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Scripture: Gen. 18—19; Matt. 11:23-24
I. The corruption of Sodom:
You should touch people’s feeling from the very beginning. Make it plain that the corruption of Sodom was centered in immorality, with adultery and fornication at its worst. Based on this point, describe the immoral situation in today’s society, including such things as dancing, movies, nude pictures, obscene novels and photos, etc. Today’s best selling books are the obscene ones. Today’s world is an adulterous world. You should make mention of divorce and other abnormal relationships between men and women. Just as the corruption of Sodom in that day was centered in immorality, so also is the world today.
II. God’s judgment:
А. In this section make it clear that all the corruption of man is laid bare to the eyes of God (Heb. 4:13). Nothing is hidden from God.
B. The corruption of mankind provoked God’s righteous wrath.
C. God’s wrath caused God to judge men.
D. Men’s corruption is centered in immorality, and God’s judgment is centered in fire. All the immoral people will be burned by fire. The same fire that burned Sodom in that day will also burn this immoral world in a day to come. This fire is the lake of fire.
III. Deliverance in the midst of judgment:
А. In this section point out that in the midst of the corrupted people there were some who feared God. In this message do not say that Lot was evil; rather, say that he was a righteous man.
B. Point out that when God executes His judgment, He also saves those who belong to Him.
C. God not only saves those who believe in Him; He is also willing to save all of the believer’s relatives. Tell how Lot’s wife, daughters, and sons-in-law were not willing to go out of the city and how the angels persuaded them to go out.
IV. Men’s negligence toward the gospel:
А. As a basis, tell how those who heard Lot and the angels preaching the gospel thought that they were jesting and would not believe.
B. Go on to say that today people also think that we are either not serious or that we are superstitious.
C. Conclude that those who will be burned by fire will be those who heard the gospel but made light of it.
Scripture: Gen. 25:21-26; Rom. 9:10-13
Grace is the gospel. Election is also the gospel.
I. God’s salvation is not of works:
This gospel message is to correct men’s wrong concept of placing emphasis on good works.
А. First, point out that everyone has a concept that men’s work counts before God and that men’s work can please God. Nearly all religions rely on works for God’s reward.
B. The Bible reveals to us that God’s salvation has nothing at all to do with men’s works. The revelation of the Bible is contrary to men’s thinking. Use the story of Jacob as an illustration. Jacob was a saved one. God had determined to grant him salvation before he was even born, much less before he could perform any works. This proves that God’s salvation is not of men’s works.
II. God’s grace is free — Rom. 4:4:
А. Make it clear that grace does not require man to pay a price.
B. Make it clear that works require a price; it takes effort.
C. Works are contradictory to grace. The two do not go together. This means that it is either grace without works, or it is works without grace.
III. Salvation is all according to grace:
А. Point out that salvation is all according to God’s grace, which is something God freely gives to men.
B. Mention that salvation includes forgiveness, justification, obtaining life, living a holy life, inheriting a heavenly inheritance, and eternal blessings. All these are the elements of God’s salvation, which God gives to men freely because of His grace.
IV. God’s election:
А. God’s election is for God’s salvation. Whoever receives God’s salvation is one of God’s elect. Election is the procedure, whereas salvation is the purpose. So God’s election is for God’s salvation.
B. Salvation is by grace, and election is also by grace. Use Jacob’s story as an illustration. Jacob was saved by God, and he was elected by God. It was all according to God’s grace and not of his own works.
V. Receiving God’s election:
А. God’s election is made known to us through the gospel. Through the gospel God announces to us that He has chosen us.
B. To believe the gospel is to receive God’s election, and to reject the gospel is to reject God’s election. The fact that God allows you to hear the gospel now means that God has stretched forth His hand to choose you. The question now is whether you believe the gospel or reject it.
C. To believe the gospel, you must repent, confess, and receive Christ as your Savior.
D. All those who receive Christ are the elected ones, and by their receiving, they become the saved ones.
Scripture: Exo. 1—5; Acts 26:18
First, use Exodus 1—5 to describe how man’s life was bitter with hard labor, burning bricks, to build cities. The people were so busy that they could not hearken to the word of God. Then speak about Acts 26:18.
