Turn to Genesis chapter four. I have backed up a chapter or
so. Genesis chapter four. I won't read the whole chapter,
just the first eight verses. Genesis chapter four. And Adam
knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived. So everyone old enough that needs
to understand that understands what that's talking about. And
Adam knew his wife, And Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived.
And Bear came and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. What a tremendous thing to say. This is not a statement as many
men would make today. Thank God I got a little boy.
This is in light of the seed, the promised seed of the woman
who would come and crush the serpent's head. And when that first son was born,
I know this, no it doesn't say this, but I know this, they wondered,
is this him? Remember how long these people
lived. We think our lives are tough.
They were under the curse like we are. And some of them lived
six, seven, eight, 900 years. I have gotten a man from the
Lord. And she again, bear his brother
Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep,
that's what it says. So let me just do away with this
idea that when I make some of the statements I will make today
and someone says, well it doesn't say that in the text. You only
talk like that if your heart and mind is in rebellion against
God's truth. There are some things I'm going
to mention that are not directly stated in the text, but the preponderant
testimony of Scripture lets us know they were facts. Facts known
to these people. She again buried his brother
Abel, and Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller
of the ground. He was a gardener. and in process
of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of
the ground an offering unto the Lord. Note Cain was not offering to
a strange God. Note Cain was not offering to
himself. The book says he was offering
unto the Lord. Capital L, capital O, capital
R, capital D. Cain knew, at least academically,
scholastically, mentally, physically, he knew the Lord. How? His parents had taught him. His
parents had taught him. That's all they had. They had
no scripture. Remember, the law had not even been given at Sinai
yet. with its righteous demands and its judgments against unrighteousness
and all of its types and symbols and shadows. Yet Cain was offering
to the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of
the firstlings of the flock. Now what flock? The flock of
the sheep. And the fat thereof. You don't have to be a rocket
scientist to understand what Abel was doing. He slaughtered
a little lamb and offered the blood and the fat to God. And the Lord, here's an amazing,
and the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering. One thing here, why did he say
Abel first? Because no man is accepted of
God, respected by God in and of himself. They had fallen in
their father Adam. And there is none by nature that
seek after God. That was true long before David
said God said it. God was just letting David in
on it when David wrote it in the Old Testament. And Paul was
just quoting David when he quoted it in the New Testament. had
respect unto Abel and his offering. Why Abel first? Well, first of
all, this offering was but a shadow of the offering that was to come. This little firstling of the
flock pictured the promised seed of the woman who had already
been promised to come. Secondly, God Almighty chose
His people in Christ before the world began. God has respect unto His people
because they're chosen in His Son. And Abel, he also brought
of the firstlings of the flock and of the fat thereof. And the
Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering. And I'm not saying this never
happened, but I've never heard a religionist say anything against that. That's
all well and good. But here's what religionists
do not get. But unto Cain, you see that? But unto Cain and to his offering,
he, that is God, had not respect. And Cain's just like all of us
when we find this out. Cain brought this offering unto
the Lord happily. Joyfully. Sincerely. Expecting God to accept or show
respect unto him and his offering. How do I know that? And Cain
was very rough. And his countenance failed. You ever got into it
with someone and you'd be happy and they'd be a spouse. You're
happy one moment, and the next thing you know, the wrong word
is said, and what the countenance falls. And you know the proverbial
stuff's ready to hit the fan. God, God had not respect unto
Cain and his offering, and Cain became vehemently mad at God. But look, our God is plenteous
in mercy. Our God delights to show mercy. And the Lord said unto Cain,
he was even talking to him. Didn't turn his back on him.
Didn't say, well, he wasn't one of the elect after all. Did he? Don't ever get hung up. Now God's
only gonna save the elect. but don't ever get hung up. Look, and the Lord said unto
Cain, Why art thou wroth, and why ist thou countenance fallen?
