Looking To Jesus

And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. – Numbers 21:6-9

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man (Jesus Christ) be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. – John 3:14-15

SALVATION is brought to the soul by looking to Jesus Christ, the crucified Son of God. Salvation was taught in symbol before the tragedy of Calvary took place. The Jews, when bitten by fiery serpents, were told to look to a Brazen Serpent uplifted on a pole. If, instead, they looked at the reptile that bit them, or at their wound, or at Moses, or at the Tabernacle, they died. But whoever looked at the uplifted Brazen Serpent lived. It mattered not how close to death the man was, or how many reptiles had poisoned him; it mattered not if friends had to hold up his head, and with merciful finger lift up his drooping eyelid; the instant the eye fell upon the Serpent on the Pole the man felt a great rush of life in him, leaped to his feet, and became sound and whole.

Christ Himself declared that He was the fulfillment of this remarkable type (the Brazen Serpent); that He would be lifted up on the cross, that “whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Salvation comes by looking to Jesus. Of course, the world wonders and stumbles over this condition of pardon, men failing to see the justice involved, the love that inspired it, and the profound wisdom which permeated the whole infinite act and sacrifice. They especially stagger over the simple requirement of a look to be saved.

But the spiritual thinker knows that “looking to” means also a “looking from.” He who looks to Jesus is doing a marvelous thing in the spiritual life. Just as the eye was turned away from crawling reptiles and festering wounds, from self and surrounding friends, from the great leader Moses, and the beautiful Tabernacle, and was fastened on a serpent of brass hanging on a pole, (and all this done at the command of God), so the sinner looks away from the devil and his own sin-poisoned soul, from all hope of self and human strength, looks beyond the preachers, gazes higher than the Church, and, fastening his eyes upon the Crucified One, cries,

“In my hand no price I bring,

Simply to thy cross I cling,”

and is instantly filled with sweet, restful, and blessed salvation, and he knows that he has eternal life. It was a look from earth to heaven, from men to God, from sin to Christ, and God rewarded the look with an instantaneous pardon of sin and a glorious rush of spiritual life into the soul.

Taken from the book, Heart Talks, by B. Carradine (slightly revised)

God’s way of salvation is simply to believe on Jesus Christ. Jesus atoned for your sins by His death on the cross. He was raised from the dead after He died, and He is now living in Heaven. You must believe on Him for your sins to be forgiven. Believing on Jesus includes receiving Him into your heart as your Lord and Savior. If you really want Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then just say, “Jesus, please come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior.” This is how you “look to Jesus” for salvation.