Sermon: Justified by Faith

You take a copy of God's word this morning and turn open to the book of Hebrews as we continue our way through that book and this morning Hebrews chapter 11

and we will look at Hebrews chapter four, I mean Hebrews chapter 11, verse four. As we continue our way through that book this morning, Hebrews 11, verse four, if you're using a Pew Bible, you can turn right to page 1007 in the Pew Bible

1,007 in the Pew Bible

and let's pray before we read and hear God's word read and preach this morning. Let's pretty good

Father we before you in humility this morning,

like children looking up to their parents. So we look up to you our eternal father,

and we ask that you would speak to us, you'd speak to us in a way that we would understand, thankful that in mercy condescended, uh, give us your word. We're thankful that you listen to us so that as children before your throne can understand you and your purposes for us as much as we are able and we pray especially this morning that you would not leave us to ourselves but you would as a kind and merciful father that you would speak to your children.

We would clearly hear your voice

and that you would be exalted in our midst. We pray this in the strong name of Christ Jesus, our Lord and our savior. Amen. Hebrews chapter 11 verse four. This is a holy inherent sufficient word of God. 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 grass withers

and the flower fades. The word of God is forever be to God. Amen.

Last week we entered into this great chapter of Hebrews 11. This is what is often called the Hall of Fame of faith. And as we walk through this, we are going to see the author of Hebrews walk through various individuals from the Old Testament and he's doing so depress home the importance of faith for both the Christian religion and also for the Christian life. And the first that he picks up as he is going through this list of Old Testament saints is he is picking up the

story of Cain and Abel and what we want to see in what he is pressing home in this very first story as he goes through them here in verse four is that he is pressing home to us the doctrine of what we have come to call the doctrine of the justification by faith alone. And he's pressing home justification by faith alone because it's the very heart, it's the very core of the gospel message as we celebrate just a couple of weeks ago, uh, reformation Day, October 31st,

and as we celebrate that, you'll remember the reformers, the reformation was overall a great recovery of the truth of the scriptures of justification by faith alone. And the reformers rightfully said that it is on this article justification by faith alone that the church either stands or the church falls. Why? Because it's at the very heart of the gospel, the very heart of the gospel that we proclaim the very heart of the gospel that saves sinners.

So we'll see that this morning from this verse four points this morning as we look at this first Abel's faith verse Keynes Folly. Second, it's gonna be Abel's commendation third Abel's reward. Finally, Abel's speech. So first Abel's, faith, first Cain's Folly, second Abel's commendation, third Abel's reward. And then finally Abel's speech. First Abel's faith verse Cain's Folly, the author of Hebrews, he begins his account going back

and recalling the story from Genesis four and in Genesis four we have this account of both Cain and Abel and he recalls that Abel's sacrifice to God was a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain's, but the reality is is much more than that. If you go back to Genesis four, you will see that God's response to Cain's sacrifice is that quote, he had no regard, no regard for Cain's sacrifice. Why they both offered as we are told in Genesis four,

they both offered first fruits. That is that which they had come to produce that of all that they had produced. The very first of it they offered to God and sacrifice and were told very clearly in Genesis four that Abel was a shepherd, Cain was a farmer. Abel tended to sheep, Cain tended to plants and they both offer from their first fruits. Now, when we're given details like that in the scriptures, it's often and almost always for reason.

It's not just what we would kind of call color to provide color to the passage. It's important that Abel is offering sheep and Cain is offering plants to the Lord, which you think back to Genesis three and in Genesis three, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel's parents, the first people in the garden, first man, the first woman Adam and Eve are told by God that they're not to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good

and evil, but they choose to eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And because they do so they fall in sin and because they fell in sin. So every one of us fell in and with them in that sin. And all of us are born as sinners into this world and God appears to them and in the midst of cursing them, he's cursing them for this disobedience and for sinning against him. In the midst of that, he does

what is anyways surprising. We didn't know it. We're told that God quote made for Adam and his wife garments of skins and clothed them. That is God met their sin and he met their shame with sacrifice. He, he takes an innocent animal and it's sa, it is sacrifice to cover their sin and to cover their shame God provided for them. Now you can say most likely verbally but surely just by example what God has taught Adam and Eve

and has taught all those that come after them that what was required for sinners is this. This is what is needed. Bl blood must be shed to atone for sin. Why? Because as we're told in the scriptures there is life in the blood and what was God's promise of the eight? From the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, if you eat from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall surely die.

