WEBVTT 00:00:10.220 --> 00:00:12.980 We'll also be spending some time in Genesis chapter 00:00:12.980 --> 00:00:18.859 4 today. Everybody that is a believer, I believe, 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:24.239 should be interested and eager to know what it 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:32.240 means and to know how we please our God and our 00:00:32.240 --> 00:00:36.340 Father in heaven. What that means and what that 00:00:36.340 --> 00:00:40.979 looks like in the life of a believer. Today we're 00:00:40.979 --> 00:00:44.560 going to consider that. Today we're going to 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:49.679 consider what it means to live by faith and what 00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:53.960 we can learn from Abel, this man who lived a 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:59.320 long, long time ago by faith. We can learn a 00:00:59.320 --> 00:01:03.820 great deal from him. If we recall the purpose 00:01:03.820 --> 00:01:07.680 of Hebrews 11, the author is wanting to teach 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:12.969 his recipients about the nature of faith. He's 00:01:12.969 --> 00:01:16.629 wanting to teach his recipients about the nature 00:01:16.629 --> 00:01:21.250 of real faith in the life of God's people, and 00:01:21.250 --> 00:01:24.430 to show them that it has always been the same. 00:01:25.250 --> 00:01:30.950 That real faith is operative, or it operates 00:01:30.950 --> 00:01:34.810 in the life of the believer. That it is productive, 00:01:35.069 --> 00:01:37.689 or we could say that it produces things in the 00:01:37.689 --> 00:01:42.450 life. Of the believer. And that it causes. The 00:01:42.450 --> 00:01:47.790 believer to. Persevere unto the end. The Hebrew 00:01:47.790 --> 00:01:51.530 Christians. Were being tempted to. Backslide. 00:01:51.810 --> 00:01:56.950 To forsake their. Confession of Christ. And so 00:01:56.950 --> 00:02:02.650 he's. Encouraging them. To press on. In Christianity. 00:02:03.269 --> 00:02:07.760 In their confession. In their faith. So as we 00:02:07.760 --> 00:02:13.340 think about the life and the faith of Abel, we're 00:02:13.340 --> 00:02:16.740 going to consider his life of faith in general. 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:19.780 We just need to nail down, was this man a man 00:02:19.780 --> 00:02:24.979 of faith? We need to consider that. And the text 00:02:24.979 --> 00:02:29.080 is clear that he was. We have to consider that 00:02:29.080 --> 00:02:34.560 Abel's faith manifested itself. Took place. Or 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:37.560 the way that his faith expressed itself. Was 00:02:37.560 --> 00:02:42.979 in that he offered. Sacrifices to God. But we 00:02:42.979 --> 00:02:46.759 also need to consider that. His faith was approved. 00:02:46.979 --> 00:02:50.340 Or commended by God. So we'll see the divine 00:02:50.340 --> 00:02:56.419 approval. Of Abel's faith. And then we'll consider 00:02:56.419 --> 00:02:59.840 lastly. The enduring witness. Or the enduring 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:06.740 voice. That. Abel's faith has. So beginning first 00:03:06.740 --> 00:03:11.919 with Abel's life of faith. So we'll go ahead 00:03:11.919 --> 00:03:18.800 and read from Genesis chapter 4 for this. In 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:22.159 Genesis 4 we read this. Now the man had relations 00:03:22.159 --> 00:03:27.180 with his wife, Eve. And she conceived and gave 00:03:27.180 --> 00:03:31.300 birth to Cain. And she said, I've gotten a man 00:03:31.300 --> 00:03:35.099 child with the help of the Lord. Again, she gave 00:03:35.099 --> 00:03:39.960 birth to his brother, Abel. And Abel was a keeper 00:03:39.960 --> 00:03:43.819 of flocks. He was a shepherd, brothers and sisters. 00:03:44.860 --> 00:03:48.419 But Cain was a tiller of the ground. He was a 00:03:48.419 --> 00:03:52.939 farmer. So it came about in the course of time 00:03:52.939 --> 00:03:58.199 that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of 00:03:58.199 --> 00:04:04.039 the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part, also 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:09.039 brought of the firstlings of his flock and of 00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:13.719 their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for 00:04:13.719 --> 00:04:20.079 Abel and for his offering. But for Cain and for 00:04:20.079 --> 00:04:25.259 his offering, he had no regard. So as we think 00:04:25.259 --> 00:04:32.230 about Abel, who was this man? the second generation 00:04:32.230 --> 00:04:39.410 of humanity. He goes way back, almost all the 00:04:39.410 --> 00:04:43.529 way to the beginning. He is a younger brother. 00:04:43.750 --> 00:04:50.529 He has an older brother. And we see that he's 00:04:50.529 --> 00:04:55.610 born to the original forefather and foremother 00:04:55.610 --> 00:05:01.639 or matriarch of the world, Adam. and Eve. We 00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:05.300 see that he is a shepherd. So very similar it 00:05:05.300 --> 00:05:08.740 sounds like to Jacob in many ways. Jacob was 00:05:08.740 --> 00:05:12.620 a shepherd and he was a peaceful man in many 00:05:12.620 --> 00:05:15.439 ways. He seems to be a bit more reserved than 00:05:15.439 --> 00:05:18.899 his brother Esau. And he was a man that stayed 00:05:18.899 --> 00:05:21.839 in the tents. He was contemplative in a sense. 