John 3:12-19 KJV
(12) If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
(13) And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
(14) And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
(15) That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
(16) 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.
(17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
(18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
(19) And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Light came first to the night through the command of God saying let there be light, yet we claim that light is more powerful then darkness though it appears to be first visible in the creation story. When a child is formed in its mother womb he/she is in complete darkness for nine full months unless premature. That baby grows in darkness in the safest place he/she can be in until time of birth and when it is born it sees it first light of dawning morning or in today’s world the lights in the hospital. This darkness God’s Spirit resided in was not evil, nor was it a place of evil. It was a place of security because of who He was and is. When God said let there be light there was a need for what he was creating to have light. He himself needed no light. We needed light to see by and for vegetation to grow and produce. Light in itself had value.

Moses lift up the serpent in the wilderness. A snake image full of venom and poison. A poison that was killing them. Moses killed the people when they broke the law of God and showed very little mercy or grace. God on the other hand allowed for pole to be erect to increase faith and object not made by God’s hands but by man. It like the image of the ark being erected to bring about faith in God though they understood not. Yet a poison viper they understood, for the viper would protect them from his evil children through the law of God’s word. Yet when God sent His only Son to be lifted up no man wanted to look at what they had down to Jesus. No one wanted to grasp they had sacrificed an innocent man because of their anger at themselves, their government, their greed, or their own sin. Yet Christ was lifted up to take away the sins of the world, if only one person or many would believe. The sins were forgiven by the lifting up of the man on the cross. Yet it is through his victory over death that gives us the reassurance that we might live eternity upon belief. Christ paying the price for sin, and us not being no longer condemned to hell for our sin. When we die we no longer face the lake of fire upon belief in Jesus who died for us. The world without the crucifixion has no forgiveness. Some religions believe in Jesus as being a good leader because of his compassion for the people and the miracles wrought by His hand. Never grasping or desiring to look to the way He died for mankind. All groups of people were around that cross that day. The crowd in the streets watching as he dragged that cross to the hill called Calvary. No one standing and saying you are wrong you killing innocent man. It was the time of passover was not more then one nationality represented in Jerusalem.

Moses in the desert dead miracles and wonders at the direction of God except for one sin of hitting a rock twice, thus he would not be allowed into the promise land. Yet Moses lead people to God through obedience of the law. The fact no one was perfect and all broke the law. Did not all worship the golden calf but not were willing to continue worshipping the calf and face death. Moses lifted up the snake on a brass pole because God said if they looked at it, it would heal them. An act of obedience not act of worship of beast. It act of obeying the law and not disobeying the law will save. Yet it can not save you eternally only looking to Jesus can give you everlasting life.

For God so loved the world he gave His Only Begotten Son. Only Begotten Son, a son created by His very word and the hovering of the Holy Spirit on Mary. Not conception of human origin but conception by God’s Holy Word. A promise given at the time of Isaiah. A image only given that man might worship and not be condemned for doing so. The image given that we might understand God’s forgiveness even though we disobey Him and hope through the resurrection of eternity. That when we die there is hope eternal. God did not stop loving the world, He loved us even in our imperfection yet he desires us to do good and not evil for evil harms us and others. The brass snake was the only hope, yet it brought no salvation for eternity only for a certain time period in the desert when vipers were biting. God’s escape plan or get out of jail card is as simple as Peter and Silas escape route out of jail. They deserved jail based on the law, but God set them free and delivered them beyond the city, and the fellow believers were witnesses of the account by seeing him after the escape. Yet the escape was earthly and what I speak of escape from punishment of sin being eternal. Our hope comes through looking at Jesus on the cross. The very emblem that some find disgusting about our faith. They have no desire to see the image of a dead man on the cross or even hear about it. Yet they willing look at gore on the television or in books. Some people even go to degrees of plotting evil on others that usually does not kill them but might.

Years ago I got threats sent to me, I did not report to the police. They were those chain letter types. Hubby and I suspected we knew who was behind it and left it alone. This was way before my ministry online. Probably the best thing I did was brush it off, but there is sometimes you can not brush threats off or harm that might come to you. Yet if it is the very law that threatens you because they are evil then you are in trouble. Because in truth the law of man can be evil or good. The law by those who keep the law sometimes break the law because they know what they can get away with. Never considering the harm they do. What the point. The problems in this world is temporal but law of eternity with belief in Jesus is eternity without sin. For we are made perfect through Christ suffering, and yet in this world we still are learning obedience to God. Yet the disobedience of the law only gets you in jail, but the law of never believing in Jesus gets you eternity in hell. God’s word suffers because of our sin, but the perfection of Jesus and never deserving death helps us realize God’s perfection, God’s holiness, and God’s desire to restore us to Himself if condition of faith are met despite our failings.

How often child will be told not to eat gum in school only to suck on a hard piece of candy and be told to spit it out. The teacher will ask did I not tell you not to eat in class. The reply is you only told me I could not chew gum. How often that how we look at what God’s word says, He says not to do this but He did not say anything about this or that. In truth one forgets did the law of love apply. The answer is only if hate or abuse of the law of love was not shown. In all things demonstrate love and not hate and you will go far, but it will not save us you unless you believe in Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father thank you for your salvation plan of faith through Christ Jesus. A reminder of you love for mankind that you forgive sin and desire us to be with you for eternity upon belief in your Son Jesus. In Jesus precious name, Amen.