Untitled Sermon (2)

What’s Behind the Door?

1. When I was growing up there was always a room that I was not allowed in. My sisters room. I had been in there before, but I could only go in their if my sisters were in there. But there is something within us that is curious about something we are not supposed to do. What happens if I open that door into my sister’s room when she is not around. Does she have candy? I know she has cool toys. I remember she had a hit clip. If any of you know what that is. It was a small stereo that had a little memory chip that you inserted and played music. It contained a 60 second clip of a popular song. And it was so cool at that age because you could plug something in and music would come out. I wanted to use it so bad. And I went in one time, played with it and put it back. She figured it out, I guess she takes inventory and takes a mental picture of where everything was placed. She attacked me. Sisters use their claws so it was like I got into a fat with a cat. I just wanted to know. I wanted to know without anyone around what could I find behind that door.

2. Some of you probably had a door that like in your house that you could not open and enter. Maybe it was at school. The teachers’ lounge was always off limits, and as students we all wondered what was behind the door. And the rumors would begin, so and so said they saw a ping pong table, yeah, I heard that they have free taco bell. And then we finally see it our eighth-grade year and it’s the worst. One TV and a couple of tables with a mini fridge. But you wanted to know what was behind the door.

3. Well, the Lord uses this phrase in chapter 4. He tells Cain that sin lies at the door. That sin is ready for us to walk through the door and produce it’s effects. And we see the continued effects of sin since the fall.

4. It’s not been long since the fall, the first sins of mankind. But now our DNA is corrupted, our very being and our nature is sinful. We are now on a downward spiral of sin in the world. And it’s put on full display before us in chapter 4.

#1 Disobedience

1. Verse one tells us that Adam was intimate with his wife and she conceived and gave birth to a son named Cain. And again and she bore Abel. These are the two first sons that Adam and Eve have.

2. Now they also had others sons and daughters we’re told in verse 4 of chapter 5. But here are their first two sons born. And we move through time pretty quickly because the two boys grow up into men, and they are now old enough to work and provide.

a. Both of these boys take on different careers, Able is a shepherd, a keeper of the sheep. And Cain is a tiller of the ground. He is a farmer. Now both of these boys grew up with the same parents, parents that had walked with God, knew God, and sinned. They are fallen now but they are as close as godly parents you will probably get. And Adam and Eve would have taught both Cain and Able about the Lord. They would have taken them to the garden to see the flaming sword protecting it. They would have explained what happened. I said this last week but I think we tend to believe that these people were un intelligent, they couldn’t really think well, and they spoke in thees and thous. No they were smart, and they taught their kids. Which is why the two boys in manhood come to the Lord with an offering. There were two offerings

i. Cain came first, maybe because he was the firstborn, or maybe he was eager. And he offered fruit of the ground to the Lord.

ii. Able was second, and he brought the firstborn of his flock and the fat of that firstborn.

b. Now this is significant. The Lord at this time is still communicating with man. We know this because he talks with Cain right now. So if this is the case, we can rightly assume that the Lord has given instruction to these boys. I would go as far as to say we know the Lord gave instructions, because he says to cain, “If you do well will you not be accepted.” In other words, if you do what is right, won’t you be accepted! How in the world would cain know what the right thing he should have done? God would have told them. In verse 3 the Bible says, “And in the process of time it came to pass.” Over the years as they grew the Lord instructed them, and came to pass signifies that this was a certain task that they knew was coming up, to make an offering to the Lord!

c. I can picture it happening this way. God tells them how they are to approach him. And Adam and Eve attest to it, “the Lord covered us with the skin of an animal.” It’s no coincidence that Able overs a lamb, this was something God had clearly told them was the approach they were to have.

d. But Cain in his heart doesn’t believe it. I don’t think he didn’t believe it happened; I just think his sin nature now allowed him to be deceived into thinking God would change his mind! He must have thought, “I know God said that a lamb must be slain, and that a lamb was the offering he would accept from a humbled heart. But I’ve worked hard to produce this fruit, and it's wonderful and delicious. God wouldn’t turn me away for offering this great gift! I know that he will change his mind!