00:05:21.920 --> 00:05:25.379 And it seems as though Abel is very similar. 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:29.040 Now, one of the things that Abel is known for 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:33.319 based on this text is that he was a true worshiper 00:05:33.319 --> 00:05:39.439 of God. He worshipped God truly. He approached 00:05:39.439 --> 00:05:45.939 God in a true and right manner. Unlike his brother 00:05:45.939 --> 00:05:50.019 Cain, who did not. One of the significant aspects 00:05:50.019 --> 00:05:53.899 of the narrative concerning Abel is that it... 00:05:54.079 --> 00:05:57.620 Immediately in the narrative of Genesis, it almost 00:05:57.620 --> 00:06:00.620 seems like the devil and his offspring start 00:06:00.620 --> 00:06:03.939 out winning. Why? Because the godly offspring 00:06:03.939 --> 00:06:08.920 is smushed, right? The godly offspring is killed. 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:11.560 And who is the godly offspring of the woman? 00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:18.060 It's Abel. But that line is picked back up by 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:25.649 Cain or by Seth and his descendants. So Abel 00:06:25.649 --> 00:06:31.230 is that godly lineage that would have hostility 00:06:31.230 --> 00:06:37.350 with the offspring of the serpent. And we see 00:06:37.350 --> 00:06:43.689 that Abel is also the very first martyr for his 00:06:43.689 --> 00:06:48.449 faith. He's killed because of his faith in the 00:06:48.449 --> 00:06:53.040 promises. He's murdered by his brother maliciously 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:58.480 with intent. It seems to be strategized. It seems 00:06:58.480 --> 00:07:03.639 to have purpose behind it. He is murdered because 00:07:03.639 --> 00:07:08.819 of his faith and his faithfulness in life. He's 00:07:08.819 --> 00:07:13.720 the first martyr. The first in a long line of 00:07:13.720 --> 00:07:17.839 martyrs in biblical history and throughout history 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:24.079 in general. But we also see that Abel is a man 00:07:24.079 --> 00:07:28.420 of faith. Now, we think, well, because we're 00:07:28.420 --> 00:07:30.839 in Hebrews, we know that. That is clear. That's 00:07:30.839 --> 00:07:36.120 obvious because it says, by faith. And it's talking 00:07:36.120 --> 00:07:39.620 about faith. But there's significance to that, 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:43.209 brothers and sisters. Abel in the Old Testament, 00:07:43.269 --> 00:07:45.970 he's not referred to as a man of faith. He's 00:07:45.970 --> 00:07:48.850 not talked about as a man of faith. It just describes 00:07:48.850 --> 00:07:53.470 his actions of faithfulness. But in the New Testament, 00:07:53.529 --> 00:07:59.250 he is explicitly said to be a man of faith. And 00:07:59.250 --> 00:08:01.149 what does that mean? What's the significance 00:08:01.149 --> 00:08:05.290 of that? According to the book of Hebrews, that 00:08:05.290 --> 00:08:12.000 means that Abel had an assurance of things, hoped 00:08:12.000 --> 00:08:17.279 for. That means that Abel had a conviction of 00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:23.680 things not seen. Abel possessed and had the faith 00:08:23.680 --> 00:08:28.379 that is spoken of in Hebrews chapter 11. That 00:08:28.379 --> 00:08:31.600 means that faith was a defining and leading feature 00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:36.600 in his life. It's what oriented and motivated 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:40.419 and drove and directed and governed his being. 00:08:41.159 --> 00:08:44.879 his character, his thinking. He was a man who 00:08:44.879 --> 00:08:48.860 believed the promises. He was a man who lived 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:52.600 in light of that which God had revealed and that 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:57.559 which God had spoken. He was a man of faith. 00:08:57.960 --> 00:09:03.519 Therefore, we can learn from Abel because he 00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:07.899 possessed the same kind of faith that New Covenant 00:09:07.899 --> 00:09:15.110 believers possess. Now, we see also, secondly, 00:09:15.389 --> 00:09:20.029 the expression of Abel's faith, or the way that 00:09:20.029 --> 00:09:25.830 it manifested itself. Notice the words, by faith, 00:09:25.909 --> 00:09:30.409 in verse 4 of Hebrews 11, Abel offered to God 00:09:30.409 --> 00:09:38.769 a better sacrifice than Cain. How is... Abel's 00:09:38.769 --> 00:09:44.629 faith most clearly seen in the fact that he offered 00:09:44.629 --> 00:09:51.710 a better sacrifice to God than his brother. The 00:09:51.710 --> 00:09:54.649 sacrifice, the offering that he gave to God is 00:09:54.649 --> 00:10:00.129 a manifestation, an expression of his faith in 00:10:00.129 --> 00:10:05.470 God and God's revealed word, God's commands. 