So there must be death. Now go back and you think about Cain and Abel, why is it that Abel's sacrifice was received by God and commended, but Cain's was not? Well Cain, at the point of offering these first fruits, we can guess was at least 129 years old if you do the math. And when Seth was born, Kain and Abel had to be at least 129 years old. And as Kent Hughes points out in Genesis four, three we're told in the course of time,

Kain brought an offering course of time literally means at the end of days, indicating that there was some kind of end to a specific period of time, no doubt, a specific period of time that they were to offer regular offerings before God and therefore it seems right as hug says it surmised that both Cain and Abel had known God's word regarding the necessity of animal sacrifice since they were children and had obeyed it for years they've been living this way.

Both Canin and Abel, they've been offering sacrifices both Canin and Abel and they both would've understood the substitutionary atoning nature of blood sacrifice because when God provided skins to clothe their parents, he established a principle of covering sin through the shutting of blood. This is how sin is covered, this is how your shame is covered by sacrifice, sacrifice innocent blood and new.

As Hughes says, Abel's faith was an expression of his conscious need for atonement. Paines was no pain came with pride and hubris, whereas Abel came in faith under the covering of blood. If, if you think back through the Old Testament and all of these sacrifices that are offered time and again and over and over, even as the writer of Hebrews has pointed out to us over and over through this book, all of those sacrifices were meant to bring to the consciousness

of the sinner time and again that the penalty for sin is death and you have the need to be covered over by blood. You have to be substituted for or you have to pay the penalty itself and all of it was meant to keep moving their eyes forward, to keep looking forward in hope, trusting in hope. Looking forward to that day when the promise was realized that the one would come, who would atone for all of our sins the lamb of God covered over

by his blood everlasting, all pointing to that McCain thought he knew better, he knew a better way, not able simply came in faith by blood before God in worship. Just think about how often the writer of Hebrews in this book has been pointing us over and over the blood that we need to look to the blood of Christ, the substitution sacrifice for sinners just as an example, Hebrews nine, Hebrews nine, verse 12 through 14.

He says this, he meaning Christ entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption Bri the blood of bulls and goats and the sprinkling defile persons with the ashes of heifer sanctify for the purification of the flesh. How much more the blood of Christ an argument from the lesser to the greater all of these sacrifices, all the blood of these bulls

and goats, all of that was a lesser sacrifice to lead to the greater sacrifice so that you understood the principle. It must be covered over with blood,

how much more with the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. There must be substitution for sinners. Your works are dead

and don't accomplish it.

Abel chose Christ's way. Kane's folly was that he gave but it was not what was needed and it wasn't what was required. Cain thought he knew better. He's going to do it his way, Kane's way rather than Christ's way.

I remember reading illustration similar to this, uh, that flushes this out well in the early nineties by a popular author, author, late nineties and it just kind of rocked my world. He, he told a a story of a father of four boys and they lived in a mansion and the father of these four boys warned them not to go near this river. The three of the boys, eventually the younger boys went out and they went near the river and they were pulled into the river

and they were pulled by the current of the river and they were taken down to a hostile and a foreign and a horrible land and they couldn't make it back up the river because the current was too strong. They couldn't walk alongside the river because the banks were too steep. They couldn't go around because the mountains were too tall, they were stuck. They each had different things that they did, but it was the one brother that stuck out to me.

