Fallen Countenance

Q: What does the Bible say about Cain and Abel's offerings?

Cain's offering was rejected by God due to its basis in works, while Abel's was accepted because it was made by faith. In the narrative of Cain and Abel, Cain brought the fruits of the ground as an offering to the Lord, while Abel offered the firstlings of his flock. God regarded Abel's offering, as it was made in faith, whereas Cain's offering was rejected. The rejection stemmed from Cain's lack of faith and reliance on his works. This serves as a clear delineation between salvation by grace through faith and the futility of works righteousness, showcasing that true acceptance before God can only be found in faith, exemplified in the blood of the sacrifice, which points to Christ's ultimate sacrifice.

Q: How do we know that Abel's sacrifice was accepted by God?

Abel's sacrifice was accepted because it was made by faith, as attested in Hebrews 11:4. The acceptance of Abel's sacrifice can be understood as God bearing witness to Abel's righteousness through his offering. Hebrews 11:4 explicitly states that 'by faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.' This is crucial because it emphasizes that God did not only accept the gift, but also the giver based on the faith that underpinned the offering. Abel's faith led to a recognition of God's holiness and the necessity of blood sacrifice, which foreshadows Christ’s ultimate sacrifice. In contrast, Cain's reliance on his works displayed a fundamental misunderstanding of how to approach God appropriately.

Q: Why is the concept of faith important for Christians?

Faith is central for Christians as it is the means through which one receives grace and justification before God. The concept of faith is foundational in Christianity, as it is through faith that believers are justified before God. In the examples of Cain and Abel, we see a contrasting demonstration of faith. Abel acted in faith, trusting in God's way of sacrifice, whereas Cain sought to approach God through his own works. This highlights the Reformed doctrine that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, reflecting the essence of the Gospel. Faith opens up access to God's grace and assures believers of their standing in Christ, as evidenced by the acceptance of offerings offered in faith and the rejection of those based on human merit.

Q: How does the story of Cain and Abel illustrate the difference between works and grace?

The story illustrates that salvation is not achieved by works but through grace, as shown by God's acceptance of Abel's faith-based sacrifice. In the story of Cain and Abel, a profound theological truth is revealed regarding the relationship between works and grace. Abel's offering represents the grace of God, as it is given in faith, acknowledging that only a blood sacrifice is sufficient to approach the holy God. Conversely, Cain’s offering represents a reliance on human effort and merit, which is ultimately futile. This distinction reveals that God divides humanity based on accordance with His divine standard—where acceptance is based solely on grace through faith rather than personal merit. This division is echoed throughout scripture and is pivotal to understanding the doctrine of salvation in the Reformed tradition.

Q: What does it mean that God had respect unto Abel and his offering?

God's respect for Abel and his offering signifies His approval of the faith that motivated the sacrifice. When scripture states that God had respect unto Abel and his offering, it conveys God's acceptance and favor, due to the faith that Abel demonstrated in his act of worship. This respect denotes God's acknowledgment of the rightful approach to Him—through the shedding of blood, reflective of the ultimate sacrifice in Jesus Christ. In contrast, God's lack of respect for Cain and his offering indicates a rejection not only of the act itself but also the attitude behind it. Cain's approach was devoid of repentance and faith, relying instead on the fruits of his own labor which cannot satisfy God's holiness. This distinction underscores the importance of having the right heart and faith when coming before God.

