubbornness, unbelief, and disobedience. A remarkable fact is that their shoes did not wear out, their clothing waxed not old, when they demanded water he gave it to them from a solid rock. When they required meat he feed them quail till it ran out their nostrils . Everything they needed God supplied. In an arid area where you could not feed two men for three days, God fed this vast multitude of people for 40 years.
They murmured again. They said there is no bread and there is no water and we despise this light bread.
The manna that God miraculously rained from from heaven every morning six days out of every week to sustain them. Can you imagine a people so ungrateful People that complained and despised and detested the bread that God provided with his mercy and grace six days a week. This is a terrible thing to complain and murmur and grumble and gripe about the goodness of God. Lets not be too rough on Israel people still are doing that today. listen to what Jesus said.
Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth
out of the mouth of God.
Many religious minded people today are not content with the word of God. The pull out the manual, discipline, catechism, confession of faith, or the book of Mormon, koran, ideas and opinions of the synod, council, conference, association or convention. They are not really interested in what the Lord says. They become angry when you tell them what the Lord said and they gripe against the will of God.
We have heard them say, I don't care what that says, I know what I feel and it does not matter what that says/
That's the worst type of murmuring.
Ancient Israel had been in slavery and the did not really have the proper background for comprehension, yet we have the Old Testament teaching us God's dealing with ancient Israel, not only can we see the example of fidelity in that dispensation and the consequences of disobedience. In addition to that we have the last will and testament of the son of God, which regulates every phase and facet of human activity and thought.
Still people today with the sunlight of God's love shining clearly forth
from the face of Jesus Christ are grumbling, complaining, and discontent
with the bread that came down from heaven. no longer interested in
it.
SIN AND THE SERPENT
Because the people murmured God sent forth fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people and much people of Israel died. May I suggest to you that as the deadly viper infused his poisonous venom in the veins of the children of Israel, Satan still infuses his poisonous ideas of sin and falsehood in the soul of humanity. Unless a remedy is effected we will die.
Remember Peter's words.
Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled
thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price
of the land?
The source of falsehood is clearly proclaimed and pronounced by the son of God for us to know the identity of the serpent.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the
lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning,
and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When
he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:
for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Satan the serpent devil is the source of all falsehood.
Satan cannot do anything against my will, I have to allow him access to my heart otherwise I would not be false.
I Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,
that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy;
having their conscience
seared with a hot iron;
Some will depart from the faith by giving heed to seducing, deceiving, undermining, destructive falsehood. The source is the doctrine of demons, spawned from hell promulgated by Satan and propagated by those who know no better or knowing better deliberately refuse to submit to the will of God
False teachers are abroad in the land and the devil has more preachers and ministers in pulpits today than the Lord does 10 to one or greater adds.
I Thess. 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
I John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God: because many false prophets
are gone out into the world.
The standard we try the spirits is a thus saith the lord, validated by the shed blood of christ. just as you would have a problem with linear measurement you would apply a rule, twelve inches to the foot. Somebody says I don't believe it, then your a fool twelve inches is still a foot. That's the end of all controversy only a fool would deny it. That's how it works/
This book is the end of all controversy this is the word of God which you will be judged in the final analysis. Somebody says I don't believe it. You will, you will, rest assured.
You are made in the image and likeness of God, and you will never get out of this world alive.
I used to think the fellow that said that was being facetious, you'll never get out of this world alive. the older i get and the more experience I have the less joke I see in that statement. You will never get out of this world alive, and after death the judgment and here is the standard.
Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
John. 12:48 He that rejecteth me,
and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I
have
spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
Satan the serpent has infused his false ideas and sin into the human family and the wages of sin is death.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
When Moses prayed to God on the behalf of the children of Israel, God said, Moses make a serpent out of brass, and put it on a pole and lift it up in the midst of the camp. It will come to pass if a man is bitten when he looks at the serpent of brass he will live.
A BRASS SERPENT AND A SUFFERING SERVANT
It is interesting to observe that as a remedy for snake bite he made a snake. However there is a vast difference between the deadly viper on the ground that infused the poisonous venom into israel and the snake lifted up as a remedy.
The snake lifted up had none of the poisonous venom within it.
It is equally interesting that while man had sinned and fallen short of the glory of God that a man was lifted up for the remedy of sin.
The difference is that the man lifted up was without sin or contamination of sin. The sick of sin and the man lifted up is that there was no sin in the lifted messiah, or savior. The son of Man the Son of God was lifted up for our sins.
II Corinthians 5:21 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.
Back in Numbers 21:4-9 you observe that they did not have
any problem or trouble parting asunder to look upon the serpent of his
or hers or the serpent of your choice.
Nobody was running around putting up other brass serpents and try to justify looking at their serpent saying that one serpent was as good as another. Just look at the serpent of choice.
People seemingly treat God's appointments in the gospel in this very way. People say join the church of your choice. Where does a man claiming to be a religious leader come up with terminology like this. This is no where found in the word of God.
Church of ones choice. The Lord built but one church.
Isaiah 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last
days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in
the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all
nations shall flow unto it.
House is singular, all nations flow into it not them. Jesus did not say upon this rock I will build some churches. he said he would build his church. he said what he should have the Lord does not make mistakes.
The Lord said I will build my church. Only one group called out of the world of sin where man is translated into the kingdom of the saved.
The called out, ecclessia is the church. Human institutions and denominations , religious organizations unknown and not mentioned by the word of God unauthorized by God has nothing to do with a man salvation. Maybe just to deter, hinder or possible prevent it. For one to think or feel he is saved, yet lost is much more difficult to reach with the truth than a man flat on his back that can only look straight up. It is a terrible thing on the day o judgment to teach religious error. To be responsible for multiplied thousands who die lost thinking they are saved when they were still lost.
The Lord built but one church.
Ephesians 1:21-22 And hath put all things under his feet, and
gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
Church is the body of Christ
Col. 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who
is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in
all things he might have the preeminence.
Col. 1:24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings
for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ
in my
flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife,
even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the
saviour of the body.
The body is the church and the church is the body. How many bodies? As many as there are heads.
Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye
are called in one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above
all, and through
all, and in you all.
The body is the church and the church is the saved with one head christ only one christ or Lord. Only one anointed to redeem man.
To have one head and two bodies would be a problem. One body with
300 bodies is not science fiction but is horrible.
reality religiously speaking. Every denomination has a human head or
dogma. There are as many bodies as there are heads.
Preacher, you can join the church of your choice. You can join the religious organization of your choice, and that's true. But anything you join from the Masons, up or down religious in nature will damn your soul. You need to check it out, you can't join the Lord's church.
Church membership is a by product of salvation. The Lord adds the saved to the church.
Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Heb. 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Gal. 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
To be in Christ, is to be in his church, the one body.
Why do people talk about joining the church of your choice today. That is the language of Ashdod that is a mixed religious vocabulary that stems from terminology totally foreign to the word of God. That comes from some theological cemetery, I believe they call it seminary, but it is dead spiritually, so cemetery is pretty applicable.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Please check it out friend your soul hangs in the balance, Better check it.
It is amazing if I stood here and gypped you out of 10,000 dollars you would not let me sleep a wink tonight. You would have every police, attorney or whatever hounding me for arrest and punishment. That man has 10,000 dollars of my money.
You are in bad shape if you let me stand up here and tell you something
that has to do with the eternal destiny of your immortal soul and you pass
it off lightly. As sure as you breathe in a few days you will be
either in heaven or hell. We need to decide where we are going.
Its just that serious, its just that serious.
I am going to tell you nothing except from this blood sealed covenant of the son of God. its in your best interest to check it out. One church that's all you read from the beginning to the end. Just one people that are saved those that obeyed the gospel. if we obey the lord and believe the same thing we would be the same. If you obey Christ he is a christian, if he obeys something in addition to the teaching of christ he is something in addition to a christian. What kind of christian are you? there are no types or kinds either you are a christian are you are not.
If there must be an adjective or something to distinguish your kind
from another then obviously you obeyed something besides the gospel of
christ, and that can cause you to be lost.
