1 00:00:00,440 --> 00:00:03,000 Now, throughout the remainder of this series, we'll regularly 2 00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:08,280 come across, I don't know, quaint little Bible stories, the 3 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:10,520 types of things that you learn in Sunday school. 4 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:14,920 You know, there was an ark and a flood and Father Abraham, his 5 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:17,720 many sons. There was Isaac's nearly being 6 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,640 sacrificed on Mount Moriah, Joseph's coats. 7 00:00:21,240 --> 00:00:24,120 Even Cain and Abel find their way into Sunday school Bible 8 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:28,920 stories, which makes me think I'm I'm not sure of the 9 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:32,840 appropriateness of some of these for for teaching little ones, 10 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:37,760 but that's how it is. We learned these things in 11 00:00:37,760 --> 00:00:40,840 Sunday school. So my caution to us is to not 12 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:47,280 casually approach these as simply Bible stories, but as 13 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:53,240 God's word to us. There's a reason why each of 14 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:55,560 these accounts is recorded in Scripture. 15 00:00:55,560 --> 00:00:59,680 And not only do they inform of us, inform us of of what 16 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:05,600 happened in the early days of humanity, but they also shed 17 00:01:05,600 --> 00:01:08,480 light on what it means to be human. 18 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,560 I think you might find yourself in the pages of Genesis as we, 19 00:01:13,840 --> 00:01:16,560 as we go through it. And as you do that, you'll find 20 00:01:17,320 --> 00:01:21,840 hope in the pages of Genesis and not despair. 21 00:01:23,160 --> 00:01:29,520 God's grace was there on on Page 3, and his grace continues even 22 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:34,080 onto page 4 and throughout the rest of this book. 23 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,360 So if you're able, would you stand as we read from Genesis 24 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:48,720 chapter 4 verses one through 7. Now Adam knew Eve, his wife, and 25 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,240 she conceived and bore Cain, saying, I've gotten a man with 26 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,640 the help of the Lord. And again she bore his brother. 27 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:59,480 Abel not Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the 28 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:02,360 ground. In the course of time, Cain 29 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,000 brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and 30 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,240 Abel also brought of the first born of his flock and of their 31 00:02:08,240 --> 00:02:12,000 fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel 32 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,400 and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no 33 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,680 regard. So Cain was very angry, and his 34 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,800 face fell. The Lord said to Cain, why are 35 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,360 you angry and why has your face fallen? 36 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:27,200 If you do well, would you not be accepted? 37 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,560 And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. 38 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:34,560 It's desire is for you, and you must rule over it. 39 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:43,350 You may be seated as we begin our study. 40 00:02:43,350 --> 00:02:48,320 This morning we started verse one and it's easy for us to to 41 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:53,480 gloss over this first verse and and move on to the more seedy, 42 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:55,960 the more well known parts of this passage. 43 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:58,960 You know, that is the first death in human history. 44 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:04,360 In fact, the the whole of the Cain and Abel episode is set up 45 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:07,840 to point the reader to Abel being murdered by the hand of 46 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:10,680 his brother. But it's important for us to 47 00:03:10,680 --> 00:03:13,480 pause to recognize something important here. 48 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:20,960 You see, there is still hope. There's still hope here. 49 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,120 You see, chapter 3 ended with the man and woman being kicked 50 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,240 out of the garden. They'd chosen to redefine right 51 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:31,200 and wrong, thinking that God was playing them and he didn't want 52 00:03:31,200 --> 00:03:35,800 them to have what he had or to be like him. 53 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:41,360 And instead they they listened to the deceptive serpent and his 54 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:46,920 take on the situation. And as a result, a curse came 55 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:50,520 upon the serpent, on humanity and on the land as well. 56 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:57,280 Yet in the midst of the bad news, there is still good news. 57 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:03,080 The chapter began now. Adam knew Eve, his wife. 58 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,640 This is important. This actually is a signal of 59 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,600 hope even in the midst of brokenness. 60 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:14,200 Most people know this, but it's important to make sure we 61 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,640 understand that when it says Adam knew Eve, it doesn't just 62 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:20,680 mean that he began to find out who she was. 63 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,040 He met her. No, it means he had a sexual 64 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,600 relationship with her. That's what it means now. 65 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:31,680 In spite of their shame and being naked, they had learned 66 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,920 how to navigate their their sexual relationship and and to 67 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:39,240 seek physical intimacy together again. 