fourth chapter I'm going to read the first five
verses and Adam knew Eve his wife and
she conceived and bear Cain and said I have gotten a man from
the Lord and she again bear his brother Abel and Abel was a keeper
of sheep but Cain was a tiller of the ground And in process
of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of
the ground an offering unto the Lord. 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. But unto Cain
and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth
and his countenance fell. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, we are
thankful for your great grace, for ruined, wretched sinners,
who have no hope in themself or in anyone else upon this earth. But their hope is in Jesus Christ,
who sits at thy right hand, who after he had purged our sins,
sat down on the right hand of the Father. Father, we ask tonight
that you might be pleased to open our minds and hearts to
receive the word of God, Give us understanding and appreciation
for the clear message that you set forth in every line and every
precept in this book. Help us to remember those who
are sick, those who are going through trials, those who've
lost loved ones, those who are suffering sorrow and anguish
in this world. We ask, Lord, you be with them
and comfort them and strengthen them in Jesus Christ. Help us
tonight as we gather here to worship you, as we catch a glimpse
of your glory, a glimpse of indeed the only way a sinner can approach
unto you. Help us, Father, to see this
plainly, confess it in our hearts and minds. We pray in Christ's
name, amen. Now this is the record of the
first and second born of humanity. and has become proverbial, if
you will, in common language for the crime of fratricide. One can but say Cain and Abel
and the mind goes to the murder of a brother. I mean, it's just,
you know, it's used in all kinds of language and in literature.
Rarely, however, is the subject addressed as to motive and content. But we will consider the act
of murder in our next study. For this hour we'll look at what
will bring about the first murder, the first homicide or fratricide. Now Eve had been promised that
her seed would be the instrument of vengeance against the seed
of the serpent. We found that in Genesis 3.15. And there can be no doubt that
her anticipation was great as a mother, the seed of woman,
to give birth to the seed of woman who would bruised the serpent's
head. And as she became pregnant, no
doubt she was very happy that she was going to have a child.
No doubt about that. Not only was it the unique blessing
of being a woman, but with it came to Eve's mind the fulfillment
of the promise of God. She believed that to be so. She
was a believer. She believed God, taking Him
at His word. Now she had no concept that the
promise of God would be fulfilled millennia later. at the nativity
of Jesus Christ and his suffering on the cross for her the birth
of Cain the firstborn her seed was the promise fulfilled she
thought she thought the word spoken upon his birth and the
name he was given revealed that she believed that Cain was the
seed who would bruise the serpent's head the actual wording is Here
it reads, she says, I have gotten a man from the Lord. The actual
wording is I have gotten the man from the Lord. The definite article employed
by Eve intimates that she believed that her firstborn would win
the day and undo the terrible curse placed upon mankind by
Adam's disobedience to God and obedience to the serpent. The
name given this child was Cain, which means possession. This
also suggests that she fully believed that Cain was the man,
the promised seed. The prepositional phrase from
the Lord is also significant. She believed this child was not
only born from her, but was a gift of God, was a gift of God. In Psalm 127 and verse three,
Solomon says this, lo, Lo, children are an heritage
of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. It's a heritage of the Lord. Happy is the man, he says in
verse five, that his quiver is full. They shall not be ashamed,
but they shall speak with the enemies at the gate. She believed this was a gift
of God. And being a gift, though this child was the product of
the nuptial relationship with her husband, she attributes to
the work of the Lord God. She believed this was a gift
of grace, no doubt about that. And knowing something about human
nature, I think it would be safe to say that Cain was made aware
of his mother's belief, revealed in Cain's eventual fatal treatment
of his brother. The promise had been interpreted
by Cain as an entitlement, an entitlement. Then he became pregnant
again. Some say that these boys were
twins. I read a number of commentaries that actually said they were
twins. I don't know whether they were or not, but I know that
Cain was the firstborn and Abel the second. But Abel's name means
breath. Remember, she has the possession
of the seed of woman in Cain, and now she calls Abel's name
