Hebrews 11:4- How to worship

Hebrews 11:4 “4 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.”

Today we are going to talk about worship! How are we to worship God? Well today we’re going to take look!

This is what the Bible says about worshiping God.

John 4:24 “24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

God is specific about the sacrifices and worship that he’ll take

WE DON’T get to meet God on our own terms and conditions ! There is a certain way he wants things and its by faith!

In this story we are going to see two very different kinds of worship!

One that TRUSTS and another that TRIES!

One that God respected & One that God rejected

Both men here are going to “worship”(go to church, be “good”) but God only accepted one! Why?

God accepts faith!

As we go through this story we are going to see the sacrifice that God likes and the kind he hates.

Take notes. What kind of sacrifice are you bringing God?

Before we get into this story we need to remember that God had given some instructions on how to sacrifice!

Remember Adam and Eve had messed and sinned in the Garden. In order to try to cover their shame they we’re going to use some leaves they WORKED for and fixed together but see that wasn’t good enough to stand before God. God required a sacrifice and in Genesis 3:21 (“21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.” ) God had killed an animal and provided for them a covering that was good enough!

See so when its time for Cain and Able to sacrifice they already have some instructions on what to do.

Genesis 4:1-4 “1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. 2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. 4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:”

The offering God respected

God had respect for Abels offering!

Notice it was for Able and his offering! God had respect for! See we aren’t separate from our offering

Why did God accept Abel’s offering

It was God’s way

Abel offered an animal just like God has demonstrated

It was but faith

Abel also had faith in God and his way!

Heb 11:4 “4 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.”

His faith in God’s way had him declared righteous

“Obtained witness that he was righteous”

Are we meeting God on his terms? Are we trusting in God’s way? Are we coming to God by faith?

The Offering God rejected

Genesis 4:5 “5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.” -

God rejected Cain and his offering!

Why? Cain worked hard on that. Im sure the fruit was sweet. The effort was there. Why was his offering rejected?

It was rejected because it wasn’t God’s way!

See Able trusted God Cain just tried!

Cain didn’t come to God like God wanted he came to God his way. He offered his way and God rejected that and him.

Instead of trusting God he offered up his works!

Good works are like filthy rags.

Is 64:6 “6 But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

Cain would be like any religious person today, someone trusting in their works, someone trusting in their money, someone trusting in anything that’s not God’s way!

It’s never trying that pleases God its trusting him!

The Offering we require

- See Cain and Able both needed to sacrifice because they we’re both men and both sinners.

That puts us in the same boat

Romans 5:12 “12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”

See and that brings us to the same point they we’re both at!

Are we going to go God’s way of faith or Cain’s was of futility?

Both men worshipped but God only took one. What will he say about ours?

Abel’s had blood

He understood Hebrews 9:22 “22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.”

Cain’s had works

Abel went God’s way

Do we have faith in God’s way?

John14:6 “6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Do we have faith in the Blood?

Romans 5:9 “9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”

1 John 1: 7 “7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”

Are we going Cain’s way?

Faith in ourselves?

Religion, money, people?

We’re given a warning about going Cain’s way

Jude 11 “11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.”

Notice that Cain’s way in this story led him to a “fallen countenance” (sad) and he continued to sin more!

Examine our sacrifice! Are we trusting or trying?