The Way of Cain - Gospel Identity

Welcome

Well, good morning Lifepoint! If we haven’t met, my name is Dan and I serve as one of the pastors here, alongside Jason Phillips who is our Campus Life pastor and we so grateful you’re here with us today!

If this is your first time here:

Introduction

Alright, if you have a bible with you, open up with me to Genesis chapter 4; Genesis chapter 4. First book in the bible, so it will be easy to find. We’ll be bouncing around a little bit today, but I’ll have all the passages also on the screen behind me.

Series Introduction

It’s a New Year and so we have a new series starting this week that I’m really excited about called, “Broken Mirrors.” Each week, we’re looking at the New Testament book of Hebrews, in an icon section sometimes called the “Hall of Fame of Faith” because the author of Hebrews holds up these examples of people from the Old Testament and uses them as an example of what “Faith” looks like. And if you were to look at all of the characters that show up in this passage, and read up on them, you’d find some pretty messed up stories—some tragic, messed up, people who somehow can be taken by the author of Hebrew and held up, not as an example of perfection, but an example of how God is able use broken people to reflect His own perfection…and so what you’ll be hearing me say each week is this: Broken people reflect a perfect God.

Which, as we’ll see today, is so much more than just a nice way of saying, [condescendingly] “Don’t worry, God can still use you…”

No.

It is the liberating reality, that as a follower of Jesus, you are unshackled from your shame, free to be used by God in spite of any imperfection or blemish, not for your glory, but for His.

And what we’ll focus on this week, is the first of our 5 core values at Lifepoint: Gospel Identity, the idea that, in Jesus, we are made new, given a new way and new kind of life as a son or daughter of the Living God. Now, it’s gonna take a hot minutes for us to get there, but I think the story we’re looking at today is a profound picture of our Gospel Identity.

But before we get going, let me pray and then we’ll get started.

PRAY

Reading Hebrews 11

Alright, let’s get started.

Let’s take a look at this Hall of Fame - Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11:1–3 ESV

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

What are we looking at here?

Well, the book of Hebrews is a notoriously tricky book in the New Testament to follow—there’s a lot of what we’d call “insider language” in this book. First of all, we don’t really know who wrote the book. It probably wasn’t a letter written by Paul — in fact I think there a lot of good evidence that this really isn’t a book or letter at all, but actually a sermon. That’s besides the point.

Best we can tell, the original audience was made up of followers of Jesus who had come from the Jewish community. So, when I talk about “insider language”, I’m talking about how the author here will make a quick reference to a story and assume we know what he’s talking about it.

It would be like if I made a passing reference to July 4th here. Many of you would have a whole series of stories you’d think of around that date without me having to go into much detail.

That’s a good picture of what’s going on in Hebrews 11. The author brings up a whole series of stories without going into much detail, assuming that we are all super familiar with that story.

And what we’re doing in this series is taking a look at some of the references and treating them like a portal back to the whole story. Which brings us to Hebrews 11:4, the first story referenced in this Hall of Fame.

Hebrews 11:4 ESV

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.

Cain and Abel - Genesis 4

Now, before we can even dig into this story, I think it’s helpful to take a step back and think about the book of Genesis as a whole; which will be really helpful for us as we try and make sense of this somewhat odd story.

We’re going to step into the classroom for a minute, but I promise we’ll get back to church soon.

Genesis and the Pentateuch

Genesis is the first book of the bible, but it’s also the first book of a collection of books in the Old Testament called the Torah, or Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Now, if we read these books today…let’s be honest…it’s kind of a grind to get through them. There are some really well known stories like Moses and the Exodus, but it also feels theres a lot rules and regulations that are laid out.

But we need to see that this is not so much just a history book, the Torah is written as one ongoing story. The closer you look at it, you’ll find this is no just ancient law code, but is a literary masterpiece with themes and stories that interact and interlock with one another.

