What does the World See?

Hayden Crompton

In The Beginning • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

Genesis 4

0 ratings

· 7 views

Notes

Transcript

Sermon Tone Analysis

Emotion

Language

Social

View more →

Wow, what an incredible night of worship. Thank you girls.

I want to remind you guys that we are in a sermon series through the first 11 chapters in Genesis.

Tonight we will pick up in , and the title of this message is “

Isn’t it so amazing that even from the beginning, God wanted a relationship with us?

Only to come out on top!

I believe this passage teaches a lot of applicable truths, but tonight, it will teach us why our relationship with Him might not be exactly where it needs to be.

1. Worship or Works?

verses 1-5

These few verses set the tone of what Cain is about to go through, and the life he is going to live.

Cain was the gardener in the family, and Abel was with the flock of animals.

Pay attention to the way this unfolds:

a) The Roles

a) The Church Service

The earliest family had to know that there was a time for them to go and worship.

Let’s use the Word to teach us about how Adam and his family were probably taught how to worship.

Hebrews 10:17 KJV 1900

And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Abel brought his offering in faith.

Romans 10:17 KJV 1900

So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Hebrews 11:4 KJV 1900

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

Teaches that FAITH comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.

So how did Abel know to bring this offering? GOD must have made it clear on how to worship Him.

Hebrews 9:22 KJV 1900

And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

In order to worship God, blood has to be involved!

Hold that thought...

b) The Offerings

verse 3-4

Cain brought fruit. Abel brought an animal.

Verse 4 says that God accepted Abels.

Leviticus 9:24 KJV 1900

And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces.

God probably answered by fire and burned up Abel’s offering.

Abel depended on the Word of God and a substitution.

What does that tell us? If we want to know God, and be accepted by God. We must depend on His Word, The Word!

What’s God’s Word say about us?

Romans 3:23 KJV 1900

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

I’m a sinner

Romans 6:23 KJV 1900

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I deserve death.

I have no hope.

I have no future.

I deserve hell.

But it also says,

Romans 5:8 KJV 1900

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

While I was still as sinner, God almighty sent His One and only Son to be my Substitute!

Sincerity means nothing if you haven’t trusted God’s Word and His Substitute!

Oh, and if you’re taking notes and want to know how to spell “substitute” it’s “J-E-S-U-S”

Praise God!

Cain was probably sincere, but he was not accepted.

So many people are sincerely trying to know God. But unless they are washed in the blood of Jesus, they can’t know Him!

Please hear that!!!

Cain had a form of godliness and religion, but he denied the power.

2 Timothy 3:5 KJV 1900

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

In these first few verses we see the Two religions of the world:

One that depends on the Work of Jesus

One that depends on the work of us.

One leads to Heaven and the other to hell.

2. Surrender or Sin?

verse 6-8

God in His grace begins to talk with Cain.

Hey buddy what’s wrong?

“Nothing at all.”

Do you guys have that kind of friend that knows when something is up, and they can also shoot you straight when you have something going on?

God is going to do that for Cain… but will he listen?

I want you to notice one thing here:

a) The Progression of Sin

It started with:

Disappointment

Anger

Jealousy

Murder

Jesus is so specific in the sermon on the mount about issues like this.

We need to guard against this. But what strikes me in this is what God said to Cain in verse 7

Genesis 4:7 KJV 1900

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Sin lies at the door…

I believe with everything inside me that there are some people in this room that have felt God convict you of a certain sin.

How have you responded to Him?

Did you respond with Surrender or sin?

3. Repentance or Regret?

Now some of you may be thinking, “Wait, doesn’t remorse and repentance look the same?”

I would say that these are two different things.

Conviction -> Repentance -> Right standing with God.

This is a very clear warning.

Cain responded with remorse and regret for what he did, but not with repentance.

Can I tell you something that I’ve learned as a youth pastor?

It is extremely dangerous to get caught in sin.

I don’t mean because you’ll get in trouble.

What I mean is a lot of times when people get caught, that is God allowing them a chance out.

But what happens is they are broken because they got caught not because they agree with God in that they were in sin.

I’ve seen it OVER & OVER.

“I’m going to quit that sin.”

Here’s the problem with that, IT’S BIGGER THAN YOU!!!

It’s not up to you to beat sin. It’s up to you running to God in repentance!

What is it that you need to repent from?

Gossip

Drugs

Partying?

Maybe it’s something you haven’t been caught for, or maybe it’s something you have been caught doing.

Why is it important that we repent immediately?

Look what happened to Cain!

God cursed Cain, “You are cursed away from the earth.”

This suggested that anywhere he would plant food and try to grow stuff, it wouldn’t grow. So he would constantly have to move from place to place without a home.

Here’s the result:

What a picture of the world today:

Restlessness

Hopelessness

Wandering

Defeat

4. Spirit vs. Self

verses 17-26

So what did Cain do? Did he just wander the rest of his life? No… he relied on himself.

Cain thought that he wasn’t going to wander anymore. So as he had kids, his kids were able to use their gifts to establish a city.

This is the first picture of civilization in humanity.

Cain had a few boys:

Jabal - founded agriculture (Food and wealth)

Jubal - founded music (entertainment)

Tubal-Cain founded metal (buildings)

What’s wrong with this picture?

Relying on our own strength will never result in our spiritual satisfaction.

Cain built a city in the land of Nod, which means “to stray or wander.”

Cain was building his life AWAY FROM THE PRESENCE OF GOD.

It’s through Jesus ALONE that we can have satisfaction.

Relying on self points people to the wrong person!

look at how this ends:

Genesis 4:25 KJV 1900

And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

Genesis 4:26 KJV 1900

And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.

Genesis 4:2

Men began to call upon the name of the Lord.

The truth is, guys, we are called to live a life that pushes people back to the Creator.

But are we doing that?

Ask yourself these questions:

Am I living by worship or by works?

Am I surrendering or falling into sin?

Am I repentant or regretful?

Am I walking in the Spirit or by my self?

Closing:

The invitation is this tonight:

Are you Cain or are you Abel?

I really believe that we could have stopped at the second or third point tonight. There are those here tonight that are seriously falling into the same old same old.