Well, if you’ve got a Bible, go to Genesis 4. If you’re new, we go right through books of the Bible. We’re in Genesis for about a year, and we have come up to Chapter 4 this week. And I’ll pray, and we’ll jump right in.

I’ll say this before I do. My perspective on Genesis 4 is not the majority. You may not agree with my perspective, and that’s okay. That’s actually okay. That’s actually okay. But give me a hearing. Hear me through, think through the Scriptures with me. Go on a little journey with me, and see if my perspective on Cain and Abel doesn’t straighten out some things in your own life. I’ll pray, and we’ll just launch right in.

Lord God, we thank you for bringing us together tonight as a Church family in this great Church home that you’ve provided for us. Thank you for so many people that have come out. God, for those that may not be here because they’re out having a good time, just pray for safety on them, pray for safety on the road, pray for safety for any kids who may be out.

God, we just ask for your protection on our people and on our city. God, as we gather, though, we ask that the Scriptures would make sense to us. That we would see you for as good as you are. That we would see ourselves for as desperately needy of your kindness as we are.

And God, I pray as we look at the story of Cain and Abel, that we would ask ourselves, what is the condition of our own heart? What is the status of our own life? And how are we oftentimes exceedingly more like Cain than his brother, Abel?

Jesus, I pray that when all is said and done, you would get your glory, we would get our joy, and that we would end in worship to you. Amen.

As we jump into Genesis 4, I’ll catch you up to speed. In Genesis 1, we looked at the creation and preparation of the earth. In Genesis 2, we looked at the creating of our first parents, Adam and Eve. And then this week, we will look at the birth of two brothers, Cain and Abel. What happened in Genesis 3 between the creating of the man and the woman and the birthing of the two sons was Satan and sin.

Satan and sin came into human history, and we’re gonna see how that initial sin of Adam and Eve affects their children, is passed on to the next generation. And every generation since, we will see in the ensuing chapters of the book of Genesis, are affected by that original sin. We’re all now born as sinners by nature. We sin also by choice. There’s something defective and crooked in who we are, and you’re gonna see that very clearly today in the first children that are born.

So, we’ll launch right in. Genesis 4:1 picks up the story of Adam and Eve after sin enters the world. It says that, “Adam lay with his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.” Moses here is very clear to tell us that unlike Adam and Eve, who were made by God as adults, Cain is the first child born in the history of the world, and he is born in a quite natural way. He has a mother and a father, conception, pregnancy, birth. It is to show that every human being is a descendant of Adam and Eve. And Adam and Eve, by virtue of being sinners, have passed on their sin nature.

If Cain had been made, or anyone else for that matter, had been made apart from the lineage of Adam and Eve, they would not be sinners. But everyone is a descendant of Adam and Eve, and so we’re all sinners. And that begins with Cain.

“She said, ‘With the help of the Lord, I have brought forth a man.’” What Eve is doing here is not learning her lesson. She’s boasting. What she’s saying is this, she’s saying, “God made a man, and so did I.” She’s boasting. She’s bragging.

And she’s going back to the promise that God gave her in the previous chapter, in Genesis 3:15, where God told her that, “You have sinned greatly. You have brought devastation and death and destruction into the human equation. But that’s okay, because I love you, and I have an answer for your problem. I have a remedy to your ailment, and that is that a son will be born. There will be a little boy who grows up to be a man. He will conquer sin. He will conquer Satan. He will conquer death. He will be victorious.”

What Eve then says is, basically, “I know I made a big problem. I know I shouldn’t have usurped my husband as leader of the home. I know I shouldn’t have talked to Satan. I know I shouldn’t have sinned. I know I shouldn’t have rebelled. But that’s okay, I’ll fix it.” She’s basically saying that she’s going to save herself. That she will clean up the mess that she has made. That she will fix the sin that has come into the world. And what she says is, “God said a son would cure it. I made a son.”

She’s thinking that her son will be Jesus. She couldn’t be more wrong. She’s an arrogant woman who ruled over her husband in Genesis 3, and now she’s trying to rule over God’s plan for history, rule over her own family, and rule over her own redemption in Genesis 4. She’s still a woman who has not learned her lesson. She’s banking everything on Cain, that Cain will be Jesus, and that Cain will save the world. Couldn’t be more wrong.

It then tells us, “Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.” We don’t get a lot on Abel. Apparently, he’s not the favored son. Favoritism kicks in early in Genesis, and it’s a theme that continues through the book. There’s Cain and Abel. Cain is the oldest child, firstborn son, first child born in the history of the world. Big hopes, big dreams. His mother thinks that perhaps this might even be Jesus, who’s gonna fix the mess she’s made.

It tells us then as the boys grew up, they got jobs. They go to work. It says, “Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.” So, Abel was a rancher, and Cain was a farmer. Are those acceptable vocations in the sight of God? Yeah, those are fully acceptable, good jobs, especially for young men in that day. To be a rancher and a farmer, good jobs indeed.

“In the course of time” – so this is sometime later. They’re not little boys. They’ve grown up. They’re men. At some point later – “Cain brought some of the first fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. And the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and on his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.”

