Abel and the Life of Faith A

The life of faith begins with a sacrifice for sin. It begins with believing God that you're a sinner, that you're worthy of death, that you need His forgiveness and you accept His revealed plan, you see? That's the beginning of the life of faith. Welcome to Grace To You with John MacArthur.

I'm your host, Phil Johnson. In today's lesson, we'll continue his compelling series on the power of faith, with a look at the first person in history to truly demonstrate faith in God. What can you learn from the ancient example of Abel? How does your faith compare with his?

Stay here for answers to those questions. So if you have your Bible handy, turn to the book of Hebrews and follow along as John begins today's lesson. We come to chapter 11 and verse 4 in our study. We might entitle this message, The Sermon from a Dead Man. Moffat once wrote these words, Death is never the last word in the life of a righteous man. When a man leaves this world, be he righteous or unrighteous, he leaves something in the world.

He may leave something that will grow and spread like a cancer or a poison, or he may leave something like the fragrance of perfume or a blossom of beauty that permeates the atmosphere with blessing. Man leaves, he's either a Paul or a Nero. Dead men do tell tales. They are not silent.

They speak. Witness the end of verse 4. He being dead yet speaks. And that is said of Abel. Now if Abel is still speaking, what is he saying? What is this individual who was the second generation of men since the creation, the dawn of the existence of man? What does he have to say to the 20th century AD? What does he have to offer to me? This man who lived only when the earth was new and born and there wasn't anything like there is today. What does he have to offer me? Certainly the economy of God in his day was different than it is now. God cannot deal with us as he dealt with them.

What does he say to me? What is this chapter saying? This chapter is talking about one word.

What is that word? Faith and that is the message that Abel wants to give to you. The theme of the 11th chapter of Hebrews is the subject of faith. And the message of Abel is the message of faith.

Now last time we looked at verses 1 to 3 and we saw four features of faith. It gives the present reality to a future fact. It furnishes enough conviction so that you bet your life on it. It secures the blessing and the approval of God and it enables you to understand what the philosophers and scientists of the world cannot understand. It enables you to perceive the things that are not open to the senses. Now so much for the stated character of faith.

He's going to now give some illustrations. And the illustrations have kind of a purity about them that kind of definitely isolates faith from works because this is what he must do with the Jewish mind. And so to begin with, he starts with the first man of faith and that was Abel. Now we say that because Adam and Eve in the purest sense were not people of faith. And I say that because they did not hope in what they had not seen. They walked and talked with God in the cool of the day in the garden.

They had the presence of the Shekinah glory. They had an experience with God that was real. It was on earth but nevertheless they saw the manifestation of God in a personal way. They had a personal kind of communion with God and they knew God before the fall in the fullest sense of knowing God.

Therefore there was little faith involved in the pre-fall situation. So he doesn't choose to use Adam and Eve as illustrations of faith. Abel was born outside of Eden, so he never had the opportunity to know God in the personal way that his parents did. Therefore when he believed God it was an illustration of faith in much more positive sense than was that of Adam and Eve.

And you do not find the indication of faith in relationship to Adam or Eve. Now it's important then to understand that Abel is a man of faith and he's the first man of faith. I think it's also important to understand that Abel's faith had to do with his personal salvation and that thus is a perfect illustration for the writer of Hebrews who is encouraging his readers to get to the place where they're personally saved. Now notice verse 4, by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain by which he obtained witness. There's that approval again because he had faith that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts and by it he being dead yet speaks.

He's still speaking because he's preaching the sermon of faith. Now for Abel this was something. For Abel to have faith was amazing. He was the first man to really exercise positive faith in God.

He not only believed, he bet his life on it. Now this text is divided into three progressive points. Abel's faith led him to do three things. Number one, to offer a more excellent sacrifice. Number two, to obtain righteousness.

Number three, to openly speak though dead. Because he believed God he did those three things and they're progressive. Because he believed he offered a better sacrifice. Because he offered a better sacrifice he obtained righteousness. Because he obtained righteousness he is for all the ages a living voice saying righteousness is by faith, you see.

