Adrian Rogers says, “Jesus’ redeeming work was in the heart and mind of God from the foundation of the world. Before He swung this world into space, God had redemption by blood in His mind.”

Genesis 4 tells the story of two brothers: Cain and Abel, one a martyr, the other a murderer. In their story, we see a picture of the blood of Jesus Christ that makes a difference.

Hebrews 11:4 says, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.”

After the Fall of Man, Cain and Abel both offered sacrifices to the Lord in an act of worship. In Genesis 4, we see the stark contrast in their worship.

While Cain offered a half-hearted sacrifice of the fruit of the ground, Abel offered the first of his flock: a spotless lamb, which was a prophecy of Jesus who was to come and redeem.

God saw Abel’s sacrifice as good because “…without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

As a result, there was a conflict in their worship. Genesis 4:4-5 says, “…And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry…”

Because his heart was not right with God and he was jealous of his brother’s favor, Cain murdered Abel. (See Genesis 4:8.)

There are many who have the religion of Cain: who are not right with God and hurt others because of it. It is interesting to note that the first murder recorded in Scripture was over religion; it was also a religious crowd that crucified Jesus Christ.

Adrian Rogers says, “Religion is what sinful people do for a holy God. The Gospel is the good news of what a holy God has already done for sinful man.”

There are two religions in the world: the true and the false. If there were any other way to God, He wouldn’t have let His only Son die on the cross. Our only hope of salvation is by grace through faith, through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Apply it to your life
There is a red river of blood that flows through all the Bible. Do you have true faith in Jesus Christ, whose blood makes the difference?

