The Curse That Became Our Cure

Devotional

Day 1: The Poisoned Camp and the Bronze Rescue

When rebellion festers like venom, God provides a shocking remedy. The Israelites’ grumbling against God’s provision invited deadly snakes into their camp—a physical manifestation of divine wrath. Yet God instructed Moses to craft a bronze serpent, lifting high the very image of their curse. Those dying only needed to look at this symbol of judgment to live. The story reveals that salvation comes not by avoiding the problem but by confronting it through God’s chosen means. What seems foolish becomes the path to life. [05:38]

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.’ So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”
(Numbers 21:8–9, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you seen God’s wrath and grace intersect in your own story? How might staring into the depth of your rebellion deepen your awe at His rescue?

Day 2: Lifted Up Like a Serpent, Lifted Up for Life

Jesus didn’t shy away from comparing Himself to a cursed bronze snake. Just as the serpent was hoisted for the Israelites’ healing, Christ was lifted on the cross to absorb humanity’s venom. The Son of Man became the emblem of sin itself, drawing the poison of divine wrath into His body. Eternal life flows not from self-improvement but from fixing our eyes on this grotesque, glorious substitution. The cross transforms what repels into what saves. [04:50]

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”
(John 3:14–15, ESV)

Reflection: What “venom” in your life have you tried to neutralize yourself, rather than trusting Christ’s finished work? How does His willingness to become cursed reshape your view of His love?

Day 3: Made Sin to Make Us Righteous

Holiness embraced filth. The sinless Son absorbed the identity of rebels, becoming what He hated to rescue those He loved. On the cross, Jesus didn’t merely carry sins—He was made sin. The serpent, symbol of Eden’s betrayal, became the unlikely sign of heaven’s mercy. Our righteousness now hangs on this exchange: He took our death so we might wear His life. [14:05]

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
(2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you struggle to believe Christ fully took your sin’s identity? How might living as “the righteousness of God” change your choices today?

Day 4: The Curse Reversed on a Tree

A crucified Messiah scandalized the world. Deuteronomy declared cursed anyone hanging on a tree—yet Jesus clung to that curse to dismantle it. Like the bronze serpent, the cross turned God’s wrath into a magnet for desperate hearts. What should have repelled us became our ransom. The tree of death now blooms with life for all who grasp its paradox. [15:40]

“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.’”
(Galatians 3:13, ESV)

Reflection: Where are you still living under self-imposed curses Jesus already absorbed? What would it look like to walk in the freedom of His finished exchange today?

Day 5: Look and Live: The Simplicity of Saving Faith

Salvation requires no ladder of achievements—only the humility to look. A snowbound Charles Spurgeon found freedom when a preacher stripped faith down to one word: “Look!” Like the Israelites staring at the bronze serpent, we’re invited to stop striving and fix our gaze on Christ’s finished work. Eternal life begins not in doing but in receiving. [19:05]

“Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”
(Isaiah 45:22, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you complicated faith with conditions Jesus never required? What would it mean to rest completely in the “look” of trust today?

Sermon Summary

Jesus shifts in John 3 from describing the new birth to declaring what the Son of Man will do in history to make it possible. The text says no one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended, the Son of Man. So heavenly talk gives way to saving action. The Spirit gives life by pointing the mind and heart to that action. The Spirit is given to glorify Jesus crucified and risen. Faith comes as the Spirit directs sinners to look outside themselves to what God did in time.

Numbers 21 supplies the picture. The serpent bites came because God sent them. This is wrath. The people confess their blasphemy and plead for mercy. God answers with a shocking provision. A bronze serpent is lifted up on a pole. The dying do not work. They look and live. The serpent does not prevent bites. It rescues the bitten. The main problem is not poison but anger. God rescues his sinful people from his own curse by a picture of the curse, not by a lamb but by a snake.

Jesus takes that picture into himself. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. The Son of Man is Jesus. He stands where the serpent stood as the saving provision. Moses is not the savior. The lifted one is the savior. God saves through the lifted one. So the cross portrays Jesus as bearing evil and curse. God made him to be sin who knew no sin. Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. What happened on the cross was that God made him snake-like. He became sin and curse for sinners. It is horrible to compare the Son of Man to a snake and it is glorious. That is the hope of snake-like people. Not only the bitten. The tempters too.

