Yesterday I taught the third teaching of this series I'm calling "The Journey of Faith". This is a long post because I'll not be able to post the rest of this week, so if you want, break this into a couple of readings.
Hebrews 11:4 (ESV)
4 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.
This series is coming from two sections of
scripture:
Hebrews 11 and the book of Genesis.
Hebrews 11 is known as the faith chapter…and that’s
because it begins with this BIG PICTURE statement about what Faith is…
Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith is in a SOMEONE, NOT A
SOMETHING. It is trust in a Person, God,
and the knowledge that God is Trustworthy.
We’re looking at various
dimensions of our Faith…because Faith is not singularly focused.
Let's take a look at
Faith as it relates to Worship.
Hebrews 11:4 (ESV)
4 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.
4 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.
Worship is an act of Faith
Faith is usually associated with things having to do with Salvation. We talk about Faith in believing…and Faith as trusting in God for our Salvation, and there certainly is justification for that:
Ephesians 2:8 (ESV)
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
It is true, but did you know that we don’t just
have Faith once, but we exercise our Faith continually. Look back at Heb. 11:1, “FAITH IS…”,
We realize that Faith is NOT just about
Salvation. Faith has to do with everyday
living.
Romans 5:1-2 (ESV)
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Faith is multi-faceted and touches every aspect of life and one of the ways in which we exercise Faith is in our Worship
of God.
I think most of us realize that Worship
is not Sunday morning in church. Jesus
had a conversation with a woman about Worship.
John 4:19-24 (ESV)
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father…. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father…. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The focus of the woman is similar to many today: Religion is about worshiping IN a PLACE. Worship has to do with right forms,
liturgy… BUT, JESUS says, Worship is
about WHO, not WHERE.
Worship
is about FAITH in WHO we are worshipping.
Faith is always a
Someone, not a Something. So also, Worship is a SOMEONE, not a SOMETHING. Our Faith, is active…it’s real (substance)…and it is
something that leads us back over and over to God. The Real Person GOD… God receives us as we come to him by Faith: Hebrews 11:6 (ESV)
6 And without faith it is impossible to
please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and
that he rewards those who seek him.
Faith is the absolute essential if we’re going to reach
out to God.
Faith doesn’t mean we have all the answers, it simply
means we know WHO has all of the answers.
Faith means we come to God and get His approval in doing
that.
SO…this
story sits as a story about Faith and about the Faith of Worship… Hebrews 11:4 (ESV)
4 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.
4 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.
The background to this story is in Genesis, BUT, notice what he says about Abel’s Faith: It was “more acceptable”… “commended”… “accepted”… And “though he died, he still speaks”…
What I can’t overlook in this is something that is
outside our experience, but is happening in Christ’s church at times around the
world – Abel’s faith in God led to his murder.
Martyrs are people who will give up their
lives because they won’t give up their worship of God. We have brothers and sisters in Christ in various places of the world that are still being killed because of their worship of God.
This Faith of Abel is something God loved, and even
though it cost him his life, he continues to bear witness to this Faith of
Worship.
Two Brothers, Two Ways
The story of Abel and Cain is found in Genesis 4…let’s
look at it.
Genesis 4:1-7 (ESV)
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”
In a very simple straightforward way, the passage begins
with the first children.
The very first child born into the world after creation
is Cain. The phrase in vs 1, “Adam knew Eve his wife…” seems a bit
unusual for talking about conception, but it’s a familiar word in scripture. In general “KNEW” has a wide range of definitions, but
when used in scripture of a man and a woman it always means “intimate
relationship”.
The birth of Cain elicits this expression, “I have
gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” The name Cain means "Gotten".
We need to ask the question, what did Eve mean, “I’ve
gotten a man from the Lord?”
When the Fall occurred, God had told her: Genesis 3:15-16 (ESV)
15 I will put enmity between you [Satan] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children…”
15 I will put enmity between you [Satan] and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children…”
So when chapter 4 begins, Genesis 4:1 (ESV)
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, [TO GET…HE IS HERE] saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, [TO GET…HE IS HERE] saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.”
I think that Eve thought this is going to be the one who
is going to reverse the curse that the Fall caused and return them to God as
before the Fall.
After Cain, came Boy #2 – Abel. Genesis 4:2 (ESV)
2 And again, she bore his brother Abel...
2 And again, she bore his brother Abel...
The name “Abel” is interesting. It’s the Hebrew word, Hebel
Remember Ecclesiastes, “Vanity of Vanity…” the Hebrew word was “hebel”… it is what is translated Vanity, or Meaningless, a mere
Breath…
And that is the word for Abel – now would any parent
name their child, Hebel? Meaningless? A
Breath?