68 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:46,320 Sin had injected shame, disunity, unhealthy desires and 69 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:50,800 and pain into their relationship, but Genesis 41 70 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:55,120 proves that their one flesh union still existed. 71 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,040 They were rolling back the judgment of the curse, so to 72 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:02,920 say, and through intimacy, Adam and Eve began to fulfill God's 73 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:07,800 original call to be fruitful and multiply. 74 00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:12,920 So Eve conceived and and bore Cain, declaring, I have gotten a 75 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:17,200 man with the help of the Lord. This meant two things. 76 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,960 First of all, humanity wasn't coming to an end. 77 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:24,760 God was still enabling humanity to fulfill the call. 78 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:31,120 Second, this declaration shows Eve's awareness that God is the 79 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:34,800 giver of life. Sure, they could participate in 80 00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:41,240 the sexual union, but it was God who actually brought life. 81 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:46,720 Also, it was God who Eve was dependent on and and who 82 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:50,720 sustained her to the painful difficulty of Labor that she 83 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:57,360 would experience. As we read this, I can't help 84 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:01,880 but wonder, does Eve think that she just birthed the Messiah? 85 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:05,200 Now, like I I mean by our understanding, of course she 86 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:08,440 didn't have a fully developed theology of the Messiah. 87 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:11,400 She didn't know really what that was. 88 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:17,360 Genesis 315 simply said, I will put enmity between you and the 89 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:20,200 woman, in between your offspring and her offspring. 90 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,360 He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel. 91 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:27,080 That was her understanding as we read her words in verse one. 92 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:28,840 They sound hope filled. So. 93 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,960 So I can't help but wonder if she thought Cain was the 94 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:37,840 offspring that God told her would be coming, or was she 95 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:42,680 simply elated at the fact that that she and Adam had produced 96 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:48,200 an offspring, Another human. This would only be the third 97 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:51,720 human in existence, right? Another one that was like them. 98 00:06:52,040 --> 00:06:55,080 And perhaps it's a little bit of both that she's experiencing 99 00:06:55,080 --> 00:07:00,400 here in this moment. And then in verse 2, Abel was 100 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:04,600 born and and these two babies grew to be men who took on 101 00:07:04,960 --> 00:07:09,880 livelihoods. Kane farm the ground and Abel 102 00:07:09,880 --> 00:07:14,240 was a shepherd. Neither of these is communicated 103 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:19,680 as being right or wrong. In fact, they are both working 104 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:24,280 to flesh out God's command to have dominion and and to rule. 105 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,560 Keynes focuses in caring for the land, helping it grow, helping 106 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:32,000 it be productive and as a shepherd. 107 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:37,280 Abel's focuses on sheep, helping the sheep to not only survive 108 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:42,760 any tax from predators, but also to provide conditions that that 109 00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:48,000 help the sheep to reproduce as well as to produce milk also for 110 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:53,040 them. As the text continues, the time 111 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:57,480 came for them to presents an offering to God. 112 00:07:58,440 --> 00:08:02,920 So here we're looking at 2 offerings and and this tells us 113 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:06,880 they must have had some sort of relationship with Yahweh. 114 00:08:07,880 --> 00:08:13,800 You know, I think in my mind, I've casually thought Yahweh 115 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:17,640 was, you know, in the distant past, you know, they they were 116 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:20,000 no longer near him. They were, they were somewhere 117 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:24,600 out in the desert somewhere. But that's not what the text 118 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,120 says. They clearly have a relationship 119 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:31,440 with him that since they are coming to present an offering to 120 00:08:31,440 --> 00:08:34,960 him, they've been kicked out of the garden. 121 00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:37,520 Sure, those first humans, their parents, Adam and Eve. 122 00:08:38,520 --> 00:08:44,280 But I can imagine them taking their offerings there to the 123 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:49,080 entry of the garden, and there they would meet Yahweh and offer 124 00:08:49,880 --> 00:08:54,480 their gifts. Perhaps when I think about 125 00:08:54,480 --> 00:08:59,600 these, these two men bringing their offerings, it's very much 126 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:06,440 in the context of being near to Yahweh, not immediately in His 127 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:12,640 presence, but near to Him. Now Abel's offering is of high 128 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:18,360 value and importance. Verse 4 told us Abel also 129 00:09:18,520 --> 00:09:21,640 brought some the first born of his flock and of the fat 130 00:09:21,640 --> 00:09:26,000 portions is what it says the first born is is set aside for 131 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:29,160 the Lord, the first born. When you offer the first born of 132 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:33,320 the first fruits, you're saying this thing that you have given 133 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,360 me. Thank you for it, God, and I 134 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:39,840 trust you as the provider, as the sustainer. 