By Faith: Ordinary People. Extraordinary Possibilities | Part 1: The Faith Story Backstory

Hebrews 11:4 (MSG)

By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That’s what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.

FAITH STARTS — WITH

FAITH ALWAYS STARTS WITH GOD –

BECAUSE EVERYTHING DOES

Colossians 1:16 (MSG)

For everything, absolutely everything … got started in Him (God)

FAITH RESPONDS — WITH

Hebrews 11:4

By an act of faith, Abel brought…

James 2:18 (TEV)

Show me how anyone can have faith without actions. I will show you my faith by my actions.

Romans 10:17

Faith comes from hearing … God’s Word.

FAITH IS NEVER A – LEAP INTO THE DARK

IT’S A STEP INTO – THE LIGHT OF GOD’S WORD

God said —

“Cain, if you do what is right, will you not be accepted?”

FAITH TRUSTS — GOD’S WAY OF

Genesis 4:7 (NLT)
You will be accepted if you do what is right.

Jude 11 — “The way of Cain.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 (MSG)

Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! ⁹ We don’t play the major role . . . we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work (EXTRAORDINARY WORK) he has gotten ready for us to do…

Hebrews 11:4 (MSG)

It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference.

The Abel-Difference-Making Way —

is trusting what God has done rather than what we do!

The Cain-Difference-Missing Way —

is trusting what we do rather than what God has done!