TURN AND TRUST

Walking with JESUS
Week 21

Readings: John 3, Numbers 21:4-9, Hebrews 11:1-12:3

TURN AND TRUST
Jesus said: “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.” John 3:14

We have been discussing faith in confirmation – more specifically the faith necessary for eternal life. In John 3 Jesus shows what saving faith looks like – through the example of the snake in the wilderness.

Imagine yourself in the camp of the Israelites. You have been traveling through the desert, without knowing your destination, for quite some time. You have experienced extreme heat, devastating battles, fierce hunger, and unquenchable thirst. You are hot, tired, and quite frankly sick of this journey. As most would, you get crabby and start complaining, “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” Numbers 11:5. Needless to say, they were NOT happy campers, but then neither was God. He was tired of their unending complaints so He sent fiery serpents to show them just how bad it COULD be. But God’s love and mercy prevailed and when they repented of their sins, He gave them a way out.
In order to be saved the people had to do two things – TURN AND TRUST. They had to:
1) TURN - Recognize and acknowledge their condition -they had been bitten by poisonous snakes, were helpless and without resources to save themselves and without intervention they would die.
2) TRUST. They had to hear and believe Moses words when he said the snake on the pole would cure them. If they didn’t turn and trust – they would remain in their poisoned state and die.

The account in Numbers is exactly what Jesus says our saving faith must look like. In order for us to receive eternal life we must TURN AND TRUST. We must:
1) TURN - Recognize and acknowledge our condition. We have been bitten by the poisonous snake of sin, are helpless and without resources to save ourselves and without intervention WE WILL DIE – eternally. But God gave us a way out – His Son Jesus Christ – our Savior on a cross.
2) TRUST – We must hear and believe God’s Word: “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” John 3:16.

By the Grace of God, we have received the faith necessary to save us when, in our baptism, we were “born again with water and Spirit” (John 3:5-7). And it is only by the Grace of God and with the power of His Spirit working in us that we can remain in that faith continuing to TURN away from the poison of sin and TRUST in the Words and promises of our good and gracious Savior Jesus Christ.

Prayer: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”Hebrews 12:1b - 2