Numbers 21: 5-9. 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. ⁶And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people; and much people of Israel died. ⁷Therefore 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. ⁸And 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. ⁹And 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.

Hello friends,

I recently came across a passage in the Bible that really struck me, and I felt compelled to share a few thoughts with you.

One of the most common responses Christians hear when sharing the gospel is: “I’m good.” What that usually means is, “I’m not perfect, but I’m not that bad. I’m better than most.” We tend to compare ourselves with the likes of Hitler, Stalin, murderers—the worst of the worst—and feel justified by comparison.

But Scripture challenges that logic in a profound way.

In Numbers 21, we see God sending fiery serpents among the Israelites—not because they committed heinous crimes, but because they grumbled.

Yes, grumbling.

That everyday complaining we all do without thinking—probably something you and I have already done today. It’s one of the “smaller sins” we rarely take seriously. But in God’s eyes, even grumbling was worthy of death.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”- Romans 3:23. “The wages of sin is death”- Romans 6:23.

Sin isn’t about being worse than someone else. It’s about falling short of God’s righteousness. And when held up to that standard, we all fall woefully short.

“All our righteousness are as filthy rags;” Isaiah 64:6.

But God, in His mercy, provided a way to be saved. He told Moses to lift a bronze serpent on a pole. And the instruction was simple:

“Everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”

That’s it. Just look. Not strive. Not sacrifice. Not argue or philosophize about better ways.

But imagine someone refusing:

• “Why a serpent? Couldn’t it be something else?”
• “I’d rather dunk myself in the river of Baptism—it feels more spiritual.”
• “What if my good deeds outweigh my bad ones?”
• “Maybe I could get a saint, a prophet, to show me another way”

But none of that would save them. Only looking would.

Just like that serpent was lifted in the wilderness, Jesus Christ—the sinless, spotless Lamb of God—was lifted up on a cross.

He bore your sin and my sin. He took the full punishment that we deserve, so we could receive His righteousness and live.

“Behold the man upon the cross!”

There is no other way. No plan B. No name under heaven that saves except Jesus Christ.

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” Acts 16:31.

It took you a few minutes to read this. That’s a few minutes closer to the end of your life. Eternity isn’t something we can afford to ignore. You really do need to think about what comes next.

The judgment is coming.
But so is mercy—offered freely to all who look to Jesus.

So I urge you today:

Look and live!

Behold the Man upon that cross