All right, good morning, church family.
Once again, as you guys find your seats, if you would open
your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 4.
And this morning we're going to be in verses 8 to 26.
We're continuing our study in the book of Genesis and more
specifically continuing study of Cain and Abel.
So Genesis 48 to 26. We have a kind of a longer
passage this morning. And so let's read the text, open
us in a word of prayer, and then we'll jump into the sermon this
morning, Genesis 4, beginning in verse. 8 Cain.
Spoke to Abel his brother, and when they were in the field,
Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
Then the Lord said to Cain, where is Abel, your brother?
He said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?
And the Lord said, What have you done?
The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the
ground. And now you are cursed from the
ground which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's
blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it
shall no longer yield to you its strength.
You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.
Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can
bear. Behold, you have driven me today
away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden.
I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and
whoever finds me will kill me. Then the Lord said to him, Not
so. If anyone kills Cain, vengeance
shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord put a mark on Cain,
lest any who found him should attack him.
Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and
settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch.
When he built the city, he called the name of the city
after the name of his son Enoch. To Enoch was born I Rad and I
Rad fathered Mahulah, and Mahulah fathered Methuselah and
Methuselah father Lamech and Lamech took two wives.
The name of 1 was Adah. The name of the other was Zilla.
Adah bore Jabal. He was a father of those who
dwell in tents and have livestock.
His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those
who played the lyre and pipe. Zilla also bore 2 ball cane.
He was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron,
the sister of two Ball. Cain was Neymar.
Lamech said to his wives. Adah and Zilla, hear my voice.
You wives of Lamech, listen to what I say.
I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me.
If Cain's revenge is sevenfold, then Lamech is 70 sevenfold.
And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, and called
his name Seth. For she said, God has appointed
for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.
To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh.
At that time, people began to call upon the name of the.
Lord, let's pray. Father, I pray this morning that
you would. Give us eyes to.
See the danger of not dealing with our sin and the devastating
consequences that can follow. Please give us a sobriety of
mine this morning Lord, to realize how important it is for
us to deal with our anger. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
Literature is filled with characters whose anger became
their demise Captain Ahab and Moby Dick, Achilles and the
Iliad, Othello and King Lear and Shakespeare's works, Smeagol and
Lord of the Rings. The reason that this is such a
prevalent theme in literature is because it's so.
Relatable, we have. All felt the spiral of anger.
All of us in this room have gotten angry at some point.
All of us have felt the temptation of letting it take a
hold of. Us.
Maybe you've even felt the temptation of it destroying you.
The sermon this morning is about the spiral of anger.
Let me give the context if you weren't here last week, and then
we'll jump into our exposition. And then I'll give you
application. The context this morning is that
in spite of their sin, God had blessed Adam and Eve with not
just one son, but two sons, Cain and Abel, and in due time Cain
and Abel brought their offerings to the Lord.
Cain brought to the Lord some of the fruit of the ground.
He was a farmer. But Abel.
Brought to the Lord his first born of his flock and of their
fat portions. It appears that Cain made his
offering purely out of obligation, but Abel made his
offering out of joy in the Lord. As a result, God had no regard
for Cain's offering. But he did for Abel's.
Upon realizing God's displeasure, rather than being
broken over it, Cain is angry and his.
Face fell, God confronts them and he says, Cain, why are you
angry? And why has your face?
Fallen. If you do.
Well, will you not be accepted and?
If you do not. Do well.
Sin is crouching at your door. God challenges Cain, he says.
Cain send desires to dominate you.
It desires to control you. Two must rule over it, and
that's where we left off last week.
So let's start with the exodus of the text, beginning in verse
8 with the Lord, right? The Lord's spired this Cain
spoke to Abel, his brother, and when they were in the field,
Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
Now how would we hope? Verse 8 would read.
If you were reading this text for the first time and after you
got the end of verse 7. How would you hope verse 8 would
read Cain? Confessed his sin to the Lord,
he repented. And he made right offerings.
That's not how it reads at all. God said that sins desire was to
have him and Cain opens. The door wide for sin to come
in. Cain spoke to his brother Abel.