Here’s what happens. This is the first church service. It’s apparently harvest season, and the two boys come into the presence of the Lord to worship the Lord. Each brings an offering to the Lord. Now, Cain and Abel have gotten a lot of ink, and we’ll get into all the perspectives on this, but I’d like you to see this. They both come with something in their hand.

A lot of negative things have been said about Cain over the years. Cain has been typified as the godless man. It’s interesting, though, because most of you could learn a thing from Cain, because he’s a godlier man than most of you. Cain, when he came to worship the Lord, knew that it was about sacrifice and giving; it wasn’t about just consumption and using.

He knew that if you’re gonna come to worship the Lord, you come with something in your hands. One of the greatest problems that I see in our church is that as we grow, we will have a great number of consumers and very few participants. We will have many people who think that worship is this: I showed up. I drank the coffee, and I made a mess. And I didn’t laugh at Mark’s jokes. And I kinda liked Tim’s band. And then I didn’t like the lines for the bathroom. I didn’t think the childcare was up to my needs. And the printed material wasn’t what I was anticipating. And the Web site was too hard to navigate. I really wasn’t happy with what I got.

If you take that perspective coming into worship, what you’re saying is this, “I’m God, and I allowed the Church to come into my presence, and I was not pleased with the offering that they gave unto me.” And so the coffee wasn’t hot enough. And the band wasn’t good enough. And the girls weren’t hot enough, either. And it just wasn’t what I was looking for.

(Laughter)

No, if you come into worship with that attitude, you will have a propensity to look at Cain and say Cain was not a good worshipper, not realizing that he’s probably better than most of you. Because at least he brought something. Many of you come as if you were God. Give no money. Give no time. Give no energy. Consume and complain about the results of the service of other people, who gave to you in worship to the Lord.

You think about it, you who come here every week. Who pays the rent if you don’t? Who picks up the mess if you don’t? Who runs the administration if you don’t? Brothers and sisters in Christ, who are giving out of worship to the Lord. Giving money, giving time, giving energy, giving devotion, giving prayer.

Some of you are thinking, “Is this a money pitch?” No, actually we’re over budget. We’re actually over budget. So, I’m not pitching you for money ‘cause we’re in a pinch. What I’m saying, when you come to worship, do you even come like Cain, anticipating to give something to the Lord? “Here’s my time. Here’s my sin. Here’s my money. Here’s my heart. Here’s my life. Here’s my sexuality. Here’s my gender identity. Here are my hobbies. Here are my aspirations. Here is my future. Here is my education. Here is my family. Here is my spouse. Here is my kids. I’m coming to give unto the Lord.”

See, we look at Cain and we look at Abel. And we look at Abel, and we realize that God received one and rejected the other, and there’s a propensity for us all to think that somehow we’re better than even Cain. I’m going to make the case that most of us are actually worse than Cain.

I’m going to draw this big line, and I’m gonna say you have no right to put yourself over on the side of the line with Abel. That we all need to hustle over to the side of the line with Cain. And maybe there’s even a line behind Cain, for those that are worse than Cain, and most of us should sit there.

What happens is this. The two men come to worship the Lord, two brothers. And at least Cain comes with something in his hand. Did you come today anticipating to give or do anything? Why are you here? Are you here to meet with God? Are you here for an audience of one? Are you here to connect with your Maker?

Are you here to give your sin and your life and your money and your time and your energy to God? If not, you’re not here to worship, you’re here to be worshiped. You’re here for me to entertain you. For the band to entertain you. For the people to serve you. For someone else to pick up the bills and pick up the trash when you leave, as they worship God. But because they were worshipping you, you feel as if you were God.

We look at Cain and Abel, and this issue of worship is very, very important. Cain and Abel both come to worship God. They both come with offerings in their hands. Each brings an offering that is in accordance with their vocation. Okay? He tells us that Abel is a herdsman. He is a rancher. He brings an animal sacrifice.

Cain is a farmer. He brings the first fruits of his farming – produce. They both bring first fruits because we’re supposed to bring first fruits to God. First fruits means we give first, before we pay any other bills. And also, we give best. God gets first and best.

And some people – I get this all the time. People think, “Why should I give God my money?” Is it your money? “Why should I give God my time?” Is it your time? “Why should I give God my body?” Is it your body? “Why should I give God my life?” Is it your life?

James says, “Every good and perfect gift comes from above.” Cain and Abel in the bringing of their offerings are saying, “God, I made money.” This is in a cashless, bartering society. This is money. And animal or produce, that’s income. They come to God saying, “This is from you, God. I’m recognizing that this is a gift from you, and I appreciate the fact that you’re sharing with me.”

See, we have this identity that everything we have is ours, and that God’s lucky if we share anything with him. God’s perspective is that everything belongs to him, and he’s lucky if he shares anything with us.

We’re looking at it, saying, “God, why do I give you 10 percent?” And God’s looking and saying, “Why do I give you 90?”

(Laughter)

Okay? It’s all ownership. And it’s faith, and it’s part of worship. Worship is sacrifice of life, time, talent, treasure. Cain and Abel both come. They both bring an offering. Now, some commentators say that God accepted Abel’s because it was an animal sacrifice, and God rejected Cain’s because it was a gift from the land.

The problem is, the law had not yet been given. And in addition, it doesn’t say that they brought a sacrifice. It says they brought an offering. An offering can be grain. It can be food. It can be an animal. It can be any one of a number of things. So, why does God accept Abel and reject Cain?

