1 00:00:00,680 --> 00:00:01,920 All right, good morning, church family. 2 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:04,480 Once again, as you guys find your seats, if you would open 3 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,200 your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 4. 4 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:10,640 And this morning we're going to be in verses 8 to 26. 5 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:14,200 We're continuing our study in the book of Genesis and more 6 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,560 specifically continuing study of Cain and Abel. 7 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,200 So Genesis 48 to 26. We have a kind of a longer 8 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:24,440 passage this morning. And so let's read the text, open 9 00:00:24,440 --> 00:00:27,440 us in a word of prayer, and then we'll jump into the sermon this 10 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:32,280 morning, Genesis 4, beginning in verse. 8 Cain. 11 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:36,080 Spoke to Abel his brother, and when they were in the field, 12 00:00:36,520 --> 00:00:40,520 Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 13 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:45,080 Then the Lord said to Cain, where is Abel, your brother? 14 00:00:45,640 --> 00:00:49,960 He said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper? 15 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:54,000 And the Lord said, What have you done? 16 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,520 The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the 17 00:00:57,520 --> 00:01:00,160 ground. And now you are cursed from the 18 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:03,320 ground which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's 19 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,480 blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it 20 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:09,360 shall no longer yield to you its strength. 21 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:13,040 You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. 22 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:17,520 Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can 23 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,040 bear. Behold, you have driven me today 24 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,680 away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. 25 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:27,640 I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and 26 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,960 whoever finds me will kill me. Then the Lord said to him, Not 27 00:01:30,960 --> 00:01:34,000 so. If anyone kills Cain, vengeance 28 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:37,840 shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord put a mark on Cain, 29 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:39,760 lest any who found him should attack him. 30 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:43,200 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and 31 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:45,360 settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 32 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,840 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. 33 00:01:49,200 --> 00:01:51,360 When he built the city, he called the name of the city 34 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,480 after the name of his son Enoch. To Enoch was born I Rad and I 35 00:01:55,480 --> 00:01:59,800 Rad fathered Mahulah, and Mahulah fathered Methuselah and 36 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:03,120 Methuselah father Lamech and Lamech took two wives. 37 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:06,600 The name of 1 was Adah. The name of the other was Zilla. 38 00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:10,039 Adah bore Jabal. He was a father of those who 39 00:02:10,039 --> 00:02:11,800 dwell in tents and have livestock. 40 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:15,520 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those 41 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:19,720 who played the lyre and pipe. Zilla also bore 2 ball cane. 42 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:23,120 He was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron, 43 00:02:23,520 --> 00:02:25,880 the sister of two Ball. Cain was Neymar. 44 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:31,520 Lamech said to his wives. Adah and Zilla, hear my voice. 45 00:02:31,840 --> 00:02:34,720 You wives of Lamech, listen to what I say. 46 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:39,720 I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. 47 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:44,600 If Cain's revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech is 70 sevenfold. 48 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:48,160 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, and called 49 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:50,960 his name Seth. For she said, God has appointed 50 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:55,080 for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him. 51 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:59,520 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. 52 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,880 At that time, people began to call upon the name of the. 53 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:11,800 Lord, let's pray. Father, I pray this morning that 54 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,440 you would. Give us eyes to. 55 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:21,240 See the danger of not dealing with our sin and the devastating 56 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:26,040 consequences that can follow. Please give us a sobriety of 57 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:30,040 mine this morning Lord, to realize how important it is for 58 00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:36,600 us to deal with our anger. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen. 59 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:44,840 Literature is filled with characters whose anger became 60 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:51,040 their demise Captain Ahab and Moby Dick, Achilles and the 61 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:57,960 Iliad, Othello and King Lear and Shakespeare's works, Smeagol and 62 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:02,560 Lord of the Rings. The reason that this is such a 63 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:07,440 prevalent theme in literature is because it's so. 64 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:13,800 Relatable, we have. All felt the spiral of anger. 65 00:04:15,240 --> 00:04:17,800 All of us in this room have gotten angry at some point. 66 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:22,079 All of us have felt the temptation of letting it take a 67 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:23,000 hold of. Us. 68 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:28,360 Maybe you've even felt the temptation of it destroying you. 69 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,040 The sermon this morning is about the spiral of anger. 70 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,360 Let me give the context if you weren't here last week, and then 71 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:40,080 we'll jump into our exposition. And then I'll give you 72 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:43,000 application. The context this morning is that 73 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,720 in spite of their sin, God had blessed Adam and Eve with not 74 00:04:45,720 --> 00:04:51,240 just one son, but two sons, Cain and Abel, and in due time Cain 75 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:53,120 and Abel brought their offerings to the Lord. 76 00:04:53,280 --> 00:04:56,480 Cain brought to the Lord some of the fruit of the ground. 