Genesis 4-5: The Drumbeat of Death

Prayer of Adoration - Justice and Mercy

Righteous and Merciful Father, We come before You in awe of who You are.

You are perfectly just—You see every wrong, every rebellion, and nothing escapes Your holy gaze.

You do not compromise with evil, for Your throne is established in righteousness.

Yet You are also rich in mercy and abounding in steadfast love.

You do not deal with us as our sins deserve, but You extend grace, covering our guilt and giving us life.

We adore You for this— that in You, justice and mercy meet; holiness and compassion embrace.

You are the Judge who always does what is right, and the Redeemer who rescues the undeserving.

We lift our voices and hearts to You in worship, for there is none like You.

It is in the name of Jesus Christ we pray,

Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

Gracious Father, We come before You this morning in awe of Your majesty and thankful for Your mercy. You are the Creator of heaven and earth, the One who sustains all things by the word of Your power, and the Shepherd who cares for His flock. We praise You that You are both holy and near, righteous and compassionate.

Lord, we lift up to You our brother and sister, Dave and Denise, in the aftermath of the fire at their home this week. We grieve the loss and disruption they are facing, yet we trust that You are their refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. We praise You that they were not caught in the fire and that they have a place to stay in the meantime. We thank You for keeping them safe in the midst of their disaster. Lord we pray that through Your people You would comfort them with Your presence, provide for their needs, and remind them that in Christ they have a home that can never be destroyed.

We also pray for those among us who have been unable to gather in worship because of illness. For Sandy, Paul, and Randy. Strengthen their bodies, encourage their spirits, and let them know they are not forgotten by their church family. May Your peace guard their hearts in Christ Jesus.

Father, we thank You for the opportunity we have this coming weekend through Seedline Ministries to assemble 20,000 copies of Your Word—in John and Romans—to be sent to people in other countries. We pray that every copy would land in the hands of someone You are drawing to Yourself, and that the gospel would bear fruit in hearts we may never meet this side of eternity.

We also bring before You our loved ones, friends, and neighbors who do not yet know Christ. We plead with You to open their eyes to see His beauty and their hearts to believe His Word. Give us boldness, humility, and love to speak the truth of the gospel, not only in words but in our lives.

Lord, in all these things, make us a people who rest in Your promises, who trust in Your sovereignty, and who rejoice in the hope of Christ’s return. Until that day, keep us faithful.

May we submit to Your Word with gladness hearing the good news that you have to offer us. May we repent of our sin against You and follow Christ into everlasting life in the Kingdom of Heaven. May we love Your Word proclaimed and respond in repentance and faith.

You are so immensely Good and we worship you.

We pray these things in the name of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Sermon

Genesis 4:1–16 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.” 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. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 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.” 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 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 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.” 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.” 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. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Introduction

Over the past six weeks we walked through the garden with Adam and Eve.

We heard how God planted a world that was good, placed a man and a woman in a beautiful home, and gave them one simple boundary as a sign of life and trust. Adam and Eve lived in God’s presence; they ate from the good world God had given them; they were given the responsibility to protect and enjoy God’s creation.

But then the snake came. They listened to lies, they reached for what they were not given, and everything changed. Suddenly shame, blame, and fear came into the picture— the fellowship with God and each other that had once been effortless was ruptured.

The ground, which had been a place of blessing, now carries the sting of thorns.

The man and woman were exiled and the garden door was closed.

Created for life, each of us in our father Adam chose rebellion, exile, and death.

I know, super uplifting stuff right? But it reveals the truth of who we are and truth of who God is. We need our eyes to be opened to just how serious our sin is and how seriously we need to take it.

So, now we turn the page to chapters 4 and 5.

It’s easy when you open Genesis 4 and 5 to fixate on the names, on strange genealogical lists, on details that seem remote from our daily lives, or on trying to answer questions the text never intended to answer. “Who cares about Lamech?” “Why record yet another birth and death?” “Who was Cain’s wife?”

