Valley Gospel
A Pentecostal church experience.
Valley Gospel
The Serpent and The Pole
Discover the powerful parallels between the Israelites' wilderness journey and your own spiritual path in our latest episode, where we unravel the mystery of the serpent and the pole. This ancient symbol, often misunderstood and relegated to medical symbolism, holds a profound biblical truth that speaks directly to the core of our faith. Together, we traverse the landscape of Numbers 21:3-8, revealing how the tests and trials we encounter are not just random occurrences but purposeful challenges designed to refine us. With each step, we grow closer to understanding that the magnitude of our faith is directly proportional to the magnitude of the obstacles we overcome.
As we forge ahead, we confront the stark reality that there is but one path to true salvation, and it is irrevocably intertwined with the cross. Rejecting the modern clamor for hyper-tolerance and multiple spiritual routes, we affirm the singular truth Jesus proclaims in John 14:6. This episode is a clarion call to hold fast to the Christian faith, resist the allure of alternative doctrines, and acknowledge the cross not only as the symbol of our belief but as the very anchor of our eternity. Join us for a journey that promises to deepen your convictions and renew your spirit with the unwavering assurance of Jesus' love.
My God will open. He'll open up the windows of heaven and He'll pour you out a blessing. My God will open. He'll open up the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing. My God will open. He'll open up the windows of heaven and pour you out of blessing and you will not have the room to know not because of you, but because he is good and you will not have the room to receive.
Speaker 2:Him. Hello, welcome to Valley Gospel Church Podcast. We are an independent full gospel church worshiping in spirit and in truth, located in Springdale, pennsylvania. Our single mission is to present a message of truth and hope centered on Jesus Christ and Him crucified. So let's go into a service recorded live at Valley Gospel Church.
Speaker 3:Our scripture text this morning is one that is often misunderstood. This morning is one that is often misunderstood. This emblem is often misassigned, misapplied the serpent and the pole Sometimes associated with the medical profession, with healthcare, with the world of pharmaceuticals. I'm asking the Holy Spirit to bring clarity and understanding from this Old Testament account and expose the true meaning of the serpent and the pole. So, christy, let's go to work. Meaning of the serpent and the pole. So, christy, let's go to work.
Speaker 3:You all know that Exodus 13 tells us that the Lord brought the Hebrew and brought them immediately into the wilderness where they wandered for 40 years. Some of the common reasons you hear why they wandered for 40 years is so that they could see who they were and they could see who God was. Now we call it sometimes a wilderness experience. I think that's a really nice euphemism for something that can be really, really difficult. And when I started to study this out, I couldn't help but remember that I know spiritually what that wilderness adventure is all about having no understanding of what God's plan was and certainly not understanding what my role in that plan would be.
Speaker 3:In that wilderness experience, I had to strip every piece of theology that I had picked up along the way, all the way down to bedrock. Throw out the religion, throw out the tradition, the denomination had to get rid of it. All, all the things that really never lodged in my spirit Because they weren't of God. All the traditions that I picked up, whether it be Assembly of God, pentecostal Holiness, all these traditions that I picked up along the way, while they couldn't lodge in my spirit because they weren't the word of God, they did lodge in my brain. They did lodge in my brain, and that's why it can be a difficult, difficult journey, and it had to be all that. Theology had to be rebuilt on sound doctrine, not on what we heard from a denomination.
Speaker 3:And that's hard because here's the truth there isn't a lot of human help. This isn't something that this wilderness experience that you can go to another human being to help you through. It's a long and arduous process. In the word, possessed by his spirit Let me share this with you Great faith will be tested greatly. Great faith will be tested greatly. So if you'll turn with Chrissy, please, to the book of Numbers, numbers 21. Whenever you get there, I'll ask you to please stand for the reading of God's word. We're in 21 and 3. Chapter 21,. Verse 3. 3 through 8, we will read you know there's a saying that it took two weeks to get the Israelites out of Egypt. It took 40 years to get Egypt out of the Israelites. Numbers 21 and 3.
Speaker 2:And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. And he called the name of the place Hormah. And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea to encompass the land of Edom, and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way and the people spoke against God and against Moses. Wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water, and our soul loathes this light bread. 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 you. 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 everyone who is bitten when he look upon it shall live.
Speaker 3:Hallelujah. I use very simply, for a message this morning, the serpent and the pole. Let's pray, heavenly Father. Thank you, lord, thank you for this revelation of truth, lord, this Old Testament revelation of truth. Lord and Lord, I need you to help me dissect what you have given me, not for an Old Testament expose, Lord, but that we might put it to modern use for our time. Lord, let this word today be a lamp and a light. It is in the name of your precious Son we pray. Amen and amen. Please be seated Before we delve too deeply into the serpent in the pole.