Now if you have the NIV or the NET Bible or the CSB or the
NRSV, they had a phrase here. It says King spoke to his
brother Abel. Let us go out to the field.
Why do they add this phrase and why doesn't the ESV have it?
The Masoretic Text, which is the main.
Hebrew text that we use to translate doesn't have these
words. Masoretic Text does not have
those. Extra words.
But the Samaritan version? The Septuagint.
The Sirach and the Vulgate all have them.
Leading us to. Believe they probably were
original. Now this phrase is important.
Why? It tells us that what Cain is
about to do is premeditated. It's not as though Cain and Abel
one day just went out into the field and they got into an
argument, maybe over, you know, who was a better farmer, a
better shepherd or something. And in the heat of passion, Cain
killed. His brother.
That's not what happened at all. No, Cain invited his brother to
go out into the field for a purpose.
Look at what happens when they. Get there?
The text says that Cain rose up against his.
Brother that, what does that mean?
It means he attacked him. He attacked his brother.
And I want you to draw. I want to, I want to draw your
attention to how the narrator describes Abel.
Look what it says here. His brother Abel the narrator
uses the word brother 6 times and verses 8 to 11/6 times and
these 4 verses. It's as if he wants to remind us
all that what Cain? Is about to do, he does to his
brother. Cain rose up against his
brother. Abel and killed him.
Now the $1,000,000 question again.
Is this why? Why did Cain kill his brother?
I suppose there are many answers to this question.
Here's the answer that John. Gives and 1st John 312.
We should not be like Cain who was of the evil.
One and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him?
Because his own deeds were. Evil and his brothers righteous.
Why did Cain? Murder his brother you could say
it was out of anger you could say it was because he was of the
evil 1 you could say is because he was jealous of Abel you could
say. It was an attempt to punish God.
You could say. It what he thought.
Perhaps it was his only. Way of making himself feel.
Better, I suppose all of those probably have a measure of truth
in them. Look at verse 9.
Then the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother?
He said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?
For the second time, God. Confronts Cain and he does so
with the same method. A question God asked Adam.
If you remember when Adam was hiding, he said, Adam, where are
you? This is an invitation for Adam
to come out of the shadows and confess his sin to the.
Lord and God asked Cain. He says, Cain, where is your
brother Abel? This is also an invitation.
It's an invitation for Cain to tell the truth and to confess
his sin to the Lord. One has to.
One has to wonder. When was Cain reprobate?
If Cain had confessed his. Sin to the Lord.
Right then and right there. And when God?
Said Where is your brother? Abel and he said.
I need to confess to you, Lord. I have sinned against you.
I have killed my brother. If he had confessed his sin to
the Lord right then and right there.
Would God have forgiven him? I don't know.
I suppose it would. Depend on the sincerity of his
heart and on the Lord's grace. But we know.
That Cain is not contrite, we know.
This How do we know? This because he was not
truthful, he said. I do not know.
Am I my brother's keeper? Cain here commits 2 more sins.
He's already committed a sin of obligatory worship.
He's already committed a sin of murder.
And now he adds 2 more to the list.
First, he lies to God. He tells God I do not know.
He knows good and well. Where his brother is.
Second, he is disrespectful to God.
He dishonours God. He says, Am I my brother's
keeper? He's basically defiantly telling
God get off my back. It's not my job to keep track of
my brother if Cain was not reprobate.
Before it appears he is. Now look at verse 10.
And the Lord. Said what have you done?
The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the
ground, the Lord once again. Ask a question.
It's the same question that the Lord asked Cain's mother.
What have you done? God wants Cain to know.
That he is a God. Who sees?
Who hears? Who knows?
God, says the voice. Of your brother's blood is
crying. To me from the ground.
In other words, Abel's blood God hears it.
Crying out to him for justice, for vindication.
How ironic that Abel never speaks in the Bible.
The only. Time, his voice is.
Heard is when his blood cries out.
Look at verses 11 to 12. And now you are cursed from the
ground which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's
blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it
shall no longer yield to you its strength.
You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.
God tells Cain the same. Words that he.
Spoke to the serpent. You are cursed.
The ground had opened its mouth to drink the.