I remember when I was reading this, his brother decided that he was going to make his way back to his father up the river and because the current was so strong, what he decided he would do is he would lay stones in the river bed and he would just keep laying them until he had something firm to walk upon. Story goes as the father, sins firstborn son. When the firstborn son comes down to that hostile land and he comes there to to carry back

because he is, he is older and he is stronger and he has ability and so he comes to carry back the son's back to the mansion, the stack, the stones stacking brother sees him and says, leave me alone. I'm working. I am going to work my way back to the father and then he will see how hard I have worked and he will respond by granting me mercy. The older brother says, he's already given mercy, he's already forgiven. He's sent me, he's given mercy.

Younger brother says, no, I'm going to work my way back, won't be able to do anything but give me mercy. Once he sees how hard I've worked to get back it, it ends with the older brother saying, look, I was sent here to carry you back. You don't understand how strong this river is. You are never going to make it back. The task is too great. And the younger brother says, do you doubt my strength? Do you not know? Have you not seen?

Look, I have made five steps up the river. The older brother, the firstborn says, yes, you've made five steps, so you have 5 million to go.

It's an impossibility

and the mercy has already been extended. It's not our way, it's his way. This is a folly of Cain. He thought he would make his own way to God. Abel understood that he could not and Abel humbly simply humbles himself before God and he approached God by faith, by faith able offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice by faith.

We do not do to gain justification. Rather we believe what is justification? Justifications are being declared righteous before the throne of God. We all must stand in the courtroom of God someday and as we stand there, we will all be held accountable for what we have done in the flesh, what we have said, what we have done, what we have not done, what we have not said. And all of us will stand there and you can't be declared righteous

before God by what you decide to offer. Him doesn't work that way because it's an impossibility.

We simply come to him by faith receiving what he has given.

Faith has often been referred to in the Protestant tradition as the instrument of our justification

instrument of our justification. That is that God has extended the righteousness of Christ to us. The very righteousness of God is extended to us in Christ according to God's mercy and you and I just receive it by faith, it's the instrument of our justification,

which leads to our second point. Abel's commendation we're told he was commended as righteous for offering that sacrifice. And so the question must go in your mind. If you're thinking through, you say, what isn't that? Just undo everything that you just said, pastor, he did something. He offered sacrifice to God and because he offered sacrifice to God, he is commended by God. Wasn't he commended for his doing for his works?

The answer is no. He was commended in the sense that his life was testifying to what he believed. The worship that he was offering testified to the fact that he had faith in God and the means that God had provided He believed our justification are being declared rights and our standing before God is not based upon merit. What we do, our works, the holy God will never be satisfied with the works of fallen men. That's Cain's follower. Rather.

Our salvation is wholly based upon not all righteousness but the righteousness of another, righteousness of the second Adam, the very son of God who lived a perfect life, a completely righteous life and then died a completely righteous death and then he imputes, he credits that righteousness yours in my account so that when God looks upon you sinner, if you are united to Christ by faith, sees the righteousness of Christ, his righteousness.

The only way to receive that by faith

Abel's offering demonstrates his faith. Or we could say it this way, his sanctification speaks of his justification. Don't confuse these things. There is an important distinction between justification and sanctification, justification or our declaration of our rights standing before God, his judgment that we have rights standing before him. Justification sanctification is our growing in righteousness justification. Once sanctification we continue to grow in righteousness

until that last day when we are before his throne and completely righteous, there is to be a distinction, but there's not to be a separation.

Those who are justified are being sanctified. Those who are declared righteous before the throne of God are working out their salvation with fear and trembling. They are growing in righteousness. Our works are evidence of our faith and that's what's happening here with Abel in faith. He offers an acceptable sacrifice to God and that offering or worship testifies to his faith in this God. So he's commended for that faith.