Speaker 3:I'd like to explore the wilderness. Just a little bit Kind of got sidetracked with the wilderness, but I think it's an important point. Look, your wilderness can be tough and if you've never had a wilderness experience at some point in your walk, you will, you will, you will. You know somebody in here may be going through that wilderness today, wow, not knowing what the Lord's direction might be for you, not knowing what he wants you to do, what's. You know, we look around and see what's happening in the world, in the church, in our communities, and you know, it seems that today's culture is pushing us further into that wilderness, saying right is wrong, filth is pure, darkness is light, lies are truth. There are many ways to God. There are no ways to God. I'm a spiritual person. Know this, know this. If you trust the Lord, you will come through your wilderness. It was never meant for us to stay there, just to pass them through. This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. 23rd Psalm says yea, that one walked through the valley of the shadow of death. The operative word there is through. 23rd Psalm says yea, that one walked through the valley of the shadow of death. The operative word there is through, through Never meant for us to pitch a tent in the middle of that valley, but to come through. Come through more empowered, more anointed, a stronger, more committed Christian for the challenges that lie ahead, and there will be some, there are some. It should have been the same for the children of Israel. Should have been the same. They weren't supposed to wander for 40 years. It was a 250-mile straight-line journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. 250 miles At best, four weeks of hard walking At the very best. But, as some of us do, from time to time we go astray, we go wayward, we don't quite when hard times come, maybe some confusion, maybe the deliverance is delayed, maybe the healing doesn't come as we expect. Maybe the Midianites are rising up, the Canaanites attack.
Speaker 3:Living in this world. We want to go back to old ways, back to a lifestyle that was maybe a little more comfortable. You know it's a really hard concept to fully understand and embrace, but you and I are the aliens here. We want everything to conform like we think it's gonna be hip, hippity, hop to heaven. Everybody's gonna be a Christian, everybody's gonna. We're the aliens. This world is not our home. Amen, and nobody wants to say it. But this is Satan's world, this is his world. How privileged are we that we have a church of the living God within Satan's domain? My just passing through.
Speaker 3:But sometimes we want our old lifestyles back, maybe the comfortable beliefs that we used to have. At least in retrospect it seems a bit more comfortable, certainly more tolerable, and that's what the Israelites were feeling. It's exactly what they were feeling A place where they and we could share our pain, our tribulation, our misery with people who would understand what we were going through, complain about our lot in life and, you know, while that old way might seem easier, I want you all to remember this easier. I want you all to remember this If you don't hear anything else this morning, hear this, no matter how hard it might seem at the moment. How confusing how you're not grasping the theology of everything that God's trying to pour into you. How confusing Maybe you have more questions than you have answers, but where you are now is a million times better than where you were in the bonds of sin, amen, of which Egypt is.
Speaker 3:What we're reading about is the children of Israel's march out of Egypt. Egypt is a biblical type, a sinful world, satan's world, something where all the things are designed around a satanic assault, designed around darkness, designed around evil. In your Egypt, in our Egypt, we had no joy, no peace, no song In this world of sin and doubt. On my knees, I asked the question, but because the Holy Spirit drew you and Jesus saved you and set you free. Now we have a song to sing. Now we have bondages, are broken Glory, every fetter broken by what Jesus did on the cross.
Speaker 3:Did you ever hear someone say this? Well, I'm just a complainer. I just like to complain a little bit, I believe, but I like to complain. How many of you know that complaining is actually an insult to God, and you'll soon see where it got the children of Israel Complaining, verse 4.
Speaker 3:And they journeyed from Mount Hor by way of the Red Sea and to compass the land of Edom and the soul of the people, very much discouraged because of the way this wilderness thing was getting old. It was getting to be a little too much effort. I loved this light bread. We want real bread To get man to drop from the sky every morning. And they're complaining. We want the dark bread like we had in Egypt. Why are we listening to Moses? Can't you hear it Just complaining, complaining. This journey could have, even if they would have went really slowly, this journey could have been over 38 years prior, 38 years before this happened, if they just would have trusted God.
Speaker 3:As soon as it got a little tough, they started complaining. They started to employ what they learned in Egypt. The world's way, the world's way. And don't we sometimes do the same thing? Why aren't we experiencing this? Why isn't the church growing? Why aren't we experiencing this? Why isn't the church growing? Why aren't we experiencing outpourings? This church thing? Four hours a week? I'm busy, I have a lot to do. Pastor expects too much. Pastor expects too little. When is it my time? Why do I always get the short end of the straw Stick right Straw stick, short straw. Yeah Listen, complaining will only extend your time in the wilderness. Complaining about where you're locked in life will only extend your time in the wilderness.