Blood that was shed by. Cain's hands and now that same
ground. Will be the means of Cain's
curse. God curses him in two.
Ways number 1. He says when you work the
ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength.
You could translate this as its best.
How ironic that Cain wanted to keep the best of the ground for
himself, but now God tells him you will never receive the best
of the ground #2. You shall be a fugitive and a
wander on the earth. Cain will be a restless.
And homeless. Wanderer he will lose all sense
of. Belonging to a community.
Look at verses 13 to 14. Cain said to the Lord, My
punishment is greater than I can.
Bear behold, you have driven. Me today, away from the ground
and from your face, I shall be hidden.
I shall be a fugitive and a wander on the earth, and whoever
finds me will kill me, Cain tells the Lord.
My punishment is greater than I can bear.
Now that's an. Interesting statement, isn't it?
He doesn't say this about the Lord's displeasure.
When God had no regard for his offering, he doesn't say, Lord,
your displeasure is more than I can bear.
He doesn't say it about that. When he had seen that he had
killed his brother, he looked upon his his brother's dead
body. He didn't say my.
Brother's death is more than I can bear.
This statement testifies to the selfish and self-centered nature
of Cain. Now Cain does acknowledge from
your face I shall be hidden. That sounds like a good
statement, but it appears to me that what he is concerned about
is not the presence of God, but the protection of God.
Cain says whoever finds me will kill me.
How ironic that the one who murdered is now worried about
being murdered. Now the question that everybody
wants to ask. In this statement is this.
Where did the other people from? Who are these supposed people
that will find Cain and kill him?
Cain says people are going to find me at this point.
I mean, we have Adam, we have Eve and we have Cain.
Well, that 1/2. Three Who?
Who are the others that are going to find him and kill him?
The short answer? We don't know.
Perhaps God created them.
Maybe God created new people and just.
Populated the Earth maybe? My guess is that they are.
Siblings and cousins all descended from Adam and Eve.
That's my guess. They, Adam and Eve did live for
900 years. You can have a lot of kids in
900 years. That's my guess.
Look at verse 15 to 16. Then the Lord said to him, Not
so. If anyone kills Cain, vengeance
shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord put a mark on Cain,
lest any who found him should attack him.
Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and
settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
I want you to consider the. Mercy and grace of God, Cain is
a murderer. God.
Should put him to death, but God has mercy on him.
God says if anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him
sevenfold. God promises Cain, basically
that he will severely punish anyone who tries to enact
justice on Cain. And then the Lord put a mark on
Cain lest any who found him should attack him.
Literally A. Sign.
That's how it literally God put a sign on him.
Now what does that mean? We don't know either.
I don't know. This is This must have been some
outward visible sign. It's like, you know?
This is like if you're going to get a tattoo.
And when God tattoos you, it's, it's a good thing.
This must have been some outward visible sign that somehow
allowed people to know that Cain has special protection.
From the Lord. And people see this.
Sign they basically know don't attack this man.
But then the worst punishment of all, Cain.
Went away from the presence of the Lord.
Don't miss what that is implying.
To leave the presence of the Lord is to leave His favor.
It's to leave His salvation. It's to be eternally lost.
Cain went and settled in the. Land of Nod, East of Eden.
That's ironic because nod in Hebrew means wandering.
Look at verses 17. To 22 Cain knew his wife, and
she conceived and bore Enoch when he built a city called the
name of the city after the name of his son Enoch.
To Enoch was born I Rod. I Rod fathered Mahula.
Mahula fathered Methuselah. Methuselah.
Father Lamech Lemic took two wives.
The name of the one was a da. The name of the other was Zilla.
A da bore Jabal. He was the father of those who
dwell in tents and have livestock.
His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those
who play the lyre and pipe. Zilla also bore 2 ball Kane.
He was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron.
The sister of two ball Kane was Neymar.
Now we all want to know where did King get a wife?
Text says a Cain knew his wife. Who's?
His wife. Where'd he get a wife from most?
Scholars assume it was his. Sister a daughter of Adam and
Eve. This was not considered incest
at that time. Now later in Leviticus and God's
law, this will be forbidden. But at this.
