Typology Christ gave to Nicodemus

Numbers 21:4-9

I.    Don't complain to God.

A.  Verse 1-3 - God had just given them a great victory.

1.   I John 5:9 - Everybody has an internal witness.

2.      Verse 5 - They didn't think they had enough food, but they probably did.

3.      Numbers 21:1-3 - They had just had a great victory.

B.   Some died without the opportunity to look to the serpent.

1.      This is so today.  Some people die without ever hearing the gospel.

C.   Verse 7 - A person must see their sinfulness before they will ever see the Saviour.

1.   The Lord didn't answer their prayer.

2.   He didn't remove the serpents from them, but provided them a Saviour.

3.      Christ didn't remove sin from the earth, but provided a Saviour.

II.   What they weren't told to do.

A.  Don't minister to others that were snake bit.

B.   Don't make an offering to the brass serpent.

C.   Don't labour to stay in favor with God.

III. It doesn't matter how bad it the snakebite was, or how long ago a person had been bit.  As long as they weren't dead, they could still look and live.

A.  There was probably some that didn't look and live.

IV.      Characteristics of the brazen serpent.

A.            Compare the first Adam to the second Adam.

1.   God didn't want Moses to hang a dead serpent on the rod.

2.      That wouldn't do any good.

3.   It had to be a serpent in the likeness of a deadly serpent, yet without any poison.

B.   Brass is symbolic of the judgment of God.

1.   If lost people will face the judgment of God against themselves, they will be saved.

C.   The serpent was lifted up very high so all the people could see.

1.      There were some 2,400,000 people in Israel, and any of them could see.