1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,200 Hello, and welcome to this week's episode of Trinity Sermons. 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:13,680 This week we're continuing our series Heroes of Faith, where we take a deep dive into the 3 00:00:13,680 --> 00:00:17,920 lives of those who are listed in Hebrews chapter 11. 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:22,320 And today we come to the first name in that list, a guy that we actually don't know a 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:25,640 whole lot about, and his name is Abel. 6 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:31,040 Even though the Bible never actually records a single word that Abel says, the author of 7 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:36,720 Hebrews tells us that by faith, Abel still speaks to us today. 8 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:41,940 So what is Abel saying, and why does it matter to us here and now? 9 00:00:41,940 --> 00:00:45,960 Those are some of the questions that Rob tackles in today's teaching. 10 00:00:45,960 --> 00:00:48,600 So let's tune in to find out more. 11 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:56,400 Today's first reading is from Genesis chapter 4 verses 1 to 10. 12 00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:02,680 Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. 13 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:06,840 She said, With the help of the Lord, I have brought forth a man. 14 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:11,360 Later, she gave birth to his brother Abel. 15 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:16,080 Now Abel kept flocks and Cain worked the soil. 16 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:21,520 In the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the 17 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:22,800 Lord. 18 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:30,360 And Abel also brought an offering, fat portions from some of the first born of his flock. 19 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:36,200 The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering, he 20 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:38,120 did not look with favor. 21 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:42,440 So Cain was very angry and his face was downcast. 22 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:46,160 Then the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? 23 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:48,320 Why is your face downcast? 24 00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,320 If you do what is right, you will not be accepted. 25 00:01:51,320 --> 00:01:54,040 Will you not be accepted? 26 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:59,200 But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door. 27 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,260 It desires to have you, but you must rule over it. 28 00:02:03,260 --> 00:02:08,280 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, Let's go out to the field. 29 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:14,200 While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 30 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,920 Then the Lord said to Cain, Where is your brother Abel? 31 00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:19,840 I don't know, he replied. 32 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:21,960 Am I my brother's keeper? 33 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:24,640 The Lord said, What have you done? 34 00:02:24,640 --> 00:02:33,080 Listen, your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 35 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:40,880 Our second reading is from Hebrews chapter 11, verse four, by faith Abel brought God 36 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,280 a better offering than Cain did. 37 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:49,260 By faith he was commended as righteous when God spoke well of his offerings. 38 00:02:49,260 --> 00:02:53,420 And by faith Abel still speaks even though he is dead. 39 00:02:53,420 --> 00:02:55,440 The word of the Lord. 40 00:02:55,440 --> 00:03:00,500 Well if you are ever in London, England, you must visit Westminster Abbey. 41 00:03:00,500 --> 00:03:05,200 Not only is Westminster Abbey just a beautiful sanctuary and amazing church, but you may 42 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:10,160 know this, it is also a mausoleum, which means that all throughout Westminster Abbey, under 43 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:16,000 the floor are buried some of the amazing heroes of England's history. 44 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,480 Which means you could be walking around Westminster Abbey and just taking in the sights and you 45 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:26,920 look down and you realize, oh my goodness, I am standing on the grave of Sir Isaac Newton, 46 00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:32,180 or I am standing on Edgar Allan Poe, or I am standing on Charles Dickens, or I am standing 47 00:03:32,180 --> 00:03:35,600 on William Wilberforce, or Queen Elizabeth the first, right? 48 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:37,120 These are all heroes. 49 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:38,360 They were heroes of the arts. 50 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,880 They were heroes of leadership. 51 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:42,940 They were royalty. 52 00:03:42,940 --> 00:03:45,240 They were scientists. 53 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:52,140 Now in the 11th chapter of the book of Hebrews, some people call that chapter the Westminster 54 00:03:52,140 --> 00:03:59,840 Abbey of the Bible, because as you walk through Hebrews chapter 11, you step again and again 55 00:03:59,840 --> 00:04:02,640 on the names of great heroes of faith. 56 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:06,900 Now unlike the heroes in Westminster Abbey, many of which were powerful and rich and like 57 00:04:06,900 --> 00:04:11,560 had incredible influence, the heroes that we find in Hebrews chapter 11 were just ordinary 58 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:16,920 people who lived by faith and that is what made them heroes. 59 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:20,480 And so today we are continuing our teaching series, which we are calling Heroes of Faith, 60 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,600 where we are going through Hebrews chapter 11. 