e. Or maybe he had a tough time doing what the Lord commanded, and he had disdain and sorrow over the request. I mean guys I want you to think about what Able had to do. He kept the sheep. He watched them, that was his job! And he loved them no doubt! It’s like your pets. And he had to take a lamb, with those little lamb eyes looking up at you. A soft coat of fur, the sweet sounds lambs make. And this lamb born from the flock that Abel took care of, it trusted him. And Abel had to look at it, take hold of it. Grab a knife and slice it’s throat as the blood poured out. What a gruesome task. And it was, this shows the severity of sin! It costs the shedding of blood! Don’t let that slip your mind, sin is serious and to approach the Lord we must have a shedding of blood offered on our account. Can’t you see Jesus here? His blood shed for our sins.

f. But Cain perhaps didn’t like this process, and so he bypasses it. Whatever the reason

i. And Cain goes forward first, probably excited to see the reaction of the Lord! To show I have something for you that didn’t require a life! But the Lord refuses it. Why? Because God is the one who makes the terms on how you and I are to approach him! You cannot barge into the presence of the Lord and offer whatever you want, you must come to him on the grounds and terms that he decides! Abel was the only one who obeyed and had the right heart. See how sin breeds disobedience.

ii.

g.

#2 Despair

1. Verse 5 says that Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. That literally means his face fell. He looked sad, a distressed. His face changed from any joy to depression and sorrow! He was in despair! He felt hopeless! Why because he did not bring forth an offering the Lord required. He disobedience turned into despair.

2. This is the case for all time, guys, please listen to me! Your sin will always result in despair. It may take time. I mean His face did not fall until he was rejected by the Lord. He was fine picking all the fruit and storing it, and on his way to the Lord he was fine, but once he was rejected his sorrow multiplied and he was despairing. It may take days, months, years, but your sin will cause you sorrow, depression, anxiety, sadness, hopelessness, all the above! Many of you have had first-hand experience. People who have struggled with pornography, lust, alcohol, addiction, sex outside of marriage, they will tell you I believe unanimously, that it robbed them of their satisfaction, joy and peace. Shame takes over, grief settles in. Many of you know this.

3. And the Lord asks Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?” This is rhetorical, the Lord knows why. And he gives Cain the answer to his problem. He says, If you do well, will you not be accepted.” That word accepted their means to lift up, to be uplifted. Notice what God is saying. First Cain’s face fell, he went into despair. But if he does what is right, the opposite will take place, he will be lifted, his face will uplift and he will no longer be despairing. God asks this in a question, as if Cain should have already known. Again, this must have been something that was taught and secured. If you do what is right, won’t you be lifted up? Of course, you will, so that is what you must do. Do what is right by my word! And you will be lifted out of despair!

4. Let me tell you, the greatest joy you will experience is when you obey the Lord and walk in his ways. How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked, but instead his delight is in the law of the Lord! Some of you may feel as Cain felt, despair. Let me ask you something. When was the last time you spent time, real time, in prayer with God? When was the last time you rested and read the Bible to be changed into the image of Jesus, to learn more about the Lord our savior? When was the last time you obeyed the Lord and shared the good news of Jesus with someone! Oh, what joy that brings! You say I am in despair. Could it be that you are not doing what is right by the Word of God?

a. The Lord issues a warning to Cain. “If you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And it’s desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

b. If you decide not to do what is right, then sin is at the door for you. What’s behind the door, it’s sin. And it’s crouching and waiting for you. Ever seen animal planet. A cheetah is hiding behind the tall grass. And then pounces onto a gazelle.

c. This is the word picture the Lord is giving us here that sin is crouching at the door. It’s like a cheetah waiting for you the prey to make a move. To take one step into the door that is cracked open. And them boom! And it cost you more than you thought. The Lord tells Cain, you must rule over it! Listen sin isn’t going anywhere, at least not yet in this life! You will not get rid of it and pretend it’s not there. I don’t care if you 15 or 100 years old. Sin and it’s effect are not leaving you! That’s why God doesn’t say anything like that, he says, look it’s crouching at the door! It’s there, it’s ready for you! But you must rule over it!

d. Listen, as a Christian you will not completely defeat sin, but you will progress, and you will find that you begin to rule over it more and more as your life goes on. Is this true for you? We can resist sin. We are not forced as Christians into sin. We choose to sin. And it results in despair. What are the effects of sin, and what’s behind the door?

e. Disobedience

f. Despair

g.