Both men came to worship – came to church. Both men came on the same day. Both men came with their hands full. Both men came with first fruits. Both men came to worship the same God. Both men came to the same place. Why would God look at Cain and say, “No,” and look at Abel and say, “Yes.” This is the theological question.

Much ink has been spilled. If we go to the New Testament, it sheds some light on this. In 1 John 3:12, it says that the reason why Cain was rejected was because he came to worship with jealousy in his heart against his brother. And Hebrews 11:4 says that Cain came with unbelief, an Abel came with faith.

Here’s the point. Here’s the point. How many of you came here tonight jealous of someone else in the room? You came not to meet with God, but to look at another person and compare your life to theirs. Cain’s problem in coming to worship was that he wasn’t there to meet with an audience of one. He was fixated on his brother – jealousy, sibling rivalry.

Some of you are here tonight and you are jealous because someone else is more attractive. You’re jealous because someone else is married. You who are married, some of you are jealous because other people are single.

(Laughter)

You’re jealous about that. Some of you come and you’re jealous because there’s people around you that have children, and you’re not able to conceive, or not yet able to be a parent. Some of you are jealous because other people’s lives seem to be going better than yours. Some people appear to be smarter. Or more attractive. Or more affluent. Or more educated. Or more blessed. Some people are healthy, and you’re sick.

And when we come to worship, if our goal is not to meet with God and to do business with God, and we instead become obsessed with the people around us, it’s the same problem that Cain had. He came jealously into worship. And in unbelief, Hebrews says. What that means is, he’s worshipping out of tokenism. He doesn’t really love God. He’s just doing his religious thing. Thinking, like some of you, “I went to church once in a while. I dropped ten bucks in the plate. I sang a song. I put up with Mark for an hour. Me and God are even. This is my penance.”

(Laughter)

Right? No. The problem is, when we look at Cain and Abel, there’s nothing wrong with what they bring in their hands. This is the difference between some of you giving online with a debit card, and some of you writing a check, and some of you using cash. It really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t – they came with good gifts in their hands.

And so, we’re looking at their hands, saying, “Why would God accept one brother and refuse the other?” It’s because it’s not what they brought in their hands, it’s what they brought in their hearts. Abel came with love for God and faith in God. Cain came with jealousy, and he came with unbelief.

And God, who knows the heart, judged the heart of Cain. Some of you are here tonight, and you think that just by virtue of coming to church, that God is okay. That by virtue of faking it externally so that you raise your hand when you sing, or you take communion, or you carry your Bible, or some other thing so the rest of us can see it, that you’re okay.

But God looks all the way down to the heart, and he’s saying, “Do they really know me? Do they really love me? Do they really care? Is this tokenism or worship? Is this platitude or reverence? Is this them being grateful for who I am and what I’ve done, or them looking at others and being jealous of what they don’t have?”

Cain’s problem is not what he brings in his hands. It’s what he brings in his heart. And some of us want to look at Cain and say, “Oh, that’s terrible. He came to worship with that in his heart.” Some of us don’t even come with anything in our hand, and we come with much worse in our heart.

God refuses to accept the worship of Cain. He accepts the worship of Abel. Cain, as it says, gets very angry. “What do you mean, God? I gave a tithe. I sang a song. I did something. I showed up. I went to church. I read the Bible for a whole minute, and my life isn’t working.”

Here’s what happens then. “The Lord says to Cain” – he warns him. Cain’s getting ready to run into sin, and the Lord warns him. The Lord still does this today through our conscience and the Holy Spirit, gives us a check. “The Lord says to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why are you angry?’” Just like God came to his father, Adam, and asked a number of questions in an attempt to elicit repentance, God does the same with Cain. “‘Why is your face downcast?’” He says, “I can see it on your face, Cain. You are frustrated. You’re angry. You’re mad. You’re jealous”

“‘If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?’” What God says is this, “I love you, and I’d be happy to accept your worship, but the problem is, you’re wicked and sinful and rebellious and unrepentant. And I see your heart, and it’s not good. It’s showing up on your face. It’s not pleasant. And until you deal with that, don’t think that I’m just going to wink at ya and tell you that everything’s fine, cause it’s not.”

“‘But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; desires to have you, but you must master it.’” What he’s saying is this, “Cain, I see your heart. Don’t think just ‘cause you went to church today, don’t think just ‘cause you prayed, just ‘cause you sang a song, ‘just cause you gave a few bucks, that leaving here you’ll be any different than when you came if you don’t deal with your sin while you’re here.”

As every week I preach sin and repentance of sin. Why? Because some people want to come to church and leave church, but then they go do wicked, deplorable, terrible, evil things. Why do they do that? Because they didn’t deal with their sin in worship. They didn’t come here to gather with the rest of us in God’s presence and allow their sin to be brought out and dealt with before God.

And God warns him. He says, “You better deal with your attitude. You better deal with your anger. You better deal with your jealousy.” And I’ll tell you what jealousy does, friends. It works itself out in three ways. One, you internalize it and get depressed. Two, you externalize it and get violent. That’s what Cain will do. Or three, you give it to God in repentance, and he alone takes it away.

That’s what God is telling him. “Cain, the sin is growing. You’re gonna go do something wicked. I’m warning you. Deal with it before it’s too late.” How many of you, God has warned you many times about your sin? God has convicted you, spoken to you, put his finger on it. Sometimes even coming to the church service and hearing the Word of God, and you leave unrepentant, unrelenting, and unchanged. And you go sin.

God loves you as much as he loved Cain, and he speaks to us, because he’s trying to save us from ourselves. So, here’s what Cain does. “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’” Seems like the thing two brothers would do. “And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” This is premeditated murder. Some will read that and they go, “I can’t believe that one brother would kill the other.”

If there were no police, if there was no law, if there were no jails, if there were no defense attorneys, no prosecuting attorneys, and we were in a society that was developing, would you kill anybody?

(Laughter)

You ever get jealous, angry, frustrated, mad and just say, “I wish I could just kill that person and move on with my life”? Some of you are looking at your spouse like, “That’s what I’m talking about right there.”

(Laughter)

This is what happens. Right? We get angry. We get frustrated. If we don’t repent of our jealousy, then we just try to kill – and this is exactly what Cain does. Cain kills Abel. Premeditated murder. He sets the whole thing up. “I’ll bring him out in the field where there’s no eyewitnesses. Maybe I’ll hide a weapon, murder him.” He’s probably got a shovel out there. He apparently buries the body. This is all premeditated, and he’s thinking, “Nobody saw it. Nobody saw it.”

Some of you will leave here and go sin, thinking that God doesn’t see. And your sin is already planned out and premeditated. You already have your scheme put together and your attempted cover-up. That’s why it’s so important when we come together that we investigate our hearts in worship and ask, “Why am I here? Am I here to meet with God? To deal with my sin? Or am I here to go through religious platitudes, to give the impression that everything is fine, hoping that people only look at what is in my hands, not what is in my heart? Am I here to try and fool God or placate God?”

That was Cain’s problem. “So, the Lord said to Cain” – God comes to him again, like he came to Adam – “‘Where is your brother Abel? Where’s your brother?’” Now, I got two sons. I can’t think of anything more devastating than one of my sons killing the other. I got two brothers. I can’t imagine how devastating it would be to murder your brother.

God comes to this guy to elicit repentance. “Cain, what have you done? Where is your brother?” He lies, “‘I don’t know,’ he replied.” And flippantly he says, “‘Am I my brother’s keeper? Am I his babysitter? Am I the designated driver? He’s a big boy. Do I need to look after him?” What Cain says is this, “I don’t know where he’s at, and it’s none of my business.”

He won’t repent of his sin. He won’t repent of his sin. And again, some of us will look at Cain – most of us have a proclivity to look at Cain and say, “What a terrible man.” Most Bible scholars will tell you that Cain is a bad guy, that Abel is a good guy. That you are Abel, not Cain. That all the people in your life that do terrible things to you are just like Cain. That you’re suffering unjustly. That you’re the good guy.

Let’s just get rid of that. Let’s move all of us over to the line, saying, “You know what? We’re all Cain.” Here’s my question, who are you killing? Who are you whittling away at? Who are you jealous of? Who are you bitter against? Who are you mad at? Who, if you could get away with it, you’d kill ‘em right now? If you could cover it up, if there was no system of justice, if you could get away with it, you would be no better than Cain.

Who with your words are you just destroying? Who with your deeds are you undermining? Who do you despise? Who do you hate? Who do you harm? See, there’s the propensity to think, “I’m Abel, and every time I get hurt, it’s those bad people like Cain.” Meanwhile, there’s a world filled with people who think you’re Cain.

(Laughter)

They’re saying, “You yell at me. You hurt me. You damage me. You wound me. You undermine me. You’re jealous of me. You’re bitter at me. You’re angry at me. You’re unfriendly toward me. You’re unkind to me.” Are they right? Friends, they are right. The story of Cain and Abel makes no sense unless you and I embrace the fact that we are all Cain.

We come to worship empty handed, empty hearted. We come to worship mad because someone else has or is something that we wish we had or were. We go to church, knowing that we’re gonna sin when we leave, and we already have premeditated plans to do so.

God speaks to us. We don’t pay any attention. We lie. We fight. We resist. We go do devastating, wicked and sinful things. Guys, we’re Cain. We’re totally Cain. We’re all Cain. Here’s the punishment. “The Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen!’” I love that statement. What God asks us all tonight is, “What are you doing? What are you doing? That’s not your money. That’s not your body. That’s not your life. These aren’t your days. Those are not your breasts. What are you doing? Those aren’t your hands. Those aren’t your eyes. That’s not your feet. Those are not your people. What are you doing?”

And what God says to Cain is this, “‘Listen!’” That’s God’s word to us all. Some of us just need to shut up. Some of us need to stop arguing, stop fighting, stop proof testing verses. Stop closing the Bible altogether just because we know what it says, and we don’t like it. Just listen. Do you see how gracious God is? God came to Cain. “I love you. You’re heart’s not right. I’m telling ya, you gotta deal with your sin.” He kills his brother.

God comes to him again, “I still love you. You should repent. What have you been doing?” Cain says, “Nothing. None of your business. Leave me alone.” God comes to him again, says, “Cain, listen. Listen to me.”

