Jump Start # 1299

Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.

Abel, the son of Adam and Eve, the first person to be murdered, is remembered all these centuries later in our passage today. God had not forgotten. To the suffering Hebrews, Abel is an example of one who did right. The righteous suffered. His death did not end him, nor did it end his influence.

Recently, a friend sent me some books that belonged to her husband. He was a preacher and a friend. He died suddenly nearly two years ago. I wanted a book with his name in it. That meant a lot to me. It was a reminder and a tribute to a great lover of God. Finding a new space on my bookshelves for these books made me consider many of these other books that I have. Many have the names of earlier owners. Many were written back in the 1800’s. The writers and first owners of those books are long gone, but here these books sit on my shelves, still teaching, still doing good. These old books are a lot like us. We will be gone someday, but the good we do will still teach and help others.

We often call this a legacy. We all leave something behind for others. Our initial thought is of an inheritance. There is a new show that I have been fascinated with called, “Strange Inheritances.” It’s about unusual and most times very expensive items that one generation has left for another. But our legacy is more than just the stuff we leave behind. We leave an impression, an image. Abel was gone, but his voice was still heard. As a grown child, we remember our parents and often do not appreciate all that they did until we are parents and they are gone. The legacy of honesty. The legacy of hard work. The legacy of devotion to God. Those are all footprints that we leave behind. We touch lives in ways that we do not realize. Through the years we notice others and their example leaves an impression upon us. My friend Billy has been gone for a while now. I still use his pens that he made. When I walk into the church building, I still see him by the front doors, greeting people and standing there with his arms opened wide to give me a bear hug. Billy, like Abel, is gone, but he still speaks. That will be true of all us, whether good or bad. We are all planting trees in the garden of life. Most of us will never enjoy the shade from those trees, but others, who are following us will.

We don’t think much about our legacy, other than possibly having a will and life insurance. We just live each day doing what we think we ought to do. But as each day is filed away, there are impressions left. Co-workers, church members, and especially our family are left with a view of us. The dishonest co-worker doesn’t see beyond himself. He does things that are not right. Co-workers notice. It’s known secretly around the office. That’s how that person will be known. That’s the impression he has left. For others, it may be sudden out bursts of anger. They blow their top at work, at home and in stores. People remember. Folks may remember you as always being at church services. Every time the doors were opened, you were there. They will remember that. Others will remember the smile. Others will remember and have benefited from the generosity.

Being dead, he still speaks. That is a fascinating expression. What does Abel say?

• Abel tells us that doing right is always right. He is most remembered for the sacrifice that he made. His brother, Cain, offered God vegetables. God rejected that sacrifice. Cain got mad. He should have been mad at himself. Instead, he was mad at Abel. Abel didn’t do anything to him, nor anything wrong. Cain killed Abel. Right is always right.

• The innocent suffer at the hands of the guilty. Abel tells us that. If Abel was doing right, why didn’t God shield him and protect him? The answer is that the world is broken and death is one of the consequences of that brokenness. Death comes in many ways. Death comes at all ages. God has appointed man to die.

• Abel is honored by God for simply doing what he was supposed to do. Abel didn’t write any books of the Bible. He didn’t preach. He wasn’t a prophet. He didn’t do any miracles. He wasn’t a missionary. He didn’t build churches. He was just Abel. He loved God and obeyed Him. He did what he was supposed to do. You may be a stay at home mom and think “I haven’t done anything worth while for the Lord.” You are. You are teaching your children. You are doing what Abel did, just what you are supposed to do. You might be one who sits in worship and hears about preachers going overseas and preaching in country after country. You may think, I’m not doing a thing. Maybe. Maybe you are. Maybe you are doing what Abel did. You are helping those preachers by supporting them. You are helping to keep a congregation going the right direction. You are doing what you are supposed to do. This is what Abel tells us.

• Abel tells us that in the end, pleasing God is never forgotten. God remembered. God wanted the Hebrews to remember Abel. When you read the list of greats in Hebrews 11, you have people who fought armies, left their homes, built an ark, marched around cities, hid spies, fought giants, and Abel who sacrificed to God. What he did was just as important as the others. He is named. He is on the list. It was by faith that he is united with all those others. It is by faith that we too are added with God’s faithful.

Abel still speaks. You still speak. You will continue to speak after you are gone. You will leave an impression and footsteps. Those footsteps will either point to Jesus and Heaven or they will point one away from God.

Legacy—we all are involved in this. By and by, as Dan Fogelberg once sang, we all become forefathers. The son becomes the father and each of us leave a legacy for others. We are planting trees in which others will sit in the shade some day. Make sure you do a good job!

Roger