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Hebrews 11:4 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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I invite you to join me in your copy of God's Word in Hebrews chapter 11.
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On your bulletin this morning is a quotation from a Puritan preacher by the name of John Trapp,
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the context of this letter that we've been working our way through now for so many months is that,
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as far as we know, this letter is written to a small church on the outskirts of Rome,
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a group that's been sent out of Rome of Greek-speaking Hellenistic Jews.
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That's the title of the letter, Hebrews.
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And they had suffered much for their faith.
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Chapter 12, verse 4 says they had not yet suffered to the shedding of their blood.
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No one had died in their church.
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They had been publicly ridiculed.
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They had been imprisoned.
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Their material possessions had been taken.
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And the temptation for this church was to go back to the ways of Judaism,
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to return to the old covenant worship, thinking that it would be good enough.
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We could worship as we once did and not suffer in this way.
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And the author of Hebrews writes to them to say,
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no, Christ is better.
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Press on.
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Persevere.
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You have not done this in vain.
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There's something that awaits you beyond this world.
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Have, take up this living hope.
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Show yourselves to belong to Christ.
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To preserve your souls by your faithfulness.
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He has been hard on them at times.
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And he has been encouraging to them at times.
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And this is where we find ourselves now as we concluded chapter 10.
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And in verse 39, he said to this church he's writing to,
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and I hope to us this morning,
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but we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed,
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but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.
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And then he begins to give a description of what faith is.
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So what does he mean by this?
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This type of persevering faithfulness.
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And he says in verse 1 of chapter 11,
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now faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
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the conviction of things not seen.
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So he says it's the surety in the promises of God.
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Those things that God has spoken to us,
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that we believe them.
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And then in verse 2 he says,
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for by it the people of old received their commendation.
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Now the rest of chapter 11 is the author of Hebrews' tour
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through the Hebrew Scriptures,
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our Old Testament,
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concerning the people of old who received their commendation.
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Now when thinking commendation,
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think approval.
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This is how the people of old received their approval from God.
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It was by their faith.
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And the first in his tour through the Hebrew Scripture
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is also the first martyr of the Bible.
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A man named Abel.
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A man who was killed for his faithfulness.
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And I just absolutely love when the providence of God is made apparent.
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God always is ruling.
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Whether we recognize it or not,
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he's always in control of all things at all times.
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I just absolutely love it when I go,
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thank you for being in control of all things at all times.
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I made a schedule for us to preach through the book of Hebrews
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that got thrown off course.
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That got thrown off course by an illness that Clay had when he was scheduled to preach.
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What a wonderful thing that we're not talking about Enoch this morning,
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who didn't even die,
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who was taken up on the International Day of Prayer for the persecuted church.
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I don't know what I would have done with that.
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Praise God this morning that we get to look at the faithfulness of the Bible's very first martyr.
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So our text for today is Hebrews chapter 11, verse 4.
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And beloved, this is God's word to us, written for his glory and our good.
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We would all do well to listen to it in order to believe its promises and obey its commands.
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Hebrews 11, verse 4.
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By faith, Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain,
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through which he was commended as righteous.
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God commending him by accepting his gifts.
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And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.
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Now upon an initial reading of the account of Cain and Abel,
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Genesis chapter 4,
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one can find themselves rather confused.
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Why is it that Abel's sacrifice was accepted and Cain's was not?
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It feels a little arbitrary when you first look at the text.
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The whole matter is a bit enigmatic, right?
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Without some deeper, some more closer examination.
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So this morning, I want to do that with you.
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I want to look at that text a bit.
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And then we'll look at the commentary that the author of Hebrews gives us as well
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to observe the faithfulness of Abel.
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So mark Hebrews chapter 11 and turn in your copy of God's Word to Genesis chapter 4.
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And we'll read the first 16 verses,
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which is this account of the story of Adam,
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or excuse me, of Cain and Abel.
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The second word in verse 1 is Adam, which I was staring at.
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Beginning in verse 1 of Genesis chapter 4.
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Now Adam knew Eve his wife,
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and she conceived and bore Cain,
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saying, I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.
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And again she bore his brother Abel.
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Now Abel was a keeper of sheep,
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and Cain a worker of the ground.
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In the course of time,
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Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground.
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And Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock
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and of their fat portions.