So it's progressive. Let's look at the first point. By faith Abel was able, and we'll be saying that over and over again, to offer a more excellent sacrifice.

That's point number one, to offer a more excellent sacrifice. He was able to do that on the basis of his faith. Now to understand this we must turn to Genesis chapter 4. We come at this point back to the history of the origins of man. You remember how the creation went? God created man on the last day and then He rested. Then He created Eve and nobody rested, right?

But anyway, God created man and He created woman as a helpmeet for man. As we approach chapter 4, the children of Adam and Eve are born. Verse 1, Genesis 4. And Adam knew his wife, and there's that word know that has to do with the sexual relationship that produces a child. That is an intimate word. And Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bore Cain and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.

Now this is interesting. Now this man that she had, his name was Cain. And it's very difficult to trace back the study of words, etymology, but if we go back far enough, most Hebrew scholars would say that the word Cain comes from kana which would be translated q-a-n-a. And it means to get, to get something. And it's interesting, if you look at chapter 4, there's a kind of a play on words. Adam knew his wife and she conceived and bore to get saying, I have gotten. She called him to get because she got him, see? But it's interesting, a man from the Lord. And if you want the real expression of Cain, if you want to take the term to get and put it in a sense that makes it kind of obvious what she's saying, she really names the baby he is here.

I have gotten he is here. What's she trying to say? She's trying to say probably that perhaps this one is the deliverer who will open up the way back to God. The Lord has given me the one promise, but she was wrong. Perhaps she thought, we don't know, perhaps she thought this was the one that would take them back to Eden into the presence of God.

But he turned out to be a murderer. Adam and Eve could never produce a deliverer. The Bible says that which is flesh produces flesh. As in Adam all died, they couldn't produce a deliverer.

Only by the special creation of God could a deliverer come and that had to be Jesus Christ, born of a virgin. Well not only did she possess Cain who didn't turn out to be a man from the Lord, but verse 2 says she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep but Cain was a tiller of the ground. Verse 3, and in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. Verse 4, and Abel he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And incidentally the distinction there between the firstling of his flock, that means the best that he had, and the fat means that he had already killed it and separated those two things. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering.

Now the central theme of Hebrews 11 for is faith and that's the whole key to the chapter and that's what we want to find out here. Now we read here that they both brought a sacrifice. Now this tells us several things. I want you to get this.

It's interesting. Number one, it tells me that there was a place where God was to be worshiped. They had to bring that sacrifice to somewhere, right? In verse 3, Cain brought, in verse 4, he brought. And it says at the end of verse 3, unto the Lord, indicating that the Lord was somewhere where you could bring something.

There had to be somewhere, someplace where they brought. I think that it's very possible that the place was at the east of Eden and perhaps there was an altar there. Verse 4 says that Abel brought an already slain animal and the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering. And so there's at least a good indication that there was already a place to make an offering or an altar was already in that place. And it's very likely that at the place where God had placed that angel, you remember at the east of the garden with the flaming sword to keep them from coming back in, that that was the established point of contact with God.

In verse 24 of chapter 3, he drove out the man he placed at the east of the garden in Eden a cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way of the tree of life. And so perhaps at that point there was an altar. And isn't it interesting that God in the initial moment that He expels man also provides a mercy seat by which man can come back and worship Him.

And that mercy seat, like the later mercy seat in Israel, was protected by cherubim. And the divine presence was there perhaps in some way. Whoever would worship God would approach this mercy seat by the way of sacrifice. So there was a place where God was to be worshiped. Second thing I noticed, there was a time for worship. Verse 3 says, And in process of time it came to pass.

Now if you take that apart in the Hebrew, it really means at the end of days. Literally at the end of a certain prescribed time, it was time for sacrifice. Maybe God had revealed the Day of Atonement or a Day of Atonement, a special day, maybe this was the first occasion here recorded in chapter 4. God is a God of order and it's very likely if we study the later times that God operated with men that He established a time when they were to come.

