Introductory Considerations
1. Are you a Cain?
2. I would think and hope that everyone here would quickly be able to answer "of course not", for as we just read, Cain was a murder - in fact the first murderer of all time.
2. How could I even think to ask this question? How could I ever think that anyone here is a murderer? Well, the problem with Cain was not that he was a murderer - for there were some things that led him to commit this horrendous crime.
3. I wonder if some of these same things within Cain might be within some of us.
4. This evening as we consider what Cain did, let us examine ourselves to see if there may be some similarities between ourselves and this murderer.
5. Perhaps this story that stands before us today does not seem that important - story of a brother killing a brother.
6. Today it would not be a headline in many big city newspapers - it might not even make the front page.
7. Yet this story was important at its time and still is today.
Teaching
1. Here are the first two human beings created in the normal reproductive way - two brothers.
2. Not only first murder but the first record of the sin of man against man - a momentous moment in human history. It sets the stage for what will be. It reveals the human condition, how sin works - the cause, consequences and cure of sin.
3. To be very honest I used to feel very sorry for Cain. Here are two farmers - one farms livestock - that’s Abel, the other is a cash cropper or fruit farmer - Cain. Its like two farmers - a fruit farmer like _____ bringing an offering of fruit and a hog farmer like ______ bringing a hog to church as an offering to the Lord. I probably would prefer the fruit - less mess and trouble - so would caretakers. Annd yet we read in vs 5 that God did not look in favour on Cain and his offering.
4. That does not seem fair. But whay was Cain doing wrong?
5. NIV notes say that is because Abel put more thought into the offering than Cain did - that Abel picked the fat portions of the some of the firstborn of the crop. He gave the best. True but the problem is deeper than that.
6. I thank Michael Horton in book "In the Face of God" for talking about this problem. He says the problem has to do with how we worship God, even how we meet God and come to Him.
7. Later on in the desert with people of Israel we are told that the main sacrifice was to be the fat portions of the firstborn of the flock - but did Cain and Abel know that?
8. Well in Gen 20, after the flood, we read that Noah took some of all of the clean animals and birds and sacrificed burnt offerings to the Lord - and the Lord smelled the pleasant aroma and said in His heart that he would never again destroy all living creatures as He had done.
9. Although we are not told directly, in those early days God had already told man to make sacrifices and what these sacrifices were to be. As I checked out Horton’s thoughts, I found it interesting to note in Gen 10:20 that Noah was a man of the soil just like Cain had been - yet he offered sacrifices just as God had told Him to.
10. The point of making animal sacrifices is clear throughout the Bible - Heb 9:22 says "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness". True in OT with animal sacrifices and in NT and today with shedding of blood of Christ.
11. And, of course, just as God sent His very best, His Son - so we are to give our best.
12. But not only that, we can only approach God in the way He commands not in the way we decide.
13. We can only approach throne with confidence because Christ died for us. Cain ignored the requirement for a blood offering. He ignored God’s command on how he was to worship him and so his sacrifice did not
please God.
14. Horton says that we have the same problem today - and while I believe He gets carried away with this premise at times, He makes a good point.
15. Today’s church does whatever it can to attract new people - perhaps for right or wrong motivation. Some churches do not even preach gospel because it may offend people. At least they do not read law and need for forgiveness. They accommodate the desire of man as to how they wish to worship God and come to Him.
16. Doesn’t matter how, as long as we are sincere. Perhaps connection to Cain seems lost, but many egs. in Bible of this - Tower of Babel, Saul, worship in north after split of Israel.
17. The first cause of Cain’s problem was that he did not worship God according to God’s desire - I’ll come to God as I want to.
18. Problem not only with church but also as individuals. God tells us in word how we are to worship Him - with our hearts - to be living sacrifices, - to give our best, to be thankful.
19. Yet we hold back in giving and living for Him. We think that we can get away with some sin or disobedience because its too hard under our circumstances to obey - OK to hate brother, OK to not care for poor - and so we approach God on our terms - not on His.
20. If it seems right we do it - not on what God says is right (such as in time of judges). Whenever we do this - and we all do, we are like Cain and our worship is not pleasing to God.
21. There were more problems or causes of Cain’s sin - ones we may also have. How does Cain react when God did not look down on Him with favour? When Abel seemed to be more blessed than Him?
22. Rather than look at self and see why God was not pleased he looked at Abel. Rather than say "Why did God not bless me", he looks at brothers and says "what a brown noser - he did that only to win God’s favour"
23. He was angry with his brother and downcast and because of that God warned Him. READ vs. 6&7. JUST DO WHAT IS RIGHT.
24. We too can get upset and we fail to look at self. We get angry at others and fail to see our own shortcomings.
25. This leads to sin as God had said - its crouching at your door.
26. Do we ever have this attitude and anger? Ask yourself:
a. Do I focus on what God owes me, not what I owe God?
b. Are my rights more important than yours?
c. Must I get even for the wrongs committed against me?
d. Do I try to minimize what I can give to God rather than to maximize my gift?
e. Do I come to God on my own terms?
f. Is the most importnat letter in "Christ" an "I"?
g. Do I get upset when I do not get my own way?
If your answer to any of these is yes, be careful. You share this with Cain - and sin is crouching at your door. (Mat 5:21-24 - you are committing murder in youir heart).
27. That’s scary - says if I have these attitudes, I am no better than Cain - am I? We need to be aware of these cause of sinful acts - in fact attitudes themselves are sin.
28. Cain does not listen and so he must face the consequences of his sin.
a. God knows all our sin - in vs. 9 Cain tries to deny or hide what he did but God knows. Can’t hide anything from God. (Heb 4:13)
b. Sin multiplies and overtakes us. Satan takes advantage of our weaknesses. Like first lie leads to others, like 1st drink, cigarette, potato chip leads to others.
c. We face punishment (vs. 12) - ground no longer yield crops for Cain.
d. Cain to be restless wanderer. Separates us from God and His blessings. It creates a restlessness in us - we never again have the peace we did.
29. Consequences are grave.
30. But rejoice - there is a cure - comes from God.
a. His teaching - do what is right and change your ways.
b. His mercy - did not kill Cain, put mark on Him so others would not kill Him. Was God giving Him a chance to repent?
c. His Son - it is thru Christ that the above works for us. (1John 1:9)
31. We need attitude to admit sin and ask forgiveness. Then He forgives and enables us to do right.
32. Where are you? How are you attitudes? What are you hiding? Are you experiencing His mercy?
33. Do you worship according to your convenience - what bring to altar?