Time. This was not considered incest
if that's what the case is. Unless God just made him a wife,
that's also possible. Now I want.
You to think about this. Not only does Cain get to.
Live, but God also gives him a genealogy.
Abel. Was robbed of a genealogy, but
through God's common. Grace Cain gets one.
His son is named Enoch. This is not the.
Same Enoch in Genesis 5, it's a different Enoch.
I want to point out two aspects of this genealogy.
A God blesses Cain's descendants.
His descendants are animal breeders, they're musicians,
they're metallurgist. So I just.
Learned that term. BI want you to notice in this
genealogy that sin begins to. Broaden out with each
generation. Look at verse 19.
Lamech took 2. Wives, man, that didn't take
long. Already we have a man who's not
satisfied with one wife remember with the Lord some gestures for
a man shall leave his mother and father and hold fast to his
what? What church family, wife
singular not wives. Lamech becomes the. 1st.
To engage in polygamy, it didn't take long for the consequences
of sin to affect future generations.
Look at verse 2324. Lamech said to his wives, Adah
and Zilla, hear my voice. You wives of Lamech, listen to
what I say. I have killed a man for wounding
me, a young man for striking me. If Cain's revenge is sevenfold,
then Lamech is 70 sevenfold the. Narrator.
Zooms in on this genealogy. Do you share?
A brief story about our polygamous Lamech Lamech.
Said to his. Wives I have.
Killed a man for. Wounding me.
A young man for striking me here we now.
Have the second recorded murder in the Bible?
Apparently some young man wounded Lamech basically means
he struck him, so he might have. Punched him or hit him with a.
An object of some kind. But think about this right?
If a guy walks up to the street and punches you, do you murder
him? This man basically struck him,
and Lamech took vengeance into his own hands.
And decided to kill this young man.
Now to make matters. Worse, Lamech assumes the
position of God and declares his own statement of protection.
He says if Cain's revenge is sevenfold, then Lamechs is 70
sevenfold. So not only is Lamech a
polygamist. Hot headed and a murderer.
He's also kind of narcissistic. It's only four.
Guys, we're only four chapters. In to human history, mankind is
already showing his depravity. Look at verse. 25 to 26 Adam
knew his wife again she bore a son and called his name Seth.
For she said God is appointed for me another offspring instead
of Abel, for Cain killed him. To Seth also, a son was born and
called his name Enos. At that time, people began to
call. Upon the name of the.
Lord Adam knew his wife again, meaning he had.
Sexual relations with her again, she bore a third son named Seth.
The reason? She named him Seth.
Is because in the Hebrew Seth sounds like he appointed.
Eve says that God has. Appointed for me another
offspring instead of Abel and. Seth had a son named Enosh.
Now there is. One time and the new.
Testament where Seth is mentioned, and that is in the
genealogy of Christ. Christ will descend from Seth.
And Enosh, notice this last statement.
At that time, people began to call on the name of the Lord.
What does that mean? It means to worship the Lord
through sacrifices, through prayer, through dependence on
God one. Commentator wrote this Keynes
first born and successors pioneer.
Cities and the civilized arts, but Seth, first born and
successors pioneer worship stop their expedition.
Application of the text. I have 10 exhortations.
It's a long text. 10 exertations #1 Sin is like an infection.
If left untreated, it only gets worse.
Sin is like an infection if left.
Untreated, it only gets worse. There are two.
Extremes When it comes to sickness, the first extreme is
to over medicate. When I was a child.
Back in the 80s. Many moms, including my mom,
used to hand out antibiotics like it was Tylenol.
We. Always had this pink bottle in
our refrigerator. You got a cough?
Take an antibiotic. You have a runny nose?
You need an antibiotic. Your fingers bleeding.
You guessed it, antibiotic. It wasn't until years later that
we as a society realize the. Harm this was causing it creates
antibiotic resistance. It's actually very detrimental.
The first extreme is to over Medicaid.
The other. Extreme is to do nothing.
To have an infection. In your body.
And to just assume. It'll get better on its own.
I got this infection. Clear up sin is like an
infection. If left.