the bible says if righteousness come by the law, christ is dead in vain. If a man, a woman, a boy or a girl could be saved any other way, then calvary was a blunder, why did God let jesus die on that cross? If there’s another way, why not take the other way? Why did he allow his darling son to die in agony in blood? If this another way, there is no other way. Adrian Rogers ability to apply biblical truth to everyday life was one of the many things that made him such a remarkable pastor, teacher and writer today on love worth finding. He’ll be bringing that uniqueness to this series of messages that were calling champions of faith. Have your bibles open to hebrews chapter 11 and join us for today’s message. And if this message is an encouragement to you remember, you can stream this message again and download pastor Rogers outline notes and other resources to go along with this message all at L WF dot org. Now let’s join Adrian Rogers Find hebrews chapter 11 and in just a moment we’re going to begin reading in verse four. Now, the central theme of the entire chapter of Hebrews chapter 11 is that God is to be worshiped And if God is to be worshiped, he must be worshiped in spirit. And in truth, let’s read if we will hebrews chapter 11 and verse four by faith Abel offered under God, a more excellent sacrifice then came by which he obtained witness that he was righteous God testifying of his gifts and buy it, he being dead yet speaking. So really we’re going to have a sermon from a dead man this morning, He being dead yet speaking now, what we see enable is a shadow of the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior, jesus christ. Now the old testament is a Book of Shadows that point to new testament. Truth for example, in colossians chapter two verse 17, the bible tells us that the old testament is a shadow of things to come. Now you think about shadows, A shadow must have light and it must have something to shine upon. Now the light is the old testament, scripture and the body that the shadow shines upon is the Lord jesus christ. Now the angle of the light determines the sharpness of the shadow. In the early morning, shadows are not real clear and they’re somewhat distorted by mid morning the shadows become clearer. Then at high noon there are no shadows at all. Now in the old testament, we had shadows that pointed toward the Lord jesus christ. But when calvary came in the new testament, then it’s high noon. What we’re going to see here in this story of Abel is the beginning of these shadows that are pointing to the coming of our Lord and savior, jesus christ. Now look again if you will in verse 11, chapter 11 verse four by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice. Well, where’s that story found the story is found over here in the book of Genesis. So turn if you will with me to genesis. Now, for a moment. And genesis chapter four Open your bible, it’s very important. You won’t understand Hebrews 11. If you don’t understand genesis chapter four, do you have it in your bible? Now watch Genesis Chapter four. Now Adam knew Eve, his wife and conceived. Now Adam and Eve obviously the first humans here upon the earth. And she conceived and bare cain. Now, Kane was her firstborn and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord and she again bare his brother, able and able. That’s the one we’re talking about today was a keeper of sheep, but came was a tiller of the ground, one a shepherd and one farmer and in the process of time it came to pass that cain brought of the fruit of the ground and offering unto the Lord and able. He also brought of the first lings of his flock and the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. But under cain and to his offering he had not respect and cain was very Roth and his countenance fell. Now we’re gonna stop reading there, but stay, keep your bookmark there in Hebrews chapter 11. And in genesis chapter four, because we’re going to go back and forth. So we can understand what we have here is a shadow of the cross in the offering that Abel made two offerings, came offered the fruit of the ground. He offered vegetables to the Lord Abel offered to the Lord, a slain lamb of the first slings of the flock. The bible says that God accepted the offering of able but he did not accept the offering of CAin won the offering from the ground, the fruit of the ground, the other a spotless lamb. Now, we’re going to see in this chapter Hebrews chapter 11 and Genesis chapter four. Some contrast, are you ready? First of all, here was a contrast in their worship to boys. They’re worshiping God. one is worshiping in spirit and improved and the other is worshiping by his own ingenuity. Now, remember hebrews chapter 11 and verse four by Faith Abel offered under God a more excellent sacrifice. Now, what was the difference? Well, may I say this and listen to me very carefully. All religions are not of the same value. Now, let’s look at this and then I’m gonna ask you to take my word for it. Let’s just look at the bible and see what the bible has to say about it because I realize what I’m preaching today is politically incorrect. So be it. Look at the worship of Kane Hebrews chapter 11 and verse four by faith Abel offered to God, a more excellent sacrifice than CAin. What was the way of CAin, The way of CAin was the way of good works. It was salvation by his own effort. He was a tiller of the ground And the bible says that you’re going to till the ground by the sweat of your brow. What what cain offered to God was his own toil? His own sweat? His own effort. Now, when he came to God with his offering of vegetables and fruits, it must have been beautiful. I mean, it must have looked like a county fair. There’s the most fragrant fruit, the most beautiful flowers, the most succulent vegetation. And he offers this to God because he’s been out there uh plowing the ground. But the bible says cursed is the ground of the sweat of your brow. Were you till till the ground? And what he has done is he is offering his own work to them. Put in your margin, jude verse 11. Woe unto them. For they have gone the way of CAin. What is the way of cain? It is to try to save yourself by your own good works rather than by the grace of God. It represents culture rather than calvary. Now, you’re in Hebrews chapter 11 In Hebrews chapter nine verse 22 The bible says without shedding of blood is no remission. There is no salvation apart from the shedding of blood. Now, where did able get the idea of bringing a blood offering to almighty God. Now remember it was just a shadow of the Lord, jesus christ. Where did he get that idea? Well, when Adam and Eve sinned against God? they tried to clothe themselves with fig leaves, what is that? The fruit of the ground, what did God do? God came into the garden of Eden and God made them coats of skin, animal skin. How do you get coats of skin? Blood had to be shed? Where did able learn the idea that it takes blood without shedding of blood is no remission. He learned it from his his parents, you say. Did he really know this? Listen to me, able was a prophet of God. A prophet, He said, where do you get that? Put in your margin Luke 11 Luke 11 begin in verse 49, jesus is speaking therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles and some of them they shall slay and persecute that the blood of all the prophets underscore that that the blood of all the profits which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel, under the blood of Zacharias, All of the profits. Abel is called a prophet of God. Abel was a martyr who died for his faith. Adam and Eve had two sons Wanna Marder. one A Murderer. Abel was a prophet, He understood the word of God. Now You say, did he really understand about the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, if he was a prophet put in your Bible acts, chapter 10 verse 43 to him, Jesus give all the prophets witness. Now if if Abel was a prophet and he was and the bible says to jesus, give all the prophets witness Back there in the garden of Eden, just outside the gates of Eden was a man named Abel who offered a spotless lamb. That is a picture, a prophecy of Jesus who is to come. Isn’t the bible a wonderful book. The bible is a wonderful book. Don’t get the idea that these people out there just plowing with sticks and didn’t know anything. No. And let me say something else. The blood of the Lord jesus christ was not an afterthought, it was not an emergency action. Godhead The redemption by blood in his heart before he ever made the world put in your margin revelation, chapter 13 and verse eight, the bible says, and all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the Book of life. From the lamb slain from the foundation of the world, Jesus was in the heart and mind of God from the foundation of the world. Before he swung this world into space, God had redemption by blood in his mind. You take the bible from genesis to revelation and you cut it anywhere and it will bleed. There is a red river of life, it begins to flow in the book of genesis and it flows all the way through to the Book of the Revelation, the chapter I just read to you that river began to flow when God made coats of skin for Adam and Eve, and then that river passed on down when Abel took of the first things of the flock and and offered a blood sacrifice to the Lord for without shedding of blood is no remission. Don’t think this was incidental friend, this is fundamental. There was a contrast in their worship. Now, secondly, not only is there contrast in their worship, but friend also the consequences of the worship. Look, if you will In Genesis four verses 5 and six, but unto CAin and his offering, God had not respect and CAin was very Roth plain english. He was ticked off, he’s angry and his countenance fell and the Lord said unto CAin, why art thou Roth and why is that the countenance fallen? Now, God did not have any respect for Kane and all of his good intentions and all of his good works. The difference between CAin and Abel is the difference between righteousness and unrighteous nous. Now you would say, well, God would just say to Kane or you tried and you didn’t get 100% on the, on the grade on the test, but I’m going to grade on the curve. God doesn’t grade on the curve and God doesn’t just give a for effort and God will not overlook sin, put it down big plain and straight God will not overlook sin. You know that people who say, well, God is too good to punish sin? You’ve got it backward. God is too good not to punish sin. If you had to go through all the election aires and dictionaries of the world to get a word that would describe God and put it in one word, of course that would be impossible. But if you had to choose one word above all other words, it would be the word Holy Holy means that God is a Holy God, God never has. God never can. God never will overlook sin. All sin must be punished. If God overlook sin, God would topple from his throne of holiness. God would cease to be a righteous God put in your margin romans chapter three And verse 23, for all, have sinned and come short of the glory of God. By the way, you want to know what definition of sin is coming short of the glory of God. Don’t lie down in the gutter alongside some old hypocrite and say, I’m longer than he is. Don’t measure yourself that way. Here’s the glory of God. Here you are. The gap between the glory of God and you. That sin, All of sinned and come short of the glory of God. All of us now notice verse 24 being justified, freely by his grace through the redemption that is in christ, jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiate a shin through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past. What does the word, propitiate nation mean? It’s a big word. It means satisfaction. Nothing can satisfy the righteousness of God, the holiness of God, except the shed blood of the Lord. Jesus, christ. God cannot. God never has, God never will let any sin go unpunished. Your sin will be pardoned in christ or punished in hell, but it will never be overlooked. I frequently said, when a guilty man has acquitted, the judges condemned. If God would let sin go unpunished, God himself would become a sinner. All Christianity is, is described in three sentences. I deserved hell, Jesus took my hell. There’s nothing left for me but his heaven. That’s what it’s all about. It is salvation by grace and the consequences of that worship is lasting not only in time, but in eternity. Now Abel was killed by Kane, but he didn’t cease to exist. He being dead, yet speaks for the child of God. Death is not a period, but a comma, and he still lives on Now. Here’s the third and final thing I want you to see not only contrast in the worship and the consequences of the worship, but I want you to see the conflict of their worship. Look, if you will now in Genesis four, verses five and eight, but under CAin, and to his offering, he had not respect and cain was very angry Roth and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto CAin, Why art thou Roth wise I thy countenance fallen. If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well sin life at the door, sin is like an animal crouching at the door. That’s what that literally means. God says, If you if you do what I tell you to do, you’ll do well. God is no respecter of persons. And sin. Life at the door and unto thee shall be his desire, that his sin is ready to devour you. And thou shalt rule over him. That is if you do right. And CAin talked with Abel his brother. And it came to pass that while they were in the field, that cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him. I want you to listen very carefully. The first murder was over religion. The first murder was over religion. And it was a religious crowd that crucified the Lord, jesus christ, as I say, Adam & Eve had two sons. One was a murderer. The other was a martyr. Now, listen to john 16 verses one through four, jesus said, these things have I spoken on you that you should not be offended, they shall put you out of the synagogues. Yea, the time cometh that whosoever killed with you will think you do with God Service! Does that sound contemporary? The time will come? That who’s ever killed with you will think you doing God’s service. And these things will they do unto you because they have not known the father nor me. But these things have I told you that when the time shall come, that you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said