Untitled Sermon

cain

  PRAY IF THEY DIDNT BEFORE YOU CAME UP. If you have a bible with you today, I ask that you turn to the book of Genesis. If you don’t know where Genesis is that’s perfectly fine because it is super easy to find. Just open up to the very first page of the Scriptures and there it is. We are going to be in chapter 4 verses 1 through 16. The big numbers are your chapters and the small numbers are your verses. This morning, we’re going to be looking at the account of Cain and Abel. This account, I feel anyway, is commonly known throughout our American culture. Even people who are unfamiliar with Scripture know about Cain and Abel. I think a lot of people see the Cain and Abel account like the Hatfields and McCoys or just another sibling rivalry. People know the story. Cain didn’t like Abel, so Cain killed him, but that’s pretty much all they know about it. And for a long time in my life, that’s pretty much all I knew about it. When I would think of Cain and Abel I wouldn’t think of anything more than sibling rivalry gone wrong. This account of Cain and Abel, however, gives us a great understanding of God’s mercy, expectations, gentleness, judgment, and salvation. 

 A key part of understanding this passage of Scripture is to look at what takes place right before it. In chapters one and two we have the creation of the universe and a detailed creation account of mankind. In chapter three, we read about the fall of mankind. This is where the man and the woman break the one command God gave them. They eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God gave them all of the garden to enjoy and take care of but asked them not to eat of that one specific tree. Of course, we know that they gave into that temptation and ate it. They did not, however, come to the idea of eating from the tree on their own. We are told that a serpent came, asked questions, tempted, and led astray the man and woman, resulting in them breaking the commands of God. The book of Revelation makes it clear that this ancient serpent is the devil himself. He was the most cunning creature and created doubt in the minds of the man and the woman. After they gave into their temptation, they realized they were naked, they felt ashamed and they attempted to clothe themselves with fig leaves and hide from the all-knowing God. Although He knows exactly where they are, God asks them where they are. They come out from hiding and tell Him what they did. While the man does try to cast blame on the woman and even slightly on the Lord, they mostly own up to their actions and receive their consequences. These consequences include things like bareness, struggles between a man and his wife, difficulty working the ground and getting it to produce a harvest, and, most of all, a barrier between mankind and God. 

So, in the first three chapters of the Bible, we see God wanting to bless His people, His people rebel in sinfulness, and God makes it right. And this theme of God wanting to bless, people rebelling, and God being gracious is a common theme in Genesis and the rest of Scripture. Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise us that we see this same theme in chapter 4.  

I’ll begin reading with verse 1 of chapter 4 and read all the way to verse 16. 

The man was intimate with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have had a male child with the Lord’s help.” 2 She also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of flocks, but Cain worked the ground.

Now, let me pause right here so we don’t miss what the text is showing us. Do you remember the consequences of sin in chapter 3? Because of this there was division between man and woman. But here we see that Adam was intimate with his wife. There was pain, or sorrow, which alludes to barreness, miscarriages, in childbirth, and now she conceived children. There was a barrier placed between man and God because of their sinfulness, and now the Lord helped her in giving birth. Because of sin, man had to labor over the ground, to have a harvest, to produce food, and now we see that Abel grew up and became a shepherd over livestock, and Cain worked the ground for food. So despite man’s sinfulness and rebellion, God still chooses to bless his creation. His grace is overwhelmingly clear in the first 2 verses of this chapter. Sadly, because the pattern we see is man rebelling after they’ve been blessed, we know what is coming next in the chapter. Verse 3 In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions. The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but he did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent. 

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent? 7 If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” 

8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” 

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” 

10 Then he said, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11 So now you are cursed, alienated from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood you have shed. 12 If you work the ground, it will never again give you its yield. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.” 

13 But Cain answered the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! 14 Since you are banishing me today from the face of the earth, and I must hide from your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me.”. 15 Then the Lord replied to him, “In that case, whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” And he placed a mark on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him. 16 Then Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Clearly, this account of Cain and Abel is more than just a sibling rivalry. I mean we have Eve giving birth to Cain and Abel, Cain and Abel giving sacrifices to God, God directly warning Cain, Cain murdering Abel, Abel’s bloods calling out to God, God banishing Cain. So, there is a lot to break down here and a few big questions that come to mind in this passage. 