135 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:48,080 So I'm offering it to you. And also Abel's offering was 136 00:09:48,080 --> 00:09:53,360 fatty, which means that it was it, it was of high value, it, it 137 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:59,160 showed a sense of prosperity to be able to feed the the sheep 138 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:04,760 well so that they were fats. Now much has been made of these 139 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:08,240 two offerings and often readers will conclude that, well, the 140 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,680 problem is that Cain needed to shed blood in order for his 141 00:10:11,680 --> 00:10:17,400 offering to be accepted. Now that is 1 interpretation, 142 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:22,840 but I think there are a few reasons that that might not be 143 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:25,600 the case. Hope I'm not stepping in it 144 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:31,320 here, but I think there's a few reasons that might not be the 145 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:35,320 case. First of all, the word sacrifice 146 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:39,920 isn't used in scripture until Genesis 22 when Abraham heads up 147 00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:44,600 on up to Mount Moriah and and Abraham's going to he's been 148 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:49,760 asked to sacrifice Isaac there on the altar. 149 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:54,160 A sacrifice is a different type of gift than an offering. 150 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:59,760 Second, blood offerings wouldn't be implemented for thousands of 151 00:10:59,760 --> 00:11:03,320 years, and once they were implemented, the blood would 152 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:07,560 then be applied to to a vessel of sorts in order to sanctify 153 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:10,120 the vessel for use in worshipping Yahweh. 154 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:14,680 And I'll of course there's no priest, there's no temple 155 00:11:14,680 --> 00:11:18,880 instruments or or altar to sanctify when Cain and Abel were 156 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:23,600 alive. Even Abel's offering isn't 157 00:11:23,600 --> 00:11:28,960 commended in terms of being a blood offering, but rather it's 158 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:36,520 noted as being fat. So I say these things to say 159 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:43,440 that I believe the problem with Cain's offering is that it 160 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:49,800 wasn't his best. Cain didn't offer his best, but 161 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:54,360 Abel did. Abel clearly offered the best, 162 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:57,520 the first of his flock and the fatty portion. 163 00:11:57,640 --> 00:12:01,040 He is offering the best that he possibly can. 164 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,280 The first fruits were specifically reserved for God 165 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,240 and as an expression of thanks to Him for His provision. 166 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:13,200 Cain neglected to offer his gift in that manner, and Moses 167 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:19,400 readers would have taken notice of that in the text inexorably 168 00:12:19,400 --> 00:12:24,840 ties each person to their gift as though they are one and the 169 00:12:24,840 --> 00:12:27,480 same. The the person offering the gift 170 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:31,240 is equated with the gift that is offered. 171 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:35,520 The text said the Lord had regard for Abel and His offering 172 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:37,600 as though it's all lumped together. 173 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:42,840 It's 11 lump sum and it also refers to Cain and his offering 174 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,320 in the same manner. The problem wasn't simply with 175 00:12:46,320 --> 00:12:52,120 the gift that Cain offered, but the problem actually lay within 176 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:56,680 Cain. What's in the heart of the 177 00:12:56,680 --> 00:13:00,520 person bringing the gift is of the utmost importance. 178 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:06,400 Martin Luther noted the faith of the individual was the weight 179 00:13:06,560 --> 00:13:09,720 which added value to Abel's offering. 180 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:15,760 Then we read in Hebrews 11/4 it tells us a bit more about about 181 00:13:15,760 --> 00:13:21,640 Abel's gift. By faith, Abel offered to God a 182 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:26,000 more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was 183 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:30,000 commanded as righteous God, commending him by accepting his 184 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,880 gifts. And through his faith, though he 185 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:40,440 died, he still speaks. The issue lies in the heart. 186 00:13:41,680 --> 00:13:47,280 Scripture refers to the heart more than 800 times, and when it 187 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,040 does, it's looking at the heart as a sort of the heart is a 188 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:54,040 Control Center for our lives. They obviously didn't understand 189 00:13:54,040 --> 00:13:57,320 how brains work and how we process and think about things, 190 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,680 right? But the heart is the place that 191 00:14:00,680 --> 00:14:04,680 controls our our mind, our will and emotions. 192 00:14:05,560 --> 00:14:07,920 It's deep inside us and something that we're not 193 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:12,760 necessarily always aware of, Blaise Pascal said. 194 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:17,800 The heart has its reasons, which reason knows nothing of. 195 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:22,560 The point being that sometimes what's logical doesn't 196 00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:28,240 necessarily mesh with that deep drive that's inside us, inside 197 00:14:28,520 --> 00:14:32,240 our hearts. Then when we neglect matters of 198 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:40,080 the heart, then our faith becomes hollow and at best our 199 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:43,880 obedience becomes forced or or roots. 