I. The type:
Begin with the fact that the children of Israel fell into Egypt. Egypt typifies the world. The children of Israel in Egypt typify man in the world under the reign of Satan.
II. The life of the world:
А. The children of Israel went down to Egypt to earn a living. They labored in Egypt making brick and building cities to earn a livelihood.
B. Today the people in the world working to earn a livelihood are under the power of Satan. They study, practice medicine, labor, and do business all for the purpose of making a living. You should touch their feeling on this point.
C. How to touch people’s feeling. For the sake of their living, many people give up their morality, their reputation, and their belongings, becoming slaves of Satan. Do you think that the children of Israel made brick and built cities for the Egyptians willingly? Of course not. They were forced into these things for their living. Today, likewise, many people give up their reputation and do evil things, not willingly but because they are forced to do so for their living. Do not just blame the harlots. Many people do evil things and are no better than harlots, even though others cannot tell the real situation by outward appearances. Many women get married for a living, just for their husband’s money. Once their husbands become poor, they want a divorce. Why do they play the hypocrite in such a way? They do it just so that they can make a living from their husbands. It is for the sake of a living that man falls into the hands of Satan. Why have so many done all the immoral things that they knew were evil? It is just to keep their livelihood. They first sold their reputation and then their soul. Some teachers do not even care for morality in their teaching; they are concerned only about their livelihood. This proves that man is forced to be under the control of Satan.
III. The hindrance to the gospel:
А. Today the biggest hindrance to the gospel is the problem of people having to earn a living. After Moses preached the gospel to the Israelites, Pharaoh increased their tasks.
B. When people first hear the gospel, many realize that they should believe in God, but they hesitate to receive the gospel because they are too concerned about their livelihood.
C. When the gospel is preached, Satan always increases the burden and adds more sufferings to man. After the Israelites heard the gospel through Moses, Pharaoh increased their tasks and furthermore, stopped supplying the straw to them. Today if you have heard the gospel, tomorrow you may be asked to work overtime. Satan uses such evil devices to hinder people from believing in the Lord.
D. If man accepts the words of Satan, he will think that the gospel is just a lie, just as in that day when Pharaoh said that the words of Moses were lying words.
IV. The patience of the gospel:
А. Although it is so easy for man to receive the suggestions from Satan and reject the gospel, God never gives up working on man until man receives Him. You have probably heard the gospel before. At that time Satan hindered you, and so you rejected the gospel. Perhaps two weeks later your friends invited you again to a gospel meeting. This is the God who never gives up working on you until you believe in Him.
B. During the time that God was patiently waiting for you, He would also do something through your circumstances. Sound out more warnings in this respect. Believe quickly, or you will suffer more. On the one hand, Satan is trying to grab you; on the other hand, God is touching you. At the same time God may smite you through your circumstances. For instance, someone in your family may get sick, you may be out of work, or you may fail in your business.
C. Thus, many people eventually believed and received Jesus after God had worked on them, although they had been fooled by Satan’s suggestions at first.
D. Since you must believe and since eventually you will believe, why not stop your struggling and believe in Him right now?
V. The way to be saved:
А. First, make it clear that man has fallen under the power of Satan and cannot get out of Satan’s power by himself.
B. The Lord Jesus has judged the world and destroyed Satan.
C. As soon as man repents and believes in Jesus, he is out of Satan’s power and he is returned to God.
Scripture: Exo. 8—11
I. The type:
Explain how God called the people of Israel out of Egypt and how Pharaoh tried to detain them.
II. Serve God in Egypt:
А. In the last message, Subject 23, we saw how Pharaoh did not want the people of Israel to serve God. In this message we will see how Pharaoh allowed them to worship God but would not let them leave Egypt.
B. After hearing the gospel, many people today keep struggling until they finally begin to realize that it is hard not to believe. Then Satan would suggest, “Do not go overboard. Do not leave your attainments. Stay where you are.”
