A Love That Covers

The Father Series

Genesis 4:1–16 ESV

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. 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 for you, and 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?” 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.

We see here in this passage that Adam and Eve had two sons.  The first born was named Cain and the second born was named Able.  As scripture says Cain worked the fields while Able had herds.  One son worked the field and the other had the heard. One a farmer and the other Shepherd.  In due time the two brothers both give offering to the Lord.  Cain his first fruits of his crops, and Able his first born and fat portions of his heard.  

God excepts Able’s offering but rejects Cain’s.  While I was reading this I asked myself why did God reject Cain’s offering?  I mean Cain gave God his first fruits.  What else could Cain have done?  

But all through scripture we see that for God it is not so much about the offering that is being given rather about the heart that is making the offering.   We see that Jesus took notice of the widows mite that she only gave a little but to the Lord it was a great amount. Cain's offering was rejected primarily because it stemmed from an impure heart. He may have presented his best produce, but his attitude and lack of faith were significant factors in God's disapproval.  Unlike Abel, who offered the firstborn and the best of his flock. 

So often we do things for the Lord but they are not with the right heart. My mother use to say “Boy if your not going to do it right don’t do it at all”. The Lord is saying if you’re going to do it with the wrong heart don’t do it at all.

Scholars have proposed several explanations about this event. The dominant interpretation among both Christian and Jewish interpreters holds that God rejected Cain’s offering because of his flawed character and impiety rather than the nature of the gift itself. 

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.”

This emphasizes that Abel’s sacrifice was superior “by faith,” suggesting the worshiper’s inner disposition mattered more than the material offering. The narrative distinguishes between the ritual itself and the worshiper’s intent, with the latter carrying decisive weight in determining acceptability to God.

So how does this apply to us and how we do things. You have heard me say why do you come to church. If you come just to check a box then your coming is in vein. If you come because you want an encounter with you Lord then your heart is right and you will have an encounter. Do you pray to be seen, or preach to be heard. Or does your prayers come from your heart and search for God. Do you speak to see peoples lives changed no matter what they think of the quality of your words.

Can I tell you that we have a Father in Heaven that is listening to the rhythm of your heart. He loves us so much that He actually wants to change our hearts. In fact He sent His Son Jesus that you and I could receive a new Heart. That is how much He love us. But He is not a Father in the way that we think of fathers. He is a good Father and He is a Father that has a love that covers.

Look at your neighbor or and say my Father covers me.

It is hard for us as humans to understand this kind of love. Because most of us struggle with the father wound. We have human fathers who have failed us. This is not a knock on our fathers after all they are only human. But because of this it is hard for the majority of people to relate to this type of love. It is hard for people to understand what I mean when I say that they have a Father in Heaven who loves them so deeply.

I know for me it was hard to be able to receive this kind of love. As a man growing up I had to earn everything I had. When I would see other fathers at the football games mines was not there. I got use to it but it made it hard for me to understand that I have a Father in Heaven who wants to be a part of every part of my life. That my Father in Heaven has a love that covers me in every way. In fact He has made allotment for me in every way. Am I speaking to anyone here this morning?

This series on the Father is going to carry us into Father’s Day. I am excited to share with you all the aspects of the Father. Today I want to talk to you about a Love that covers. Can we talk about a Father that Cares. Can we talk about a Father that Confronts. Finally can we talk about a Father that Covers.

A Father that Cares:

Genesis 4:1–16 ESV

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 for you, and you must rule over it.”

The Lord sees that Cain’s face is downcast. Cain is angry because the Lord did not except his offering. A good Father cares enough to see this and looks to address the problem. God knows what is in Cain’s heart and knows that it could cause him problems.

Have you ever been upset over something that did not happen for you? You thought you should get the promotion, or that you should have gotten the raise. You thought they should have mentioned me, or they should have given me more credit. Good then you know how Cain is feeling.

Cain has an angry face on and it has hit Him wrong. But God cares enough for Cain that He addresses it. Here is the funny thing and we do this all the time. We give a poor effort at something, and then get mad when we do not get credit for our shabby effort. I am sorry I meant to say that usually I do that not you. But can you imagine Cain beating God mad because Cain gave with the wrong heart and God rejected it.