77 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:58,640 He was a farmer. But Abel. 78 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:02,880 Brought to the Lord his first born of his flock and of their 79 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:06,200 fat portions. It appears that Cain made his 80 00:05:06,200 --> 00:05:09,480 offering purely out of obligation, but Abel made his 81 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:14,280 offering out of joy in the Lord. As a result, God had no regard 82 00:05:14,280 --> 00:05:17,200 for Cain's offering. But he did for Abel's. 83 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:21,320 Upon realizing God's displeasure, rather than being 84 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:25,880 broken over it, Cain is angry and his. 85 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:31,120 Face fell, God confronts them and he says, Cain, why are you 86 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,360 angry? And why has your face? 87 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:35,200 Fallen. If you do. 88 00:05:35,200 --> 00:05:36,960 Well, will you not be accepted and? 89 00:05:38,240 --> 00:05:39,400 If you do not. Do well. 90 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:45,360 Sin is crouching at your door. God challenges Cain, he says. 91 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:47,720 Cain send desires to dominate you. 92 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:55,520 It desires to control you. Two must rule over it, and 93 00:05:55,520 --> 00:05:56,840 that's where we left off last week. 94 00:05:57,840 --> 00:06:00,520 So let's start with the exodus of the text, beginning in verse 95 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:05,920 8 with the Lord, right? The Lord's spired this Cain 96 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,560 spoke to Abel, his brother, and when they were in the field, 97 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:14,160 Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 98 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:19,000 Now how would we hope? Verse 8 would read. 99 00:06:21,520 --> 00:06:23,440 If you were reading this text for the first time and after you 100 00:06:23,440 --> 00:06:26,440 got the end of verse 7. How would you hope verse 8 would 101 00:06:26,440 --> 00:06:30,160 read Cain? Confessed his sin to the Lord, 102 00:06:31,400 --> 00:06:34,760 he repented. And he made right offerings. 103 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:42,280 That's not how it reads at all. God said that sins desire was to 104 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:50,120 have him and Cain opens. The door wide for sin to come 105 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:54,480 in. Cain spoke to his brother Abel. 106 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:58,840 Now if you have the NIV or the NET Bible or the CSB or the 107 00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:03,560 NRSV, they had a phrase here. It says King spoke to his 108 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,760 brother Abel. Let us go out to the field. 109 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,160 Why do they add this phrase and why doesn't the ESV have it? 110 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:14,000 The Masoretic Text, which is the main. 111 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,880 Hebrew text that we use to translate doesn't have these 112 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:19,320 words. Masoretic Text does not have 113 00:07:19,320 --> 00:07:20,080 those. Extra words. 114 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:22,880 But the Samaritan version? The Septuagint. 115 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:26,280 The Sirach and the Vulgate all have them. 116 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,040 Leading us to. Believe they probably were 117 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,520 original. Now this phrase is important. 118 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:35,200 Why? It tells us that what Cain is 119 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:42,800 about to do is premeditated. It's not as though Cain and Abel 120 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,640 one day just went out into the field and they got into an 121 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:48,520 argument, maybe over, you know, who was a better farmer, a 122 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:51,720 better shepherd or something. And in the heat of passion, Cain 123 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:52,400 killed. His brother. 124 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:57,200 That's not what happened at all. No, Cain invited his brother to 125 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,480 go out into the field for a purpose. 126 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:02,840 Look at what happens when they. Get there? 127 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:07,240 The text says that Cain rose up against his. 128 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:08,360 Brother that, what does that mean? 129 00:08:08,360 --> 00:08:11,480 It means he attacked him. He attacked his brother. 130 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:14,800 And I want you to draw. I want to, I want to draw your 131 00:08:14,800 --> 00:08:18,040 attention to how the narrator describes Abel. 132 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:22,720 Look what it says here. His brother Abel the narrator 133 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:29,120 uses the word brother 6 times and verses 8 to 11/6 times and 134 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:32,280 these 4 verses. It's as if he wants to remind us 135 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:37,200 all that what Cain? Is about to do, he does to his 136 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,520 brother. Cain rose up against his 137 00:08:41,520 --> 00:08:44,760 brother. Abel and killed him. 138 00:08:46,360 --> 00:08:48,640 Now the $1,000,000 question again. 139 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:54,640 Is this why? Why did Cain kill his brother? 140 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:58,280 I suppose there are many answers to this question. 141 00:08:58,680 --> 00:09:02,520 Here's the answer that John. Gives and 1st John 312. 142 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,960 We should not be like Cain who was of the evil. 143 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:11,840 One and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? 144 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:17,320 Because his own deeds were. Evil and his brothers righteous. 145 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:23,320 Why did Cain? Murder his brother you could say 146 00:09:23,320 --> 00:09:26,720 it was out of anger you could say it was because he was of the 147 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:30,880 evil 1 you could say is because he was jealous of Abel you could 148 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:32,880 say. It was an attempt to punish God. 149 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:34,880 You could say. It what he thought. 150 00:09:34,880 --> 00:09:37,880 Perhaps it was his only. Way of making himself feel. 151 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:42,120 Better, I suppose all of those probably have a measure of truth 152 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:44,880 in them. Look at verse 9. 153 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,640 Then the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? 154 00:09:49,880 --> 00:09:52,920 He said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper? 155 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,640 For the second time, God. Confronts Cain and he does so 156 00:09:56,640 --> 00:10:01,080 with the same method. A question God asked Adam. 157 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:05,480 If you remember when Adam was hiding, he said, Adam, where are 158 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:09,000 you? This is an invitation for Adam 159 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:11,680 to come out of the shadows and confess his sin to the. 160 00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:15,200 Lord and God asked Cain. He says, Cain, where is your 161 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:17,600 brother Abel? This is also an invitation. 162 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:20,760 It's an invitation for Cain to tell the truth and to confess 163 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:25,400 his sin to the Lord. One has to. 164 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:28,240 One has to wonder. When was Cain reprobate? 