Obedience and sacrifice meant to stay together

I would like to bring to our attention two words or subjects that are often separated, or at least we try to separate them when for the most part they are meant to stay together.

Those two words are obedience and sacrifice. There are many examples in the Bible to make this point, but I would like to use the first example in the Bible as a text today. Genesis 4:2-7 says: Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.

The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So, Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.

Cain and Abel, through their obedience to come and offer the required sacrifice showed their faith in God’s promise and their belief in the coming Messiah who was promised in Genesis 3:15. Even at this point in time there was a proper way to approach and worship God. This was by a blood sacrifice which represented faith in the coming Messiah and His sacrifice on the cross. When Adam and Eve sinned, they covered themselves with leaves (fruit of the ground), but God covered their nakedness (sin) with skins, which required death of an animal.

Abel offered the required sacrifice and thus exhibited faith and repentance and therefore was accounted as righteous by God (Hebrews 11:4). Cain, by offering a sacrifice of his own choosing showed self-will, no repentance or recognition of his sin, and unbelief in the atonement. A lot of folks would say “what kind of a God would turn down a man who is giving what he has? That is mean and cruel.”

We must realize a couple of things:

1.God told Cain “If you bring what is required, it will be accepted. If you refuse, it is disobedience and unbelief and it cannot be accepted.” God wanted Cain reconciled, but it had to be done on His terms, not Cain’s, for we cannot save ourselves.

2.When man sinned, part of the curse was the cursing of the ground (Genesis 3:17). Cain brought the fruit of the ground, and a product of the curse could not remove the curse. They also could not picture the atonement on Calvary or be a sin offering.

Unfortunately people hold the same view today as Cain did. They hold to the belief that they can do things their own way, choose their own direction, make their own way to heaven by their own chosen sacrifices, and being obedient if, when, and where they choose. Many believe they are okay with God doing things their own way. “All roads lead to heaven.”

I believe God has made it very simple for us today. He sent His own Son to be obedient unto death and be the sacrifice once and for all to cover our sins and what he requires of us is that we just believe it in faith. (John 3:16-18 and Romans 10:9) What we must realize is that Jesus Christ was the one and only sacrifice that was worthy and able to redeem man from sin. Jesus said “I am the way the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father but by me.” Christ was the only one who could act in obedience unto death and it produce the required end. God says the same thing to us today as He said to Cain “If you do what is required you will be accepted, if not you remain in sin.” What is required is a simple faith and belief in who Christ is and what He has done.

Ed Sims, Associate Pastor, Valley Christian Fellowship