When Love & Hate Collide

Genesis 4

Jealousy has been around as long as people have. Genesis 4:1-12 picks up the story of Adam and Eve after they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden for disobeying God. Adam and Eve have a couple of boys named Cain and Abel.

Cain name means “striker” and he grew up to be a farmer and Abel name means “vanity/useless” and he became a shepherd.

Most of us have heard the story of how Cain sacrificed some of the food from his harvest and Abel sacrificed a lamb and that God was pleased with Abel's sacrifice but not with Cain's.

The root of sin is disbelief and disobedience to God –God said, “Don’t eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” The serpent talked Eve into doubting God – and the result of her disbelief was disobedience.

Observation for the Christian home: Children will learn from their parents.

Abel managed to learn about what sacrifices to make to God, and how to worship.

Cain learned the lessons of disbelief and disobedience.

Perhaps Eve expected Cain, her first son, to be the fulfillment of God’s promise in 3:15.

Perhaps he was coddled because of that assumption. Who knows? But Cain was not the one. Far from being a Savior, he was a murderer. Note: We can’t determine how God will carry out his blessings. He doesn’t need our help (Sarah and her handmaiden, etc.)

Hagar have Abraham Ishmael

Sarah gave birth to Issac

Notice we see this throughout Scripture of people running ahead of God and not waiting on the Lord

It's vital to note why God was not pleased with Cain's sacrifice. It had nothing to do with what Cain brought; it was his attitude.

The fruit of sin, in this instance, was apostasy (falling away from God, which we will see Cain did by the way he worshipped – or, rather, failed to worship, God) and murder.

Moses tells us in Genesis that Cain brought some food from his harvest while Abel brought the best of his flocks.

God not only appoints a day of worship, but a way of worship.

We can’t just worship any old way we want to , and offer whatever sacrifice is pleasing to us. In order for our worship to be acceptable, it must be pleasing to God.

God has revealed, in His Word, the way He wants the New Testament Church to worship.

Hebrews 11:4 says Abel had faith and his sacrifice showed that he was a righteous person. Cain apparently didn't care much for God stuff. He was the kid who went to church because he had to. He offered some fruit and vegetables he dug up from the garden a few minutes before he had to go to church.

He didn't give much thought to the sacrifice. He didn't care to bring the best that he had. He kept that for himself and he gave God the leftovers.

The fact that Cain had a bad attitude with all things about God is evident in the act of murdering his brother.

Jealousy when we allow it to take root in our heart can cause all kinds of problems, like feeling bitter, stressed, and angry. Jealousy can lead us to steal, gossip and hurt someone, jealousy can even lead to murder.

Jealousy is what led Cain to murder his own brother. Cain was jealous that God blessed Abel's sacrifice and not his.

Jealousy led to anger and anger led to murder. Cain allowed this progression to take place in his heart because he refused to live for God. He wanted God to bless him on his terms and God doesn't do that.

We want things on our own terms but God says, No, it has to be this way

Cain brought his best, but it wasn’t God’s best. It wasn’t second-rate. It wasn’t defective. It would have won a blue-ribbon at the county fair. He brought the best of his beautiful, delicious fruit, and he brought it as an offering to the Lord. BUT IT WAS NOT THE OFFERING, IT WAS NOT THE KIND OF SACRIFICE THAT THE LORD REQUIRED. It was a bloodless offering.

Beware of the way of Cain!

Jude 11 –

Jude 11 (NLT): What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.

It's OK to respect people for what they can do, for the hard work they put in to be the best at what they do, but, it's not OK to want to be them. It's not OK to want what they have. God has given you gifts, too.

In the OT, to worship God you brought a sacrifice of blood – a sacrifice which pointed to the Redeemer who was coming into the world, who would crush the serpents head. You didn’t come by bringing the works of your own hands, as if somehow you could earn your own salvation. You couldn’t then, and you can’t now. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins

Hebrews 9:22 (NLT): 22 In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

Our deeds are an outward physical statement of our inward thoughts

Genesis 4:8–9 (NLT): One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

9 Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?”

“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

Notice: anger against God (4b) and anger against his brother (v. 8)

Thinking about something is not a sin; letting something that we think about become something that we dwell on and finally act out is a sin.

Numbers 32:23 (NLT): But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.

There’s being sorry for your sins, and there is being sorry you got caught.

There is a difference..!!!

There is remorse for doing wrong, but it is not the same as the remorse of suffering the consequences.

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NLT): For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

Man may place small value upon souls, but God does not!

I don’t know what the mark was that God identified Cain with, but I do know that God protected him.

He went east to the land of “Nod”

Adam and Eve went east when they left the garden of Eden. (How do I know that?

Genesis 3:24 (NLT): After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

There was no going back.

Lot went east when he separated from Abraham

Israel and Judah went east when they were taken into captivity

In Scripture, going east often is symbolic of going away from God

The message is yours. Cain missed the message, I pray you got it.

If you want to worship God, there is only one way. God’s way. In Spirit and in Truth.

If you want salvation, there is only one way. God’s way. Through Christ.

Hear – Romans 10:17

Believe – John 1:12

Repent – Luke 13:3, 5

Confess – Romans 10:9-10

Baptized – Mark 16:16