Boost Three

Jesus Wants to Erase Your Sins

and Boost You into Heaven

 

Like everyone else, You and I have a serious problem.  Only sin-free people can get into Heaven.  For sure, we are not “good enough” to go there.  Jesus solved that problem for those of us who put our trust in Him.  He took all the blame for our transgressions.  All our shame was shouldered by Him on the Cross.  He endured the punishment we deserve.  The Apostle Paul put this thought into a letter he wrote to Christians living in Corinth...

...[God] made him [Jesus] to be sin for us, [Jesus, the very One] who knew no sin; [so] that we might be made the righteousness of God in [and through] him [Jesus].  (KJV II Corinthians 5:21)

At the Cross, Jesus’ righteousness was poured into us who believe He died for us, even as our sins were poured into Him.  He completely removed our sins from us.  Therefore, we confidently look forward to a glorious future in Eternity.  Jesus is urging You to trust in Him, too.  He wants to Boost You into Heaven and keep You out of Hell.

 

The Penalties for Sin

 

To better understand how Jesus’ death, long ago, on a hill called Calvary, can Boost You into Heaven, we must examine God’s plan for saving sinners from experiencing eternal banishment to Hell.  Sinners have broken God’s rules.  They deserve punishment for their rebellion against the wishes of Almighty God.  In fact, the Bible teaches...

...the wages of sin is death... 

(KJV Romans 6:23)

The proper “payoff” for sin is a death sentence; spiritual death here and now, followed by a subsequent Eternity in Hell.  But, God loves mankind so much that He gave each individual a way to escape these penalties for sinful thoughts and behaviors.  He decided to let a “substitute” suffer the punishment we deserve.  As we shall see, our “Ultimate Substitute” is Jesus.  He died in our place.

 

The First Sin

 

How this “Salvation by Substitution” plan was instituted is a gripping story.  It began in Eden.  How long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden before their first sin ushered in a crushing curse upon themselves we cannot say.  They had perfect, ageless bodies.  They were beautiful people in a magnificent Paradise.  They lived in complete safety and comfort.  They were the most athletic and intelligent people ever to grace planet Earth.  They were direct creations of God.  There was not one thing wrong with them.  On every side they saw perfection.  The flora and fauna were without fault.  The sky was splendid.  Nothing in their environment ever withered or died.

 

Would You not love to see a documentary on what life was like in Eden?  No violence.  All the animals played together in harmony.  No noisome insects.  No fear.  A deer would let You come near.  Birds would not flush as You approached them.  Unlike today, it never rained.  There was an underground irrigation system that put forth a morning mist that watered the plants. (Genesis 2:5-6)

 

God was a frequent visitor to the Garden.  The Bible informs us that God presents Himself to mankind in three ways, as the Father, as the Son of God, and as the Holy Spirit.  So, God is often called “The Trinity”.  This triune nature of God is somewhat analogous to a glass of iced water, sitting in a warm room.  Here You perceive water molecules presented in three ways, as liquid water, as solid ice and as water vapor in the surrounding air, condensing on the sides of the glass.  The Scriptures tell us that the Father aspect of God is a spirit.  The Holy Spirit aspect of God is always referred to as a spirit.  So, the aspect of God that walked and talked with Adam in the Garden was the Son of God.  We think of Him as Jesus, since that is what He was called when He came to Earth in New Testament times.

 

Adam and Eve were sin-free.  There was one and only one way they could sin.  Jesus gave them just one rule; they were not to touch or eat the fruit of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”.  Jesus had said, “If you break this law, you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) 

 

Now, as we mentioned earlier, Satan had been cast from Heaven to Earth.  He was not pleased to see this beautiful pair enjoying the blessings of God while he was suffering in God’s scorn.  So, he attacked Eve.  Just as Satan is persistently urging You to sin, so he tempted Eve.  He twisted Jesus’ words.  He alleged that Jesus was mean.  He claimed that eating the forbidden fruit of the tree would make her wiser and more perceptive and would not cause her to die.  He persuaded Eve to break the one rule Jesus had given her.  Then, she convinced Adam to join her in the transgression.  In Genesis, we read...