These chapters are not side notes. In fact, chapter 4 was designed to be read alongside chapters 2 and 3. They are the next movement of the story.

They show how the fallout from Eden doesn’t stay private; it spreads. What began as one act of disobedience at one tree becomes a rhythm, a pattern, a drumbeat that echoes through families, cities, and generations.

So today we’re going to listen to that drumbeat. We’ll read the story of Cain and Abel and watch how sin crouches at the door, how jealousy and hard hearts multiply, and how the wages of sin show up not only as tragic acts but as a steady pattern of death. Then we’ll trace the genealogy to hear the funeral march beneath the names — that repeated “and he died” — and ask what all this means for you, for me, for our families, and for the church.

Here’s the invitation: don’t let the details distract you from the gospel truth these chapters are trying to teach. Look past the weeds to the root — the reality of sin’s contagion, the reality of death’s cost, and the small, burning clues of God’s mercy that point ahead to the One who will finally break the drumbeat. Keep your Bible open, your heart ready, and let the Word do its work.

I. The Beast of Sin

Text: Genesis 4:1–16 (see also 1 John 3:11–15)

“Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain…” (Gen. 4:1)

The story opens with a note of hope — a baby boy! Eve even says, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” There’s this sense that maybe this child will be the one to crush the serpent’s head, the promise from Genesis 3:15.

But here in Genesis 4 sin isn’t hiding anymore. In the garden, the serpent whispers. Out here now, it crouches at the door like a predator ready to pounce. And in Cain’s story, we learn six lessons about how it hunts us and what the reality of our human condition is.

First, worship exposes the heart.

Cain and Abel both brought offerings. Abel brings the firstborn of his flock — the best, the first, the costly. Cain brings “an offering of the fruit of the ground.” No mention it’s the best. No sign of sacrifice. And God accepts Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s.

Genesis doesn’t go into detail about why — but the New Testament tells us it was about the heart. Hebrews 11:4 says Abel offered by faith and then teaches that Cain’s offering lacked that trust in God, that humble dependence. Abel’s gift said, “God, I trust You completely.” Cain’s gift said, “Here, this should be good enough.”

And this reveals something to you about yourself: You can sit in worship, sing the songs, bow your head in prayer, sit all the way through the sermon — and not trust God at all. Worship without faith is a shell that is full of sin. And God sees right through it. He is not impressed with your religious actions. He wants your heart, your desires, your thoughts and dreams. He wants you, not what you think you can do for Him. He wants you to trust Him and follow Him, so that He may lead you to true joy and true life.

Second, warnings are acts of grace.

Cain’s face falls. He’s furious — not at himself, but at God and at Abel. And yet… God comes to him and speaks into that anger.

“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 for you, but you must rule over it.” (Gen. 4:6–7)

That’s such a vivid picture — sin is crouching. It’s like a wild animal, ready to pounce. It’s not passive, it’s not harmless. Sin is patient. It waits for the right moment, and it attacks.

This is mercy — a chance to turn back before sin strikes. The door to repentance is wide open. John Owen’s warning is still true: “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.”

And here’s the truth — Cain’s situation is our situation. Sin isn’t just an “oops” or a mistake, it’s a living enemy. Romans 6 says sin wants to rule us like a master. 1 Peter 5:8 says the devil prowls like a roaring lion. Like a beast, crouching, waiting to destroy.

And Cain has a choice: will he master sin by trusting God, or will sin master him?

Third, sin ignored becomes sin unleashed.

Cain refuses to listen. He lures Abel out to the field — and kills him.

1 John 3:12 tells us why: “He murdered his brother… because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.” When God’s truth exposes our sin, we can repent — or we can destroy the messenger. Cain chose murder.

The very next verse gives us the answer: Cain lures his brother into the field and kills him. First murder in history — and it happens between brothers.