I think that's also indicated by virtue of the fact that they both came at the same time. They seemingly both had information regarding this sacrifice. Thirdly, I think there was a way to worship, not only a place and a time, but a way.

God could be approached, now mark this, God could be approached only by sacrifice. The children of Adam and Eve had been definitely instructed that there was a place, that there was a time. And I believe that presupposes that they had also been instructed that there was a way to sacrifice. Now Cain and Abel wouldn't have known anything at all about doing this if God hadn't told them, right? Because the concept of sacrifice appears here for the very first time. And so they must have had some information from God about time, place, and how to.

It's presupposed by the very nature of the situation. They came to a place ready to make a sacrifice. There must have been something there for which they could use to do it. They came together at the same time to the same place. And they came with differing offerings but God only accepted one of them which indicates God had already established a pattern for them. In 11-4 of Hebrews, as we read earlier, we learned that it was by faith that Abel offered sacrifice. Now where does faith come from? Well, Romans 10...10-17 says, faith comes by...what's the next word?

Hearing. You cannot put your faith in what you do not know. Therefore to assume that Abel offered a sacrifice by faith is also to assume that he heard from God what God wanted and he believed God and obeyed God, you see? If faith then comes by hearing, Abel's faith must have come by information from God. Therefore he must have known the set pattern that God designed. He had heard that God required a sacrifice. He believed and he evidenced his faith by doing what God said to do. Now there's nothing wrong with farmers. They're wonderful people. There's not really anything wrong with offering God all kinds of fruits and vegetables and grain.

That's great. In Leviticus 19, I think it's verse 24, it says, in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy with which to praise the Lord. So God had times when they brought all that to Him. But you never brought the fruit first, always the blood first because the blood was necessary to deal with sin before you could ever enter God's presence. There were meal offerings, weren't there?

Sure, and the loaves and they would wave the sheaf at God and all of that. But that didn't come until first came the sin offering and the trespass offering. You see, the blood had to be first and then the other things could follow. Bloodless meal offerings, yes, but the blood first to deal with sin. When Abel did what God said, he revealed his obedience and he acknowledged his sinfulness. Cain was disobedient and didn't acknowledge sin. And so it says, by faith he brought a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. And it was better because it was blood. God had prescribed this, no question about it in my mind. Otherwise he would have had no idea what he was doing. And if this is true, watch this. It says Abel offered a better sacrifice and God responded by making him righteous.

Now watch this. If Abel just did that by accident, then what right did he have to be righteous? Are you with me? If it was only an accident that he thought, well, I'm a sheepkeeper, I'll bring a sheep. Cain thought, well, I'm a tomato keeper, I'll bring a tomato. If it was a pure accident, then on what arbitrary basis would God say, Abel, you're righteous, Cain, you're not?

That would be tantamount to saying, I like sheep and can't stand tomatoes. But you see, whenever Abel was accepted, that means that somewhere along the line he heard what God said and he obeyed it, you see? Otherwise there's no premise for his righteousness or his being accepted.

And we'll see that illustrated further on in another New Testament passage. God accepts only faith. Abel believed God and he approached God, said, God, this is what You said You wanted and You said if I brought it, You'd forgive my sin. I brought it. I believe You, God. I acknowledge my sin. I acknowledge the prescribed remedy.

Here I am. Cain had the same information, brought what he wanted to anyway. He did his own thing in the great tradition of his mother, did his own thing, and his father, for that matter. He didn't believe God, thought he could approach God in his own works, thought he'd gather up the goodies that he'd collected and show God how wonderful they were, how he had tilled the soil and grown all this. He said, here it is, God.

Isn't it terrific? And you know what? Cain stands as all-time father of false religion. You know what false religion is?

Coming to God by another way than that which God has prescribed, right? That's all false religion is. Peter said in that great sermon, he said, neither is there salvation in any other.

There is none of the name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. False religion says, oh yes there is. False religion says I can do what I want and just be good and if I have enough good points, I'll get there. And Cain was the father of every bit of it. God said, I have a way.