61 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,200 And last week we got started by looking at just the very beginning of Hebrews chapter 62 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:34,320 11, verses 1 to 3, where we were able to hopefully answer the question, what is faith, that overused 63 00:04:34,320 --> 00:04:37,760 word faith, what does it actually mean anyways? 64 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:44,400 But today we step foot on the very first tomb, the very first name in this hall of faith 65 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,320 and the person's name is Abel. 66 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:51,000 Why is Abel in the Abbey? 67 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:55,920 What is so great about Abel that he's recognized as a hero of faith? 68 00:04:55,920 --> 00:05:02,120 The Bible actually doesn't record one single word that Abel ever spoke and yet today we're 69 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,520 going to see he is still speaking. 70 00:05:05,520 --> 00:05:10,600 And this is what we read, just read, by faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain 71 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:11,600 did. 72 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:15,920 By faith he was commended as righteous when God spoke well of his offering. 73 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:21,320 And by faith Abel still speaks even though he is dead. 74 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:26,760 Three times Abel's faith is commended, but the question still remains is why? 75 00:05:26,760 --> 00:05:28,120 How do I understand this? 76 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:30,600 Well that's why we had to have two readings this morning. 77 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,720 And if you kind of leave your finger in Hebrews chapter 11 and you flip all the way back to 78 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:41,560 the book of Genesis, Genesis chapter 4, that's where we find Abel's story in its entirety. 79 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,440 Now just to remind you a little bit about the book of Genesis. 80 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:48,400 The book of Genesis is a book of origins. 81 00:05:48,400 --> 00:05:53,120 It tells us the beginning of the universe in chapter 1. 82 00:05:53,120 --> 00:05:57,400 In chapter 2 it tells us the beginning of humankind. 83 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:02,420 In chapter 3 it tells us the beginning of sin, when Adam and Eve rebelled against God 84 00:06:02,420 --> 00:06:04,620 and were kicked out of the garden. 85 00:06:04,620 --> 00:06:11,680 And then in chapter 4 it tells us the beginning of the fallout from sin. 86 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:18,080 And that is where we pick up the story of Cain and Abel, Genesis chapter 4. 87 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:22,280 And I feel like even before we dive into this I want to just acknowledge many times when 88 00:06:22,280 --> 00:06:26,760 we come to a story like this we're like how are we even supposed to read a story like 89 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:27,760 this? 90 00:06:27,760 --> 00:06:29,800 Are we expected to believe this is true? 91 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,360 Like is that what I'm supposed to believe that this is literal truth? 92 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:36,560 Or is this just a myth that means absolutely nothing? 93 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:40,680 And I would say again we talked about this a while ago in a different series. 94 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:47,800 On the one hand we know the Bible is inspired by God and it is filled with timeless truths. 95 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,440 But on the other hand we also know the Bible is filled with different kinds of writing 96 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:54,440 and literature, different genres. 97 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:56,680 Genesis chapter 4 is a very unique genre. 98 00:06:56,680 --> 00:07:01,200 It is deeply theological but also highly, highly symbolic. 99 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:08,400 And so on the one hand we definitely say that it is true, but on the other hand we may not 100 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:10,800 have to read it as literal truth. 101 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,400 Listen, you can read it however you want to read it. 102 00:07:13,400 --> 00:07:18,080 And in some ways it doesn't really matter because in the end the same lesson comes out 103 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:25,520 and the lesson is this, is that Abel's life shows us what it means to live by faith. 104 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:34,000 So flipping back to Genesis chapter 4 we read this that Adam made love to his wife Eve. 105 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:35,000 She became pregnant. 106 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:36,540 She gave birth to Cain. 107 00:07:36,540 --> 00:07:38,920 She said, hey with the help of the Lord I brought forth a man. 108 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,700 And later she gave birth to his brother Abel. 109 00:07:41,700 --> 00:07:43,480 Abel kept flocks. 110 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:45,180 Cain worked the soil. 111 00:07:45,180 --> 00:07:49,160 That makes Abel human number four. 112 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:50,160 He's human number four. 113 00:07:50,160 --> 00:07:51,160 There was Adam. 114 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:52,160 There was Eve. 115 00:07:52,160 --> 00:07:53,160 There was Cain. 116 00:07:53,160 --> 00:07:54,160 And there was Abel. 117 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:56,560 Abel's job was to care for the flocks. 118 00:07:56,560 --> 00:08:00,680 Cain looked after the produce, the work of the land I guess you could say. 119 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:04,160 Abel's name by the way, do you know what the word Abel means? 120 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:05,800 It means vapor. 121 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:11,200 It means mist as in poof here today and gone tomorrow. 122 00:08:11,200 --> 00:08:12,520 Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy. 123 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:16,800 I mean I don't know what parent would name their kid vapor but it's true. 124 00:08:16,800 --> 00:08:19,440 He didn't last very long at all. 125 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:24,040 Genesis chapter 4 is full of firsts. 