Fourth, sin leads to excuse making: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

When God asks, “Where is Abel your brother?” Cain lies — “I don’t know” — and then dodges: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

The answer is yes. Absolutely yes. We are responsible for one another’s souls. Galatians 6:1–2 says restore the one caught in sin. Hebrews 3:13 says exhort one another daily so sin’s deceit doesn’t harden us.

Cain’s question is not an innocent question — it’s sarcasm, deflection, and an excuse. It’s Cain saying, “That’s not my responsibility. Abel’s problems aren’t my problem.”

But here’s the thing — that’s exactly what sin makes us do. Sin turns our eyes inward. It dulls our concern for others. It makes us avoid the hard work of loving people enough to step in when they’re drifting, to speak truth when they’re in danger, to protect them with the Word of God when temptation is crouching at their door.

Cain’s excuse is our excuse: “It’s not my place.” “I don’t want to be judgmental.” “That’s between them and God.” Meanwhile, sin crouches at their door — and we walk by in silence. Holiness is a community responsibility.

So yes — we are our brother’s keeper. Galatians 6 says, “If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness… Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Cain didn’t see Abel as someone to protect — he saw him as competition. And that’s the heart of murder, even if it never comes out in violence — the heart that says, “You’re in my way.”

Then God says, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” There’s a sound heaven hears when the innocent suffer — and God doesn’t ignore it.

Fifth, sin has consequences

God curses Cain from the ground, in a worse way than his father Adam’s curse — Cain will be a fugitive, a wanderer. But even here, God shows mercy.

Cain fears for his life, and God says, “Not so.” He gives Cain a mark that warns people not to kill him.

Now, I want to quickly address this Mark of Cain because it is something that has caused so much misunderstanding and pain.

Let’s be clear: the Bible never says exactly what it was. But we do know what it wasn’t. It wasn’t skin color. It wasn’t racial. That whole idea was invented much, much later to justify slavery and prejudice against other bearers of the Image of God — and it’s wicked.

So if you hear anyone saying that, I expect you as a member of this church to shut it down immediately. And that’s all I’m going to say about that for now.

The text says the mark was for Cain’s protection, not punishment, so that no one would kill him. God shows even this murderer a kind of mercy — not removing the consequences, but keeping him from being immediately destroyed.

And so Cain goes out from the presence of the Lord — the saddest line in the story.

Sin has fully mastered him. The beast pounced, and Cain, like his parents, didn’t fight back.

That’s The Beast of Sin — it’s a predator that doesn’t just want to trip you up; it wants to own you.

Finally, the spirit of Cain lives on.

Sin Rules the world anywhere the Word of God Is Rejected

John says in 1 John 3:15, “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer.” You don’t have to swing a weapon to walk Cain’s road. Hatred is murder in seed form. And sin’s crouching position hasn’t changed.

Cain heard God’s voice — and ignored it. He offered empty worship. He resisted correction. He killed his brother. He excused his guilt. He refused responsibility. And God sent him out.

When we harden ourselves to God’s Word and avoid accountability, devastation follows.

Sin always crouches. Always waits. And if the Word of God is rejected, sin will rule. This includes cities, churches, and homes.

Transition: But Cain’s story isn’t just about one man’s downfall. Because sin is contagious. It doesn’t stay in the heart of one person — it spreads into families, into cities, into cultures. And by the time we reach the next chapters, Cain’s attitude has spread and become humanity’s anthem.

II. The Contagion of Sin Text: Genesis 4:17–24

Cain walks away from the presence of the LORD, and what we see next is not just a man moving to a new place. This is the seed of the serpent beginning to build a world without God at the center. This genealogy isn’t just family history — it’s a snapshot of how sin spreads and intensifies.

A. Sin Replicates Itself (vv. 17–18)

Cain settles in the land of Nod — which means “wandering.” But instead of turning back to God, he sets down roots. He builds a city and names it after his son, Enoch, staking his identity in human legacy rather than God’s promises.

