New Beginnings Part 9

Intro

Making deals with God (Tree Stand)

Now if anyone didn’t have a right to make a deal with God it would have been Cain

He just murdered Abel, Cain was sentenced by God to restlessly wander the earth.

No one could kill him, but he would live forever with his guilty conscience, never feeling at home, never feeling entirely safe.

He cannot work the ground and he will not die for a long time. Cain is now running from the Lord!

What will he do? Where will he go? These verses tell what happened to Cain and the civilization that flowed from him.

Here is the beginning of secular society—that is, society lived apart from God and in the absence of his guidance.

This passage has a fascinating question: What happens to society when it rebels against God? Answer: It prospers! (Psalm 73)

Big Idea: What’s your definition of prosperity?

There’s a paradox to prosperity.

When we see the story of Cain most would say that he prospers and in a sense he absolutely does. But how could that be right? The man just killed his brother, showed no repentance and left the presence of God. 

You would think that Cain’s life should be just hell on earth at this point. 

But, again, what is your definition of prosperity? 

I think we often seek a prosperity that is only temporary, it’s an illusion. 

We can achieve every worldly desire and still not prosper in the way we were designed.

Nevertheless, The prosperity of the wicked has troubled God’s people since the beginning. Why do some people ignore God, mistreat others, commit overt acts of sin, and seem to prosper anyway? 

And why do those who love the Lord seem to take it on the chin? Genesis 4:17-24 tells us that God even blesses those who rebel against him. God protects, to a degree, even those who reject his authority. And those who live without the Lord often accomplish great things in the world.

This whole section shows the ever-widening divide between the two lines—believers and unbelievers. And it helps us see how we should live in a culture that has largely turned its back on God.

Here is what we can see in a civilization without God.

Construction 17-18

Genesis 4:17–18 NIV

17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

Cain’s response to his punishment by God is threefold: First, he builds a family. Second, he builds a city. Third, he builds a legacy. In two verses you have six generations spanning hundreds of years.

The rapid growth in population helps us understand Cain’s desire to build a city. In some ways, this is a self-protection measure since he lived in fear (despite God’s “mark”) that someone, somewhere might harm him. 

And at a deeper level, the desire to build a city is an act of rebellion against God who sentenced him to wander the earth. Now Cain will defy the Lord and settle down with his own people and build his own city.

No doubt Cain stayed busy to try to cover up the emptiness of his soul. He wanted a bustling city to compensate for what he lost—his hope and happiness and direction in life. Do we often do the same?

Now we live in Perry but I also know many of us wish we were somewhere else, anywhere else. So let me just say, busyness does not equal happiness.

Even if you lived in LA or New York or Seattle and had every modern convenience at your finger tips it would not guarantee satisfaction.

There’s nothing wrong with big cities but rather what we desire to get from the busyness that may cause us heartbreak. Some of the loneliest people in the world live in the biggest cities so don’t mistake busyness as success.

Corruption 19

Genesis 4:19 NIV

19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.

The second feature of civilization without God is corruption.

In this case a man named Lamech decided to marry two women.

He spits in the face of God’s original design for marriage and becomes the first polygamist.

Now instead of one man with one woman for life, sexual desire overrules God’s design and anything goes. 

So, a godless civilization leads to construction and corruption. It also leads to Culture Idolatry

Culture

Genesis 4:20–22 NIV

20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.

Now I’m not here to proclaim to you that culture is bad. It’s not. In fact these verses point out a lot of the positive progress of human culture in the line of Cain. 

From Jabal comes agriculture; from Jubal the fine arts; 

from Tubal-Cain the development of industry and technology. 

It is a mistake to read Genesis 4 and conclude that human culture is a bad thing or that unbelievers cannot produce works of enormous value. 

To the contrary, the entire world has benefited from modern agriculture, the flourishing of the arts, and by the incredible progress of technology, especially in the last century.