We aren’t quite sure how much time has passed between chapter three and events of chapter four. All the text says is that “in the course of time” Cain presented an offering to the Lord. Cain’s offering to the Lord was some of the land’s produce, which Cain was “in charge of” so to speak. So, Cain takes part of his livelihood and offers it to the Lord. Abel, who is a shepherd, also takes part of his livelihood and offers it to the Lord. Abel’s offering was some of the first born animals from his flock and their fat portions. A question that might come to mind is where did they learn to sacrifice things? And why do they have to sacrifice things? Both answers are found in the third chapter of Genesis. Remember, Adam and Eve rebelled against God and sinned, but it wasn’t them who offered the sacrifice in the garden. It was actually God who offered the sacrifice for them. Chapter three verse 21 it says that God took skins, which means animal skins and made clothes for them. He took an animal, sacrificed it, and used it to cover their shame, which is a direct result of their rebellion. God had to sacrifice an animal because of their sins so that they could remain in His presence- because Scripture teaches us that there cannot be forgiveness without the shedding of blood. Which leads me to my first point:

we must remember that our sin and rebellion against a loving and perfect God creates a need for a sacrifice.

So, Cain and Abel are following God’s example and give an offering to God. However, we aren’t sure what type of offering this is. We do know, however, that, in the book of Leviticus, God’s people are called to give different types of offerings to God such as a sin offering or an offering of thanksgiving. The text makes it clear that Abel offered up some firstborn of his flock while Cain just offered fruit. Now , both produce and animals were to be offered to the Lord. In the Old Testament, God asks His people to offer Him the firstlings or first fruits to Him from their flocks or fields. By doing this, people consecrated their herds or fields and the Lord gave the rest of their harvests back to them for their own use.

 So, while we aren’t 100% sure what type of offering they are giving, we do know that God has regard for Abel’s offering, but not Cain’s. Some people go back and forth about why Cain’s wasn’t but Abel’s was. Some think it was because Abel’s offering was an animal so there was shedding of blood and it had the fat portions. Others, because the Levitical law hadn’t been written yet, think it was just the stature of Abel’s heart in giving. And others think it’s because Abel’s were the first born  of his flock. If you were to ask me, I would say it’s a combination of all three. And for our second point this shows us that it’s not the amount that we give that determines God’s regard for our offerings, but the stature of our hearts with which we give. Jesus Himself makes this clear in Mark 12:41 

Sitting across from the temple treasury, he watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. 43 Summoning his disciples, he said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had—all she had to live on.” See, it’s not the amount. Because if it were, Jesus would have praised all the rich people. Instead, he praises this lady who gave when she had nothing- a lady who gave simply out of respect and love for who God is and what he has called her to give. And that’s what Abel is doing here in Genesis. Does he give a lot? yes, of course! But it’s not the amount that pleases God. It’s Abel’s desire to give God his best. So when we give, we shouldn’t focus on the amount that we give. Instead, we should be far more concerned about WHY we are giving.  

You know, I wish the text said that Cain realized his sin of not giving the Lord what he deserves and repented of that and they were a big happy family. But that’s not even kind of close right? Cain is furious. It says he looked despondent. The ESV says his face fell. He was upset. He was angry. It changed him clearly. So, instead of repenting of his sin, he becomes furious. Part of me relates to Cain here. So, I grew up with two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother. Maggi, my sister, was very much the golden child it felt like. She was smart, hard working, a gifted singer, a leader, people loved her. And so I felt like I was always in her shadow growing up. I always hoped that when i got to college i would become the golden child who was the best at everything and what not but i didn’t account for my brother, who growing up was this chubby, short, unathletic kid, to lose weight, grow to be 6’2, and turn into a solid athlete. So ya know. Maybe one day. But the thing that was the most difficult for me to handle was the fact that Maggi played college basketball and I didn't. And at time, I would get very upset because of that. I loved basketball, had a dream of playing college ball, but it didn’t happen for me. I blamed it on things like my height, my size. but in reality , it came down to the fact that Maggi worked twice as hard as me in her offseason. She was dedicated to the sport and gave it her best. So, while I would often be upset with my sister, I actually had no one to blame but myself. And that is where Cain is. He is the only person to blame for his sin. He is the reason why he didn’t give his best to God, not Abel. 