165 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:35,800 If Cain had confessed his. Sin to the Lord. 166 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,200 Right then and right there. And when God? 167 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:40,600 Said Where is your brother? Abel and he said. 168 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:45,120 I need to confess to you, Lord. I have sinned against you. 169 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:49,200 I have killed my brother. If he had confessed his sin to 170 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:50,600 the Lord right then and right there. 171 00:10:50,680 --> 00:10:54,960 Would God have forgiven him? I don't know. 172 00:10:57,200 --> 00:10:59,080 I suppose it would. Depend on the sincerity of his 173 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:03,880 heart and on the Lord's grace. But we know. 174 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,160 That Cain is not contrite, we know. 175 00:11:06,160 --> 00:11:08,800 This How do we know? This because he was not 176 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:12,080 truthful, he said. I do not know. 177 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:17,200 Am I my brother's keeper? Cain here commits 2 more sins. 178 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,000 He's already committed a sin of obligatory worship. 179 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:21,600 He's already committed a sin of murder. 180 00:11:21,680 --> 00:11:24,000 And now he adds 2 more to the list. 181 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:28,240 First, he lies to God. He tells God I do not know. 182 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,000 He knows good and well. Where his brother is. 183 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:33,640 Second, he is disrespectful to God. 184 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:37,080 He dishonours God. He says, Am I my brother's 185 00:11:37,080 --> 00:11:41,240 keeper? He's basically defiantly telling 186 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:45,880 God get off my back. It's not my job to keep track of 187 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:50,200 my brother if Cain was not reprobate. 188 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:55,600 Before it appears he is. Now look at verse 10. 189 00:11:56,880 --> 00:12:00,880 And the Lord. Said what have you done? 190 00:12:01,840 --> 00:12:05,120 The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the 191 00:12:05,120 --> 00:12:07,480 ground, the Lord once again. Ask a question. 192 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:10,360 It's the same question that the Lord asked Cain's mother. 193 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:15,520 What have you done? God wants Cain to know. 194 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:17,920 That he is a God. Who sees? 195 00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:21,520 Who hears? Who knows? 196 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:25,600 God, says the voice. Of your brother's blood is 197 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:27,880 crying. To me from the ground. 198 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:31,120 In other words, Abel's blood God hears it. 199 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:35,160 Crying out to him for justice, for vindication. 200 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:40,960 How ironic that Abel never speaks in the Bible. 201 00:12:41,240 --> 00:12:43,360 The only. Time, his voice is. 202 00:12:43,360 --> 00:12:47,120 Heard is when his blood cries out. 203 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:54,640 Look at verses 11 to 12. And now you are cursed from the 204 00:12:54,640 --> 00:12:57,560 ground which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's 205 00:12:57,560 --> 00:12:59,720 blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it 206 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:01,600 shall no longer yield to you its strength. 207 00:13:01,840 --> 00:13:04,960 You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. 208 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:07,720 God tells Cain the same. Words that he. 209 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:11,760 Spoke to the serpent. You are cursed. 210 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:16,280 The ground had opened its mouth to drink the. 211 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:20,440 Blood that was shed by. Cain's hands and now that same 212 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:22,920 ground. Will be the means of Cain's 213 00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:25,320 curse. God curses him in two. 214 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:27,560 Ways number 1. He says when you work the 215 00:13:27,560 --> 00:13:31,040 ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. 216 00:13:31,400 --> 00:13:34,320 You could translate this as its best. 217 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:39,760 How ironic that Cain wanted to keep the best of the ground for 218 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:44,920 himself, but now God tells him you will never receive the best 219 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:51,120 of the ground #2. You shall be a fugitive and a 220 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:55,120 wander on the earth. Cain will be a restless. 221 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:59,160 And homeless. Wanderer he will lose all sense 222 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:00,600 of. Belonging to a community. 223 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:05,920 Look at verses 13 to 14. Cain said to the Lord, My 224 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:07,520 punishment is greater than I can. 225 00:14:07,520 --> 00:14:11,000 Bear behold, you have driven. Me today, away from the ground 226 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:13,040 and from your face, I shall be hidden. 227 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:16,720 I shall be a fugitive and a wander on the earth, and whoever 228 00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:21,000 finds me will kill me, Cain tells the Lord. 229 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:25,480 My punishment is greater than I can bear. 230 00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:27,320 Now that's an. Interesting statement, isn't it? 231 00:14:29,040 --> 00:14:30,920 He doesn't say this about the Lord's displeasure. 232 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,880 When God had no regard for his offering, he doesn't say, Lord, 233 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:38,400 your displeasure is more than I can bear. 234 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:43,000 He doesn't say it about that. When he had seen that he had 235 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:46,400 killed his brother, he looked upon his his brother's dead 236 00:14:46,400 --> 00:14:48,040 body. He didn't say my. 237 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:50,200 Brother's death is more than I can bear. 238 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:57,280 This statement testifies to the selfish and self-centered nature 239 00:14:57,280 --> 00:15:01,880 of Cain. Now Cain does acknowledge from 240 00:15:01,880 --> 00:15:05,240 your face I shall be hidden. That sounds like a good 241 00:15:05,240 --> 00:15:08,160 statement, but it appears to me that what he is concerned about 242 00:15:08,280 --> 00:15:12,840 is not the presence of God, but the protection of God. 243 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:18,040 Cain says whoever finds me will kill me. 244 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:23,240 How ironic that the one who murdered is now worried about 245 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:27,280 being murdered. Now the question that everybody 246 00:15:27,280 --> 00:15:30,240 wants to ask. In this statement is this. 247 00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:35,000 Where did the other people from? Who are these supposed people 248 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:36,760 that will find Cain and kill him? 249 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:38,880 Cain says people are going to find me at this point. 