The gift that flows from the lifted Son is eternal life. Whoever believes has eternal life. The poison of death is taken away. The future opens with God. And what is this believing that stumbles so many? The text says look. Look to the lifted one. Looking is not achieving. Looking is admitting you are dying and fastening your eyes on the saving provision God raised up. That is why the word look unlocked Charles Spurgeon. Look unto me. Look to Christ sweating blood, hanging on the cross, rising, reigning. Look and live.

Key Takeaways

1. New birth looks outside to Christ The Spirit does not generate life by turning sinners inward to analyze their own change. He turns them outward to the Son of Man lifted up, the once-for-all work in history. Faith is born as the Spirit glorifies Jesus crucified and risen and fixes the mind there. The shift in the text runs from process to provision. [02:28]
2. God reverses wrath through a curse Numbers 21 shows the deeper issue is not snake venom but divine anger, and the healing is God’s wrath being removed. God chooses to save from his own curse by a picture of the curse. On the cross Jesus bears that curse, so wrath is satisfied and mercy flows. Salvation is God’s holy reversal through a condemned substitute. [15:40]
3. Jesus became snake-like for sinners The lifted serpent was a sign of evil and judgment. Jesus steps into that sign. God made him to be sin for the guilty, not for his own sin. The offense of the image is the glory of the gospel, because only a curse-bearing Christ can cure snake-like people who poison others. [14:05]
4. Faith is simply to look Believing is not climbing, performing, or waiting for a feeling. It is the look that admits helplessness and fixes on God’s appointed Savior. The look is small, but its object is great. The look lays hold of the Son who was lifted up for the dying. [17:13]
5. Eternal life through the lifted Son The result of his being lifted up is not mere pain relief but everlasting life with God. Death’s poison is drawn out and a future of joy opens by sheer grace. The bitten die if they stare at themselves, but live if they look at him. Whoever believes has life now. [16:17]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:49] - Host intro and aim
[01:47] - From new birth to Son’s work
[03:19] - The one who descended from heaven
[04:50] - Lifted up like the serpent
[05:38] - Numbers 21 recounted
[08:42] - Provision for the bitten and dying
[09:29] - Wrath sent and wrath removed
[10:14] - Saving through a picture of the curse
[12:31] - Identifying the Son of Man
[13:16] - God saves through the lifted One
[15:40] - Made sin and made a curse
[16:17] - Eternal life for whoever believes
[21:50] - Look to Jesus: Spurgeon’s awakening

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 3:14-15 (ESV)
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

Numbers 21:4-9 (ESV)
“They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea… Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them… The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’”

Observation Questions

In Numbers 21, why did God command Moses to use a bronze serpent specifically as the means of healing, rather than another symbol like a lamb or a shield?
According to John 3:14-15, what is the direct connection between the Israelites “looking” at the bronze serpent and people “believing” in Jesus?
The sermon states, “The main problem is not poison but anger” in Numbers 21. What evidence in the text supports this claim? [09:29]

Interpretation Questions

Why would God choose to save His people through a symbol of the very thing causing their suffering (a serpent)? How does this relate to Jesus being “made sin” for us?
The bronze serpent didn’t stop the snakes from biting—it healed those already bitten. How does this parallel the idea that Jesus’ crucifixion doesn’t remove all earthly suffering but offers eternal rescue? [08:42]
What does it mean that “faith is born as the Spirit glorifies Jesus crucified and fixes the mind there” instead of focusing on internal change? [02:28]

Application Questions

When have you been tempted to focus more on “analyzing your own spiritual progress” rather than fixing your eyes on Christ’s finished work? What practical step could help you look outward instead of inward?
The sermon says, “Looking is admitting you are dying.” How might pride or self-sufficiency keep someone from “looking” to Jesus in a specific area of their life (e.g., guilt, fear, relationships)?
If salvation is as simple as “look and live,” how would you explain this to someone who feels they need to “clean up their life first” before coming to Jesus? [17:13]
The bronze serpent was a public, visible symbol of rescue. How can you point others to the “lifted-up” Jesus in everyday conversations this week?
Reflect on a time when you experienced God’s mercy despite your rebellion. How does Jesus becoming “snake-like” deepen your gratitude for that mercy? [14:05]