From Cain to Lamech, we have seven generations — a fullness of his line. They spread out across the earth, yes, but they also fill it with rebellion against God.

Notice something striking: these people aren’t primitive or stagnant. They innovate. They develop animal husbandry, invent music, forge bronze and iron tools. Culture is growing. Technology is advancing. Art is flourishing.

But here’s the key truth: sin is still running through all of it. Culture and progress don’t cleanse sin — they can actually be channels for it. You can have flourishing civilization, and yet still be far from God.

B. Sin Intensifies in Defiance (vv. 19–24)

By the time we reach Lamech, sin isn’t crouching at the door anymore — it’s strutting openly.

Lamech is the first polygamist mentioned in Scripture, breaking God’s design for marriage in Genesis 2. He boasts about killing a man for wounding him, and even killing a young man for striking him. He’s proud that his vengeance will be seventy-seven times greater than Cain’s.

Where Cain once feared punishment and sought protection, Lamech fears nothing and answers to no one. He takes sin to its logical conclusion — glorifying violence and calling it strength.

Application: What one generation excuses, the next generation celebrates. If Cain’s quiet rebellion turned into Lamech’s boast, what does that say about the sins we tolerate or minimize today? What might we be setting the stage for in the generations to come?

And this hits both ways. What are the public sins of our society that lean towards progressivism that we are excusing and what are the ones that lean towards conservatism that we are excusing?

Other people’s sins, while not a minor thing certainly should not be our biggest focus. Our biggest focus should be on our own sin. And while Adam passed his sin to Cain (and ultimately to Lamech) It was not the sin of Adam that destroyed Cain. It was the sin of Cain that destroyed Cain.

C. Sin Always Spreads Where It Is Not Killed

The lesson is clear: sin never stays contained. Like a contagion, it infects hearts, families, cities, and entire cultures. The line of Cain shows us a civilization that advances in many ways — but without God, it’s rushing toward judgment.

No one is safe from the contagion of sin.

Transition to Point III: Just when we might think the line of Cain is the whole story, Genesis turns the page to a different genealogy — one that doesn’t track the spread of sin, but the steady beat of its wages.

III. The Wages of Sin Text: Genesis 5; Romans 5:12

Now that we’ve seen how sin spreads and intensifies, the question is: what does sin actually cost us? Genesis 5 gives us the answer loud and clear — the wage of sin is death.

Now, really quickly before we go on I want you to notice something really important in the way Genesis is designed to be read. There are 10 instances of Moses saying “These are the generations”, or “this is the book of the generations” and this is really a hint at the fact that Moses is, in a sense, starting a new chapter. The focus he was making in the section has been completed.

This happens all throughout Genesis and it’s already happened once before in Chapter 2 verse 4. So chapters 2-4 should be really be read as a single chapter or section of the book.

So, just remember that structure as you read Genesis on your own.

Anyways, back to chapter 5.

A. The Refrain: “And he died” (Gen. 5)

If you read through Genesis 5, you’ll notice something that might catch you off guard — a repeated phrase. Every generation ends the same way: “and he died.”

This isn’t just a filler phrase or a genealogical formality. It’s a clear theological statement. Sin is not just bad behavior or a few wrong choices. Sin is a cosmic disorder that has invaded creation itself. It has broken the natural order, and the inevitable result is death.

Generations rise and fall, names come and go — but the verdict is the same: apart from God’s redeeming work, every human life ends in death.

B. A Theological Word: Death as Wages (Romans 5:12)

Paul takes this seriously. In Romans 5:12, he writes, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”

Death is not some random event, some unfortunate accident. It’s the wages — the earned payment — of sin’s rebellion. Sin breaks our relationship with God, and death is the direct result.

And this death is more than just physical. It’s spiritual death: alienation from life, a heart turned against its Creator. It’s the ruin of our souls, not just our bodies. And it is what we have earned.

