Can'T Sin Without the Snakes — E.A. Johnston

Sin Brings Consequences

There is an old adage if you choose bad company Then be prepared to share their black eyes and sin is like that friend. Sin has its consequences for sure as a black cloud has rain. Go back in your memory before you were saved and think on the problems that soon accompanied your sins.

A Personal Lesson in the Consequences of Sin

When I was in college Me and a fraternity brother went out on the town Shooting tequila. Well, you can't drink tequila long before you get sloppy drunk. Somehow we made it back to the fraternity house.

And as soon as I walked in there, I picked a fight with a man much bigger than me. He played football and he had to work a job at night to support himself and the job he had Was as was as a waiter in an old English themed steak restaurant and his job required him to Wear tights.

Well when I saw him in my drunken condition I made fun of his tights and questioned his manhood and then I began to Beat him over the head with a broom that I found behind the door. Well, he punched me so hard when I hit the door behind me.

It took the hinges off. They had a pull them off of me before he killed me the consequences of my sin were torn shirt a swollen face and a bruised ego. I quit drinking booze at night and haven't touched liquor since and last 40 years.

But I learned a thing and that thing was you can't have sins without the snakes. And that's a tell on my message today friends. You can't sin without the snakes and my text can be found in the book of Numbers.

The Fiery Serpents in Numbers 21

You can turn in your Bibles there now friends. We will be in chapter 21. Here we find the people of God are plagued with fiery serpents. Because of their murmuring against God we see this in verses 5 and 6 and the people spoke against God and against Moses.

Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? But there is no bread neither is there any water and our soul loatheth this light bread and the Lord sent Fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people and much people of Israel died.

I will stop there. The people were fed by God with the miraculous provision of the manna. But they grew tired of that and Consequently in their complaining they grew tired of God. I think there's a lesson there friends.

Sin is rebellion against God and sin has its consequences because sin will eventually bite you and you will soon learn friend that you can't sin Without the snakes. I used to live in a forest in Tennessee and on my property.

There was a stream at the back of it and a rock bed. With a drainage ditch at the front of it and copperhead snakes. Just loved live at the back in front of my house. So every year I would have to put my boots on and go kill me some snakes.

I'd take a can of gasoline in one hand and a shovel in the other and I'd Straddle those rocks in that drainage ditch and pour gasoline on them and then I would wait soon. Snakes would slither out one across one boot and one across my other boot and when they emerged I would hit them on the head with that shovel and then cut their head off with the edge of that spade.

That's how I killed snakes. One time I hit a baby copperhead, which is more poisonous than a big one and it spit phantom in my eye. Fortunately for me, I was wearing glasses and the venom hit my lens and not my eye.

Sin Multiplies and Brings Greater Costs

But the point was I soon learned that if I found one snake there were other snakes nearby. And sin is like that friend it has a way of Multiplying into something you never intended. I don't think King David Intentionally planned the murder of Uriah the Hittite as soon as he saw Bathsheba Bathing in the moonlight.

No friends one sin led to another. Adultery led to murder and then the big cover-up, but you can't cover sin long. My Bible says so in Proverbs 28 13 He that covered the sins shall not prosper. Listen friends sin will take you further than you want to go.

It will leave you there longer than you want to stay and it will cost you more than you ever realized because sin is costly. I Was having lunch with a fellow evangelist and he shared with me the story about his daddy Who was a pastor?

One day his daddy had a adulterous affair with the church secretary. And when it was found out it cost him his marriage. It cost him his pastorate and it cost him financially to such degree That this man became homeless.

And my evangelist buddy as he told me that sad story He got a faraway look in his eye and he said with a sigh The sin is costly and it sure is friend. You can't sin without the snakes. Now I want you to notice something else in our text here in numbers.

The Brazen Serpent Points to Christ

And that is the brazen serpent on a pole. In verse 8 we read 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 that is bitten When he looketh upon it shall live.

If the people were bitten by the Fiery serpents all they had to do to be cured Was to fix their eyes upon that brass serpent on that pole. Just gaze upon it putting their confidence in God's Word that he would be he would heal them.

And over in John's gospel in chapter 3 we see the words of Christ and as Moses Lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so Must the Son of Man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The Cross as God's Answer to Sin

I Want to end my message today friends by Preaching up a bloody cross on which which the Prince of Glory died. After the fall in Eden God knew man was sinful. But God had a way to deal with sin and he accomplished this in his dear son Jesus.

I'm sure you've heard of Jesus. Jesus came into this world doing good healing the sick Giving sight to the blind and even raising the dead to life. Yet what happened? Wicked men cried away with him and nailed him to a cross.

Go ahead friend. Look at that man on the cross. See him there with his arms outstretched. Beckoning you to come to him and believe on him. Look at that blessed man on the cross. Isaiah declares Look unto me and be you saved all the ends of the earth.

For I am God and there is none else. Look at that blood-stained Christ on that cross friend. When all is against him his love flows out to a world of guilty sinners. He prays father Forgive them for they know not what they do.

The cross is the place where cruel men sought to get rid of him. But by his death he becomes the place where a saving power flows out to all who come in repentance. Confessing they are sinners and own them as their Savior and Lord.

Surrendering to the Savior

I'm gonna sing a hymn friend and as I sing if the Spirit of God has Troubled your conscience and brought conviction to your heart. I want you to come to this blood-stained Christ and own him as your Lord.

Come to him and utter surrender with all you are to all he is. And get your sins washed in his blood. Listen friends Jesus is the pearl of great price. He's worth selling all for and losing all for so he can be gained.

You come as I sang Jesus paid it all All To him. I owe Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow. You.