250 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:40,960 I mean, we have Adam, we have Eve and we have Cain. 251 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:44,040 Well, that 1/2. Three Who? 252 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:46,120 Who are the others that are going to find him and kill him? 253 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:49,400 The short answer? We don't know. 254 00:15:50,160 --> 00:15:53,040 We don't know. Perhaps God created them. 255 00:15:53,440 --> 00:15:55,560 Maybe God created new people and just. 256 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:59,320 Populated the Earth maybe? My guess is that they are. 257 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:02,520 Siblings and cousins all descended from Adam and Eve. 258 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:05,560 That's my guess. They, Adam and Eve did live for 259 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:08,800 900 years. You can have a lot of kids in 260 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:12,000 900 years. That's my guess. 261 00:16:12,320 --> 00:16:16,600 Look at verse 15 to 16. Then the Lord said to him, Not 262 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:19,440 so. If anyone kills Cain, vengeance 263 00:16:19,440 --> 00:16:22,920 shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord put a mark on Cain, 264 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:24,760 lest any who found him should attack him. 265 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:28,000 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and 266 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,840 settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 267 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:41,040 I want you to consider the. Mercy and grace of God, Cain is 268 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:44,440 a murderer. God. 269 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:49,680 Should put him to death, but God has mercy on him. 270 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:56,880 God says if anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him 271 00:16:56,880 --> 00:16:59,640 sevenfold. God promises Cain, basically 272 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:03,440 that he will severely punish anyone who tries to enact 273 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:07,440 justice on Cain. And then the Lord put a mark on 274 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:09,960 Cain lest any who found him should attack him. 275 00:17:10,119 --> 00:17:11,280 Literally A. Sign. 276 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:13,280 That's how it literally God put a sign on him. 277 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:16,960 Now what does that mean? We don't know either. 278 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:19,440 I don't know. This is This must have been some 279 00:17:19,480 --> 00:17:23,119 outward visible sign. It's like, you know? 280 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:25,319 This is like if you're going to get a tattoo. 281 00:17:25,319 --> 00:17:27,640 And when God tattoos you, it's, it's a good thing. 282 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:30,920 This must have been some outward visible sign that somehow 283 00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:33,520 allowed people to know that Cain has special protection. 284 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,000 From the Lord. And people see this. 285 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:38,000 Sign they basically know don't attack this man. 286 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:42,560 But then the worst punishment of all, Cain. 287 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:46,000 Went away from the presence of the Lord. 288 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:49,080 Don't miss what that is implying. 289 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:55,280 To leave the presence of the Lord is to leave His favor. 290 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:01,240 It's to leave His salvation. It's to be eternally lost. 291 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:07,520 Cain went and settled in the. Land of Nod, East of Eden. 292 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:11,640 That's ironic because nod in Hebrew means wandering. 293 00:18:13,240 --> 00:18:19,320 Look at verses 17. To 22 Cain knew his wife, and 294 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:22,080 she conceived and bore Enoch when he built a city called the 295 00:18:22,080 --> 00:18:24,360 name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. 296 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:28,120 To Enoch was born I Rod. I Rod fathered Mahula. 297 00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:30,400 Mahula fathered Methuselah. Methuselah. 298 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:32,840 Father Lamech Lemic took two wives. 299 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:35,840 The name of the one was a da. The name of the other was Zilla. 300 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:38,920 A da bore Jabal. He was the father of those who 301 00:18:38,920 --> 00:18:40,560 dwell in tents and have livestock. 302 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:43,480 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those 303 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:47,240 who play the lyre and pipe. Zilla also bore 2 ball Kane. 304 00:18:47,640 --> 00:18:51,040 He was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. 305 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:54,040 The sister of two ball Kane was Neymar. 306 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:57,960 Now we all want to know where did King get a wife? 307 00:18:58,840 --> 00:19:00,880 Text says a Cain knew his wife. Who's? 308 00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,360 His wife. Where'd he get a wife from most? 309 00:19:03,360 --> 00:19:07,600 Scholars assume it was his. Sister a daughter of Adam and 310 00:19:07,600 --> 00:19:10,120 Eve. This was not considered incest 311 00:19:10,120 --> 00:19:13,200 at that time. Now later in Leviticus and God's 312 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:15,560 law, this will be forbidden. But at this. 313 00:19:15,560 --> 00:19:17,640 Time. This was not considered incest 314 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:20,440 if that's what the case is. Unless God just made him a wife, 315 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:22,640 that's also possible. Now I want. 316 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:25,680 You to think about this. Not only does Cain get to. 317 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:29,640 Live, but God also gives him a genealogy. 318 00:19:31,120 --> 00:19:35,000 Abel. Was robbed of a genealogy, but 319 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,000 through God's common. Grace Cain gets one. 320 00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:41,680 His son is named Enoch. This is not the. 321 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:44,000 Same Enoch in Genesis 5, it's a different Enoch. 322 00:19:44,880 --> 00:19:47,360 I want to point out two aspects of this genealogy. 323 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:51,840 A God blesses Cain's descendants. 324 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:55,960 His descendants are animal breeders, they're musicians, 325 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:58,280 they're metallurgist. So I just. 326 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:03,640 Learned that term. BI want you to notice in this 327 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:06,880 genealogy that sin begins to. Broaden out with each 328 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:09,640 generation. Look at verse 19. 329 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:15,400 Lamech took 2. Wives, man, that didn't take 330 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:19,800 long. Already we have a man who's not 331 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:23,440 satisfied with one wife remember with the Lord some gestures for 332 00:20:23,440 --> 00:20:26,840 a man shall leave his mother and father and hold fast to his 333 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:32,480 what? What church family, wife 334 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:41,360 singular not wives. Lamech becomes the. 1st. 335 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:45,640 To engage in polygamy, it didn't take long for the consequences 336 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:47,880 of sin to affect future generations. 337 00:20:48,840 --> 00:20:52,640 Look at verse 2324. Lamech said to his wives, Adah 338 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,400 and Zilla, hear my voice. You wives of Lamech, listen to 339 00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:59,400 what I say. I have killed a man for wounding 340 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:03,240 me, a young man for striking me. If Cain's revenge is sevenfold, 341 00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:07,080 then Lamech is 70 sevenfold the. Narrator. 