00:10:06.700 --> 00:10:12.120 It's an expression of his faith. We read in Genesis 00:10:12.120 --> 00:10:16.080 4, it tells us a good deal about the nature of 00:10:16.080 --> 00:10:24.620 his sacrifice. We read this in verse 4, Abel 00:10:24.620 --> 00:10:29.620 on his part also brought of the firstlings of 00:10:29.620 --> 00:10:34.360 his flock and of their fat portions. So what 00:10:34.360 --> 00:10:37.399 is the very first thing that we notice about 00:10:37.399 --> 00:10:44.220 Abel's sacrifice? It is a blood sacrifice. There 00:10:44.220 --> 00:10:49.480 is the spilling of blood. Blood is splattered 00:10:49.480 --> 00:10:53.080 as a result of it. It's a bloody sacrifice. And 00:10:53.080 --> 00:10:56.460 in the Mosaic Law, do you know what is appointed 00:10:56.460 --> 00:11:02.080 to deal with sin? Blood sacrifices, not the fruit 00:11:02.080 --> 00:11:08.950 of the ground. So, in essence, what is Abel saying 00:11:08.950 --> 00:11:13.190 when he gives this sacrifice, this bloody sacrifice? 00:11:15.009 --> 00:11:18.870 Essentially, he's saying, I know I'm a sinner. 00:11:19.450 --> 00:11:23.289 I know that I need my sin atoned for. I know 00:11:23.289 --> 00:11:26.190 that I need the forgiveness of sins. I know that 00:11:26.190 --> 00:11:29.330 I need pardon. What is the purpose of the shedding 00:11:29.330 --> 00:11:36.769 of blood? Abel? gives a blood sacrifice very 00:11:36.769 --> 00:11:42.470 different than his brother. In the Mosaic law, 00:11:42.669 --> 00:11:48.190 blood sacrifices were always prioritized. Always. 00:11:48.610 --> 00:11:52.570 They always took the first place, and they always 00:11:52.570 --> 00:11:57.450 had priority above every other kind. But also 00:11:57.450 --> 00:12:01.399 think about this. This is the very first recorded 00:12:01.399 --> 00:12:08.159 sacrifice that a man carries out in redemptive 00:12:08.159 --> 00:12:11.899 history. And remember who the author is writing 00:12:11.899 --> 00:12:15.059 to. Hebrew Christians who are under pressure 00:12:15.059 --> 00:12:21.299 to return to the Jewish system and to give up 00:12:21.299 --> 00:12:25.059 Christ and New Covenant Christianity. So what's 00:12:25.059 --> 00:12:28.679 the significance of that? What he's saying, listen, 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:34.340 the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament, brothers 00:12:34.340 --> 00:12:36.320 and sisters, they were never efficacious for 00:12:36.320 --> 00:12:39.059 the forgiveness of sins. What was it that mattered 00:12:39.059 --> 00:12:41.559 that was behind and underneath and the foundation 00:12:41.559 --> 00:12:46.019 of those sacrifices? The faith with which they 00:12:46.019 --> 00:12:53.080 were given in. Trusting God and His Word. So, 00:12:53.100 --> 00:12:57.730 if the... Jews were to say to the Hebrew Christians, 00:12:57.970 --> 00:13:01.490 listen, if you really want to be a spiritual 00:13:01.490 --> 00:13:04.490 person, a godly man or a godly woman, you need 00:13:04.490 --> 00:13:07.570 to get rid of Christ, forsake faith, and then 00:13:07.570 --> 00:13:10.470 you need to rely on the sacrificial system and 00:13:10.470 --> 00:13:15.710 the priests. Uh -uh. That doesn't work. Why? 00:13:16.710 --> 00:13:23.740 Because faith is necessary to please God. Faith 00:13:23.740 --> 00:13:28.759 is absolutely essential and vital if a person 00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:35.860 is to be in favor with God, to be approved of 00:13:35.860 --> 00:13:42.320 the living God. Faith is instrumental. There 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:48.419 seems to be, based on Genesis 4, a presupposed 00:13:48.419 --> 00:13:52.970 order to worship with regards to Cain. and with 00:13:52.970 --> 00:13:59.269 regards to Abel. Notice several things. We read 00:13:59.269 --> 00:14:03.889 in verse 3 of Genesis 4, So it came about in 00:14:03.889 --> 00:14:09.429 the course of time that Cain brought an offering 00:14:09.429 --> 00:14:13.950 to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Now notice 00:14:13.950 --> 00:14:16.009 immediately, there seems to be some sort of appointed 00:14:16.009 --> 00:14:20.750 time that they were supposed to worship, that 00:14:20.750 --> 00:14:25.149 they were supposed to... sacrifice in the course 00:14:25.149 --> 00:14:29.970 of time. It wasn't random. There was some time 00:14:29.970 --> 00:14:32.190 that they were supposed to. And what? They both 00:14:32.190 --> 00:14:36.769 come to worship at the same time. And it seems 00:14:36.769 --> 00:14:42.629 like they both worship in the same place. What 00:14:42.629 --> 00:14:45.929 does that mean? What are the implications of 00:14:45.929 --> 00:14:50.559 that? Maybe that means there was an altar. That 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:53.480 they were worshipping at. Some would think, some 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:56.480 would say that there was an altar directly outside 00:14:56.480 --> 00:15:00.139 the east side of the garden. And that is where 00:15:00.139 --> 00:15:04.320 they worshipped. That is where they made sacrifices. 