Hebrews 11:1–4 CAIN & ABEL 9–17–11
Every one and every where in the world, all that are alive today and that has ever lived are like one of these two individuals, we are either saved or lost, Christians or not Christians, believers or not believers, all of us are either as Abel or as Cain when it comes to our position with God.
These both knew about God, they had no problem with wondering whether God was real or not, they both knew what God required concerning sacrifices, which was that the sacrifice of an innocent animal must shed its blood to cover their sins.
God is Holy and He will not tolerate sin in His presents that is why He provided His Only Begotten Son to be sin for us, Jesus was Gods Sacrificial Lamb, God has not changed, none at all.
2 Corinthians 5:21 For He [God the Father] hath made Him [God the Son] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Hebrews 9:22––without shedding of blood is no remission. Leviticus 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.
How do we know that Cain & Abel both understood the requirements of God?
Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
Before the skins could be provided for a covering for Adam and Eve, an animal had to be killed and blood was shed.
Adam and Eve’s children witnessed many, many times as their parents offered animal sacrifices to God, even before the children were ever born Adam and Eve made sacrificial offerings to God, Abel and Cain were school in this truth all their lives, it was nothing new to them.
An innocent animal, probably a lamb, was killed by God Himself; it shed its innocent blood as it was slain, all because of the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve.
Genesis 3:20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Just think all Adam had to do was obey one simple law “do not eat from that tree” but being human as he was he did not obey, Adam had the most beautiful wife in the world, [being the only one] he really had it made but disobeyed, and ever since then the human race has been born with a terrible blood disease, its called “sin” and the only remedy or cure for this damning disease is to have it washed away in the Precious Blood of the Lamb of God, not covered mind you as was in the Old Testament, but washed away.
This first living sacrifice was afore view of the Sacrificial Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ that was to come.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. Notice; “sin” singular, that is the damning sin of unbelief, not “sins” as every where we look we can see the results and presents of “sins”.
Another way we know that Cain and Abel knew to offer an animal sacrifice for sin is because we read in Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Listen there’s only one way that Abel could have offered by faith, and that is he had to have heard God’s word to do so.
Rom.1017 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Both of these boys had to have heard what God had said to do with this matter of sacrificing in order for Abel to come by faith, it may have been told to Cain and Abel by their parents, and problem was, I mean no one today has ever heard God speak to them audibly although some of the super spiritual people (so called) would have us to believe they have, but we have God’s written Word and that is all He’s going to ever say, this side of the rapture.
Listen as I read today’s text found in; Hebrews 11:1–4
1Now faith is the substance –
Let me say here before we go any further, we see the word “sub––stance” sub is always underneath, “a submarine”.
in addition, it’s what’s supporting an object, like the sub–floor is supporting the floor that we see and walk on, so here “faith” is the SUB– FLOOR so to speak of what we believe to do with the things of God and God Himself, and it’s this faith that’s going to get us to heaven, nothing else.
Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,––
Now let’s read out text:
1Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2For by it {faith} the elders obtained a good report. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 4By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which [by the right kind of sacrifice] he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
Now listen as I read from Gen.4:
1And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
2And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. His facial expression changed and he became very sad and depressed.
6And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
This is the first time we find the word “sin” in the Bible, God said in our way of saying things, “If you do the right thing as you have been taught you will be safe, but if not, sin much as in the form as a demon is lurking at the door and his desire is to destroy you, but do the right thing and be victorious over sin” God approached Cain in love and offered him a chance to correct his mistake. Again God asked convicting questions. He made no accusations. God gave Cain a second chance to make every thing well again.
How many chances do people have today? sinner friend God is now at this time giving you another chance, if I were you I’d be careful not too keep taking chances with your eternal existence, be saved now while you have this opportunity, don’t do like Cain and become puffed up, one day you’ll realize that your wondering in the land of Nod.
Isaiah 55:6–7 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Because of previously knowing of how and what to offer, Abel’s offering was accepted because it was a blood sacrifice.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought ––
We are told that Cain “brought”; –––by Cain “bringing,” means that there had to have been an appointed place to bring it to, so again this points out the truth that they already knew about sacrificing animals for a sin offering.
The first son born of a woman was the first murder. The word “Brother” appears seven times in these verses. The name Abel appears seven times and Cain 14 times, which heightens the contrast between the two men. Abel was a keeper of sheep, Cain was a farmer, and there is nothing wrong at all with either of these professions, if it were not for the farmers we’d be in a sad state, and I personally believe that the farmers do not get paid near as much as they ought to be paid for their service and products. Smith’s dictionary says the traditional site of Abel’s murder and his grave are pointed out to be near Damascus of Syria.
We read of Enoch, who walked with God in
Genesis 5:24 And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him. And we read in Genesis 6:22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
So Noah worked for God as Noah followed the instructions as how to build the Ark.
Enoch “walked”–––Noah “worked”
First we read of Abel, who worshipped God. Worship is the highest order of the human soul, and only as we are able to worship can we effectively walk with and work for God.
How do people present themselves today before the One and only Holy God?
There are two ways – the true way and the false way, and these are represented by Cain and Abel and the offerings they brought to the Lord. Cain was rejected because his offering was not acceptable to God. Abel was accepted because the offering he brought was acceptable to God.
We are all like one of these two brothers – saved or lost, believers or unbelievers, Christians or not Christians.
How did Abel exercise faith in the Lord? Faith is what made him acceptable to the Lord, and enabled him to worship which brought the assurance of salvation.
Before either of these two brothers could come into the presence of God they must bring an expectable offering, because they were sinners. How do we know they were sinners?
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:––
Abel and Cain both knew there had to be an Altar of sacrifice; Cain brought his offering – 'the fruits of the ground that God had already cursed in Genesis 3:17––cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;––––
Abel brought his offering from 'fat portions of the firstborn of his flock' – a sacrificial lamb. [fat, meaning the choices parts]
It’s for sure that when you or I might looked on both of these offerings that we would no doubt say that Cain’s looked the best, I mean it was not bloody in appearance, it looks so much more cleaner than Abel’s dead bloody sacrifice, but that was not what God wanted.
Isaiah 55:8–9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Let me stop here and say that God received no pleasure in these animals dying as offerings to Him, but this was Gods way of programming mankind to realize that there must be the death of an innocent sacrifice, every lamb, dove, bullock, pidgin, all these were fore shadows of the Sacrifice that was yet to come, The Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 9:22––without shedding of blood is no remission, meaning no forgiveness of sin.
Cain placed upon the altar the fruits of his own labor – grain, vegetables, which he had raised by his own works. The way of Cain is the way of the world, thinking that some how through their own effort they’ll make it to heaven.
Jesus said in
John 14:6––I am the way,[not a way] the truth, [not one of the truths] and the life: [the only fe that is unending] no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
There is no other way to be saved and go to heaven, if people could find another way then Jesus died in vain.
Abel’s offering was “more excellent” because it was the right kind of offering as well as being made with the right heart attitude.
Abel took a perfect lamb, killed it, poured the blood at the side of the altar and placed the lamb upon the altar.
Jesus the Lamb of God was placed on the altar of the cross, His precious Blood shed there, as He was the only satisfying Sacrifice that God would accept.
1 John 2: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 4:10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Propitiation; the means of appeasing, God was satisfied with Christ offering of Himself.
God has done all that can be done to save lost sinners, now it’s up to people to receive Him as their Savior and Lord.