126 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:28,000 It's got the first mother, the first pregnancy. 127 00:08:28,000 --> 00:08:30,040 It's got the first family we ever see. 128 00:08:30,040 --> 00:08:32,520 It's got the first dysfunctional family we ever see. 129 00:08:32,520 --> 00:08:36,880 It's got the first murder that ever happens, the first martyr as well. 130 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:43,520 But also in Genesis chapter 4 we have the first person who ever lived by faith. 131 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:49,160 Now you might say, whoa, whoa, Rob, you said that Abel was person number four. 132 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:50,280 What about Adam and Eve? 133 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:51,320 Didn't they live by faith? 134 00:08:51,320 --> 00:08:52,760 Well, this is the interesting thing. 135 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,120 You see it was a little different for Adam and Eve. 136 00:08:55,120 --> 00:08:59,280 Adam and Eve were told lived in the garden with God. 137 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:03,640 The Bible tells us they walked with God and they talked with God. 138 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:07,800 So there was this sense in which they had this, there was this manifestation of God 139 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:12,400 that they interacted with in the garden of Eden in such a way that I would say Adam and 140 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:14,360 Eve didn't have to live by faith. 141 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:16,560 They could actually in some ways live by sight. 142 00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:17,560 God was there. 143 00:09:17,560 --> 00:09:18,560 He was manifest. 144 00:09:18,560 --> 00:09:19,880 His presence was there. 145 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:21,840 But not true for Cain and Abel. 146 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:26,000 By the time Cain and Abel come on the scene, they've been kicked out of the garden. 147 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:32,960 And now they can't see and interact with God in the same way that Adam and Eve did. 148 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:39,280 And so now the only way they know about God is what Adam and Eve told them about the stories. 149 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:45,040 And so they have to live not by sight, but by faith. 150 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:48,720 And I think they're the very first ones to do this. 151 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:52,060 There is this, this branch of biblical studies. 152 00:09:52,060 --> 00:09:53,060 It's called hermeneutics. 153 00:09:53,060 --> 00:09:55,120 It sounds like a disease. 154 00:09:55,120 --> 00:10:00,960 Really, what it means is hermeneutics is the study of how we interpret the Bible. 155 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:07,280 And there's this one principle in the study of hermeneutics called the law of first mention. 156 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:11,660 And the law of first mention means that the first time in the Bible that you come across 157 00:10:11,660 --> 00:10:19,200 a certain concept, then that kind of sets the meaning for that concept for the rest 158 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:20,320 of the Bible. 159 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:26,560 And so here we have the very first instance of someone living by faith. 160 00:10:26,560 --> 00:10:33,080 And that of course then sets the tone for how faith is used from here on out. 161 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:37,360 So what does Hebrews 11 and Genesis 4 teach us about Abel's faith? 162 00:10:37,360 --> 00:10:41,180 Well, first of all, it tells us about Abel's faithful sacrifice. 163 00:10:41,180 --> 00:10:45,120 By the way, you've got sermon notes as always, if you want to follow along, if that helps 164 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:46,640 you remember. 165 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:51,280 So it says, by faith, Abel brought a better offering than Cain did. 166 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:56,280 Or in Genesis 4, we read, in the course of time, Cain brought some fruits to the soils 167 00:10:56,280 --> 00:10:57,280 and offerings to the Lord. 168 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:02,320 And Abel brought an offering, fat portions from some of the first born of the flock. 169 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:07,880 So this again, first, speaking of first, this looks to be the very first service of worship 170 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:09,280 that ever took place. 171 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:14,720 And you'll notice that it happens at a specific time and in a specific place with a specific 172 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:15,840 offering. 173 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:20,800 It's a specific time because we're told that in the course of time, at an appointed time, 174 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:26,000 Cain and Abel knew it was time to go to church and it was a specific place. 175 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,320 They brought their offerings to a specific place. 176 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:32,480 And then of course, they brought a specific offering with them. 177 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:37,160 Now this is the first time, but again, the pattern repeats over and over again throughout 178 00:11:37,160 --> 00:11:40,160 Bible, even to our day today. 179 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:44,400 You know, Israel worship at specific times at certain festivals. 180 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:49,100 And they came to a specific place like the temple on pilgrimage to the temple. 181 00:11:49,100 --> 00:11:54,200 And they brought with them specific offerings that were appropriate for that festival. 182 00:11:54,200 --> 00:11:55,920 Even today, we have this rhythm. 183 00:11:55,920 --> 00:12:01,520 You come on a specific time, a Sunday morning, to a specific place here at Trinity Streetsville 184 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:04,100 and you bring something with you too. 185 00:12:04,100 --> 00:12:11,000 And that is your offering, your sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God. 186 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:13,240 So Cain and Abel, they both came to the same spot. 187 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:18,880 They both came at the same time, but they brought different offerings. 