Some of you have hard from God, and not listened to him. Some of you read your Bible and don’t listen. Some of you come to church and you don’t listen. Some of you have wise counsel from brothers and sisters in Christ, and you don’t listen. And you’re just bound and determined to go do what you’re gonna do, which is death, destruction, devastation. And God lovingly speaks to us and says, “Listen. What are you doing? Listen to me. Stop fighting me. Stop rebelling against me. Stop distrusting me. Stop mistrusting me.”

God is a good God, friends, and when he speaks, it’s to save us from ourselves. He should have learned this lesson from his parents. God told his parents, “Don’t sin.” They sinned. Now these boys are born east of Eden. They’re born outside of the garden. They’re born away from God.

“Don’t just hear the Word and so deceive yourselves,” James says. “Do what it says. Listen.” Some of you think that by accumulating biblical knowledge, you are growing closer to God. Not if you don’t do what it says and listen to the counsel you receive.

“‘Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.’” Apparently, he buried his brother’s body. “‘Now, you are under a curse’” – just like his daddy – “‘and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.’”

What he says is this, “Cain, you’ve defiled the dirt. You murdered your brother. You threw his blood in the ground. You have dishonored the dirt, and now the dirt is going to rebel against you. You’re a farmer. Farming’s gonna get a lot harder for you.” Ecological implications for human sin. That’s where Romans 8 says that the whole creation groans and yearns for liberation because of our sin.

What he says is this, “Cain, you’re such a bad guy, the dirt’s holier than you are. And the dirt is very sickened by what you have done. The dirt is crying out for justice, and you still won’t repent.” When the dirt beats you to a guilty conscience, you are hard hearted.

(Laughter)

Right? God says, “Even the rocks can cry out for testimony if need be.” And what God says is this, “This is a trial. I’m asking you questions. Cain, you need to repent. And if you don’t think there’s any witnesses, I’ll haul the dirt in, and the dirt will speak. And it will say, ‘We were there, all of us rocks. We were there, and Cain killed Abel. We saw the whole thing. And he defiled our plot of land.’”

The next verse is the most important in the whole chapter, the whole narrative. We’re all Cain. We’re all wicked, stubborn, hard-hearted, rebellious. We come to worship empty handed, empty hearted. God comes over and over and over and over to Cain. Here, Cain speaks. Here we see the heart of Cain.

How you interpret this verse determines how you interpret the rest of Genesis 4. There are two options. Mine is the minority view. I will share it with you, as I said previously. You can disagree with me. That’s okay.

But here are the two options. One, Cain is whining about his sin. “Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is more than I can bear.’” What is he saying? Is he saying, “God, that’s too much. I know I killed my brother, but you know, do I need to have weeds in my farm?” This would be Cain whining to God because he murdered Abel, didn’t repent, and God punished him, and he’s whining about his punishment.

Or, he’s repenting of his sin. The word their for punishment in the Hebrew text is the same word for sin. Sometimes, it means sin. Sometimes it means the penalty or punishment of sin. The question is, is he whining about his punishment, or is he repenting of his sin?

Is he saying, “God, you don’t need to punish me. My sin is more than I can bear. I’m feeling, I’m embracing the weight, the gravity, the intensity of my sin. God, it just dawned on me, I killed my brother. We were the first two children born in human history. The first man to die was my brother. He didn’t die of old age or a terrible accident. He died from my hand. I’m the big brother. Mom always said, ‘Look after him. Take care of him. Protect him. Don’t let anybody hurt him. You’re his big brother. Stick up for him.’ And I murdered him.

“We went for a walk. He didn’t even see it coming. I whacked him over the head. I shed his blood. I dug a hole. I buried his body. Now I will raise my children and they will never know their uncle. Now I will have to go tell my mother and father that Abel is not coming home because I murdered him. When I go to my parent’s house for dinner, his chair will be perennially empty. And I’ll be reminded that I killed my brother.

“When the holidays come and we get together, I will be reminded that he is not there because I murdered him.” I believe at this point, God through persistent questioning finally cracked the hard shell of Cain’s heart. I believe that Cain is not saying, “I don’t want to be punished.” I believe Cain is saying this to God, “My sin is more than I can bear. There is nothing you could do to punish me that is worse than what I have already done – slay my own brother, tell my parents, and live my life without him.”

You can disagree with me, and many of you will. But I believe at this moment, Cain is coming to repentance. I’ll give you some reasons why, and I’ll let some of the story out in advance. One, God has told him, “You’re gonna be a wanderer.” God doesn’t make him wander – he gives him a city. Two, God blesses him. He gets a wife, kids, his mama has a new baby boy, so he has another brother. God marks him as his possession, protects him all the days of his life.

In addition, we’ll see at the end of the chapter, that in that day, men began to call on the name of the Lord. A huge revival breaks out. If my theory is true, then he is the Old Testament Paul. Think this through with me. Paul was a man who worshipped God with the right things in his hand, but the wrong things in his heart. Angry, violent, jealous, self-righteous, and proud.

His Jewish brothers, who loved the Lord Jesus, were worshipping the right God in the right way, and rather than repenting of his own sin and unbelief, he murdered them. We see that he murdered Steve in the book of Acts. What happens then is that God comes to Paul, just as Paul came to Cain. God asked questions for him. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? What are you doing? It’s me; it’s Jesus.”