200 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:49,200 We might go through the motions, but we're not offering true 201 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:54,200 gifts of worship to God. Hosea 66. 202 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:58,400 Many of you will be familiar with this reads For I desire 203 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:04,760 steadfast love and not sacrifice burnt offerings. 204 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:10,880 We can fall into a routine where we're simply going through the 205 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:14,000 motions. We check off the boxes and do 206 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:18,000 all the right things, but it can still be empty and void. 207 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:25,200 Do we attend worship services out of a place of faith or are 208 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:31,400 we just saying check I went? Do we give to God with grateful 209 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:39,040 hearts or are we just offering our gifts to say that we give? 210 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:45,880 Do we sing every word to the songs but neglect to realize 211 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:49,880 what they actually mean? What they're actually saying? 212 00:15:52,440 --> 00:15:56,720 I suspect a number of you are like me and grew up in a church 213 00:15:56,720 --> 00:16:00,720 environment that was all about doing. 214 00:16:01,720 --> 00:16:06,360 It was so much about doing that. I think in a sense we forgot 215 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:13,120 about the being. We forgot about the relationship 216 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:16,400 with God. We forgot about being close to 217 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:23,800 Him, being in his presence, slowing down enough to actually 218 00:16:23,800 --> 00:16:29,040 hear him. The doing, it's important for 219 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:30,520 sure. The doing is important. 220 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:37,600 But if the doing is done with without the being, then in a 221 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,920 sense the doing becomes pointless. 222 00:16:42,360 --> 00:16:45,360 It isn't true worship. That's why God said his desire 223 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:47,320 was love and not just sacrifices. 224 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:49,240 The people could offer sacrifices. 225 00:16:49,240 --> 00:16:52,000 They could go through the motions and and bring their gift 226 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,360 to the temple. They could do that. 227 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,880 But if their heart wasn't engaged in it, it meant nothing 228 00:17:01,280 --> 00:17:06,400 to God. If it's not from the heart, it 229 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:10,720 means nothing. So Abel offered his gift in 230 00:17:10,920 --> 00:17:15,680 faith from the foundation of his relationship with Yahweh. 231 00:17:15,680 --> 00:17:20,400 You know Cain's gift wasn't offered in good faith. 232 00:17:21,319 --> 00:17:25,119 This is the fundamental difference between their gifts. 233 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,640 Regardless of the content of their gifts, it was Abel's gift 234 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:34,800 that was off in the correct manner, with a heart full of 235 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,840 faith, trusting in God's provision. 236 00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:45,280 Next we look at the 2 responses in verses 5 through 7. 237 00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:50,040 There's Cain's initial response, his initial reaction to his gift 238 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:55,520 being rejected, and then God's response to Cain. 239 00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:59,840 Cain's initial response was first anger. 240 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:08,400 Cain wasn't just angry, he was very angry. 241 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:14,160 The Hebrew literally means it burned to Cain exceedingly, 242 00:18:14,840 --> 00:18:19,120 meaning it was very, very, very angry. 243 00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:25,000 And this is this is the same phrase that's used later, later 244 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:29,600 on in Genesis chapter 34 when with Jacob's sons found out that 245 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:32,160 their sister Dinah had been raped. 246 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:40,680 They burned with this anger. So, so Cain, so upset. 247 00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,560 He's so angry. I kind of picture it like, you 248 00:18:43,560 --> 00:18:47,040 know, those cartoons where smoke is coming out of someone's ears. 249 00:18:47,440 --> 00:18:50,920 Like, I think it's kind of like that He's so angry. 250 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:56,040 Smoke is coming out of his ears. He's on fire now. 251 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:02,760 Have you ever tried to reason with a person who's angry? 252 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,440 I know there's sometimes there are real, there are valid 253 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:08,960 reasons for being angry sometimes, right? 254 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:14,360 Such as when Dinah was raped. But have you ever been angry and 255 00:19:14,360 --> 00:19:20,400 looked back on the situation and thought that was stupid? 256 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:26,400 What was I thinking? Just me, apparently. 257 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:33,160 Why did I get angry at that? This type of anger isn't 258 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:37,840 rational, it only looks out for itself and and the perceived 259 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:45,720 injustices that it feels. Then when we refuse to be 260 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:53,360 pacified in our anger or we hold a grudge, we step further into 261 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:57,960 sin. Cain refused to be pacified and 262 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:01,000 he was holding on to that grudge, and his response set a 263 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,840 storyline. That we repeatedly see played 264 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:11,160 out in the pages of Scripture a sinful reaction to difficult 265 00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:14,920 circumstances or or perceived injustices. 266 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:22,760 And then this becomes the MO for all of humanity. 