breath. The root word from which we get
the word breath in the original means vanity. vanity. It speaks of uselessness, emptiness,
or a vapor and suggests this child was of no value in comparison
to Cain in the eyes of his mother and father. This birth may also
be a reminder of that which befell humanity because of Adam's sin
and the death that would come into mankind. She believed her
first son was the promised seed. Her second son was just a fellow
that was going to die. Vanity. This is illuminated throughout
the scriptures in the Psalms of David, the words of Solomon,
man is lighter than vanity. Man's life is a vapor. Solomon
said all is vanity. One of the meanings is the dying
man, the dying man. In the days to come, we will
witness many words flowing from the mouth of Cain, words bemoaning
his punishment for his dreadful deed. Those words are recorded
for eternity in the inerrant word of God. Conversely, we will
hear no words recorded in all of holy written spoken by Abel. He never utters a word in scripture.
There's no record of him ever uttering a word, yet scripture
says he being dead yet speaketh. He being dead, yet speaketh.
The words of Cain were the words of a man who, when facing God,
are words that exuded entitlement. The words of Abel is the word
made flesh. That's his word. The word made
flesh, the payment of the sin of the elect, blood and death
before a holy God. The words of Cain are words of
works for righteousness, and the unspoken words of Abel are
the words of faith and grace. He being dead, yet speaketh.
Here also in verse two is the introduction of a new vocation.
Cain followed in the footsteps of his father and was a tiller
of the ground, a farmer, a man of the soil, the oldest of vocations. Abel, however, was a keeper of
the sheep. Here we have something new introduced
to you. He was a shepherd, a feeder of sheep. That word shepherd
throughout the scripture is interpreted many ways, but one of the interpretations
is pastor. or preacher, he's a feeder of
the sheep. You remember the words of Christ
when Peter had been fishing all night and caught a thing. And
the Lord stood on the bank as they were coming back empty and
said, you fellows are hungry? Y'all hungry, y'all want something
to eat? And they all said, okay. And so the Lord prepared some
fish and was cooking them up for them. And Peter sat down
across from the fire from the Lord and the Lord said, do you
love me? Peter said, yeah, I love you. He said, well, feed my sheep. A little bit later, the Lord
looked at Peter and said, do you love me? Peter said, yes,
I love you. He said, feed my lambs. A little
bit later, he said, do you love me? Peter said, Lord, you know
everything. You know I love you. He said,
feed my sheep. This is what a pastor does. So
Abel was the first example of a pastor. He was a keeper and
a feeder of the sheep, a feeder of the sheep. Now both of these
occupations, the farmer and the shepherd, are honorable and neither
suggests that either is to be diminished in value. Moses was
inspired, however, to refer to Abel first in this passage. perhaps
because of the regard that God had for the sacrifice of blood
that Abel was about to offer. The man of faith who offered
the blood of the lamb was slain by the man of works who offered
the fruits of his own labor. And that's what's happening throughout
history. Sounds familiar. It's another
example of a theme that has been set forth in the first three
chapters of recorded history. There is a division here. There
is a division. You see, God divides. God divides
he separates the word separate is the word sanctify to separate
Matthew chapter 25 when the king brought the nations together
to judge them he separated them the goats from the sheep, set
the sheep on his right hand and said, come inherit the kingdom
which was prepared for you before the foundation of the world of
the goats. He said, go out into eternal fire and damnation. But
he made the separation. God sanctifies some for himself
and sets others apart for ruination. How often was it said of Christ
in scripture, there was a division because of him. There was a division
because of him. It began with God dividing the
darkness from light in chapter one. Continued with man dividing
from his God. Then the seed of woman and the
seed of the serpent. There's the division. And in
this passage we have the division that goes on today as clears
a veil of works and grace. It's that simple. This will always
be the division. And only the presence of a law
that prevents murder Prevents men of religion from killing
those who disagree with them The words in the process of time
back in our scripture it says and in the process of the time
in verse 3 and came to pass that Cain brought forth the fruit
of the ground as an offering to the Lord. And the process
of time means at the end of days. That's actually what it means.
Or at an appointed time. We don't know when the time is.