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou
doest not well, see and laugh at the door. And unto thee, now
think about it, and unto thee shall be his, he's talking about
Abel's desire. And thou shalt rule over him. Now remember Cain's the older. Cain is mad when God did not
have, did not have respect unto him and his offering and his
countenance fell. And God said if you do what's
right, you'll be blessed. and I'll even give you a superior
place to Abel. Is that not what God said? Does
anybody think God's lying to him? No. And Cain talked with
Abel, his brother. Isn't it amazing how that's the
next thing it goes to? And Cain talked with Abel, his
brother. Why didn't he converse with God? Why didn't he bow down before
God? Why didn't he cry out in repentance
before God? And Cain talked with Abel his
brother. And it came to pass when they
were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and
slew him. That doesn't mean he just give
him a good whack. Cain killed Abel. This is no picture book story. This is an actual account of
two brothers and their interaction toward God. and God's action toward them. And then one brother's interaction
toward the other brother. And it's real. This is an account
of something that literally happened some close to 6,000 years ago. There are only two kinds, I did
not say types, There are only two kinds of worship, of sacrifice,
and you cannot separate the two. Not in this book. There are only
two kinds of worship, of sacrifice, of offering. And right from the
get-go in the book, we see it delineated out, Cain and Abel. God has respect under the one,
the other one he will never, ever, ever find respect unto. It is the difference between
self-will and free grace. That's the two worships, sacrifice
and offering, the two kinds of religion. There are only two
kinds of religions in this world, that which honors God and that
which does not. It's that simple. And that goes
from Buddhist to Baptist. It goes from Buddhist to Baptist. It's either self-will or it's
free grace. And remember, when men talk about free will, some
of them know better. They know what free will is nothing
more than self-will disguised in emotional religious rhetoric.
Man has a will, that is true, but it is self-will ever since
the fall of Adam. And the Bible calls it that.
Self-willed are they. That's free will. Man is free
to worship himself until God intervenes. And man will worship
himself until God intervenes. Our text proves that God is not
seeking man's best shot. Cain was very happy with what
he was doing. Cain expected the respect of
God. And when God said no to both
Cain and his offering, he became very wroth. That's a strong Hebrew
word. And his countenance failed. His countenance finally caught
up with him, didn't it? He had already fallen, Mac. Now
his countenance fell right down there with him. Finally caught
up with where he really was, but what he wanted God to do
was accept him in the way he wanted to approach God. There's
nothing wrong with fruit. Who caused that fruit to grow?
Did God cause that fruit to grow? There is no doubt Cain labored
hard under the hot heat of the sun, but who causes it to grow? God did. David, right, he was
just giving it back to the Lord. But God has prescribed a certain
way of worship, a certain way of sacrifice, a certain way of
offering, and you will approach him in that way or you will not
be respected by God. That's just the way it is. I don't like that, neither did
Cain. and neither does any other unregenerate son or daughter
of Adam. You remember the account of our
Lord when he met the woman at the well and she attempted to
engage him in a religious debate about worship and where you should
worship? You remember one of the phrases,
he said more than this, but you remember one of the phrases,
woman, you worship you know not what. He wasn't playing sweet songs
of the fiddle to her. He was making her face the reality
of her state as Cain. Thank God it wasn't just the
rebuke that came for this woman. He gave her the ability to bow
in the error of her way and bow to God. Christ said those that
worship God must. must, must worship Him in spirit. That means it's got to be in
here first. I don't care what you got out here. A lot of people
got a lot of stuff out here worshiping the Lord and they ain't got nothing
down in here. In spirit and in what else? Truth. And don't be like Pilate. Well, what is truth? It's right
here, page after page after page after page. If you do right,
God will accept you. If you do not, sin lies. It's not that, it's like a crouching
lion. It's there at your tent door,
some say the actual Hebrew, then sin lieth at the door. You will be devoured. These are strong words. But they're still gracious words. Mason, God, and His holiness
