Title: Living by Faith – Part IV - The Worship of Abel
Intro: Thus far we have seen that living by faith is established on the Word of God
Hebrews 1:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
But this leads to a worship that is acceptable to God
Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
Thus enters into the concept the worship of Abel.
1. The Basis of the LIfe of Faith.
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
A) God said:
Gen 1:3 And God said, - 10 times in creation account
Genesis 1: 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
B) God saw
1. Creation was initially – very good!
2. The Created – Man was made in God’s image!
a) How good was the creature/creation of man in the mind of God?
Genesis 1:26a Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;
Image - ????? tselem, tseh'-lem; In the semblance of: a shadow cast; a representative figure,
Genesis 1:26b and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Thomas Coke- Behold the finishing stroke of the Divine Creator, Man, the last and greatest work of God. Animal life was produced: but now at last the crown of creation is brought forth in a rational soul. The earth, like a stately palace furnished for his reception, seems to call for the great inhabitant; one who can be the tongue of this lower world, and render to the great Author of all, the praise of his glorious works.
Genesis 2: 8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.
Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Genesis 2: 18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him,
Genesis 2: 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame
II. The Bad that can only be remedied by faith!
Genesis 3: 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
A). Sin!
Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
B) Shame!
1. Prior to sin:
Genesis 2:25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed
2, After sin their innocence was replaced by guilt and shame.
3. The idea of nakedness here is that of inadequacy before God, of being seen for what they have become. – SINNERS!
e) Three human relationships were corrupted by the fall:
i. First, the relation to ourselves. "Thy eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together" (Ge 3:7).
John Piper - Rebellion against God in the human heart is so contrary to the way man is designed to be, that he must constantly put on airs, clothes, make-up, poses to try to convince himself that he is not really a naked, helpless child.
ii. The relation to God was ruined. "They heard the sound of the Lord God … and the man and his wife hid themselves (Ge 3:8).
John Piper -And man has been running from God with his guilty conscience ever since.
iii. Our relations with other people have been ruined.
Genesis 3: 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
John Piper – Adam implied that if anybody deserves to die, she does! When the heart is in rebellion against God it becomes wholly taken up with self-justification!
C) CURSE!
Genesis 3: 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals!
2. Genesis 3: 16 To the woman he said, (Cursed are you) “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
3. Genesis 3:17a To Adam he said, (Cursed is the earth) “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you;
D) Cure?
1. Protoevangelium - the first gospel.
Genesis 3:15 says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
a) A promise that although by the woman came sin, that through a woman a Savior would come.
b) By a woman paradise was lost, but by what comes thru a woman paradise would be regained.
c) A prophecy concerning Jesus Christ
E) Christ!
1. He is declared - in the Protoevangelium
2. He is demonstrated in what God does next:
Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
a) God slew an animal, skinned it, and the skins was used to cover their shame, their nakedness!!
b) Blood of an innocent animal was slain because of their sin, but there was atonement in that blood, it covered them….
Hebrews 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.
F) Confusion?
Genesis 4:1 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.”
1. She assumed that this was the fulfillment of that prophecy?
2. The name Cain, = “I have gotten.”
a) Or another way to translate that, “He is here!” (Not true!)
Genesis 4:2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
3. Abel = a breath.
a) Fitting name? James says, “What is your life oh man you are a vapor that appears for a little time and vanishes away.”
b) THAT WAS TRUE OF ABEL!!
Genesis 4:2b Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
Genesis 4:3a In the course of time ….
c). So in the course … of time -??????? (ya·mîm) -a specific day, time, year, a time, period…
b) And at a specific place it appears…
Genesis 4:3b Cain brought….(To some locale)
c) A specific offering
Genesis 4:3c some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.
G) Conclusion?
Hebrews 11:4 By faith….. Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
Q; What?
2. The Belief of the Life of Faith.
Genesis 4:3d And Abel also brought an offering the fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock…
Q; Why?
A) Possibilities?
1. Abel heard of how God slew an animal shed its blood to cover his parent’s nakedness.
2. By faith, he understood that a sacrifice, shed blood, was necessary to atone for – cover over the guilt of sin…
Hebrews 11:4b through which he obtained witness that he was righteous,
B) Result?
Genesis 4:4The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
Hebrews 11:4c God testifying of his gifts;
Genesis 4:5a but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.
3. The Bottom Line of the LIfe of Faith?
A) Abel demonstrated that the true worship of God, the only acceptable way to God, by faith in a sacrifice, a blood sacrifice!
B) Cain brought his works –his efforts which will always fall short!
Isaiah 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Romans 3:23 All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
What are you trusting in your righteousness or that of the Righteous One?
Approaching God by Works or Faith in the finished work of Christ?
