Faith That Offers Its Best: Lessons From Cain and Abel

A few years after we were married, Julee P and I joined the Fort Bend YMCA on Cartwright Road. I didn’t train with weights then, but I would do jogging.

Now, one of the most interesting things about people is how motivated they can become for a simple “t-shirt.”

You see, the YMCA had a t-shirt club. You would enter the gym, go to the book, and write in your name. There were three levels to their club… You had the:

• 100 Workout CLUB
• 200 Workout CLUB
• 300 Workout CLUB

And what was amazing is that Julee was driven to get those t-shirts.
 
As young marrieds, we would go to the Y, I would hem and haw a bit, and then I would go jogging from there. I would jog a couple of miles, and come back until my wife was finished with her workout.

Julee, on the other hand, entered the gym, went to the book, signed her name and put the number of the workout on the spreadsheet, and then she went to work. And she worked. She would get on the stair master, the treadmill, lift weights, and she would leave a bucket of sweat wherever she went. She was passionate about getting that shirt.

I remember when she got the first one – the 100 Workout Club shirt. She was so proud. She wore that shirt with pride.

Sometimes, she would wear that shirt to workout in…and so did the others who had achieved that milestone. And it’s like Jeep owners…you know, when you own a Jeep Wrangler, you do the Jeep wave? –the two finger wave a top of the steering wheel – it stands for Victory – You are in the club…you have your own wave.

Well, those YMCA 100 Workout Club Shirt Wearing High Achievers also had their own language/code/wave. It was a, “We are so much better than you…you aren’t driven like we are, and we know it and so do you,” type of thing.

But I didn’t care. I would go in, I would piddle around… I would sometimes jog…but I wasn’t driven to get a t-shirt. I mean, “Who cares about a stupid t-shirt?”

Well, not only did my wife get a 100 Workout Club T-shirt, she also got a 200 Workout Club t-shirt, and eventually, she got a 300 Workout Club t-shirt!

You see, when Julee went to workout, she went to get the most she could out of it, and to get the t-shirt too – Been There! Done That! Got the T-shirt! She put her heart and soul into it!

But when I went, I didn’t. I sort of worked out. I sort of maybe got close to 100 workouts. I sort of gave an effort.

It’s the difference between Cain and Abel – two brothers who show up in the very early stages of the book of Genesis.

And you probably know the story – Cain brought some grain offerings and Abel brought a lamb. God was pleased with Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s offering.

Cain got made, said, “That’s not fair,” and decided he would kill Abel. So, he took him out in the field and he murdered him.

Now, in our 40 Days of Faith Journey, notice with me what Hebrews 11 says of these two.

Hebrews 11:4
By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

What are we to learn if we are going to live lives that walk by faith? What does Cain and Abel teach us?

Three Principles of Faith

• Faith Begins Before You Arrive at the Altar

Let’s take a moment to distinguish what we see between Cain and Abel.

Genesis 4:3-5
“In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.”

The question I wrestle with in 40 Days of Faith, that I want to spend a few moments on this morning, is this: Why was Abel’s gift acceptable and Cain’s was not? What made one gift a gift given in faith that pleased the Lord versus the other gift that was not accepted?

I believe it was both the order and care with which Abel brought his gift versus the order and care with which Cain brought his. Notice the language around Cain’s gift. Genesis 4:3 says, “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground.”

Now, notice the language around Abel’s offering. Genesis 4:4 says, “…and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.”

What’s the difference? Is it an animal sacrifice versus a fruit or grain offering? I don’t think so, because in Leviticus, there are specifications for grain offerings.

The difference in their offering has to do with when they brought their gift and whether it was accompanied by faith.

Notice this phrase regarding Cain’s offering.

Genesis 4:3a
“In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering…”

“In the course of time,” means, “the point in time at which something ends.”[1]
 
 The sense then is that Cain brought an offering to the Lord when he got around to it.
 There wasn’t great care or intentionality.

 So, Cain, brought his gift at the end.

 Now, notice the contrasting language about Abel.
 
Genesis 4:4
and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.

  Do you see the contrast?

 Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock.

 In our next principle, we will spend some time talking about this theme of the firstborn, but to be really clear, the “firstborn” means the animal that was born first.[2]

 Application: Here is the contrast -- Cain waited until the end to bring what was leftover, while Abel brought the first as an offering, before he knew if any more would come.