00:15:05.179 --> 00:15:07.840 Almost looking on to the garden and seeing the 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:10.159 failure of their father and seeing the entrance 00:15:10.159 --> 00:15:13.500 of sin and sacrificing outside the garden with 00:15:13.500 --> 00:15:15.980 the knowledge that they can be forgiven if they 00:15:15.980 --> 00:15:20.120 trust in God and the sacrifice that He has appointed. 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:26.539 There's really many other things we can draw 00:15:26.539 --> 00:15:30.659 from this, but it does seem that there's an appointed 00:15:30.659 --> 00:15:34.519 order and structure to their worship. We also 00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:37.379 see that there seems to have been a specific 00:15:37.379 --> 00:15:43.220 way that they were supposed to worship. One is 00:15:43.220 --> 00:15:45.860 more appropriate and more excellent and superior 00:15:45.860 --> 00:15:53.360 and better than the other. So we see a presupposed 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:58.460 order. And what does that in and of itself presuppose? 00:15:59.620 --> 00:16:05.750 Instruction. Teaching. commands, revelation. 00:16:07.830 --> 00:16:13.549 Potentially, this is speculative, Adam and Eve 00:16:13.549 --> 00:16:19.269 taught Abel and Cain how to sacrifice. What that 00:16:19.269 --> 00:16:25.049 meant. And who taught Adam and Eve? God taught 00:16:25.049 --> 00:16:31.779 Adam and Eve. Therefore, Abel is not Being creative 00:16:31.779 --> 00:16:35.299 and imaginative with regards to expressing his 00:16:35.299 --> 00:16:39.700 faith and expressing his worship to God. He's 00:16:39.700 --> 00:16:44.399 being obedient to what has been revealed to him 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:49.580 and God in his word. That's a big deal. That's 00:16:49.580 --> 00:16:53.519 important, brothers and sisters. This was an 00:16:53.519 --> 00:17:01.600 act of worship. Abel was worshiping God. He was 00:17:01.600 --> 00:17:05.660 truly worshiping God and so was his brother, 00:17:05.819 --> 00:17:13.799 just incorrectly, wrongly. Cain was a religious 00:17:13.799 --> 00:17:19.240 man, obviously and clearly. If he was not religious, 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:24.460 he would have not brought sacrifices. I apologize, 00:17:24.660 --> 00:17:28.619 he would not have brought offerings. He would 00:17:28.619 --> 00:17:33.630 have not come. But Cain was a religious man. 00:17:33.710 --> 00:17:37.390 He was trying to worship God, but he was doing 00:17:37.390 --> 00:17:44.009 it the way he wanted. The way he wanted to worship. 00:17:45.690 --> 00:17:49.349 Not the way that God had prescribed and commanded 00:17:49.349 --> 00:17:56.730 to him, likely. He thought that his actions and 00:17:56.730 --> 00:18:01.150 his offering would be satisfactory. Even though 00:18:01.150 --> 00:18:03.349 they weren't in accordance with the manner and 00:18:03.349 --> 00:18:06.109 the fashion and the way that God had ordained 00:18:06.109 --> 00:18:11.950 it to be. He was a religious man. But he was 00:18:11.950 --> 00:18:20.309 not a man of faith. He was possibly some sort 00:18:20.309 --> 00:18:25.970 of moral man. And he had some morbid, twisted 00:18:25.970 --> 00:18:30.680 reason for murdering his brother. But brothers 00:18:30.680 --> 00:18:35.720 and sisters, he had no faith whatsoever. He didn't 00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:39.519 trust in God and His Word. He didn't believe 00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:43.940 what God had said. He approached God and he came 00:18:43.940 --> 00:18:46.640 to God and he worshipped God the way he thought 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:54.220 best. And God had no regard for him or his offerings. 00:18:56.910 --> 00:18:59.789 What was the distinguishing factor between the 00:18:59.789 --> 00:19:03.990 two brothers? Was it the fact that Abel was just 00:19:03.990 --> 00:19:09.910 a better guy? Listen, the likelihood that Abel 00:19:09.910 --> 00:19:17.750 was a better person than Cain is high. We just 00:19:17.750 --> 00:19:22.029 have to say that. Abel didn't murder his brother. 00:19:24.839 --> 00:19:28.000 He may have been a more moral man than his brother. 00:19:28.119 --> 00:19:31.299 He may have had a better worldview. He may have 00:19:31.299 --> 00:19:36.740 had a better character than his brother. But 00:19:36.740 --> 00:19:39.079 is that the distinguishing factor between the 00:19:39.079 --> 00:19:46.039 two? No. The distinguishing factor is this. Faith. 00:19:47.400 --> 00:19:51.019 The reality and presence of faith in the life 00:19:51.019 --> 00:19:54.700 of a person. That's what makes the difference 00:19:54.700 --> 00:20:03.079 between Cain and Abel. Like Abel, brothers and 00:20:03.079 --> 00:20:08.660 sisters, faith must govern and order our lives 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:14.740 and our worship. It must. And if something is 00:20:14.740 --> 00:20:17.509 to be... By faith. Do you know what that means? 