unto you at the beginning because I was with you, jesus said, no fine print in the contract. I’m going to ask some of you who have not yet done it to come forward this morning. Give your heart to jesus christ. But when you do, if you’re sincere, it may mean that you will die for what you’ve done here this morning. You say I won’t come. It’s your business. But jesus said, I’m going to tell you ahead of time. The time will come when they who kill you. Well, think they do God service now, friend, the word martyr and the word witness of the same word in the greek language, death doesn’t make martyrs, it just simply reveals them. What is our true faith? True faith is never based upon force and it is never coerced. Never now listen to me. Kane salud able cain was the loser, not a he won the martyr’s crown. The two religions in the world. Only two true in the falls. The difference between these two religions is the difference between heaven and hell you say, well, pastor Rogers, I believe there’s another way other than the shed blood of the Lord jesus christ? You do. Well, let me ask you a question. If there’s another way other than the shed blood of Lord jesus christ. Tell me, why did jesus die? The bible says, If righteousness come by the law, christ is dead in vain. If a man, a woman, a boy or a girl could be saved any other way, then calvary was a blunder, why did God let jesus die on that cross? If there’s another way, why not take the other way? Why did he allow his darling son to die in agony and blood? If this another way? There is no other way. Hebrews 9 22 without shedding of blood is no remission. There is a red river of blood that flows through all the bible. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of jesus, What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of jeez preacher. A good man as the world goes, a compassionate man as the world goes. Had the religion of Kane, and a lot of preachers with the religion of Kane. He had the religion of Kane. He was from a very liberal denomination. He was in his study. There was a knock on the door, he opened the door and there was a little girl, just poorly dressed. And he said, Little lady, what can I do for you? She said? Are you a preacher? He said, I’m a minister, could you help? He thought she needed food. Could you help me? He said, Well, if I cannot help you, how can I help you? She said, can you help me get mother in? I thought perhaps is her mother was drunk, the little girl preacher said, Well, sweetheart, Where is your mother? How do you want me to get her in? I’ll go to and help get her in. Where is? She said? My mother is dying. She’s at home. She’s dying. Well, what do you mean? Help get my mother in? My mother doesn’t know God. She sent me out to find a preacher to help get her into heaven. Can you help get my mother in? My mama is dying, preacher said, Yes, sweetheart, I’ll go. And he put on his coat and got his hat and went with a little girl down to the poor section of town there, that little tenement. There was a woman on her deathbed, dying, not even with the doctors and the nurses to take care of that woman. Said, are you a preacher? Are you a minister? Yes, I am. Are you a man of God? Well, I trust so. Can you help get me in. Now remember, he didn’t preach the blood atonement. His was a religion of culture and good works. The religion of Kane. He began to tell her about the sermon on the mount and living right and doing good and kindness and all of these things. High, wonderful platitudinous ideas. A woman had a distraught look on her face, she said, you don’t understand? I have lived a sinful in a wicked life and now I’m dying and all that you say sounds very good and very wonderful but I’m dying, I can’t do any of that. Don’t you have a message for a woman like me? And that preacher began to think and he realized I don’t have a message for a woman like that. And then he remembered the story that his mother told him before he had gone off to the seminary and gotten educated about a savior who took our sins and carried them to the cross and in agony and blood died and said it is finished and paid in full. And he went back and told her that old story though himself though he himself didn’t really believe it. I told her about jesus, told her about the cross, told her about Grace told her about forgiveness and let her in a prayer and she prayed and asked, christ into her heart was gloriously saved. Later on that liberal preacher stood up in another preachers meeting and gave a testimony and here’s what he said, he said, Sirs that night that woman came in and I came into I came into I gave my heart to jesus and the gods say what can wash away my sin, nothing, nothing. Mhm blood of jesus, two religions, two ways. Kane and april vegetables and a lamb, will you lay your pride in your good works in the dust. And will you today say just as I am without one please, but that thy blood was shed for me. Old man love God, I come from right, will you? For your sake for his sake. Were you trusted? Mm hmm. How you hit some prank? Thank you for being a part of love worth finding. I thank God for his power that was manifest today in this worship center. I thank God for the souls that came to christ now friend, I want you to come to christ if you’ve never done it the same invitation that I have given to these in this worship center. I am giving to you. Give your heart to jesus christ. Trust him to save you and he will. And if you do that, would you write to us and let us know? We’ll rejoice. We’ll send you some literature to help you get started in your christian life. We hope that you’ve been encouraged by these character studies from hebrews chapter 11 that we’re calling champions of faith. You can stream this message again, share this message with a friend and download other resources related to this message all at L WF dot org or the my L WF app. While you’re there, be sure to check out our new bible studies on today’s topic as well as many other topics at L WF dot org. You can also subscribe to our daily heartbeat emails. Each heartbeat contains a daily devotional for Adrian Rogers, 90 seconds of profound truth also from Adrian Rogers as well as a link to our daily radio program, all in one place, delivered directly to your computer or mobile device each day. Or you can catch up with our program each week on our Facebook page or YouTube channel and on the my L WF app. Thanks for joining us for today’s message. We’ll see you next time and I would say today that the rich man is poor, the mighty man is weak and the educated man is a fool. If he does not know who jesus christ is, no one can claim to be truly educated, who’s ignorant of jesus christ, discovering jesus is a journey. And Adrian Rogers gives us a map with this new book from Love Worth Finding, discover jesus who is jesus, how can I know him? How can I grow in him and how can I share him with others, learn the answers to these questions and more with this powerful book for your gift. This month to Love worth Finding, we’d love to send you a copy of discovered jesus call 1 806 47 94 100 or give online at L WF dot org. Find out exactly who jesus is and what he means to you call or go online today