Heroes Of Faith – Part 2 – Abel

WARM-UP

Who wants leftover food? What if I eat in Jollibee, bite the Chicken Joy and then give you the leftover? Will you be ok with that? Well, maybe not.  Maybe, you will feel insulted.  But honestly, sometimes that’s what we do with God. We give leftovers of ourselves to Him. We worship with God with our leftovers.

ONE BIG  IDEA

We don’t use our own way to worship God.  We worship God His way.

 STUDY (Hebrews 11:4 ESV)

“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.”

LEARN

Cain and Abel were brought up in a God-oriented home and environment. Adam and Eve taught them about God.  They taught them about worshipping God.  In the course of time, Cain and Abel brought an offering to God. Probably, God prescribed to them a TIME for worship and PLACE of worship. Most probably, God also prescribed a WAY of worshipping. We know there’s a prescribed way of worshipping because Abel’s was accepted and Cain’s was rejected. So, one did something right and the other one did something wrong. One did the way God wanted it and the other one did not.

Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. And Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. God accepted Abel’s offering but He did not accept or receive Cain’s offering. Something was wrong with what Cain offered to God.

God taught Adam and Eve how and what to give to Him for an offering. Adam and Eve taught Cain and Abel about this matter.  They were taught by God, “If you want to come in MY presence, you have to deal first with your SIN.” Hebrews 9:22 – “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with BLOOD, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (ESV).” So, whenever Adam and Eve make an offering to God, they make sure that they deal first with their sin and they need to offer something with blood.  The same with Abel.  But Cain brought God some fruits. Cain worshipped God without dealing with his sins. When we come to God, we have to deal first with our sin Jesus said in (Matthew 5:24 ESV).

Cain just wanted to show himself without any regard to his sins, and he wanted God to be happy. The reason why Jesus died on the cross is because of our sin and need for ATONEMENT. Leviticus 17:11 – “For the life of the flesh is in the BLOOD, and I have given it for you on the altar to make ATONEMENT for your souls, for it is the BLOOD that makes ATONEMENT by the life (ESV).” Atonement means the action of making PAYMENT for a wrong or injury.

When we worship without atonement, our worship will not be regarded. This is why we should CENTER our worship in JESUS CHRIST. Jesus is the lamb that takes away the sin the world (John 1:29). Abel worshipped God in a way that recognized the reality of sin, his need for forgiveness, in order to be accepted by God. But Cain did not do that. Cain worshippers are people who don’t give God what He asks for and then insist to give Him what they want.

In Genesis 4, Cain’s offering was described as an offering of the fruit of the ground. But look at Abel’s.  It was described as FIRSTBORN of his flock and of their FAT portions. Abel worshippers are people who don’t give God junk and leftover offering.

(Malachi 1:8 ESV).

If God is GREAT, then He deserves a GREAT worship. We should give God the FIRST and the BEST just like what Abel did. But on Sundays, we don’t have energy for God. If God deserves great worship, God has to be the PRIORITY of your life. This generation is satisfied in giving God junk food. God looks at how you use your TIME, TALENTS, and TREASURES for Him. Genesis 4:5 ESV).Cain became angry and depressed.

Genesis 4:6-7 said, “6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it (ESV).””

When our worship of God is not right, sin is waiting to eat us up. Your worship is messed up.  Then, it causes you to get depressed. When you’re angry and depressed, you leave an open door for sin to come in. This is why sin has jumped on you, pounced on you, eat you up. This is why an argument becomes a divorce. A little problem becomes an addiction. A dislike becomes a rebellion. A misunderstanding becomes a murder. Sin is crouching at your door and now it has attacked you.

WRONG THINGS happened in your life because you gave God a WRONG WORSHIP. Now, sin dominates you, it controls you.

Hebrews 11:4 – “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks (ESV).” Abel speaks though he’s dead. Genesis 4:8 – “Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him (ESV).” A bad worshipper becomes a murderer. When sin is crouching at your door, it will make you do things that you’ve never done. Cain cannot take out his anger on God so he took it out on another person. Because he’s mad at God for not accepting his offering, he lost his emotions and sin took over. He did something which he never planned to do.

Genesis 4:9-10 – “9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground (ESV).”  Cain may not want to admit what he did but God knew what he did because Abel talked to God about his location.

Cain’s WRONG WORSHIP led to him to a LIFETIME MISERY. Genesis 4:12,15-16 says, “12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth…15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden (ESV).”

 GROW:

Application Questions:

1. Cain killed his brother Abel because of his hatred and bitterness.  Is there someone in your life now that you are bitter towards? What will you do about it on the basis of this lesson?
2. What lesson do you hope to remember from this message about Cain and Abel (the blessings of acceptable worship and the danger of leftover worship)?
3. If you will honestly evaluate yourself right now, to whom will you compare your worship – that of Cain or Abel? Do you give God your acceptable worship or do you give Him your leftover?

PRAY FOR EACH OTHER IN YOUR GROUP