00:20:17.670 --> 00:20:20.750 That means it must be in response to what God 00:20:20.750 --> 00:20:23.170 has revealed and it must be carried out and conducted 00:20:23.170 --> 00:20:26.009 and performed in the manner that God prescribes 00:20:26.009 --> 00:20:30.589 in His Word. That's what it means to do something 00:20:30.589 --> 00:20:33.589 by faith. That's what we see time and time again 00:20:33.589 --> 00:20:39.799 in the Word of God. There have always only ever 00:20:39.799 --> 00:20:42.579 been two kinds of worshipper from the beginning 00:20:42.579 --> 00:20:45.039 of the world unto the end of the world. And what 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:49.660 is that? Those who come to God in faith and by 00:20:49.660 --> 00:20:52.180 faith and those who come to God on their own 00:20:52.180 --> 00:20:55.779 terms. I wonder if there's any of those here 00:20:55.779 --> 00:20:59.779 today. I wonder if there's any of those gathered 00:20:59.779 --> 00:21:02.460 today, sitting in the chairs, present among us, 00:21:02.500 --> 00:21:05.160 who are coming to God on their own terms and 00:21:05.160 --> 00:21:11.779 they have no faith. If that is you, friend, your 00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:15.319 life, your worship, your actions, they are vain. 00:21:16.740 --> 00:21:20.779 They do not please the living God. The Bible 00:21:20.779 --> 00:21:25.500 says that those are like filthy, menstrual rags. 00:21:27.259 --> 00:21:30.220 They are dirty, they are unclean, they are impure, 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:32.660 and they are unholy. And they are condemned, 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:35.839 and they only contribute further to your own 00:21:35.839 --> 00:21:43.960 condemnation. But if you had faith, true faith 00:21:43.960 --> 00:21:49.680 that saves, then you will be accepted by this 00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:57.339 holy God. But turn from your sin and trust in 00:21:57.339 --> 00:22:01.200 Jesus Christ. He will give you eternal life. 00:22:02.089 --> 00:22:05.950 He will receive you. He will pour out every blessing 00:22:05.950 --> 00:22:08.970 that is in the heavenly places upon you and He 00:22:08.970 --> 00:22:11.009 will guarantee them and He will bring them about 00:22:11.009 --> 00:22:13.630 and He will accomplish them in your life and 00:22:13.630 --> 00:22:17.009 every other life and every other person that 00:22:17.009 --> 00:22:21.549 comes to Christ Jesus by faith. That could be 00:22:21.549 --> 00:22:25.529 you if you would only turn from your sin and 00:22:25.529 --> 00:22:31.779 trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. There's only 00:22:31.779 --> 00:22:35.940 two kinds of worshippers, brothers and sisters. 00:22:36.680 --> 00:22:41.359 Do you come to God today in faith? Or do you 00:22:41.359 --> 00:22:45.000 come to God today trusting in your own moral 00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:52.140 goodness? Your own supposed righteousness? The 00:22:52.140 --> 00:22:54.680 value and worth of your own person and your own 00:22:54.680 --> 00:22:58.079 deeds and your own acts? Or by faith are you 00:22:58.079 --> 00:23:00.660 looking and trusting? At something else. Something 00:23:00.660 --> 00:23:03.440 beyond you. Something outside of you. The work 00:23:03.440 --> 00:23:05.779 and the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. His 00:23:05.779 --> 00:23:11.200 perfect gospel work. His life and His death and 00:23:11.200 --> 00:23:13.740 His resurrection. And those things which God 00:23:13.740 --> 00:23:18.680 has revealed in His Word. There's only two kinds 00:23:18.680 --> 00:23:23.380 of worshipers. Now, we've said a great deal about 00:23:23.380 --> 00:23:29.339 faith already. But the faith that Abel... possessed 00:23:29.339 --> 00:23:34.319 and that Abel had is divinely approved by God. 00:23:35.160 --> 00:23:38.839 Or we could say we see the divine approval of 00:23:38.839 --> 00:23:42.480 Abel's faith. This is the third thing we have 00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:47.400 to consider. We read these words in Hebrews 11. 00:23:47.900 --> 00:23:52.859 By faith, Abel offered to God a better sacrifice 00:23:52.859 --> 00:23:58.269 than Cain, through which He obtained the testimony 00:23:58.269 --> 00:24:07.950 that he was righteous. God testifying about his 00:24:07.950 --> 00:24:14.369 gifts. So here, the text is wanting us to remember 00:24:14.369 --> 00:24:19.849 and go back to verse 2. For by it, the men of 00:24:19.849 --> 00:24:25.180 old gained approval. We could also think about 00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:30.240 Genesis 4 .4 where this is said, Abel on his 00:24:30.240 --> 00:24:32.859 part also brought of the firstlings of his flock 00:24:32.859 --> 00:24:35.940 and of their fat portions. And listen to this. 00:24:36.759 --> 00:24:43.980 And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his 00:24:43.980 --> 00:24:52.500 offering. God regarded Abel and his offering. 00:24:54.250 --> 00:24:59.190 God gives a good report. He bears witness. He 00:24:59.190 --> 00:25:04.769 commends Abel and his offering. And what is the 00:25:04.769 --> 00:25:08.730 substance and the content of that commendation? 