Speaker 3:The Bible says we're to thank the Lord at all times and try to learn the lesson. Try to get what he's trying to teach me you always when someone's under. Do you ever hear someone tell you that they're going through something and they'll? Well, I guess the Lord's trying to teach me something. Well, why don't you learn it? There's always a lesson to learn in a trial.
Speaker 3:How many of you know who David Wilkerson was? He was the founder of Teen Challenge. He was the founder of Times Square Church. He said never waste a good trial, never waste a good crisis. Ask God to deliver, and he will. He will. Israel failed the test. Sometimes we do as well, but don't give up. Don't give up on yourself, don't give up on your brothers and sisters. Don't give in, don't go back. Let me encourage you this morning. If you make a mistake, ask the Lord to forgive you. He will Amen. Then leave it alone. No guilt, no stress. Move forward Forward.
Speaker 3:Because all the complaining, talking against God, talking against Moses, talking against the church, the final straw for the Lord in his disdain for these ungrateful, unthankful people, the final straw. The Lord sent fiery serpents, venomous snakes. How do we know they were venomous? Because many were bitten and many died. Doesn't that tell you we're not trifling with this grandfatherly God that said, oh, don't worry about it, it's okay here, pull my finger. God huh, that said, oh, don't worry about it, it's okay here, pull my finger. But that's how we identify the great God Jehovah. Is this grandpa figure that he just overlooks everything? Now I'm torn in my study whether the snakes were natural, whether they were supernatural or whether they were a combination of natural and supernatural.
Speaker 3:And let me I'll share my thought process with you here. If the Lord directs you and gave you specific directions, this is the way I want you to go, a certain route that he wants you to travel, maybe staying on higher ground, and the Israelites say no, you know what. It's easier to stay in the river bottoms, it's easier to walk next to the water. Maybe the vipers are certainly more plentiful in those areas. Maybe just a little closer to home, if you travel through the bayous of Louisiana, you're going to run into some alligators, without a doubt. If you stay on the Mason-Dixon line, you're not going to see any alligators, or at least much less. In any event, a lot safer. Strong evidence in this account that the years wandering in the wilderness, the Lord sent angels out in front to clear the way of problems, including snakes, including the dangers of snakes, but with Israel showing no gratitude, no thanksgiving for their freedom from bondage, no repentance for their failing, no thanks for the Lord sustaining them. Thanks for the Lord sustaining them. The protective angels, for which there is strong evidence, are removed for a time and Israel was left to face the snakes all alone. All alone or by themselves. And this is a really important point, especially if maybe you're feeling that the devil's maybe getting after you, maybe he's messing with you, he's messing with things in your life and the family. Nothing happens to a believer nothing unless the Lord causes it or the Lord allows it. Yes, this world belongs to Satan, but believers belong to the Lord. That's the difference. This world belongs to Satan, believers belong to the Lord. Satan has no authority unless the Lord allows it.
Speaker 3:I'm going to read a scripture and I'll ask you to receive it in pure spirit. Keep your finger in numbers, because we'll come back, especially in this era and we hear it all the time this area of hyper-tolerance and DEI and any God will do and make believe gods and man-made deities and a conforming church. Probably, probably my most concern here is a church that has decided to conform to the world, a church which, by and large, has decided to conform to the world's standards, calling the same things that the world said is. Right now the church is saying the same thing John 14. I just I was going to leave this out of the John 14 and 6. Jesus saith unto him I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Just wanted to make sure we actually read that, because we quote that and say that, but I don't know. Our God has an ordained path for us to travel, a road, an ordained path for us to travel, a road that all Christians are expected to travel, to walk on. All believers must come through the cross, and we'll examine what that looks like a little later in this message message.
Speaker 3:But what's being passed off for gospel now is do some good things and you have a chance. Warren Buffett said about the billions of dollars that he gives away and he said well, I have it, and it's at least it gives me a chance at heaven. No chance, zero. Well, if we follow the five pillars of Islam and we try to do good things zero chance, I'm gonna bring it home. Well, we keep the Ten Commandments zero chance, not 20%. Not, we might make it, not, maybe we'll do some good things Zero chance.