342 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:09,560 Zooms in on this genealogy. Do you share? 343 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:13,000 A brief story about our polygamous Lamech Lamech. 344 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:14,640 Said to his. Wives I have. 345 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:16,320 Killed a man for. Wounding me. 346 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:19,600 A young man for striking me here we now. 347 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:22,960 Have the second recorded murder in the Bible? 348 00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:28,320 Apparently some young man wounded Lamech basically means 349 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:30,720 he struck him, so he might have. Punched him or hit him with a. 350 00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:35,400 An object of some kind. But think about this right? 351 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:38,240 If a guy walks up to the street and punches you, do you murder 352 00:21:38,240 --> 00:21:43,120 him? This man basically struck him, 353 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:46,280 and Lamech took vengeance into his own hands. 354 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:48,520 And decided to kill this young man. 355 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,160 Now to make matters. Worse, Lamech assumes the 356 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:56,040 position of God and declares his own statement of protection. 357 00:21:56,600 --> 00:22:01,440 He says if Cain's revenge is sevenfold, then Lamechs is 70 358 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:05,640 sevenfold. So not only is Lamech a 359 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:09,520 polygamist. Hot headed and a murderer. 360 00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:15,040 He's also kind of narcissistic. It's only four. 361 00:22:15,520 --> 00:22:20,760 Guys, we're only four chapters. In to human history, mankind is 362 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:28,840 already showing his depravity. Look at verse. 25 to 26 Adam 363 00:22:28,840 --> 00:22:31,960 knew his wife again she bore a son and called his name Seth. 364 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,160 For she said God is appointed for me another offspring instead 365 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:39,160 of Abel, for Cain killed him. To Seth also, a son was born and 366 00:22:39,160 --> 00:22:42,960 called his name Enos. At that time, people began to 367 00:22:42,960 --> 00:22:44,040 call. Upon the name of the. 368 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:47,320 Lord Adam knew his wife again, meaning he had. 369 00:22:47,320 --> 00:22:51,800 Sexual relations with her again, she bore a third son named Seth. 370 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:54,000 The reason? She named him Seth. 371 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:59,000 Is because in the Hebrew Seth sounds like he appointed. 372 00:22:59,760 --> 00:23:03,120 Eve says that God has. Appointed for me another 373 00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:07,920 offspring instead of Abel and. Seth had a son named Enosh. 374 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:11,400 Now there is. One time and the new. 375 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:15,840 Testament where Seth is mentioned, and that is in the 376 00:23:15,840 --> 00:23:24,160 genealogy of Christ. Christ will descend from Seth. 377 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:28,240 And Enosh, notice this last statement. 378 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:33,080 At that time, people began to call on the name of the Lord. 379 00:23:33,080 --> 00:23:36,000 What does that mean? It means to worship the Lord 380 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,840 through sacrifices, through prayer, through dependence on 381 00:23:38,840 --> 00:23:42,680 God one. Commentator wrote this Keynes 382 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:46,320 first born and successors pioneer. 383 00:23:46,320 --> 00:23:51,880 Cities and the civilized arts, but Seth, first born and 384 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:58,400 successors pioneer worship stop their expedition. 385 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:02,280 Application of the text. I have 10 exhortations. 386 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:10,000 It's a long text. 10 exertations #1 Sin is like an infection. 387 00:24:11,120 --> 00:24:14,560 If left untreated, it only gets worse. 388 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:19,600 Sin is like an infection if left. 389 00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:25,040 Untreated, it only gets worse. There are two. 390 00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:29,520 Extremes When it comes to sickness, the first extreme is 391 00:24:29,520 --> 00:24:33,160 to over medicate. When I was a child. 392 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:37,160 Back in the 80s. Many moms, including my mom, 393 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,160 used to hand out antibiotics like it was Tylenol. 394 00:24:42,120 --> 00:24:43,880 We. Always had this pink bottle in 395 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:47,000 our refrigerator. You got a cough? 396 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:49,920 Take an antibiotic. You have a runny nose? 397 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,360 You need an antibiotic. Your fingers bleeding. 398 00:24:54,080 --> 00:25:00,400 You guessed it, antibiotic. It wasn't until years later that 399 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:04,560 we as a society realize the. Harm this was causing it creates 400 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:08,360 antibiotic resistance. It's actually very detrimental. 401 00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:13,400 The first extreme is to over Medicaid. 402 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:18,200 The other. Extreme is to do nothing. 403 00:25:20,480 --> 00:25:22,200 To have an infection. In your body. 404 00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:24,920 And to just assume. It'll get better on its own. 405 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:34,600 I got this infection. Clear up sin is like an 406 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:36,920 infection. If left. 407 00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:45,520 Untreated, it only gets worse. Cain has an infection in his 408 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:50,560 body and it's knocking. On the door of his heart, God 409 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:54,960 told him to treat it. God told him rule. 410 00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:57,400 Over it. But. 411 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:02,080 Cain does no such thing. Instead, he lets sin rule over 412 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:05,600 him, and all it does is make him worse. 413 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:09,800 Brothers and sisters, we cannot think. 414 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,680 That the sin in our life will go away on its own. 415 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:21,440 There is no immune. System for the soul, our 416 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:25,080 choices. By the grace of God. 417 00:26:26,080 --> 00:26:31,680 Is the immune system. Don't let it get worse. 418 00:26:33,200 --> 00:26:43,240 Treat it, deal with it. It won't go away on its own #2 419 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:50,520 Anger is like water, it has to go somewhere and it will always 420 00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:55,080 find cracks. Anger is like water, it has to 421 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,360 go somewhere and it will always find cracks. 422 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,320 Growing up with four sons, we've had a lot of. 423 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:06,520 Spills over the past 17 years at the dinner table, in the kitchen 424 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:09,080 and, and, and I and I've had my fair share of spills as well. 425 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:14,800 Just be clear on that. Whenever something spills, we 426 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:19,040 don't just wipe up what we. See, we also look for what we 427 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:22,200 don't see. Why? 428 00:27:22,200 --> 00:27:25,040 Because we have learned that water or really any liquid. 