For Eve, Cain was the hope of the one who would reverse
things; but when Abel comes, she says, “Life is short, it’s a breath, there is
a Vanity to believing things will get solved so shortly”. I think they lost hope after realizing Cain wasn’t going
to reverse the curse.
THEN, they grow
up…years pass…At the end of verse 2…it says
2…Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of
the ground.
Both are “Farmers”…
They both worked…one with animals, one with
crops…there’s nothing that tells us that this was not right.
The
issue isn’t their jobs…it’s what they do as a way of coming
to God in Worship – especially as it relates to their Offerings, sacrifices.
3 In the course of time Cain brought to the
LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel
also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions…
"in the
course of time" they both brought offerings to the Lord.
In other words, they came to God to Worship…
Two quick observations:
1. Without
doubt, they were doing this because they knew God to be real.
2. AND,
They understood what God wanted in relation to the Worship.
“How were Cain and Abel supposed to know what to
sacrifice?”
Adam and Eve had once lived in the Garden in fellowship
with God, and even after the FALL, they knew about Worship. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, there was a WAY for their
worship.
They learned, from either their Parents that they were
to bring something that represented a sacrifice of Worship.
Genesis 4:4-5 (ESV)
4 ... And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,
5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
4 ... And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,
5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
Hebrews 11:4, "By
faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did."
NOW WHY DID GOD SAY ABEL’S OFFERING WAS GREAT, AND
CAIN’S WASN’T?
Genesis 4:4 (ESV)
4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,
4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,
How did Abel present his sacrifice unto the Lord? What
Hebrews 11 tells us is that it was by faith.
Hebrews 11:4 (ESV)
4 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.
4 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.
He brought the sacrifice that he knew God wanted. How did he know that?
His
Parents taught both of them what happened to them… What did their Parents tell
them? They told them the story of what happened in the Fall,
when they took of the fruit of the tree, disobeying God and allowing Sin to
enter into into the world.
Genesis 3:6-7 (ESV)
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
When they took the Fig leaves,
they were doing what people do to try to avoid God…let’s cover over our sin,
say it’s not a problem, and that it’s we’ll take care of it ourselves.
Think about this Parents…when
we show our kids that our sins are not serious…everyone sins…no big deal…I
don’t need to Repent…I don’t need to tell God I sinned against him in this act…we fail to demonstrate the need for confession, forgiveness...I would even go so far to say, Salvation.
The greatest thing you can
teach your kids is that God has a way to deal with our Sin…which means the
Faith of Worship starts with the acknowledgement that we come to God to deal
with our Sins… YES, Adam and Eve sinned,
but later…
Genesis 3:21 (ESV)
21 And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
21 And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
WHY did God do this? He took off their Fig Leaves - because Fig Leaves represented their own efforts to cover over their sin - and
instead God makes for them garments of Skin…
WHICH MEANS THEY WERE COVERED BY THE DEATH OF A LIVING
SACRIFICE… The Book of Leviticus talked
about all sorts of sacrifices, but the main point it made was that sacrifices
involved the shedding of blood.
Leviticus 17:11 (ESV)
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
Abel learned from His Parents that God was the one who
forgives his sin, and he knew that he needed forgiveness. That’s the key…God is the one who forgives our Sin.
When we ignore the subject of Sin, we miss the point of
what God has done for us in Jesus’ death.
His death was the sacrifice for our Sins.
Hebrews 9:12 (ESV)
12 he [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.
12 he [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.
To
Worship God, a Person must know God is real; and then they must know that God
has a WAY to worship him…
John 14:1,6 (ESV)
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 6 Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
We come to God through Jesus’ life, death on the cross,
and resurrection to life FOR OUR SIN…that’s the WAY Jesus speaks of.
Genesis 4:4-5 (ESV)
4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,
4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,
Abel came to God according to God’s way…and God had
“regard” for Abel and his offerings…Hebrews 11:4 (ESV)
4 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…
4 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…
It’s so crucial we understand that God approved of
Abel’s worship…because the contrast is clear with what happens to Cain after.
Genesis 4:5-7 (ESV)
5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
Cain decided to do it on his own way. He said, “it doesn’t make any difference how
you do it, you can come to God anyway you want.
There are lots of ways to God.”
Cain said, “I don’t need God’s sacrifice, I can present my own hard
earned sacrifice.”
God speaks to Cain: “you’re not doing things in the
right way Cain…” and how did Cain
respond? In sorrow, repentance??? NO, he
was furious…angry at God.