C. Memento Mori — Why This Matters for Us Now

There’s an ancient phrase that fits here — memento mori — “remember you will die.”

That’s not a message meant to terrify us into despair. No, it’s meant to wake us up, to shake us out of complacency, to make us realize how urgent it is to rule sin with God’s Word every single day.

For those who let sin crouch unchecked in their homes and hearts, death is the final and merciless teacher.

It doesn’t negotiate, it doesn’t wait. The sooner we take sin seriously — with confession, repentance, and restoration — the better it is for our souls and the souls of those around us.

For the church, memento mori is a call to urgent faithfulness.

If we baptize moral laziness and spiritual complacency in our homes, our churches, and our communities, we’ll watch generations die spiritually without putting up a fight.

A sober-minded, gospel-focused church

prays with urgency,

repents with humility,

disciplines with love,

and preaches with passion —

because death is real, and death is the true wage of sin.

D. So how do we live this out?

Remember funerals — not just as sad occasions, but as God’s call to us. When we see death’s reality, it should lead us back to the cross and the urgent need for repentance.

Practice confession — when appropriate, name sin publicly, by confessing it to someone who cares for you and is willing to help strengthen you and hold you accountable in the fight, so that your sin loses its power. Sin thrives in darkness and secrecy.

Form habits of daily repentance — daily self-examination strengthens our hearts against the slow creep of normalized sin.

Foster church accountability — build safe, loving frameworks to correct and restore. We need one another to stand firm.

Sin’s wages are real and heavy. But that reality is meant to drive us to the cross — where death was defeated — and to urgent, loving intervention, not despair.

And here we see the bane of sin, the end of sin, the undoing of sin: and that is the Grace of God

IV. The Bane of Sin: God’s Grace

Text: Genesis 4–5; Hebrews 12:24; 1 Peter 3:20–21; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 5:18–19

Though the march of sin is relentless, Genesis quietly threads three bright sparks of hope through the darkness: Abel’s blood, Enoch’s walk, and Noah’s covenant promise. These point us forward to the One who will end sin’s deadly drumbeat once and for all.

A. Abel’s Blood — A Cry That Points Forward

After Cain kills Abel, God says, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground” (Gen. 4:10). Abel’s blood cries out for justice, a loud theological alarm about sin’s violence. But Hebrews 12:24 tells us there’s a better blood — Jesus’ blood — that speaks forgiveness and mercy, satisfying God’s justice and opening the way for sinners to be made right.

B. Enoch — A Preview of Escape (Gen. 5:21–24)

Amid the “and he died” refrain, there is a footnote: “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” Enoch interrupts the drumbeat. Hebrews 11:5 explains: by faith he was taken so that he did not experience death.

Enoch does not cancel death for everyone, but his life shows two things: walking with God changes everything, and God is not bound to the pattern of death when he acts. Enoch is a foretaste of the victory over death that Christ will secure.

C. Noah — Promise Out of the Judgment (Gen. 5:28–32; 6–9)

The genealogy ends with Noah, whose name means rest, and he appears when the contagion of sin has corrupted the earth globally. God judges by flood but preserves Noah and establishes a covenant (Gen. 6–9). Out of that judgment comes also a promise.

Peter picks up this image and points to the ark as a sign of salvation (1 Pet. 3:20–21) — not a perfect parallel, but a pattern: God judges sin and yet provides a means of rescue. Noah foreshadows the one who will be the ark for our souls.

E. Christ: The Final Answer (2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 5:18–19; Heb. 12:24)

Now tie it together.

Abel’s blood cries out. Christ’s blood cries out in perfect response. Hebrews 12:24: Jesus’ sprinkled blood speaks a better word — forgiveness, adoption, covenant.

Enoch’s walk with God and escape from death points forward to the resurrection life we have in Christ (1 Cor. 15; 1 Thess. 4). Death is overcome not by our moral improvement but by God’s Grace in Christ.