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And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering.
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But for Cain and his offering,
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he had no regard.
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So Cain was very angry,
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and his face fell.
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The Lord said to Cain,
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Why are you angry,
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and why has your face fallen?
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If you do well,
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will you not be accepted?
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And if you do not do well,
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sin is crouching at the door.
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Its desire is contrary to you,
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but you must rule over it.
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Cain spoke to Abel his brother,
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and when they were in the field,
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Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
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Then the Lord said to Cain,
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Where is Abel your brother?
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He said,
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I do not know.
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Am I my brother's keeper?
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And the Lord said,
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What have you done?
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The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground.
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And now you are cursed from the ground,
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which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
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When you work the ground,
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it shall no longer yield to you its strength.
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You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.
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Cain said to the Lord,
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My punishment is greater than I can bear.
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Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground,
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and from your face I shall be hidden.
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I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth,
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and whoever finds me will kill me.
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Then the Lord said to him,
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Not so.
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If anyone kills Cain,
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vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.
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And the Lord put a mark on Cain,
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lest any who found him should attack him.
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Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord
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and settled in the land of Nod,
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east of Eden.
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And the episode ends there.
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But what does it all mean?
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Augustine wrote on the matter in his famous work,
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The City of God,
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which I commend to you,
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where he explained Cain was first born,
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and he belonged to the city of men.
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After him was born Abel,
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who belonged to the city of God.
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Augustine saw that Cain and Abel
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approached God and the things of God
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with radical difference.
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Jude wrote in Jude verse 10,
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and the first part of verse 11,
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These people blaspheme all that they do not understand,
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and they are destroyed by all that they,
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like unreasoning animals,
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understand instinctively.
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Woe to them,
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for they walk in the way of Cain.
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There's a juxtaposition being made here
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between these two brothers.
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It is this difference that we want to understand this morning,
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that the author of Hebrews intends for us to understand,
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the way of Cain
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and the enduringly faithful way of Abel.
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He wants us to find ourselves identifying with Abel,
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being those who have faith
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and preserve their souls.
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In order to do so,
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we will put them against each other,
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juxtapose them
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with particular attention to Abel
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in the following outline.
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So here's the outline for our text this morning.
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Number one,
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Abel's worship by faith.
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Number two,
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Abel's wholeness by faith.
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Number three,
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Abel's witness by faith.
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If I printed notes for you on the back of your bulletin,
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you could see the cleverness of the alliteration.
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Worship,
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wholeness,
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with a W,
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and witness.
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Number one,
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Abel's worship by faith.
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The very first part of verse four says,
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by faith,
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Abel offered to God
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a more acceptable sacrifice
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than Cain.
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To do something by faith,
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it must be connected
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to a word from God.
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We are not faithful willy-nilly.
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We are faithful in God's promises
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and in God's commands.
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Paul writes in Romans chapter 10,
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verse 17,
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so faith comes from hearing
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and hearing willy-nilly.
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That's not how the verse ends,
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is it?
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And hearing through the word of Christ.
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So,
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there must have been something
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that undergirded
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Abel's faithfulness
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and Cain's
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faithlessness.
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God must have given instructions
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for sacrifice.
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Otherwise,
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how does the text in Genesis 4
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make sense
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in light of Hebrews 11,
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4,
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who is here,
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the author,
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saying that it's by faith
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that Abel offered to God
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a more acceptable sacrifice.
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It must be that God told Adam and Eve
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and therefore Cain and Abel
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that their sacrifices
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were to be made
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with animals.
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In Genesis,
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death enters into
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the garden.
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Genesis chapter 3,
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we see the rebellion
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of Adam and Eve
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and the curse that follows.
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And because they were
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working to hide
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their nakedness
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and their shame
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with fig leaves,
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God instead
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makes for them
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more suitable clothing.
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And what does He do
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in order to make
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more suitable clothing?
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He sheds the first blood.
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The first death
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enters into the garden
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because of the sinfulness
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of man.
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It would seem,
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as a result of this,
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that sacrifice
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began
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at this
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time.
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It's likely
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that Cain and Abel
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understood
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their need
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of atonement,
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of replacement
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death
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for them
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to be found
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acceptable
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before God.