Saul/Paul comes to repentance. He comes to faith in Jesus. He gets saved. He becomes a Christian. He then goes on to tell his story of how good God is. And how merciful God is. And how patient God is. And how loving God is. How forgiving God is. And a revival breaks out. And we’re here today as part of Paul’s legacy.

If my hypothesis is true, Cain is repenting of his sin, and he is the Old Testament Paul. And that when people look at his long life, they realize, “If God could forgive him, God could forgive me. If God will put up with him, God will put up with me. If God is patient with him, God is patient with me. If God is merciful to him, God will be merciful to me.”

We’ll keep going, and I’ll see if I can convince you on this point, so that there’s two of us that hold it. Verse 14, here’s what Cain says, “Today you are driving me from the land,” – you’re kicking me out of my home – “and I will be hidden from your presence;” – that doesn’t sound like a godless man. That’s a man saying, “God, you’re never gonna let me come into your presence again. You’re gonna never let me worship you again. I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me. Not only that, I’m gonna get murdered. People are gonna do to me as I did to Abel.”

This is Cain finally waking up. When we sin, friends, we lose sight of the consequences of what we are doing. Cain all of a sudden wakes up and says, “I have killed my brother. I’m gonna have to go tell my parents. I’m gonna have to move away from my home. I’m gonna have to go live in the woods as a fugitive. I’m never gonna be able to worship God again. He won’t let me into his presence, and someone will eventually track me down and kill me.”

Before we judge Cain too harshly, before we look down on him in self-righteous indignation and say, “What a wicked man, what a terrible man” let me ask you this. What if today, God just got sick of you? God said, “You know, you’ve been coming to Mars Hill – you never gave anything. You’ve been coming to Mars Hill – you never did anything. You got a Bible, but you really don’t read it, and the parts you do read, you don’t listen to ‘em. You pretend like you’re a very spiritual, pious, self-righteous and holy person, but I know what’s in your heart – lust and greed and jealousy and envy and arrogance and pride. Even while you’re sitting in church, you’re jealous of other people, thinking of what you’re gonna do with your sin when you leave.”

What if God came to you today and said, “You know what? Here’s the deal. I’m done with you. You are kicked out. I’m taking your house. I’m taking your friends. I’m taking your family. Don’t pray to me; I’m not listening. Don’t worship me; I’m not receiving it. Don’t beg me for forgiveness or help; I’m cutting you off. And by the way, that Bible you carry around, I’m taking that out of your hands, too, and I’ll give it to somebody who’ll actually use the thing, ‘cause you never do.”

Imagine if God just got just with you today. Just came to the end of his tether, “You’re on your own now. You think it’s your body? You think it’s your money? You think those are your friends? You think that’s your house? You think that’s your life? You think that’s your health? You think that’s your Bible? You think that’s your church? Those are mine. I’ve been sharing with you. And you’re not worshipping me. So, I’m taking it away.”

This finally dawns on Cain, that his whole life is a gift of God. Everything he has is a gift of God. And he’s been angry and mad and violent and frustrated with God, and he’s realizing, “What do I have to be angry about? I’m a wicked man. I’ve done a wicked thing.”

So, here’s what God says, to Cain, “But the Lord said to him,” – verse 15 – “‘Not so;’” – do you see a good God there?

Response: Amen

Do you see a good God? There’s a good God, merciful God, gracious God, loving God, patient God. “‘Not so;’” – man, isn’t it great, guys, that we have the real God? You know, Cain was frustrated ‘cause God wasn’t the way he wanted him to be. Okay, here’s the deal, the God we have is the God we’re stuck with for better or for worse. I don’t believe in this deal where you get to nip, tuck, give God plastic surgery and make him look like you want theologically.

What Cain – his problem was, God was the real God, and God wouldn’t allow Cain to dictate the terms of the relationship. And Cain was mad at Abel, and Cain had anger and sin in his heart, and Cain was mad that this was a God who was loving and gracious and kind to Abel. Well, now God’s gonna be loving and gracious and kind to him. Praise God that Cain got the real God – not the God that he wanted.

Praise God that the got the loving, gracious, merciful, patient, generous God – not a God who was like Cain, just out crushing people that he was unhappy with. And this loving, gracious, true God says, “‘Not so;’” – here’s the deal – “‘if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.’” Who’s gonna protect Cain? God. God says, “No, Cain, you’re my possession. You belong to me. I’m gonna protect you. I’m gonna look after you. No one will harm you.”

“Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.” No one knows what the mark of Cain is. A lot of people speculate. Gerhard von Rad, one of the great reform theologians says it was the first tattoo, which makes him the prototypical indie rocker. I have no idea. You know?

(Laughter)

I don’t know if it was like a “Don’t mess with Cain,” instead of Texas thing, or what. I don’t know what it was. You know? But as he’s walking around, a lot of guys would be like, “Isn’t that Cain? Didn’t he kill his brother? We should slaughter him.” And they’d look, and they’d say, “Property of Yahweh, do not touch. I’m serious.” You know, like, “Okay.”

(Laughter)

Like, “Okay.” So, Cain’s protected. He’s marked as God’s possession. There is consequence. “So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.” In Genesis, this theme of going east of Eden means you’re getting farther away from God. They go east to Babylon. Then they go east to Sodom and Gomorrah. Eventually, they get to Bellevue, it just gets worse.