Some endeavored to keep men under the law, said that this was the
Sabbath day. But it wasn't the Sabbath day.
There is no reference to the Sabbath day until the law was
given on Sinai. No reference whatsoever. No reference
that Abraham kept the Sabbath. Or that Noah kept the Sabbath?
Or that Seth kept the Sabbath? Or that Enoch kept the Sabbath?
There's no reference to that whatsoever in Scripture. There's no reference to the Sabbath
day until the law was given, and there's no record of any
one of the Lord's children observing such a religious ritual until
Sinai. You see, Adam wasn't a Jew, and
neither was Eve, and neither was any of the children born
of them. Abraham was not a Jew. Noah was not a Jew. There was
no Jews that existed until Sinai. And they, before that, were the
sons of Jacob, the 12 tribes of Israel. But they became known
as Jews some 100 or 200 years after Zion. That was the first
time they were actually called Jews. But there's no, Abraham
wasn't a Jew. He was a pagan. Lived in the
Cur of Earl of Chaldeas and was called out by God in a picture
of the Covenant of Grace. This appointed time, whenever
it was, was an appointed time for sacrifice, appointed time
when God was to be worshiped, appointed time when offering
was, to me, to be made to God in worship. In all probability,
it was the time of harvest, more than likely, which is an important
time as the law came along, for the first roots belong to the
Lord. Remember what it says there? Exodus 33, it says, if an ass
is born, if an ass is born, or the firstborn of a foal of a
mother, You're either to redeem him by the blood of the lamb,
or you'd break his neck and kill him. The first fruits belong
to the Lord. We are a kind of first fruits,
it says. The children of God are a kind of first fruits unto
God. Of His own will begat he us of the word of truth, that
we might be a kind of first fruits unto God. Now in other words,
there's another separation. It's different from the rest
of the fruit that's gathered. The first fruit is separated
and sanctified unto the Lord. In all probability, it was the
time of harvest of the first fruits, since Cain brought forth
the fruits of his labor, and Abel brought forth the firstling
of his flock. So that was probably the time
it was. Whatever the time was on that day, the offer was to
approach the altar at the east of Egypt, what we looked at,
and place on the altar between the cherubim, where the Shekinah
glory of God dwelt, to keep the way of the tree of life, whatever
he brought to offer to God. Now as with any offering, it's
a form of worship. It was first a confession of
sin. When we come to worship God,
when we come together to hear the gospel of the Lord Jesus
Christ, we come as sinners We come as recognizing the fact
that what we're doing is we're praising God for saving us from
our sin. That's what worship is. So it's
first a confession of sin. Secondly, it's a plea for mercy.
It's a plea for mercy. And it's also a demonstration
of thanksgiving and a praise for God's grace unto us. If the
offering was accepted, It was revealed by the flaming sword
of the Shekinah glory of God consuming the sacrifice by fire
and raising a sweet-smelling savor unto God. The offerer knew
that God then had highly favored him if this offering was accepted. If the offering was rejected,
it was revealed to be so when it was not consumed but left
on the altar to rot. Our Lord said something of the
religion of the Jews in the book of Malachi that they had gone
so far from the truth and they were very religious and very
ritualistic but had no true interest in the Word of God. In Malachi
chapter 2, our Lord said this, Oh, now you priests, this commandment
is for you. If you will not hear, if you
will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, saith the Lord
God, I will even send a curse upon you and I will curse your
blessings. Yea, I have cursed them already,
because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will corrupt
your seed and spread dung upon your faces, even the dung of
your solemn feasts, and one shall take you away with it. Then if you look at verse 13,
it says, And this have you done again, Covering the altar of
the Lord with tears and with weeping and with crying out In
so much that he regardeth not the offering anymore or receive
it with the goodwill at your hand This is the end product
of what happened when Cain Offered that offering his offering on
on the on the altar of God Cain and Abel knew Cain and Abel knew
that God was to be worshipped and And both had been taught
of the manner by which Adam and Eve had been covered for their
sin, and that was a blood sacrifice and death accomplished, and that
by God alone. God alone made the substitution
for Adam and Eve. And both knew that acceptance
for God was one way and one way only. The way they were accepted,
the way they were not put into hell, they were accepted by a