Untreated, it only gets worse. Cain has an infection in his
body and it's knocking. On the door of his heart, God
told him to treat it. God told him rule.
Over it. But.
Cain does no such thing. Instead, he lets sin rule over
him, and all it does is make him worse.
Brothers and sisters, we cannot think.
That the sin in our life will go away on its own.
There is no immune. System for the soul, our
choices. By the grace of God.
Is the immune system. Don't let it get worse.
Treat it, deal with it. It won't go away on its own #2
Anger is like water, it has to go somewhere and it will always
find cracks. Anger is like water, it has to
go somewhere and it will always find cracks.
Growing up with four sons, we've had a lot of.
Spills over the past 17 years at the dinner table, in the kitchen
and, and, and I and I've had my fair share of spills as well.
Just be clear on that. Whenever something spills, we
don't just wipe up what we. See, we also look for what we
don't see. Why?
Because we have learned that water or really any liquid.
Will always find cracks, it'll always find crevices, and will
eventually cause water damage. Water has to go somewhere and if
there are any cracks, if there are any holes.
You can be sure that it will find them.
One of the things I've learned doing minor plumbing work.
Is this make sure everything is sealed and tightened?
Why? Because if not, water will get
out. Anger is like water.
It has to go somewhere and it will always find cracks.
Cain was angry. The text tells us he was angry
and that anger is not just going.
To sit there, it won't. Just sit there.
It has to go somewhere. And it will find the cracks in
Cain's heart. It'll find it.
Cain is angry with God. The problem is, is there's
nothing he can do to God. He can't murder God.
So what did you do? He takes his anger out on his
brother. This is why when we get angry.
It often leads to simple reactions.
Sometimes people yell. Sometimes people use a harsh
tone, might even slam doors or throw objects.
They might even punch walls. Sometimes they clench their fist
or point their fingers in people's face.
They might drive with road rage. Might result in insults or.
Belittling. Or maybe.
We just give the. Silently silent treatment.
Maybe we. Emotionally shut down.
And punish them through silence. Perhaps we get passive
aggressive and turn sarcastic. We do these things because the
anger. In our heart, it has to go
somewhere. It has to go somewhere.
For Cain, he took it out. On his brother church family.
Don't pour out your anger on to others.
Do what Cain didn't do. Bring it to God.
It's the only place to bring it. It's the only place that you can
make a safe deposit. That is the Lord #3.
One of the reasons that God tells us to.
Rule over our sin. It's because some things we can
never take back. One of the reasons that God
tells us to rule. Over our sin is because some
things we can never take. Back when God told Cain you must
rule over. It it this was not a suggestion.
It wasn't counsel given by the Lord.
It was a stern warning. A stern warning.
Why? Because some things you can
never take back. You can never take suicide back.
And yes, suicide is sin. You can never take it back.
Some words are forever burned into the hearts and minds of
those who hear them. And we can never take those
words back. Some sexual immorality leads to.
Pregnancy and we can never take that back unless we get an
abortion and then you can never take that back some.
Men or women in a moment of weakness?
Give into their flesh and have an affair and they can never
take that back some people. Have one too many.
Drinks and risk it and drive home.
They get into an accident and they paralyze themselves or they
paralyze somebody else and they can never take that back.
Moses got angry with the people and struck the rock.
And he couldn't take it. Back Judas betrayed Jesus and he
tried to take it back and. He couldn't.
Esau sought repentance with tears.
But he couldn't take his foolish actions back.
Cain murdered his brother and he can never take that back.
Friends, one of the. Reasons that God tells us to
rule over our. Sin one of the.
Reasons that I stand here week after week preaching to you and
you're like, God, pastor, we got it.
Don't sin. OK.
Thank you very much. One of the reasons is because
some things you can never take back.
Rule over your sin 4. Sin is like salt water,
drinking, it only makes us thirstier.
Sin is like salt water. Drinking it only makes us.
Thirstier when I was a. Kid, we only lived about one
hour from Gulf. Shores, Alabama, which is a
beautiful beach on the Gulf of America.
I actually rode Gulf of Mexico 1st and then I changed it and I,
I would swim in the Gulf and it would be like 95° outside and
even hotter on the sand because it was so hot.