could have just said to Cain, and saved Abel the trouble. Huh? Kept Abel alive. Huh? Could not God have? He just created the whole blessed
universe out of nothing, but God's got something to teach
us. Mack Hatfield, even if it means
the death of one of his saints, he got something he gonna teach
us. There's a right way and a wrong way, and God only has respect
under the right way. Folks, you go back and read,
this is not just some vague obsolete text in the Old Testament about
some little thing. Go back and read Jude, especially
verses 10 through 11. Go back and read John, the apostle
of love. The apostle who spoke more about
the love of God for sinners and of sinners, believing sinners,
love for one another. But he said Cain was of that
wicked one. that of that wicked, and he slew
his brother. Why? Because his works, his deeds, his actions were evil. And his brothers, what does the
book say? Righteous. You see, when you
worship God in God's ordained way, it's right. It's right. in spite of all the corruption
that still is in me, while it's still taking, if you worship
God in God's ordained way, it's right action. It's right deeds. It's right works. Now I know
this world thinks of works, singing in the choir, reading your Bible,
praying, all of those things may be so. But true works. true obedience, true righteous
action, is obeying from the heart that form of doctrine to which
God Almighty delivered you to. He said, here's my way. And a
regenerate soul says, I want that way. I want that way. An unregenerate soul may say,
I want to worship, but I'll do it my way. I'll do it my way. Human depravity knows no bounds,
does it? God told him he could rule over
his brother, and yet Cain was still so hateful. What was his
true hate? Was it toward Abel? No, it was
God. He couldn't get to God. He knew
he couldn't get to God, but he found himself in a spot where
he could get to his brother, and he killed him. And he killed
him. Oh, there's so much here, but
let's consider this. This is my subject, and I'll bring this
as my title as well. Abel's God accepted worship. Abel's God accepted worship. Now there are at least three
things in Abel's worship. And it's so much so that the
book of Hebrews puts it this way. His blood was spilt onto
the ground. Brother killed him. Probably
mashed his brains in, I figure. I don't know what happened. He
killed him, Mason. But he says his blood yet talks
today. Here I am, some 6,000 years later,
still mentioning that. Isn't that something? Isn't that
something? Here's the four things. One,
we see in Abel's worship, in Abel's sacrifice, in Abel's offering,
we see God's wisdom honored. Secondly, we see God's pleasure
adorned. Thirdly, we see God's divine
justice satisfied. And fourthly, we see God's truth
embraced. Now, oftentimes there are things
in the scripture that we don't necessarily see. Because we just
read over it and we don't really study it like you would talk.
We read it. Yeah, we ought to read, but we also ought to do
what? Study. Study. For instance, and I will
give you the last point briefly first. Truth embraced. Where
is faith seen here? It is. Because the writer of
Hebrews says, by faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice. So
he's seen it there, so I know it's there, Mack, whether I can
see it a whole lot or not. Yes or no? It's there. You see
what I'm saying? So if the book says it's there,
bless God, Joe, it's there. Now I can see it there. Because
faith says, I will bow to God's way. And you don't find Abel getting
upset because God told Cain, now listen, you do the right
thing, you can rule over your brother. You don't find Abel
raising up, say wait a minute now God, I did the right thing.
Because doing the right thing is all about God's glory and
not your glory. It's about God's wisdom honored. It's about God's pleasure adorned.
It's about God's divine justice satisfied. It's about God's truth
embraced. God's wisdom honored. God ordained
one accepted sacrifice. The text lets us know this is
the one Abel offered. He offered it, God accepted him
his sacrifice. Yes or no? Yes. What was that
sacrifice? A firstling lamb. Right? A firstling lamb. He was a keeper
of sheep, he brought up the firstling of the flock. Jesus Christ was
Mary's firstborn. and she brought forth her firstborn
son. Now we read that around Christmas
time and we lay the little doll baby in the manger and we got
the people dressed up as shepherds and angels with wings and all
this stuff and people miss who this is. This is Abel's sacrifice. This is him. She brought forth
her firstborn son. This is the he child. This is
the seed of the woman, the he that will crush the serpent's
head. And she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him
in a manger. Then about 30 years later, John
the Baptist comes along. In John 1, 29, we read this.
