Title [Text: Hebrews 11:4] Abel's Faith
We will be able to lead a better life of faith when we know exactly how the forefathers of faith lived their faith. After revealing what faith is, the writer of this book is encouraging our faith life by introducing each and every one of the pioneers who lived by faith. The first person to introduce is Abel. Abel is the second son of Adam. From a human point of view, it may be said that he was an unfortunate person who died by being beaten by his older brother, but the Bible testifies that he was blessed even in death by believing in God rightly while he was alive. We hope that our faith will be more perfect through this Abel.
1. Sacrifice (worship) is the most important act of faith.
Good faith is evidenced through worship life. There are many acts of faith that believers should express, such as education, service, and good deeds, but nothing is more important than the worship life. The writer of this book prioritizes Abel, who offered the right sacrifice to God, more than any other person, so he is reminding us of the importance of the sacrifice (worship). If we truly believe in God, let's strive to live our worship service. Even if there are any shortcomings in other matters, I hope that only the worship service will be thorough. All worship services are important, but you must attend the public worship service in particular. The Sunday worship service, the praise service, and the three-day prayer meeting are public services. You must risk your life to attend this worship service. Some of the saints consider it to be sufficient to attend the Sunday worship service, and some even try to maintain their faith by attending once in a while. About a third of the saints are absent every Sunday. Of course, there are reasons, but it is not desirable for believers. All the saints keep Sunday holy, but look forward and pray that the day will come soon when no one is absent from worship.
2. Not all worship is acceptable to God.
Genesis 4:4-5 says, “Did the Lord accept Abel and his offering, but not Cain and his offering? Not all sacrifices are acceptable to God. If God offers a sacrifice he does not want, his sacrifice is meaningless. Let alone blessings, reproach or curses may follow. Malachi 1:10 is an important verse on this point. “I wish I had someone among you to shut the gates of the temple, saith the LORD of hosts, so that you may not burn my altar in vain. Will my sacrifice (worship) be acceptable to God? Will my gift really be acceptable to God? We must become believers who come to God with this attitude and pay attention. I sincerely hope that we will all become Abel and not Cain.
3. Let's look at the teachings of the Bible about the sacrifices (worship) acceptable to God.
① It must be worship to God. In other words, we must offer a theocratic worship. People-centered worship is never acceptable. However, many churches these days offer people-centered worship rather than God-centered worship. Worship for self-satisfaction, worship for the purpose of receiving blessings, and worship immersed in carnal joy are not worship for God. In worship, we ourselves must be sacrificed. A total sacrifice is required. It must be fully dedicated. “Did you accept Abel and his offering?” he said. It was not only Abel's offering, but Abel himself as well. Abel had even sacrificed himself.
② It must be worship that is offered according to God's method.
It should not be artificial. We see artificial worship countless times. Artificial worship refers to worship offered according to the opinions of humans. Some scholars say that this is one of the reasons Cain's sacrifice was not accepted. Abel sacrificed a sheep as God had revealed, but Cain offered grain as a sacrifice according to his own thoughts. Worship these days has a lot of artificial elements. First of all, there are many attempts to destroy the form. However, ignoring the format is very dangerous. There is also a worship service that focuses on the convenience of humans. This is also not a worship service that will please God.
③ It must be a worship service in which an offering (sacrifice) is offered.
In the Old Testament times, sacrifices were essential, but even in the New Testament times, gifts were always prepared when gathering for worship. Today, we also say that we prepare our own gifts, but we need to know that it is too short compared to the dedication of the first saints. A gift is an expression of gratitude, love, and faith for the grace you have received. The offering must include sincerity. It must also be a voluntary gift. And it has to be the best. Abel offered the firstborn of the best sheep to God. But Cain did not have this kind of devotion. Whenever we gather to worship God, let's have an attitude of preparing our gifts with sincerity.
④ We must offer complete worship.
We must cherish worship and make sure that worship is flawless from beginning to end. As mentioned in Malachi, the situation right before the history of Israel entered the dark period was a time when worship (sacrifice) was completely ignored. They were troubled by offering sacrifices to God (Mal 1:13). This means cumbersome, burdensome, and tiring. How unfortunate it is to regard the sacrifice that should contain the most emotion and sincerity in this way. With that in mind, they offered the sick, extorted, and dirty bread formally. This was the beginning of spiritual darkness. It was also the cause of the nation's unhappiness. Full worship is required. Let's be punctual. Let's have a whole heart during worship. Also, let's do our best. Let us become believers who worship while purifying ourselves. You will be delighted with this worship service.
Today we saw Abel's faith. I knew that the perfect act of worship is the evidence of faith. Although he was beaten to death by his brother, his faith is eternally witnessed. Heaven's reward will be great.
I hope that we too will become people of faith who live with the importance of worship and run with joy when the Lord calls us. Let us never forget that the worship life acceptable to God is the most important aspect of our religious life, and let us all strive for worship and devotion.