And you would almost expect God to come to Cain and say “you have no one else to blame but yourself. You’re being ridiculous.” and thump him on the ear or something. But that’s not who God is. He says ‘Why are you furious? And why do you look despondent?” or why has your face fallen? He tells him that if he does what is right he will be accepted. So it isn’t that God had to choose a brother. They both could have been accepted. But Cain doesn’t listen to the warning of the Lord. Listen to what the Lord’s says here. He says that “sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”  It was not too late for Cain. He could have repented right there, asking for God’s forgiveness. But, if Cain did not handle his sin, if he did not repent, sin, like a wild animal, was crouching, stalking, waiting for him. It was so close it was at the door. This was a final warning to Cain that he must repent. 

Some of you might be thinking “how could anyone ignore that warning from God? He directly told you to repent and warned you of the consequences of sin. Why didn’t you listen?” And I agree! How could anyone ignore the warnings against sin? How could anyone not listen to the Words of the Lord? How could anyone keep giving into their sins even when God tells them directly not to? That’s us folks. How many of you keep giving into your anger even when Scripture tells you to put wrath and bitterness away? How many of you keep pursuing money even though the Word tells you to seek the Kingdom first? How many of you keep giving into sexual sin even though Scripture says to flee from sexual immorality? How many times do I ignore the warnings and commands of the Lord and give into my sinful desires? See, the Word is God speaking directly to us. And we ignore it all the time. Point three: we should read, study, and live by God’s Word so that we may kill our sinful passions and present ourselves and living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God.

I wish Cain listened to the warning of the Lord. Sadly, we see ZERO repentance. Infact, the text doesn’t even show us that Cain thought about the Lord’s warning. The very next thing Cain does is murder his brother in a field, away from other people where no one can see his sin. Question: Are there actions that we have to hide? A room we go into and lock the door? Clear our browser history? Delete certain apps or text messages? Ask people not to tell others about our sins or addictions? 

I highly doubt that Cain thought his poor offering would lead to murder. But that’s what sin does. It’s quiet. It stalks you. It’s subtle. Easy to give into at first. And before you know it, you are completely overcome by it. And like Cain, who acts as sin itself by stalking and attacking his own brother, you’re completely lost, not knowing how in the world you became someone you hate. Point number four: May we never think we can afford to delay our need for repentance. Rather, we should always seek to remove sin from our lives so that it may never rule over us.

Cain comes back after murdering Abel, and God comes to him directly and asks where Abel is. Cain’s answer should scare all of us. He lies to the all knowing God. Not only does he lie, but he even pokes fun and Abel. In the ESV, Cain says “I don't know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” People don’t need keeping. Animals do. Cain is either calling his brother an animal or making fun of what Abel did for a living; he was a keeper of animals. This is not the heart of a man who regrets his sins. He’s even worse than his parents in the garden. At least they somewhat owned up to their sins. His heart is beyond hard. There is no repentance from Cain. This leads us to our fifth point: Sin leads to more sin and to a heart that is incapable of repentance. 

The Lord doesn’t even acknowledge Cain’s harsh reply and tells him that the blood of Abel is crying out to him from the ground. See, it was believed that uncovered blood would cry out and demand justice. Since this was before judges were established and no one else was there to act on the behalf of Abel, God was obligated to address Cain for the murder. God is seeking justice. Cain deserves death. God however, does not sentence him to death. Instead, God takes away Cain’s livelihood by telling him that the ground will never again produce anything for him and then banishes him from the land, making him wanderer. Cain, once again, does not repent. Instead, he’s just upset about his consequences. I’m sure a lot of us have been there. We’ve been caught in our sin and we are so much more concerned about the fact that we've been caught than we are the fact that we have sinned against a God who loves us.