Gal. 1:6-9 I marvel that ye are so soon removed
from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto
another gospel: w Which is not another; but there be some that trouble
you, and would pervert
the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
other gospel unto you
than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said
before, so say I now
again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received,
let him be accursed.
The remedy is in the camp and the people have to be told about the brazen
serpent. What a joy it would be to deliver the message of healing
and life. What a joy and privilege.
Perhaps you had been bitten and you looked at the image and received the healing to tell mother, dad, brother, sister, friend to tell them about the remedy. To be able to say, you don't have to die that's marvelous.
We love to be bearers of good news don't we. Suppose a person informs a mother that her child was in an automobile accident the implication is that the child didn't make it. Your phone rings saying they can't reach her, but the mistake was made that her child wasn't even involved in any way.
Would you run over and tell her, would you. Would you not like to bear good news like that. Don't you love to bear good news like that. To see a broken heart straighten up, that's tremendous.
The people had to be told about the good news of the brazen snake and its remedy.
The worst that could have happened to ancient Israel had they never received the news of the brazen serpent has already happened they died physically. The have been dead for centuries.
Tonight as a christian you are commissioned to tell others the love story of the cross. If men do not hear it they are going to die eternally, spiritually not just physically. Forever separated from God. To endure the hell of fire.
Do we really love to tell good news and sharing it with others. Do we really understand that every man going out of this world having reached his majority and accountability failing to obey the gospel is lost and eternally undone.
Without the blood of Christ there is no hope and the blood of Christ validated this good news which is our privilege to share.
Mark 16:15 Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
That person next to you on the pew is a creature, Wicksburg, Alabama is a place in the world that we can start in this commission.
This is our privilege and people are going to die eternally without it.
Would it not be a shame to allow people to die in the community where a group of God's own people worship and truly love the Lord. That would be a shame for people to go out into eternity without hearing and at least being able to make a decision or say no to the Lord.
The Lord never commanded me to save anybody. Sometimes our missionaries very zealously come and tell us that we are to save the world. that's not my job, that's not my job.
I Corithians 3:6-7 I have planted, Apollos watered;
but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that
planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
My task and job is seed sowing. Seeking the salvation of souls
through the word. I can't force it on a man, don't intend to coerce
you to obey, you must make the decision. If you do not have the faith,
wouldn't do me any good or you any good to
obey just to please me. I have the joy of telling you the good
news of Christ.
They had to be told and the message was to be carried though Moses had placed the pole in the midst of the camp.
We don't grasp that there was 603,550 fighting men 20 years old and over none to old to fight in combat. No females, nobody under 20 years of age mentioned, Levites were not numbered. This estimates that between 2-3 and a half million people were in this vast wilderness camp. Better than two times larger than the city of Atlanta Georgia.
Just one snake in the midst of the camp had to be carried and told to the people.
Nobody was compelled by a direct operation of the Holy Spirit to look and live.
The power that drew them to look was a message.
Suppose someone in the corner of the camp has been bitten and you have been healed so you open the tent flap and say I can see you are dying and he may not be able to move. You tell him a remedy is in the camp. With all the energy he can muster he will run you over to get to that snake, he wants to live.
You will not have to plead, beg or force him to look. The power is in the message. The power to save is the gospel. The message of salvation motivates me to obey the Lord without delay.
The message that I am lost eternally and there is a balm or spiritual healing in Christ draws me to turn and come to the Lord.
The blood of Christ is applied to the soul. The fact that my salvation can be obtained makes me want to run to Christ.
John 6:44-45 No man can come to me, except
the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him
up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they
shall be all taught of God. Every
man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto
me.
From hearing and learning of the love story of the cross we are drawn
to God.
II Thess. 2:13-14 But we are bound to give thanks alway
to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord,
because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification
of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel,
to the
obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The message of the gospel account of the death, burial and ressurrection is the power to move us if we will allow it.
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ:
for it is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Only by the word of the message will we come to the Lord.
The people were not healed the moment they believed. moses erected this brass serpent and though they heard of God'd remedy they would still not be healed until they moved and went to look at the brass serpant.
Somebody says that is stick salvation the most unnecessary irrelevant thing I have ever heard of. I want you to know that i don't think that looking at a piece of brass has anything to do with healing snakebites. That is the flap on the tent, the man is now dead, he is dead.