And I'm a young kid at this point, right?
Because it was so. Hot.
I would drink the ocean water not knowing that all it was
doing was making me thirstier. Funny as it was when I would
come out of the. Water because I was so thirsty.
I was like why? I'm so thirsty.
I would then drink soda, which just makes you even more
thirsty. Cain had tasted sin.
He tasted. It, and all that did was make
him thirstier. I assumed the reason that he did
not. Give God his best.
Texas doesn't say this, but I assume the reason he did not
give God his best was his greed and his selfishness His.
Greed and selfishness led to his obligatory.
Worship His obligatory worship. Led to his anger.
His anger led to his murder. His murder led to his lying, and
his lying led to his. Disrespect of God.
This is the danger of all temptation.
Sin promises us satisfaction, but when we drink it.
All we do is experience spiritual dehydration.
And when we are spiritually. Dehydrated when?
You are at your low point. Guess who comes along and offers
us a drink? Sin you thirsty?
Here I got something for you. Sometimes we get so far down the
spiral. That all we know to do is double
down. You ever been so?
Far down the spiral. Of something and and.
Like you ever been so. Angry, and then also you.
Realize that. Your anger is not justifiable,
but you, you don't really know how to come out of the spiral,
so you just double down on it. Brother, sisters, may I exhort
you or. Yet you might be dating.
Someone and you're like, what? We've been having sex for the
past year. I'm going to stop now, like just
double down on it. Brother scissors, may I?
Exhort. You abandoned ship.
Leave the ocean of salt water and come to the only well that
satisfies our thirst. It you can abandoned ship,
leave. Leave this.
Ocean and come and drink from the well. 5 God sees, God hears,
God knows. Isn't it tragically?
Funny that people attempt to lie to God.
He's omniscient, and yet we still lie to God.
When God asked Sarah. Why did you laugh?
She said. I didn't laugh, I love this.
And God said no, you did laugh. When Elijah asked.
Heisey, where have you been? Heisey said.
Your servant didn't go anywhere. Which is not the truth.
When Peter asked Sapphira tell me whether not not?
Knowing that her husband has already.
Died. Tell me whether you sold the
land for so much, she said. Yes for so much.
I find it fascinating how often. We can lie to God knowing that
he is omniscient. Cain has killed his brother and
when God. Asked him where is your brother?
He says I don't know. You wonder what was his plan
here. Was he hoping the Lord be like
OK thanks see ya. Was he hoping that God would
give up looking for him? God sees.
God hears, God knows sometimes. I will hear the whole I say.
Sometimes it's actually. Frequently, frequently, I will
hear the Holy Spirit asking me a question.
Why are you doing this, Matt? Why are you so angry?
Why has greed filled your heart? And I will find myself.
Giving him a less than truthful answer.
And in this moment, by God's grace, I will preach to.
Myself, Matt, what are you doing?
What are you doing? God knows the truth.
He sees the. Truth of your heart, don't try
to spin this. He knows.
Don't try to lie to God, Matt. He knows.
Be honest. 6 God does not repay us or the world according to our
iniquities. God does not repay us or the
world according to our iniquities.
The psalmist writes in Psalm. One O 310 he does not.
Deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us.
According to our iniquities friends.
Do. You know that to be true.
Do you feel that I do? Because I look at this.
Front row right. Here and I have.
A wife. I have a beautiful loving wife.
We have 4 beautiful sons. I get to serve in the greatest
job in the world, to be a minister of the gospel.
I live in a house. I sleep in a bed.
I eat. Three meals a day.
I have savings, I have financial means to buy what I need.
I am healthy. I can play basketball twice a
week at the age of 44, and I know I deserve none of this.
I deserve so much more. Punishment in my life.
When I think about my past sins, I'm like, God, you should punish
me so much more than you have. Cain not only killed a man, he
killed a righteous man. And not only a righteous man, he
killed his brother. If there was ever anybody, the
Lord. Should have put to death it was
Cain and yet God lets him live. Not only does God let him live,
but God offers him protection. Not only does God offer him
protection, but God gives him a genealogy.