(Laughter)

Didn’t see that coming.

(Laughter)

It’s getting a little heavy. You’re all just like, “Man, he’s really making me feel bad.” So, I gotta throw in a little comedy to get you through this.

(Laughter)

“Cain lay with his wife,” – where’d she come from? A lot of people are like, Cain, Abel, and then there’s a gal. Well, we know she wasn’t created directly by God, otherwise she wouldn’t have had a sin nature, and she’d be here to tell us what happened. This was probably his sister or a close relative – hillbilly redneck, little chunk of Kentucky right there in the Promised Land.

(Laughter)

Anyways, he gets with his wife. She becomes pregnant, gives birth to Enoch. Is God blessing Cain? “You’re not gonna die. No one will harm you. Here’s a wife. Here’s a son.” God’s blessing him. Cain was then building a city. He lets him build a city. This is the precursor to the Cities of Refuge elsewhere in the Pentateuch, and he named it after his son Enoch.

Now, it really looks like God loves Cain, doesn’t it? No one’s gonna hurt you. Here’s your wife. Here’s your kids. You’re gonna have to move away from your parents, but that’s okay. You can establish a city, a great urban center. The cultural mandate that we looked at in Genesis 1 is getting fulfilled. Here comes the first urban center.

“To Enoch was born Irad.” Irad was the father of this other guy. This other guy was the father of this other guy. And this other guy was the father of Lamech.

(Laughter)

Okay? So, we’ll talk about Lamech. This is interesting. “Lamech married two women,” – which is, depending upon your perspective, one or two too many.

(Laughter)

“He married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.” So, apparently Lamech has women covered from A to Z, is what it’s trying to tell us.

(Laughter)

Lamech gets two wives. Now, this is the first occurrence in the Bible of polygamy, one person having multiple spouses. What you don’t see is a woman having multiple husbands. Because, eventually, she would only have one – and there would be a huge stack of bodies in the yard, ‘cause men don’t put up with that.

(Laughter)

Now somehow, some of these guys get to take multiple wives. Now, some people look at it and they say, “Well, there was people in the Bible with multiple wives. Well, there’s people in the Bible who kill themselves, too. There’s all kinds of things in the Bible. Just because it’s in the Bible doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. A lot of what’s in the Bible is a bad idea, that’s why it’s in the Bible – don’t do that.

(Laughter)

Okay. Now, should we have multiple wives? No. The ladies are like, “No.”

(Laughter)

A couple reasons why we don’t believe in polygamy, as some Christian cultic offshoots do. One, when it said in Genesis 1, “It’s not good for the man to be alone,” God’s answer was one wife for the man. And the foundation of marriage was one man, one woman, one flesh. That’s the foundation.

Additionally, as polygamy continues in Genesis, does it reap good results? No, because this lady has these kids, this lady has these kids. They compete and fight. Next thing you know, they grow up to nations, and then we have Arabian and Israeli conflicts. Many of the world’s wars today go all the way back to the book of Genesis, where this guy slept with this gal and this gal, and the sons were fighting over the rights of the firstborn. We’ll get into that in Genesis.

So, it doesn’t go well. Additionally, one of the reasons we don’t believe in polygamy is in I Timothy 3, the qualifications for a New Testament elder are to be a one-woman man. And that’s the pattern for the Church.

And lastly, Jesus is a groom, and the Bible says that his bride is the Church, and Jesus has only one bride. He’s not married to other religions. As Jesus has one bride, so a man is to have one bride. Now, how many of you, when you look at this, though, with Lamech, you’re kind of disgusted by it? Like, “That’s sick.”

(Laughter)

Okay, let me hammer this for ya. With Lamech and Cain, we are seeing the worst days of their life, and the worst parts of their life. This is one of the reasons that I know that the Bible is inspired by God, because people wouldn’t divulge this kind of information willingly or on their own. You would not tell anybody about the worst day of your life. You certainly wouldn’t write it down in great detail.

We look at Cain, and we’re seeing the worst day of his life. We’re looking at Lamech, and we’re seeing the worst event in his life. We don’t know if they coached little league, or walked little ladies across the street, or ran a canned food drive, or volunteered time at the soup kitchen. We don’t now anything about these guys, other than Cain’s a murderer, and Lamech’s a pervert. That’s all we got.

But aren’t you glad – aren’t you glad that the Bible is an honest book, and it shows us exactly who we are, apart from God’s work of grace, to transform us and to make us into something different?

Aren’t you glad that the Bible’s an honest book? And what I would submit to you is this, before we look at Cain and say, “Oh, my gosh, what a terrible man,” we gotta ask, “What if God took the worst day of your life and threw it in Genesis? My worst day would make Cain look like Billy Graham. My worst day would make Lamech look like the Apostle Paul. I mean, you know what? I’ve had much sin in my life, many bad days, and things that I am totally ashamed of and that I’m glad that I don’t have to talk about all the time.

You’ve got those days. You’ve got those sins. I think we need to be very careful before we play good cop/bad cop with Lamech and with Cain. Do you want to know why Lamech’s better than you, just like Cain’s better than you? I mean, if you’re not feeling bad, I’ll just reiterate my point.

