Bible ReadingJohn 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
[31:12]Numbers 21:4-9 “From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.' Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.' So Moses prayed for the people. 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.”
[33:09]John 3:14-15 “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.”
[36:44]Genesis 22:1-14 “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.' So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, 'Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.' And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, 'My father!' And he said, 'Here I am, my son.' He said, 'Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?' Abraham said, 'God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.' So they went both of them together. When they came to the place that God had told him of, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.' And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, 'The Lord will provide'; as it is said to this day, 'On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.'”
Observation questions- In Numbers 21, what exactly were the people complaining about, and what name did they give to the food God had been providing for them? [33:09]
- When the people asked for help with the serpents, what did God tell Moses to make, and what were bitten people told to do? [36:20]
- In John 3:14-16, what repeated image connects the bronze serpent in the wilderness with the Son of Man? [36:44]
- In John 3:16, what does God do, who is the object of his love, and what is promised to whoever believes? [51:51]
Interpretation questions- Nicodemus looked like the kind of person everyone would expect to be right with God, yet he was still told that he must be born again. What does that reveal about the limits of religious effort, knowledge, or reputation? [31:42]
- Israel called God’s daily provision “worthless food.” How does that complaint help show that sin is not only breaking rules, but also distrusting God and resisting his care? [33:37]
- God did not remove the snakes, but gave a way for bitten people to live by looking at what he provided. How does that help explain what it means to believe in Christ rather than trying to save oneself? [36:31]
- John says God loved “the world.” If “the world” means people in rebellion against God, how does that deepen the meaning of John 3:16? [40:57]
Application questions- Where is there a tendency right now to call God’s provision “not enough”? Is it work, money, health, relationships, timing, or something else? What does that reveal about the heart? [35:01]
- Bitten people were told to look up, not fix themselves. When life gets hard or guilt rises, what is the first instinct: to perform, to hide, to try harder, or to look to Christ? [37:17]
- God loved a rebellious world, not a worthy one. Is there a struggle to believe that this kind of love really includes personal sin, failure, and shame? Why might that be hard to receive? [42:38]
- The Son was not spared. How does the costliness of God’s gift shape the way suffering, forgiveness, and assurance are viewed? [45:05]
- “Whoever believes” leaves no room for spiritual pride and no room for despair. Is there a tendency to act more like Nicodemus before he understood this—either feeling better than others or assuming certain people are too far gone? [46:41]
- Eternal life begins now as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent. What helps that relationship become more than an idea and more like a real, daily knowing of God? [48:10]
- The answer to the snake bite is not self-cure but Christ. What are some subtle ways of trying to cure personal sin, fear, or emptiness without really turning to Jesus? [50:30]