Speaker 3:My grandmother used to say as long as you believe and I can't believe this. An old world Slovenian came from a Christian nation and she would literally say as long as you believe in something, that's all that matters, as long as you believe it sincerely I'm sorry, grandmother, stupid, stupid. I can believe I won't get in trouble if I go out here and run somebody over, but I will. Doesn't matter what I believe or what I think is correct. Hallelujah.
Speaker 3:There are not many ways to God. There are not many Christs. There is one way, there is only one way, no universal way. That includes ways that other religions can get to God, can access the Lord. And let me just say this the Lord, and let me just say this those that preach and teach that they point the way to God, the door you go in whether it's Islam, buddhism, confucianism, christianity you choose the door that you go into God. That is false doctrine, it is not truth, it is anti-Christ, anti-christ, and its end thereof is destruction.
Speaker 3:When a believer walks a path that is contrary to the finished work of Jesus on the cross, then you and I, by choice, walk outside of his protection. We walk outside of his protection. Where are we walking? We're walking in a land where fiery serpents dwell. Hmm, because that protection that we enjoy is guaranteed by the work Jesus accomplished at the cross. It is the way that God has chosen, it is the way that God has provided. We say I don't like that, that bloody cross. I don't like, I can't tell, I don't know what to tell you. That's the way God has chosen. You may not like it, it may be messy, but it is the angels that were called back from this serpent clearing duty that went ahead of.
Speaker 3:Israelites Were removed because of one reason Unbelief, unbelief, unbelief, but to a different level, where they actually talked against God. They actually spoke against Moses, actually went against what they said they believed, actually went against what they said they believed. These snakes began to bite these I don't want to even use the term backslidden, but these overturned believers, highly venomous. Many died, but the crisis could have been avoided. It could have been avoided had Israel trusted God and followed his direction, if they had followed the way he wanted them to go. The serpents were real then and here's they're just as real today. Just as real today in terms of demon spirits seeking to harm the children of God. Remember this the thief cometh but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. He's not coming just to mess with you to get a laugh. The thief cometh to steal and kill and destroy. That's his point Seeking to harm the children of God. How many today?
Speaker 3:Maybe you find yourselves in a situation or a lifestyle contrary to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Contrary to the leading of the Holy Spirit, maybe because of unbelief or bitterness, or turning against God, or an event in your past or your present, it might have been avoided had we followed the leading of the Holy Spirit, if we heeded his truth. And the only way to avoid serpents is to cling to the cross. That song the old rugged cross. I will cling to the old rugged cross. What's that mean? What's that? You know we sing it and we come to the cross or we tell people they need to come to the cross. What does it mean? When you come to or you take up the cross, you come to truth. Finally got to be open to receive this. But when you come to truth, the truth sets free. When you come to the cross, you come to love, and greater love hath no man than he laid down his life for his friend. When you come to the cross, you come to hope. Hope and hope springs eternal from the cross. The cross snuffs out, listen the cross snuffs out a life dedicated to self. That's what the cross does, and when that self-life is snuffed out, new life springs up.
Speaker 3:As the serpents began biting the people. Listen. They called I love this. They called unto Moses to pray. In 40 years there is no other time that's recorded where they asked Moses to pray. Spiritual leader right, got you out of Egyptgypt, did all all this journey and you never asked him to pray. It's the only time in this whole journey that they ask him to pray. I don't know if that sounds strange to me. Verse 7, therefore. And 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 takes away the serpent from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
Speaker 3:Prevailing teaching in the church today is that that repentance fell short, that it wasn't enough and shouldn't have been answered, that that, actually, I think in school they said that repentance was incomplete. You know what I'm taught there Just reading that. I'm taught that Our, that I'm taught that our God will heed the call, the cry of his children, even if we are feeble, even if we are weak, even if we are incomplete. He will hear our cry. If it's done in sincerity and repentance, a sincere cry from someone who's seeking God, turns on the speakers in heaven, glory, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, and he will come to wherever you are, regardless of where you are, despite having messed up profoundly. He will show up and rescue his child. When we lift our eyes toward heaven, show up and rescue his child. When we lift our eyes toward heaven and we cry out for forgiveness, your God will move heaven and earth to get to you, bring you out of the mess that you created, place you in a righteous status, cleanse every stain, even the very smell of sin. Hallelujah, oh, what a Savior. His name is Jesus. His name is Jesus.
Speaker 3:400 years earlier than what we're reading, the Lord showed Abraham the way of salvation. All right, he talked about the precursor that would result in the death and the shedding of blood of an innocent animal. You can read about it in Genesis 22. But he didn't show him how this would be accomplished in the future for humanity, amen. But he did reveal it to Moses with a serpent and a pole. Didn't show it to Abraham, but he showed it to Moses, verse 8. 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 the bronze serpent that Moses pounded out of a homemade kiln. Jeff argues that he had professional forges and he had fabricators that would have built a really nice snake. I'm thinking he pounded it out of an anvil and a fire, but it was a type of Satan.