Cain said, no, I think I'll come my own way. That's false religion. He was the first one, the father of all false religion. False religion is an invented way to God. There is a way that seems right unto a man but the ends thereof are the ways of what?

Death. Men always have their own way, don't they, to go everywhere. Now as we shall see further, Cain failed to acknowledge the fact of sin, first of all. And secondly, he failed to obey God by bringing what God prescribed for his sin and thought he could come on his own merit by the scheme he himself had invented. And God rejected him. And over in verse 16 of chapter 4 it says, And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and he dwelled in the land of Nod.

In the land of Nod its very name means wandering, roaming on the east of Eden. You know what Cain did? He had some children there and he built a city and it was the first city men ever built.

And you know what it was? It was the birth of the system. It was the birth of the world system which fell into the control of Satan immediately. He chose to go his own way. He walked out of the presence of God.

Look at it, verse 16. He went out from the presence of the Lord, his own will, his own volition. He walked away from God. Don't feel sorry for poor Cain because God didn't accept his fruit. He knew what God wanted.

He just didn't buy it. The question always comes up, you know, how could God have judged that way when they hadn't been told? My dear friend, they knew. They had to know. They had been told. God's righteousness is not arbitrary. It is based on obedience to His prescribed plan. It was not ignorance.

It is the issue. It was willful sin on the part of Cain. Abel was righteous.

Cain was not. And to support that, I read you one verse, 1 John 3.12. Maybe you never knew 1 John talked about Cain and Abel does. Verse 11, for this is the message that you heard from the beginning that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of that wicked one. Oh, he identifies Cain with Satan.

That's talking about motive, isn't it? And killed his brother and why killed he him? Why did Cain kill Abel? Because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous. You see, it wasn't arbitrary on God's part. To disobey his evil, to obey his righteousness, that simple.

God gave him what he wanted and they either obeyed it or they didn't. You say, well, how do we know that sacrifice had been revealed? We have to assume that by faith to some degree, but I think there's a little indication.

Not a lot of indication, but a little bit of indication. It's interesting that when Adam and Eve were found by God, God said in effect to them, I'm going to take care of you. Look at verse 21 of chapter 3. For Adam also and for his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothed them.

Now that's interesting. And here the Lord in action speaks about sacrifice. Four things are intimated by the fact that God made cloaks of skin for them. Number one, sinners need to be covered. Number two, it couldn't be of a human manufacturer.

They had already made leaves and God said, no, I will design the covering. Number three, God had to provide it Himself. Number four, it was obtained only by death.

An animal had to die. And so in a very limited way, perhaps that was an initial disclosure of the importance of sacrifice for covering. That's really the only hint we have of it. But we know by the virtue of the fact that there was righteousness and unrighteousness that there had to be a standard by which men could be judged that way, so we believe God revealed His standard. So faith then, I'll mark it. Faith presupposes divine revelation. So when a guy comes along and says, well, I believe in believing, that is stupid. Or it doesn't matter what you believe, just believe in anything. One guy believes in that, one guy believes in that. We all believe what we want to believe.

We're all going the same way. Faith presupposes a divine standard. Do you know something? Cain believed himself, believed in himself. He believed in the wrong thing.

You know something? In Hebrews 9 22 it says this, without the shedding of blood there is no what? There's no forgiveness of sins. There isn't any.

I don't care what you believe. There is a standard and God said it. Leviticus 17 says, it is the blood that maketh atonement for the soul.

That's a standard. That's God's revelation. That's a disclosure from God and it is not arbitrary, it is absolute. People say, oh, you're so narrow-minded.

Well I could be broad-minded and tell lies. But that doesn't help anybody. This is God's standard. This is why we speak it. And He was ready for the sacrifice, the indication of the first link and the separated fat indicates He had already killed the animal so He knew what He was doing. Now here's where the life of faith begins and let's just grab this thought. The life of faith begins with a sacrifice for sin. It begins with believing God that you're a sinner, that you're worthy of death, that you need His forgiveness and you accept His revealed plan, you see. That's the beginning of the life of faith. No man ever lives believing in God until he comes to God.

