Order in Worship and Service--Part 7

The birth and rebirth of Israel differ, and rebirth and conversion differ. These distinctions are clearly revealed in both the Old and New Testaments. The difference is clearly demonstrated between the statement in Ezekiel when the Lord God said to depraved Israel, “Live!” (Ezek. 16:6), and when God said to Moses after Israel’s deliverance by blood from Egypt, “…when he [the sinning Israelite] looks at it [serpent of brass] he shall live” (Num. 21:8 NASB). No greater study can be made than the difference between “live” and “look and live.” The Bible order is live and look. Since each person is born blind to spiritual things because of depravity (John 9), his eyes must be opened by God’s grace before he can see spiritual things.

The blindness of the man of John 9 was not attributed to some sin of nature, but to the nature of sin. Spiritual blindness is the fruit of depravity (Rom. 5:12). Paul used the expression “…you were formerly darkness…” (Eph. 5:8). A theological problem is presented at the outset. The Lord unveiled His motive for bestowing an unsought blessing. There was no cry from the blind man. He was not conscious of Christ’s presence. John 9 is one fulfillment of “I PERMITTED Myself to be sought by those who did not ask for Me; I permitted Myself to be found by those who did not seek Me. I said, Here am I, here am I, To a nation which did not call on My name” (Is. 65:1 NASB). This was quoted in Romans 10:20 to refer to the Gentiles who sought the things of the world. People of the world system love the things of the world (I John 2:15, 16; 5:19).

As the light of nature cannot restore sight to a blind person, the light of the gospel cannot give spiritual sight to a person who is spiritually blind. Therefore, operation on the heart by regeneration precedes the sanctifying influence of the truth of the gospel, and it is necessary to render that influence effective. Without the objective truth of the gospel concerning the Person and Work of Christ, every regenerated person would remain in the darkness of the world’s wisdom. However, that is not God’s decree for His chosen ones: “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth. And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (II Thess. 2:13, 14 NASB).

A profound lesson is to be learned by every person who has been born of God. In speaking about the subjective work of God in Christianity, Christ mentioned the initial act of being born of the Spirit (John 3:8). In presenting the cause of the subjective work, He introduced the objective work of the cross (John 3:14, 15). No passage of Scripture has been quoted and used more, abused worse, and understood less than John 3:1-16.

The regenerated person does not rest on anything in himself. He is led by the indwelling Spirit to look outside of himself to embrace the objective Christ: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for [lutron anti, on behalf of] many” (Mark 10:45 NASB). Christ used illustrations many times for explanation. In John 3, He borrowed one from human life—birth, one from nature—wind, and one from Scripture—serpent of brass.

The serpent of brass in Numbers 21:6-9 was not inside the tabernacle, tents of the priests, or in the charge of the Levites. Jesus Christ and the apostles never pointed man to the temple, sacrifices, or other ordinances of the Jews under Moses for deliverance. They pointed men to what Jesus Christ accomplished for the elect at Calvary, which was outside the camp: “We have an altar, from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hence, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach” (Heb. 13: 10-13 NASB).

The camp of Israel was the seat and center of the religious life of Israel. To be in the camp was to have a right to all the advantages of the commonwealth of Israel (Eph. 2:12). Forfeiting that right for any cause meant that the offender was taken out of the camp (Lev. 14:3; 24:14; Num. 5:2; 12:15). Christ was despised and rejected by the nation of Israel in that camp. He would have died on the altar of the temple, but human religion was on the throne there. Religious sinners were seeking Christ’s blood, but they would not have it shed on their religious altar. Christianity is not found in religion, but in Jesus Christ.

The bronze serpent must be viewed from its proper perspective. The Israelites were characterized by overcoming their enemies that they encountered on the wilderness side of Jordan. These enemies were overcome in view of the Israelites reaching the land of promise. This represented certain principles of the flesh, which are opposed to what is spiritual in the people of God.

God did not bring His people into what His love promised to give them without teaching them a profound lesson concerning the weakness of their flesh. The Greek word for flesh is sarx. It is used many ways in the Scriptures: (1) substance of the body whether men or beasts (I Cor. 15:39), (2) the human body (Phil. 1:22; II Cor. 7:5), (3) mankind (Rom. 3:20), (4) the holy humanity of Jesus Christ (John 1:14), (5) the unregenerate state of man (Rom. 7:5), (6) the seat of sin in man (I John 2:16; II Pet. 2:18), (7) natural attainments (I Cor. 1:26), (8) carnality (Gal. 5:24), (9) the externals of life (II Cor. 7:1), (10) natural relationship (Rom. 9:3), etc.