 Cain says he can’t handle it, that he can't bear the consequences of his own actions. He is afraid that people will come after him and rightly avenge the death of Abel. It’s too much for him. See he learned something too late that I hope none of us have to learn: point six: An unrepentant heart leads to consequences that are too much for us to bear.

God, in His mercy, hears the whining of Cain and shows grace. He places a mark on Cain that people can see and says that anyone who kills Cain would suffer vengeance seven times over. This mark on Cain acts as both judgement and salvation. Judgment- because it shows everyone that Cain is a murderer. Salvation- because it keeps him from being killed. Nevertheless, Cain is forced to leave the Lord’s presence and move to Nod which is east of Eden. Cain was moving further away from Eden, which symbolizes him moving further away from God. 

Point number seven: An unrepentant heart will always lead us away from the presence of God. I know we can all relate to that. Oftentimes, when we are constantly giving into sin, we don’t feel like we are worthy to even read the Bible or to pray. And even if we do read the Bible or pray we feel like God is a million miles away from us. That’s because our sin drives a wedge between us and God. It takes us away from His presence. It makes it impossible for us to be in perfect relation to God. 

You know, as good as Abel’s offering was, and it was good- it had the firstborns, bloodshed, and it was done in the right posture- it still falls short of removing the weight or consequences of sin. Think about it. We all know the verse in Romans- the wages of sin is death! When we sin, we deserve death. If Abel’s sacrifice was so good, then why did he still die? Because no human effort could ever remove the weight of sin and appease God who, because of His holiness and love, has to punish sin. His sacrifice made it possible to stay in the presence of God, just like the sacrifice in chapter three of Genesis and the other sacrifices throughout the Old Testament. But, they still weren’t the perfect sacrifice which defeats sin and conquered death. 

Because Cain sinned, there had to be judgment. Because we sin, there had to be judgment. God gave Cain judgment and salvation by placing the mark on him. And He gives us salvation through judgment as well. That’s where Christ comes in. He took the judgment of sin for us. He placed the weight of sin upon Himself and went to the cross to act as our perfect sacrifice.  The book of Hebrews tells us that the blood of Jesus “speaks better things than Abel’s.” It also says that Christ’s sacrifice saves us and sanctifies us once and for all! There is no need for another sacrifice because Christ’s was perfect! Christ makes it possible for us to repent. He forgives us time and time again. He softens our hard hearts. He brings us into the presence of God. Hebrews 4:14-16: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. Because of Him, we can approach the throne of grace. Not just ask for something. But approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace! 

So, what can we do to apply this into our lives today. Not tomorrow or in the future. But, like when you get home. How can we take what we have learned from God’s Word and live it out. I think there are two main things to consider. One for those who already know Christ, and one for those who do not know the love of Christ. 

For those that know Christ:Repent. Spend time today in prayer asking the Lord to show you sins in your life that you need to repent of. I promise, He will show them to you. Ask people who are close to you to gracefully point out things you struggle with that you might not be aware of. Of course, for some of you, you don't have to pray or ask anyone. You know what sin is kicking your tail right now. You know you’re giving into sin every time you’re tempted. It’s been in the back of your mind, eating you alive ever since I started talking about repentance. My words to you especially are this: repent today. Sin is crouching at the door for you. It’s coming for you. It wants to destroy your life. Repent today. Go to the one who has been tempted but never gave in. Sprint head first to Jesus. You will only find grace and mercy there.

For the one who does not know the love of Christ:If you don’t know Jesus personally, but you hate the feeling of being stuck in sin and you don’t even know where to start, come talk to me today. We can talk closely or 6 feet apart. I’ll be more than happy to talk to you about Jesus and the freedom He offers sinners. Jesus said it himself, He didn't come for the righteous but for the sinners. Good news for me because I’m a dirty, rotten sinner. I’m begging you. Please don’t wait. Don’t let your heart become like Cain’s: hard, unrepentant, no desire to be near God. Come to Christ. He gives freedom from sin. He gives freedom from death. Only he can do that because only He has conquered both. 

Let’s pray.