 It’s a deep contrast between the two – like the contrast between Julee going after the 100 workout club t-shirt, and me just showing up and halfway doing it.
 
You see, faith doesn’t shrink back from giving God our best, full devotion! That’s what worship looks like, and it happens very intentionally before you ever get to God’s house.

The second principle I want to share with you today is this:

Three Principles of Faith

• Faith Begins Before You Arrive at the Altar
• Faith Seeks what God says is Best, Not what I Believe to Be Best

A few years ago, a seasoned hiker set out early in the morning on a well-marked mountain trail. The park had invested heavily in signage—distance markers, elevation warnings, even notes about where erosion had made certain paths unsafe.

 About halfway up, the hiker came to a fork in the trail.

 One path was clearly marked.

It was longer.

It wound back and forth.

It didn’t look efficient.

 The other path wasn’t official—but it was obvious. Shorter. Steeper. Straight up the mountain.

 The hiker paused, studied both options, and thought to himself:
 “I’m in great shape. I’ve done harder climbs than this. That trail might be good for the average person, but I know what’s best for me.”

 So, he left the marked path.

 At first, everything went well. He made great time. The climb felt strong. He was proud of the decision.

 But about forty minutes in, the ground changed:

• Loose gravel.
• Unstable footing.
• No markers.
• No guardrails.
• What looked like efficiency turned into exhaustion—and then danger.

 Eventually, he slipped. Not a deadly fall—but enough to injure his ankle badly.

 Later, when park rangers helped him back down, one of them said something that stuck:
 “That trail wasn’t designed because people were weak.
It was designed because the mountain doesn’t change.”

 You see, the problem wasn’t the hiker’s effort.

It wasn’t his sincerity.

It wasn’t even his strength.

 The problem was that he decided his judgment mattered more than the standard already established.

And we do that too, don’t we? Especially in our deciding what we are going to give to the Lord.

  But notice a word in Genesis 4.

Genesis 4:4b-5
 And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.
 
 The word I want you to see is the word “regard.” It means to “gaze” or “look.”

 So, it says, “And the Lord gazed or looked at Abel’s offering, but for Cain and his offering, the Lord wouldn’t look at it.”

  In Hebrews 11:4, we see this word.

Hebrews 11:4
 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts…

 Notice the word “acceptable” and “accepting.”

  Very clearly, both the Old and New Testament texts here indicate that one offering was accepted and another was not.

 So, if you are willing, I’d like us to spend some time doing some work, asking, “What makes a gift acceptable?” In other words, “What does God want from my giving?”

 Notice with me 2 Corinthians 8:7.

2 Corinthians 8:7
 But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

 Are you on a growth pattern or growth trajectory when it comes to giving your resources to God?

 The call in verse 7 is to Grow in Giving!

 One way to do this is to increase our knowledge and enhance our understanding so that our practice is informed!

 Leviticus 27 is going to help us grow in knowledge and understanding.

Leviticus 27:26-30
 26 “ ‘No one, however, may dedicate the firstborn of an animal, since the firstborn already belongs to the Lord; whether an ox or a sheep, it is the Lord’s. 27 If it is one of the unclean animals, he may buy it back at its set value, adding a fifth of the value to it. If he does not redeem it, it is to be sold at its set value.
 28 “ ‘But nothing that a man owns and devotes to the Lord—whether man or animal or family land—may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the Lord.
 29 “ ‘No person devoted to destruction  may be ransomed; he must be put to death.
 30 “ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.

  Old Testament Language...

 As you read the Old Testament where it addresses offerings and sacrifices you are going to see words and phrases like:
 Acceptable Offering,
 that which is devoted to the Lord,
 the Tithe,
 the Firstborn.

 New Testament Language...

 When you read the New Testament you will see similar statements as well.

 Offer your body as a living sacrifice, acceptable unto God (Romans 12:1)

 Jesus is the firstborn…

4 Synonyms of Leviticus 27
 Here, in this passage, there are 4 Synonymous phrases that mean the same thing.
 

• Most holy to the Lord
• Devoted to the Lord
• Belonging to the Lord
• Devoted to Destruction

  All of these phrases come from the same Hebrew Root – KAREM.

Definition of Karem
 KAREM – means that something is only useful for sacrifice.  It belongs to God and can only be used by and for him.  

Because it belongs to the Lord, it is destructive to anything else, hence it is devoted to destruction.

 There are three things that are the DEVOTED Things.