In other words, it wasn’t the offering that was the
problem, it was Cain’s heart, attitude, motives… i.e. His Soul. God did not reject Cain’s offering, he
rejected Cain’s heart. This is the story of TWO BROTHERS…TWO WAYS…
The Worshiper and God
We are all called to be worshipers. Jesus said that to the woman at the
well. John 4:23-24 (ESV)
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Let me make a couple of statements about the Faith of
Worship.
You’ve heard me say before: FAITH IS A SOMEONE, NOT A SOMETHING.
1. It should be clear, WORSHIP IS A SOMEONE, NOT A
SOMETHING.
We come to worship God and yet that has to be
INTENTIONAL, not just showing up and going through the motions.
2. Worship
in Faith comes from Within, “worship in Spirit”… The Outward show which is
merely religion apart from Faith has never pleased God. The danger of Religion is that it tries to substitute
for Worship with something other than the heart. Think about that when we read these two passages in which Jesus is speaking about and to the Pharisees.
Matthew 15:1-9 (ESV)
1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? …3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition…?
7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
1 Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
2 “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? …3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition…?
7 You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:
8 “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
Matthew 23:27-28 (ESV)
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness.
28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
I think the lesson is pretty clear – we cannot think
Worship is being religious. That is not the Faith of Worship, and that is abhorrent to God.
3. Our
Worship is because of what God in Jesus did for us in the sacrifice for our
sins.
Genesis 4:6-7 (ESV)
6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
The issue is Sin…Our Sin. It doesn’t say God liked Abel and hated Cain…there’s
nothing in the text that shows that. In
fact, in these verses it shows God reaching out to Cain to “understand”… to
“consider”… to “learn”… AND what is he to learn?
That Sin is always present ready to exert Pride… A sense of I can do it
anyway I want, and I can do what I want, and I’m not accountable to anyone.
That form of religion on our part is an insult to Jesus whose blood was shed for the
forgiveness of our sins. To never say
“Lord I’m sorry for that action, thought, attitude…I am wrong and sinned
against you, please forgive me”… and it is the way of Cain.
Our worship, when done by Faith, does not skip over what
God had to do to deal with our Sin.
Look at this section in 1 John and don't stop at the chapter division:
1 John 1:5-10 (ESV)
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 2:1-2 (ESV)
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
We aren’t suppose to tolerate Sin…and YES, we will sin;
but we don’t excuse it…but deal with it the way God prescribes – through Jesus’ death
for our sin...through confession and repentance. Faith is the result of hearing God’s word, submitting our
minds and our bodies, our motives & attitudes, to his dominion, and acting
in accordance to what the Lord has instructed. Paul defines the source of faith that is well-pleasing
to God in Romans 10:17.
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the
word of God.”
The principle of faith means we understand that God
cares how we come, and he cares what we bring, and he cares about our hearts.
God loved Abel’s heart… Hebrews
11:4 (ESV)
4 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...
4 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...
Genesis 4:8 (ESV)
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
Why did Cain kill Abel? It was murder, caused by anger,
jealousy, and pride…all of which is at God because he wanted to come to God his
own way.
John wrote, 1 John 3:12 (ESV)
12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
The evil in his heart is further revealed when the Lord
asked Cain,
Genesis 4:9 (ESV)
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
What happens to Cain? He went out from His presence.
Genesis 4:10-11 (ESV)
10 And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
10 And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
At the end it records that Cain leaves… Genesis 4:16
(ESV)
16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Over the 40 years that I’ve been a Pastor, I’ve seen
lots of people leave the Church, and leave God. I remember more than I want to… they are angry with God,
they are angry at times when they can’t do what they want to do.
I’ve heard people say that… “it’s the church…people who
are not loving, are judgmental, holier-than-thou…” I’ve heard that, and you know something, that’s
not the churches I’ve been in. I've certainly seen the "messy spirituality" that is of people of faith. To see people being human, and therefore sinful, is only to acknowledge what Scripture says about all of us - "There is no one righteous, no not one...all have sinned and come short of the glory of the Lord."
I’ve seen those things, but leaving church and ignoring
our need for worship, to have a means to deal with our sins in fellowship with
others, with Jesus as the center of our Worship…that’s just an excuse.
Jesus is the way, the substitutionary atonement for our
sins. He died in our place and arose from the grave that we might have life
with Him.
As Abel made his sacrifice by faith, we accept Jesus’
death by faith and are made right before Him.
Romans 3:22-24 (ESV)
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Worship is recognizing that God delights in truth, and
loves it when we embrace – with humility – our own brokenness and needs in
Christ.
Hebrews 11:4 (ESV)
4 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.
PEACE IN CHRIST TO YOU
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