(Christian Living Sermon) Hillside 10/96
Filename: BY FAITH, ABEL...

BY FAITH, ABEL...

TEXT-- Genesis 4:1-8 "And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare
Cain, and said, I have gotten a man with the help of Jehovah. 2 And again she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5 but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 6 And Jehovah said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door: and unto thee shall be its desire, but do thou rule over it. 8 And Cain told Abel his brother. And it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him."
I. INTRODUCTION--
A. This story is looked on as a tragedy.
1. Murder is hideous and revolting. (It denies the victim many rights).
2. Cain's punishment was not the death penalty, but shows God's revulsion to the act. Genesis 4:9-15 "And Jehovah said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper? 10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. 11 And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; 12 when thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth. 13 And Cain said unto Jehovah, My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the ground; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it will come to pass, that whosoever findeth me will slay me. 15 And Jehovah said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him."
B. But, Abel's story is really one of triumph. Hebrews 11:4 "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh."
II. THESIS--

What motivated Abel's faithful obedience? (He had no example except the disobeience of his parents, but a negative example can have positive effect.)

Who did he have as a companion in worship? (We do not need company to worship God well, if we honor the Word of God!)

Did he let his brother influence him to "add to the word of God?" (Cain's sacrifice mentioned first, but Abel followed God.)

III.LESSON-- Hebrews 11:4 "By Faith, Abel..."
A. "--offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain..."
1. His "works" were "righteous." 1 John 3:12 "Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his works were evil, and his brother's righteous."
2. We have sacrifices to offer. (Will we be faithful?) 1 Peter 2:1-5 "Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation; 3 if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious: 4 unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious, 5 ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
a. Hebrews 13:15-16 "Through him (Christ) then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name. 16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."
b. Philippians 4:18 "But I have all things, and abound: I am filled, having received from Epaphroditus the things that came from you, and odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God."
c. Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service."
B. "--through which (sacrifice) he had witness borne to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts..."
1.For sin, we do not make a sacrifice, as Abel did. It is made for us. Romans 4:25 "(Jesus) was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification."
a. The offering for sins made for us by Christ is better than that of Abel's. Hebrews 12:22-28 "but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 and to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel. 25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned them on earth, much more shall not we escape who turn away from him that warneth from heaven: 26 whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe:"
b. Yet, we have (in ourselves) God's witness that eternal life is in His son, when we believe. 1 John 5:9-12 "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for the witness of God is this, that he hath borne witness concerning his Son. 10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in him: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he hath not believed in the witness that God hath borne concerning his Son. 11 And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath the life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life."
c. The Spirit bears witness, also.
(1) That "we are the children of God." Romans 8:14-17 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him."
(2)That we are "sealed" and receivers of "the earnest of of our inheritance." Ephesians 1:12b-14 "....we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ: 13 in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation,-- in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God's own possession, unto the praise of his glory."
C. "--Through it (the witness that he was righteous) he being dead yet speaketh."
1. Abel is a dead example, but the living are enjoined to be like examples.
2. Paul wanted to be an example of obedience, whether living or dead. Philippians 1:19-20 "For I know that this shall turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be put to shame, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death."
IV. CONCLUSION--
A. We admire the obedient faith of Abel to an inferior system.
B. Was death his reward for faithfulness?
1.We must be "faithful unto death," for the "crown of life." Revelation 2:10
2.We can learn this patience from the "heroes of faith." Hebrews 11:13-16 "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things make it manifest that they are seeking after a country of their own. 15 And if indeed they had been mindful of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed of them, to be called their God; for he hath prepared for them a city."