The point that is important for this study is that the Christian is one person with two natures. This means that he must not regard the old nature or the new nature as the person himself. No Christian separates either the Divine nature or the human nature of Jesus Christ as Mediator “between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Tim. 2:5). Therefore, the Christian who was dead in sins is the same human being now even though he is saved. The person is saved, and the person acts. The new nature is wedded (united) to the person by regeneration, but the person should die to the old nature by mortification because the old man is already dead (Rom. 6:6).

The bronze serpent was lifted up in the fortieth year of Israel’s wilderness journey. Moses and Aaron failed, and both were under the sentence of death. They were also denied the privilege of entering the promised land. However, the clouds of sunset must not obscure the glorious hours through which they lived.

The path of the just has its inconveniences, but it also has its encouragements (Ps. 78). The Israelites who had been victorious over some of their enemies in some of their battles with the flesh (Num. 21:1-3) soon became impatient because of the way. They not only spoke against God and Moses, but they also loathed their God-provided food. When this happens, judgment is just around the corner. When people complain about God’s providence, the next step is to complain against the servants of the Lord. There are always people who feel they are more intelligent and more compassionate, have more understanding of the peoples’ needs, are more considerate of the peoples’ feelings, and are more capable of ruling than their God-appointed leader.

The serpent’s bite is the Divine conviction of what the flesh is in the essence of its being. God is determined to bring His people to judge the root of the flesh. The experience of the serpent was a conversion experience in the lives of those who had been healed. They came to Moses saying, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us. And Moses interceded for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he shall live” (Num. 21:7, 8 NASB). It is dreadful when a person who has been born of God remains uninformed about the spiritual conflict between the flesh (unregenerate nature—John 3:6) and the Spirit. Sin is not dead in the Christian; therefore, he needs the teaching of John 3:14-15 and Romans 6:1-8:12.

Looking in order to live is not in Ezekiel 16:6, but it is in Numbers 21:8-9 and John 3:14-15. Many professing Christians see no more in eternal life than the assurance of eternal security. The tragedy of this ignorance is they have no idea of the insecurity of their so-called security. Truth is the foundation of security. Life involves the abiding presence of the Spirit of regeneration. The type recorded in Numbers 21 teaches that the sinful flesh has been condemned (Rom. 8:3). This is accomplished by looking at what the bronze serpent symbolizes. The remedy heals again and again. The cause that produced the bronze serpent is twofold: (1) It was sin on man’s side. (2) It was grace on God’s side.

Nearly everything one reads or hears today about John 3:16 is that one must believe on Jesus Christ in order to be born of God. Therefore, religionists claim the new birth is attributed to faith. There are many kinds of faith. The following are things that faith is not: (1) Historical faith is nothing more than an intellectual apprehension of truth. (2) Temporary faith is to believe for a while and in the time of temptation fall away (Luke 8:13). (3) Faith based on miracles resulted in Christ not entrusting Himself to the believers (John 2:23, 24). (4) Vain faith is to trust one who does not have the power to save (I Cor. 15:2, 14). (5) A dead faith cannot manifest itself (James 2:26).

The following are what saving faith is: (1) It is the gift of God to the elect (Titus 1:1; Eph. 2:8). (2) Saving faith is the effect of Divine election (Acts 13:48). (3) It is the effect of regeneration (I John 5:1). Life precedes faith.

Converting faith is not only the ability to see Jesus Christ’s Person and Work in the gospel, but it is also the ability to embrace the Savior. There are two remarkable acts of faith that are exceedingly difficult, and they are the first and the last acts. The first is a great venture of life due to Christian persecution (II Tim. 2:10-13; 3:12). The last is a greater experience than conversion, which is the fruit of regeneration. It is the walk with one’s Shepherd through the valley of the shadow of death into eternity on the validity of God’s promise: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me” (Ps. 23:4 NASB). If a Christian does not go through the valley of the shadow of death, he will be caught up with the Lord at His coming: “See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (I John 3:1-3 NASB).