Hebrews 11 part 5: “The Heart of Worship”
That’s unacceptable.
- Do you think that we can offer to God unacceptable worship?
- Is there worship that we can offer to God, that God says to us, “That’s unacceptable?”
- Remember verse 6, “Without faith it is impossible to please God…”?
- This seems to indicate that there is a lifestyle that is unpleasant to God.
- Does that not imply that worship that is not done by faith or is absent of faith will not please God?
- So, is it possible that even right here right now God could say to you, “That was unacceptable.”?
Acceptable worship starts with the BLOOD, requires the BEST, is shown by BEHAVIOR, and results in our BLESSING.
“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.” Hebrews 11:4 ESV
To fully understand what the author of Hebrews is saying in the New Testament, you need to go back to the Old Testament story. The Old Testament story of Cain and Abel is found in Genesis chapter four. In chapter three Adam and Eve sinned, that sin separated them from the immediate presence of God, they were removed from the Garden of Eden, removed from the most intimate relationship with God. They tried to cover themselves, cover their sin with fig leaves. “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” (Genesis 3:7 ESV) They went out and attempted to cover themselves. God rejected their ability to cover themselves. And God created a way that He would cover them. “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21 ESV) When they sinned, God killed an animal to cover them. This was symbolic of the removal of sin by blood.
Genesis 4:1-5
- So, they both brought a sacrifice to the same place at the same time.
- This shows both boys believed in God because they came to worship. Neither was an atheist, both desired for their worship to be accepted by God.
- Both were in the 81% that say, “Yes, I believe in God.”
- God accepted one and rejected the other.
- So, one person did something right and the other person did something wrong.
- One person did it the way God wanted it. The other person did not.
- Both of them went to church. Both went to the place, both of them did the activity, but only one of them was accepted.
- It is possible to go to worship and have your worship rejected.
- God approved of Abel’s offering, while Cain’s was unacceptable.
- What was the difference?
Starts with the BLOOD.
Cain brought “of the fruit of the ground”, while Abel “brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions”. God did not accept Abel’s offering simply because it was a blood sacrifice and God did not reject Cain’s sacrifice simply because it was not an animal sacrifice.
We see several places in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy that God did instruct them to bring the first fruits of their harvest. (Leviticus 23:10) Also, God didn’t always accept blood sacrifice as we see in the book of Isaiah. (Isaiah 1:9-12) So, I don’t think we can say that the foundational reason Cain’s sacrifice was rejected was because it wasn’t blood. However, I do think the type of sacrifice offered here does play some part in why God rejected one and accepted the other, there is more to it than that, there is something deeper going on here.
“By faith…”
- Remember Hebrews 11:4, “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice…”
- “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 ESV
- Faith has something to do with it, the unseen that Abel was hoping in, looking forward to had something to do with it, the heart of Abel had something to do with it.
- The reason Abel offered the firstborn of his flock did have something to do with it.
- So, the blood did have something to do with it.
- When Adam and Eve sinned in Eden, God killed an innocent animal to provide a covering for their nakedness, Genesis 3:21. God established a pattern for approaching Him that has never changed.
- There is only one way for man to come to God.
- God’s method for cleansing sin has always remained the same: It takes the blood of an innocent sacrifice to cleanse the sinner from his sins.
- “And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” Hebrews 9:21-22 ESV
- The ultimate sacrifice was made when Jesus Christ came into the world and gave His life for sinners on the cross, shedding His perfect, sinless blood to redeem the lost, satisfying the wrath of God over sin, and to wash the sinner clean.
- God set the pattern for sacrifice: blood was required.
What was his faith in?
Abel offered the first born of his flock, so Abel did offer a blood sacrifice. But what was his faith in? What was he hoping for? In Genesis 3:15, God promised that one day a Savior would come. God is speaking to satan: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15 ESV There is no doubt this is a prophecy of Jesus’ ultimate defeat of Satan. God announced that Satan would wound the Messiah (you shall bruise His heel), but the Messiah would crush Satan with a mortal wound (He shall bruise your head).
Jesus’ heel in His human nature was bruised; He was betrayed, accused, beaten, scourged, spit upon. He was nailed to the cross; He hung there in darkness and alone, and He died. But Jesus, on the third day, rose from the grave, defeating death, bruising the head of satan. Abel’s sacrifice said that he believed God, and his faith was accepted by the Lord. His sacrifice revealed the condition of his heart. He loved God. He honored God’s Word. He believed in God’s promise to send a Savior. He recognized he needed a Savior.
Commended as righteous.
- “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.” Hebrews 11:4 ESV
- “Commended as righteous”, there’s only one way for sinners to be made righteous, through the blood of Jesus Christ.
- “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV
- The only way to be made righteous is to receive by grace through faith the righteousness of Jesus.
- The only way God could commend Abel as righteous is by the blood of Jesus Christ.
- Abel was worshipping by faith.
- He knew he was a sinner in need of saving. His sacrifice showed that he was looking forward to the Savior that God had promised.
- Cain, on the other hand, is said to have “brought of the fruit of the ground”. There is no evidence of faith in the promises of God.
- Cain’s offering said, “I know what You said, but here is what I want to give You. Take it or leave it”.
- Cain neither acknowledged that he was a sinner or that he needed a Savior. Because of his lack of faith and his dependence on self, God rejected him and his offering.
- There is a warning here that we need to pay attention to; God will not accept our religion. He will not accept our works. He will not accept anything we do to attempt to save ourselves.
- All acceptable worship must start with the blood of Jesus Christ. There is no other way to offer acceptable worship.
- So, what does that look like for you and me?
- We no longer sacrifice lambs and goats.
- We must come with a humble heart, recognizing we are sinners in need of a Savior, that it is only by the blood of Jesus that we can come to the throne of grace to receive the help we need, it’s only by the blood of Jesus that we can come into the presence of God and worship Him.
- We must come with a broken and contrite heart, a heart of repentance.
Acceptable worship starts with the BLOOD, requires the BEST, is shown by BEHAVIOR, and results in our BLESSING.
Living Hope Ministries 