429 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:29,840 Will always find cracks, it'll always find crevices, and will 430 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:36,040 eventually cause water damage. Water has to go somewhere and if 431 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:38,320 there are any cracks, if there are any holes. 432 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:40,960 You can be sure that it will find them. 433 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:44,840 One of the things I've learned doing minor plumbing work. 434 00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:50,640 Is this make sure everything is sealed and tightened? 435 00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:54,600 Why? Because if not, water will get 436 00:27:54,600 --> 00:28:00,160 out. Anger is like water. 437 00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:05,800 It has to go somewhere and it will always find cracks. 438 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:12,800 Cain was angry. The text tells us he was angry 439 00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:14,960 and that anger is not just going. 440 00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:18,240 To sit there, it won't. Just sit there. 441 00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:23,080 It has to go somewhere. And it will find the cracks in 442 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:25,760 Cain's heart. It'll find it. 443 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:31,720 Cain is angry with God. The problem is, is there's 444 00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:35,040 nothing he can do to God. He can't murder God. 445 00:28:35,360 --> 00:28:38,320 So what did you do? He takes his anger out on his 446 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:43,520 brother. This is why when we get angry. 447 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:45,520 It often leads to simple reactions. 448 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:51,080 Sometimes people yell. Sometimes people use a harsh 449 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:55,360 tone, might even slam doors or throw objects. 450 00:28:56,440 --> 00:29:00,640 They might even punch walls. Sometimes they clench their fist 451 00:29:00,640 --> 00:29:02,240 or point their fingers in people's face. 452 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:08,520 They might drive with road rage. Might result in insults or. 453 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:11,760 Belittling. Or maybe. 454 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:13,800 We just give the. Silently silent treatment. 455 00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:16,480 Maybe we. Emotionally shut down. 456 00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:21,680 And punish them through silence. Perhaps we get passive 457 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:28,920 aggressive and turn sarcastic. We do these things because the 458 00:29:28,920 --> 00:29:32,520 anger. In our heart, it has to go 459 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:36,600 somewhere. It has to go somewhere. 460 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:43,920 For Cain, he took it out. On his brother church family. 461 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:48,400 Don't pour out your anger on to others. 462 00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:55,720 Do what Cain didn't do. Bring it to God. 463 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:03,160 It's the only place to bring it. It's the only place that you can 464 00:30:03,160 --> 00:30:10,320 make a safe deposit. That is the Lord #3. 465 00:30:12,520 --> 00:30:14,560 One of the reasons that God tells us to. 466 00:30:14,560 --> 00:30:18,680 Rule over our sin. It's because some things we can 467 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:23,360 never take back. One of the reasons that God 468 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:25,720 tells us to rule. Over our sin is because some 469 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:30,040 things we can never take. Back when God told Cain you must 470 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:33,640 rule over. It it this was not a suggestion. 471 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:35,800 It wasn't counsel given by the Lord. 472 00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:39,360 It was a stern warning. A stern warning. 473 00:30:39,360 --> 00:30:40,720 Why? Because some things you can 474 00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:46,280 never take back. You can never take suicide back. 475 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:54,440 And yes, suicide is sin. You can never take it back. 476 00:30:57,320 --> 00:31:01,280 Some words are forever burned into the hearts and minds of 477 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:05,280 those who hear them. And we can never take those 478 00:31:05,280 --> 00:31:10,880 words back. Some sexual immorality leads to. 479 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:16,880 Pregnancy and we can never take that back unless we get an 480 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:23,960 abortion and then you can never take that back some. 481 00:31:23,960 --> 00:31:25,960 Men or women in a moment of weakness? 482 00:31:26,640 --> 00:31:33,080 Give into their flesh and have an affair and they can never 483 00:31:33,080 --> 00:31:37,520 take that back some people. Have one too many. 484 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:40,240 Drinks and risk it and drive home. 485 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:44,160 They get into an accident and they paralyze themselves or they 486 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:48,760 paralyze somebody else and they can never take that back. 487 00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:54,280 Moses got angry with the people and struck the rock. 488 00:31:54,360 --> 00:31:58,800 And he couldn't take it. Back Judas betrayed Jesus and he 489 00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:01,560 tried to take it back and. He couldn't. 490 00:32:02,920 --> 00:32:05,160 Esau sought repentance with tears. 491 00:32:06,560 --> 00:32:08,920 But he couldn't take his foolish actions back. 492 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:16,840 Cain murdered his brother and he can never take that back. 493 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:24,600 Friends, one of the. Reasons that God tells us to 494 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:28,320 rule over our. Sin one of the. 495 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:32,440 Reasons that I stand here week after week preaching to you and 496 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:34,440 you're like, God, pastor, we got it. 497 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:35,920 Don't sin. OK. 498 00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:39,400 Thank you very much. One of the reasons is because 499 00:32:41,000 --> 00:32:44,640 some things you can never take back. 500 00:32:50,560 --> 00:33:01,040 Rule over your sin 4. Sin is like salt water, 501 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:03,960 drinking, it only makes us thirstier. 502 00:33:05,520 --> 00:33:07,800 Sin is like salt water. Drinking it only makes us. 503 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:10,200 Thirstier when I was a. Kid, we only lived about one 504 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:12,520 hour from Gulf. Shores, Alabama, which is a 505 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:14,520 beautiful beach on the Gulf of America. 506 00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:25,240 I actually rode Gulf of Mexico 1st and then I changed it and I, 507 00:33:25,240 --> 00:33:30,600 I would swim in the Gulf and it would be like 95° outside and 508 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:34,360 even hotter on the sand because it was so hot. 509 00:33:34,360 --> 00:33:35,800 And I'm a young kid at this point, right? 510 00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:36,920 Because it was so. Hot. 511 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:40,240 I would drink the ocean water not knowing that all it was 512 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:44,120 doing was making me thirstier. Funny as it was when I would 513 00:33:44,120 --> 00:33:46,040 come out of the. Water because I was so thirsty. 