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At the first reading
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of this text,
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and I have
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for many years,
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thought that this
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was the first time
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that Cain and Abel
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had attempted
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to worship the Lord.
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This was the very
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first time they ever
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had brought sacrifice
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before God.
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Like, look at these two
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just suddenly getting
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the idea that they
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should offer a sacrifice.
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Right?
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And they came up
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with what they had,
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and God commended
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one and was unhappy
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with the other.
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However,
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at this time,
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if you look through
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genealogies,
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Cain was 129 years old.
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likely lived lives
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of worship
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toward God.
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And then Genesis
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chapter 4,
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verse 3 reads,
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In the course
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of time,
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Cain brought to the Lord
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an offering of the fruit
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of the ground.
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And in the course
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of time is more
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literally translated,
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at the end
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of days.
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At the end
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of days.
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Indicating
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the end
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of a specific
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period
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of time.
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Likely,
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we can't know
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for sure,
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but likely,
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a time that God
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had designated
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for a regular
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sacrifice.
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It was probably
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a time that God
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had given
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for them
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to come
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and offer
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a sacrifice.
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At the end
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of that time period,
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they came to offer
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their sacrifice.
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So God
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had given
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instruction
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as to how
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they were
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to worship.
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And Abel
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worships faithfully
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according to the
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prescription
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that God
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had given him.
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Cain
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does not.
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Cain
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comes to God
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in his
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own way.
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Cain
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is thinking
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he has a
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superior way
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than the way
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that God
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had commanded
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them to come.
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Cain
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may have
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reasoned
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in this way
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and I'm just
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going to read
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this to you
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quickly
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because I think
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it was well
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written,
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better than I
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would write
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myself,
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from a
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commentary
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by Kent
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Hughes.
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That Cain
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may have
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reasoned
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like this,
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what I am
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presenting
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is far
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more beautiful
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than a
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bloody animal.
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I myself
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would prefer
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the lovely
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fruits of a
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harvest
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any day
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and I
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worked far
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harder than
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able to
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raise my
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offering.
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It took
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real toil
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and sweat
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and it is
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even of
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greater market
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value.
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Enough
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of this
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animal
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sacrifice
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business,
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God.
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My
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way
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is far
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better.
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It's
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with this
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kind of
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attitude
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that Cain
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comes
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and makes
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his offering.
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Cain's
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offering was
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the evidence
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of his
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self-righteousness
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and pride.
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He thought
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he knew
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better.
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Abel
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humbly
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believed
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God
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and
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obeyed
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his
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command.
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He
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came
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to
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God
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with
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a
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submissive
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penitent
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heart
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trusting
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that God
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would accept
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him
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through his
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prescribed
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means.
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Further,
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Cain,
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upon having
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his offering
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rejected,
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became
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angry.
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He thought
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that he
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had some
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right to
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worship
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God
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on his
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own
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terms.
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And when
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that way
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was not
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accepted,
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he stamped
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his foot.
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God is
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being unjust
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towards me.
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I thought
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I was
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doing a
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thing that
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was good
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and proper.
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And God
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in his
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great mercy
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goes to
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him.
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This
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astounds
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me in my
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reading of
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this story.
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He becomes
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angry at
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God because
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God doesn't
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accept his
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unacceptable
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sacrifice.
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Genesis 4
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5 says,
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so Cain
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was very
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angry and
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his face
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fell and
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God comes
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to him
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and he
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speaks to
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him,
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verse 6
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and 7,
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why are
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you angry
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and why
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has your
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face fallen?
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If you
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do well,
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will you
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not be
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accepted?
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Cain has
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the opportunity
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here to
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repent.
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You were
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right,
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God of
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heaven and
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earth.
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You told
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me the
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way in
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which I
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should come
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and worship
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you.
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the doing
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well of
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verse 7.
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But what
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does Cain
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do instead?
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He remains
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angry.
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He does
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not
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repent.
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His mom
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had to be
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talked into
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sinning.
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He couldn't
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be talked
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out of it.
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And his
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anger
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finally and
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fully finds
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its vent
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in the
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murder
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of his
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brother.
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God
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will
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to
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God
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on
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his
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terms
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and
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not
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our
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own.
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We
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are to
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submit
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ourselves
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humbly
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to his
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good
18:19
commands,
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trusting
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that we
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will be
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delivered
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by the
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atoning
18:24
work of
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Jesus
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Christ
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on our
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behalf.