00:25:08.769 --> 00:25:17.289 That Abel is righteous. Now, this verse, when 00:25:17.289 --> 00:25:21.380 it speaks about Abel being righteous, I believe 00:25:21.380 --> 00:25:25.240 that it's directly talking about his ethical 00:25:25.240 --> 00:25:29.640 righteousness or the righteousness of his life. 00:25:30.019 --> 00:25:34.740 It's not speaking directly about the imputed 00:25:34.740 --> 00:25:39.539 righteousness of Christ. If you think about the 00:25:39.539 --> 00:25:46.079 second part of verse 4, he obtained a testimony 00:25:46.079 --> 00:25:50.150 that he was righteous. That's the statement. 00:25:50.950 --> 00:25:55.549 And then he goes on and clarifies what it means. 00:25:55.650 --> 00:26:00.890 God testifying about his gifts. Now when it's 00:26:00.890 --> 00:26:03.069 talking about his gifts, it's talking about what? 00:26:03.150 --> 00:26:07.809 His offering. His sacrifice to God. His actions. 00:26:09.529 --> 00:26:14.910 His good works. His worship. His obedience. We 00:26:14.910 --> 00:26:25.980 read in 1 John this. 1 John 3, verse 12. We'll 00:26:25.980 --> 00:26:32.720 start reading in verse 11. For this is the message 00:26:32.720 --> 00:26:35.940 which you have heard from the beginning, that 00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:41.319 we should love one another, not as Cain, who 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:45.180 was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And 00:26:45.180 --> 00:26:48.619 for that reason, and for what reason did he slay 00:26:48.619 --> 00:26:53.329 him? because his deeds were evil and his brothers 00:26:53.329 --> 00:27:01.630 were righteous. John is referring to the righteous 00:27:01.630 --> 00:27:05.190 actions, the righteous deeds, the righteous life, 00:27:05.329 --> 00:27:09.509 the righteous behavior of Abel. The Lord Jesus 00:27:09.509 --> 00:27:13.789 in Matthew 23 verse 35 calls Abel a righteous 00:27:13.789 --> 00:27:18.259 man. I believe it's talking about his upright 00:27:18.259 --> 00:27:21.740 living with regards to the commands and law of 00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:30.200 God. So at this juncture, we can and should conclude 00:27:30.200 --> 00:27:36.200 that God was pleased with the life, the man, 00:27:36.420 --> 00:27:42.200 the deeds, and the actions of this sinner, Abel. 00:27:43.660 --> 00:27:47.480 We have to ask ourselves, how is this possible? 00:27:48.440 --> 00:27:55.000 How is God able to say that a sinner is actually 00:27:55.000 --> 00:28:00.099 living in an upright fashion? What is the basis 00:28:00.099 --> 00:28:06.099 of that? We learn a few things that are very 00:28:06.099 --> 00:28:12.299 crucial to the gospel. A few things that are... 00:28:12.680 --> 00:28:16.420 Very, very essential to the heart of the gospel 00:28:16.420 --> 00:28:21.559 itself from this text. First we learn that faith 00:28:21.559 --> 00:28:26.200 alone is the means that a man, his life, and 00:28:26.200 --> 00:28:30.359 his deeds might be deemed worthy and acceptable 00:28:30.359 --> 00:28:37.009 in the sight of God. That is the only way. The 00:28:37.009 --> 00:28:39.549 only way that you will ever be acceptable in 00:28:39.549 --> 00:28:41.890 the sight of God is if your heart is purified 00:28:41.890 --> 00:28:46.630 by the grace of faith. The only way that your 00:28:46.630 --> 00:28:48.769 good deeds and your good works will be accepted 00:28:48.769 --> 00:28:51.309 by a holy and righteous God is if they are performed 00:28:51.309 --> 00:28:55.289 out of and from a place of faith that God has 00:28:55.289 --> 00:28:59.269 given to you. That's the only way, brothers and 00:28:59.269 --> 00:29:02.490 sisters, if our lives and our hearts and our 00:29:02.490 --> 00:29:05.460 actions and our deeds are... consecrated and 00:29:05.460 --> 00:29:09.019 sanctified in a sense by the reality and presence 00:29:09.019 --> 00:29:13.640 of faith. That's the only way, brothers and sisters. 00:29:14.579 --> 00:29:17.400 That's what was true of Abel. And that is what 00:29:17.400 --> 00:29:21.059 is true of God's people. But we also learn another 00:29:21.059 --> 00:29:28.900 vitally important truth. And that is this. That 00:29:28.900 --> 00:29:37.650 true faith is always. effective faith. True faith 00:29:37.650 --> 00:29:42.769 is always obedient faith. You know what I mean 00:29:42.769 --> 00:29:48.289 by that? I mean this. If a person is justified 00:29:48.289 --> 00:29:51.569 by faith alone and they have the righteousness 00:29:51.569 --> 00:29:55.549 of Jesus Christ imputed to their life, positional 00:29:55.549 --> 00:29:59.930 righteousness, if that is a reality in a person's 00:29:59.930 --> 00:30:08.470 life, they will absolutely Proceed. And that 00:30:08.470 --> 00:30:13.009 positional righteousness will lead to moral transformation 00:30:13.009 --> 00:30:19.950 in their life. If a person is right with God 00:30:19.950 --> 00:30:23.950 because of true and saving faith, then that person 00:30:23.950 --> 00:30:30.930 will be sanctified by that very same faith. To 00:30:30.930 --> 00:30:36.369 such