Picking up with our thought in Genesis.
Genesis 4:4a
"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:"
In other words, Abel brought the very best and the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering, but unto Cain he had no respect. Why? Because it wasn’t what God had instructed. That’s all. And you find this all the way up through Scripture. Example: Jacob and Esau. I have no doubt that Esau might have been a nicer guy than Jacob, because otherwise why would Isaac have had such an inclination to Esau? I think he was a good son. But what was Esau’s problem? No trust. He didn’t believe a word God said. IT Never registered with him. He was just to earthy, materialistic or practical for his own good. This has been Israel's problem as a nation of people but the individual is different. As an individual they have the right to accept God or to reject God and in this case its God in Christ as the greater than all others.
So Jacob, even though he may have been a rascal, he was a man who could believe what God said, and God honored his trust and counted it as faith. Do we See IT? All right so now as we go back to Hebrews chapter 11, we have to realize that it’s by trust and then crisis that faith is developed, so its faith alone that everyone has been brought into a relationship with God. And then, based on their faith, yes, Abel brought the animal sacrifice. You get up into the system of Law; it was faith that prompted a believing Hebrew to keep the Law, especially in the first few years. Faith. Nothing else.
All right, I guess on our way back to Hebrews, let’s just stop in Romans chapter 4; in fact I think I alluded to this, that we would turn back to Romans chapter 4 where Paul is using Abraham as the epitome of a man of faith. Now again you have to get the background. What was the culture of the man Abram? Pagan. Idolatry. Mythology. No knowledge of the One True God was manifested by the peoples around him. And yet when God spoke to Abram out of the no where, what did Abram do? He believed God. Why? because he had been taught to know Him the Most High God by Shem and Eber while he stayed with them, also Isaac was taken to them for training in the ways of the Most High God. Again as said to believe means that he received what had been spoken to him by God. Now that’s faith, why was it faith? because as Abram he had his trusting stretched through crisis after crisis until it became faith in God's utter faithfulness. How? he knew God!
Romans 4:1-2
"What shall we say then that Abraham our father, (now Paul writes here as a Hebrew, so Abraham is the father of the Hebrew Nation who were supposed to become a nation known as Israel, notice the “el” faith of God) as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abram were justified by works, (by doing something) he hath whereof to glory; (or brag) but not before God."
No human being will ever put God in his debt, and that’s what a works religion does. A works religion tells God, "I’ve earned it, and you owe me." If you work for someone, at the end of the week, you can go to your employer and in so many words what can you tell him? "You owe me, until you’ve paid me." Well you see that’s what a works religion does to God. It says, "God you owe me. I’ve worked for it." But God won’t have any part of that. And so, it says that Abraham could never glory, because he’s dealing with the Holy, Omnipotent God. There's another secret revealed here that ties all this into a neat package for us if we have eyes to see and ears to hear, do you get it? Now verse 3.
Romans 4:3a
"For what saith the scripture?…"
That’s my favorite guideline! What does the Book say? Well, does the Book say, "Abraham believed God" and brought a sacrifice? No. "Abraham believed" and was baptized? No. "Abraham believed" and spoke in tongues? No. "Abraham believed" and joined the church? No. Doesn’t say any of that.
What did he do? Believed plus nothing! Abraham believed God, and put his trust in what God said therefore he received from God. What does God do the moment He sees our trusting of Him who we can't see? He declares us righteous. Now that’s not being big-headed, or egotistical. It’s just simply a matter of trust that when we become a believer, we are then enabled to receive from Him and God declares us righteous. Not because of what we’ve worked for but because of our trusting His faithfulness. Faith! By faith and faith alone! Peter also tells us this in 1 Peter 2:24 and Isaiah 53:5 where he uses the word heals by His stripes, the word “heal” means to become separated to God to be put into wholeness, made compete, to free from err, to bring about ones salvation. Paul just screams it all through his epistles, see? Verse 4.
Romans 4:4
"Now to him that worketh (for salvation) is the reward not reckoned of grace. (God’s benefit, where God takes over) but (rather it is reckoned) of (what?) debt."
You’ve worked for it so God owes you. It won’t fly. God will never be in debt to any human being! No matter his station in life. Not even Abraham, and so this is the whole admonition of Scripture then that it’s by trusting alone. In fact, I can’t go back to Hebrews without reading verse 5. Oh my goodness, I don’t know how many people we’ve led to the Lord by showing them what Romans 4 verse 5 says:
Romans 4:5
"But to him that worketh not, but believeth (again nothing else follows it) on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness."
God can’t justify someone who says they’re good enough. God can only justify the person that says, "I’m a sinner and bankrupt take me as I am." I can go back to the hundred little sheep out on the desert. Ninety and nine went out, lost and never knew it. The Savior didn’t save any of them, but which one did the Lord save? The little fellow caught in the crevice bleating his little heart out because he knew he was lost and sickly. And that’s the teaching of Scripture, that you cannot be saved until you know that you’re lost and sickly an in darkness. Oh, people don’t want to admit that, because to admit that you’re lost and sickly an in darkness is a blow to your what? Pride an ego!
Pride is the biggest enemy of mankind because pride says, "Don’t you admit that you have a need. You’re good enough, and God will accept you." No He won’t. The Scripture says: we have to be lost before we can be saved. All right so, "To him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifies the ungodly." Now I pointed out that to be ungodly doesn’t mean that you’re a drunkard and you’re down on skid row and all these horrible pictures that we get of lower humanity. No. You can get the best person in Chattanooga or Cleveland and they can be ungodly. Because the term "un" simply means "without." So if you are without God, you’re ungodly. It’s that simple. And our churches are full to overflowing with an ungodly humanity.
And so you can have the highest elite in society, as good as they can be; but if they haven’t got God in them or in their life, they’re what? Ungodly. And that’s the kind of a person that God wants to save.
All right, so here it is, "To him who worketh not but to him who believes on him who justifies (declares absolutely forgiven and sinless) the ungodly." And then, "his faith is counted for righteousness." Now back to Hebrews chapter 11.
Hebrews 11:5
"By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God."
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