514 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:47,120 I was like why? I'm so thirsty. 515 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:50,760 I would then drink soda, which just makes you even more 516 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:56,200 thirsty. Cain had tasted sin. 517 00:33:57,720 --> 00:34:01,400 He tasted. It, and all that did was make 518 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:09,040 him thirstier. I assumed the reason that he did 519 00:34:09,040 --> 00:34:10,679 not. Give God his best. 520 00:34:10,679 --> 00:34:12,800 Texas doesn't say this, but I assume the reason he did not 521 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:19,560 give God his best was his greed and his selfishness His. 522 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:22,560 Greed and selfishness led to his obligatory. 523 00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:26,159 Worship His obligatory worship. Led to his anger. 524 00:34:26,320 --> 00:34:31,760 His anger led to his murder. His murder led to his lying, and 525 00:34:31,760 --> 00:34:34,719 his lying led to his. Disrespect of God. 526 00:34:35,080 --> 00:34:36,840 This is the danger of all temptation. 527 00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:41,120 Sin promises us satisfaction, but when we drink it. 528 00:34:41,159 --> 00:34:44,639 All we do is experience spiritual dehydration. 529 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:51,400 And when we are spiritually. Dehydrated when? 530 00:34:51,400 --> 00:34:57,400 You are at your low point. Guess who comes along and offers 531 00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:02,520 us a drink? Sin you thirsty? 532 00:35:05,360 --> 00:35:12,280 Here I got something for you. Sometimes we get so far down the 533 00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:14,160 spiral. That all we know to do is double 534 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:15,480 down. You ever been so? 535 00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:17,760 Far down the spiral. Of something and and. 536 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:20,480 Like you ever been so. Angry, and then also you. 537 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:22,920 Realize that. Your anger is not justifiable, 538 00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:25,000 but you, you don't really know how to come out of the spiral, 539 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:30,520 so you just double down on it. Brother, sisters, may I exhort 540 00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:32,440 you or. Yet you might be dating. 541 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:34,560 Someone and you're like, what? We've been having sex for the 542 00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:39,000 past year. I'm going to stop now, like just 543 00:35:39,000 --> 00:35:43,560 double down on it. Brother scissors, may I? 544 00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:45,200 Exhort. You abandoned ship. 545 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:53,480 Leave the ocean of salt water and come to the only well that 546 00:35:53,480 --> 00:35:59,760 satisfies our thirst. It you can abandoned ship, 547 00:36:05,380 --> 00:36:07,620 leave. Leave this. 548 00:36:07,660 --> 00:36:19,400 Ocean and come and drink from the well. 5 God sees, God hears, 549 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:25,400 God knows. Isn't it tragically? 550 00:36:25,400 --> 00:36:27,120 Funny that people attempt to lie to God. 551 00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:31,800 He's omniscient, and yet we still lie to God. 552 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:35,560 When God asked Sarah. Why did you laugh? 553 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:38,760 She said. I didn't laugh, I love this. 554 00:36:38,760 --> 00:36:44,760 And God said no, you did laugh. When Elijah asked. 555 00:36:44,760 --> 00:36:47,440 Heisey, where have you been? Heisey said. 556 00:36:47,680 --> 00:36:51,840 Your servant didn't go anywhere. Which is not the truth. 557 00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:55,600 When Peter asked Sapphira tell me whether not not? 558 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:56,760 Knowing that her husband has already. 559 00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:58,720 Died. Tell me whether you sold the 560 00:36:58,720 --> 00:37:01,360 land for so much, she said. Yes for so much. 561 00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:09,080 I find it fascinating how often. We can lie to God knowing that 562 00:37:09,080 --> 00:37:14,160 he is omniscient. Cain has killed his brother and 563 00:37:14,160 --> 00:37:18,360 when God. Asked him where is your brother? 564 00:37:18,440 --> 00:37:26,160 He says I don't know. You wonder what was his plan 565 00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:28,720 here. Was he hoping the Lord be like 566 00:37:28,800 --> 00:37:33,440 OK thanks see ya. Was he hoping that God would 567 00:37:33,440 --> 00:37:39,200 give up looking for him? God sees. 568 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:48,800 God hears, God knows sometimes. I will hear the whole I say. 569 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:51,360 Sometimes it's actually. Frequently, frequently, I will 570 00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:54,000 hear the Holy Spirit asking me a question. 571 00:37:56,280 --> 00:38:02,360 Why are you doing this, Matt? Why are you so angry? 572 00:38:04,880 --> 00:38:11,160 Why has greed filled your heart? And I will find myself. 573 00:38:11,160 --> 00:38:13,880 Giving him a less than truthful answer. 574 00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:20,440 And in this moment, by God's grace, I will preach to. 575 00:38:20,440 --> 00:38:23,400 Myself, Matt, what are you doing? 576 00:38:25,280 --> 00:38:29,200 What are you doing? God knows the truth. 577 00:38:32,040 --> 00:38:37,160 He sees the. Truth of your heart, don't try 578 00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:42,280 to spin this. He knows. 579 00:38:45,720 --> 00:38:49,640 Don't try to lie to God, Matt. He knows. 580 00:38:52,080 --> 00:39:06,000 Be honest. 6 God does not repay us or the world according to our 581 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:11,240 iniquities. God does not repay us or the 582 00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:12,800 world according to our iniquities. 583 00:39:12,960 --> 00:39:16,360 The psalmist writes in Psalm. One O 310 he does not. 584 00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:20,880 Deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us. 585 00:39:21,000 --> 00:39:23,720 According to our iniquities friends. 586 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:26,280 Do. You know that to be true. 587 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:39,120 Do you feel that I do? Because I look at this. 588 00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:41,920 Front row right. Here and I have. 589 00:39:42,000 --> 00:39:46,720 A wife. I have a beautiful loving wife. 590 00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:54,200 We have 4 beautiful sons. I get to serve in the greatest 591 00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:57,040 job in the world, to be a minister of the gospel. 592 00:39:58,680 --> 00:40:01,320 I live in a house. I sleep in a bed. 593 00:40:01,800 --> 00:40:03,400 I eat. Three meals a day. 594 00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:08,440 I have savings, I have financial means to buy what I need. 595 00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:11,440 I am healthy. I can play basketball twice a 596 00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:16,800 week at the age of 44, and I know I deserve none of this. 597 00:40:21,400 --> 00:40:25,640 I deserve so much more. Punishment in my life. 598 00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:33,080 When I think about my past sins, I'm like, God, you should punish 599 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:46,300 me so much more than you have. Cain not only killed a man, he 600 00:40:46,300 --> 00:40:49,900 killed a righteous man. And not only a righteous man, he 601 00:40:49,900 --> 00:40:54,900 killed his brother. If there was ever anybody, the 602 00:40:54,900 --> 00:40:57,140 Lord. Should have put to death it was 603 00:40:57,140 --> 00:41:04,260 Cain and yet God lets him live. Not only does God let him live, 604 00:41:05,720 --> 00:41:09,720 but God offers him protection. Not only does God offer him 605 00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:11,960 protection, but God gives him a genealogy. 