a degree that we can say this. If a person 00:30:36.369 --> 00:30:42.089 consistently and regularly walks in unrighteousness 00:30:42.089 --> 00:30:49.490 and disobedience, if they consistently experience 00:30:49.490 --> 00:30:54.750 these realities with no repentance, with no grief 00:30:54.750 --> 00:30:57.349 and no mourning, and they repeat and they repeat 00:30:57.349 --> 00:31:00.049 and they repeat and they distinctly mark your 00:31:00.049 --> 00:31:05.259 life, then you have every reason. to question 00:31:05.259 --> 00:31:09.220 whether or not you actually possess true saving 00:31:09.220 --> 00:31:14.339 faith. That's the degree to which this is true. 00:31:16.000 --> 00:31:22.539 If a person lives an unrighteous life, if they 00:31:22.539 --> 00:31:25.380 walk in unrighteousness like Cain, don't tell 00:31:25.380 --> 00:31:30.279 me that they're accepted like Abel. That's the 00:31:30.279 --> 00:31:33.150 truth of the matter, brothers and sisters. True 00:31:33.150 --> 00:31:36.750 saving faith is always accompanied by transformation 00:31:36.750 --> 00:31:40.670 and change and it produces good works. That's 00:31:40.670 --> 00:31:42.849 what the book of James chapter 2 talks about. 00:31:44.069 --> 00:31:47.670 How faith and good works cannot be separated. 00:31:47.769 --> 00:31:51.230 They cannot be torn apart. The two go hand in 00:31:51.230 --> 00:31:59.349 hand. If this is true, this will be true as well. 00:32:01.480 --> 00:32:03.779 It's vitally important that we understand that. 00:32:04.619 --> 00:32:11.279 Now we can't get that backwards, can we? Why 00:32:11.279 --> 00:32:15.200 is it so important that we don't get that backwards? 00:32:16.740 --> 00:32:21.259 Because we must never say that obedience produces 00:32:21.259 --> 00:32:28.000 faith for the unbeliever. The attempts of righteous 00:32:28.000 --> 00:32:31.980 living and holy living and being morally upright 00:32:31.980 --> 00:32:37.480 can never bring about justification by faith. 00:32:38.660 --> 00:32:43.680 Only justification by faith and being made right 00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:46.140 with God and being indwelt by the Spirit of God 00:32:46.140 --> 00:32:49.420 and being made a new creature in Christ brings 00:32:49.420 --> 00:32:54.099 about moral transformation in the life of a person. 00:32:54.920 --> 00:32:59.099 Don't get it backwards. You cannot work your 00:32:59.099 --> 00:33:04.130 way to faith, brothers and sisters. You cannot 00:33:04.130 --> 00:33:07.150 work your way to justification and good standing 00:33:07.150 --> 00:33:15.769 with God. It's only by and through faith. Now, 00:33:15.890 --> 00:33:19.410 the last thing that we see is true of Abel and 00:33:19.410 --> 00:33:23.869 that we can learn from Abel is the enduring witness 00:33:23.869 --> 00:33:29.420 of his faith. or the enduring witness of his 00:33:29.420 --> 00:33:33.240 voice. Now, when it talks about this, obviously, 00:33:33.440 --> 00:33:42.440 it's speaking figuratively. Because Abel is not 00:33:42.440 --> 00:33:48.160 in heaven, audibly, verbally, talking to us. 00:33:49.259 --> 00:33:52.119 It's talking about something else. It's being 00:33:52.119 --> 00:33:57.809 used in a figurative sense. The Bible itself 00:33:57.809 --> 00:34:06.529 contains a testimony concerning this Old Testament 00:34:06.529 --> 00:34:10.530 saint. And think about that. What an honor to 00:34:10.530 --> 00:34:13.369 be in the pages of Scripture and to be held up 00:34:13.369 --> 00:34:17.389 as an example of what true faith looks like. 00:34:18.489 --> 00:34:22.230 What does the scriptural testimony say about 00:34:22.230 --> 00:34:27.230 Abel? This testimony which... transcends generation 00:34:27.230 --> 00:34:32.070 and age and time. Well, it speaks to us about 00:34:32.070 --> 00:34:37.090 his life of faith. How he lived in an upright 00:34:37.090 --> 00:34:41.349 way by faith. God approved of him. It speaks 00:34:41.349 --> 00:34:45.909 of what true worship is and not false worship. 00:34:46.409 --> 00:34:50.650 But it also speaks of his death. And how his 00:34:50.650 --> 00:34:57.070 death still speaks to this. very day. In Genesis 00:34:57.070 --> 00:35:03.730 4, again, we read this in verse 10. He said, 00:35:03.949 --> 00:35:08.210 What have you done? The voice of your brother, 00:35:08.469 --> 00:35:12.289 the voice of your brother's blood is crying to 00:35:12.289 --> 00:35:20.409 me from the ground. Abel was the first martyr 00:35:20.409 --> 00:35:25.139 for his faith. the Word of God tells us that 00:35:25.139 --> 00:35:31.059 His blood is crying out for justice. His blood 00:35:31.059 --> 00:35:34.739 is crying out for vindication. Make things right. 00:35:36.880 --> 00:35:41.679 Fix this. That's what His blood is crying out 00:35:41.679 --> 00:35:45.340 for. That God would vindicate this martyr who 00:35:45.340 --> 00:35:50.139 was unjustly killed, who unjustly had his life. 00:35:50.539 --> 00:35:54.159 Taken by his wicked, evil, unrighteous brother 00:35:54.159 --> 00:36:06.019 Cain. We think that's a good word. Justice. Vindication. 