C. Go on to say that nearly everyone who has received the gospel has afterward had a big change in his life and his position. Here you need to give some examples. Some had held an improper job, such as operating a casino. Once that one believed in Jesus, he knew that he had to give up that job. Another may have had a proper job. But once he believed in Jesus, his whole concept was changed. Formerly, he cared only for his job and not for God; now his life is changed, and the basic principle of his behavior must also change. Formerly, he was for making a living; now he is for serving God.
D. Many have realized that they had to believe in Jesus, but they hesitate to change their position. Then Satan would suggest, “Serve in Egypt! You can have both heaven in the future and your attainments in this life.”
III. “Don’t go too far”:
А. In that day Pharaoh promised that the Israelites could serve God, but he would not let them go too far away from him.
B. Today many want to believe in the Lord, but Satan also suggests to them, “Don’t go too far.”
C. “Don’t go too far” was a matter of distance in that day, but today it is a matter of situation. With many people there is no difference between their situation before they received the Lord and afterward. For example, some gave up watching the evil movies, but they continue to watch the good ones. Others quit gambling for money, but they still play poker for fun. Use some examples such as these to show that all these are Satan’s suggestions.
D. The reason Satan does not want man to go too far is that he wants to be able to pull man back into the world easily at any time. Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go too far, because he wanted to grab them back at any time. If you allow yourself to continue to see the good movies, it will not be too long before you will go back to the evil ones again. In the beginning you might be playing poker just for fun, but before long you would be gambling again. Many friends would advise you, saying, “There is nothing wrong with believing in the Lord, but don’t go overboard.” Others might advise you, “You have worked too hard for the whole week. It would be too much for you to have nothing for your entertainment.”
All these are Satan’s suggestions.
IV. The men may go but not the little ones or the old ones:
А. The type.
After negotiating many times, Pharaoh finally agreed to let the men go, but he would not let the young ones or the old ones go.
B. Today it is the same with many people. They would not believe until their parents are buried. In Nanking there was a college student who was very much touched by the gospel, but his mother was against his accepting the Lord. So he told the preacher that he would not believe before she died. That preacher said to him, “What a good son you are! After you send your parents to hell, then you will go to heaven in peace.” That student was awakened by the rebuke, and he was saved.
C. It is also the scheme of Satan to not let the young ones or the old ones go. If your parents and children all stay in Egypt, no doubt you will soon return to Egypt yourself. Use Acts 16:31, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household,” to explain that with the gospel, the household is a basic unit. Each house had to have a passover lamb. God wants the whole household saved together.
V. “Go, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be detained”:
А. The type.
B. Then Pharaoh would let the whole household go, but he wanted their possessions to stay.
C. Today many who believe in Jesus are doing the same thing. They do not bring everything with them to the Lord. Some are not able to preach such a gospel, because they themselves still have a lot of possessions left in Egypt.
D. The reason Satan wants men’s possessions to stay in Egypt is that he knows that where their possessions are, there also is their heart. As long as men have their possessions remaining in Egypt, sooner or later they will return there themselves.
VI. All go:
А. The type.
B. Some really bring their whole being, their whole household, and all their possessions to come and believe in Jesus.
C. As a result, they are completely delivered out of the power of Satan.
VII. Smiting Pharaoh:
А. Pharaoh would not allow the Israelites to go, so God smote Pharaoh and killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians.
B. Your wife, friends, or teachers hindered you from believing in Jesus, so God came in to smite them.
C. Sooner or later you still have to believe in Him.
D. Since sooner or later you will have to believe, why not believe sooner, even today?
E. Those who suffer repeated smiting and still refuse to believe, will not only be bothered and have no peace but will also get their neighbors involved. Use the slaying of the Egyptians’ firstborn in one night as an example.
F. It is better to believe in Him now.
Scripture: Exo. 12
I. The position of man by birth:
А. In the world: The children of Israel were born in Egypt. Every human being is born in the world:
1. All things in the world are contrary to God and against God. The world occupies mankind, which God created, in just the same way that Egypt occupied the Israelites at that time.
