Up to now, we have learned what faith is & that faith without action is dead. The Bible says that those in this hall received a good report from God.We all want that when we stand in front of Jesus, after we have served Him in this life and hear, "Well done my good and faithful servant", don't we? To learn how they did that, let us step into that great hall of faith that bear pictures of its heroes, & see what we can learn from each one, shall we?
When we first step into the hall we will see that it is a very long hall lined with many pictures from the beginning of time until today. Let us stop a moment and take in the vast length of this hall. It's a little overwhelming , huh? And as we look at each person and what they went through, it may seem even more so. But don't let it be so. Instead, let it encourage you as you realize that many,many has" walked by faith and not by sight"(2 Cor. 5:7), before you.
Ok, now it is time to start looking at these seemingly, giants of faith. The first picture is a picture of Abel.
Abel was Adam and Eve's second son (Gen. 4:2). Cain was his older brother (Gen. 4:1). When these two sons of Adam and Eve grew up they both brought sacrifices to God. Cain brought the first fruits of his harvest to God, while Abel brought his best lamb to God. God was pleased with Abel's sacrifice and not Cain's. Why? Because God had taught them to sacrifice the blood of an animal to cover their sins. When?
I believe that God did the first sacrifice of blood when he killed an animal and used it's hide to cover their naked bodies (Gen. 4:21). Their sin was disobeying God's one rule (Gen. 3:1-11). I also believe that he taught them how he wanted them to make blood sacrifices to cover their sins.
Why? Because of what God says to Cain when Cain had given a sacrifice of vegetables, grain, or fruit. God was speaking of him as a loving Father would speak to a son who broke the rule In other words, Cain disobeyed God. While Abel had obeyed God.
Why is that important? Obedience to God showed that Abel honored Him. And Because Abel honored God, God declared him righteous (Heb. 11:4). His faith lead him to obey God & that is why he is in the great hall of faith.
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