He said, behold the lamb. Behold the lamb that does what? That taketh away the sin of the
world. Now this lamb took away the sin
of the world. Whoever this world is, he took
its sin away. Therefore, it doesn't lay at
the tent door. It can't lay at the tent door.
Why? It's took it away. Taken away. It's gone. Now, I
want to be a part of that world, Joe. Whoever they are. You know what I mean? I'm not
gonna sit here and argue against God. Well, how much that world
be told, I just wanna be a warm party in that world. Don't you? Or will you sit and rebel against
God about election and predestination? Is this right or is it? Do you
see? That's what got Cain in trouble. Arguing in his own mind. How could this be right? Because
God said so. Because God said so. Unbelief
says, I'll have it my way. I'll have it my way. Belief says,
I must have it God's way. Christ is our substitute, 1 Peter
3, 18. The accepted, the one God-ordained
accepted sacrifice. For Christ has suffered for sins,
the just in the place of, that's what that word for means, in
the place of the unjust. Why? That he might bring us to
God. Bring us to God. How? Being put to death in the flesh. Now this is the lamb we're talking
about. This is the firstling lamb we're talking about. The
one who, when he died, he brought a people to God. being put to
death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. So much so that
the Apostle Paul in Ephesians chapter two clearly indicates
that when Jesus Christ sat down at the right hand of God the
Father in glory, we sat down there with him. Cain's rebellion rejects God's
one accepted substitute. To do so is to malk God's wisdom
because God says this is what's wise. This is what's wise. Secondly, God's pleasure was
adorned in Abel's sacrifice. What do I mean by that? God ordained
his own pleasure. You see, whatever pleases God,
that's what pleases God no matter what I think pleases God. And
you know that's true even of you. I mean, how many of you
are gonna, somebody come to you and tell you, you got to like
this. Who do you think you are? God, I like what I like, and
I dislike what I dislike. That's just the way it is. Live
with it. God has the right to say that.
He's God. He's the creator. We are the
creatures. God's ordained pleasure. Look
back at the text. The firstling lambs, fat. Did Abel just get lucky? Come
on now. Now, rebelliousness, well, I
know all that's important, but it doesn't say that's what God
demanded. Abel brought fat, because his mama and daddy told him,
that's what you better bring to God. That's what they seen
when God cut the hide away from them animals and made skins for
them. They seen the fat. with that slaughtered animal
laying there. And Mason, the man you was talking to, that
said you could take skin, the animal not die, that's a lie.
Don't be drawn into rebellion, rebellious unbeliefs, unsanctimonious
rebellion toward God. Cain and Abel had both been told,
offer the fat to God. And you get into the law, you
find out who does the fat go to when you offer offering. Who's
the fat go to? The fat gets burnt and goes to
God. Now I even think he probably
burnt this offering, but it don't say that there. But I know this. I know this. The fat is God's. This book says so. This book
says so. And Jesus Christ is that fat.
Ephesians 5, 1 and 2. He offered himself for us to
God. For us, yes, but hell, he didn't
offer himself to us. He offered himself for us to
God as a sweet-smelling sacrifice. And I can relate to that a little
bit. You take that good, what is it, 70-30 burger, got all
that fat in it. I don't know, maybe they'd come
up with a 60-40 would be even better, but I don't know why
they don't do that. A 70-30 or whatever, then you take that
patty out and you put it on that grill. You know what makes that meat
smell so good? Now if you're a vegan, I understand you're
not gonna get this illustration. I feel for you, I really do.