And in the beginning of Genesis, we have these grand stories dominate the landscape of the Old Testament narrative—Creation, Adam and Eve, the Fall, Cain and Abel, Noah’s Ark, the Tower of Babel. But in an interesting way, what we also have is something like a table of contents for all the major themes that will show up in the rest of the Torah - an the Old Testament as a whole. You will see some of the most moving themes of the Bible put on display here in the first 11 chapters of Genesis almost as if God himself were saying to anyone who reads, this is what My story is all about!

And that brings us to this short, someone odd account of two brothers, Cain and Abel, a story that the author of Hebrews hold up and says, “This is a model of faith!”

The Background of Cain and Abel

Let me set the scene. And it might feel like I’m getting into the weeds here a bit, but I want us to feel the brokenness of the story

Adam and Eve have been created in the Garden of Eden. And they’ve been given a job in that garden, you can see it in Genesis 2:15:

Genesis 2:15 (ESV)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

But if you look at this in the original language of the Old Testament, Hebrew, you find there’s some more color that pops. Through the rest of the Torah, these mean usually mean something more like worship and obey. In other words, they have been created to thrive in the Garden with their God, in right relationship with him. They were made in God’s image to reflect Him.

And yet, at the insistence of the serpent, they take and eat from the one tree they were told not to. It is the first recorded act of rebellion against the Creator which ushers in a curse upon them and the land. While the were created to Work and Keep the land, to worship and obey, with a play on words, they are now expelled from the Garden and those same Hebrew words are used to describe their life outside of right relationship with God: Genesis 3:23-24

Genesis 3:23–24 (ESV)

23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

And we will see those words again in our story as evidence that this whole thing is dripping with the curse of sin.

In chapter four, we are confronted with life outside of Eden…life under the curse. If this were a movie, you might expect the vibrant colors of Eden to fade to black and white, like film noir.

The Story of Cain and Abel

And this is where we first hear from Eve post Fall. Look at v. 1:

Genesis 4:1 ESV

1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”

Which you may not have every given much thought to other than thinking it’s a bit of odd way of saying you had boy.

But again, when we look at this in the original language some things pop out to us that we might not otherwise see.

In Hebrew, all she says is: “I have obtained a man—the Lord.”

Why does that matter?

Well, it let’s us know that Eve is thinking specifically about what God had just promised in chapter 3—God would give her an offspring that would ultimately crush the head of the serpent. But more than that, it sets up a theme that we’ll see on repeat in the Torah — of God promising something and then that person going to “obtain” that promise for themselves…to make it happen.

She has Cain who, interestingly enough is a “worker” of the ground…

And then a second son, Abel, a shepherd.

Look with me at v. 3.

Genesis 4:3–5 ESV

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.

Now, there are some questions that come up with this passage.

What was wrong with Cain’s offering? What made Abel’s better than his?

Probably nothing.

So why did God reject Cain’s?

Well, what we see as we keep reading is that something is revealed about Cain’s heart in his response to God’s rejection of his offering. Not only is he angry at God, but he takes his rage out his brother, Abel.

And when then were out in the field again, Cain “…rose up against his brother and killed him…”

And just like with Adam and Even first in the garden, God approaches Cain knowing full well what’s happened; asking, “Where is your brother?”

His response, thinking he can hide what’s actually happened:

“I don’t know…am I my brothers keeper?” Same Hebrew word we looked at earlier…

This is the first murder.

The first taking of life that was given as a gift from God…taking life that was created in the image of God as a reflection of God himself in the created world. And like his parents, Adam and Eve before him, Cain now sits under the right judgment of God.

Look at v. 10:

Genesis 4:10–12 ESV

10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

And I think the whole story hinges on what happens next. Depending on how we understand Cain next words, we’ll end up in very different ideas for what this story is about.

First, notice that Cain is sure God’s response will end in his death; that whoever or whatever finds him will kill him.

Look what he says this in v. 13:

Genesis 4:13 ESV

13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.

It sounds a bit like he’s complaining about the consequence he’s getting, doesn’t it? This is on a much smaller level, right, but I can’t help thinking about how my son Malachi often responds to a consequence he gets…like if I tell him he can’t play with his legos for the rest of the night, he collapses in complete despair, proclaiming that he’ll never get to play with his legos again!

