An Abel Offering

Read at beginning of service:

Psalms 51:10-17 (NIV)

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. 14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

INTRODUCTION

Read Hebrews 12:1-4

The Scripture that we just read in Hebrews 12 is one of the most powerful in the Bible.

? If you?re here this morning and life is weighing you down, this passage is for you.

? If you?re here this morning and sin has trapped you, this passage is for you.

? If you?re here this morning and the stress of life is getting to you, this passage is for you.

? If you?re here this morning and you?re tired and need encouragement, this passage is for you!

Before we go any further, I want you to understand what?s happening here.

Paul is writing to the Christian church and encouraging the Jewish believers to finish running the race set out before them. A race that is marked by faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. Paul recognizes in this passage that this race of faith isn?t always easy. But he introduces Hebrews 12 with the word “therefore”

A basic principal of Biblical hermeneutics teaches that when you see the word “therefore”, you need to ask exactly what it?s “there for”.

In this case the apostle Paul is referring back to chapter eleven where he describes the heroes of the faith. These men and woman are the “cloud of witnesses” who have demonstrated with their lives the impact faith in God has.

Over the course of the next several weeks, we?re going to take an intimate look at the men and women that Hebrews teaches are the heroes of the faith.

We?re going to look at their lives.

We?re going to see their successes.

We?re going to feel their failures.

I believe that if the veil between heaven and earth could be torn down for just a moment, and the heroes of the faith could talk with you and me, they would have great pearls of Godly wisdom to share with us.

As we look at chapter eleven for the next few weeks I hope to take you into the hearts of these heroes and uncover what they might say to us today.

Today, we?re going to begin a sermon series entitled “When the Heroes of Faith Speak”.

The apostle Paul begins describing the heroes of the faith in verse four of chapter eleven.

Read Hebrews 11:1-4

The Biblical story of Abel is found in Genesis 4.

Abel was the first man to die in the history of mankind.

He was also the first man to be murdered in the history of mankind.

Our story begins as Abel and Cain bring their sacrifices to the Lord.

The first two verses of Genesis 4 give us some background.

We learn that Adam and Eve have a baby, a little boy named Cain.

Then a second son, Abel, is born.

He has an interesting name.

In Hebrew Abel means “breath or temporary”.

I believe that his name foreshadowed that his life would be cut short.

These 2 brothers grow up together, but choose different careers.

Abel becomes a shepherd, herding the flocks.

Cain becomes a farmer, tilling the soil and raising crops.

Genesis 4:3 (NIV)

3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.

Genesis 4:4a (NIV)

4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.

Adam and Eve were probably proud of their sons. Both were doing their religious duty. But…

Genesis 4:4b-5a (NIV)

4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.

Cain was furious, and argued with God.

Genesis 4:8 (NIV)

8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Thousands of years later, the Apostle Paul names Abel as a Hero of the faith.

Why?

What was it about Abel that made him a hero in God?s eyes?

How did his character as a man of God label him for all eternity as a man of faith?

What would Abel say to you and me if he were here today?

First, I believe that Abel would tell us:

1. Don?t be afraid to give God your best.

You see friends, Abel knew that talk is cheap.

He knew that saying we love God isn?t enough.

He knew that our Faith is always expressed by how we give.

And Abel gave the best that He had.

Genesis 4:4 (NIV)

4 But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,

He didn?t hold anything out from God.

He took the best that he had, the firstfruits, and gave them to God.

He didn?t gather his sheep together and decide how much he could afford to give to God.

He didn?t gather his sheep together and pick a few sad, sickly sheep to throw into God?s offering plate.

He took the very best he had, the firstfruits of all his labor, and gave them happily and willingly to God.

He didn?t give because He had to?.He gave because He wanted to.

May I ask you a question this morning?

Are you giving your firstfruits to God?

Are you giving the best that you have to God ? or are you taking an inventory of what you have and choosing the things that don?t cost so much to give?

A. Do you give the best of your time to God?

Leonard Sweet says that, “The currency of the 21st century isn?t money, it?s time.”

Time has become the most valuable commodity on the marketplace.

You don?t believe that?

Look how much money you spend in order to save time!

Microwaves?We can take food from “freezer” to “fat” in 5 minutes!

Frozen food section of the grocery store has never been larger.

Time is the most valuable currency of the 21st century.

