Cain and Able
Genesis • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 3 viewsNotes
Transcript
INTRO
INTRO
Have you ever been jealous of someone?
If you have ever been jealous you know that it often leads to anger and it can sometimes even lead to you doing something you shouldn’t
there have been many murders, robberies, and crimes commited out jealousy
I can vividly remember being jealous of one of my friends in early elementary school because he had a toy car that could beat all of my toy cars on our racetrack
i was so jealous and angry that I stole his car and threw it away so he could never use it again
TENSION
TENSION
While you may have never murdered someone or stolen their toy car because of jealousy the reality is all of us have been jealous before
not only that but I would assume most of us can think of a time that our jealousy caused us to do something we shouldn’t
Tonight, as we continue our series in Genesis we are going to see jealousy and anger cause someone to do something horrible
TRUTH
TRUTH
We will be looking at the account of Adam and Eve’s first two sons
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.
Adam and Eve have two sons: Cain and Able
Cain is the first born and is a farmer
Able is the second born and is a shepherd
But it’s important to know what Eve says about Cain…
“i have gotten a man with the help of the Lord”
“i have gotten a man, namely, the Lord”
This is important because the Hebrew seems to state that Adam and Eve believe Cain is the promised seed of 3:15
That God has given then the messiah
This is going to be important to remember as we continue
In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 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, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.
Cain and Able make offerings to God
Cain: fruit of his harvest/field
Able: fat and firstborn of his flock
God accepts Able’s offering but not Cain’s
Cain in response is very angry
We are not told in the text why Able’s offering was accepted and Cain’s wasn’t
but the benefit of us being NT believers is that we have the NT to help us understand the OT
and the author of Hebrews helps us know why
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.
God accepts Able’s offering because it was an act of faith
Able believed God’s word about who He is and what he was going to do and is offering is a response to that
Cain’s offering was not an act of faith
Cain though his would be accepted simply because of who he was and what he could do for God
so when his offering isn’t accepted it makes since as to why he gets so angry
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
God talks to Cain
Tells him that if he does well or does what is right then he will be accepted
But if not sin is crouching at the door to over take him
An image of an predator laying in wait in the grass for the opportune time to attack it’s prey
God is almost warning Cain of what his anger/jealousy could lead to and calls him to turn from
But Cain doesn’t listen
Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
Cain invites his brother out to the field
Attacks and kills him
Here we see the almost instantaneous affect of sin
One chapter after the fall we have the first murder
It didn’t take generation after generation for sin to slowly make mankind bad it was instant
Murder of family members
Ables death is a result of Sin normal cycle
Starting small and slow until it results is grievous actions
Faithless offering
Rejects God’s word
Deceives his brother into the field
Murder
This is the same cycle we see of sin in our own life
White Lie —> Habitual Liar
One look —> Porn Addiction
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”
God ask cain a question
He isn’t looking for the logical answer
He is offering Cain a chance to repent like a loving Father does
Yet Cains response is cold…
He was no remorse
“Idk, your God you should know”
“I’m I the one suppose to take care of him”
Yet has we saw in chapter 3
with sin comes consequences
so God starts giving them out to Cain
And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 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.”
Cain’s consequences
Ground will be curse
Driven from God’s presence to be a wonder
Same consequences as Adam
Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 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.” 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. Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Cain is overwhelmed by the consequences
Cain isn’t remorseful but doesn’t understand why they are so grave
Many peoples problem with Christianity
Are not remorseful or sorry for their sin yet can’t understand why it’s punishment is so severe
Yet in all of this God shows Cain grace
Gives me a mark that protect him
Cain leaves Eden
Now that was a ton of stuff but as we reflect on this chapter I want to point out one thing that I believe is often looked over in this chapter
Blood has a voice
that sounds a little weird and odd i know but look back at verse 10
And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.
Able’s blood is crying out
blood has a voice
it uses it’s voice in death
it’s voice is heard by God
1. Abel’s Blood Cries Out for Justice
Abel's blood cries out to God from the ground, demanding justice for the sin committed.
God hears the cry, showing He is a God of justice and that sin cannot be hidden.
Sin always has consequences even if we think no one sees
This truth reminds us that God sees and cares about injustice in the world and in our own lives.
But we don’t just see blood having a voice here in this account but all throughout scripture…
As God later give the Israelites the sacrificial system he has them sacrifice animals for their sins
the point of this was for the animals blood to speak for them
For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.
2. The Blood of Sacrifice Speaks Forgiveness
Under the sacrificial system, the blood of animals symbolized life given to cover sin
speaking forgiveness and peace between God and His people.
This good news for us in 2025 is that we know thatJesus fulfilled what those sacrifices pointed to
Because of his sinless life he was the ultimate sacrifice for sins
Meaning He offers complete forgiveness of sin
Past, Present, and Future
Making animal sacrifices no longer needed
This means that you and I as believers need to recognize that forgiveness isn’t earned by our efforts but by trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice
Why
3. Jesus’ Blood Speaks a Better Word
and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Unlike Abel’s blood, which cried for justice.
Jesus’ blood cries out with mercy and forgiveness
It declares that sin is paid for
that believers are made right with God
Those of you in the room tonight who have put their faith and trust in Jesus, His blood speaks over your life today.
His blood says you are forgiven
His blood say you have been made clean
His blood says your sins have been forgotten as far as the east is to the west
This is great news for us and it matters
It matters because it affects our worship