And you can kind of see that play out here, right?

Like Cain is throwing a tantrum, saying the punishment is too much and so it kinda looks like God capitulates a bit, decides not to be as heavy handed…

Look at v. 15.

Genesis 4:15 ESV

15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him.

And the whole thing wraps up with God having mercy on this guy [EXPAND]; it’s a nice transition story to some of the bigger, more well known ones of Genesis. You can check it off your reading plan and move on.

But, I think there might be something more significant happening here than we realize.

Look at Cain’s response again in v. 13.

Genesis 4:13 ESV

13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.

We’re running into another small translation problem here. It’s possible to translated the Hebrew word here as “punishment”.

But, that’s not what that word normally means. Interestingly enough, the fast majority of the time its used, it means something more like “iniquity” or “guilt.”

Which might sound like a subtle difference at first, but the more you think about it, this radically changes our perspective of this story! Because, if that’s how we’re supposed to translate that word, then all of a sudden, Cain is not complaining about the severity of his punishment, he is wrecked by the guilt he feels over what he’s done! He’s saying, “My GUILT is too much for me to bear!”

And this, I think actually makes the most sense out of the rest of the passage! This, in a way, is Cain’s repentance over what he’s done—it’s his acknowledgement that he has blood on his hands, and the weight of what he’s done is consuming him…he can’t bear up under it…he is crushed by his reality of his own sin.

And doesn’t this make God’s response look different? Instead of him giving in to a complaining child, I think this starts to look more like a nuanced picture of forgiveness and restoration, doesn’t it?

See, forgiveness does not mean there are no consequences for our actions. Cain still has to live with the reality and impact of what he’s done BUT in his acknowledgment of it, God’s posture is remarkably different.

Cain’s banishment and wandering will not lead to his death, but God promises to preserve Cain even through the consequences he experiences! God promises to give him a mark, a sign that symbolizes his status as part of God’s people and even allows him to find a dwelling place, look at v. 16.

Genesis 4:16 ESV

16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

He was supposed to be a wanderer and fugitive but instead, in his restored kind of relationship with God, he is given so much more than he could have imagined. He is given land to settle in — the very opposite of being a wander, right? More than that, though he was still banished from his community, God restores even what he lost in that as an entire city is built around him!

Friends, this is a remarkable story about the way sin and brokenness infects the world around us and those in it BUT it also shows us an incredible picture of a God who responds to that brokenness!

And I’ll be honest, as I’ve been preparing for this message, studying, praying and reflecting on this story, I have been absolutely gripped by Cain’s life. And I honestly see SO many parallels between his life and the Christian life in general…i see the parallels in my own life!

I just can’t look away from his response: “My guilt is to much for me to bear.”

Because I know what that feels like. I know what it feels like to be under the crushing weight of guilt over what I’ve done…over what I’ve said…the crushing weight of seeing how I have hurt others. Some of you know that very well, too. The feeling of intense shame over what has happened in your life—things you never want to talk about—things you’d rather keep out of sight, because maybe, just maybe that old adage is true and it will eventually be out of mind.

But it never works that way, does it?

And like Cain, I foolishly think I can keep these things tucked away in the corners of my soul, hiding them even from God.

And yet, here’s what I love so much about this story.

God actually wants Cain to talk with him. See, before Cain even opens up his mouth, God knows what’s happened. He doesn’t want the details because he knows the details—and if you look carefully, you’ll see that Cain never gives the details, because God doesn’t need them to know what’s happened.

Friends, I want you to think about it this way.

The God of the Universe, the Creator of All Things, the All-Powerful, All-Mighty Lord of all creation desires relationship with you. And he already knows ALL the details of your life. He knows everything you could brag about, he knows everything you’d like to keep hidden. He knows it all! And he still desires relationship.

That is why He comes to Cain.

Friends, that is why He comes to us!

And just like with Cain’s confession, God invites us to say back to Him what he already knows to be true of us.