188 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,160 Cain brought some of the fruit of the soil. 189 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:27,120 Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. 190 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:34,760 Guys, I've struggled with this reading all week, but I think this whole thing hinges 191 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:36,760 on these sacrifices, right? 192 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:40,840 What is the difference between these two sacrifices? 193 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:46,240 Israel's were told that the Lord looked with favor on Abel in his offering, but on Cain 194 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:50,160 and his offering, he did not look with favor. 195 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:51,160 But why? 196 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:52,160 Why? 197 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:55,520 Have you ever, you must have asked that question. 198 00:12:55,520 --> 00:12:58,520 What's the difference between these two sacrifices? 199 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:03,400 Why is bringing a lamb better than bringing crops from the field? 200 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:08,000 And even if that was better than the crops from the field, then how on earth were Cain 201 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:12,080 and Abel supposed to know which one was better? 202 00:13:12,080 --> 00:13:13,400 This is a complicated thing. 203 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:18,800 And I've got a theory that I think I'm going to share with you today. 204 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:24,360 I think there's other ways of understanding this, but this is where I landed this week. 205 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:29,800 And to figure it out again, you need to actually turn back one chapter from Genesis chapter 206 00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:33,060 four to Genesis chapter three. 207 00:13:33,060 --> 00:13:39,280 After their fall into sin, Adam and Eve realized that they were naked and they realized they 208 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:40,560 need to cover themselves up. 209 00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:43,000 And so what was their idea to cover themselves up? 210 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,760 They used fig leaves, right? 211 00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:50,960 So they went and they took some crops from the field, leaves from the tree and they sewed 212 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:52,680 them together and they used them. 213 00:13:52,680 --> 00:13:57,920 They made them themselves, fashioned them to cover up their nakedness, right? 214 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,120 I mean, it was a creative solution. 215 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:02,480 Looks pretty stylish, you know? 216 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:12,120 But it wasn't enough to cover their sins because we then go on to read, God says, no, no, no, 217 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:13,400 you can't do it that way. 218 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:15,480 You can't cover your sin that way. 219 00:14:15,480 --> 00:14:18,440 You need something costlier than that. 220 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:20,280 So God provides them with a different covering. 221 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:29,240 We're told that he gave them garments of skin, which meant that some poor animal had to die 222 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:38,600 in order to cover up their sinfulness, meaning that that animal was the first blood sacrifice 223 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:39,600 of the Bible. 224 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:44,480 I know there's language of blood and sacrifice and all that might be a little much for some 225 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:48,740 of us, but I think it's actually critical to establish what's going on here. 226 00:14:48,740 --> 00:14:52,600 And that is we learned three lessons about sin from this. 227 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:57,120 The first is that sin requires a covering, right? 228 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:03,600 After all humanity became aware of their, after sin, they realized they were vulnerable, 229 00:15:03,600 --> 00:15:06,160 that they were guilty, they needed to be covered up. 230 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:12,480 Secondly, they learned that you cannot cover your own sin, your own self in your own ways, 231 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:13,480 right? 232 00:15:13,480 --> 00:15:15,520 Fig leaves stitched together the work of human hands. 233 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:18,320 That is not enough to cover our sin. 234 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:25,760 And thirdly, it shows that the covering for sin, yes, requires, I know, kind of gross, 235 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:31,960 but it requires the shedding of blood, some innocent blood. 236 00:15:31,960 --> 00:15:36,160 And this theme again is going to repeat over and over and over again throughout the whole 237 00:15:36,160 --> 00:15:39,640 Bible, but it begins here in Genesis chapter three. 238 00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:44,640 So now that we've looked back at Genesis three, we can go forward again to Genesis four and 239 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:50,800 we can see that there were different kinds of offerings that had different meanings to 240 00:15:50,800 --> 00:15:51,800 them. 241 00:15:51,800 --> 00:15:56,000 So Abel brought the right kind of sacrifice, right? 242 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:58,160 It was a blood offering. 243 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:02,520 Cain brought a fruit offering, which was not what God required. 244 00:16:02,520 --> 00:16:06,960 Now listen, if you read Leviticus 19, you will see there's many times and places later 245 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:13,080 on in Israel where grains and crops and fruit were very appropriate and wonderful offerings 246 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:16,800 to bring to God at certain times and for certain purposes. 