An Excellent Sacrifice - Hebrews 11:4

11:4 “Abel (vanity, breath, vapor) offered” - proshnegke - Aor Act Ind - willingly brought to God and “a  more excellent sacrifice"/ quality motive, acceptable, what God prescribed. 

“excellent” - pleiona - greater in quantity, greater in quality, superior, more excellent.  Literally, a "much more sacrifice"/ Abel had the attitude of a faithful worshiper whose offering coincided with the demands of God.  In faith he wanted to please God.

“By faith Abel first justified the promise of the Messiah, by whom a conquest should be obtained over the devil, and all the combination of hell against us: then he honored Christ by believing that he was able to save him; and in token that he believed these things indeed, he presented the Lord with the firstlings of his flock (Hebrews 11:4), as a remembrance before God that he believed in his Christ. And therefore it is said, “By faith he offered”; by which means the offering was accepted of God; for no man’s offering can be accepted with God but his that stands righteous before him first.”  Bunyun

“By the which he obtained witness” - emarturhqh - Aor Pass – Who witnessed that he was righteous?  The LORD was the witness.  The LORD was the giver of that righteousness.

Romans 8:14,16  "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God...me Spirit itself bearing witness with our spirit that we are the sons of God."

Rom. 5:9 "Much more then, being now justified by his blood..."

Eph. 2:13 "...ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by blood of Christ"

Heb. 9:22 “Without the shedding of blood is no remission."

I John 1:7 “...and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin."

“That he was righteous” - Heb. 11:7

“Now his faith looked not for acceptance for the sake of what he offered, but for the sake of that righteousness which it apprehended God had already put upon him, and by which he was made righteous; wherefore his offering was the offering of a righteous man, of a man made righteous first...that is antecedent to his offering; for he had faith in Christ to come, by which he was made righteous;” Bunyun

Eph. 4:24 “and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

Phil. 3:9  "...not having mine own righteousness, which is of the  law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.”

“God testifying of his gifts” - marturountoV - Pres Act Ptc - to be a witness, to affirm that on has seen, heard or experienced something, to utter honorable testimony.  Faith lives on, and the list in chapter 11 proves this. But there is another sense here: the acts of faith performed by each saint are a continuing testimony of God’s greatness from generation to generation.

“Cain” - followed reason, not revelation and brought the best that he had to offer.  It was not enough!  Poor character: angry with God and had an attitude problem (4:5); refused God’s warning (4:6-7); murderer (4:8); liar (4:9); selfish (4:12-13).

What does this mean to me?  What was his epitaph? What does the Bible say about this man that would challenge us to a higher level of sacrifice?  What sacrifice can we offer to God to bring about our own righteousness?  Nothing.