Let me ask you this. How do you envision that conversation with God? And I’m going to call on your imagination for a moment. What tone do you hear God speak to you in? What look does he have on his face?

It’s interesting to me that in this story of Cain, we told that he is angry at God. And if you look through the rest of the Bible, we find the phrase “The Anger of the Lord” or “God’s Anger” 475 times.

But we don’t find it here.

Instead, we find one who like a loving, tender, kind and gracious Father! God’s response to Cain is dripping with grace! He is unbelievably kind, unimaginably forgiving as he takes the weight of Cain’s guilt off his back and places it squarely on the shoulder of Jesus—in fact this is what God has done with ALL our guilt, ALL our shame. And while our actions and our guilt should have resulted in our punishment, in our judgement, God graciously steps in our place through the person and work of Jesus who takes on the punishment we deserve, dying the death we earned IN OUR PLACE, FOR OUR sin on the cross; only to rise again from the dead, victorious over shame…victorious over guilt…victorious of sin and death!

And now, do you see what I said we were going to talk about “Gospel Identity” today? It’s because that relationship between a loving father and child is a picture of our status before God. It’s the Gospel Identity we have as followers of Jesus! That we are no longer enemies and rebells against God…no, by FAITH in Jesus, pledging our allegiance to Him and Him alone, we find that we are in a brand new kind of relationship with God! We are in his family. We are His children.

Application

And so the question is — like Cain, will we experience that restored relationship with God?

Will we live in the Gospel Identity we have through Jesus?

And maybe that’s a question you need to write down for this week—or this month: Am I living in my Gospel Identity?

For those who have not trusted in Christ

For some of you here today, you know that this is not the kind of relationship you have with You can find forgiveness…you can find restoration…from God who already knows and invites you to come to Him.

God offers you a sign [Baptism - Link in the Notes]

For those who are followers of Christ

Maybe you’ve been following Jesus for a while…

It’s time for a check up. Are you living in the Gospel Identity you have in Jesus?

How can you tell? Well, this is not a question anyone else can answer for you. But I think there are some ways to discern where you’re at. And keep in mind, this is a desperately hard question to ask yourself. One of my favorite writers, Dallas Willard, once said that real challenge in following Jesus is to really believe the things we say we believe…

But here are a few questions you can ask yourself as you probe into this question of whether you’re really living in the Gospel Identity you have in Jesus.

Imagine again you’re having that same kind of confession conversation with God that Cain had in v. 13. Go through that exercise. How do you imagine God in that moment? One pastor, A.W. Tozer once said: “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” Is he disappointed? Is he angry? Is he annoyed that you’re still working through this? Or, do you see Him as Jesus described him? Like the loving Father who knows what YOU need before you even open up your mouth to ask? Who delights to give good gifts to his child? Who is gracious and merciful, overflowing in steadfast love?

When we are living in the Gospel Identity we have in Jesus, it shapes the way we engage in all of our relationships. It makes me think of how I respond as father to my kids…as a husband to my wife…as a son to my parents…so the question is, as you think about your relationships, are you responding to others the way your Heavenly Father responds to you?

Finally, living in the your Gospel Identity will catalyze a greater desire to deepen your relationship with your Heavenly Father. So, what are you doing in your life to grow in your relationship with God? Is there some practice in the new year you need to make a conscious decision to embrace? A plan for your devotional life? A pattern of sharing your faith? In the notes, I’ve included some links to a few resources that will help you in answering this question: some bible reading plans, a spiritual inventory, a few books.

And like I said, there is no way for me to assess where you’re at in YOUR life right now, but we can encourage one another to live in our Gospel Identity. And I think the story of Cain and Abel is a profound remind both of the reality of our brokenness, but also of the unbelievable kindness of our God that shows us, in Jesus, you are unshackled from your shame, and welcomed home as a son and daughter of God.

I love how one artist, Cory Asbury has recently put it: Check your shame at the door, because it an’t welcome any more, here in the Father’s House.

Let’s pray.