What if he goes a step further and says snakes idol who ever heard of such a ridiculous thing. You know that God would not predicate a thing as important as my life upon the idea of looking at a piece of brass.
All I can tell you is what God said, Further the man says, besides that the God I serve can heal me right inside of this tent. Your trying to tell me that God has got to have me look at this piece of brass to heal me. The God I serve can and will heal me right here without looking at that piece of brass. You are a dead infidel. You're gone and you are an infidel.
Somebody says hold on preacher, Wait a minute you say. Well there is a sense that this man has more faith than you do. There is no sense in which he has any faith at all.
Oh yeah, you think that you got to look at that piece of brass to be healed. he thinks that the God he serves can heal him without looking. That's what I say he has no faith at all. No preacher, he believes in the omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God that can do anything, anywhere, anytime he wants to do. No he doesn't he doesn't believe in that God at all because faith in that God comes from hearing the word of that God. What's that?
Romans 10:17 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.
Where did God say stay in your tent and don't look at a serpent and I will hear you? God said it shall come to pass that if a man is bitten and looks at the serpent of brass he will live, that's what God says.
Somebody says, God can heal without looking at the brass serpent.
Nope he can't, now lets get the record straight friend, no he can't there are some things that God can't do.
Preacher, you are limiting the power of God. I deny the allegation and challenge the alligator. No sir, It is impossible for God to lie.
Hebrews 6:18 That by two immutable things,
in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a
strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope
set before us:
But someone says Luke 1:31 says that all things are possible with God. So now you have a contradiction.
No you don't you have the context to consider.
Eph. 1:11 In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of
him who
worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
God will not violate his own will. Truth is consistent to truth. Truth is consistent with itself and God will not go beyond his will in performance. He said he will not lie so it is morally impossible for God to lie. Not physically impossible but morally impossible because he said he wouldn't. What did God say about the Israelites being healed of a snake bite.
Somebody says well I'm not looking. It's up to you but your dead if you don't look.
God will never force you or put a hammer lock on you not even both arms.
Jesus Christ will never grab us by the hair of the head and drag us to heaven. No sir.
Jesus Christ died and oh how he loves you and wants you to be saved.
Matthew 19:16-21 And Simon Peter answered and said,
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona:
for flesh and blood
hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
And I say also unto thee, That
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates
of hell shall not prevail against it.
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed
in heaven.
Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was
Jesus the Christ.
From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he
must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer
many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed,
and be raised again the third day.
The Lord did not rebuke him for calling him good he settled a point making the boy acknowledge the fact he was deity. That settled he talked to the boy about keeping the commandments.
The boy wanted one superlative commandment. The boy said all this things I have done. The record says the Lord loved him. What a marvelous young man. I can understand this. How we appreciate that kind of person male or female, how marvelous it is to encounter that kind of diligent, talented, committed, consecrated person, it is a marvelous thing. The Lord loved him.
What lack I yet the Lord knew he was rich. Nothing wrong with being rich but evidently this boy had a problem with it. Jesus told him if he would be perfect go sell that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Come thou and follow me. The young man went away sorrowful for he was one that had great possessions.
The Lord watched him walk away. The Lord did not say son, will you reconsider? Will you give half of your goods to the poor, son will come back.
The Lord never spoke to him again but he loved him. He loves you. It doesn't matter what you have been, or from whence you have come, or who you have associated or how low you have sunk in sin. Oh how he loves you.
The only means to save you is his shed blood and he died and tells us through his word for your behalf. Its great news for the sinner that wants it. Its the best news to ever fall on the human ear to all who will believe it. This is marvelous indeed but he will never force or coerce you.
They were not healed the moment they believed but they had to go out and look at that piece of brass. Those who looked were healed by faith. You say, preacher say that again.
Those who looked were healed by obedient faith. Somebody says, they were healed because they looked. That's what I said.
They that were healed because they obeyed where healed by faith. People think this was a contradiction to obey and faith/
People think faith is something nebulous, theoretical floating around thither and yon. But faith is a concrete thing demonstrated by obedience to the truth. Faith is a trusting faith that obeys. Those who looked were healed by faith.