247 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:22,480 But apparently, for whatever reason, apparently this was not one of those times, right? 248 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:29,000 The offering that was meant for this time was meant to be a sin offering and so it required 249 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,200 a blood sacrifice. 250 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:33,880 But that wasn't the only issue. 251 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:37,760 The other issue was also the quality of the sacrifice that was being brought. 252 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:44,320 Abel brought the best of his flock, the firstborn of his flock, we are told, and Cain just brought, 253 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:47,960 quote, some of the crops from the field. 254 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,680 So Abel's offering cost him something, cost him dearly. 255 00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:53,720 Cain's not so much. 256 00:16:53,720 --> 00:16:56,480 So again, everybody, I apologize if this makes you squeamish. 257 00:16:56,480 --> 00:16:59,880 I don't usually preach so much on blood and guts, but I really think this is where this 258 00:16:59,880 --> 00:17:01,000 goes. 259 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,440 And in a nutshell, this is what we've got. 260 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:14,120 Abel offered what God wanted and Cain offered God what Cain wanted. 261 00:17:14,120 --> 00:17:21,440 Or another way to put it this way is Abel approached God on God's terms and Cain approached 262 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:25,080 God on his own terms. 263 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:31,040 And ever since that moment, there have been two different ways people can approach God. 264 00:17:31,040 --> 00:17:34,800 The first is the way of Abel, right? 265 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:40,460 It's coming to God by faith, not trusting in anything that you've done, but trusting 266 00:17:40,460 --> 00:17:46,720 in the blood that was shed to cover your sin, whether that blood referred to the Old Testament 267 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:51,000 system of sacrificial offerings, where the high priest on the day of atonement would 268 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:55,320 slaughter a lamb for the sins of all the people, or ultimately whether that points forward 269 00:17:55,320 --> 00:18:01,120 to Jesus Christ, who gets called, again, by John the Baptist, the lamb of God, who takes 270 00:18:01,120 --> 00:18:03,420 away the sin of the world. 271 00:18:03,420 --> 00:18:05,600 That is one way to approach God. 272 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:07,160 It's the way of Abel. 273 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:08,920 It's the way of sacrifice. 274 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:14,080 It's the way of faith in the blood of Jesus. 275 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:18,000 The other way to come to God is the way of Cain, and that's coming to God on your own 276 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:20,960 terms, bringing what you want to bring, right? 277 00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:25,760 Doing what you want to do, believing what you want to believe, but relying on your own 278 00:18:25,760 --> 00:18:27,200 efforts. 279 00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:31,600 The way of Cain kind of says, oh, there's lots of different ways to come to God. 280 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:33,320 All roads lead to God. 281 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:38,880 So just do what you want and bring what you want. 282 00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:43,960 But Jesus would even say, wide is the gate, and broad is the road that leads to destruction, 283 00:18:43,960 --> 00:18:47,440 and many enter through it, but small is the gate. 284 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:51,840 And narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 285 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,360 The way of Cain is wide, but it leads nowhere. 286 00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:59,760 The way of Abel is narrow, but it leads to life. 287 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:07,440 And of course, these are still the only two ways that people come to God today. 288 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:14,160 I mean, if you could think about all of the things that we might offer to God, wonderful, 289 00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:18,160 beautiful things, beautiful buildings, moving liturgies, wonderful songs of worship like 290 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,440 David just led, incredible acts of service. 291 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:23,040 We can bring all these things to God. 292 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:24,360 All of them are valuable. 293 00:19:24,360 --> 00:19:25,960 All of these things are beautiful. 294 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:29,320 I'm actually sure that when Cain brought his fruit to God, it was beautiful. 295 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:33,820 It was probably this big spray, like amazingly displayed. 296 00:19:33,820 --> 00:19:42,320 And if we leave out the sacrifice, the sacrifice of Jesus, then we missed it. 297 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:48,060 We've missed the heart of the gospel and our faith has no power to heal us, has no power 298 00:19:48,060 --> 00:19:53,240 to help us, no power to save us. 299 00:19:53,240 --> 00:19:59,840 Hebrews 9 22 says, without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. 300 00:19:59,840 --> 00:20:05,840 All the religious talk over the past 10,000 years and all the kind of differences I think 301 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:10,800 between Christianity and other world religions, they really boil down to these two things. 302 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:16,280 There is the way of Abel and there is the way of Cain. 303 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:23,400 And when we push aside the sacrifice of Jesus and rely on our own efforts, then we're walking 304 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:26,460 in the way of Cain. 305 00:20:26,460 --> 00:20:32,920 So that's why Abel is the first hero of faith and the model for all faith that follows because 306 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:41,220 he shows us that in order to come to God, we have to come with faith, not faith in ourselves, 307 00:20:41,220 --> 00:20:45,400 but faith in the lamb that has been provided. 