But when you start cooking that burger or that steak with that
marbled fat in it. Now that, that little lamb that
Abel was just picturing, Jesus Christ, when he suffered as the
burnt offering on Calvary's tree, it came up before God the Father's Oh, that smells good. And think of what was taking
place. Somebody says, I don't get that.
It's not up to us to get. God said, that's what I enjoy.
That's my pleasure. Don't tell God what he ought
not to enjoy. That's God's pleasure. Cain's rebellion rejects fat
for fruit. Now, I tell you folks, I could
take a couple peppers and put on that grill, and I like green
peppers. I like to take them things, put
on it. It don't smell as good to me as that hamburger or that
piece of meat with it cooking. And I'm kind of like Don Fortner.
I want to die with a piece of meat between my teeth, not green. Now, I like the green. I like about all of it. But you
understand what I'm saying? Cain's rebellion is rebellion
because it disdained God's pleasure. And that's what unbelief does.
Well God, I understand you like that, but look what I've got.
Take this. That's what Cain was doing. And
that's what we do in our unregeneracy all the time. We want to bring
forth what we want to bring forth and offer it to God rather than
God said, that pleases me, bring it. And deep down in here, we know
that's what pleases God. That's why people get so angry
with us when we preach what we preach. Well, deep down inside,
they know what we're preaching is what this book says, but they
don't want it. They don't want it. Well, my
preacher never preached that. I guess you never read your Bible
yourself? I mean, a fella come and told me one time at work,
he said, well, I went and told my wife about, we talked about
election, like the day, I think it was a Friday, Monday, come
in, so I went and talked to my wife. He said, election, he said,
that ain't in the Bible. I said, so your wife's a Bible
scholar, is she? I said, is she? He said, well, she don't even
read the Bible. I said, well, who you gonna listen to? Here, I
read it about every day. You won't listen to me, but you'll
listen to your wife. And I don't know that he listened to his
wife on anything else, but he listened to her on that. You know why? Because deep down inside, we
want it our way. And I'll do it my way, even if
it hair-lips God. Well, it ain't gonna hair-lip
God. We ain't got God over a barrel. If we don't do what's right,
sin lies at our tent door. We'll say it exactly like this,
just a good old Calvinist I am. But if you do what's right, I'm
not afraid to say that. Because believing God is doing. If you got a belief that don't
do, you got that dead faith that James talked about that's of
no value whatsoever. It disdains God's pleasure. Thirdly,
God's divine justice satisfied. Divine justice, we see that here?
Yeah, we do. We do. Fat equals death. Death equals blood. Blood remits sin. It's that simple. The blood of
the lamb is what God used, the lamb, what God used to redeem
us from our vain way of life. First Peter chapter one, verses
18 through 20. And he was before ordained, before
the foundation of the world. The real thing existed before
this type. Here it was. You know, just like
when Moses went into Sinai, and God said, see that thou make
it according to the pattern showed thee in the mount, I am fully
persuaded he showed him the person and the work of Jesus Christ.
But he told him, all that's not yet to be fully given. Here's
the dye, now you make it according to the pattern. All them things
that you make down there, that's the way you do it. Don't you
remember, he said, Moses, God said, Moses said to God, show
me your glory. And what he said, you can't see
my face right now. So I'm gonna put you in the cleft
of the rock, and I'm gonna hide you as my face passes before,
then you will see the backside. Is that not what God told him?
He's seen Jesus Christ. He's seen Jesus Christ. And then
God said, all right, here's the way, these lambs, pigeons, turtle
doves, blood, fat, and meal, all of these things, candlesticks,
and gold, and white, and badger skin, and I bet you Moses, That's something. Don't you think? I bet you Moses when he read,
he thought, boy. And does not the book say that
even the angels desire to look into these things? And doesn't
it say that the prophets, because not all of them were given what
Moses was given. Not all of them got to meet God
in the mount, right? They were just saying, something's
coming. Someone's coming and he's glorious. He's glorious. You see, Cain's
rebellion even rejected God's way after he was rebuked, but
given promise if he would repent. Right? The Lord said unto Cain, why
art thou wroth? and why is thou countenance fallen?