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God.
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We are
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to come
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to God
18:30
on his
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terms.
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And there
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is no
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other way
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to properly
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worship God
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than through
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the sacrificial
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work of
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Jesus Christ.
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There's no
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other way.
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If you don't
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place your
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faith in
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Christ,
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if you're not
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found in
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him,
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clothed in
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his
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righteousness,
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then anything
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you attempt
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to do
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for
18:51
God,
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toward
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God,
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will not
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be accepted
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by him.
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But if you
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are in
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Christ,
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if you
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belong
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in him,
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in his
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righteousness,
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you've been
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buried by
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baptism
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into his
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death,
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you've been
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raised to
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life in
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him,
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then we
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can do
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no wrong.
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In all of
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our feeble
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efforts,
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God accepts
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us because
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he accepts
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us in
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Christ.
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Don't lose
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sight of
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what the
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author of
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Hebrews has
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said in
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the previous
19:24
chapter.
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We walk
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through these
19:27
texts so
19:28
slowly.
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Just back
19:30
in Hebrews
19:30
chapter 10
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and verse
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14,
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the author
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wrote,
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for by a
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single
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offering,
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he has
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perfected
19:37
for all
19:38
time those
19:39
who are
19:40
being
19:40
sanctified,
19:42
set apart
19:42
by the
19:43
single
19:43
offering of
19:44
Christ
19:45
himself.
19:46
Offered
19:47
once for
19:48
all.
19:49
And then
19:49
in verse
19:49
18 of
19:50
Hebrews
19:50
10,
19:51
where there
19:52
is forgiveness
19:53
of these,
19:54
there is no
19:55
longer any
19:56
offering for
19:58
sin.
19:59
Praise God
20:00
we have no
20:00
need of an
20:01
altar in our
20:02
gathering place.
20:04
There is no
20:05
altar here.
20:06
If you're in a
20:07
Christian church
20:08
that claims to
20:08
have an altar,
20:10
it should make
20:10
you cock your
20:10
head a little
20:11
bit.
20:11
I don't know
20:12
what's happening
20:13
in this place.
20:14
We don't make
20:15
sacrifice again
20:16
and again.
20:16
once for
20:18
all.
20:19
Jesus
20:19
accomplished
20:20
this work.
20:22
And it's
20:22
by faith
20:23
in Christ
20:24
that we
20:24
properly
20:25
worship
20:26
God.
20:28
That's
20:28
Abel
20:29
trusting in
20:30
the sacrifice,
20:33
the atoning
20:33
work of
20:34
this worship
20:34
that God
20:35
had prescribed
20:36
that commended
20:38
him as
20:39
righteous.
20:41
Which brings us
20:41
to our next
20:42
point.
20:42
number two,
20:44
Abel's
20:44
wholeness
20:45
by faith.
20:47
Abel's
20:48
wholeness
20:48
by faith.
20:48
This is the
20:49
middle part
20:50
of verse
20:51
four of
20:52
Hebrews 11.
20:53
Through
20:53
which he
20:55
was commended
20:56
as righteous.
20:58
God
20:58
commending
20:59
him by
21:00
accepting
21:00
his
21:02
gifts.
21:04
Proper
21:05
worship
21:05
comes by
21:06
faith.
21:08
Righteousness
21:09
being
21:09
declared
21:10
right is
21:12
also
21:13
the result
21:13
of faith.
21:15
We do
21:16
not know
21:17
exactly
21:17
how it
21:18
is that
21:18
the Lord
21:18
had regard
21:19
for Abel
21:20
and his
21:20
offering.
21:21
Jewish
21:22
tradition
21:22
holds that
21:23
a fire
21:23
came down
21:23
and consumed
21:24
it but
21:25
didn't consume
21:26
Cain's
21:26
offering.
21:27
But we
21:27
don't know
21:28
for sure.
21:29
But the
21:30
author of
21:30
Hebrews
21:31
under
21:31
inspiration
21:32
of the
21:32
Holy
21:32
Spirit
21:32
tells us
21:33
that God
21:34
commended
21:34
Abel
21:35
as
21:35
righteous.
21:37
Commending
21:37
him by
21:38
the acceptance
21:39
of
21:40
his
21:41
gifts.