Eve said to the Devil-possessed serpent, “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the  woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 

(NLT Genesis 3:3-6) 

 

Echoes of Eden

 

Today, You and I face many temptations.  And, each of them reminds us of the one faced by Adam and Eve.  God says, “Thou shalt not steal.”  Satan says, “God will not hold You accountable for swiping that candy bar.  He should not deprive You of such a tasty treat.”  God says, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”  Satan says, “God will not hold You guilty for sleeping with that alluring person.  It will be wonderful.”  God says, “Thou shalt not lie.”  Satan says, “God will not send You to Hell for making false and deceptive statements.”  And, like Eve, we all seek companions in our crimes.  “Let’s both steal a candy bar.”  “Let’s make love.”  “Let’s make up an alibi to cover our lies.”

 

To Adam and Eve, to You, and to me, Jesus says, “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23)  Satan says, “That is ridiculous.  That’s way too harsh!  Jesus would never follow through with that threat.”  Satan wants You to sin and to join him in Hell.  The last thing he wants is for You to go to Heaven where he can never again dwell.  But, Jesus wants You to join Him in Heaven.  The battle of the ages is on.  Which side will You choose?

 

It is difficult for You and me to grasp the holiness of God, since we are sinful creatures.  But, God will not associate with any wickedness, small or large.  Every sin is an insult to God.  Still, He wants You and me to befriend Him and come to dwell with Him.  But, we cannot do that if we are stained by our sins.  As we noted, earlier, Satan was evicted from Heaven, because He maintained that he was at least equal to God.  He even persuaded other angels to worship him.  God would have none of that nonsense.  He kicked Satan and the wicked angels that followed him out of Heaven.  So, You can see that God will not let us come into His holy realms with any tinge of sin.  One unforgiven sin is enough to keep us from the eternal Paradise.

 

The Terrible Curse

 

Though it is preposterous to think that I know the

Contemplations of Almighty God, let me take a crude stab at how God viewed the sin crisis in Eden...

This lovely couple and their future offspring will sin, because they have the free-will to do so.  I want them to love me and live in Paradise with me and keep my laws voluntarily.  I do not want to remove their free-will.  But, I must evict them from this Paradise.  Therefore, I will set up a future Paradise.  Some of mankind will go there when they die, the ones who love me and follow my instructions.  I will give each man and woman a way to be set apart from the sins they commit, to be sin-free again.  Those who avail themselves of my remedy will be admitted to the new Paradise.  But, henceforth, life here on Earth will be rigorous.  I will place a severe curse on the Earth and its creatures.  Those men and women who believe in me will I protect as they endure the woes of this world.  I will cause them to enter the future Paradise.

 

The curse fell abruptly and profoundly.  Suddenly, Adam and Eve knew they were naked.  They scrambled to cover their flesh with fig leaves, sewn together.  For the first time, they were afraid of Jesus.  When He came to visit, they hid among the trees.  Their guilty hearts felt fear.  Jesus got them to confess and laid out the ramifications of their transgression.

 

Eve would begin to bear children.  She would have a romantic desire for her husband.  She and her female offspring would have great pain in childbirth.  Her husband would have ascendancy over her. 

 

Adam would have to work hard all the days of his life to provide for himself and his family.  The ground would be cursed.  It would bring forth thorns and thistles.  Adam would earn his bread “in the sweat of his face”. (Genesis 3:19)  He would have a strong, romantic desire for Eve.

 

No longer would all of the Earth’s creatures be vegetarians.  Some of them would now be predators, killing other creatures and devouring them.  Even Adam and Eve would begin to kill animals, roast them, and eat their meat.

 

Adam and Eve would have to leave Eden.  After a tough life in a cursed world, they would die.  Jesus had said, “If you eat of that tree, you shall die.”  But, in love, Jesus said He would create another Paradise.  They could go there when they died, if they followed His new plan for the salvation of sinners.  During the many years they would live on Earth, they would need to confess their sins to Jesus, frequently, and have the stain of their sins removed by a system of “Substitutionary Sacrifice”.  