And the only way a man ever comes to God is when he comes to the prescribed sacrifice of Christ recognizing that he's a sinner. There's no other way. And I'm not saying it to be narrow-minded.

I'm saying that because it's the truth. If you go into the hospital and the doctor comes in and says, you've got cancer, you can say, oh, don't tell me. I don't want to know about that. Tell me I have a cold. You say, well that isn't going to help you. I've got to tell you what you have so you'll get the stuff to get into the treatment.

I mean if you've got a disease, we want to tell you what it is. And so right here in Genesis chapter 4, the highway to the cross is firmly established. Here is the first lamb, Abel's lamb, one lamb for one man. Later on in the Passover, one lamb for one family. Later on in the Day of Atonement, one lamb for one nation. Later on at Calvary, one lamb for one world.

And here's the first lamb. The way to the cross begins to be paved. This is Grace to You with John MacArthur, Chancellor of the Masters University and Seminary, looking at the standard of faith that God has laid out from the beginning of time, which you and I will be held to. It's part of John's study titled The Power of Faith. You know, John, I would think that a lot of listeners had kind of an aha moment today when you said that Abel was the first person of faith ever, because unlike his parents, who actually had walked and talked with God, Abel had never experienced God that way.

His faith was truly the conviction of things not seen, which is the definition of faith in Hebrews 11. So there really is a lot to take away from this amazing chapter of the Bible. Yeah, this series is so important because all of us are called to a life of faith. And along with the series, I want to remind you that we have a study guide, a companion to this series called The Power of Faith.

You can order the study guide and you'll have all this truth and even more available anytime you want to go back to it. The author of Hebrews spends 10 chapters explaining to his audience, who are Jewish converts to Christianity, why the New Covenant based entirely on God's grace is superior to the works system of the Old Covenant. The New Covenant boasts a better priest, Jesus, who has offered a better sacrifice by which he made a better covenant.

Marvelous truth. The question the Jewish believers had was how? How do you leave behind all vestiges of the works worship that they were steeped in and come entirely into New Covenant worship? If reaching God does not happen through works, then how do you reach him?

Well, the answer is you reach him by faith. That's the whole point of the chapter. So since salvation is by faith, it's critical to understand what faith is, what it grasps, what it affirms and how it behaves. And that's what the 11th chapter of Hebrews is all about. And this is the ninth volume in our relaunch series of study guides, great tools for studying with a group or personal study and devotion. The study guide is available from Grace to You, exclusively 240 pages. Just ask for the study guide on the power of faith.

Thanks, John. And friend, as John said, Hebrews 11 is packed with jewels of divine truth. For help in mining those truths, order a copy of the Power of Faith study guide. Order a copy of the Power of Faith study guide when you get in touch with us today.

The study guide costs $9 and shipping is free. To order, call 800-55-GRACE or visit our website, gty.org. The Power of Faith study guide includes a question and answer section in each chapter. It's great material to go through with someone you're discipling or with your Bible study group. Again, to get a copy for yourself or for a friend, call us at 800-55-GRACE or go to the website, gty.org.

That's our website, gty.org. While you're there, take advantage of the thousands of free resources we offer. That includes our blog series titled, What is Saving Faith?, which is a helpful complement to John's current radio series. You can also read daily devotionals. You can keep up with the daily reading plan from the MacArthur Daily Bible. You can download any of John's sermons. That's more than 3,600 hours of verse-by-verse Bible teaching. All of it free to download.

You can get it in MP3 and transcript format. Our website one more time, gty.org. Now for John MacArthur, I'm Phil Johnson. Remember to watch Grace To You television Sundays on DirecTV channel 378 and be here tomorrow as John shows you how the contrast between Cain and Abel can help you evaluate your own faith. It's another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time, on Grace To You. worthless in Jesus' name. Amen.