Let me ask you?Are you a participant in the work of God, or just a spectator?

Are you giving God the firstfruits of your daily schedule?

Do you daily set time aside in prayer and study of God?s Word?

Do you set time aside daily to give to His bride, the church?

If we apply the principal of giving the best of our time to God how would that change your week?

There are 168 hours in a week.

For the sake of argument, let?s remove 8 hours a day for time spent sleeping.

That leaves 112 hours in your week.

A tithe of our waking hours means that we should spend at least 11.2 hours per week in prayer, Bible study, and service.

Are you giving God at least 1.5 hours per day, every day, in service to Him?

Most of us would probably have to say no.

B. Do you give the best of your talent to God?

God has given each person here a rare, unique gift.

Some of you are great cooks. Are using that gift for God?

Some of you are musicians. Have you ever played your instrument for God?

Some of you are wonderful hostesses. Do you use God?s gift of hospitality?

Some of you are carpenters, teachers, painters, administrative workers.

Do you use your talents for God?

For every gift/talent that we have been given, God expects us to use it for His glory, and His benefit!

What are you holding back from God this morning?

C. Do you give the best of your treasure to God?

Simply put?.God wants you to give the firstfruits of your finances to the work of His kingdom.

If we?re going to be obedient servants of God:

We can?t escape it.

We can?t ignore it.

We can?t refuse it.

If the church in Canada was obedient to God, there wouldn?t be a single ministry that struggled financially.

If everyone in our church is obedient to God in giving the best of our treasure, there would be no limits to what this church could accomplish in Hanover and area for Jesus.

If Abel were here today to speak words of wisdom to you, I believe that He?d say to you, “Don?t be afraid to give God your best.”

You can never out give God!

Don?t be afraid to give God your best?in your time, your talent, and your treasure.

2nd, I think Abel would tell you that:

2. Motives are important to God.

Have you ever wondered why Abel?s offering was accepted by God, and Cain?s wasn?t?

There was a time when I felt sorry for Cain.

He brings an offering to God only to be told it is not good enough.

Over the years, many Bible scholars have speculated as to why God rejected Cain?s offering.

The Scofield Bible says God expected a blood sacrifice, which was a sin offering, signifying atonement of sin.

Some other Biblical theologians think that God must have told Cain that a grain offering wasn?t acceptable, but that Cain was stubborn and ignored what the Lord said.

But that can?t be right, because in the rest of the Pentateuch, the first five books of Moses, we find that grain offerings are very appropriate.

So what was the problem?

I think that the answer is found on our text-Hebrews 11

Hebrews 11:4 (NIV)

4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

I believe that faith made the difference between acceptance and rejection from God.

What pleased God about Abel?s offering was not so much that it was a blood sacrifice, but that it was an offering given in faith.

I think the big difference between Cain and Abel is not the kind of offering they brought, but the attitude/motive behind their offering.

Cain?s problem was a bad attitude.

I?m can?t tell you what his motives were, but you can be sure that they were not focused on worshiping the Lord.

Friends, motives are important to God.

He isn?t nearly as interested in our actions as He is in our motives behind them.

Do you remember in Matthew 6 when Jesus criticized the motives of the Pharisees?

Matthew 6:1-6 (NIV)

1 “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

I once read about a taxi cab driver in New York who slowed down for an elderly lady who was crossing the street.

The customer in the back seat leaned forward and thanked the driver for being so courteous.

The driver said, “I?m not courteous. If I had hit her, I?d have lost a half a day?s pay while I filled out the police reports.”

Our motives mean everything to God.

God doesn?t care how much you do, if you do it for the praise of man.

God doesn?t care how much you give, if you give it to have power, sway or control.

God doesn?t care how much you serve, if you?re serving your self instead of the Savior.

Abel would tell you that motives are important to God!

By faith, Abel?s offering was accepted by God.

His motives were pure?

His worship was pure?

Shouldn?t ours be the same?

CONCLUSION

If Abel were here today, I believe that we would hear from the heart of God?s Hero.

I believe that he?d say to us:

1. Don?t be afraid to give God your best.

Give God the best of your time, your talent and your treasures.

2. Motives are important to God.

We need to make sure that our reasons for serving God are pure, and that our worship is pure.

We?ve looked today at Abel, the first great hero of the faith that Paul describes in Hebrews 11.

ALTAR CALL.

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