Introduction

Good morning, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. What a joy, what a privilege, what a blessing it is to gather together in this sacred space, united by our shared faith, our love for God, and our hunger for His holy Word. Yes, we come from different walks of life, we carry different burdens, and we face different battles. Yet, here we are, bound by the unbreakable cord of God's love, ready to receive His Word and allow it to nourish our souls.

As we open our hearts and minds to His divine message today, we turn to the Gospel of John, specifically John 3:14-21. Let's read it together: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."

In this passage, we find a profound truth about our salvation, a truth that is as beautiful as it is humbling. We see the source of our salvation in the crucifixion, the symbolism of the serpent in the wilderness, and the significance of Christ being lifted high.

Salvation's Source in the Crucifixion

The cross, a symbol of our faith, is more than just a religious emblem. It is a reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a testament to the profound love of God, who gave His only Son to save us from our sins. It is on the cross that our salvation was secured, where the Son of Man was lifted high, just as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness.

The crucifixion was a divine plan set in motion before the foundation of the world. It was God's solution to the problem of sin, a problem that we, in our human frailty, could never solve on our own. The cross was God's answer to our desperate need for salvation.

In the crucifixion, we see the magnitude of our sin and the depth of God's love. Our sin was so great that it required the death of God's only Son, and God's love was so deep that He was willing to give His Son for us. The cross is a vivid demonstration of both the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man.

The crucifixion was not merely a physical death, but a spiritual one as well. Jesus bore our sins on the cross, taking upon Himself the punishment that we deserved. He was forsaken by God, experiencing the full wrath of God for our sins. In that moment, He became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This was the necessary precursor to the resurrection, the victory over death and sin. Without the cross, there would be no empty tomb, no risen Savior, no hope of eternal life. The cross was the doorway to the resurrection, the pathway to our salvation.

The crucifixion was not just for us, but also for God. It was the means by which God could be both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. It was the way God could punish sin and still forgive sinners.

The crucifixion was a victory. It was the moment when the powers of sin and death were defeated, when the enemy was disarmed, when the victory was won. It was the moment when salvation was secured, not by our works, but by the work of Christ on the cross.

Symbolism of the Serpent in the Wilderness

In the wilderness, Moses lifted up the serpent ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO