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00:07by faith I can resist temptation by faith I receive the strength I need by
00:17faith I can overcome sin by faith I am not afraid by faith I can be victorious
00:36truly I tell you if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain
00:44move from here to there and it will move nothing will be impossible for you
01:11are you an ordinary person with extraordinary faith you should be hello I'm David Jeremiah
01:18and welcome to turning point in a nation like the United States founded on Christian principles
01:25many biblical references have made their way into our cultural conversation for example the story
01:32of Cain and Abel is often mentioned when discussing the contrast between good and evil yet the critical
01:39part of that story is unknown to most people it is the story of two ordinary men and one of
01:46them had
01:46extraordinary faith and the other did not our goal is to do what Abel did when confronted with a
01:54challenge to use bold courageous faith to please God but the title of today's message a martyr for
02:02his faith well it proves that there can be a price to pay for exercising great faith you'll discover
02:08what I mean if you'll join me for our series ordinary people extraordinary faith today right here on turning
02:17point there is no greater expression of God's faithfulness and power than creation itself and
02:25there is no greater time than now to refocus on our heavenly father turning points 2021 calendar colors of
02:32creation will take you there every day with this inspiring and beautiful calendar you can take time
02:39daily to remember the wonderful facets of your creator month by month colors of creation will inspire you to
02:46celebrate the magnificence of God's creation and matchless power with stunning close-up imagery capturing the
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03:13colors of creation 2021 calendar when you give a gift of any amount in support of this program and an
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03:25with
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03:40today
03:44When I was dating my wife and she found out that I was going to be a pastor she broke
03:49up with me and
03:51One of the reasons for breaking up with me was
03:54She wanted to travel
04:03And that's kind of funny to us now because we've been all over the world
04:07One of our favorite places in all the world is London England we've been there many times and if we
04:14could I think we'd go back every year
04:15It's such a historic place and so represents so many
04:21Things that we've read about and studied about in history in the beginning of the church
04:26One of the places that we visit
04:29When we go there and we've been there I think three times is the Westminster Abbey
04:34You've probably heard about that there have been some major things that have taken place in that cathedral
04:39But what most people may not know is that the Westminster Abbey is really a mausoleum
04:45It is a place where many many famous people are buried
04:50Many of the poets of England many of the musicians many of the creative arts people some of the royalty
04:58as you walk around in that building you see
05:02stone plates on the on the floor and all of a sudden you realize you're standing on top of Edgar
05:07Allan Poe or somebody like that
05:09It's quite an amazing place
05:11Not a few people have said that Hebrews chapter 11 is the Westminster Abbey of the Bible
05:17Because there you have the names of a lot of famous people
05:21But one of my friends Warren Wiersbe takes great exception to that
05:24He says that isn't possible that we should never compare Hebrews 11 to the Westminster Abbey
05:30First of all all the people in the Westminster Abbey are dead and the people in Hebrews 11 have
05:36Life in them not just physical life, but spiritual life
05:40But the major difference between the people in the Westminster Abbey in London and the people in the hall of
05:46faith
05:46In Hebrews 11 is the simple fact that the people who are in the Westminster Abbey in London are famous
05:53people
05:54People who were known throughout their life for great accomplishment
05:57Popular people well-known artists as I've mentioned and musicians
06:02But the people whose names end up in the hall of faith in Hebrews 11 were ordinary people just like
06:08you and me
06:09They're not in the hall of faith because they were great people
06:12They're in the hall of faith because they were ordinary people who expressed a great faith in the things that
06:18God could do through them
06:20And one of the first heroes we meet in the hall of faith is a man by the name of
06:26Abel
06:27The Bible says in Hebrews 11 4 by faith
06:31Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain
06:35Through which he obtained witness that he was righteous
06:38God testifying of his gifts and through it he being dead still speaks
06:46At first glance he seems to be a rather strange candidate for the hall of faith
06:52I mean there isn't much about him in the Bible
06:55In fact, there is not one word that he spoke recorded in the scripture
07:00In order to find out more about him we have to go back to the book of Genesis
07:05And find out from the history of this man how he got included in this illustrious group
07:11There in the book of Genesis and the fourth chapter we have the story of Abel
07:16And his older brother Cain
07:19And the sacrifices that each of them brought to God
07:23And the only way we're going to understand why Abel got into the hall of faith
07:27Is to find out why Cain didn't get into the hall of faith
07:31Here are two brothers born to the first parents in the world one of them makes the hall of faith
07:37and one of them does not
07:39They were well taught these boys among other things they knew there was a god
07:44And they knew that sin was an offense to him and they knew that god had to be approached with
07:50a sacrifice
07:53Now we might wonder how they knew all of this because there's nothing in the bible right here in the
07:57context to teach us
07:58But watch carefully
07:59The answer is found in the fact that after the sin of adam and eve
08:03Which is recorded in the earlier part of genesis
08:07We are told that god came down and when and when adam and eve discovered their nakedness
08:12They tried to clothe themselves with fig leaves and god
08:16The bible says genesis 3 21 covered their nakedness with the skins of animals
08:22And the blood of those animals had to be shed in order to cover
08:27Their nakedness
08:28So with this background to the story
08:31Let's sort out why abel was listed in the hall of faith
08:36First of all abel had a revealed faith
08:40By faith says the scripture abel offered to god a more excellent sacrifice
08:46Now it's evident that both abel and cain were sinners because they inherited the sin nature of their father and
08:53mother
08:54and both of them needed righteousness
08:57And they were both born in sin and needed to be saved in the sense that we understand that today
09:02romans 5 12 says therefore
09:05Just as through one man sin entered the world that was adam
09:09And death through sin thus death spread to all men because all sinned
09:15Well, here's the first generation after adam
09:18And we know from the standpoint of the bible that tain and abel were sinners. They weren't sinners
09:24Necessarily by choice. They were sinners by birth
09:27They inherited the sin nature of their parents
09:32I know it's hard for people to believe that little babies are born in sin
09:38They're born with a sin nature and some of you think well, that is impossible
09:42If you feel that way, you're probably grandparents, but I promise you you're not parents
09:46You're not parents
09:48Because we all know that little children exhibit their sinful nature quite readily. Don't they selfishness
09:53They want what they want when they want it whether it's in the middle of night and you haven't slept
09:57in a long time. They don't care
09:59They scream when they get mad they put put and some of you ladies are just laughing because you know
10:03exactly what i'm talking about
10:04You love those little babies, but you understand immediately. They're not perfect
10:08They have something in them. That's not quite right
10:12And that's called the sin nature
10:15Both cain and abel were sinners by birth
10:19So these two boys
10:21Now approach god and let me read to you what genesis said happened
10:26Genesis 4 verse 3 and in the process of time that means
10:30After they were older it came to pass that cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to
10:35the lord
10:36And abel also brought of the first fruit of his flock and their fat
10:41And the lord respected abel in his offering
10:43But he did not respect cain and his offering and cain was very angry and his countenance fell
10:50Abel had sacrificed a blood sacrifice to his god
10:53In obedience to god's instructions. He believed god in faith and he acted
11:00But cain
11:01Drew the tattered shreds of his own self-righteousness around him and turned away from a salvation based on blood
11:10Perhaps to him such a notion was barbarous and offensive and disgusting
11:13And even though god had said it cain had a better way
11:18He scorned salvation like that and he came his own way a way that seemed right to him, but a
11:24way that god rejected
11:27Now I want to say something to you and I don't want you to forget this. There are only two
11:31ways to approach god
11:33There's cain's way and there's abel's way
11:37If you decide to go to god cain's way, you'll never get there
11:41Your journey will be aborted. It will not take you to god
11:45But if you go abel's way, you can find god through jesus christ
11:50the way of the cross
11:52Is the way of abel and it leads you straight to heaven
11:56And the way of cain is the way of human works and it will lead you straight to hell
12:02There's only two ways and all of the faith and religion talk that has ever happened since genesis 4 is
12:08wrapped around those
12:10Two thoughts the way of cain and the way of abel say it with me the way of cain and
12:16the way of abel
12:18It's interesting. Is it not that here in these first few verses of the bible?
12:23Such an incredible truth is presented to us
12:27So that we cannot forget it
12:30First john 3 11 and 12 says this is the message that you've heard from the beginning
12:34That we should love one another not as cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother
12:41The new testament commentary on cain is not kind to his reputation
12:47Now because god rejected cain
12:50Cain hated his brother
12:53And he killed him notice
12:56Now cain talked with abel his brother and it came to pass when they were in the field
13:00That cain rose up against abel his brother and killed him
13:04And the lord said to cain where is abel your brother and he said I do not know am I
13:09my brother's keeper and god said
13:11What have you done?
13:14The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground
13:21Cain became the first murderer and abel became the first martyr
13:26So abel gets into the hall of faith first of all because he had
13:29Gotten a revelation from god about what he should do and he had responded obediently in faith
13:35Cain was rejected because he decided to do it his own way
13:41Number two abel's faith was reverent
13:45This is something that you don't see unless you read this two or three times and realize
13:48That after abel believed god and decided to obey god
13:53He worshiped god he brought his sacrifice to god
13:57And the expression here is the expression of worship an altar was set up an altar of worship
14:03And abel brings his sacrifice to god and he did so
14:08in worship
14:10Now we worship god when we come together in church, but hopefully that's not the only time you worship god
14:16You worship god when you awake in the morning and you say good morning lord and thank you for a
14:20good night's rest
14:21Let me let me live for you today and honor you with my life
14:25You worship god throughout the day whenever you have a chance in fact
14:29A case could be made for the fact that your entire life as a follower of christ is an instrument
14:35of worship for the lord god
14:37By the way, did you know that worship is a new testament sacrifice to god?