308 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:46,400 So there you go. 309 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:53,000 That's the first big thing that we learn about Abel's faith, that Abel had this faithful 310 00:20:53,000 --> 00:20:54,000 sacrifice. 311 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:59,800 We're also going to learn about Abel's righteous standing, righteous standing. 312 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:01,400 What does that even mean? 313 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:02,400 Right? 314 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:03,400 Well, here's what the text says. 315 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:10,560 It says by faith, Abel was commended as righteous when God spoke well of his offerings. 316 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:12,400 Now what does it mean to be righteous? 317 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:13,920 You're so righteous. 318 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:20,160 Righteous means that you are in right standing with God. 319 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:24,200 It means that you've been accepted by God, that you're living in harmony with God, that 320 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:30,200 you have met God's standard and his perfect standard even. 321 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:35,880 And then we would say, well, how can anyone meet God's righteous standing, his perfect 322 00:21:35,880 --> 00:21:36,880 standards? 323 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:37,880 It's a good question. 324 00:21:37,880 --> 00:21:38,880 None of us do. 325 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:43,760 The Bible even says in Romans 3, 23, that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory 326 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:44,760 of God. 327 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:48,480 In other words, no matter how hard we try, we're all going to miss this mark. 328 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:50,520 But that's actually the point. 329 00:21:50,520 --> 00:21:51,520 Right? 330 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:54,760 Abel teaches us that we don't have to earn this righteousness. 331 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:55,760 Right? 332 00:21:55,760 --> 00:22:01,360 It's actually given to us as a gift when we come to God in faith. 333 00:22:01,360 --> 00:22:03,880 I'm trying to think of a way to explain this. 334 00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:06,560 This is kind of an analogy I think might work. 335 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:11,520 Imagine, if you will, a very prestigious university, right? 336 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:13,560 They're hosting their graduation ceremony. 337 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:16,980 And the president of the university steps to the podium and he says something that's 338 00:22:16,980 --> 00:22:19,120 actually quite shocking to everyone in attendance. 339 00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:25,200 He says, today we are granting degrees to all students in attendance. 340 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:26,200 Right? 341 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:31,360 Not based on their performance, but purely as a gift. 342 00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:36,640 Even if you failed every class, even if you never completed any of your assignments, you're 343 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:41,720 still receiving a diploma today, completely free. 344 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:42,720 Because why? 345 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:47,360 Because I, as the president of the university, I have the authority to give it to you. 346 00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:50,600 I don't think that's going to bode well for the university's accreditation process the 347 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:51,720 next time it rolls around. 348 00:22:51,720 --> 00:22:53,080 But anyways, imagine this happened. 349 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:54,080 Right? 350 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:55,320 The crowd is stunned. 351 00:22:55,320 --> 00:22:58,200 Some students, as you can see, they're absolutely overjoyed. 352 00:22:58,200 --> 00:22:59,480 They can't believe it. 353 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:00,480 Right? 354 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:01,480 They don't deserve the gift. 355 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:03,160 They're grateful to receive the gift. 356 00:23:03,160 --> 00:23:05,160 They come up and they hug the president. 357 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:06,160 They're so glad. 358 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:11,160 But others, the ones who worked tirelessly for four years or five years, they're outraged. 359 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,000 They say, this is not fair. 360 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:14,000 Right? 361 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:15,000 We earned our diplomas. 362 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:16,000 Why? 363 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,760 Why should someone who failed not get one? 364 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:28,120 And that is the difference between what theologians call earned righteousness and imputed righteousness. 365 00:23:28,120 --> 00:23:30,440 You ever say the word imputed with me? 366 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:31,440 Imputed. 367 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:32,840 It's just a neat word to say. 368 00:23:32,840 --> 00:23:34,840 I like that word. 369 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,920 Earned righteousness is like the students who studied hard. 370 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:42,080 They passed every test and they feel they've earned this diploma, this award, by their 371 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:43,080 own efforts. 372 00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:48,960 But imputed righteousness is like the undeserving students who failed. 373 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:55,240 But because of the president's love and grace and authority, they were given a diploma anyway. 