Anything You Look At Creates a Desire: The Principle of Looking

Sermon outline

Just as anyone bitten in the wilderness who looked at the bronze serpent lived, anyone who looks to Christ and His finished work receives, so stop looking at the problem and keep your eyes on Christ.

1. God is waiting on you to do something

   Sometimes unsaved people receive more quickly than Christians, because believers say they believe but don't. The Bible is full of principles, laws that keep working, so even if God took a vacation the universe would still run. Jesus has already done everything: He submitted in Gethsemane, was crucified, buried, raised, ascended and gave gifts to men. Now God needs people to cooperate with Him as co-labourers, because His Spirit goes into action when man goes into action.

   Illustration: He says he waited many years for God to do something until one day God told him it was about time he got going, and that changed his life.

   “God is waiting on us to do something.”

   • Matthew 26:39
   • Ephesians 4:8
   • 1 Corinthians 3:9
   • 2 Timothy 2:15
   • Revelation 12:11

2. Look at it and live

   Israel grew impatient on the way around Edom, spoke against God and Moses, and despised the manna God gave them daily. God sent venomous snakes, called fiery serpents because their bite brought burning inflammation, and many died. When the people confessed their sin and Moses prayed, God told him to make a snake and put it on a pole, and anyone who was bitten and looked at it lived. If there is one word to take from the text, it is 'looked'.

   “If there's one word I want to take out of this entire text is the word looked.”

   • Numbers 21:4-9

3. The ninefold typology of Christ

   He gives nine ways the bronze serpent points to Christ: the serpent symbolised sin, and Christ was made sin for us; it was lifted on a pole as Christ was lifted on the cross; the sick were healed by looking, as people are healed by looking to Christ; those who looked lived, as those who look to Christ live eternally; God provided no other remedy; it had to be received by faith; its invisible force was God's power, as the power of the cross brings salvation and healing; it brought peace and reconciliation with God; and confession and prayer were needed to receive its benefits. So believers must stop walking under condemnation, because the price has been paid in full and they already have God's attention and approval.

   Illustration: If you are walking under condemnation, leave it on the floor tonight and don't pick it up when you leave.

   “Don't try to get his attention, you have his attention.”

   • 2 Corinthians 5:21
   • John 3:14-15
   • John 8:36
   • Romans 6:14
   • 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
   • Jeremiah 8:22
   • John 7:38
   • John 10:10

4. Anyone who could look was healed

   There was no qualification: whether someone wore spectacles, had poor eyesight or any colour of eyes, all they had to do was look. In the same way you don't need pedigree, wealth or education to enter the kingdom; you only need to believe that Christ died for you. All humanity has been bitten by Satan, and many people are oppressed, depressed and turning to alcohol, but Christ died for everyone of every race and religion. The church has been given the ministry of reconciliation, so it must lift Christ up boldly and not be ashamed of the gospel.

   Illustration: If they wore spectacles like him, they could still look, and even someone cross-eyed could look with one eye.

   “There was no qualification. Anyone that could look was healed.”

   • Psalm 51:5
   • Romans 1:16
   • Proverbs 28:1
   • Philippians 3:7-8

5. Three who looked the wrong way

   The principle of looking works both ways: look at the positive and you get a positive result, look at the negative and you get a negative one. Lot's wife looked back at judgment and became a pillar of salt, just as believers who keep looking back at a divorce, a death or a lost job become immobilised. Eve looked at the tree and desire followed, because anything you look at creates a desire and attaches itself to you. David looked at Bathsheba, and it went from adultery to murder. So turn your eyes away from the sickness, the medication and the bad report, because prayer is the greatest power, not money.

   “Anything you look at will create a desire, whether it's good or bad.”

   • Genesis 19:26
   • Genesis 3:6
   • 2 Samuel 11:2-17

6. Two who looked the right way

   Before God could complete His blessing on Abraham, He took him outside and told him to look toward heaven and count the stars: you must see it before you see the manifestation, and you can only look in one direction. Peter and John told the lame man at the Beautiful gate, 'Look on us', turning his focus from alms to the power they carried, and such as they had, they gave. Perception changes your life: the Shunammite woman perceived Elisha was a holy man of God and received a son, and later saw him raised; Cornelius was told to send for Peter, because God uses people to take you to your next level.

   Illustration: People try to box you by your background, but when we accepted Christ some of us came out like a 1300 Corolla and some like a V8, straight from the factory, packed with power.

   “Your perception will change your life.”

   • Genesis 15:5
   • Acts 3:1-6
   • Mark 5:30
   • Isaiah 10:27
   • 2 Corinthians 5:20
   • 2 Kings 4:8-37
   • Romans 4:18-22
   • Genesis 22:7-13
   • 2 Kings 8:1-6
   • Acts 10:1-6

7. Five things to look at

   He closes with five things to keep looking at. First, look to Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Second, look to the fullness of the Holy Spirit, because without Him you may sound good but carry no power. Third, look to divine healing, because Christ paid the full penalty so you don't have to carry the suffering. Fourth, look at wealth, not to be selfish but to bless others: Christ became poor so you might be rich, and he breaks the spirit of poverty and declares a debt-cancellation anointing. Fifth, look to the hope of heaven, because heaven and hell are real and whoever confesses Christ as Lord will be saved, with their household.

   Illustration: Where did the money in the fish's mouth come from? It came supernaturally by the word of Jesus.

   “Keep on looking at those things, you will gravitate towards that.”

   • 2 Corinthians 8:9
   • Matthew 17:27
   • Romans 10:9
   • Acts 16:31