2. Because man has been born into the world, not only is he occupied by the world, but he also follows the world in opposing God.
B. Under the power of Satan:
1. Man is under the power of Satan just as the Israelites were under Pharaoh.
2. Exodus 12:12 says that against all the gods of Egypt God would execute judgments, which means that He will judge all the idols of Egypt. Today people in the world are all worshipping idols and are under the power of Satan. One day God will come and judge them also.
3. Worshipping idols is the greatest sin against God, for God is a jealous God. Idol worship is just like a married woman committing adultery.
C. In sin:
1. When the Israelites stayed in Egypt, they committed sins just as the Egyptians did.
2. All the people in the world are committing sins. Speak about men’s sins and the manner in which they are committed.
3. For man to commit sins is to sin against God.
II. The appointed judgment:
А. Judgment is appointed:
1. Men have committed sins and have done evil things in the world; they have followed Satan and worshipped idols. God’s judgment has already been appointed to men a long time ago.
2. When the time comes, God will execute His predestinated judgment.
B. The result of judgment.
The result of judgment is death. Use Exodus 12 to explain that God’s appointed judgment upon the Egyptians was that one in each house should die. If time allows, speak more about death being appointed to everyone.
III. The way of salvation prepared by God:
А. The lamb:
1. Explain how the Israelites prepared the lamb at that time.
2. The lamb typifies Christ.
3. Explain how they examined the lamb. Examining the lamb is examining Christ. Those who examined Christ could not find any fault with Him.
4. Explain how the lamb became their substitute.
B. Shedding of blood:
1. Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sin.
2. When God’s judgment comes, only the blood can deliver man. On the day that God’s judgment came to the land of Egypt, every house had to have the shed blood. Unless you want to shed your own blood, you must have the blood of a lamb to substitute for you.
3. All the houses of Israel had the blood of the lamb to substitute for them.
4. All the houses that had the lamb as a substitute escaped death and escaped God’s judgment.
C. The sign of the blood:
1. God looks only at the blood, not at man. God had the blood as the basis and as the sign.
2. Man cannot depend on his own good deeds or his own virtue to escape from God’s judgment.
3. The importance of the blood. Here you can use more Scripture verses, such as the blood washing us from our sins, sins being forgiven by the blood, and our being redeemed by the blood, etc. (Eph. 1:7; Matt. 26:28; Rev. 1:5).
IV. The application of God’s salvation:
А. Believe:
1. In that day for the Israelites to kill the lamb was to believe the lamb. The killing was believing. At the moment we believed, we all killed the Lord Jesus on the cross. Everyone who believes will have this feeling: “It was my sins that crucified my Savior on the cross.” It was because of God’s righteousness that Jesus was killed on the cross; nevertheless, in terms of our feeling, it was our sins that crucified Him.
2. To believe is to receive.
The Israelites not only killed the lamb, but they also struck the blood upon the lintel and on the two side posts. Striking the blood is receiving. There are two steps to the receiving: the first is to strike the blood, and the second is to eat the lamb. Eating the lamb is taking Christ into us as life.
B. Remission of sins:
1. The Israelites had the Feast of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread at the same time. When they ate the lamb, they also had the unleavened bread. This means that on one hand they received the Lord’s life and that on the other hand their sins were forgiven.
2. The lamb should be eaten with bitter herbs. This means that with a broken and contrite heart man is willing to get rid of his sins.
C. Receive the words of God:
1. God’s saving way is prepared by God, but it was given to us through the words of God. So today when we believe in Him, we should also receive His words.
2. Once we receive the words of God, we are saved.
3. Once we receive the words of God, we experience the Passover. God’s judgment passes over us, and we are at peace.
D. The result:
1. Delivered from God’s condemnation.
2. Delivered from Satan’s domination.
3. Delivered from the world’s occupation.
4. Walking out of the world. When the Israelites were eating the lamb, they had to have their loins girded, sandals on their feet, and a staff in their hand. They ate in haste so that they could leave Egypt in haste.
This message may be given in two sessions.