21:42
saving
21:44
faith
21:45
is
21:46
accompanied
21:47
by
21:48
works.
21:50
The
21:50
works
21:50
do not
21:51
save
21:51
us
21:51
but
21:51
saving
21:52
faith
21:52
is
21:53
evidenced
21:54
by
21:54
works.
21:57
James
21:57
write in
21:57
James
21:58
chapter 2
21:58
verse 17
21:59
and 18
22:00
so also
22:01
faith by
22:02
itself
22:02
if it
22:03
does not
22:04
have
22:04
works
22:05
is
22:06
dead.
22:08
Verse
22:08
18
22:08
but
22:09
someone
22:09
will
22:09
say
22:10
you
22:10
have
22:11
faith
22:11
and
22:11
I
22:11
have
22:12
works
22:12
show
22:13
me
22:13
your
22:14
faith
22:14
apart
22:15
from
22:15
your
22:15
works
22:15
and
22:16
I
22:16
will
22:17
show
22:17
you
22:17
my
22:17
faith
22:18
by
22:19
my
22:20
works.
22:23
Abel
22:23
believed
22:24
in
22:25
God.
22:26
He
22:27
believed
22:27
in
22:27
God's
22:27
commands
22:28
he
22:28
believed
22:28
in
22:29
God's
22:29
promises
22:30
and
22:31
he
22:31
showed
22:31
that
22:31
he
22:32
believed
22:32
by doing
22:34
what?
22:35
By
22:36
obeying.
22:37
He
22:37
evidenced
22:38
his
22:38
belief
22:39
in the
22:39
fact
22:40
that
22:40
he
22:40
obeyed.
22:41
It
22:42
wasn't
22:42
the
22:43
work
22:43
that
22:43
saved
22:43
him
22:44
it
22:44
was
22:44
his
22:44
faith
22:45
evidenced
22:46
by
22:48
his
22:49
work.
22:50
This
22:50
is so
22:51
very
22:51
important
22:51
for us
22:52
to
22:52
understand
22:52
in
22:53
our
22:54
age.
22:55
Again
22:55
from
22:56
Kent
22:56
Hughes
22:56
I like
22:57
this
22:58
little
22:58
analogy
22:58
he
22:59
wrote
23:00
faith
23:00
and
23:00
righteous
23:01
works
23:01
are
23:02
like
23:02
the
23:02
wings
23:03
of
23:03
a
23:03
bird
23:03
there
23:04
could
23:04
be
23:05
no
23:05
real
23:05
life
23:05
no
23:06
flight
23:06
with
23:06
a
23:07
single
23:07
wing
23:07
!
23:08
Whether
23:08
works
23:09
or
23:09
faith
23:10
but
23:10
when
23:11
the
23:11
two
23:11
are
23:11
pumping
23:12
in
23:12
concert
23:12
their
23:13
owner
23:13
soars
23:14
through
23:14
the
23:14
heavens
23:15
authentic
23:16
faith
23:17
produces
23:17
an
23:17
authentic
23:18
life
23:18
that
23:19
flies
23:19
high
23:20
like
23:21
the
23:21
Abel
23:21
of
23:22
old.
23:24
It was
23:24
through
23:25
the
23:26
evidencing
23:27
of
23:27
Abel's
23:28
faith
23:28
that
23:29
God
23:30
declared
23:30
him
23:31
righteous
23:32
whole
23:33
Abel's
23:33
wholeness
23:34
by
23:35
faith.
23:39
And
23:39
then
23:39
third
23:39
and
23:40
finally
23:41
Abel's
23:42
witness
23:43
by
23:45
faith.
23:45
The
23:45
last part
23:46
of
23:46
verse
23:46
4
23:46
of
23:46
Hebrews
23:47
11
23:47
says
23:47
and
23:47
through
23:48
his
23:48
faith
23:49
though
23:49
he
23:50
died
23:51
he
23:52
still
23:52
speaks.
23:54
And
23:54
I
23:54
hope
23:55
that
23:55
the
23:55
end
23:56
of
23:56
verse
23:56
4
23:56
just
23:57
resonates
23:57
with
23:58
you
23:58
as
23:59
we
23:59
have
23:59
previously
24:00
considered
24:01
those
24:01
who are
24:02
suffering
24:02
around
24:02
the
24:02
world
24:03
even
24:03
in
24:04
this
24:04
day
24:04
for
24:05
the
24:05
name
24:06
of
24:06
Christ
24:07
and
24:08
Pastor
24:08
Han.