267 00:20:25,760 --> 00:20:30,320 Verse 5 continued. So Cain was very angry and his 268 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:34,600 face fell. The Hebrew here has been 269 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:39,120 translated variously as downcast, dejected. 270 00:20:39,120 --> 00:20:43,800 His countenance fell, his his face fell, or simply gloomy. 271 00:20:44,920 --> 00:20:46,800 These are all in the bar ballpark. 272 00:20:47,080 --> 00:20:52,640 But I like to distill it down to one word, despondence. 273 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:57,520 This is despondence. I think is is the best way to 274 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:01,920 characterize this in one word. Now, when we think of someone 275 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:08,120 whose face has fallen or a fallen countenance, I think the 276 00:21:08,120 --> 00:21:12,320 picture of Eeyore comes to mind. Just a gloomy Eeyore, somebody's 277 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:14,400 face. Oh, you know, we're down. 278 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:16,160 We're sad. I don't know what Eeyore says, 279 00:21:16,160 --> 00:21:17,640 otherwise I would say whatever he says. 280 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:20,720 I don't really know much about Eeyore, to be honest. 281 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:24,920 I didn't grow up on Pooh. So yeah. 282 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,320 But if you think of somebody who's down, you just might think 283 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:34,600 of poor me. Such a rainy day. 284 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:39,720 No, it's something more than just rainy day Blues. 285 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:43,360 That's that Kane is experiencing here. 286 00:21:43,920 --> 00:21:46,000 He was completely devoid of hope. 287 00:21:47,720 --> 00:21:49,840 He'd lost hope. And his, his spirit was 288 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:56,240 discouraged because you see, the situation is insurmountable. 289 00:21:57,360 --> 00:22:02,280 He must have truly recognized in a moment of clarity that what 290 00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:09,600 was in his heart was depravity. And that and realized that he 291 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:12,720 actually, he had no desire to change. 292 00:22:13,240 --> 00:22:19,160 He didn't want to conform to Yahweh's standards. 293 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:23,760 Sure, he's sought God's approval, but not enough to 294 00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:28,280 actually change and and do what was necessary for God's 295 00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:33,160 approval. King's response to the rejection 296 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:37,080 of his offering tells us everything that we need to know 297 00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:41,720 about Cain. The problem wasn't just his 298 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:48,040 offering. The problem was Cain's heart was 299 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:52,200 bad. When Jude, the brother of Jesus, 300 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:57,800 wrote about rebellious people, these rebellious people who 301 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:04,880 don't want to follow God's ways, Jude says they live in the way 302 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:08,400 of Cain. These people make sinning a 303 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,520 regular pattern in their lives and and they aren't submitted to 304 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:18,080 God's authority and ways. So that's the first part of 305 00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:22,880 Cain's response. And you know, next week we'll 306 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:27,000 look at the rest of his response, the actual murder. 307 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:32,000 But then God responds to Cain's initial response. 308 00:23:33,200 --> 00:23:36,800 Verses 6 through 7 read the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry 309 00:23:36,800 --> 00:23:40,280 and why is your face falling? If you do well, will you not be 310 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:43,720 accepted? And if you do not do well, sin 311 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:47,560 is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you 312 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:53,000 must rule over it. Now I'm not sure if you realize 313 00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:55,040 this. This was something I just 314 00:23:55,040 --> 00:24:01,920 realized this week, that after the creative act, God resorts to 315 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:06,840 asking questions. In Genesis 311, he asked the 316 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:12,640 human who told you that you were naked. 317 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:16,360 Next week after Cain murders his brother, we'll see. 318 00:24:16,360 --> 00:24:21,400 God ask where is Abel, your brother and and Cain, what have 319 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:25,960 you done here in this section? God asked Cain, why are you 320 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,840 angry? Why has your face fallen? 321 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:32,840 See, because God doesn't know the answers. 322 00:24:33,760 --> 00:24:37,880 Of course not, right? God knows what's going on. 323 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:46,400 Now what's happening here is God is giving each of these people. 324 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:50,520 He's giving them the opportunity to confess. 325 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:54,480 He was giving Adam and Eve the opportunity to confess to what 326 00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:58,360 they've done. Here in chapter 4, He's giving 327 00:24:58,360 --> 00:25:04,520 Cain the opportunity to confess to what he's done and to confess 328 00:25:04,520 --> 00:25:12,720 to his sin. So God's, God's response here is 329 00:25:12,720 --> 00:25:19,120 to encourage repentance. God is encouraging repentance. 