Scripture: Exo. 17:1-6; 1 Cor. 10:4; John 4:14; 7:37-38; Rev. 22:17; Isa. 55:1
I. The wilderness of human life:
This passage describes the desolation of human life.
А. First, tell how the children of Israel walked in the wilderness in that day.
B. Human life itself is just a wilderness. Man’s whole life is just a vast wilderness full of desolation; there is only labor and heavy burdens without rest and joy. Give a full portrait of the desolation of human life in this passage.
C. The reason human life is just a wilderness is that man is sinful and apart from God. Originally, God was the meaning of the human life, but sin separated man from God. Therefore, human life became vain and desolate, like a wilderness.
II. The thirst of human life:
This passage describes the needs of human life.
А. Tell how the Israelites had no water to drink in the wilderness. They were thirsty and desperate for water to quench their thirst.
B. There is also a great need in the human life, a desperate need for a certain kind of water to quench man’s thirst. Fully portray the condition of the dissatisfaction of human life. Everyone in the world, whether a farmer, soldier, laborer, businessman, housewife, or child, young or old, is thirsty and dissatisfied.
C. Man is thirsty because he does not have God. God is the meaning and the satisfaction of human life. Only God can quench man’s thirst. A man without God cannot help but be thirsty.
III. God meeting man’s needs:
А. Man could not meet his needs by himself, just as the Israelites who were thirsty in the wilderness could not do anything for themselves.
B. Only God can quench man’s thirst and meet man’s need. It takes a work of God to quench man’s thirst. To have water coming out of the rock is a miracle; human hands could never do such a thing.
C. God satisfies man through Christ. This Christ was typified by the rock in the wilderness in that day. First Corinthians 10:4 says, “The rock was Christ.” In the Bible a rock is the symbol of solidity and dependability. The Bible shows us that Christ is as solid and dependable as a rock. Here we will not say too much about the solidity and dependability of Christ. Instead, we will pay attention to how the living water that came out of Him can quench man’s thirst. The problem in the wilderness was not a question of solidity or dependability but of thirst. Only the living water, which comes out of Christ, can quench the thirst of man.
D. The living water coming out of the rock and quenching the thirst of the Israelites typifies Christ broken on the cross and that out of Him came the living water to quench our thirst. The rock was solid and dependable, yet it cracked so that water could flow out to meet the needs of the Israelites. So also Christ was broken, and the living water came out of Him to meet our needs.
E. The water came out of the rock after Moses struck it. Moses represents the law, and his rod represents authority. Moses’ rod represents the authority of the law. Moses’ rod smiting the rock represents the authority of the law smiting Christ so that He might be broken, and the water of life might flow out to quench man’s thirst. Man lost God because of sin. For man to receive God, man’s sins must first be judged by the authority of the law. Christ was smitten by the law in the sinner’s stead; thus, the requirements of the law were satisfied, and now the sinners can receive the living water that came out of Him.
F. The very water flowing out of Christ is God’s life, God’s Spirit, and God Himself. Whoever this living water flows into, God’s Spirit and God Himself also flow into him. Whosoever gets this water will be satisfied.
IV. The way of quenching man’s thirst:
А. The Rock is already split open, and the living water is flowing out. The water is available for people to come and drink.
B. Today God is calling, “Let him who is thirsty come;... take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17; cf. Isa. 55:1).
C. Drinking is receiving — receiving the water of life and the Spirit. The Spirit is everywhere. All that man has to do is open his heart and receive God’s Spirit with his human spirit. Whether or not man can touch God all depends upon whether or not he will drink.
D. Drinking is free. Man does not have to pay anything. There is no need of money; it is a free gift.
E. When a man opens his heart and uses his human spirit to receive the Lord Jesus as the Savior in this way, he will feel comfortable and satisfied within.
Scripture: Exo. 19
I. The nature of man:
А. Man does not know himself. This passage needs to be emphasized:
1. On the day that the Israelites went to the lower part of Mount Sinai, they did not know themselves.
2. Man thinks that he can do good by his own effort and that he can keep the law of God. This is just like the Israelites’ answer to the Lord, “All that Jehovah has spoken we will do” (Exo. 19:8).
