When Grace Rewrites Your Story

If you have listened to me for a while, you probably know I am a big fan of YouTube. I watch a lot of YouTube, and I have a lot of interests. One of the types of videos I like to watch is someone who sets up thousands of dominos and then knocks them down for people like me to watch. Often times there are colored dominos laid out in a pattern and it looks really cool to watch the chain reaction that takes place after the first domino that falls.

Genesis 3 introduced sin into the otherwise perfect world God created. As the story continues to unfold, we see sin compound into something much worse. It is a domino effect. Sin goes from taking something that was prohibited to murder of one’s own brother. As we move through this chapter and the next, we will see the effects sin continues to have. What chapters four and five set up is a contrast between Cain and Abel, and between the descendants of Cain and Abel’s “replacement” Seth.

Today I’m giving you the good news early. Genesis is not the only book we have. It tells the beginning of a story. It is not the complete story. While Genesis 4 presents a sad tale, there is also stories of redemption and renewal, culminating in the story of Christ, who comes to rescue and redeem people from the curses of Genesis 3. Since Genesis 4-5 present a contrast between Cain and Abel, and the descendants of Cain and Seth, we are going to to draw a contrast of our own. Sin has wreaked havoc, but Christ restores, and in the midst of it we will see the power of the grace of God.

The story begins with the sons of Adam and Eve bringing offerings to God.

Genesis 4:1–5 NASB95

Now the man had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a manchild with the help of the Lord.” Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

As I had said earlier, there is a contrast being set up between Cain and Abel. Cain worked the ground and Abel kept flocks. Abel’s sacrifice was favored. Cain’s was not. But the question is why. Why did God not have regard for Cain’s sacrifice? Some suggest it was the wrong kind. Cain should have brought an animal sacrifice instead of fruit. The trouble with that is there are examples of non-animal sacrifices in Israel’s law. There are grain offerings as mentioned in Leviticus 2, and drink offerings as mentioned in Numbers 15.

Meanwhile, the Bible consistently emphasizes that worship is a matter of the heart over substance. When Samuel was sent to anoint the next king after Saul, nobody expected David. He didn’t meet the physical qualifications. But God told Samuel, “man looks at outward appearances, but God looks at the heart.” In John 4, Jesus tells the woman at the well that an hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Over and over again, there is an emphasis on worship being a matter of heart over substance. True worship is more than ritual. It flows from relationship.

Fast-forward to today. We have come into relationship with God under a new covenant. Through this covenant, we are given a new heart. Ezekiel refers to it as a heart of stone being replaced by a heart of flesh. We were dead in our trespasses and sins but made alive through Christ. The author of Hebrews says,

Hebrews 10:19–22 NASB95

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

No one who is dead in sin can authentically worship God. You need a new heart for that. An awakening that comes from Christ is necessary. So our contrast here is this:

Sin corrupts our worship...but Christ restores true devotion.

As the story continues, we continue to see sin’s destructive force. Cain is saddened that his sacrifice was not accepted. Then it turns to anger. Anger leads to jealousy, and jealousy led to death.

Genesis 4:8–9 NASB95

Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

When relationships are good and healthy, there is no desire to end the life of another. Cain’s sin, which was ultimately a heart issue, led to hatred toward his brother, which led him to end his life. This relationship between brothers is not just broken, it is ended. Everyone on the planet experiences brokenness in their relationships. But God sent his Son to address that too.

Not only does the cross reconcile us to God, it also reconciles us to one another. Ephesians 2:14-16 says,

Ephesians 2:14–16 NASB95

For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity.

The reconciliation Paul is talking about is between Jew and Gentile. In Christ, there is no difference between any two people that should divide us. Because there is unity in the body of Christ, the gospel becomes the gateway for reconciling relationships between family members, between friends, race relations, everything. We are empowered through the Holy Spirit to pursue peace, forgiveness, and unity. Our relationships are broken, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Sin destroys our relationships...but Christ makes reconciliation possible.

The latter part of chapter four traces Cain’s descendants. At the end of the chapter, we are introduced to Seth, who sort of serves as Abel’s replacement. It is not that one son can really replace another, but remember the book is setting up a contrast between two brothers. So Seth takes over Abel’s side of the contrast. When we go from Cain to Lamech, we see that not only does Lamech commit the same sin his great-great-grandfather did, but boasts about it!

Genesis 4:23–24 NASB95

Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me; If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

By contrast, the genealogy we see in Genesis 5 shows us people who walk with God. Enoch famously walks with God and then is taken up. Enoch is on the short list of those who never died physically. This is also the line to Noah, who in chapter six is described as one who walks with God. There is a contrast between two family trees; one of faithfulness and one of the compounding effect of sin.

We’re going to press pause for a second and play a little game. Don’t worry; it’s nearly harmless. I’ve learned a thing or two about living in a small town. The first thing I learned is that everybody is actually related to everybody else. With that has come another important revelation. There are certain last names that carry a lot of weight around here. That is to say that at the mere mention of a last name, certain thoughts and feelings come to mind. So, today, I am going to mention a name and you are automatically going to think of a person who shares that name. Either a positive feeling will come to mind, or a negative feeling will come to mind.

Stapleton...Zamzow...Bednorz...Bellows...Kopplin.

So either a good feeling came over you or a negative feeling did, and we hope more good thoughts were associated with those names than not. But attached to those thoughts and feelings is reputation, and with reputation, legacy.

Family names have meaning. Before people had last names, and what we see in the Bible, is that offspring were closely associated with their fathers. Not much has changed. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Kids have a tendency to take on the character of their parents for good or for ill. I have some of the same personality traits as my father. How many times have you said to yourself, “That man is just like his father?”

Exodus 34:6-7 says,

Exodus 34:6–7 NASB95

Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”

Now, let me tell you that this does not mean that children and grandchildren are not punished for the sins of the parent. I am not guilty of my father’s sins. I’m guilty of my own. But I can tell you I commit the same kinds of sins my father has. What is absolutely true is when one generation walks away from fidelity to the Lord, the next generation is likely to follow, and then the next, and then the next, unless something changes. And that’s the point.

We are seeing the effects of this unfolding right before our eyes. What we see in America today is in part because one generation waled away from the Lord and so have their children and grandchildren. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Galatians 4:5 says we are given adoption into a new family through Christ. We are brothers and sisters by adoption. But before that, we were not members of God’s family. We were enemies of God. But Christ...

Sin shapes generations...but Christ gives us a new legacy.

In Christ, we are invited into a new family line and empowered to leave behind a legacy of faith. We get an example of this in 2 Timothy 1:5 where Timothy is the beneficiary of a legacy of faith beginning with his grandmother Lois, who passed her faith on to her daughter Eunice, who passed it on to Timothy. A family tree was changed for eternity because someone preached the gospel to Lois and she believed, her family name took on a new meaning. If her destiny can change, so can yours.

You can’t change where you came from—but because of Jesus, you can change where you’re going. The line of Cain ends in destruction. The line of Seth walks toward deliverance. Which line are you following? And what legacy are you leaving?

You may have inherited a broken story, but you don’t have to continue it. By grace, your worship can be restored. By grace, your relationships can be healed. By grace, your legacy can be rewritten.

Invitation: Will you let grace write a new chapter in your story today?