Suppose your down at the creek bank fishing. A big one his and takes that lure and line and you have that rod bending and you put the pressure on and he jumps about three feet out of the water and spits the lure out and you fall back to the ground right on top of a seven foot rattler with twelve rattles and a button. The snake strikes and you throw the road down and get your buddy and he puts you in the truck and away to the hospital you go. Tell your buddy to slow down, the ride to the hospital can kill you faster than the snake bite.
You get to the hospital and that bite is swollen and red to your elbow
several times larger than your fist and the doctor comes in and looks at
the arm. Doc I was hit by a rattler and then the doctors goes into
a room and pulls out a bras snake and wants you to look at it. You want
to get away from that man the bite will kill you and the poison is racing
in your veins you don't want to look at that brass serpent.
Why would anyone want to look at a piece of brass anytime, anywhere or under any circumstances look to a piece of brass to cure a snakebite. I will say this one time.
Because God says so. God said do this so that takes care of it.
It came to pass that when a man was bitten and looked at the brass serpent he lived.
We are saved today from sin by faith in the lifted up christ but not until that faith is tested by a command just as foolish as looking at a piece of brass to cure a snakebite.
Jesus said so,
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Some say, why that passage is spurious and should not even be
in the Bible. One lady took that passage out by
tearing out the verse. If a person rejects the Lord's will he
is not obeying God by faith.
Are you trying to say that I must be baptized saved? No sir, I am not trying to tell you this I am telling you flat out not trying to do anything but simply telling you what the Lord says. By the way everywhere salvation and baptism are mentioned it does not suggest you have to be baptized to be saved it says so plain out in plain language not misunderstood by a five year old child.
The only person that could misunderstand this is someone who belongs to an institution that denies it. From a doctrinal standpoint even though a persons scholarship would be on the line and needing to write about it and must do so accurately he denies it.
The person because of personal bias will deny baptism and salvation because of his dogma and personal motivation, but it is there..
A man said he doesn't see any sense in being dipped in water for the remission of sins Certainly not, I don't either, but you see its not a matter of sense its a matter of faith.
II Cor. 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight
Sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing are the senses. We don't walk by these we walk by faith which comes from hearing God.
Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Further people say preacher you know good and well that God would not predicate a thing so important as the eternal destiny of my immortal soul on an action so silly as being buried in water. No I don't know that, all I can tell you is what the lord said.
Look at that snake and you will live Not Going to do it? I can only tell you what the lord said. Well it's entirely up to you, but you see if you don't, you'll die. It is just that simple.
We live in a hard world. We may live in a fantasy world when we are children. We may have an idea that things are handed to us on a silver platter. Friend it is root hog or die in the real world.
Now when it comes to the salvation of your soul, mama may believe a lot of things. But Mama has a soul and the salvation of her soul depends on her faith. You have a soul. The salvation of your soul will depend on your faith and faith that saves comes from hearing god's word.
Brother Mark, I can't see why God would predicate the salvation from
sin on immersion or baptism. Sure you can't. As a matter of
fact I would have never thought of it personally. But you see it
is a matter of faith.
I Corinthians 1:21-29 For after that in the wisdom of God
the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God
by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the
Jews require a sign, and
the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the
Jews a stumblingblock,
and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews
and Greeks, Christ
the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God
is wiser than men;
and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling,
brethren, how that not
many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise;
and God hath chosen
the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And
base things of the world,
and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are
not, to bring to nought things
that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
No man can glory or brag that salvation is of them by their selves.
You see when Namaan was cured of leprosy II Kings 5 by doing what God said it was a principle of faith.
God did not say some great complicated, incomprehensible thing no God said go and dip seven times in the river Jordan. When Namaan did this and was healed he had to give God the credit for he would have never thought of it.
This is a matter of faith. Somebody says well I am not going to do it. The answer is that God is not going to force you to do anything, its entirely up to you what you do.
God loved you and did not come to force anyone to be saved but he sent Jesus because he loves you and wanted you to be saved.