Third abel's reward

say, well that's all well and good, but we look at the story of Cain and Abel and it doesn't seem like faith is that great of a choice. Cain murders Abel. Cain continues to be. Abel ceases to be

except that's not the case. Abel's reward for faith is great. There's a telling story at the end of the account in Genesis four of Cain and Abel and we're told this at the end of that account, then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of nod east of Eden. Now that should send all kinds of alarm bells going off on your head because it's familiar language because at the end of chapter three, Genesis chapter three,

we have the exact same language. When Adam and Eve fall in the garden and they send against God, were told that God quote drove out the man and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. Adam and Eve are driven east of of Eden. They're driven away from the presence of God. Cain we're told is driven away from the presence of God. He is driven east of Eden

and then it closes with this idea that look, they're not only driven away from the presence of God, they're driven away from the tree of life and the way to the tree of life. It's been stopped up by angels cher them who have flaming swords guarding the way. So there is no access to the tree of life and that's the desperate state of sinful man. There is now no way to come to the tree of life, no way to have communion with God.

It's being guarded by angels with flaming swords. You can't go in there and have that kind of communion with God anymore. You can't have everything that that tree of life symbolized and promised a truly happy, a truly joyous, a true life without end rest and love, peace and comfort, continual, uninterrupted communion with our maker. It's gone. It's barred, no entrance, it seems impregnable

lost forever

and his wrath driven man out of the garden.

That's not lost forever, not for all.

Jonathan Edwards once wrote, wrath of God drove us out of paradise. The grace of God invites us to return.

We turn to the end of our Bibles. You would see that the tree of life makes a new appearance there and then revelation there in Revelation two, seven we're told about the tree of life again and we're told there quote to the one who conquers, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise. God, how does one conquer by faith does Abel's reward

Abel conquered by faith

who he has everlasting communion with God

Enjoy the tree of life forevermore.

Jonathan Edwards once preached a sermon in which he talked about Christ leading us back to the tree of life. Remember the ways barred, it's barred with angels, with flaming swords. So how do we ever enter in again by faith in Christ who leads us to the tree of life and he leads us by becoming our substitute.

He himself as the second Adam, the very son of God. He must go through those flaming swords. Edwards points out and he bears the judgment of those swords. He bears the wrath of the Father. Way is open tree of life is accessible so that you can be in paradise with God. Again, that word said this and that sermon said, in Christ rising from the dead, being a divine person went before us. Now the sword is removed. Having done its execution already having nothing more

to do there, having slaying Christ. There is no sword now and the way is open and clear to eternal life for those that are in Christ. This is the reward for Abel's faith, the reward.

Love how Augustine wonderfully said about Abel and Cain. He said, Cain founded a city on earth, but Abel, the stranger in Pilgrim looked forward to the city of the saints which is in heaven. He reached it by faith.

By faith.

Finally, Abel's faith speaks to us as the writer says, through his faith, though he died, he still speaks Abel's life It it continues to testify. It testifies to you it it testifies to me. This is the way he continues to live and he speaks. You remember back in Genesis when he is murdered by his brother that we're told that his blood was spilt on the ground and that that blood cried out and what it cried out for was God's justice.

But what the writer of Hebrews is speaking about here is not Abel's blood crying out for vengeance or for retribution, but rather he's testifying. It's a testimony he's calling to you. He is calling to me. This is the way faith. If you only know the reward I am enjoying. This is the wave faith. You see, Abel was, he was the first man ever to die. He was also the first man ever to enter into heaven.

Imagine that He's the first. It's it's God the angels, the archangels. Ah, there's somebody new Abel.

This is the way can only get here by faith.

Abel speaks.

Let me ask you, have you believed?

Have you received trying to make your own way?

Think you know better than God?

You, I'm talking the person next to you, reman woman child in this room, have you believed, have you received

and make your own way

everlasting life, everlasting peace with God. It is offered freely to all of us and all we have to do is simply receive by faith the substitutionary sacrifice made for us. Faith receive and in this sense it is completely passive. It is simply receiving and resting in Christ Jesus who was made sin for us. He bore our sin. He bore our shame.

Trying to work your way back up the river

little brother has been sent to carry you home.