00:36:07.099 --> 00:36:11.500 That's a good word. Listen to what Hebrews chapter 00:36:11.500 --> 00:36:19.630 12 verse 24 says. And to Jesus. The mediator 00:36:19.630 --> 00:36:25.469 of a new covenant into the sprinkled blood which 00:36:25.469 --> 00:36:29.869 speaks a better or speaks better than the blood 00:36:29.869 --> 00:36:34.349 of Abel. Or many translations say speaks a better 00:36:34.349 --> 00:36:40.570 word than Abel's blood. What does the blood of 00:36:40.570 --> 00:36:46.329 the Lord Jesus Christ proclaim? Forgiveness. 00:36:49.480 --> 00:36:56.780 Pardon. Grace. Mercy. Brothers and sisters, the 00:36:56.780 --> 00:37:01.539 death and the blood of our forefather in the 00:37:01.539 --> 00:37:05.579 faith, Abel, points us to and reminds us of the 00:37:05.579 --> 00:37:09.320 greater, more pure, and more holy blood of Jesus 00:37:09.320 --> 00:37:12.360 Christ who shed his blood on the cross for the 00:37:12.360 --> 00:37:17.159 forgiveness of sins. It points us to the atonement. 00:37:17.710 --> 00:37:23.590 Of Christ. That's part of Abel's legacy in this 00:37:23.590 --> 00:37:28.469 world. That Jesus Christ died for the forgiveness 00:37:28.469 --> 00:37:32.369 of sinners. That Jesus Christ sacrificed himself. 00:37:32.469 --> 00:37:36.230 He was the one true great sacrifice that Abel 00:37:36.230 --> 00:37:39.349 was looking to and through that old covenant 00:37:39.349 --> 00:37:45.119 sacrifice to. Forgiveness. Grace. And mercy, 00:37:45.239 --> 00:37:49.559 reconciliation, and blessing that God bestows 00:37:49.559 --> 00:37:54.099 in the Gospel, in the New Covenant realities 00:37:54.099 --> 00:38:01.000 of the Gospel. So, Abel's life and his death 00:38:01.000 --> 00:38:06.199 speak all of these things. But there's also a 00:38:06.199 --> 00:38:09.780 principle in these things that's true for everybody. 00:38:10.619 --> 00:38:13.260 In every age, in every generation, I believe. 00:38:14.250 --> 00:38:21.230 What is that principle? It is only by faith that 00:38:21.230 --> 00:38:30.949 a person can leave a legacy of true godliness 00:38:30.949 --> 00:38:35.869 that is remembered by God and honored by God 00:38:35.869 --> 00:38:41.170 and is used by future generations as an example 00:38:41.170 --> 00:38:48.500 of what it means. To be accepted by God. That's 00:38:48.500 --> 00:38:54.380 only possible by faith. The Bible is full of 00:38:54.380 --> 00:39:00.460 lies that are warnings, that are admonitions. 00:39:01.760 --> 00:39:09.219 Jude speaks about Cain, Balaam, and Korah. We 00:39:09.219 --> 00:39:12.199 can think about the book of 1 Corinthians. and 00:39:12.199 --> 00:39:15.320 the warning of the unbelieving Israelites in 00:39:15.320 --> 00:39:17.820 the wilderness and their hardness of heart, and 00:39:17.820 --> 00:39:20.159 their grumbling, their moaning, their groaning, 00:39:20.159 --> 00:39:24.460 their complaining, and their unbelief. We don't 00:39:24.460 --> 00:39:26.880 want that legacy, do we, brothers and sisters? 00:39:28.639 --> 00:39:33.460 We want the legacy that faith alone enables a 00:39:33.460 --> 00:39:37.099 believer to leave. One that honors and glorifies 00:39:37.099 --> 00:39:42.800 God Himself. One that brings glory to our Heavenly 00:39:42.800 --> 00:39:49.179 Father. I want to close by reading a hymn that 00:39:49.179 --> 00:39:56.960 Horatius Bonar wrote. A quote by James Moffat. 00:39:57.239 --> 00:40:00.719 The quote by Moffat says this, Death is never 00:40:00.719 --> 00:40:03.699 the last word in the life of a righteous man. 00:40:04.599 --> 00:40:09.030 When a man leaves this world, Be he righteous 00:40:09.030 --> 00:40:13.130 or unrighteous. He leaves something in the world. 00:40:13.590 --> 00:40:16.590 He may leave something that will grow and spread 00:40:16.590 --> 00:40:21.869 like a cancer or a poison. Or he may leave something 00:40:21.869 --> 00:40:25.909 like the fragrance of perfume or a blossom of 00:40:25.909 --> 00:40:29.750 beauty that permeates the atmosphere with blessing. 00:40:30.230 --> 00:40:35.110 And listen to this quote or this hymn by Horatius 00:40:35.110 --> 00:40:39.079 Bonar. It was sung at... Charles Spurgeon's funeral 00:40:39.079 --> 00:40:43.219 service. Fading away like the stars of the morning, 00:40:43.340 --> 00:40:47.280 losing their light in the glorious sun. Thus 00:40:47.280 --> 00:40:50.840 would we pass from the earth in its toiling, 00:40:50.920 --> 00:40:55.860 only remembered by what we have done. Only remembered, 00:40:56.000 --> 00:40:58.980 only remembered, only remembered by what we have 00:40:58.980 --> 00:41:02.179 done. Thus would we pass from the earth in its 00:41:02.179 --> 00:41:05.579 toiling, only remembered by what we have done. 00:41:06.539 --> 00:41:09.460 Shall we be missed, though by others succeeded, 00:41:09.820 --> 00:41:13.880 reaping the fields we in springtime have sown? 00:41:14.320 --> 00:41:18.159 No, for the sowers may pass from their labors, 00:41:18.360 --> 00:41:22.000 only remembered by what they have done. Only 00:41:22.000 --> 00:41:27.760 the truth that in this life we have spoken. Only 00:41:27.760 --> 00:41:31.880 the seed that on earth we have sown. These shall 00:41:31.880 --> 00:41:36.400 pass onward when we are forgotten. fruits of 00:41:36.400 --> 00:41:39.340 the harvest in what we have done.