330 00:25:20,880 --> 00:25:26,160 God wanted Cain to repent. God, God patiently waits for our 331 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:29,320 repentance, for an acknowledgement of our sin and 332 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:37,240 in our need for His mercy. In fact, second Peter 39 tells 333 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:42,000 us the Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some 334 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:47,200 count slowness, but it's patient toward you, not wishing that any 335 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:51,600 should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 336 00:25:54,000 --> 00:26:01,560 So what is actual repentance? I usually describe repentance as 337 00:26:01,600 --> 00:26:06,000 a as a turning away from something from sin and heading 338 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:11,840 towards the other direction, heading away from sin towards 339 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:18,440 righteous living. Now repentance starts in the 340 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:22,680 mind, if you will, when we choose to agree with God will to 341 00:26:22,840 --> 00:26:25,520 agree with him regarding our sin. 342 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:29,560 When we agree with him regarding our sin, we've we've changed our 343 00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:36,600 mind about that sin, which then leads to a change in our 344 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:41,800 actions. Simply puts, repentance is a 345 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:46,240 change of mind that results in a change of action. 346 00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:52,080 Repentance is a change of mind that results in a change of 347 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:57,000 action. When our mind, or should I say 348 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:02,480 heart is changed, then this change is manifested in our 349 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:07,640 actions. Now Cain felt he was justified 350 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:11,400 in his response to God's disapproval of his offering. 351 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:18,080 However, Cain isn't the one who sets the standards and and 352 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:22,040 determines what's acceptable and what's not acceptable, what's 353 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:26,160 right and what's wrong. Adam and Eve had already tried 354 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:29,080 that route in the garden and and it didn't go well for them. 355 00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:38,400 Right now, here, Cain wants to push the boundaries, to redefine 356 00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:44,160 what is right and wrong. God chose not to accept Cain's 357 00:27:44,240 --> 00:27:48,160 offering. God has that prerogative. 358 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:55,440 He's, he's God rights now. If Cain had changed his mind 359 00:27:55,440 --> 00:28:01,360 regarding his response, if he had repented, then he wouldn't 360 00:28:01,360 --> 00:28:05,480 have taken that egregious step of murdering his brother. 361 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:13,160 If when asked by God, why has your face fallen, he had 362 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:19,280 confessed and he had realized his sin, realized the error of 363 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:28,240 his offering, then he would have been set, it seems, on a 364 00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:31,480 different path. It wouldn't have led to 365 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:35,880 murdering his brother, but he wanted to hold on to that right. 366 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:44,520 Four times in this passage, God spoke to Cain, initially to warn 367 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:48,360 Cain against carrying out his evil plan, then to elicit a 368 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:56,160 confession of responsibility. God spoke to him four times and 369 00:28:56,160 --> 00:29:02,040 four times Cain rejects God's appeal. 370 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:07,000 God offered him the opportunity to make it right. 371 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:16,320 Verse 7, he says if you do well, if if you do the right thing, 372 00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:20,560 will you not be accepted? God's saying there's still a 373 00:29:20,560 --> 00:29:25,480 chance King could take the right steps and he could find 374 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:31,280 acceptance with God. God hadn't closed the door of 375 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:35,120 opportunity for Cain. He was offering him the chance 376 00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:39,840 to make things right. Now I should clarify that the 377 00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:43,560 action wasn't what would make things right in and of itself, 378 00:29:44,160 --> 00:29:49,160 but the action, of course, would stem from his heart, his heart 379 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:55,480 being changed. And the verse continues, if you 380 00:29:55,480 --> 00:29:57,800 do not do well, sin is crouching out the door. 381 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:01,000 It's desire is for you and you must rule over it. 382 00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:07,560 And here God is cautioning Cain about sin. 383 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:11,360 This is a caution to Cain about sin. 384 00:30:13,680 --> 00:30:16,080 God knows the intentions and thoughts of our hearts. 385 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:18,360 So. So he gave Cain a heads up about 386 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:20,840 what he saw. If you don't do well, if you 387 00:30:20,840 --> 00:30:24,040 don't change your mind about this situation, then you're 388 00:30:24,040 --> 00:30:27,240 going to have even bigger problems. 389 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:35,360 Basically is what God is saying. Now here sin is pictured like an 390 00:30:35,360 --> 00:30:40,600 animal hunting its prey. When cats hunt their prey, they 391 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:45,560 they silently crouched nearby, waiting for the opportunity to 392 00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:53,080 pounce. Sin is just like that cat. 393 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:57,240 He waits there patiently at the door. 394 00:30:58,440 --> 00:31:01,960 Would Cain open the door to sin and and step through? 395 00:31:04,520 --> 00:31:09,240 Or would he choose to close the door to sin? 396 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:15,240 Were he to change his mind and close the door, close the door 397 00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:20,640 of opportunity, then his actions would show him too have 398 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:26,600 self-control and and have rule over sin in his life. 399 00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:33,600 But opening the door, opening the door would expose him to sin 400 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:37,320 and it would allow sin to have its way with him, to dominate 401 00:31:37,320 --> 00:31:46,160 him and rule over his actions. Sins power is so pervasive that 402 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:52,680 it is enslaving, captures the person and and in a sense it 403 00:31:52,680 --> 00:31:57,120 obligates them to live a life devoted to Satan's purpose. 