substitutionary sacrifice, by blood, by a blood sacrifice. Blood had been shed by God alone. And both of them knew that. And
you ask the question then, knowing that, how do we know? Well, we
know Cain and Abel were both taught of the word by Adam because
Abel received it. For by faith he offered his offering,
but Cain didn't offer his by faith. He offered it by works.
By works. You ask the question, what then
prompted came to bring the fruits of his labor to the place of
a blood sacrifice, can only be a matter of conjecture, but at
the heart was unbelief, there's no doubt, that brought about
his belief that there was another way to keep the way of the tree
of life. Not by blood and by death, but
there's another way. Was it his belief that he was
the promised seed of woman? Was it a sense of his self-worth?
Who knows? We know our Lord said of the
Pharisees in his day, they thought they trusted in their own righteousness
and despised others. Who knows why he brought these
vegetables instead of a lamb? What we do know is this, the
old saying still says, you can't get blood from a turnip. It's
the old saying. And not only that, turnips ain't
wrapped in fat. Ain't wrapped in fat. And that's
very important in this passage of scripture. Abel's sacrifice, Cain's sacrifice
was offered from this cursed ground. What grew from a cursed
ground? By his labor. But I have no doubt
that he brought his very best cornucopia to God. No doubt about
it. To offer to the Lord. He felt
in his heart that the works of his flesh were sufficient to
worship God. Nor can his sincerity be in question. And such is the sad state of
religion, man's religion, the serpent's religion. They believe
that God will accept their works and their labors as an acceptable
righteousness before him. They believe that and that's
why they do it. That's why they practice it. But he will not. Simple as that. He will not accept
it whatsoever. In this case, he did not. At
the sight and time of the first recorded sacrifice, God rejected
Cain and accepted Abel. Abel brought the firstlings of
the flock and the fat thereof. Why the fat thereof? That is
always important because the fat is what makes the aroma.
The fat is what makes the smell. You know that's true when you
cook pork chops on the grill. When that fat starts dripping
on that fire, the smell is so good. The smell is so good. Scripture says the fat Speaking
of the fat of the sacrifice, belongeth to the Lord. For that
fat creates what is called the sweet-smelling savor to God throughout
Scripture, when consumed in the flames of His fiery justice,
which pictures the accepted sacrifice of Christ, which is in Scripture
called a sweet-smelling savor unto God. Preaching of the gospel
is called the very same thing. In 2 Corinthians chapter 2 it
says that we preach the gospel and it's a sweet-smelling savor
to God. It's the fat on the altar. It's
the fat on the altar. The sweet-smelling savor comes
from the fact that it's consumed by the fire of guard wrath, picturing
the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it preaches, it sets forth
the acceptance of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on behalf of
whom it was offered, by whom it was offered. Now the result
is declared in very plain language here. The Lord had respect unto
Abel and to his offering. He had respect unto Abel and
to his offering. Does he respect Abel? Yes, he
respects Abel in the offering. In the offering. But unto Cain
and his offering he had not respect. That word respect here means
to look at, to look upon, to gaze upon, and to regard, to
regard. God looked on Abel's sacrifice
and looked upon it and gazed upon it and regarded it and accepted
it. We know that's true from Hebrews
chapter 4 or Hebrews chapter 11. When he speaks of Abel's sacrifice,
it says, 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 or the offering that he offered,
and he being dead yet speaketh. God testified that he accepted
this offering and named Abel as righteous. The Lord had respect
to Abel and to his sacrifice. As for Cain's sacrifice, God
did not look upon it. That's what He did not respect.
He did not look upon it. He did not gaze upon it. He did
not regard it and He did not accept the one who offered it
or the offering that was made. What Cain did will ever be aligned
with all that is false. Jude wrote this, Woe unto them
for they have gone the way of Cain. They'd gone the way of
Cain. And the record is simply this. Cain got mad. Cain was upset. Cain was very
wroth. The word means furious, burning
with anger. Who is he mad at? First of all,
he's mad at God. He is mad at God for rejecting
him and his sacrifice. After all, this was no mean thing
that he did, no small thing that he did. He got his very best.
I'm sure he polished the apples and the grapes and made sure
there wasn't no dirt on any of the stuff and probably brought
it in a beautiful tray and laid it on that altar. He said, look