 They are listed here in this passage:
 

1.  The 1st born of flock – Remember in Ex. 13 – When the angel of death passed over – They were to kill an unblemished lamb to redeem the first-born male of every household.  When God gave the law, he gave instructions that the firstborn of every animal would be his. If it was a clean animal, it was his. If it was an unclean animal (ex. -- a donkey) it had to be redeemed by a clean animal or you had to break its neck.
2. Tithes of Produce – Dt. 14:22 declares that Israel would set aside a tenth of all that the fields produced
3. The First spoils of War – When nations went to war against other nations, it was common practice for the warriors to receive the spoils of war.  But when Israel entered the promised land, the first city was to be devoted to destruction.  They were not to keep any of the gold or silver, but they were to utterly destroy everything as an act of faith to the Lord.

 That which is KAREM is only useful for sacrifice.  It is given with no foreseeable benefit, no questions, directions, or concerns.  There is No Foreseeable benefit to it beyond Obedience.

 Why? Why would this be?  Why would God ask for the 1st born of every flock, the first tenth of the fields, and the first spoils of war?

 4 Reasons Why:
 

1. To acknowledge God’s ownership.  
2. To Recognize he is My Lord
3. To Redeem all of my other possessions for God’s use
4. To Release my faith.

 When I give my 1st Fruits, my first 10th of my income to God, I am declaring that I am not putting my faith in me, or this confined world.  Instead, I am declaring that I have faith in God and his limitless supply.

 But if I don’t give the first fruits—the devoted things –When I decide what is best – I invite destruction on myself.
 

• Two Examples: Achan’s Sin (Joshua 7) and King Saul (1 Samuel 15)

Giving God our First Fruits is Agreeing with Him that…
 What is first is devoted to destruction.
 What is first, belongs to Him.
 What is first, will bring harm to me if I keep it for myself.

  For King Saul – He lost his kingdom, his lineage, and his children ended up suffering because of his disobedience.

 We are a lot like Saul. We too lose our spiritual authority and our children suffer because of our disobedience in this area.

Have you heard the story about the man who got his Labrador Retriever and his new Jeep and went out in the winter to go ice fishing?

 He got out on the frozen lake in his new jeep, and he and his dog were surveying the landscape.  When he found the right spot, he called his dog, backed up from the location where he wanted to drop a line through the ice, and lit a stick of dynamite.

 After lighting the dynamite, he threw it way out on to the ice where he hoped to go fishing.  But here is the problem.
 
 His Labrador thought he was playing fetch.  The dog ran out after the stick of dynamite with great gusto.  He fetched the dynamite and came running back toward his master.

 The master began to scream, “No, No, No.”  The dog only thought he was cheering him on, so he ran toward him even faster.

 As he approached the master, the dog could tell he had done something wrong, so he kept running past his master and went to hide the stick of dynamite under the jeep.
 
 The dog came running out from under the jeep with just a few seconds to spare and then the dynamite exploded, sending that new jeep to the bottom of that frozen lake.

 When we hang on to the things devoted to God, we are playing with dynamite.  When we keep the things devoted to destruction, those things bring destruction on us.  

Let’s not keep the devoted things!

But we are a people with a lot of questions and opinions, aren’t we?

 Our typical questions and/or opinions go something like this:
 What if the tithe is Old Testament?
 Did Jesus or the Apostles command us to tithe?
 How does tithing fit into the gospel?
 Aren’t we just called to Grace-Giving?

 And since we aren’t deeply educated in this, or we are deciding in our own eyes what it is we will give, here is what the landscape looks like in the North American Church.

 In their book, Passing the Plate, Drs. Emerson and Smith, in their 2008 publication state that the average North American evangelical Christian gives 2.3% of their income to any evangelical cause.  2.3%.

 You see, we have bought into an easy teaching that says, since Jesus came and established a new covenant, we don’t have to follow all of those regulations.

 But what we must understand about tithing is this:
 

1. The tithe proceeded the Law.  Abraham brought Melchizedek a tenth.  Able brought fat portions of the firstborn.
2. Jesus had a chance to negate tithing and didn’t do it.
3. Hebrews is the biggest argument for why it is New Testament and New Covenant and Grace Giving to tithe and I hope to show you why in just a moment.  But consider Hebrews:
4. 
   
   1. This book elevates the New Covenant
   2. Hebrews declares what is no longer needed
   3. Chapter 7 lists tithing 5 times, but it isn’t ever stated that it has ceased. 

