Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“Yahweh said to Moses, “Make a venomous snake, and set it on a pole. It shall happen that everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” Moses made a serpent of bronze, and set it on the pole. If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the serpent of bronze, he lived.”
(Numbers 21:8-9)

“For Yahweh will judge his people
    and have compassion on his servants.“
(Psalm 135:14)

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn’t believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only born Son of God. This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.“
(John 3:14-20)

The word for ‘judge’ in Psalm 135:14 is also the word for vindication. It’s an act of clearing someone of blame, suspicion, or doubt. Proving that a person, action, or a theory was right and justified. It is victory in defense. It exonerates. The Israelites had sinned. They had accused God of evil intent. As a result, they had NO PROTECTION when they came to the valley inhabited by poisonous snakes. But God had COMPASSION on them and gave them a way to be vindicated AFTER they admitted they had sinned. They repented and because they were willing to repent a way was made for them to be cleansed and live. The sages teach that when the Israelites would look up and subject their hearts to their Father in heaven, they would be cured – but without repentance, they would waste away. Their only hope was God’s compassion, but they had to humble themselves first.

Jesus came because He loved us. Because God had compassion on us. He was not only going to be lifted up on a wooden pole, but the Father was going to raise Him up into an exalted position. The position of our Saviour and our Lord. If ANYONE chooses to admit they have sinned, and have a sinful nature, and choose to subject themselves under God’s Will in humble obedience, accepting what Jesus has done for them, they will be saved (Romans 10:8-9). It’s that simple. True repentance means accepting and submitting to Jesus. If we do that, we will be exonerated. Saved. Washed clean. Cured. Never HAVING to sin again (it’s a choice after salvation – 1 John 3:9).

Summary

All sacrifices in the tabernacle and the Temple were to COVER sins. Jesus came to CURE US. When you’re cured of an addiction, you are CURED. There is no longer ANY PHYSICAL IMPULSE making you indulge again. EVER. That’s what a cure is. Sin is like that. We have been CURED by Jesus. The MENTAL patterns are still there in the background because we were trained to them. The Word helps us reprogram that. To remove that. To make NEW patterns. To RENEW ourselves in the same way Jesus RENEWED our spirits. This is what repentance is. A turning away to a NEW direction and desiring to HOLD to it. If we will look to Jesus and keep His Word before our eyes, we WILL be and STAY cured!