Another preacher said baptism is not essential to salvation. Do you want me to start quoting you manuals, disciplines and record to that effect. I can do it no problem. So far as I know there is not a denomination on earth that teaches baptism is essential for salvation.
We thought it was terrible and awful when the supreme Court legalized abortion or murder of human life, it was terrible and awful and bad. Satan has been practicing this for centuries. Spiritually speaking Satan has been performing spiritual abortion for centuries. He has people believing Jesus is the son of God. Sincere people making up their minds not to live a sinful life. Then they confess maybe somewhat confused but they do confess. And then the spiritual birth is aborted. You can read page 20 note 8, Standard Manual for Baptist churches on page 21, Baptism is not essential to salvation for our churches utterly repudiate the dogma of baptismal regeneration.
You see, Satan aborts the spiritual birth right at the crucial moment, at the time when you would have been delivered from the power of darkness translated into the kingdom of his dear son of love. You missed the new birth it was aborted. You are not in Christ. You belong to a denomination, a human institution.
I don't believe baptism saves, certainly not, Christ saves.
I Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism
doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of
the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ:
The like figure of baptism saves. Christ saves, the point is who that christ saves and when does he save.
Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
The believer not the rebellious person that christ saves. Who ever heard of anyone that would say Lord. I believe you to be the son of God, but I am not going to do what you say. What you say is non-essential, irrelevant, unnecessary, has nothing to do with salvation, foolish, weak, impotent, I am not going to do what you say. That person is not going to be saved no way regardless for them to be saved.
My preacher says and teaches that you don't have to be baptized to be saved. Then you better quit listening to your preacher because he is wrong, dead wrong. There is not a man alive that can deny what the New testament teaches on the subject of salvation from alien sins, not a man alive that can deny it.
If you know of a verse or verses you can have this testament and this pulpit and me in the audience for the rest of the night just to read a suggestion of the fact that you don't have to do what Christ said in order to be saved. You know better, you know better.
The Bible says he that believeth shall be saved. That's only part of the story. We can understand this in other things but we have people argue religiously over this structure.
If a doctor said he that eateth and digesteth his food shall live, he that eateth not his food shall die.
You wouldn't say, doc, you didn't say he that digesteth not his food shall die. No the reason is because if you don't eat the food you can't digest it.
The person that doesn't believe and have faith can't be baptized and please God. To be damned simply disbelieve in god and that will thoroughly damn your soul.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible
to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
If you want to be saved he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.
The person that believeth not the Gospel verse 15-16 will be damned/ Just as simple as that.
The gospel was preached by the apostles and the converts in the book
of Acts obeyed. The Bible doesn't say each of the converts believed
but we know they did. It does not say that everyone of these converts
repented but we know they did.
It does not say each of these converts confessed Christ but we know
they did. yet in each example we do see that they were baptized without
exception.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Acts 22:16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
I Peter 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth
also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of
the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ:
The devil is causing the spiritual birth to be aborted. Friend let me say one thing and then I will hush.
The fact that many or much people died in Israel without the remedy
does not make the remedy of none effect. Because
many people are going out of this world today without obedience of
the gospel does not mean the gospel is not the power of God unto salvation
Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
The fact that most people go out into eternity without God and without hope doomed to the fire and brimstone of Hell does not mean you have to die and be lost. Does not mean that heaven's invitation is of no interest to you. While you are in the land of the living you must make a choice. May God help you and bless you in this choice. Why not find that courage, that's why we have this sermon because we are concerned. Sometimes we become gospel hardened today. You can make a statement from the Bible that use to make men fall prone on their face and quiver, literally pass out and you make the same statement today and some brother won't even quit cleaning his fingernails with his pocketknife. Some young people won't even stop passing notes one to another. we don't even think about it. There is a day coming a heaven to gain and a hell to shun and as sure as you look about you and observe. Why not make preparation for the future and use the time wisely.
II Cor 6:2 (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, now is the day of salvation.)
CONCLUSION
If you believe, why not obey the gospel today? Believe Jesus
to be the son of God, John 8:24
Repent of sins, Luke 13:3-5
Confess Christ with the mouth, Romans 10:10
Be baptized for the remission of sins, Acts 2:38
Live faithful unto death, Revelation 2:10
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