374 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:56,240 They didn't earn it. 375 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:59,040 They received it as a gift. 376 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:01,480 This is why Abel's story is so, so powerful. 377 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:06,440 God didn't declare Abel righteous because of his performance, because he earned it. 378 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:09,880 It wasn't because Abel was a nice guy and Cain was miserable. 379 00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:10,880 We don't even know that's true. 380 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:12,800 We know nothing about their personalities. 381 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:14,560 We have nothing to go on. 382 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:16,440 Abel wasn't necessarily kinder. 383 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:18,800 Cain didn't necessarily have a bad attitude. 384 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:27,960 In fact, all we know, all we know is that Abel's faith alone led God to declare him 385 00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:28,960 as righteous. 386 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:32,000 And again, this is crazy, but that's the same for you. 387 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:33,640 And it's the same for me. 388 00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:42,200 We get declared righteous, not because of what we do, but because of what Jesus has 389 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:43,200 done. 390 00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:48,280 You see, in God's kingdom, in God's kingdom, no one can pass the test. 391 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:50,100 No one graduates on their own. 392 00:24:50,100 --> 00:24:52,280 We have all failed the assignments of life. 393 00:24:52,280 --> 00:24:56,260 We've lied, we've cheated, we've hurt others, we've rebelled against God. 394 00:24:56,260 --> 00:25:02,800 No matter how hard we try, we can't meet God's perfect standard. 395 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:05,880 But here is the good news. 396 00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:07,800 Jesus took the test for us. 397 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:13,680 Jesus aced every subject and He hands us His perfect record. 398 00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:19,480 He even died for us as a way of saying, there, I have done absolutely everything now on your 399 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:20,620 behalf. 400 00:25:20,620 --> 00:25:22,000 Take my righteousness. 401 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,760 I give it to you as a gift. 402 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:27,480 That is imputed righteousness. 403 00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,420 Actually very important to know that the book of Hebrews was actually written to a group 404 00:25:30,420 --> 00:25:31,720 of Jewish Christians. 405 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:35,040 They were Jewish, they became Christians, but they were getting persecuted. 406 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:37,720 And they were like, ah, no, no, no, maybe we should just go back to the old ways, to 407 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:42,720 the old rituals, to the old rules, to the old schemes and all the, and the author of 408 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:48,440 Hebrews is like, no, no, no, no, don't go back to that because Abel shows us that righteousness 409 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,960 has never been about your human effort. 410 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:53,160 It's always been about faith. 411 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:54,160 Faith. 412 00:25:54,160 --> 00:25:58,940 The problem is, is that as human beings, we are addicted to wanting to earn it ourselves. 413 00:25:58,940 --> 00:26:03,640 We don't want the diploma unless we've earned it, unless we feel like we've earned God's 414 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:04,980 love and God's favor. 415 00:26:04,980 --> 00:26:05,980 We don't want it. 416 00:26:05,980 --> 00:26:10,240 In fact, for some of you, the idea of being completely dependent on God's grace and goodness 417 00:26:10,240 --> 00:26:12,280 towards us is actually offensive. 418 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:18,800 It goes against our instincts, but God's approval is not something you can achieve with effort. 419 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,080 It's something that we receive by faith. 420 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:25,360 And this was the greatest learning in the life of the apostle Paul, the guy who wrote 421 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:26,840 most of the new Testament. 422 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:27,920 This was what he said. 423 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:29,840 It's by grace that you have been saved. 424 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:31,500 It's through faith. 425 00:26:31,500 --> 00:26:33,480 And this is not from yourselves. 426 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:38,360 It is a gift of God is not by works so that no one can boast. 427 00:26:38,360 --> 00:26:39,620 That is the beauty of the gospel. 428 00:26:39,620 --> 00:26:42,680 That's also why it's so hard for some people to accept the gospel. 429 00:26:42,680 --> 00:26:46,520 So I just got to say, how about you when you came to God or maybe right now you're just 430 00:26:46,520 --> 00:26:49,060 seeking you're seeking God. 431 00:26:49,060 --> 00:26:50,060 What are you bringing with you? 432 00:26:50,060 --> 00:26:53,120 Are you trusting in your own efforts, your own good works? 433 00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:58,160 Are you trying to earn it like Cain or like Abel? 434 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:03,120 Are you willing to humble yourself and admit your need and trust in the sacrifice that's 435 00:27:03,120 --> 00:27:06,720 been provided for you instead? 436 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:12,360 The last thing we learned about Abel's faith is that it is a lasting story. 437 00:27:12,360 --> 00:27:17,520 Again the writer of Hebrews tells us by faith Abel still speaks even though he is dead. 438 00:27:17,520 --> 00:27:24,120 There's an old saying that dead men tell no tales but Abel's story proved that's not true. 439 00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:30,080 The story has echoed throughout thousands of years across generations and into our hearts 440 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:32,480 this morning. 