Genesis 4
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Ok so for recording purposes and because I felt like I rushed the beginning a bit we are going to start in Chapter 4. You know how God does me anyway. Ill say stuff and then he will say, you should have said this too or change it to say it this way so it hits your mind and spirit differently. So here we go with it.
The fall has happened. Mankind has sinned and the consequences don’t take long to happen because SIN ALWAYS MATTERS. I mean sin just grows and takes more and more of a hold on humanity. We will also see though that as sin grows it cannot out do or out grow His mercy. If people are going to make it to hell it is literally going to be over his dead and resurrected body.
That is a cool t shirt idea. Copyrighted
Any way.
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.”
Eve has had a child. Again we do not know that this is first son. We know it is the first son of meaning. We can I say know that he is the first son after the fall because of what she calls him. Cain’s name means got or acquired. How does she say she acquired him? From whom? The Lord. What was she calling him in the last chapter. God. What is she calling him now? Jehovah. why? Because she now has intimate relationship with him. She went through something traumatic. god was there and though she received a punishment she also recieved mercy which she knew was not deserved. So she now has a better respect for God. Going through a trial is the best way unfortunately for us to understand god. We just learn more that way. She did. She is now giving God glory and honor instead of dismissing him. It has become with the help of the lord. Does she think this may be the promised seed? Probably. We do know that she is establishing God’s authority in her life.
2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
3 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.
We cannot just read the bible we have to read the bible. Two different jobs but both realized they needed to bring a sacrifice. Who told them to do that? Anyone? We have no Jewish law yet. We have no 10 commandments. So how did they know to bring an offering or sacrifice to God.
33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
15 who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
3 times. It is established. So don’t talk anymore about tithe or offering being just an OT thing or a NT thing. It is a God given thing. Ok. I’ll move on from that. They knew they should do it because they knew they should honor God. Period. But the heart behind it was different. Let’s look.
Cain gives of the fruit of the ground. Just want to emphasis this and see where your memory is. Does fruit come from the ground? Nope so he is giving just leftover or even as it was put the rotten fruit. The ones that fell to the ground. Definitely not the first of the harvest. I have a harvest. i know i should give some of it. He is going through the motions. Like taking communion. Ok here is the wine here is the piece of Styrofoam. BUT GOD REJECTS THAT. If your heart is not in it…He rejects it!!! It does you no good. If your attitude and spirit are not right he rejects it. God says right here I dislike the spirit of Cain. There was no true cost behind it. We cannot spend our life attempting to do the bare minimum. THAT IS NOT GOD. Please tell me living this life isn’t gonna cost me anything and if it does what is the bare minimum. Are there any d average Christians in the house. I mean if I check these three things I can get out of hell. whew! done. But don’t ask me nothing else. As long as I don’t have anything else going on Lord like it sun shining or raining outside or its too cold or its too hot or there might be a ball game come on or my kids might have a practice or a game or something. i mean the lord knows my heart. If i hit 2 out of 4 Sundays is that God or should i mix it up with some Wednesday nights. What about 2 and 2. You know i have to work on Wednesday and Thursday so trying to get to church is hard. But we will make it Monday night football and watch 4 overtimes cuz we have to support our team. Give me a break. yeah I am coming out swinging tonight. Decisions have consequences. You life is in a mess. Your marriage is in a mess. Your job is in a mess…because you keep making decisions to go back to the mess. Someone I was talking about that yesterday. You get in a mess. Come to the Lord and he works it all out, then we don’t see you for 6 months. That is what we call in the south dumb as a box of rocks. Just don’t let it cost me anything really important and we will be ok God.
And God is showing us this right here in Genesis. God is not waiting to show us this huge detail. So underline that in your bible for the next time you think of just taking the easy way out. Cain is just checking the box but no real sacrifice though he calls it a sacrifice.
Just because you say it is a sacrifice…does God call it a sacrifice.
Able gives of his first born and of the fat. What does it mean to offer the first born? This is his livelihood. He is taking the very first born and he is sacrificing it to the lord. It is him saying that I have faith in you. So much faith that though I am sacrificing what i really need, you will replace it. I know I will receive another one. God you will not let me starve. It was huge deal because there is not guarantee that the herd will produce another one. but he doesn’t care. he is going to honor God and trust him. THIS IS YOUR TITHE!!! THIS SHOULD BE ALL OF OUR ATTITUDE!!! I definitely do not get it right all the time. There have been times in my life that i withhold and it cost me. There have been times i gave and God rewarded. I am far more inclined to not pay visa then to not honor God. It is not legalistic. this is the practical thing. write his check first. Give to him first. my check comes in, i go to the app and pay him first. Before bills. Before paying myself.
Give
Then the Lord ask why are you angry. He was so angry, that it showed on his face. You ever meet someone like that. They light up a room…when they leave. You see them coming and you don’t want to ask them how they are because you know what it will be like. Everything is doom and gloom. This is what Cain was doing. His face told his envy. But our God is good.
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7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Here is God. Cain, I am giving you a warning. Cain, please listen to me. God is literally saying we can avoid what is about to happen. I am telling you that sin is crouching. I am telling you that it is about to go down and you will not like the outcome. Listen to the mercy. Hear his love for Cain. How many of you have heard that same warning and ignored it? You are just like Cain. I am just like Cain. I didn’t listen to the warning then I want to go run back to God asking him to fix it. He says I told. I told you what was going to happen. I told you it was at the door.
