Hebrews 11:4 & Genesis 4:3-14
Purpose: To learn how faith saves and what it does after salvation.
Aim: I want the listener to be sure they are submitting by faith to God for forgiveness.
INTRODUCTION: Abel lived long ago, very far away, in a very different culture, but he has something to say to us today that is more relevant than the 11 o'clock news. Last time we learned that the purpose of faith was to make the invisible things of God real and to produce confidence in God's promises. Today we'll learn that real faith in God produces three very important things in a believer's life.
Part of having faith in God means believing that God is the One who has the right to say what faith is. We cannot define faith the way we want and then declare that we have faith in God. It's like the story of the farm boy who had a reputation for being an excellent marksman with his 22 caliber rifle. All of his friends were impressed when he showed them the back of his barn where he had dozens of circles drawn with bullet holes directly in the middle. What they didn't know was that he drew the circles after he shot the bullets.
This is what James was referring to in James 2:14, 17, 19-22 14 What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, {being} by itself. 19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; (NAS).
If we can't make up our own definitions of faith then how can we recognize what real faith looks like?
Vs.4a I. Faith Produces Obedience to God
Our text is referring back to Genesis 4:3-5 3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground. 4 And Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. (NAS)
Gen.4:3a A. God reveals a time for worship "in the course of time"
The Hebrew word IN THE COURSE OF TIME has the idea of a definite time. The NAS marginal reading is "at the end of days" which seems to imply at a certain time, perhaps when the harvest was over.
"The probability is, that it was an extraordinary occasion of this kind, a stated periodical season, when the sons of Adam, now advanced in life, and at the head of families of their own, appeared as the representatives and priests of their respective families, as was the practice in patriarchal times (cf.
God has always wanted His followers to gather together at specific times. In the Old Testament God commanded the Jews to get together at very specific times for worship. This same principle holds true for us today. Hebrews 10:25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (NAU)
We are supposed to have a commitment to regular group worship.
Gen 4:3b B. God reveals a place for worship "brought an offering"
This seems to imply that there was a specific place where the altar was located. Cain and Able came together in one place, not just to any old rock. You can worship God anywhere, but there is something special about having a specific place where you met God in prayer. We have special places we set aside to eat and to pay our bills, why not set aside a special place where you always pray?
Gen 4:4 C. God reveals the way to worship "LORD had regard...for his offering"
Since God accepted one offering and rejected the other offering, He must have told them how He wanted to be worshipped.
Don't forget that God had sacrificed animals in order to clothe Adam and Eve.
An innocent animal must die in order for the picture of Christ dying for our sin to be correct.
Worship in the OT was a bloody affair. Hebrews 9:19--22 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, "THIS IS THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT WHICH GOD COMMANDED YOU." And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (NAU)
It is dangerous to worship God Amy way@. Proverbs 16:25 There is a way {which seems} right to a man, but its end is the way of death. (NAS)
Charles Spurgeon said, "The blood was on the veil, and on the altar, on the hangings, and on the floor of the tabernacle: no one could avoid seeing it. I resolve to make my ministry of the same character, and more and more sprinkle it with the blood of atonement. Now that abundance of the blood of old was meant to show clearly that sin has so polluted us that without an atonement God is not to be approached: we must come by the way of sacrifice or not at all." [2]
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved. (NAS)
There are only two different kinds of faith.
#1 Faith in God alone
The Bible's idea of faith is much the same as obedience. Romans 6:16 Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone {as} slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? (NAS)
When Peter told the jailer to: Acts 16:31 "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household." (NAS). He was telling him to follow Jesus Christ.
"The word BELIEVE means: 1. pisteuo ^4100^, "to believe," also "to be persuaded of," and hence, "to place confidence in, to trust," signifies, in this sense of the word, reliance upon, not mere credence." [3]
Those who do not believe do not obey! Hebrews 3:18-19 And to whom did He swear that they should not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? And {so} we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. (NAS)
Those with real faith do not brag about what they have done: Romans 3:27-28 Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. (NAS)
#2 Faith in man
Remember that both Cain and Able came to worship God and only one was right.
Faith in man would include what man has created like religion. Paul warn against religion in Colossians 2:20--23 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!" (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)--in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. (NAU)
You are either trying to build your own righteousness or you are submitting to God's righteousness. Romans 10:2--3 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. (NAU)
Fruit offerings were acceptable under the Law, but only after a blood sacrifice.
The "way of Cain" (Jude 11) is someone who believes in God, and worships God, but in his own way.
That's like patting God on the head and then saying: "Thanks for your help God, but I know what is best."
God's provision for salvation is not only best, it is the ONLY provision.
Notice how the picture of a dying lamb sharpens as we go through the Bible.
Abel's lamb 1 lamb for a person
Passover 1 lamb for a family
Day of Atonement 1 lamb for a nation
Good Friday 1 lamb for the world
God requires absolute faith that Christ's sacrifice is sufficient to cure our otherwise incurable sin problem.
Faith no only produces obedience to God...
Vs.4b II. Faith Unleashes God's Righteousness
"We are saved by faith alone, but we're not saved by a faith that is alone." Martin Luther
A. Righteousness is delivered by God
"through which he obtained... righteous[ness]"
2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin {to be} sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NAS)
George Cutting points out that "it was not the personal excellence of Abel that God looked at in counting him righteous, but the excellence of the sacrifice that he brought and his faith in it." [4]
Philippians 3:8 and may be found in [Christ], not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith (NAU)
B. Righteousness is confirmed by God "God testifying about his gifts"
Evidently God accepted Abel's sacrifice by consuming it with fire. Cain's offering, on the other hand, just sat there. Cain was humiliated.
Faith in God will put God's peace on display. Jesus said, John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful. (NAU)
Religion based on works produces despair. Notice Cain's response to his disobedience in Genesis 4:5-14
Vs.5a 1. Anger
Vs.5b 2. Depression (He became preoccupied with himself)
Vs.8 3. Revenge
Vs.9 4. Lying
Vs.10-13 5. Self-pity
Vs.14 6. Paranoia
"Self-righteous man hates the truth that he cannot save himself and that he must cast himself on the love and mercy of God." [5]
Faith not only unleashes God righteousness...
Vs.4c III. Faith Proclaims God's Righteousness "he still speaks"
Notice what God said to Cain: Genesis 4:10 He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground. (NAU) Abel's faith continues to shout.
Romans 1:16--17 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." (NAU)
Hebrews 12:24 Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel. (NAU)
"Through that faith, he left testimony to all succeeding generations that a person comes to God by faith to receive righteousness." [6]
Romans 4:4--8 Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: "BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. BLESSED IS THE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT." (NAU)
CONCLUSION: If a friend of yours were preparing a list of people who were good examples of living by faith, would you be on that list? Would you like to be on that list? What would you need to start doing differently so that you could be on that list?
Other graces make us like Christ; faith makes us members of Christ.
Thomas Watson [7]
[1]From Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary
[2]Christ the End of the Law A Sermon (No. 1325) Delivered on Lord's-Day Morning, November 19th, 1876, by C. H. SPURGEON, At the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington
[3]From Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words. Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers
[4]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. 1997. Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Heb 11:4). Thomas Nelson: Nashville
[5]MacDonald, W., & Farstad, A. 1997. Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and New Testaments (Heb 11:4). Thomas Nelson: Nashville
[6]MacArthur, J. J. 1997. The MacArthur Study Bible (electronic ed.) (Heb 11:4). Word Pub.: Nashville
[7]Thomas, I. 1996. The golden treasury of Puritan quotations (electronic ed.) (102). Christian Classics Foundation: Simpsonville SC