what I've done for you, God. Accept me on the basis of this.
He was mad at God. What was the impetus for this
fury? It can only be that he believed that God was wrong.
Why else would it get bad? He believed that God was wrong,
that God was unrighteous in rejecting him. It can only be that he believed
that God was somehow obligated to accept him in his sacrifice
because after all he was giving God his best. He was giving God
his best. It can only be because he believed
that he was entitled to acceptance because of the works of his hand.
That's what it really narrows down to. He was mad also at his
brother Abel. After all, Abel was just a vapor.
A dying man. A dying man. And Cain was the
possession. He was the gotten one. He was
the promised seed of woman and Abel's sacrifice was not to be
compared to his. He just took a lamb and cut his
throat and poured the blood on the altar. What kind of mess
is that? Look at what I've done. Abel's sacrifice was accepted
because he believed God to be satisfied with a man because
of the blood of something else or someone else. And there surely
must be more to it than that. That is what men say today. That's
what men say today. Does religion exhibit such anger
in this day? I've had it vented at me. I've
had really holy righteous men cuss me out. I mean flat, say
all kinds of awful things to me, cuss me. Tell me I ought
to go to hell for thinking that. Tell me I believe the devil's
doctrine for thinking that. I've had them do that. Why? Because
I'll tell them the truth about this. And I'll tell you the truth
tonight too. Tell myself the truth tonight
too. Nothing that I do or bring to God of myself or of my labors
or my works count at all. Only the blood of Jesus Christ. Only the blood of Jesus Christ. So if you don't think religion
would exhibit such anger as Cain did in this day, well just tell
them that their works, their decision, their will, their religious
activity, their giving, their singing, their study means nothing. And see them make the face. See
them have the twisted face for yourself. Cain's countenance
fell. His face was all twisted up and
angry. He donned the hate face is what
he did. He was full of hatred. Why? Because
only the blood death of the propitiatory God-satisfying sacrifice satisfies
God. Nothing else does. And the question
then arises, we're sons of Adam by birth. We are. We're Cain's or Abel's. One or
the other. How will you approach God? How
will you worship God? Will you do it by the works of
your hands? Will you do it offering to God what you've done for Him?
Or will you do it in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ knowing
that that sacrifice satisfies God? How will you worship God? Cain worshiped God the wrong
way. He was rejected. Now he was worshiping
God. There's no doubt about that.
He loved God. He wanted to please God. He thought he could please
God by the works of his hands, by the labor of his hands. He
really believed that. He was sincere. He wasn't a bad man. He wasn't an evil man. He was
a religious man. But sincerely wrong. How will you worship God? Nothing
in my hand I bring. simply to thy cross I cling.
This is all my hope and peace. This is all my righteousness,
nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ. Your works are nothing. They
are ordained of God. If you're a child of God, you
will do them and probably won't know you've done them. But if
you hold them up, as a means of acceptance before God on any
level now, and I'm talking about any level, on the very least
level you could imagine. You're rejected, and your works
are too. You and your works are rejected. Lord, let us be like Abel. Let's
obey the Lord and come to this place and say, oh, preacher,
tell us about the blood. Tell us about the death, because
I know that's what set me right with God. and nothing else. Father
bless us to understanding we're praying in Christ's name. Amen.
All right.

Fallen Countenance

What does the Bible say about Cain and Abel's offerings?

How do we know that Abel's sacrifice was accepted by God?

Why is the concept of faith important for Christians?

How does the story of Cain and Abel illustrate the difference between works and grace?

What does it mean that God had respect unto Abel and his offering?

Sermon Transcript

About Tim James

Comments

Joshua

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Fallen Countenance

What does the Bible say about Cain and Abel's offerings?

How do we know that Abel's sacrifice was accepted by God?

Why is the concept of faith important for Christians?

How does the story of Cain and Abel illustrate the difference between works and grace?

What does it mean that God had respect unto Abel and his offering?

Sermon Transcript

About Tim James

Comments

More from Tim James

Related Sermons

Articles by Tim James

Books by Tim James

Joshua

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book