14:43Hebrews 13 15 says therefore
14:46By him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to god
14:52That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks
14:55To his name when you worship god you are offering a sacrifice to the lord
15:02Now
15:02It's quite evident that what cain brought to the lord was not an authentic act of worship
15:08You say how do you know that because you read what happened right after he left when god didn't accept
15:13what he brought
15:15His true nature was displayed his character came into view
15:19It says that cain was very angry and his countenance fell and the lord said to cain
15:24Why are you angry and why has your countenance fallen if you do well will you not be accepted?
15:30Cain if you had done the right thing would not would I not have accepted you?
15:35And if you do not well
15:37Sin lies at the door
15:40And its desire is for you, but you should have rule over it. God warned cain
15:46About what he was about to do god saw the hatred and anger in cain's heart
15:52And he said to cain sin is like and a wild animal crouched at the door of your heart
15:58You're about to do something that you will never ever forgive yourself for don't do it
16:03You can rule over it
16:04But cain's anger was so intense and his jealousy of abel was so green
16:09That he couldn't help himself and in his fury
16:13He took the life of his own brother and became the first murderer in history
16:20If his offering had been made in the right spirit
16:23We wouldn't read the paragraph we just read
16:25It is an indication that cain's problem wasn't just that he brought his works to god instead of a sacrifice
16:32What he brought to god was brought in the wrong spirit in the wrong attitude
16:37Abel had a revealed faith and a reverent faith and here's one that's really interesting
16:41He had a reverberating faith did you know that the faith of abel in 11 4 of hebrews is alive
16:47and well
16:48Today let me show you what I mean
16:51Here's what it says by faith abel offered to god a more excellent sacrifice than cain
16:56Through which he obtained witness that he was righteous god testifying of his gifts and through it he being dead
17:05still
17:07speaks
17:08Now watch this I told you earlier that there's not one word of abel
17:13In the bible that he spoke not one recorded word that abel ever spoke
17:18But the bible says though the bible doesn't record any words that he spoke
17:22His faith is still speaking today all these years later here right in this culture right in this service
17:28The testimony of abel is speaking to us today the first man in history to express faith in god was
17:37abel
17:38And we revel in the story it reverberates all the way down through history to us
17:43his
17:44statement by his life
17:47tells us
17:48That we can only be accepted by god when we come to god god's way
17:55We don't get to make the rules
17:58God has set the standards and he's made it plain to us how we are to approach him
18:05Now it says here in the text
18:08That the blood of murdered
18:10Abel was screaming out to god from the ground
18:14But the life of abel is screaming out to us
18:18Bringing to us this measure of truth that god accepts only the sacrifice of blood
18:24And in this culture only the sacrifice of his own son the only way we can come to god is
18:30god's way
18:32And then finally
18:33Abel is in the hall of faith because he had a righteous faith
18:38And if you'll allow me let's explore that
18:41on the basis that
18:43We understand abel only when we see cain
18:48Cain's religion was based on human reasoning
18:52What cain did that day when he brought his offering to god
18:57was
18:58To express the fact that he believed that in order for him to be accepted by almighty god he had
19:04to earn it
19:07He brought to god the fruit of his labor
19:10In doing this he violated the clear revelation that god had given them and we know that because abel
19:16Understood it and they were brothers they lived in the same family there wasn't any noise from any other families
19:22in that day
19:23God dealt directly with that first family and what abel knew surely cain knew
19:30But cain set the foundation for every false religion that has ever come into being since his life
19:37Because here's the difference between religion and christianity some people say you know you go and you have to fill
19:42out a form
19:43I guess you don't do that much because it's not politically correct anymore. What is your religion?
19:47Well, I used to put down christianity. Well christianity if it's really christianity is not a religion
19:53Religion is an attempt to reach up to god with your good works or some merit that will bring god's
20:00blessing to your life
20:01Christianity is the exact opposite
20:04Christianity recognizes that we have nothing we can offer to god
20:08And that we don't reach up to god, but that god has reached down to us through his son, jesus
20:12christ christ christ
20:14Christianity is not a religion. It's a relationship with almighty god through jesus christ
20:19But since cain and abel there's only been two ways. There's the relationship way and there's the religion way
20:26Woe to them for they have gone
20:30The way of cain judy 11. What is the way of cain?