Sermon Clips

you always will be miserable, miserable in life and miserable in death if you don't obey my text. But if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved." And then lifting his hands, he shouted as only a primitive Methodist could do. Young man, look to Jesus. Look, look. Look. You have nothing to do but look and live. [00:23:05]

Number two, the snakes are in the camp because God sent them in the camp. The people are dying because God's killing them. He's angry. This is wrath. So, what's being dealt with mainly is not poison, but anger. When the when the snake is lifted up and you look to it and you get well, God's reversing his anger. The wrath is being removed and he's not killing them anymore. He's saving them. That's the second thing to observe. [00:09:04]

The son of man must be lifted up that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. The poison of death is taken away. The horrible destiny of hell is taken away and a whole future of joy with God is opened because Jesus the son of man was lifted up. [00:16:41]

It's horrible to compare the son of man to a snake and it's glorious to compare the son of man to a snake. That's our only hope. We're snake like. We didn't just get bit by a snake. We're snake like. We're not only tempted, we're tempters. Just like in the garden when God Almighty became a snake for us. [00:15:55]

I'm shifting gears here. You don't need any more heavenly teaching. You need a savior. You need to see something being done for you outside of you. You need to stop thinking about all this stuff that needs to happen in here and you need to go out and I'm going to tell you about what I'm doing for you. You watch. [00:04:24]

speaking against God, speaking against his appointed leader, speaking against his gracious gifts. These people should be bitten by snakes and die. Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people. Now don't miss that. The Lord sent the snakes. This is wrath. This is anger. This is holy indignation from our holy God. [00:06:56]

And the Lord said to Moses, "All right, make a fiery serpent. Make one. Make one. Don't use Don't use one of the dead ones or live ones. Just make one and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten when he sees it shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent, set it on a pole, and if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. That's the story. That's all there is. [00:07:56]

So Jesus's going to talk to him about this because the way the Holy Spirit works to cause the heart to be born again is by directing the attention of the mind to consider the external work that God did in history. The Holy Spirit is given to glorify Jesus Christ crucified and risen. [00:02:42]

The third thing to observe is God is choosing to rescue his sinful people from his own curse with a picture of the curse. All right? I mean, he could have lifted up a sheep. Sheep. We kill sheep to be forgiven for our sins. We don't do snakes. We don't sacrifice snakes. They're unclean. They're wicked. They stand for evil. They're filthy. We hate snakes. [00:09:38]

In the place of the snake, Jesus is portrayed as an evil and a curse. I don't think that's an accident. Paul said 2 Corinthians 5:21, "God made him to be sin who knew no sin in order that we might become the righteousness of God." What happened on the cross to Jesus was that God made him snakeike. The snake in the garden embodied rebellion and sin. And Jesus became evil for us. He made him to be sin [00:13:51]

Number one, the serpent on the pole is not preventative. It doesn't keep snakes from biting you. It deals with people who are poisoned and dying. They are bitten already. The poison is in them. They will die. The provision is being made for dying people, poisoned people. [00:08:42]

And that's that's the way he'll save you. He will take this this killer, this wrath, this sin, this horrible thing, and put it on a pole and you look at it and and that's number four. All they have to do is look at it. Okay, that's the Old Testament story. [00:10:14]

The there are more obstacles to the new birth than the deadness of the human heart. And they must be dealt with in history by the son of God before the Holy Spirit can deal with the deadness in the human heart. [00:02:20]

Jesus read the Old Testament believing and then taught us to believe that there are pointers, types, foreshadowings of himself everywhere. This this is just about Jesus. I mean Jesus saw these kinds of things everywhere. Paul said the rock in the wilderness was Christ. Strike the rock, get water. Jesus just they see it everywhere. [00:10:45]

Now, let's go to Numbers chapter 21. If you want to follow, you can just listen if you want to. If you'd like to to see this, it's a very short story. It's self-contained. It's shocking even there, but it will help you if you have this story in mind, I think, to see what Jesus wants to say. [00:05:22]

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The Curse That Became Our Cure

Devotional

Day 1: The Poisoned Camp and the Bronze Rescue

Day 2: Lifted Up Like a Serpent, Lifted Up for Life

Day 3: Made Sin to Make Us Righteous

Day 4: The Curse Reversed on a Tree

Day 5: Look and Live: The Simplicity of Saving Faith

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

The Curse That Became Our Cure

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