441 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:35,440 Abel's life was cut short. 442 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:36,440 No doubt. 443 00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:40,860 Cain's jealousy attacked him, killed him. 444 00:27:40,860 --> 00:27:44,080 Some people try to excuse Cain by saying, oh, it was the firsts. 445 00:27:44,080 --> 00:27:47,480 He didn't know that when you hit somebody in the head with a rock that it will kill 446 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:48,480 them. 447 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:49,480 Let's give him a break. 448 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:53,600 But no, he had just seen what happens when you inflict such a wound on an animal on this 449 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:54,600 lamb. 450 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:56,280 He had just seen his brother's sacrifice. 451 00:27:56,280 --> 00:28:03,520 He knew very well what was going to happen when he delivered the same wound to his brother. 452 00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:05,880 So he knew what he was doing. 453 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:10,640 God even tried to help Cain out and kind of give him another chance. 454 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:13,880 He basically says, Cain, you know, if you do well, you'll be accepted. 455 00:28:13,880 --> 00:28:14,880 You can learn. 456 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:16,800 You can try again. 457 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:18,640 But Cain refuses. 458 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:21,880 He's full of bitterness and rage. 459 00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:28,360 And pretty soon this guy whose name was Vapor is vaporized. 460 00:28:28,360 --> 00:28:34,960 Do you remember how God asked Adam and Eve, where are you? 461 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:41,020 Well, now he asks Cain, where is your brother? 462 00:28:41,020 --> 00:28:43,520 But God already knew. 463 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:45,720 He could hear Abel still. 464 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:47,080 Listen, your brother. 465 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:48,880 Listen, do you hear that? 466 00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:54,720 Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 467 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:56,260 Your brother's still speaking. 468 00:28:56,260 --> 00:28:59,640 He is still speaking today. 469 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:05,320 This guy who doesn't have one single recorded word in all the Bible is still speaking. 470 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:06,920 He's still telling his story. 471 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:07,920 And what is he saying? 472 00:29:07,920 --> 00:29:09,840 Listen, what is he saying? 473 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:17,920 A righteous will live by faith, not by works, not by effort, but by trusting in the sacrifice 474 00:29:17,920 --> 00:29:22,120 God provided. 475 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:25,040 Abel's not the only one still speaking. 476 00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:27,520 Cain is still speaking too. 477 00:29:27,520 --> 00:29:31,160 Abel's story speaks to us of the beauty of faith, but Cain's story speaks to us about 478 00:29:31,160 --> 00:29:36,000 the destructiveness of jealousy, about the futility of trying to earn your own way to 479 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:37,000 God. 480 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:38,120 What about your story though? 481 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:40,120 Let's end with this. 482 00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:45,720 What story is your life speaking to your friends, to your family members, to your children, 483 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:50,280 your grandchildren, to your coworkers, your classmates, right? 484 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,440 Even after you're gone, what story are you speaking? 485 00:29:53,440 --> 00:29:55,320 I found this quote. 486 00:29:55,320 --> 00:30:03,960 You're writing a gospel, a chapter each day by deeds that you do, by words that you say. 487 00:30:03,960 --> 00:30:10,440 And read what you write, whether faithless or true, say, what is the gospel according 488 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:12,400 to you? 489 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:19,160 Is your life telling Abel's story of sacrifice, righteousness and trust in God's grace? 490 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:24,680 Or is your life telling Cain's story of pride, rebellion and self-reliance? 491 00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:27,920 What is the gospel according to you? 492 00:30:27,920 --> 00:30:32,480 Today you've got a chance to write a brand new chapter in your life. 493 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:39,960 Right, you have the chance to walk a path of faith, the way of Abel, not by trusting 494 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:43,480 in your own efforts and your own achievements, but by trusting in the sacrifice that was 495 00:30:43,480 --> 00:30:44,480 made for you. 496 00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:50,200 Hey, it could be like Cain, you've gone the wrong way, but God is calling you back just 497 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:54,080 like he called Cain back to get right with him. 498 00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:56,160 Don't harden your hearts like he did. 499 00:30:56,160 --> 00:30:58,920 Don't cling to your own pride. 500 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:07,160 Instead, by faith, trust in Jesus, choose the narrow way and receive the righteousness 501 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:11,560 that only God can give. 502 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:12,560 Thanks be to God. 503 00:31:12,560 --> 00:31:13,560 Amen. 504 00:31:13,560 --> 00:31:18,920 Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Trinity Sermons. 505 00:31:18,920 --> 00:31:24,680 This sermon was recorded at Trinity Church, streetsville in Mississauga, Ontario on January 506 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:29,080 12th, 2025.