He gets to see his kids and his grandkids and his great
grandkids. God does not repay us according
to our iniquities. I hope you feel that, seven
There is no greater gift than the nearness of God.
Cain is not the only. Person in scripture who killed
someone and lied about it. King David also killed someone.
He lied about it and tried to cover it up as well.
Now here's the question. Why was Cain driven from the
presence? Of the Lord, but David stayed in
the presence of the Lord. There are multiple answers to
this question. But here is one of them after
David committed adultery. And murder, David prayed this.
Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy
Spirit from me. Psalm 5111.
You see what Kane feared most. Was not being able to eat.
What Cain feared. Most was not being able to live.
What David feared most. Was not being in the presence of
God Church family. There is no greater gift than
the nearness of God. Do you?
Know how you know? If you are more like Cain or
more like David, what do you fear?
Most the person who knows and loves the Lord says take it all
away, take everything from me, but don't take your.
Nearness. God, I can't live without that.
Whatever consequences I have to face, whatever punishment I have
to God. Take it, but don't take your
presence. I have to have that.
Do you feel that way? 8 It is by grace and grace alone
that we are not Cain. It's by grace and grace alone
that we are not Cain. I want to be very.
Clear Cain is. Responsible for his actions,
just as we are. Let's be clear about that.
But the ultimate reason that Abel is in heaven and Cain is
not. Is because Abel is elect and
Cain is not. The same is true for Isaac and
Ishmael. Jacob and Esau, David and Saul.
I look at the characters when I read the stories of like Kane or
Esau or Saul. I don't know what you.
Think when you read their stories.
Here's what I think. I could have so easily been
them. I look at Kane, I look at.
Esau I look at Saul and I'm like, I could have so easily
been them. Sin got a hold of Cain just like
it did with Esau and Saul. And I asked.
Myself, this question why didn't it get a hold of me?
Why didn't it get a hold of you? Why are we not Cain?
The grace of God It is by grace and grace alone that we are not
Kane 9. God has appointed a means of
grace for every loss. God has appointed a means of
grace for every loss. Job lost everything, all his
possessions, all his servants, all his children, all his
health. But God provided a means of
grace for his lost God, restored everything to him, and more.
When Isaac's mother, Sarah. Died God provided for Isaac a
wife in Rebecca. The text says that Isaac was
comforted after his mother's death when God gave him Rebecca.
Naomi lost her two sons and her husband.
But God provided a means of grace for her.
God gave her Ruth. God later gave her Boaz and
Obed. Hannah experienced the loss of.
Barrenness. But God provided a means of
grace for her. God gave her Samuel, one of the
greatest prophets in Israel's history.
God also gave her sons because she lost Samuel to ministry.
And God gave her sons. In addition.
To Samuel, Adam and Eve. Did you ever think about the
fact that they lost not one son, but 2?
They lost one son to death, They lost the other to banishment.
But God provided a means of grace for their loss through a
third son named Seth. God will ordain loss in your
life, but He will also ordain a means of grace for that loss.
Whatever loss you have experienced or will experience,
you can be sure that God has appointed a means of grace for
that loss #10 Last point. Christ's blood.
Speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
Hebrews 12/24 says that we have come to Jesus, the mediator of a
new covenant. And to the sprinkled blood.
That speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
What does that mean? You ever ask yourself?
What does that mean? FF Bruce writes this Abel's
blood. Cried out to God.
From the ground protesting against his murder and.
Appealing to God for vindication, but the blood of
Christ brings a message of cleansing, forgiveness and
peace. With God to all who place their
faith in Him. In other words, when God heard
Abel's blood crying out to the ground, what did God hear?
He heard a cry for justice, but when God hears Christ's blood
crying out from the ground. What does God hear?
Here's a cry for forgiveness. We all have blood on our hands.
Everybody in this room has blood on their hands, just like Cain.
No different than Cain. The difference, though, is that
this blood on our hands saves us.
Abel's blood condemned Cain. Christ's blood redeems us, and
therefore it speaks a better word.
We deserve Cain's punishment. Instead, we get Christ's
blessing. Let's pray.