But let’s not forget that these things are possible because even sinful men and women still possess the image of God that allows them to think, to create, to grow, to develop, to experiment, to dream, to dare, and to explore new territory. 

As Christians, we ought to be thankful to live in a world with comforts Cain never dreamed of. It’s not sinful to enjoy the good things around us, we ought to give thanks to the Lord who gave man the mind and the heart and the hands and the feet to make it all possible.

But, if we are not careful what can happen is we can begin to let culture over rule the Creator

We can allow culture to dictate what’s important rather than the One who created us

Crime

Genesis 4:23–24 NIV

23 Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”

This is the oldest song in the Bible.

Lamech composes a little ditty in honor of himself for killing a young man who injured him.

He believes no one dares to bring him to justice. He even thinks that he will get revenge seventy-seven times if anyone tries to attack him.

Note the arrogance in his words, the total disdain for human life.

Note also, again, the progress of sin:

The serpent talks Eve into sin.

Adam sins on his own.

God can’t talk Cain out of sin.

Now Lamech brags about his crimes.

He has gone far beyond Cain in his viciousness. Cain got angry and killed his brother, but Lamech actively looks for trouble. “I can get away with murder,” he seems to say.

But even in an ungodly world and culture there is still hope.

The last two verses of our passage offer a quick snapshot of the godly line.

When the ungodly seem to rule the world, what can the righteous do?

How do we maintain our faith and pass it along to the next generation when the majority culture moves in another direction?

There are two primary ways we can fight back against the ungodly culture around us

A. By Building Godly Families

Genesis 4:25 NIV

25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”

It could not have been easy for Adam and Eve to have another child.

Their oldest son is a murderer, their second son is dead. Why take a chance on another child?

But they believed God wanted them to establish a family that would pass along their faith to the future.

The name Seth means “appointed.” They saw him as a gift from God, a new beginning after the murder of Abel.

If you are married and have children or plan to some day your responsibility is first and foremost to your family.

We must be husbands, wives, and parents who are honoring Christ, teaching Christ, and becoming like Christ.

We must raise up kingdom minded warriors inside the walls of our home to fight against the powers of darkness in the world around us.

If you are a parent you are raising an army for the Lord.

B. By Proclaiming God’s Name 

Genesis 4:26 NIV

26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.

The faith of Adam and Eve now passes to their son and grandson. 

The Hebrew concept of “calling on the name” of the Lord has two parts. 

It can mean to call on the Lord in prayer.

In that sense, it meant that men began to take their faith seriously and started to seek God through prayer and worship. 

The word “call” can also mean to proclaim publicly.

In those days men began to publicly identify themselves as followers of the true God. 

To make a decision like that is never easy in any circumstance, but it is always more difficult when the crowd is going the other direction.

But in those dark days, a group of people openly said, “We belong to the Lord. We are his. We are on his team. We live by his values. We follow his Word!” They were not ashamed to be called the sons and daughters of the Living God.

What they knew, they believed.

What they believed, they confessed.

What they confessed, God blessed.

But notice one other fact of great importance.

Believers went public with their faith “in those days.” In what days? In the days of Cain and his descendants.

They openly confessed their faith while Lamech boasted of his sin, while men followed sensual pursuits, and while society began to spiral downward.

In that very day of growing darkness, men banded together openly and publicly to declare the name of the Lord.

Does it sound familiar to today’s world?

It is never too late to call on the Lord. Things are never so bad that the godly cannot survive. 

The world is never so far gone in sin that we should sell our goods, move to the wilderness, and live in a compound. 

What a revelation this is of the power of united faith. The first great revival came at a time of unbelievable moral decline. When the ungodly grow bold, it is time for the godly to be even bolder. 

When they jump headlong into sin, it is time for us to jump headlong into righteousness.

When the world around us tries to push us down it’s time for the church to stand tall.

Believers around the world can make a huge difference if they will build godly families, openly proclaim God’s name, and go about their business as salt and light in the larger culture. 

