Look and live: what repentance and trust really mean

We often hear that God calls us to “repent and believe,” but what does that look like in real life? This message takes an ancient wilderness story and shows how two simple words—repentance and trust—still meet us right where we are today.

The snakebite we all feel

Israel was exhausted and angry in the desert, and their words turned against God. The result was a deadly crisis—and a surprising cure: a bronze serpent lifted on a pole. Whoever simply looked, lived (see Numbers 21:4–9, NKJV). To put it starkly: we’re not so different from Israel; we have all turned against God, and the sentence for sin is death.

Repentance begins by seeing our sin as God sees it—no excuses, no spin. Israel finally said, “We have sinned.” That honest admission opened the door to mercy. Repentance is not self-rescue; it’s a heart-turn away from sin and toward God for the rescue we cannot provide ourselves.

Why repentance comes first

Repentance is clarity. It says, “My deepest problem is my sin, and I can’t fix it.” That’s why the Israelites stopped arguing and started admitting the truth. In the same way, repentance today is a sober re-alignment: we agree with God about our guilt, and we turn to Him for cleansing (not trying to earn it).

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

What trust really looks like

Trust is not complicated. In the camp, you didn’t need special strength or a ritual. You just looked—and lived. That’s the picture of saving faith (trust): relying on what God has provided, rather than trying to heal yourself. “There’s no big action required from you… God said that is the way to be healed… and you rely on it.”

Jesus lifted up for us

Jesus Himself connected the bronze serpent to His cross: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up… that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14–16). His crucifixion wasn’t a tragic detour; it was God’s deliberate rescue plan.

Because Jesus is fully God and fully man—sinless and sufficient—He stood in our place and bore the judgment we deserved. “It is finished” means there’s nothing left for you to pay. Look to Him and live.