404 00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:04,640 But here God is depicted as as patient towards Cain in the 405 00:32:04,640 --> 00:32:06,800 midst of failure. God is encouraging. 406 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:09,600 Next week we'll see that in their second conversation after 407 00:32:09,800 --> 00:32:15,040 after Cain's crime had been committed, God continues to show 408 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:23,320 Cain mercy. Now, if you're paying attention 409 00:32:23,320 --> 00:32:31,360 to what I've said, you might ask the question, Did Cain really 410 00:32:31,360 --> 00:32:36,000 have a choice? What was he free to make the 411 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:41,680 right choice? Do I have a choice? 412 00:32:41,920 --> 00:32:47,760 Am I bound to sin, selfishness, and pride, or am I actually free 413 00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:52,160 to live the Christian life the way God intended? 414 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:57,520 First of all, each of us, we talked about this a little bit 415 00:32:57,520 --> 00:33:01,560 in chapter 3. Each of us has a sin nature. 416 00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:06,560 We all have the sin nature. Sin nature is that part of 417 00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:09,480 humanity that makes us rebel against God. 418 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:12,600 We are naturally inclined to sin. 419 00:33:13,280 --> 00:33:16,280 We're all good at it. By the way, I have to, I have to 420 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:20,360 tell you about this thing. I have this card on my desk. 421 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:27,520 Somebody at Cornerstone had written this card in a, in a 422 00:33:27,520 --> 00:33:30,280 Sunday school class. Sometimes they would write cards 423 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:33,440 to the pastors. And so in the Sunday school 424 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:41,360 class, somebody this little boy has a picture of, I think it's 425 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:44,640 me. I'm it's supposed to be me, 426 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:48,920 right? I think it's supposed to be me 427 00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:53,240 holding a guitar. Really. 428 00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:56,560 It looks like someone holding a machine gun. 429 00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:01,680 But hey, that that's, that's not even the best part of it. 430 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:07,440 But so they're writing to the worship pastor and it says 431 00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:12,920 inside it says you're a great Sinner. 432 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:19,520 I think what they were trying to say is you're a great singer, 433 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:23,560 right? You're a great Sinner. 434 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:28,280 And I don't even know how many years ago I got this card this 435 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:32,560 this boy's in high school and he was quite small when he wrote 436 00:34:32,560 --> 00:34:36,159 it. But it has always lived on my 437 00:34:36,159 --> 00:34:37,760 desk because of those two things. 438 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:41,320 The the person holding the machine gun or guitar on the 439 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:43,800 front. And then you're a great Sinner. 440 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:46,280 Yes, I'm a great Sinner. Thank you for noticing. 441 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:52,719 We are all great at sinning because we have a sin nature. 442 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:57,000 We were born with this, David says in Psalm 51 verse 5. 443 00:34:57,280 --> 00:35:01,280 Behold, I was brought forth an iniquity and in sin did my 444 00:35:01,280 --> 00:35:06,240 mother conceive me. Was was David born out of out of 445 00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:10,800 a sinful, sinful relationship? No, that is not what he is 446 00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:13,880 talking about. David is simply acknowledging 447 00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:17,680 that the sin nature has always been there from the very 448 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:20,880 beginning. If we were given the choice of 449 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:25,520 doing God's will or our own, we would naturally choose to do our 450 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:31,400 own thing. Now, some people will argue 451 00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:36,560 against the existence of a sin nature, but I really think it's 452 00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:40,080 quite difficult to make your case when you're arguing against 453 00:35:40,280 --> 00:35:44,480 a sin nature. And parents, we all know this. 454 00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:52,560 No parents ever taught their little ones, even babies, 455 00:35:52,720 --> 00:35:59,200 toddlers, children how to sin. They come by it naturally, 456 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:01,920 right? You don't have to teach them how 457 00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:05,160 to do it. They automatically know how to 458 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:08,600 rebel. Instead, we have to teach them 459 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:11,560 how not to sin. We have to teach them to be 460 00:36:11,560 --> 00:36:15,680 nice, to say kind things, to be obedient. 461 00:36:17,840 --> 00:36:22,520 And then, as if that wasn't enough, every day in the news we 462 00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:30,720 were reminded of people who have chosen to rebel against God's 463 00:36:31,120 --> 00:36:35,520 ways. Romans 8, seven through 8 says 464 00:36:35,520 --> 00:36:38,840 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it 465 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:42,720 does not submit to God's law. Indeed it cannot. 466 00:36:43,760 --> 00:36:46,680 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 467 00:36:48,160 --> 00:36:52,680 This might make someone think sin is a foregone conclusion. 468 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:57,120 Well, in some sense, yes, sin is a foregone conclusion. 469 00:36:57,120 --> 00:37:02,440 We are going to sin. Even Paul has a struggle with 470 00:37:02,440 --> 00:37:11,120 sin and he writes about that. But that's not the end of the 471 00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:16,440 story. First of all, God has extended 472 00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:20,640 his common grace to all of humanity so that so that even 473 00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:25,040 people who don't know God have learned how to behave. 