Never will the culture be entirely Christian but without the Christian influence, it will always deteriorate. That’s why whenever Christianity goes into a pagan culture, it always improves the lot of everyone who lives there. 

Not because we can persuade people to be morally good but because the Creator of all things is the giver of life. His law and love is what is best for humanity.

And that’s why we need Christian loggers, Christian community leaders, Christian teachers, Christian mill workers, Christian artists, Christian doctors, Christian lawyers, and Christians sprinkled throughout every field of human endeavor.

To share life with those around them

Genesis 5 NIV

1 This is the written account of Adam’s family line. When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind” when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth. 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died. 6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father of Enosh. 7 After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died. 9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 10 After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Altogether, Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died. 12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 13 After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Altogether, Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died. 15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 16 After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died. 18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 19 After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died. 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 26 After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died. 28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.” 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died. 32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Genesis 5 boiled down to its essentials is this, a genealogy of ten men starting with Adam and ending with Noah. 

The ten generations cover a period of 1,656 years. Thus, this chapter spans the time from Creation to the Flood. 

And it is a record of ten men who lived by faith in a time of increasing unbelief and widespread secularism. 

When we read the story of Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuseleh, Lamech and Noah, we are reading more than a dusty list of ancient names. 

These ten men stand before us as giants of the faith, men who refused to follow the prevailing cultural trends of their day.

In a world rushing headlong toward judgment, they followed the way of the Lord. 

We see a constant passing of the baton. One father passing his faith after another.

What we see is that even in the middle of complete chaos and sin God was still faithful to remember them and to record their names in his book. 

We also see that there are always some who serve God. No matter how many bow the knee to sin, God never leaves himself without a witness. 

Even though believers may be in a minority at a given time and place, the Lord is still there watching over his people and protecting them in times of crisis. God remembers the faithful and he rewards them in his own time and in his own way.

We can’t always make sense of why things are the way they are.

Why the wicked seem to prosper often and the believer struggles. Cain, the murder, went on to prosper by the world standards and many of the godly men struggled through life. It’s a paradox to kingdom living. It’s the prosperity paradox. But just remember this:

Biblical prosperity means being with Jesus, being like Jesus, and sharing Jesus

If you have done that in your life than you have been prosperous

We don’t dwell with our creator to get creation

We don’t follow Jesus to get things

We don’t surrender our lives to receive fame

We dwell with our Creator to get the Creator

We follow Jesus to get Jesus

We surrender our lives to receive life and life everlasting

The world around us may prosper when it doesn’t make sense. You may struggle through difficulties even when you are chasing after Jesus but let’s remember that our reward is in heaven.

Our reward is Him. Those who indulge in their sin that seem to prosper, their reward is only temporary. It doesn’t last.

We run to the One who is faithful forever. Who hears our cries, who is with us even now, and who gives us life everlasting. 

When we think about Cain he was all about self-protection. But what was the thing he feared the most? - DEATH

Because for Cain, death was the most fearful reality because his reward was tied directly to what he did

As believers, our reward is tied directly to what Jesus did

And because of what Jesus did on the cross we can have hope even in death.

Our hope and our joy and peace and life isn’t concerned with what we can get and accomplish and do

It’s in Jesus and what He did for us

My advice to you would be this: if you don’t really want to surrender your life to Christ then enjoy every second you have.

Try to amass all the money, all the fame, all the glory you can because that’s all you get.

If you are a believer and truly desire to surrender all that you are to Jesus then quit trying to do enough, get enough, earn enough. You can’t do it.

That’s not where your prosperity lies. Your prosperity lies on the cross.

The avenue in which we get to receive the grace of God and ability to have life everlasting.

Your prosperity does not lie in yourself or what you can do or what you can accomplish; it lies in what He did, what He accomplished already, and who He is. Our prosperity is Jesus!

Let’s fight against the sinful world around us. Not by taking up arms and causing chaos but by raising children who understand the goodness of God. By being unashamed of the gospel. By being salt and light to those around us. And by choosing to chase after Jesus.