Ordinary People with Extraordinary Faith

Hebrews 11-Part 3
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.
Hebrews 11:4

LET IT GLOW

If you have been following my writings for any length of time, you know that I am just a country gal, walking by faith through this journey of life. I grew up on a broiler, chicken and cattle farm. My parents were not highly educated, only Mom had a high school degree. However, Dad had a lot of good common sense.  I share examples of my childhood and how the Word of God applies to my life in hopes that  you can relate and it will encourage you.
As I look at the "Heroes of Faith" in this chapter, I see plain and simple, common folks, ordinary people with extraordinary faith. However, they had uncommon faith and obeyed the Lord and were blessed by it. Hopefully, their example of faith and obedience has something to teach me and you.
This chapter actually begins, not with a list of names, but with a brief and simple analysis of faith: Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (NAS)

In his study guide for Hebrews, Charles Swindoll has this to say:

It's easy to trust God in theory when a circumstance is yet distant from us, but when a situation is upon us, doubt competes for first place. God has graciously given us the following three examples of common, real people who had nothing incredible in their makeup, yet who, when under pressure, believed God. They allowed faith to dethrone doubt. Let them be our models!

The first three men mentioned are a shepherd (Abel), a preacher (Enoch), and a builder (Noah). Do I want my faith, or lack of faith recorded? Do I want it said that I offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice and thus obtained witness that I was righteous? Yes indeed, but how can it happen? Let's look closer at Abel's life for the answer.

LET IT GROW

Did you notice that Adam and Eve were not mentioned in this chapter? They had seen God, fellowshiped with Him, and talked with Him. Their children were the first to exercise faith in the unseen God. (MacArthur)
I had not considered that before now. Another thing, I don't know why, but I thought Abel was the first born, not Cain. Not so. Cain was the first child of Adam and Eve.
In Genesis 4,  we can see the contrast of the two brothers:

• Abel was the second born son; Cain was the firstborn son.
• Abel was a shepherd, a keeper of sheep; Cain was a farmer, a tiller of the ground, raised vegetables.
• Abel brought the best of his firstborn lambs and the fat as a sacrifice; Cain presented some of his crops, fruit of the ground as an offering.
• The Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering; He did not with Cain.
• Abel obeyed God; Cain disobeyed God.
• Abel acted in faith; Cain acted in unbelief.
• Abel's sacrifice was acccounted as righteousness by God; Cain's was not. (Rom. 4)
• Abel's sacrifice was evidence of authentic faith; Cain's sacrifice was evidence that he was just going through the motions of ritual through a disobedient manner
• Abel's heart was right with God before the sacrifice; Cain's was not.

What a contrast of these two brothers. They were like day and night.

Both brothers knew what God required (concerning sacrifices), says MacArthur.

It wasn't the offering that made one acceptable or unacceptable, since God accepted both grain and annimal offerings according to their purposes. It was the character of the person that made one offering acceptable and the other not. (Falwell)

A person comes to God by faith to receive righteousness.
Jeremiah 23:5-6 calls Jesus, The LORD of Righteousness (Jehovah Tsidkenu in Hebrew). Righteousness isn't good conduct, excellent morals, uprightness, nor the avoidance of evil. It was Jesus' shedding of His blood on the cross that provided us with a way to be right with God. I can't do it on my own because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Only Jesus provides us with His robe of righteousness, which is blood stained, so we can enter God's throne room.

Do you know the rest of the story? Cain got angry and jealous of his brother's sacrifice being acceptable to God. The Lord even talked to Cain about in Genesis 4:7 NLT: You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.

Cain didn't have a change of heart. His anger and jealousy grew into bitterness and hatred, resulting in the sin of murder. What can I learn from this? I can't come to God on my own terms, but on His terms. I can't earn God's favor by works.

Is my faith pleasing to God? Hebrews 11:6 says Without faith it is impossible to please God.
Do my sacrifices please God? (Rom.12:1-2)



LET IT GO

Present my body as a living sacrifice unto God.

Keep my heart right with God. Recognize sin in my life and confess it.

Walk by faith.