Heaven's Hero Able Series

Heaven’s Hero, Abel

Heaven’s Heroes are men and women of God who have been victorious in the faith, not all heaven’s heroes are listed in Hebrews 11, many are still alive and active for God today, they are not to be idolized, they are an example to all who desire to advance in the Christian faith.

WHAT IS FAITH

The term ’faith’ can be used as a confession of what you believe, for example The Apostle’s Greed,

Galatians 1:23 They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy."

Faith is our only means of communication with God,

John 20:31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Faith in Christ is also our only means of being made righteous in the sight of God.

Romans 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,

The term ’faith’ is used in Hebrews 11 to describe the continual trust, dependence and confidence of ’Heaven’s Heroes’ in God.

The term ’faith’ is often spoken in the context of "faith healing", "name it and claim it" teaching or in the stories of great preachers. The average Christian (if there is such a thing) can be left feeling that ’faith’ is only for the advanced Christian. Faith is the ’foundation’ or ’life line’ of the Christian life, faith is the gift of God to all Christians.

Ephes. 2:8

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

Therefore all Christians have faith and so have the potential to advance and do great things through God.

FAITH AND PERSEVERANCE

The faith of heaven’s heroes was not the Holy Spirit’s "gift of faith" which is a sudden surge of supernatural trust in God. The faith of heavens heroes must be understood in the context of Hebrews 10 & 11,

Hebrews 10:35-11:1

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while,

"He who is coming will come and will not delay.

But my righteous one will live by faith.

And if he shrinks back,

I will not be pleased with him."

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

The faith of heaven’s heroes was coupled with perseverance, therefore the single events of great faith reported in Heb 11 were a result of their continual trust, dependence and confidence in God. Faith in God made them sure and certain of what they hoped for although they could not see it, perseverance enabled them to press on in faith to receive what God had promised.

"We shall never arrive at the goal of salvation unless we are furnished with perseverance. The prophet declares that the just shall live by faith, but faith calls us to far off things which we have not yet attained; and therefore, faith necessarily includes perseverance in itself".

’John Calvin’

It was faith that made the difference between Cain and Abel because it was by faith that Abel COMMUNICATED his heart with God, it was because of faith that Abel was COMMENDED by God and it is because of Abel’s faith he still COMMUNICATES with us today.

ABEL COMMUNICATED WITH GOD

It was not so much the content of their offerings that mattered to God (although God always want our best when giving to Him) but the manner in which they were given. Cain performed an empty ritual while Abel devotedly performed the same ritual in faith as a means of communicating his heart unto God, Both Cain and Abel gave their best but it was the attitude behind their best that concerned God. The difference in their attitude may have been some thing like this; "Cain gave his best and knew he could keep the rest, Abel gave his best and knew that God had or would provide the rest"

God always looks on the heart, He examines the attitude before the action, the motive before the mission. There may no longer be a sacrificial system because of the victorious work of Jesus, see Heb 10, but God still calls us to make sacrifices unto Him as our spiritual worship and God today still looks on the heart,

Today as God’s people we are called to sacrifice; our BODIES in service, seeRomans 12:1-8