This sermon traces Numbers 21 and the bronze serpent as a foreshadowing of Christ. Israel’s rebellion and suffering in the wilderness show human sin and futility, while God’s mercy provides a way of rescue through a lifted image that points to Jesus.

Christ became the curse of sin on the cross so that all who look to him in faith are saved. The sermon calls believers to trust the promises attached to baptism and the Lord’s Supper, to find meaning in suffering, and to live in hope of the promised resurrection.