20:35The way of cain is coming to god in your own pride in your own arrogance
20:41Not listening to what god says but believing you can do it your way
20:45Isn't that what what happens most of the time? We're like little children in many respects. We're looking up to
20:51our father and saying
20:52I can do it myself
20:56I can do it myself
20:58Cain was saying to god that day god. I can do it myself
21:03And the bible says god did not accept cain
21:06In his attempt to measure up
21:10Cain's religion was also based on human sacrifice
21:14He offered a sacrifice all right. It was a costly one, but it was a sacrifice without blood
21:19And that is where most people are today most people today bring their offerings to god. They indulge in ritualistic
21:26practices
21:26Championing the cause of social actions. They hope these things will give them a standing before almighty god
21:33And we mistakenly think that's the way god
21:37Receives us and responds to us and nothing could be further from the truth in fact
21:43This is a bitter pill for all of us
21:45The bible says all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags before god
21:52Because they're born out of our misguided motivation
21:56To do it our self instead of respond to god in faith and allow him to be our savior
22:05And cain's religion was based on human satisfaction
22:08The bible says the lord respected abel and his offering but he did not respect cain and his offering
22:15And in the aftermath of this unacceptable sacrifice
22:19He revealed the true nature of his heart
22:22Let me tell you how the story ends
22:25Listen carefully
22:27If you go back to the book of genesis chapter 4 and verse 16 you read these words
22:34And cain
22:36went out
22:38From the presence of the lord
22:42Did you know in the new testament it says that there's going to be a day in the future when
22:45people will stand before the lord?
22:47And they will tout all of their works
22:50And the lord will say to them depart from me
22:54For I never knew you
22:56When cain stands before the lord one day, that's what he will hear
23:00Cain will say did I not do this didn't I bring this what wasn't all and and the bible says
23:05god's
23:06Son will say to him depart from me
23:11I never knew you
23:14You don't get to god by what you do
23:17You want to try to get to god cain's way?
23:19Let me tell you it will be a trip that is aborted
23:21It will be a trip that ends short of the goal
23:23It will leave you in a place
23:25Where you have no way to get to god and the bible says
23:30And cain went out from before the presence of the lord
23:37Periodically as you read the scripture you read about death and that there are two kinds of death there's the
23:42first death
23:43And there's the second death
23:45First death we're all going to participate in that if the lord doesn't come back before our time
23:50The first death is the separation of your soul from your body
23:54The bible says it this way absent from the body present with the lord
23:58That's that's what it means to die as a christian. Your soul leaves your body and goes to be with
24:02god
24:04But there's a second death and the second death is
24:08The separation of your soul from god
24:12Forever and ever and ever
24:15The first death you can recover from as a christian
24:19But nobody recovers from the second death
24:22The second death is going out from the presence of the lord
24:26Never ever to be in his presence again
24:29It's to spend eternity
24:31In hell apart from god
24:36That's the way
24:37You will go if you follow cain
24:40I want to recommend a better way
24:43The better way is to come by faith
24:46And accept the sacrifice of jesus christ
24:50That he paid for on the cross for you
24:53Dr. Jeremiah will return with one more inspirational word to close today's program right after this
25:02Thank you for watching turning point
25:05When you support this program with a gift of any amount
25:08Dr. Jeremiah would like to send you an appreciation
25:11turning points 2021 colors of creation calendar
25:16Celebrate the magnificence of god's creation and matchless power
25:20Daily with beautiful close-up imagery capturing the detail of earth's beauty
25:25Request your colors of creation 2021 calendar from turning point when you give a gift of any amount in support
25:32of this program
25:32And an appreciation of your gift of one hundred dollars or more
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25:42Thank you for watching and supporting the ministry of turning point
25:46Call or go online to request the colors of creation 2021 calendar
25:55And now with one last word for today's program here is dr. Jeremiah
26:00i hope you'll never hear the story of cain and abel again without remembering that it is a story of
26:06faith
26:07the difference between faith that pleases god and faith that pleases man
26:14Abel is a hero of faith because well he lived out his faith in god with boldness and action
26:21Biblical faith is always moving growing and accomplishing major things for god
26:27As bold as it becomes
26:30Faith begins with a simple yes to jesus christ
26:35I would like to encourage you to say yes to him by sending you two free gifts from turning point
26:41Our booklet called your greatest turning point and our monthly devotional magazine called turning points
26:49We will gladly send them to you without any cost or obligation
26:53If you will just contact us here at turning point today
26:58Next time on turning point
27:01Am I doing in my life what I do to please others to please myself or do I long to
27:08please almighty god?
27:09Let me tell you it won't always come in conflict
27:12But there will be times when pleasing others and pleasing god won't be on the same page
27:18Thank you for being with us today join us next time for dr. Jeremiah's message. He walked with god
27:25Here on turning point
27:27You