We could even say,

put it even more pointedly. We we're not saved by the act of believing

we're saved by the finished work of our older brother.

Be be Warfield. The 19th century Princeton theologian I think said it better than any other. He said, the saving power of faith resides thus not in itself, but in the Almighty Savior on whom it rests. It is not strictly speaking even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith.

He did it. It's accomplished. It's done.

You, you just receive it. Just receive it

And if you have, if you've received and finished work of Christ on your behalf, then

you need to understand that you are to have peace and you're to have rest.

Our justification are being declared right before the throne of God. It it, it deals with all the past sins that you and I have committed and it deals with all your future sin

Paul says, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who in Christ Jesus. Not now, not ever. That means that though you continue to fight in dwelling sin and though you continue to give into the deeds of the flesh, though you continue to fall into the temptation of the world. Though all of those things are true. Your union with Christ, if you are in Christ is never in jeopardy. Why? Because it's not based upon your righteousness.

Your justification is based upon His righteousness

Is your secure. There is. Therefore now No and never shall be Any condemnation for those who are in Christians.

I was talking with somebody after the first service and they said, I struggle with the judgment day and thinking about standing before the throne of God and thinking, oh, all of my sins are going to be laid out. Why are all those being recalled and we were talking about and discussing with one another? It will be though a fabulous moment

where all your sins are recalled because you will have no shame and all it will do is elicit in you Thanksgiving. Oh my goodness, I did that and I did that and I did that and I did that. Christ Paid for that and paid for that and paid for that, paid for that. No condemnation. He bore Your sin and he bore Your shame

If you're in him by faith,

Abel knew that his justification was not based upon his righteousness.

Cain thought his righteousness was sufficient. Abel looked sacrifice to Christ to come. He knew.

Let me just close with this one idea. I often think about this and thought about this over the years. It is fascinating to me that justification we, it is eschatological. That is it deals with the last things. It's the, it's the end time and yet what happens is, is that judgment that is rendered in the end. That that that future reality, what has happened in justification is that that future reality has been brought all the

way back to the present. There is an asca logical aspect that is brought here to the present where you and I dwell

and because it is eschatological, because it is tied to the end. It's complete, it's done. It's a final judgment. There's not more judgment to come. It's done. You've been declared. If you are in Christ shoes, you've been declared righteous before the throne of God because of the righteousness imputed to you, credited to you of Christ. It's done. You just get to hear it.

JV Fesco said this. He said, it is the verdict of the final judgment brought forward in the present for the one united Christ. By faith, this means he passes through the eschatological wrath of God the Father, not on the last day, but in Christ's crucifixion. Christ bears the wrath of the final judgment on behalf of those who look to him. In faith, the believer is judged in Christ in the present, but that judgment at eschatological

and final, it's final, it's done, it's complete. It is irreversible as Fesco says, just as the wrath of the final judgment comes into the present and the crucifixion of Christ. So to the eschatological declaration of righteousness, the believer's justification is a present reality. It is true for you now forevermore if have received Christ by faith,

if you've received him by faith,

your faith has a reward that is beyond measure and Abel keeps speaking. He says, this is the way you have to be covered over by this blood. This is the way we're gonna close the service today singing. There's a fountain filled with blood. If someone knew nothing about Christianity and walked into this room and heard you singing that at the top of your lungs, hopefully with smiles on your face, they would probably run 'cause it's crazy.

Talk plunge me beneath the blood, who asks for that sinners

fountain filled with blood rejoicing. Why rejoice? 'cause it's a fountain for sinners.

It's be covered over by the blood

sacrifice has been made for sinners. I pray you've received it today. Let's pray.

Father, we are thankful, thankful that you sent your only son into this world to live and to die for sinners. We're thankful that our salvation cannot be of our own making, that we must wholly entrust ourselves to you and the very means you have provided in the precious blood of your son

and give you praise for the gift of faith.

I pray that every single soul in this room would know the joy that accompanies in Christ's name. Amen.