The Snake John 3:14-21
Delivered to Smith Chapel UMC on March 22, 2009
What I Didn't Say
Snakes--I hate snakes. I realize it's supposed to be the women who hate snakes (see Genesis). I hate the way they look, the way they slither around, and the way they poke out their skinny little tongues. They are frightening and disgusting.
With all that said, I can't imagine why anyone would want to worship these creepy little things. And yet, the Hebrew people did. If I was the Lord, I would be highly insulted (and I'm sure He was). So it's easy for me to avoid the worship of serpent types. I can easily see why Satan is depicted this way.
Unfortunately for me, there are a lot of things that don't repulse me nearly as much as snakes. And some of these things draw me in. I'm tempted to worship them instead of the Lord. In other words, I'm weak enough at times to center my life on things that attract me rather than on Jesus.
Many of these things are good things. They aren't evil or even bad. But they can distract me to the point that they take first place in my heart. The Lord has to send some sort of snakey thing to get my attention. I hate when He does that, but I'm sure He hates that He has to do that.