8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
Some of the most ancient text says that Cain called him to the field. He made a plan. Part of me would think that he got out there and started mouthing off. No matter what Able said he wasn’t going to hear it. By the way in a very real moment. Able’s name means vapor. Like here today and gone tomorrow. His life was but a vapor. And it was all Cain’s fault.
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9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.
The world famous line. Who does that sound like? I mean it sounds very similar to his daddy. Will you take no responsibility Cain. Will you not confess? Then here he goes and gives him an opportunity to repent and come clean with a pointed question. Do you think that God didn’t know what he had done? Parents don’t we know what our kids have done when we ask did you eat that cookie?
Then God.. says his blood cries out to me. We know that life is in the blood. The bible tells us that.
11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
Law of first mention here. First time we see a human cursed. Remember in 3 the ground and the snake were cursed but Adam and Eve were not.
12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
Completes the rest of the curse. So no matter what happens Cain is always going to have issues with the ground. What was his job? So God is getting to his heart and taking away favor. He is cursed.
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13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
Does Cain sound repentant. NO he is only talking about himself. God that isn’t fair. No sign of remorse you're right God I shouldn’t have killed him. No sign of remorse I didn’t respect my parents. Cain thinks God is really making a big deal out of this murder thing. Its the truth of even modern day Christians, my sin isn’t that big of a deal. He just doesn’t want this punishment. How many times have we done that. Can you please lord just don’t let the punishment be that bad. I have and He was merciful sometimes and sometimes he said you are going to have to deal with it. I warned you. SIN ALWAYS MATTERS. Pastor why do you keep saying that. Because I don’t want you for a moment to think you are getting away with something because you don’t see an immediate downturn. I don’t want you walking down a trail that so many others have been down. IT ALWAYS MATTERS!! If I can keep you from falling that’s what I want to do. If before you make that call, watch that show, listen to that music, take that drink, take that drug, look lustfully at that other person, lie to cover up…sin always matters Confess it now. Thomas Brooks says that True repentance is the vomit of the soul. Your sin is against GOD!!!! MY sin is against God. Cain isn’t there. Then the concern about his own life.
Now here is God with Mercy
15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
Number seven. What does that mean? Perfection. Who executes perfect judgment? The Lord does. He does not need anyone else’s help. He could have allowed others to kill him but He says no. I will show mercy and if I show mercy no one else can take that away. You know what doesn’t surprise me.. when bad things happen. You know what does…when God shows mercy like this. His mercy is very surprising. Especially in my own life. Just some extra write down verses for the number 7
6 The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times.
12 And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom Their reproach with which they have reproached You, O Lord.
31 Yet when he is found, he must restore sevenfold; He may have to give up all the substance of his house.
Now there are a lot of whacked out theories of what the mark was. We don’t know. I mean folks are even saying bigfoot is the cursed lineage of cain. We ain’t going there. We just know there is a mark so that people would know.
Look at how quickly this lineage falls. We are going to get into some lineage.
16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.
Even to the response of mercy he leaves the presence of the Lord. Look up here. Right in my pupils. If you are listening online. Look right at the screen. When you sin and mess up, please run to God not away from Him. He is so much more merciful than we give him credit for. Don’t run away. That is the worst thing you can do. Yes there will be consequences but he is merciful.
17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Enoch.
Where did Cain get a wife? Let’s explain it.
This is not the good Enoch
Parents do not build a city to your kids. They should be built to the Lord
18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.
19 Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah.
The first guy to take on two wives is Lamech. This guy is a bad dude. Out of the line of Cain is polygamy. Remember genesis 2. Your perfect helper was the one woman. God didn’t take a rib and say here are 3 ladies for you.
Cain commits first murder
Lamech first polygamy
20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
21 His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.
22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
So we get some different jobs or different talents.
Then the first lady born on record. Not the first one just the first one of mention.
23 Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me.
24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
Lamech will never follow God’s standard. Not in marriage nor in his respect for life. He is blood thirsty. He says you may punch me but I am going to kill you. Sin just keeps elevating.
Just take note also, lamech is the 7th generation down from Adam. We will talk about it next week Lord willing.
Nothing from Cain is lining up with God.
This poem. Shoes Lamech does not care about retribution. He thinks he is bad amongst bad. Can’t no body touch me. Cain might have been afraid but I ain’t.
Now something at the end really cool. Who is the whole bible about? Look at
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
I told Pastor this about 2 months ago or so he was preaching about this verse when we were going through the parables. He told me then I should have shared it with yall because he had never put them together and it was good.
What is Jesus making a reference to here? All the way back to Genesis and Lamech. Lamech says I will pay you back seventy seven times whatever you do to me. Jesus says I will forgive you seventy seven times what you do to me. What is he actually saying…your forgiveness as His does, should have no limits. And he refers all the way back to this. Isn’t that amazing. Yall thought jesus just picked a random number.
things seem to be going pretty bad but God does not leave us like that.
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”
26 And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.
So cain killed a son and therefore she lost both…she has lost both of those sons.
Sin was being mangified through cain. Seth was meant to replace that line. God is in essence starting over the line of man. Seth means given. Now he then has a son named enosh which means very close to man. Just like Adam.
So things are getting bad…i mean it can’t seem to be getting worse then men began to call on the name of the Lord. A remnant is ALWAYS THERE!!!! Something is shifting. Something is moving and it is the Lord.