 

Substitutionary Sacrifice

 

Jesus demonstrated what He meant.  He selected an animal, probably a lamb.  He told them that the animal selected for a sin sacrifice must be a male that was the first-born offspring of his mother.  And, he must be free from any blemishes or deformities.  Then, Jesus had them place their hands on the head of the ram and pray that their sin would be transferred to the lamb.  Then, He shocked them.  He took a knife and slit the throat of the ram.  Blood poured forth as the ram slumped to the ground.  Adam and Eve were sickened by the sight.  “Is this how bad sin is?”, they thought.  They had never seen any plant wither or any creature die.  Now, because of their sin, a beautiful ram lay at their feet in a pool of blood. 

 

Jesus taught them, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.  This ram has died in your place.”

...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness [of sin].  (NIV Hebrews 9:22)

 

Then, Jesus showed them how to dress the ram and offer it as a Substitutionary Sacrifice for their sin, roasting the flesh.  He had them eat meat for the first time, remembering that the ram’s blood was shed to lift the stain of their sin from them. 

 

Further, Jesus showed them how to use the hide of the ram to make apparel.  He made them coats of skin.  Adam and Eve were quick learners.  They were brilliant.  So, they understood the grim lessons that Jesus taught them.  Having thus instructed them about the way their lives would proceed, Jesus evicted them from Eden.

Remorse

 

How different everything was East of Eden.  Now, Adam and Eve noticed that some of the animals were acting in menacing ways.  They observed certain creatures stalking others, killing them, and devouring their flesh.  Life was radically different.  How they missed the comforts and tranquility of Eden.  Gone were those intimate conversations with their Creator.  They recalled how He described the six days of Creation, the workings of the underground irrigation system, the movements of the moon, and so much more.  They had hung on every word that came from His lips.  Everything had been splendid.  Now, everything was wrecked.

 

Adam and Eve had much to learn.  Adam spent hours fashioning tools that would help him till the ground.  He decided to keep weapons such as a spear and a large knife handy to defend against vicious bears and lions and wild dogs.  He managed to domesticate the more docile creatures such as cattle, horses and sheep.  He devised ways to catch fish.

 

Eve learned to forage for wild berries and fruits and nuts.  What had been so simple in Eden was much more difficult now.  Especially, she despised the chiggers that attacked her in the berry patches.  She devised a way to raise chickens and became an accomplished cook of their meat and eggs.

 

How they both missed the Garden!  How they longed for the future Paradise Jesus had promised!  How they missed Jesus’ frequent visits!  They could feel His presence when they prayed.  They felt close to Him when they offered sacrifices for their sins.  But, in many ways, God seemed to have slipped behind a veil. 

 

Soon, babies arrived.  Some of the crudeness of their new life-style was masked by the joy of seeing little ones that reminded them of each other.  Early on, they brought forth Cain and Abel.  Many brothers and sisters followed.  They recounted to these little ones how things had been in the Garden of Eden.  They told them of their first sin and why they had been evicted.  Most of all, they emphasized that Jesus would let them live in a new Paradise when they died, if they would follow His salvation plan.  When their children sinned, they showed them how to confess their sins and offer a Substitutionary Sacrifice to God.

 

Cain Rejects God's Rules

 

Most of the offspring of Adam and Eve accepted their teachings.  Some did not.  The Bible tells us of a time when Cain and Abel met to offer sin sacrifices to God...

...Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. Abel also brought a gift — the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. “Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right [and follow my commandments concerning sacrifices for sins]. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin [in the persons of Satan and his evil spirits] is crouching at the door [of your heart], eager to control you. But you must subdue it [Satan’s influence] and be its master.” One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” [Abel pleaded with him to repent and obey the LORD.] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him. 

(NLT Genesis 4:3-8)

Cain broke the rules his parents had taught him.  He was angry when God would not accept his offering.  He knew it  was not a proper Substitutionary Sacrifice.  It was not a first-born male of the flock.  He could not eat the flesh of his offering and thank God for accepting its death in place of his.  The fruit of the ground that he offered could not bleed and fulfill the maxim, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.”

 

The Prophetic Nature of Substitutionary Sacrifices

 

Why was the Lord so insistent that the rules be followed?  Jesus knew the end from the beginning.  The Trinity had designed the Substitutionary Sacrifice system to point to Jesus’ Substitutionary Sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary.  For centuries, the animal sacrifice system would prepare earthlings for the Sacrifice of Jesus.  When they saw Jesus’ perfect Sacrifice, they would comprehend its meaning.  John the Baptist, the great New Testament prophet, was keenly aware of the Substitutionary Sacrifice system.  At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, John pointed to Jesus and proclaimed...

...Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  (NLT John 1:29)

After Jesus was Crucified, the early believers understood that He had given Himself up as the Ultimate Sacrifice for the sins of all believers.  The Substitutionary Sacrifice system was complete.  No further sacrifices were to be made.  Instead, true-believers, in prayer, would confess their sins to Jesus, mentally place their sins on Him, and His death would suffice to remove their sins from them.

 

Perversions of the Sacrifice System

 

Cain was the first to pervert the Substitutionary Sacrifice plan, but many others have done it, too.  As You read through ancient history, You will picture people offering sacrifices to all manner of idols.  Many offer inappropriate items, just as Cain did.  But, the fact that they were sacrificing to some alleged deity is testimony to the authenticity of the events recorded in Genesis.  The worst perversions were those rituals in which humans were sacrificed. 

 

Even today, as You tour the world, You will see

“worshipers” making animal sacrifices.  I recall seeing a missionary film in which a witchdoctor, in South America, was sacrificing a tropical bird to one of his deities.  I read, recently, of a ceremony conducted by some Indonesians before they dived into the China Sea to seek sunken treasures.  They roasted a cock in honor of some sea-god.  In November, 2009. The Guardian, a British paper, reported a huge animal sacrifice event in Nepal.  The “worshipers” offered bulls, killing more than 250,000 animals as part of a Hindu festival in the village of Bariyapur, near the border with India.   

 

Yes, Adam and Eve thoroughly imprinted the need for Substitutionary Sacrifices for sins into the human psyche, but sinful man corrupted the practice by breaking the rules set forth by Jesus.

 

The Trail of Blood in History

 

Centuries passed.  Gradually, mankind put the Lord out of their thoughts.  Most ignored the rules that had been given to Adam and Eve.  But, a small number of believers clung to the teachings of the Lord.  By the time of Noah, mankind had become so wicked that only eight souls were followers of God: Noah and his wife, their three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, and the sons’ wives.  God shepherded them all into the ark they had built to save them from a world-wide Flood that killed every other human. 

 

They remembered God’s rules.  When they stepped off the ark...

...Noah built an altar to the LORD, and there he sacrificed as burnt offerings the animals and birds that had been approved for that purpose.  (NLT Genesis 8:20)

Once again, every human on Earth was a believer, and each of the eight understood the Substitutionary Sacrifice system.

 

Many years later, Abraham was called by God to move into the land of the Canaanites.  When he arrived there...

The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.  (NIV Genesis 12:7)

Abraham was selected by God to be the father of the

Judeo-Christian family.  He and his progeny perpetuated the Substitutionary Sacrifice system through the many centuries of history leading up to the Substitutionary Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.  We read of sacrifices being made by Isaac and Jacob.  Moses, under God’s aegis, formalized a complex system of sacrifices for sins, and other sacrifices to give thanks to the Lord.  David, Solomon and the Old Testament prophets were diligent in following God’s rules for Substitutionary Sacrifices.

 

True-believers chose their sacrifice victims carefully.  They selected a first-born male without blemish from their flocks.  Jesus was the first-born male from Mary’s womb, and He lived His life without a moral blemish.  True-believers spilled the blood of their sacrifice victims.  Jesus’ blood was spilled at His Crucifixion.  True-believers consumed the flesh of their victims, thanking God for letting the death of the animal suffice for the death they deserved for violating God’s rules. 

 

Since the Cross, in remembrance of the Ultimate Sacrifice that was made to erase our sins, we Christians frequently re-enact the ceremony instituted by Jesus at His “Last Supper” before His suffering.  We consume bread and wine.  The bread reminds us of the body of Jesus that was offered in our place.  The fruit of the vine reminds us of the horrific shedding of Jesus’ precious blood.  We are freed from all our sins by this Great Substitutionary Sacrifice.  Jesus died in our place.  He erased our sins.  Being sin-free, now, we are fit for Heaven.

 

Jesus wants You to be sin-free, too.  You can address the Lord in prayer and ask Him to erase Your sins.  Jesus’ Sacrifice can count for You.  If You truly place Your trust in Him, He will Boost You into Heaven when You die.