This speaks of entitlement and some how Cain figured that he most give a portion of his hard earned crops to God. Cain did not have a joyful heart in doing so. God saw his heart and rejected his offering. We see this all the time in our culture. People feel entitled because they come to church. They feel entitled because they read their bibles. They feel entitled because they pray once a week. Listen we can do all that I have spoken but if it is done with the wrong heart then it will be rejected by God.

But we serve a God who cares enough to come and address our problems with us. Hey if we know right, then we need to do right. Cain knows that he has the wrong heart. But instead of correcting his heart posture he doubles down and lets sin carry him away resulting in a murder.

The Lord tells Cain that sin is crouching at his door. When I was in Africa and we went on safari, we would pass these homes where people lived or worked. One time I saw a big antelope lying right outside one house. I can imagine that from time to time the real dangerous animals make their way past these houses. God is using an analogy that Cain would be familiar with. Because Cain and his family lived in the wilderness and it would be easy for some animal like a lion or leopard to pass by. While we were out one day we saw a pride of lions and this one lion saw a warthog walking along. She started to stalk the warthog. Even at one point crouching behind a small busch to conceal herself. But needless to say the warthog got a smell or something and turned around and went the other way. But this is much like what God is telling Cain in this moment, much like He speaks to us when we are angry and sin is crouching at the door. For Cain sin was like that lioness who was crouching behind the brush hoping that the warthog would not see her.

It is funny how anger can blind you and make you do something’s you would never do. Cain is so angry and truth be told he has nothing to be angry about. Because God settles the matter when He says if you do well will it not be excepted. In other words come with the right heart and I will except your offering. This is what a father who cares looks like. He address the issue and gives a judgment. Here is the thing God know what is on Cain’s heart and what he is thinking about doing. He is trying to warn Cain from the path he is on. It is like the parents who know what is right and they are trying to warn the child from doing the wrong thing. Then the child goes out and does it anyway and has to pay a heavy price for it. The good Father gives Cain some sound advise. God tells Cain that he must rule over it. This means that the sin does not have Cain but Cain can rule the sin.

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

Paul is saying that we take every thought captive to obey Christ. This is the same thing that God is saying to Cain, that Cain must rule over it. It is the same thing He is saying to us that we must take that thought captive, and make it obedient to Christ.

Look at your neighbor or and say that is powerful.

2. A Father that Confronts:

Genesis 4:1–16 ESV

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 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.”

This is a great example of what a good Father does. He does not wait or coddle Cain, but God instantly confronts Cain with the problem.

I love how God approaches the problem. He does it in similar fashion as He did with Adam and Eve. God starts the conversation by asking a question. The question that God already knows the answer to. God asks Adam where are you? He also asks Cain where is your brother Able? God is binding Cain’s deceit with Adam’s from the Garden. Yet, unlike Adam Cain compounds his deceit with outright deception. Adam used half truths while Cain has progressed to out right lies. This represents the intensification of the Divine-human breakdown in the relationship. This exceeds the sin of the forbidden fruit, because Cain is out right defiant before God.

Have you ever played word play with someone that is far superior at it than you are? This is what Cain is doing here with the Lord. Cain answers I don’t know am I my brothers keeper. Cain responds with both a lie and a rhetorical question that doubles as a self-defense, playing on Abel's status as a shepherd to imply that guarding his brother isn't his responsibility.   Yet this defense proves self-incriminating.

Luther observes that by calling Abel "his brother," Cain inadvertly confesses that he ought to have been his keeper.

The natural law itself demands that siblings protect one another's welfare. So God did not even have to answer nor did He answer Cain’s question, Am I my brothers keeper.

Any parents in the service today. Have you ever had your child try to be so smart but in trying to be smart they sink themselves. This is Cain here in this passage. This is also what we do when we come before God with excuse’s, or with a half baked attempt at trying to explain our sin. Lord I did not mean to eat the piece of candy in the store but the cashier left it on the counter i thought it was for me. Lord my accountant does my taxes not me. Lord my brother made me do it. Lord did you see the way she was dressed? Lord did you see the way he smiled at me? Here is the thing the moment we step into that place the Holy Spirit asks us the question. Conviction comes and we can be like our forefathers Adam and Cain or we can confess it and repent of it. The latter is the better way trust me.