Noah’s rest and covenant foreshadow the new creation. Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, the Lord’s Day — these are signs that point forward to the rest and renewal Christ accomplishes (1 Peter 3:20–21; 2 Cor. 5:17).

Paul puts it plainly: in Adam all die, but in Christ all are made alive (1 Cor. 15:22).

The pattern that began in Genesis — rebellion, contagion, death — is finally and perfectly reversed in Jesus, the new Adam.

The curse of sin is swallowed up by God’s mercy and power in Jesus (1 Cor. 15:54–57).

F. Gospel Call (explicit)

This is the time to listen! to hear what God is saying through Genesis and through Christ.

If you have been feeding the beast — if you have let sin crouch at the door and go unruled — understand clearly: your sin will kill you and it will affect the people around you. Repent and run to the only one who can save you.

If you have been excusing yourself from being your brother’s keeper — hear the call of Christ: help make a church that watches over each other, speaks the Word with clarity and love, and helps carry the burden of restoring people out of their sin and into repentance and faith in God.

If you are weary under the drumbeat of death — hear the good news: Jesus Christ has paid the wage of sin in your place. His blood speaks a word of pardon. He offers rest to the weary: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

Here is what you must do — not to earn salvation, but to receive it: repent of your sins (turn from them and to Christ); believe in Jesus Christ (trust his death as the substitute and judgement for your sin, bringing forgiveness to those who believe and follow Him,

and trust his resurrection as the sign that what he said was true and that his people will follow him out of the grave and into eternal life); come and enter the rest he offers. If you have never trusted him, today is the day. If you have wandered, return. The door of grace is open.

Short Pastoral Close for the Point

Sin crouches, it spreads, it kills. But God, in His grace breaks the cycle.

From Abel’s blood to Noah’s ark, to the final blood of Christ — the genealogy’s funeral march turns into a resurrection hymn when God steps in on behalf of his people.

In Jesus, death loses its sting, and rest is finally ours. Let’s turn from our sin and trust him with all our lives.

Let’s Pray

Repentance and Assurance

Father in heaven, We have heard Your Word today, and we have seen again the horror of sin—how it spreads, how it destroys, and how it offends Your holiness. Forgive us for the times we have treated sin lightly, excused it in ourselves, or tolerated it in our lives. Cleanse us, O Lord, by the blood of Christ.

We thank You that where sin abounds, Your grace abounds all the more. We rest in the finished work of Jesus, who bore our punishment and gave us His righteousness. Give us hearts that love what You love and hate what You hate. Strengthen us by Your Spirit to turn away from sin and to walk in the light.

And when temptation comes, remind us of the cross. Remind us that we are not our own—we were bought with a price. Help us to live for Your glory, with joy and boldness, until the day we see You face to face.

And we pray that you would grant us the faith to follow Jesus no matter what comes. That those who have been following for a long time would persevere in faithfulness, that those who have never truly repented in faith would count the cost and do so without delay, and that everyone in between would remain true.

In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.” —Psalm 103:8-10

Though we deserve judgment for our sin, God’s mercy and grace abound!

He does not treat us as our sins deserve but offers forgiveness and steadfast love through Christ!

We can come to Him with repentant hearts, knowing His compassion and mercy are greater than our failures.

Praise the Lord!

Now let us respond by Arising and going to Jesus! Join us as we sing “Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy”

Benediction

As you go from this place, remember that sin crouches at the door, but God’s grace is greater still.

May you be strengthened to rule over sin by the power of Christ’s blood that speaks a better word.

May you be encouraged by the hope of resurrection life, walking in newness of life as Enoch and Noah foreshadowed.

And may the peace of God, who breaks the cycle of death through Jesus our Savior, guard your hearts and minds in Him.

Go in the grace and power of the One who brings us out from the curse of sin and into the blessing of eternal rest.

Amen.