Live in Fear
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Just last night (4/26/26) at the White House correspondence dinner, a gunman opened fire and struck a member of the Secret Service who was thankfully protected by his ballistic vest.
Obviously, President Trump was quickly evacuated and the gunman was taken into custody.
Reading that this morning shocked me, and made me immediately think of all the shootings taking place in our nation. Whether they are assassinations, school shootings, church shootings, or the like, they are all horrible and have no place in a healthy and a thriving nation.
Why does this evil happen?
Some take these types of things and use it for political gain. One side demands the guns be taken, the other demands that guns be made more available…but we are missing the root cause.
The root of the issue is not about politics, it is not about policy, but it is all about the fear of the Lord.
A man who values life and who fears the Lord can own a hundred guns and never use one of them for violence. A man who doesn’t fear the Lord and has his mind set on evil won’t allow having no access to a weapon prevent his evil intent.
The problem in our nation today, the problem in your home today, the problem in your mind today is not primarily political, it is not primarily financial, it is not primarily marital…but it is spiritual.
We have a spiritual problem in our world and in our life.
But there is a way to navigate this spiritual issue. That is to cherish and to desire the wisdom of God.
How can we begin to have wisdom in our life, and how can our nation get to a place of sanity?
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”
What we’ve done is we have made our own caricature of God. We have created a god in our minds that doesn’t have anything to do with the God of the Bible. We don’t want to say that we ought to be afraid of God because then people might not respond well.
The truth of the matter is that when we say that we ought to fear God, it means several things, and one of those things is that we are afraid of Him.
What does it mean to fear the Lord?
It means to revere Him.
This means to deeply respect Him and admire Him, to worship Him and be devoted to Him.
It means to trust Him.
When He has given us a directive, we complete that with intensity and obedience.
It means to fear as we understand fear.
See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,
My children may not be afraid of me per say, but when they are in trouble they are afraid of me. Why? Because they don’t want to face punishment, so they hide, and they cry, and they plead, and as much as it pains me to spank them, I must do it.
A Dog’s Obedience
Have you ever seen a dog that fears his master?
When that man has trained that dog, that dog will do just about anything for that man!
When you have a disobedient dog that doesn’t fear it’s master, when you lay the bowl of food down, that dog rushes up to that food, wards off anyone who tries to get near it, and doesn’t fear the master who gave it to him.
When you have an obedient dog who does fear its master, you can say to that dog:
“Sit!” and he’ll sit. Then you say, “Stay.” and he stays.
You lay that bowl of food down, and that obedient dog will stay until his master says, “Eat!”
If you get a really good dog, you can put him in the truck bed, and you can tell that dog, “I’m going in this store, I’ll be back, don’t move.”
If that dog fears his master enough, if that dog trusts his master enough, that dog will sit in that spot like a statue until his master returns.
That dog isn’t motivated by anything but his master’s commands.
Cain has no restraint, he has no fear of God.
Because he has taken the fear of God and has cast it off of his life, he commits this sin of murder. And when God gives him a chance to admit what he did and receive grace, Cain denied God one final time, and judgement was delivered.
We only have so long in our lives to submit to the will of God before He gives us over to what we desire most. Once God has delivered us over to that debased mind, we will wander the earth as a vagabond, never finding rest, just as Cain did.
There are three things in our text I want you to see this morning.
Three things that ought to cause you to think about the fear of the Lord and the wisdom it brings.
I. The Prophet That Was Slain
I. The Prophet That Was Slain
Jesus calls Abel a prophet.
that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
Prophet: Someone who speaks in God’s name.
Literally means “one who is called”; In the Bible, when we see someone called a prophet, we must understand they are God’s mouthpiece concerning His plan and His word.
There are no more prophets; Jesus was the final prophet.
In Matthew 21, Jesus is telling a parable about the nation Israel. He says that there is a vineyard owner who sent his servants to collect the fruit of the vineyard, but every time a servant would arrive, the workers of the vineyard would abuse them and kill them.
Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
This Son that was sent last is Jesus. He was the last prophet that the Father sent to warn that the end is coming. The lawmakers in Israel, the religious leaders in Israel, killed the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, the last Prophet of God.
But here, what we have, is the first servant (prophet) of God sent to testify of God’s redemptive plan.
His name is Abel, and he is murdered by his brother Cain.
Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
A. The Lie
A. The Lie
“Cain talked with Abel his brother.”
What was this conversation about?
We’re not sure, because the Bible doesn’t tell us. But one thing that we do know is that there is a conversation that put the prophets of God in harms way. That conversation is a conversation centered around truth of God’s word.
In this particular conversation, even though we don’t know the details, we can know that Cain lured his brother into a trap, so that at the opportune time, he could take his life.
The Pharisees did the same to Jesus Christ by the mouth of Judas Iscariot.
Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.
In the book of Luke 22, Luke records that Satan entered Judas, and that Judas went on his way.
This evil spirit of betrayal that entered the heart of Judas Iscariot is the same spirit that entered into the heart of Cain.
For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another,
not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother.
Whatever the conversation was, we can know that Cain lied so that Abel would meet him in that field.
B. The Plan
B. The Plan
Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel
A man that is in the hands of satan will always work in the dark.
There is a reason that Cain committed murder in the middle of a field, and that was so he could not be condemned for what he was doing; it was so that there would be no witnesses.
The Pharisees and religious leaders in the New Testament wanted so badly to arrest Jesus many times, but because they were afraid of doing it in public, they waited until Jesus was in the Garden with only His disciples.
If we ever have to hide what we are doing, we can know that we are in sin.
(1) A person who is committing adultery doesn’t come home and brag to their spouse about it.