24:11
In
24:11
Genesis
24:11
chapter 4
24:12
verse
24:12
10
24:12
Abel's
24:14
blood
24:14
cries
24:14
out
24:15
from
24:15
the
24:15
ground
24:16
for
24:16
justice.
24:18
Today
24:18
his
24:19
blood
24:19
cries
24:20
out
24:20
for
24:20
faithful
24:21
perseverance.
24:23
That's
24:24
what the
24:24
author of
24:24
Hebrews
24:24
is doing
24:25
all
24:25
through
24:26
chapter
24:26
11.
24:27
He's
24:28
saying
24:28
to us
24:28
look
24:29
look at
24:30
the
24:30
faith
24:30
of
24:31
Abel
24:31
and
24:32
press
24:32
on
24:32
to
24:33
the
24:33
end.
24:34
Your
24:34
end
24:35
may
24:35
come
24:35
soon
24:36
like
24:37
Abel's
24:37
it
24:38
may
24:38
come
24:38
long
24:39
like
24:40
others
24:40
but
24:41
press
24:42
to
24:42
the
24:42
very
24:43
end.
24:44
Don't
24:45
be
24:45
one
24:45
who
24:45
shrinks
24:45
back
24:46
and
24:46
is
24:46
destroyed.
24:47
Be
24:48
one
24:48
who
24:48
has
24:48
faith
24:49
and
24:49
preserves
24:50
their
24:50
souls.
24:52
Abel
24:53
speaks
24:53
to us
24:53
from
24:54
the
24:54
very
24:54
page
24:54
of
24:55
scripture
24:55
as
24:56
this
24:56
author
24:57
pens
24:57
this
24:58
letter.
24:59
He
24:59
is
25:00
not
25:01
silent
25:02
although
25:03
Cain
25:04
thought
25:04
he
25:04
was
25:05
silencing
25:05
him.
25:06
He
25:07
and
25:07
so
25:07
many
25:08
more
25:08
after
25:09
him
25:09
have
25:10
taken
25:10
their
25:11
place
25:11
with
25:11
our
25:11
Lord
25:12
and
25:12
glory
25:12
and
25:13
they
25:14
want
25:14
to
25:14
see
25:14
us
25:15
ushered
25:16
into
25:17
their
25:17
number.
25:18
They
25:18
are
25:19
longing
25:20
for
25:20
the
25:20
day
25:20
to
25:20
come
25:21
when
25:21
the
25:22
number
25:22
of
25:22
the
25:22
church
25:23
will
25:24
be
25:24
complete.
25:26
And
25:26
it's
25:26
to
25:26
this
25:26
end
25:27
that
25:27
the
25:27
author
25:27
of
25:27
Hebrews
25:28
is
25:28
encouraging
25:28
!
25:28
us
25:29
right?
25:30
Worship
25:30
by faith.
25:30
have
25:31
wholeness
25:31
by
25:32
faith
25:32
and
25:32
witness
25:33
by
25:34
faith.
25:36
Live
25:37
faithful
25:37
lives
25:39
and
25:40
preserve
25:40
your
25:40
souls.
25:42
Hebrews
25:42
chapter
25:42
12
25:43
and
25:43
verse
25:43
1
25:44
he
25:44
brings
25:45
chapter
25:45
11
25:46
to an
25:46
end
25:46
as
25:47
he
25:47
says
25:47
therefore
25:47
since
25:49
we are
25:49
surrounded
25:50
by so
25:50
great
25:51
a cloud
25:51
of
25:52
witnesses
25:52
!
25:52
Let
25:53
us
25:53
also
25:54
lay
25:54
aside
25:54
every
25:55
weight
25:55
and
25:56
sin
25:56
which
25:56
clings
25:57
so
25:57
closely
25:58
and
25:59
let
25:59
us
25:59
run
26:00
with
26:00
endurance
26:02
the
26:02
race
26:03
that
26:04
is
26:04
set
26:04
before
26:04
us.
26:05
Let's
26:06
pray
26:06
together.