474 00:37:25,760 --> 00:37:27,920 They've learned to be nice to each other, to tell the truth, 475 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:32,040 to be considerate, kind, to not steal from their neighbor, and 476 00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:36,600 most definitely not to kill them because that's not very nice. 477 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:45,280 But then there's spirit filled living. 478 00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:53,840 There's spirit filled living and this comes when we have a 479 00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:58,840 relationship with God and and we choose to submit ourselves to 480 00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:02,120 Him. Galatians 5 verses 16 through 17 481 00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:04,520 reads. But I say walk by the spirits 482 00:38:05,560 --> 00:38:09,960 and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh, for the 483 00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:12,600 desires of the flesh are against the spirit and the desires of 484 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:15,840 the spirits are against the flesh. 485 00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:21,160 There's a war going on inside each and every one of us every 486 00:38:21,280 --> 00:38:27,280 single day. But if we walk by the Spirit, 487 00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:29,240 then then we can live as free people. 488 00:38:29,240 --> 00:38:34,200 We're we're not enslaved to sin. Scripture tells us we are free. 489 00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:38,160 We are free from the bondage of sin. 490 00:38:40,920 --> 00:38:45,440 And when we live in the Spirit then, then we will produce the 491 00:38:45,440 --> 00:38:48,080 fruit of the Spirit that we looked at this past summer. 492 00:38:48,320 --> 00:38:51,520 Lovejoy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, 493 00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:53,640 faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 494 00:38:55,120 --> 00:39:01,440 These are all byproducts, fruits of a life that is yielded to 495 00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:11,600 God. So as we close this morning, who 496 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:21,120 or what are you yielded to? Are you yielded to sinful, 497 00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:27,200 fleshly desires or are you yielded to God? 498 00:39:30,680 --> 00:39:36,400 Even as Christians, as people have truly placed their faith in 499 00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:42,280 Jesus Christ and what He's done, we can still have seasons where 500 00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:48,080 we live in the flesh. We act in the flesh and not in 501 00:39:48,080 --> 00:39:53,520 the Spirit. So it's good for us to examine 502 00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:58,480 ourselves and and ask the question, who or what am I 503 00:39:58,480 --> 00:40:04,520 yielded to right now? God. 504 00:40:04,880 --> 00:40:09,600 God works in our hearts and we can choose to respond positively 505 00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:13,560 or negatively to Him when He convicts us. 506 00:40:16,360 --> 00:40:21,640 We could be like Cain and respond in selfishness, anger, 507 00:40:21,640 --> 00:40:27,680 and pride, believing that I know better. 508 00:40:30,600 --> 00:40:35,280 Or we can choose to respond to God's moving. 509 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:44,080 We can respond in humility and surrender our lives to Him when 510 00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:48,960 he brings that conviction, when he when he prompts something in 511 00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:53,120 our hearts to say this, this thing needs to change. 512 00:40:56,720 --> 00:41:01,040 Each of us can confront that, that little bit of cane that's 513 00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:05,200 inside of us. Who am I submitted to? 514 00:41:06,200 --> 00:41:15,320 Who's my master? Am I my master, or is God my 515 00:41:15,320 --> 00:41:19,400 master? Is he the one who's calling the 516 00:41:19,400 --> 00:41:25,160 shots? And if we agree with him, then 517 00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:29,360 out of our hearts will flow springs of life, and we will 518 00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:36,080 look more and more like Jesus. Let's bow our heads and close 519 00:41:36,080 --> 00:41:47,800 our eyes. As we prepare to close in song 520 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:52,800 this morning, I think it's good for us to pause. 521 00:41:56,320 --> 00:42:01,480 This isn't a time for for getting down on yourself, 522 00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:06,280 walking in shame. Shame is not of God. 523 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:13,480 Shame is from the enemy. But if God brings conviction, 524 00:42:15,760 --> 00:42:20,280 then we need to be cognizant of that and to realize that and 525 00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:25,280 confess that sin that has been brought to our attention. 526 00:42:26,280 --> 00:42:35,360 So I want to take a moment for each of us to just examine our 527 00:42:35,360 --> 00:42:41,960 hearts. Where am I holding on? 528 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:49,120 Where am I saying no God, this is mine, you can't have this, I 529 00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:56,160 am in control. Whether it be stubbornness, 530 00:42:56,160 --> 00:43:04,560 pride, other sins that you commit, just take a moment and 531 00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:09,360 confess those as God brings them to your mind. 532 00:43:48,400 --> 00:43:54,880 God, as we close our time here this morning, our desire is not 533 00:43:56,000 --> 00:44:04,200 to simply check off a box, to say I went to church, God. 534 00:44:04,200 --> 00:44:12,760 Our desire is to say, I met with God and because I met with God, 535 00:44:16,280 --> 00:44:20,200 I am being changed. I am being further conformed to 536 00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:24,400 the image of Jesus Christ, God's Son. 537 00:44:29,690 --> 00:44:34,330 So God, would you work in US, shape us, take away the parts 538 00:44:34,330 --> 00:44:40,450 that need to be removed, add what needs to be brought into 539 00:44:40,450 --> 00:44:47,770 our lives so that each day we are choosing to walk in the 540 00:44:47,770 --> 00:44:55,240 Spirit, putting to death the works of the flesh, yielding the 541 00:44:55,240 --> 00:44:59,560 fruit of the Spirit, looking more and more like Jesus Christ. 542 00:45:01,320 --> 00:45:08,880 Thank you Holy Spirits, for indwelling us that we have Your 543 00:45:08,880 --> 00:45:14,280 power inside us to enable us to follow after you. 544 00:45:16,280 --> 00:45:18,400 Jesus, precious and powerful name we pray. 545 00:45:19,280 --> 00:45:19,560 Amen.