01(Gen 04,01-17) Distress Signals-When Sin Shipwrecks a Family

After the door is closed (Gen 4:1-2) - the first couple starts over. A shipwrecked life; but life does go on. But God still provides a life by His grace. Many sons and daughters born to couple. The Bible focuses on two: Cain and Abel.

I.       The Warning (Gen 4:3-7)

A.     There was nothing wrong with what Cain offered.

§  Cain had a problem of the heart (anger).

B.     Cain's face fell, his hypocrisy was of no help.

§  Hypocrisy comes from a Greek word for the mask an actor wore during a performance.

§  “Respect” – to look at.

§  God chose to look at Abel's offering, but He did not look at the offering of Cain.

§  God never really looks at the offering anyway; He looks at the heart.

C.     God uses questions to show Cain the condition of his life (4:6).

§  If Cain gets his heart right, his countenance (face) will again be lifted up (KJV-accepted).

§  Sin lies in wait like a crouching animal ready to pounce on the unsuspecting.

§  It is a foolish captain that fails to heed the warning signals and steers his ship right into danger.

II.    The Shipwreck (Gen 4:8-12)

Proverbs 22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, 25 Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.

A.     Anger indeed ensnared Cain. as it does so many today.

§  Never excuse your anger or surrender to your temper.

§  It should become a distress signal. If it cannot be contained, it becomes a snare.

B.     Anger was just the tip of the iceberg for Cain.

§  Underneath the surface was the real danger: losing control which would lead Cain to murder.

§  Underneath can be danger enough to sink the mighty Titanic that is your secure marriage.

§  But the distress signal may not just be anger. Sometimes it is another temptation.

III. The Rebuilding (Gen 4:13-17)

A.     This is more a cry of repentance than of arrogance.

§  Note the response of God to Cain's statement.

B.     What is Cain's fear?

§  That he has lost his safety and security, his family community.

§  Without the safety of family, he fears being killed himself.

§  Now Cain sees family from a new perspective.

C.     Be careful to note God's response.

§  He does not relent. Cain is not allowed to stay, nor to be an effective farmer again.

§  God does not destroy Cain. Here is another insight into the heart of god. He is a God of grace.

D.     A shipwrecked life: but life does go on.

§  Maybe you take some or all of the blame for your situation.

§  I want to tell you that God may remove some things from you because of sin.

§  But God will provide a life.

§  He allows Cain to rebuild his life. He allows him to raise a family and build a city elsewhere.

E.      What was true of Cain was true of Adam and Eve.

§  It will forever be different; work is harder now.

§  There is the burden of shame.