Speaker 3:The bronze serpent was a type of Satan, a type of sin. It was the poison in the pot. That's what the serpent represented and the purpose, the reason, glory For the pole, the cross. Listen closely, church. I believe this to be a revelation. Jesus didn't actually go to the cross because of love or righteousness or mercy or goodness. He went to the cross because of love or righteousness or mercy or goodness. He went to the cross because of sin. He went to the cross because of sin. Sin had to be addressed before his people could live, before his children could live, before we could live that abundant life that we all talk about. And Moses made a serpent of brass, put it upon a pole, and it came to pass that if the serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Sin would have to be atoned for. Nothing could happen until sin was atoned for. That was the bronze serpent, this awesome plan of salvation that was fathered in the mind of God Almighty was paid for by Jesus on the cross, who spilled his life's blood for all sin, for all time, past, present and future. For all who would believe that was the pole, that was the cross. That was the pole. That was the cross On that day.
Speaker 3:Anyone bitten by the serpent. If they would look, they would live. If they would look, they would live. Look and live that would have been a good title for the message today Look and Live. It just amazes me, the wondrous saving power of our God, the power of the cross. Notice that he didn't send the people to the temple. He didn't send them to a priest or a counselor. He didn't send them to Moses or Aaron. He sent them to a serpent in a pole. Feeling bad, feeling a little under the weather, got some venom running in your veins. Don't go to the doctor, go to the pole, have mercy. The pole was the cure for the serpent. The pole is the cure for the serpent. The cross is the cure for sin.
Speaker 3:Sadly, in these times, preachers, institutions of religion, denominations, are sending their people everywhere. But to Jesus and him crucified. Send you to council. Send you to understand these steps that you have to process through in order to be a believer anywhere but jesus and him crucified. Look to us. We know, we got it, we, we've been to bible college, we have it. Look to leaders, look to rites and rituals and traditions. This the snake bite of humanism and wokeism and inclusivity and religion, and if we look at those we will surely die. We will surely die. But if we look to the cross, if we look to the pole, we will surely live.
Speaker 3:The bite of the serpent listen, the bite of the serpent can only be healed by the one who bruised his head. It can only be healed by the one who stepped on him. God has raised us up in these times. Times like these, sister, call that to hold high the banner, the bloodstained banner, preaching and teaching Jesus Christ and Him crucified. There is a remnant and it grows stronger every day. Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Speaker 3:That was Peter's message, that was Paul's message, that was John's message, that's the message of this book Hallelujah. Therefore, it's our message, the only message that sets men free, the only message that breaks the bonds of sin, that changes man's heart. It's the only one. That message is the gospel, and the gospel is the cross. Christianity without the cross is nothing more than philosophy. Christianity without the cross is a club affiliation.
Speaker 3:Christianity without the cross is only a story. Without the cross, jesus' mission is pointless, his life is average, his authority has been nullified. There is no Christ without the cross, without the cross. Therein lies the point of not only this morning's message, but the serpent and the pole. The devil's mission is to separate in Christianity, to separate Jesus from the cross. Separate the two, because if you're able to do that, if you can separate the Nazarene, this Jewish boy who was born in Nazareth, if you can separate him from the cross, you remove his title. Christ anointed one, the one. That's the world's mission, and I stand here in pain and remorse to tell you that it seems that it is the mission of this nation as well. Christianity without the cross is changeless, it's meaningless, it's powerless. Our eternity and I'll close here our eternity rests, our victory rests, our deliverance rests in Christ and him crucified. All of that rests on the serpent and the pole, on the cross of Christ. What that was trying to show us today, amen. Thank you so much for listening.
Speaker 2:We pray. This message is a blessing and encouragement to you, most of all, that it fortifies your faith as the return of our Lord draws near. We encourage you to share the love of Jesus this week and invite you to listen to next week's podcast.
Speaker 1:Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so. And little ones to Him belong. They are so weak, but he is strong. Yes, jesus loves me. Yes, jesus loves me. Yes, jesus loves me, for the Bible tells me so. Jesus loves me, he who died, and heaven's gates he's gonna open wide and he's gonna wash away All of my sin and let His little child Come on in. Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes, oh yes. Yes, jesus loves me. Yes, jesus loves me. This I know, for the Bible, it tells me so.