#3 Destruction

1. Cain talks his brother in verse 8 to come out to the field. Because you never want to do your sin out in the open. You always try to conceal it and hid it so that no one knows. And while they were in the field, Cain takes a rock and clocks Abel over the head. Kills him. The first murder takes place. Sin gave birth to destruction, destruction of not just one life, but many. This one acted caused Abel to lose his life, Adam and eve to lose a son and mourn. And Cain to be cursed and desolate as we’ll see. Nobody wins! Complete destruction.

2. Cain left the body and goes about his day. And the Lord confronts him. “Where is Abel your brother?”

3. He lied and said, “I don’t know, am I my brother’s keeper.” Sin had taken complete control over Cain. And the Lord who already knows exposes his sin, and curses him! The ground was no longer going to yield anything for this farmer, and you will be a wanderer on the earth!

4. I want you to see the destruction of sin. But I don’t want you to miss this as well. God’s mercy. He didn’t take Cain’s life, he allowed him to live. He suffered a curse, but he did not suffer death. God’s mercy. And Cain after what he did has the guts to beg for mercy regarding his curse. He complains and says this is too much! If anyone sees me, they will kill me! And God it his mercy marks him, so that no one would kill him. What a kind God!

5. Now you might be wondering, how are their people to kill him! Adam and Eve didn’t just have those two we know. They had other sons and daughters as well. And Cain knew that more would be born and fill the earth. Let me do some quick math for you. If Adam and Eve had 20 kids let’s say. 10 girls and 10 boys. And those 10 families had 5 kids each when they turned 117 years old. There would be over 3 million by the time the flood comes. If they had more than that, at 10 kids each. There would be around 24 billion on the planet. It would have multiplied very quickly. And that’s being on the conservative side. So there were people and Cain was afraid that the same thing he did to Abel would be done to him!

6. Sin had so corrupted him that he didn’t even care what he did, he cared about himself. Destruction had taken place. Adam and Eves family was devastated. Cain was destroyed and a wanderer. And sin hasn’t stopped since. It continues to rip through families and nations and destroy. Continuing on through chapter 5 we see what sin brings ultimately. Cain ends up leaving with a wife, and going to the region of Nod. He has a family by God’s grace. We see one of his descendants Lamech, who has heard of what happened to Cain, which I think helps prove verse 26 that people during that time called on the name of the Lord.

7. But Chapter 5 begins to show us more of the destruction of sin. We see the lineage of Adam through Seth, which is where Jesus the savior would come through. And after each person you read this, and he died. Besides Enoch who is taken by the Lord. Every person died. Sin brings about death in the end.

8. Listen. You don’t have to guess what’s behind that door. You say I’ll just walk through the door and have inappropriate acts and relationships with my boyfriend or girlfriend. I’ll walk through and see what it’s like to drink and get drunk. I’ll walk through it and cheat on my test. I’ll walk through it and see what it’s like to have a Sunday and skip church. I’ll walk through it and see what all the hype is about porn. Or being tic tok famous. Or serving myself. You don’t have to guess what’s behind it. Disobedience, Despair, and Destruction is what waits for you. That’s what sin always brings in time. Just give it time. So, take the warning today and rule over sin. Do what is right according to God.

9. But you say Noah, I’ve already walked through those doors many times. I did it this week! There is a great hope for you. Eve demonstrates this hope when Cain is born. She explains I have had a man, a boy with help from the Lord! She realizes the goodness of God and her dependance on God. Guys she is the one who ate the fruit, and Adam is the one that let it happen. Yet God allowed her to have a son. And she said, God has helped me do this. Her faith in the Lord was that God would help her. And she knew that somewhere down the line the promised savior from her “seed” would come and save them from their sins.

10. That seed promised did come 2000 years ago. His name is Jesus. And he came to die for sinners and rise again victorious. So that all of your sin and my sin could be washed away. I know you have disobeyed and stepped through the door of sin and destruction, and despair came your way. But Jesus came to forgive you and take the punishment that you deserve. He saw everything you would ever do, and yet he took your sin anyway. Because he loves you. Repent today, call out to Jesus for forgiveness and be saved.