606 00:41:12,080 --> 00:41:15,040 He gets to see his kids and his grandkids and his great 607 00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:20,640 grandkids. God does not repay us according 608 00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:30,160 to our iniquities. I hope you feel that, seven 609 00:41:31,240 --> 00:41:35,560 There is no greater gift than the nearness of God. 610 00:41:38,360 --> 00:41:41,160 There is no greater gift than the nearness of God. 611 00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:45,040 Cain is not the only. Person in scripture who killed 612 00:41:45,040 --> 00:41:50,960 someone and lied about it. King David also killed someone. 613 00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:55,280 He lied about it and tried to cover it up as well. 614 00:41:56,480 --> 00:41:59,560 Now here's the question. Why was Cain driven from the 615 00:41:59,560 --> 00:42:03,320 presence? Of the Lord, but David stayed in 616 00:42:03,320 --> 00:42:07,560 the presence of the Lord. There are multiple answers to 617 00:42:07,560 --> 00:42:11,080 this question. But here is one of them after 618 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:15,560 David committed adultery. And murder, David prayed this. 619 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:23,000 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy 620 00:42:23,120 --> 00:42:26,360 Spirit from me. Psalm 5111. 621 00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:34,480 You see what Kane feared most. Was not being able to eat. 622 00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:40,080 What Cain feared. Most was not being able to live. 623 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:47,280 What David feared most. Was not being in the presence of 624 00:42:47,280 --> 00:42:53,680 God Church family. There is no greater gift than 625 00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:55,600 the nearness of God. Do you? 626 00:42:55,600 --> 00:43:00,880 Know how you know? If you are more like Cain or 627 00:43:00,880 --> 00:43:04,680 more like David, what do you fear? 628 00:43:04,680 --> 00:43:14,160 Most the person who knows and loves the Lord says take it all 629 00:43:14,160 --> 00:43:18,840 away, take everything from me, but don't take your. 630 00:43:18,840 --> 00:43:23,120 Nearness. God, I can't live without that. 631 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:32,440 Whatever consequences I have to face, whatever punishment I have 632 00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:37,320 to God. Take it, but don't take your 633 00:43:37,320 --> 00:43:41,440 presence. I have to have that. 634 00:43:46,240 --> 00:43:56,360 Do you feel that way? 8 It is by grace and grace alone 635 00:43:57,080 --> 00:44:01,920 that we are not Cain. It's by grace and grace alone 636 00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:03,760 that we are not Cain. I want to be very. 637 00:44:03,760 --> 00:44:06,040 Clear Cain is. Responsible for his actions, 638 00:44:06,280 --> 00:44:08,120 just as we are. Let's be clear about that. 639 00:44:08,920 --> 00:44:13,160 But the ultimate reason that Abel is in heaven and Cain is 640 00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:17,760 not. Is because Abel is elect and 641 00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:21,400 Cain is not. The same is true for Isaac and 642 00:44:21,400 --> 00:44:24,960 Ishmael. Jacob and Esau, David and Saul. 643 00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:29,560 I look at the characters when I read the stories of like Kane or 644 00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:32,040 Esau or Saul. I don't know what you. 645 00:44:32,040 --> 00:44:33,720 Think when you read their stories. 646 00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:39,280 Here's what I think. I could have so easily been 647 00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:43,280 them. I look at Kane, I look at. 648 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:48,760 Esau I look at Saul and I'm like, I could have so easily 649 00:44:48,760 --> 00:44:54,640 been them. Sin got a hold of Cain just like 650 00:44:54,640 --> 00:44:57,640 it did with Esau and Saul. And I asked. 651 00:44:57,640 --> 00:45:01,960 Myself, this question why didn't it get a hold of me? 652 00:45:07,000 --> 00:45:14,320 Why didn't it get a hold of you? Why are we not Cain? 653 00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:26,280 The grace of God It is by grace and grace alone that we are not 654 00:45:26,280 --> 00:45:32,360 Kane 9. God has appointed a means of 655 00:45:32,360 --> 00:45:37,800 grace for every loss. God has appointed a means of 656 00:45:37,800 --> 00:45:41,680 grace for every loss. Job lost everything, all his 657 00:45:41,680 --> 00:45:45,600 possessions, all his servants, all his children, all his 658 00:45:45,600 --> 00:45:48,040 health. But God provided a means of 659 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:52,160 grace for his lost God, restored everything to him, and more. 660 00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:57,400 When Isaac's mother, Sarah. Died God provided for Isaac a 661 00:45:57,400 --> 00:46:01,040 wife in Rebecca. The text says that Isaac was 662 00:46:01,040 --> 00:46:05,720 comforted after his mother's death when God gave him Rebecca. 663 00:46:06,280 --> 00:46:10,520 Naomi lost her two sons and her husband. 664 00:46:11,360 --> 00:46:13,400 But God provided a means of grace for her. 665 00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:17,920 God gave her Ruth. God later gave her Boaz and 666 00:46:17,920 --> 00:46:21,880 Obed. Hannah experienced the loss of. 667 00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:24,440 Barrenness. But God provided a means of 668 00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:27,840 grace for her. God gave her Samuel, one of the 669 00:46:27,840 --> 00:46:29,360 greatest prophets in Israel's history. 670 00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:32,600 God also gave her sons because she lost Samuel to ministry. 671 00:46:32,800 --> 00:46:34,920 And God gave her sons. In addition. 672 00:46:34,920 --> 00:46:39,880 To Samuel, Adam and Eve. Did you ever think about the 673 00:46:39,880 --> 00:46:42,600 fact that they lost not one son, but 2? 674 00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:48,320 They lost one son to death, They lost the other to banishment. 675 00:46:51,320 --> 00:46:55,440 But God provided a means of grace for their loss through a 676 00:46:55,440 --> 00:47:02,680 third son named Seth. God will ordain loss in your 677 00:47:02,680 --> 00:47:10,640 life, but He will also ordain a means of grace for that loss. 678 00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:17,640 Whatever loss you have experienced or will experience, 679 00:47:18,760 --> 00:47:22,720 you can be sure that God has appointed a means of grace for 680 00:47:22,720 --> 00:47:29,880 that loss #10 Last point. Christ's blood. 681 00:47:30,720 --> 00:47:34,200 Speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 682 00:47:36,040 --> 00:47:39,920 Hebrews 12/24 says that we have come to Jesus, the mediator of a 683 00:47:39,920 --> 00:47:42,480 new covenant. And to the sprinkled blood. 684 00:47:42,640 --> 00:47:46,600 That speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 685 00:47:46,600 --> 00:47:48,120 What does that mean? You ever ask yourself? 686 00:47:48,120 --> 00:47:51,720 What does that mean? FF Bruce writes this Abel's 687 00:47:51,720 --> 00:47:53,640 blood. Cried out to God. 688 00:47:53,640 --> 00:47:56,880 From the ground protesting against his murder and. 689 00:47:56,880 --> 00:48:00,120 Appealing to God for vindication, but the blood of 690 00:48:00,120 --> 00:48:04,480 Christ brings a message of cleansing, forgiveness and 691 00:48:04,480 --> 00:48:06,840 peace. With God to all who place their 692 00:48:06,840 --> 00:48:09,800 faith in Him. In other words, when God heard 693 00:48:10,000 --> 00:48:14,080 Abel's blood crying out to the ground, what did God hear? 694 00:48:15,280 --> 00:48:22,400 He heard a cry for justice, but when God hears Christ's blood 695 00:48:22,600 --> 00:48:25,200 crying out from the ground. What does God hear? 696 00:48:27,440 --> 00:48:35,920 Here's a cry for forgiveness. We all have blood on our hands. 697 00:48:36,800 --> 00:48:40,720 Everybody in this room has blood on their hands, just like Cain. 698 00:48:41,320 --> 00:48:49,000 No different than Cain. The difference, though, is that 699 00:48:49,000 --> 00:48:52,960 this blood on our hands saves us. 700 00:48:56,880 --> 00:49:06,040 Abel's blood condemned Cain. Christ's blood redeems us, and 701 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:08,600 therefore it speaks a better word. 702 00:49:12,960 --> 00:49:19,840 We deserve Cain's punishment. Instead, we get Christ's 703 00:49:19,840 --> 00:49:22,000 blessing. Let's pray.