Abel Offered God A More Excellent Sacrifice Series

I. EXORDIUM:

Is your offering prompted by faith?

II. AUDIENCE PROFILE:

Believers

III. OBJECTIVES:

To show that that faith takes over even in our offering, as your faith is, so your offering is.

Habakkuk 2:4 (Amplified Bible)

2:4 Look at the proud; his soul is not straight or right within him, but the [rigidly] just and the [uncompromisingly] righteous man shall live by his faith and in his faithfulness.

IV. TEXT:

Hebrews 11:4 (Amplified Bible)

11:4 [Prompted, actuated] by faith Abel brought God a better and more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, because of which it was testified of him that he was righteous [that he was upright and in right standing with God], and God bore witness by accepting and acknowledging his gifts. And though he died, yet [through the incident] he is still speaking.

V. THESIS:

Praise, worship and thank You very much LORD JESUS, for Your blood speaks better, nobler and greater message of mercy and forgiveness than Abel's blood, and your blood made us righteous by faith.

VI. TITLE:

Abel offered GOD a more excellent sacrifice

Subtitle: Study on the Book of Hebrews

VII. EXPLICATION:

A. Date of writing: Before AD. 70

B. Style of writing: Best Greek style

C. Authorship: Not specific, but generally attributed to Apostle Paul. Can be also ascribed to Barnabas, Luke, Apollos

D. Audience: Hebrew Christians

E. Theme: Christ is superior to the prophets; Christ is superior to angels - J. Vernon McGee's Thru The Bible

F. Purpose: The chief doctrinal purpose of the writer was to show the transcendent glory of the Christian dispensation, as compared with that of the Old Testament.Thompson Chain - Bible Book Outlines

VIII. MAIN BODY:

A. By faith, Abel was testified as righteous before GOD

"[Prompted, actuated] by faith Abel brought God a better and more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, because of which it was testified of him that he was righteous [that he was upright and in right standing with God],"

Genesis 4:3-5 (Amplified Bible)

4:3 And in the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground.

4:4 And Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat portions. And the Lord had respect and regard for Abel and for his offering,

4:5 But for Cain and his offering He had no respect or regard. So Cain was exceedingly angry and indignant, and he looked sad and depressed.

1 John 3:9-12 (Amplified Bible)

3:9 No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.

3:10 By this it is made clear who take their nature from God and are His children and who take their nature from the devil and are his children: no one who does not practice righteousness [who does not conform to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action] is of God; neither is anyone who does not love his brother (his fellow believer in Christ).

3:11 For this is the message (the announcement) which you have heard from the first, that we should love one another,

3:12 [And] not be like Cain who [took his nature and got his motivation] from the evil one and slew his brother. And why did he slay him? Because his deeds (activities, works) were wicked and malicious and his brother’s were righteous (virtuous).

Jude 1:11 (Amplified Bible)

1:11 Woe to them! For they have run riotously in the way of Cain, and have abandoned themselves for the sake of gain [it offers them, following] the error of Balaam, and have perished in rebellion [like that] of Korah!

Romans 3:25 (Amplified Bible)

3:25 Whom God put forward [before the eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former sins without punishment.

Abel's righteousness was because of his sacrifices to GOD. We are also made righteous because of CHRIST's sacrifices for us.

Matthew 26:28 (Amplified Bible)

26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which [ratifies the agreement and] is being poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Cain should have listened to Adam and Eve or learned somewhat from Adam and Eve that when they sinned GOD sacrificed an animal to dressed them and not with leaves, still Cain offered GOD leaves. Cain knew that animal sacrifice is needed, not leaves.

Genesis 3:7 (Amplified Bible)

3:7 Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves apronlike girdles.