3. The fact that man thought he could do good and keep the law is a strong proof that man does not know himself.
B. The real condition of man:
1. The real condition of the Israelites was that they did a good number of things against God’s covenant. God did not allow them to make idols, but they made them. They even worshipped the idols. Their real condition was totally against God’s law.
2. Man thought that he could do good, but actually, he could not do good at all. Do you think that you can do good? Do you think that you can love your parents? As a matter of fact, you still love yourself the most. Give some real examples of sin to touch their feeling.
II. The manifestation of God:
А. The law was given to expose the real condition of man:
1. God gave the law to man because the Israelites did not realize their real condition. God gave the law, not for the Israelites to keep but for exposing their real condition.
2. When man does not try to keep the law, he does not realize how corrupted he is. But once he tries to keep the law, he immediately discovers how powerless he is in keeping the law.
B. There is no one who has not transgressed the law.
Even before Moses brought the law back from Mount Sinai, the Israelites had already offended the law. That is why Moses cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them on the way. That was a declaration that the law had been broken by the Israelites.
III. The content of the law:
This part does not need to be covered in too much detail. Just pick some important points and emphasize them.
А. Combine the first few of the Ten Commandments and present some practical examples to explain how man has worshipped false gods.
B. Honor your father and your mother.
C. You shall not kill.
D. You shall not commit adultery.
E. You shall not steal.
F. You shall not lie.
G. You shall not covet.
These items should be spoken in a very strong way, like thundering, even making the people tremble.
IV. The situation of man before the law:
А. Everyone has offended the law.
B. No one can stand self-confidently before the law.
C. Man is terrified when the law is presented. Describe how the Israelites were terrified at Mount Sinai on that day.
D. The law exposes the sins of man.
E. The law also condemns the sins of man.
V. God’s saving way:
А. Christ was condemned and judged in our stead. He has redeemed us from the curse of the law.
B. God wants us to receive the redemption of Christ so that we may be exempt from the condemnation of the law.
Scripture: Lev. 14
I. Leprosy:
А. Leprosy typifies man’s sin.
B. Leprosy is contagious, and it is also hereditary. You have to emphasize the aspect of heredity. Sins come not only from defilement but also through heredity. No one has to learn how to commit sins. You do not have to go to school to learn to sin. Sinning came into you hereditarily, just as leprosy comes into man’s body by heredity.
C. Leprosy comes from within. All sins grow out from within. Use the words of Jesus concerning cleanness and uncleanness in Matthew 15:10-20. Do not think that you have no sin because you never commit any sin outwardly. Actually, the sins have been hiding in you for a long time.
D. Leprosy is a kind of disease that is not easily cured; likewise, sin is something that is not easy to get rid of.
E. None of the lepers were allowed to come to the tabernacle of the congregation to worship God; they were all fully separated from God. This means that all the sinful people have no way to be close to God.
II. The way to be cleansed — two birds:
А. The meaning of the birds:
1. A bird is transcendent and spiritual.
2. The price of a bird is very small.
B. Killing the first bird and then sprinkling its blood upon the one to be cleansed typifies that Christ died for us and shed His blood to cleanse us. Once a sinner repents, his leprosy can be cleansed immediately. It is by the Lord’s shed blood that man is cleansed before God.
C. The second bird typifies the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. It is by His death and the shedding of His blood that all the filth of our sins is cleansed away. But it is by His resurrection that we are delivered from the power of sin. That is why in the Old Testament time they sprinkled the living water and the blood upon the leper and the living bird. They sprinkled not only the blood but also the living water. This means that man was cleansed by the blood on one hand and that on the other hand he received the resurrection life of the Lord Jesus, which delivers him from the power of sin. These two birds typify the heavenly Christ who died for us and was resurrected. Now we can easily partake of Him.
III. After being cleansed:
А. Washing the robes: dealing with the filth of the outward deeds — dealing with sins.