(2) A person who has stolen doesn’t advertise that they’re a thief.
(3) A person who is a liar doesn’t come back and tell the truth later.
Whatever the sin, whatever the motivation, there is always a calculation…and what a person does when they commit sin is begin to calculate and formulate how they can get away with it.
Through a lie, Cain’s plan has been set in motion…
C. The Murder
C. The Murder
Can you imagine the violence involved in this murder?
When the Bible says that “Cain rose up,” it implies to us that this wasn’t done from a distance with something like a bow and arrow or a sling.
It implies that Cain, very viciously, very violently, very personally attacked and killed Abel. When Cain’s weapon of choice was plunged into the flesh of his brother, Cain felt every squirm, every jolt, every scream for mercy, and it satisfied him.
His rage and his evil desires caused him to willingly and gladly commit murder.
It was the same way with the Lord Jesus.
With every stroke of the whip that lacerated his back, with every hand that slapped Him across His precious fave, with every mouth that spit on Him to disgrace Him, the people were glad.
With every stroke of the hammer, as the Roman guard nailed His hands and His feet, He cried out in pain and in agony, and the people were satisfied.
In their lust for blood and with their darkened hearts, they committed murder in the highest degree. They killed not just a prophet, but they killed the Son of God.
II. The Heart that was Hardened
II. The Heart that was Hardened
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
If we go back to verse 6, we will see that God has already contacted Cain once and warned him about the danger of his sin, and now we see him contacting Cain again.
A. God’s Mercy
A. God’s Mercy
God didn’t have to contact Cain, but He contacted Cain to give him a chance to tell the truth.
Wherever there is a lie, wherever there is darkness, wherever there is hiding, God stands ready to offer His grace and mercy to everyone who will receive it.
How do we receive the mercy of God?
a. By Confessing
a. By Confessing
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Whenever we are in sin, and God is contacting us, there is a sense of restlessness that we feel. This doesn’t just happen to believers, but it happens to people who don’t know anything about church or the Bible.
They get a restless feeling in themselves, and they may not know what it is, but it is the conviction of the Holy Spirit, prompting them to confess to God that they are sinners.
We don’t need to confess to man. I am here as your pastor and your friend, but confession to me is not the confession that you need. You need to confess your sins before God and allow Him to cleanse you.
How do we properly confess?
We properly confess by calling our sin what it is:
If it’s laziness, we say, “God, I have been lazy.”
If it’s greed, we say, “God, I have been greedy.”
If it’s lust, we say, “God, I have been unfaithful,”
And then we ask God to cleanse us.
What we cannot do is dress up our sin and continue to try and hide it.
b. By Repenting
b. By Repenting
How do confession and repentance work together?
He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes [their sin] will have mercy.
The word forsake means to leave behind.
So, when we confess and we repent, we are vowing that we are going to leave that sin behind and we are going to continue to follow Jesus.
Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
Perfection doesn’t make you a strong Christian. What makes someone a strong Christian is how quickly and intentionally they lay aside the weight of sin and continue running the race that Jesus has set before us.
If Cain would have simply confessed and repented, the grace of God would have been applied to his account and he would have been set free from his sin.
Instead of Cain’ Repentance…
B. Cain’s Rejection
B. Cain’s Rejection
Cain vehemently and carelessly rejected the mercy of God with his sarcastic denial of wrongdoing.
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Instead of the mercy of God softening the heart of Cain, sin dominated Cain’s life and cause his heart to be hard.
How is it that the mercy of God hardens hearts?
The Sun, The Ice, and the Cement
Imagine an open plain or field and there above are clear skies. There is nothing there to obstruct the sun’s heat from hitting the surface of the earth.
Now, there in the middle of that field, you get water and concrete, you turn it, mix it, and you pour a slab of concrete.
Beside that concrete you place a large block of ice.
The heat from the sun that is going to melt that ice is the same heat that is going to harden that concrete.
God’s grace and mercy was available to Cain, but Cain’s heart didn’t respond by melting, his heart responded by hardening.
C. Your Choice
C. Your Choice
III. The New Covenant that was Foretold
III. The New Covenant that was Foretold
And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.
A. God’s Heart is Grieved
A. God’s Heart is Grieved
“What have you done?”
God’s response to sin is grief and indignation.
God is not alright with sin. God is not alright with evil. Because of God’s great patience towards us and this world we have begun to think that God is just going to stay in heaven and watch sin abound on the earth.
He will not.
He is going to come and He is going to destroy all sin.
Is it because He is a terrible God?
B. God’s Desire is Justice
B. God’s Desire is Justice
“your brothers’ blood cries out to Me from the ground.”
The effect of the law of God is death.
For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
This letter is the letter of the law. The law of God doesn’t free us, it traps us. It acts like a flashlight shining in the darkest places of our heart.
When we commit sin, the law of God says, “Stop right there! You are under arrest in the name of the law!”
C. God’s Salvation is Jesus
C. God’s Salvation is Jesus
The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.
The blood of Abel cried out in the name of the law. There was a man that was slain in cold blood, and he was going to be avenged by God.
But it was not the same when Jesus died on the cross and His blood was spilled. The spilling of the blood of Jesus was greater in every way.
to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.
While the blood of Abel spoke of death by the law and sin, the blood of Jesus speaks of life by forgiveness and atonement.
Atonement means to make amends.
The same law that avenged the blood of Abel is the same law that Jesus fulfilled when He died on the cross.
Think of that word “atonement”. It is a word that we have because it means “At one”.
Jesus came, Jesus died, and Jesus rose to make us “at one” with the Father.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Are you under the law that avenged Abel?
Or are you under that grace of God that will save you from the law?
