JESUS, THE MORE EXCELLENT SACRIFICE

April 7, 2002 pm
MFBlume

Genesis 3:6-8  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.  (7)  And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.  (8)  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

Genesis 4:1-5  And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.  (2)  And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  (3)  And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.  (4)  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:  (5)  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.


Adam and Eve sinned.
Adam was wrong.
Fig leaves became the issue in other events in the Bible, and became known as a symbol of hypocrisy.

In Matthew 21, after Jesus was rejected by Jerusalem, He saw a fig tree with many leaves, and went to obtain fruit from it.
In Luke 13:7, Jesus spoke a parable of the fig tree in the vineyard.
So God took Adam and Eve, and stripped away their man-made coverings.
Everytime Dam and Eve would see each other from then on, they would be reminded of the covering provided at the death of an innocent.
Cain and Abel were born.
Cain repeated Adam's error!
Abel offered the firstlings of his flock.
Cain was relying on his own works, like Adam.
Cain learned nothing from Adam's error.
Adam's home-made works were thrown away by God.
Hebrews 11:4  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: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
As an animal hide clothed Adam, God clothed Abel with RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Revelation 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Cain put vegetation that was already dead onto the altar.
Abel gave life on the altar.
By faith Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain When Cain did shed blood, it was Abel's blood.
Abel shed blood in faith towards God.

Cain was cursed in shedding Abel's blood.

Abel was covered in righteousness when he shed the lamb's blood.

God testified of Abel's gifts. Today, the True Innocent is Jesus!
Cain put on a show!
Christ is the firstborn of every creature.
There are always two kinds of worshipers.
Only what comes from faith will ever please God.
Hebrews 11:6  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
The faithful will perk up in sermons like this.
Mat 23:35  That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Give Jesus, only.
A hymn goes:
I come to thee without one plea,
But that thine blood was shed for me.
Nothing of ourselves was ever recoverable to give to God again.
Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Abel offered by faith,
We must admit that we simply have to become new creatures, and that there is nothing of our old lives that is useful to God.
People who often get down about themselves have never gotten this revelation.
If these people would realize that their works were so useless to God, and so valueless, because our lives in Adam are valueless, and if they could understand the cross is meant to totally remove our past lives, they'd not worry about their efforts today.
Since God gave Christ as an offering for sin, then we must also give Christ as our offerings, since that alone pleased God and He was satisfied.

If you get down over not being good enough, then you are too concerned over your own works.
All we can offer is Jesus.

People who worry about their works are people who offer these things to God, and do not even realize it!
Maintain an attitude of being a living sacrifice.
Singers, before you sing, pray and ask Jesus to sing through you.

Before I preach, I pray for Christ to preach through me.

Before you testify, pray that Christ speaks through you.

Before you do anything for God, pray that Christ do it through you.

Otherwise, none of it will please God!

Christ is the more excellent sacrifice!