Let me tell anyone that hears me here, on TV, radio, anywhere
else, you hear me. Don't sit around trying to figure
out am I one of the elect or not. Will you do the right thing? Bow to God in the person and
work of Jesus Christ. Do the right thing. Believe Christ. Repent of your dead works. That's what Cain was offered.
He was works. but it was dead works. Now, you
know what? We don't offer to God our works. We believe Christ offered his
works to God as a sweet, smelly savor. Fourth, God's truth embraced. Faith, that is a God-given faith,
freely given faith, God. Faith engages God's Christ as
it's revealed in this book. and it sticks to that and to
that only. In other words, okay, God said
it has to be done this way. No matter what I think, no matter
what I ponder, no matter what I consider, I must take everything
I think about the matter and cast it off as rubbish. Paul
called it dung. Did he not? And you remember,
you never offered the dung to God. Now there were times when you
took it outside the camp and burned it all. High, dung, pertinence,
innards. But you didn't offer the dung
to God. And that's what we do in our unregenerate state. That's
what Cain was doing. You might as well say he's offering
dung to God. And here is the firstling lamb
of the flock, Jesus Christ. You think God Almighty will not
judge you for choosing the dung rather than Jesus Christ? Now
that's kind of a horrid picture, isn't it? But folks, that's what
we do by nature every day of our life. Until God Almighty
stops us in our mad track of rebellion, that's the way we'll
die. That's the way we'll die. And Abel, he also brought of
the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And that's
all it says. And the Lord had respect unto
Abel and his offering. I need that way. I need that
way. Hebrews 11, I done mentioned
it to you, but I wanna read it. Turn over there with me if you
want to read, look what it says. Hebrews 11 in verse four. And
then go back as I told you, go back and read 1 John 3, seven
through 13. I mentioned it. Look at the way
it words all that. These writers were not in disagreement,
but they weren't so worried about using the word do like we're
so worried today, lest we not be called a good Calvinist or
a good Arminian for that matter. Hebrews 11 verse four, by faith
Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Abel's offering was the one God
ordained to be offered. By which he obtained witness
that he was right. Do you see that? Believing God,
folks, is right. It's right. and believe in God,
you really believe God, you're gonna do what God says to do.
I remember, I can't tell you, Tim James now, down in Cherokee,
Sequoia Baptist Church, preaching to his people, and he said, I
tell him, he said, it's all right to believe God. Because everything
I touch gets defiled, it is true. Even my believing is defiled,
not with problems in the believing. It's not it. Lord, I believe,
help thou my unbelief. That's the problem, not the believing.
The unbelief is the problem. But he said it's all right to
believe God. By which he obtained witness that he was righteous.
God testifying of his gifts and by it he being dead yet speaks. The first murder. that we see
recorded in scripture was over this thing of free will and free
grace. Is over salvation by free unadulterated
sovereign grace or by that which I choose, I'm gonna offer to
God. Am I Cain or am I Abel? That's the whole point. That's
the whole point, ain't it? Am I Cain or am I Abel? Am I accepted of God or rejected? And remember, the one that God
rejects, it says here, no respect. How do you feel when you finally
meet that one person in this world that has no respect for
you whatsoever? Doesn't feel good, does it? You
ever met one of those folks? Just disdained everything you
are and everything you think, everything you love, and everything
you're about? Huh? Do you just want to go up and
give them a big kiss? Love on them? Listen, we're not
even holy. How dare we do that to God? And then think everything's gonna
be okay. It will not happen. Ah, but if God enables you to
be able, You'll bow to God and His Son,
and God will have respect for you. Is that not profound? Respect for you. Oh, God, make
us able in all the ways that that's necessary. Make us able
in Christ's name, amen. Joe, was that thing on?