A Faith That Worships
Griffith Baptist Church – 10/19/08
A.M. Service
Text: Hebrews 11:4
Key verse: Hebrews 11:4 – By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Premise: Through Abel is demonstrated that our faith ought to be exemplified in our constant worship in our time, our life, and our reputation.
The Introduction
“King David used to be a hero of mine but not anymore,” little Brodie told his mother after church one Sunday. “Why not, Son?” she asked. He said, “I learned today that he killed the Jolly Green Giant.”
All of us have heroes, people we look up to.
It might be a father or mother, or maybe another relative.
Maybe it was a famous person in history or others who have done or do great things.
Hopefully, your greatest hero is Jesus.
Here in Hebrews 11 we have listed the heroes of faith
• People like Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaac, Jacob, Joshua and Gideon.
• We even have colorful individuals like Rahab and Samson
All of them have something to teach us about faith and the first one to consider is Abel
Read Hebrews 11:4
To get a better a better understanding of this verse, let’s take a trip back to Gen. 4:3-5:
Genesis 4:3-5 - 3And in the process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit (notice, not the first fruit) of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: 5But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
Our faith is worship
1. Worship brings glory or ascribes worth to God
2. Trusting God implicitly brings glory or worship to God
3. Thus, having a godly faith is worship, which is what He desires
4. In fact, you can’t please God without faith (Heb. 11:6)
Transition Statement: Exhibiting faith in worship means giving God your first and best in the giving of your time
Body
1. In Time
A. How would you like to spend 2 years making phone calls to people who aren’t home? Sound absurd? According to one time management study, that’s how much time the average person spends trying to return calls to people who never seem to be in. Not only that, we spend 6 months waiting for the traffic light to turn green, and another 8 months reading junk mail.
B. Every second counts
i. Ephesians 5:16 – Redeeming (make wise use of) the time, because the days are evil.
ii. A lot of time is wasted in our lives
C. What do we need to take time to do?
i. In Ecclesiastes 3 we know there is a time for everything and at the end of Ecclesiastes we are told – Ecclesiastes 12:13 - Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
ii. Time to worship God – John 4:23 - But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
iii. Time to get to know God – Philippians 3:10 - That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
iv. Time to serve God – Hebrews 12:28-29 - Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: 29For our God is a consuming fire.
Transition Statement: Exhibiting faith in worship means giving God your first and best in the surrender of your life
2. In Life
Someone has calculated how a typical lifespan of 70 years is spent. Here is the estimate:
Sleep 23 years .32.9%
Work 16 years 22.8%
TV 8 years 11.4%
Eating 6 years 8.6%
Travel 6 years 8.6%
Leisure 4.5 years 6.5%
Illness 4 years 5.7%
Dressing 2 years 2.8%
Religion 0.5 years 0.7%
TOTAL 70 years 100%
Our Daily Bread, November 25, 1992
A. God honored Abel’s sacrifice because Abel imitated God in his sacrifice.
i. God killed an animal to clothe Adam and Eve and committed the first sacrifice to cover the shame of their nakedness.
ii. That is what every sacrifice is designed to do.
iii. The blood covers the sin and the blood cannot come without the death of the sacrifice.
iv. That is why Jesus had to die and shed His blood, so our sins could be covered once and for all.
B. Worship requires giving a sacrifice
i. Worship is not a scheduled event, it is a lifestyle
ii. A sacrifice requires giving up something of value for the benefit of something of more value
iii. The price you pay reveals the value of the thing paid for
C. Worship requires being a sacrifice
i. Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
ii. In this type of sacrificial worship we:
a. Serve God continually (above verse)
b. Praise - Hebrews 13:15 - By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Ps. 69:30-31)
c. Good works - Hebrews 13:16 – But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
d. Anything done for God in God’s way according to God’s Word - 1 Peter 2:5 - Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
Transition Statement: Exhibiting faith in worship means giving God your first and best in desiring and working for a lasting, righteous reputation
3. In Reputation
A. During the early days of the Salvation Army, William Booth and his associates were bitterly attacked in the press by religious leaders and government leaders alike. Whenever his son, Bramwell, showed Booth a newspaper attack, the General would reply, “Bramwell, fifty years hence it will matter very little indeed how these people treated us; it will matter a great deal how we dealt with the work of God.” The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 185
B. Abel and his actions speak to us from the grave (he being dead yet speaketh)
i. He being dead yet speaketh
ii. This is a testimony that spoke while he was alive and even to this time after his death
iii. His reputation with God gave us an example and inspiration for today.
C. A reputation that speaks well of God
i. What is more important? What people think of you or what people think of your heavenly Father?
ii. Whatever we do, we should always keep in mind this question: Will what I am about to do or say honor or damage the name of God
iii. 1 Corinthians 10:32 – Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God: (Heb. 10:29-31)
D. A reputation that speaks well of you
i. 1 Thessalonians 5:22 - Abstain from all appearance of evil.
ii. This is your testimony to others.
iii. Abel obtained witness that he was righteous and God testified of the gifts He had brought
iv. Ephesians 4:1 - I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
v. What would you desire others to say about you behind your back?
vi. If you want them to say wonderful and godly things, than strive to have that testimony.
E. A reputation that lives on in those you leave behind
i. Some day, when we die, we will be remembered, for better or for worse.
ii. 1 Thessalonians 1:3 - Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
iii. Is the life you lead now impacting others for Christ?
iv. Steve Green sang, “May all who come behind us, find us faithful, may the fire of our devotion light their way, may the footsteps that we leave, lead them to believe, and the lives we live inspire them to obey, Oh, may all who come behind us find us faithful.”
Conclusion:
Do you worship on faith, believing in and extraordinary God?
Or do you worship on feelings of obligation and guilt?
He that comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.
