Cain and Abel

Introduction

A few years ago at my previous church, we began a partnership with a church in Santa Clarita, California. We were also working with a church in Redlands, California.

We decided to split the difference and stay around the Lake Arrowhead area. This was early March Now, if you are from California, you already know that I have made a huge mistake. Sometimes, we just get bad directions. My pastor friend, also from Mississippi, told me it would be fine to do.

We made our way up the mountain in the dead of night. We started to see some snow. Wow! That’s really cool! And the further we went the more it snowed. The road was so foggy, I could only see the tail lights of the vehicle in front of us.

After Genesis 3, really from Genesis 3-10, is multiple stories of bad directions. People who made bad decisions. People whose hearts were bent against God. And because the directions were bad, they were lost.

Thankfully, every story bring a glimmer of hope.

In Jesus we have a better brother than Cain or Abel. As one man (Noah) was saved and the whole world was destroyed, so one man (Christ) was destroyed so that the whole world would live. And while those in Babel attempted to make a tower that stretched to the heavens, heaven instead chose to come down.

May we never forget what it feels like to be lost, so that we might appreciate the light.

Read Genesis 4:1-16.

Explanation

Genesis 4:1–5 “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. 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.”

Adam and Eve had two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain was the oldest son, and he worked the fields as a farmer. Abel was the youngest son, and he was a keeper of sheep.

Both Cain and Abel came to the Lord and made an offering to God. Cain brought fruit and grain. Abel brought sheep. God was pleased with Abel’s offering, but He was not pleased with Cain’s.

Why? Some scholars have said this has to do with the type of offering given. After all, the rest of the Bible tells us that atonement comes through blood. There are two problems with this view. (1) The Bible tells us that it was Cain’s heart. (2) There are offerings throughout the Old Testament that are not blood or the life of an animal.

So, what was wrong with Cain’s heart. Many things are possible, including Cain (1) does not want to give the offering or (2) has not given the first fruits or (3) does not confess his sin. Cain either (1) does not want to worship God or (2) does not want to worship God on God’s terms.

Make no mistake, before Cain’s problems were wrath and anger and violence, his problem was a lack of worship. And the lack of worship led to everything else. Big sins begin by refusing in small and seemingly insignificant ways to honor and worship God the way he deserves.

Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

Anger is one of the most damaging sins to us - long term.

Anger is really easy to carry in the short term, but anger is VERY hard to carry in the long term. Why?

Anger is often a replacement emotion. You feel embarrassed, lost, jaded, hurt, depressed, mournful, etc. And because those things are really hard to feel, and you have no control over them - you feel anger.

Anger is easier than embarrassment. Because embarrassment is something that happens to you. And anger is something you can do about it. Anger is easier than mourning. Because mourning is something that happens to you. And anger is something you can do about it.

Feeling angry is easier to feel than having your feelings hurt. Because having your feelings hurt is something that someone does to you, and anger is something that you can do back to them. You can control anger, but you cannot control your feelings being hurt.

But the longer anger holds onto your heart, the less it is something you do and more someone you become. And it eventually grabs you more firmly than the right emotion ever would have.

You cannot hold onto anger for a long time, because the longer you carry it, the more you look like it. I want to warn you of something. The older you get, the more beautiful your virtues become, and the more entrenched your vices.

How does a man kill his brother? Anger ruled his heart. And because anger ruled his heart, he missed what God wanted for Him.

What did God want? Repentance. A clean heart. To learn and grow closer to God.

Instead, Cain chose anger. And some of you are doing the same.

You have allowed anger to carry you away from the heart of your spouse.

You have allowed your anger to remove you from the fellowship of a faith family you once enjoyed.

You have allowed your anger to keep you cold and bitter towards your children.

You have allowed your anger to cost you your witness at work.

And the hard thing is - you may have been wronged. And giving up that anger feels like you are not making them pay for what they did. Because it’s not fair that they did that to you and get away with it.

But if life were fair, Christ would not have gone to the cross. But He did, and by His grace, you can do hard things for His glory.

Genesis 4:6–9 “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.” Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?””

God speaks into Cain’s anger. He asks three questions:

Why are you angry? Why has your face fallen? Anger and shame

God is exposing something in Cain. What causes you anger and shame can often reveal where your worship lacks.

If you do well, will you not be accepted?

God offers Cain the chance for repentance and faith. It wasn’t just that Cain did wrong. It was that Cain had the opportunity to do that which is right.

The same is true of us. Are you down a road right now that you shouldn’t be? Are you involved in things less than what Jesus wants for you? The Lord’s invitation is always back to Him.

“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.”

Lack of repentance is always an opportunity to the enemy for destruction.

Sin wants to end you, but you must do what is right.

Genesis 4:10–16 “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 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.”

Hebrews 11:4 “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.”

Your faithfulness is not captive to your outcome. I believe the more remarkably faithful people in the history of Christianity, we do not know. I am convinced.

Be faithful no matter the outcome.

You know, Abel’s name means breath. And not the “ruah” breathe that means spirit, wind, or breath. “Hebel,” which means vapor or a snatch of air.

Abel’s name, ironically, is descriptive of his life - short. Yet, his faithfulness continues to speak. In fact, the author of Hebrews says his voice STILL speaks.

What about Cain? What if your life looks more like Cain?

Cain’s curse for His sin is this - your brothers blood has cursed the ground for you. You will not be able to plant food that will yield fruit. You will not be able to farm. You will be a wanderer in this land. That gift you have for the land and plants and vegetation - it is gone.

Cain replies in complaint, “God, you have taken everything from me, and someone is going to kill me.”

Remember that when you smart at the Lord over the consequences of your own actions.

God, in his justice, could have taken Cain’s life in all righteousness.

Yet, what does Cain get? God’s grace.

God does something unfathomable to us. He protects Cain.

See, friends, I don’t know what you have done. But I know this… you may have done the unthinkable, BUT our God has also done the unthinkable.

Your sin may be great, but our God offers forgiveness.

Application - Jesus is the Greater Cain, and Jesus is the Greater Abel.

Whereas, Cain kills his brother, Christ came as a brother to us to offer up His life on our behalf.

Cain had imperfect obedience and took the life of another in anger.

Christ has perfect obedience and gave His life to us by His grace.

Whereas, Abel dies at the hands of his brother, Christ died, despised, rejected, betrayed, and abandoned by His own.

Hebrews 12:24 “and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.”

What was the word of the blood of Abel?

The blood of Abel cries out of Cain, one word, “guilty.”

The blood of Jesus cries out of all who call on His name, “clean.”

All shed blood demands a guilty verdict. Every murder demands a guilty verdict. Whether anyone but God sees it, the blood of the slain calls out from the grave, “guilty.” And not only every murder, but every other death. For the wages of sin is death. And so every death cries out, “guilty” upon the one who died.

Well, all but one.

The blood of the lamb cleanses of all unrighteousness.

Invitation

Today is an invitation to the UTURN. You may have gotten bad directions. You may have overestimated your ability to make the right decisions. But the Lord Jesus is waiting for you and his arms are outstretched.

Today is an invitation to reflect. The blood of Christ speaks a better word. Let us reflect on this during the Lord’s Supper.