Have you ever walked through a season of life when you felt overwhelmed by the pains and discomfort of dealing with sin? Whether it is our own sin or that of others, in those times we desperately wish it would all go away. Then we begin to reason that we would be better Christians "if only."
 

• If only you didn't have to deal with that bitterness.

• If only you didn't have to forgive her.

• If only you weren't tempted by those videos anymore.

• If only they understood.

• If only it would all go away.

In John 3, Jesus points to a very important foreshadow of the work He would accomplish on the Cross. Verse 14 says, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up"

What serpent? What's the point?

I'm glad you asked.

Stay with me.

Jesus is referring to the scriptures in Numbers 21 where the people of Israel are found dealing with the fruit of their sin. It says that they spoke out against God, and the Lord sent fiery serpents among them. Many of them were bit and died. The people repented and asked Moses to intercede, on their behalf.

Get this:

The people asked Moses to intercede with the Lord SO THAT God would REMOVE the serpents from their midst. I am sure that you would find that to be a reasonable request. We have all faced situations where we have felt so overwhelmed by emotional or spiritual struggles that the only plausible solution would have been a mighty intervention by God himself to remove whatever was causing friction. In those times, we can often grow desperate and sink into survival mode. We just want out!

But for the people of Israel, whether they knew it or not, God did something better:

Though the people asked for God to remove the serpents, His solution was to set the image of a serpent on a pole.

Stay with me.

God instructed Moses saying "When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” In other words, the snakes remained in the camp of the people, but their effect to kill those who looked upon the image was gone. The bite of the thing that was tormenting the people of Israel no longer brought death and destruction. Instead, God made a way for them to stare sin the face and have the assurance that through Him they would overcome it.

This is exactly what Jesus is doing for us in our lives. He became sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). He chose to become the image of the thing that has been tormenting us and hung on a pole. He bore all of the weight of sin so that we no longer had to bare the burden of our own inequity. Because of what Jesus chose to do on the cross the powers of the enemy were defeated and death lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Do you see it yet?

The Son of Man had to be lifted up SO THAT whoever believes will in Him have eternal life (John 3:14). And even though we may find some fiery serpents in our camp, we have the power to stare sin in the face and proclaim the name of Jesus. Our resurrected King has overcome. So put away all of your "if only's," and instead of looking at how unworthy you feel, focus on what you were worth. Or, do you not know that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son FOR YOU"?

You are worth Jesus.

Continue to march.