Thank God we have a Father who is willing to confront us on our stuff.

Listen the Lord does not let me get far away from my sin at all. The conviction comes right away. But sin nature has become so bold that there were times when I ignored the conviction. Am I alone in this? I think to ignore it is worse than to try and explain it away. This is what we do to God when He confronts us on our stuff. We ignore it and try to act as if it did not happen. But here is the truth of it. We can ignore it but it does not take away to penalty of it. In fact as we continue to ignore the quieter God’s voice becomes until we do not hear it at all. I don’t know about you but I need to hear that conviction loud and clear or who knows what I am liable to do. But again that is me not you. All of you are wholly saints who would never think of doing anythig like that.

Look at your neighbor and say “Yea OK”

3. A Father that Covers; (protect)

Genesis 4:1–16 ESV

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

The amazing part to this is that Cain deserved death but got love. The Lord could have just wiped Cain from the face of the earth, but He didn’t. In fact instead he protected him. This is a love that covers.

I am sure that we all have done things that the Lord could have just wiped us away. But instead He loved us and covered us. God's response to Cain's complaint reveals a striking paradox: justice tempered by mercy that refuses to abandon even the guilty. Is there anyone in here that is guilty? The mark represents protection rather than infamy; punishment delivers justice, but ongoing humiliation is excluded. Now that is a love that covers.

This passage establishes that though a murderer, Cain remains under God's protective, permanent care, and quick, violent, arbitrary revenge contradicts God's will. Listen we see this when God gives Israel the laws for how they would conduct themselves in the promise land.

Numbers 35:11–13 “then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. And the cities that you give shall be your six cities of refuge.”

These cities were designed to ensure justice, mercy, and due process rather than immediate, vengeance-driven violence. This is a love that covers.

So can I go deeper family? Someone say go deeper pastor Wes. Thank you I love it when you want to learn. This is how deep the love of God is and how it covers us today. You and I were slated for death but love had to make a way. God our Father in Heaven sent His one and only Son to come and pay a penalty that you and I could not pay. Jesus death on the cross paid that price. Now there is a greater mark that is placed on you and I. That is the mark of blood that covers us and redeemed us from death. This mark not only protects us from the vengeance of our enemies but it also gives us access to go in the presence of God. Unlike Cain who left the presence of God, the blood gives us access to the very throne room of God. Talk about a love that covers. What King do we know that will redeem someone from a death penalty then give them access to his very throne room.

That is why I can stand before you and tell you that you have Father in Heaven who loves you deeply.

Look at your neighbor and say Neighbor I see His love pouring off you.

End with this:

Genesis 4:1–16 ESV

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

The passage says that Cain went away. It does not say that God sent Cain away. Truth be told I believe if Cain had repented God would have forgiven him. Not that the penalty of the sin would be taken away but forgiveness would have been given. Maybe Cain could not do what his father Adam could not do. We do not see Adam repenting either.

In fact no where in this verse does it say that Cain had to leave. It is funny how shame and guilt will cause us to leave places that you were never asked to leave. To stop being around people that never judged you. We do not see or hear that Adam or Eve told Cain that he could not be there. Cain left because sin burned in his belly and he could not face the people or the God he loved. That is what sin will do to us. Sin will have us leaving the people we love and not being able to stand before the God we need.

Can I tell you that the Father is here. That He cares for you. That He is willing to confront you. That He has and is covering you.

1 Peter 4:8 “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”

Some of you have been walking around in shame because the enemy has made you feel that way. He has told you that you can never recover and like Cain you should just walk away. But the Father is here saying let love cover you like a quilt. That love covers a multitude of sins. All you have to do is repent and you will be forgiven.

I believe that the Father wants you to know that He loves you and has never stopped loving you. All you need to do is come to yourself and come home. He is waiting with His arms wide open waiting for His prodigals to come home.

Amazing Grace;

Here is my altar call. If your here and shame and guilt has caused you to hide from those you love and the God you need, come to the altar.