 But let’s look now at why tithing is true grace giving.

 Grace Giving Declares the Gospel’s Extravagant Grace Toward Me!

2 Corinthians 8:9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
 
  Aren’t you glad that the Lord didn’t approach our redemption like we often approach giving?

Romans 8:29
 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

 Do you see that word, firstborn?  What did we learn about the firstborn?  The firstborn was the one that was devoted to destruction.

 Jesus was the Firstborn among many brothers – He was the firstborn that was devoted to destruction, that the rest might be redeemed and useful.

 And what else did we learn earlier?  That an unclean animal, like a donkey, had to be redeemed by a clean animal.  Now look quickly at these words of the Apostle Paul.

Ephesians 2:1-3
 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

  The word “wrath” here means destruction.
 
Exodus 13:12-13
 12 you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck.

My friends, we are those donkeys.  We were the unclean animals that were going to be led to the back 40 and have our necks broken.  As we were being led to the place of destruction, God himself stopped Satan in his tracks and gave a lamb in our place.
 
 And now look at what Peter says in 1 Peter 1:18-19.

1 Peter 1:18-19
 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

 This is Generosity…The Clean for the Unclean

 God himself made an offering of redemption so that you and I, unclean in all of our ways, might be made clean.
 
 The lamb of God, the firstborn, devoted to destruction, died, so that this Donkey could live.
 Friends, GRACE-GIVING is EXPENSIVE.  It cost Jesus everything!
 
 When we give the first-fruits, we declare his good news.  We honor him in worship!  We protect ourselves from greed, and we pass his grace on to others.
 
 Do you see it?  God gave the firstborn, the clean for the unclean.  God gave the lamb to redeem me.
 
 When we give the tenth --  
 the first of the fields,
 the first spoils of war,
 the first of the womb –
 we are declaring that God is at work and His redemption is real.
 
 Do you see how the tithe declares the gospel of Jesus?

Now, you may say, “Pastor, why did you just take us all through that? That’s a heavy lift for this first Sunday of the year.”

 I’ll tell you why…and it’s so simple. It’s because of what I want for you.

 Let me quickly in just a moment or two share with you principle #3 today.

Three Principles of Faith

• Faith Begins Before You Arrive at the Altar
• Faith Seeks what God says is Best, Not what I Believe to Be Best
• Faith Leaves a Voice After We’re Gone

Hebrews 11:4
By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

  Do you see it?  “And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.”

 As we conclude our time together, I simply want to read a few paragraphs from our devotional, 40 Days of Faith.

 The offering of Abel teaches us that God delights in our bringing the first to him because it places us in a position of dependence upon him. Abel brought, as it says in Hebrews 11:4, his offering, “by faith.” And here is what is amazing – Abel’s gift still speaks. Don’t miss this!  It says, “And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks."

Did you know that when you invest in the kingdom of God by giving of your first, your gift continues to have impact? As I write this, our church is nearing our 100th birthday. The fascinating thing to me about the kingdom and offering our gifts to the Lord in faith, is that those who went before us and invested to build the church, even though most of them are dead and in heaven, they still receive credit to their kingdom account even in heaven, when our ministry reaches people with the gospel today. In other words, their investment then, is still making an impact today! It’s the most incredible investment one can make.

Kingdom offerings, given with proper care and order, will continue to speak long beyond the lifespan of the one who made the offering. That’s an incredible aspect of making a gift in faith, that though you are dead, you still speak! “And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.”

Abel’s story reminds us that faith-filled giving is never wasted. When we bring God our first and our best, we declare our trust in Him to provide what we cannot see yet. And just like Abel, our offerings can continue to speak long after we are gone—impacting lives, advancing the gospel, and leaving a legacy of faith. Today, take an honest look at your own giving. Are you offering God the leftovers, or are you bringing Him your first and best? Choose to worship Him with your whole heart and trust that your sacrifice, offered in faith, will echo into eternity.

 Prayer:
Father, thank You for giving us your son, the firstborn lamb, who was devoted to destruction to bring the unclean and make us clean.
 
   [1] Bible Sense Lexicon, Logos Bible Software, end (point of time).
   [2] Ibid, firstborn.

 

This blog is based on the message shared by Senior Pastor Dr. Roger Patterson on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026 from our CityRise Church West U Baptist campus. Check out the full message below!