B. Shaving the hair: dealing with man’s vain glory, strength, and ability.
C. Washing the body: a thorough cleansing and dealing with all the oldness. Now all things are new.
Scripture: Num. 21:4-9; John 3:14
I. Man has sinned:
А. First, tell how the Israelites committed sins against God in the wilderness.
B. People in the world today are also doing evil things against God.
II. Sins brought in death:
А. When the Israelites sinned, the poisonous serpents immediately came to bite them, and that bite killed them.
B. Today the people who are committing sins are also being bitten by Satan, and Satan injects the poison of death into man by his bites. The serpents represent Satan. Their biting the Israelites and putting them to death represents the fact that the one who holds the power of death has put man into death by sins. First Corinthians 15:56 says, “The sting of death is sin.” Satan puts man into death by luring him to commit sins.
III. God’s saving way:
А. God told Moses to put a bronze serpent upon a pole.
B. Moses represents the law. The bronze serpent represents Christ who became flesh and died for our sins. Moses’ lifting up the bronze serpent upon a pole represents the fact that the law crucified Christ on the cross. Just as the bronze serpent received the judgment of the law for the Israelites, so also Christ received the judgment of the law for us. Bronze in the Bible represents judgment.
C. In that day it was the poisonous serpents that bit the Israelites and put them to death, and it was the bronze serpent that made them alive. Both are serpents. This means that it was Satan who put men to death, and it was also Satan who was judged on the cross. Although it was Christ who was nailed upon the cross, it was actually Satan who was judged on the cross. Thus, the death of Christ on the cross not only substituted for our judgment, but it also judged Satan.
IV. The way of receiving salvation:
А. When the Israelites beheld the bronze serpent, they were immediately made alive.
B. Today if man wants to be saved out of sins and death, he must behold the Christ who was crucified on the cross.
C. Beholding is believing and receiving. Believe Christ and receive Him as your Savior.
Scripture: Num. 35; Deut. 19; Josh. 20:1-6
I. It is so easy for man to sin:
А. The cities of refuge were set up for those who killed any person unwittingly. (Killing unwittingly means killing ignorantly, unconsciously, or unintentionally.)
B. Today man does many things unwittingly, and he unconsciously offends the law in his ignorance. Some might be teaching, helping the poor, working toward a promotion, or earning money, yet unconsciously in doing these things they may be committing sins that lead to death. Give some examples to illustrate the meaning of killing unwittingly.
C. Do not think that committing sins is a light thing. Please remember that a murderer must give his life in recompense. Even though he did the killing unwittingly, he would still have to die.
II. God’s saving way:
А. During that time God set up six cities of refuge in Israel, three west of the Jordan River and three east of it. (Three times two equals six. Three is the number that represents the Triune God, and two represents witness.) Three on each side of the Jordan were for the convenience of those who killed unwittingly, so that they could flee into one of them easily. If there had been only one city of refuge, it would have been more difficult for the guilty ones to reach that city.
B. The Triune God comes to the Eastern world and to the Western world to save people. No matter where you are today, a city of refuge is close to you, because the cities of refuge on the earth are God Himself. Whenever you discover that you deserve death, just come to this Triune God, and you will be under His protection.
C. Those who fled into the city of refuge could not be released until the death of the high priest. This typifies that we could be released only by the death of Christ. Therefore, fleeing into the city of refuge is fleeing into the death of Christ. The aspect of the city of refuge shows that we are escaping. The aspect of the death of Christ shows that we are released. The city shows that God is our escape; the death of Christ is our release.
III. The way of salvation:
А. Run fast.
No doubt the city of refuge is close to you, but you have to run fast, lest the avenger catch you. Running fast is to believe quickly, or else you will have no time to flee when the avenger comes. Whatever you have done, as long as you killed others unwittingly, you have to leave that spot as quickly as possible and run into the city. Running fast is to believe the Lord quickly, for the Lord is the city of refuge.
B. Receive the death of the Lord.
Those in the cities of refuge could not be released until the death of the high priest, or the death of Christ. So you must acknowledge that the Lord has died for you.