(Laughter)

Lamech is better than most of you, just as Cain is better than most of you. At least when Cain came to worship, he came and gave. And Lamech, at least, before he had sex with a woman, he married her.

[Clapping]

Right? I got one clap from the virgin. The rest of you are not happy.

(Laughter)

Right?

See, in that culture, before you got to see a woman naked or touch her or have sex with her, you had to marry her. We look at Lamech, we go, “That’s nasty.” How many people have you been with? You didn’t marry the people you slept with. We sleep with people. We make out with people. We serial date people. We live with people. We fornicate with people. We get married. We get divorced. We move on to other people. We go to strip clubs and look at people. Gals read romance novels, fantasize about other men. Men download porno from the Internet. Women look at porno, too. And we say, “Well, golly, Lamech’s nasty.”

(Laughter)

At least he got married. At least he said, “Well, before I have sex with you, we’ll be in relationship and we’ll live together. You can have my last name, and I’ll put a roof over your head, and I’ll take good care of ya.” See, we gotta be very careful. I think we’re worse than Cain and worse than Lamech. And we come to the text and say, “Lamech’s nasty, and Cain’s vile.” Really? If I took the worst day of your life – if I took your sexual history, put it up on the screen, you’re gonna look at Lamech and go, “I’m gonna go to his small group, ‘cause he could teach me a thing or two.”

(Laughter)

“‘Cause he only had sex with two people. How do you do that?” Right? I mean, I tell you what. I’m not a guy who looks at Lamech with a lot of condemnation, ‘cause I didn’t come into marriage sexually pure. And I’m a guy who’s got his own stuff that before Christ I’m totally ashamed and embarrassed of, and mortified by. But I think we need to be as honest as the Bible is honest. Not to celebrate our sin or to excuse or to justify, but just to say, “You know what? Apart from God doin’ something, this is who we really are. We’re just jealous people, going through spiritual platitudes, that have anger and violence in our heart, and have perversion on our mind. And that’s who we are unless God does a work.”

I think that’s the great point of Genesis 4. Okay, Lamech is not a great guy. He’s a godless man. But honestly, there’s guys in this room that have had sex with more women and have had a mental pornographic harem that is far larger than his. And there are women in the room who have given themselves away without even the dignity of becoming a bride.

“Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock.” What you’re seeing here is that human culture and civilization and urbanization just continues forward. There’s just development. This is the farmers and the ranchers and the shepherds.

“His brother’s name was Jubal;” – we get jubilee from the same root word – “he was the father of all who play the harp and the flute,” – and indie rock and punk rock and drums and base and guitar and whatever else there is. I don’t know. This is the beginning of music. How many of you love songs and songwriting and music? Right? That all comes from this guy, Jubal. He is the first musician in the Bible. These instruments that he creates are later used in the book of Psalms for worship.

I think the point here is we don’t know if he’s a godly man or an ungodly man. What God seems to say, though, is, “Well, I’ll just use whatever is good in worship.” That means I don’t care if non-Christians made subwoofers and rock music or hip-hop or base guitars – I don’t care. We could just use that, plug it in for Jesus. It doesn’t matter who made it. It matters how it’s used.

I don’t know if it was a godly or an ungodly man who’s the father of the chair, but I sit in one, and I praise the Lord.

(Laughter)

And so many times churches go, “Well, that doesn’t have a godly origin.” Nothing does! We’re all wicked. Everything we make comes from a sinner. Right? And we can redeem and reclaim things for worship – video, music, sound, light – it all comes through the line of Jubal.

Later on, we’ll remember him and we’ll kick up the band and do a little hillbilly redneck love for ya. “Zillah had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.”

Any of you guys got tools? Thank Tubal-Cain. Some of you guys got power tools. Praise the Lord for power tools. Tubal-Cain created the first tools. He was the Snap-On guy in his day. That’s who Tubal-Cain was. Right?

Now, we have this view of history through our secular evolution that says basically it was Java man and Cro-Magnon man, and then whoever man – no, it just says that God made Adam and Eve as mature adults. Immediately, their offspring start building cities, developments in agriculture, technology, music, art, song writing, musicianship – it doesn’t take a long evolutionary period for people to act like human beings, because they’re made as image bearers of God, and they have this ability in them.

This guy starts making tools. If we’re gonna make a city, we need some tools. We’re gonna forge instruments? We need tools. We’re gonna build homes? We need tools. If we’re gonna farm, we need tools. He starts working with bronze and iron. He starts making tools. He’s a tool maker.

It goes on to tell a little bit about human history. “Lamech said to his wives,” – Lamech, here he comes again, what a great guy – “‘Adah and Zillah, listen to me;’” – man, this guy has got an inflated view of self. Before, God says, “Listen to me,” and Lamech comes, and he says, “No, ‘listen to me, wives of Lamech,’” – this guy’s – he’s just a wee bit chauvinist. You get that impression? These aren’t, “Ladies,” these are, “wives of Lamech.”

(Laughter)

That’s a little weird way to refer to your wives. “‘Hear my words.’” Lamech will now speak. Here’s what he says. He sings a song, he basically worships himself, that’s what he does. “‘I have killed a man for wounding me,’” I got a paper cut, and I put his teeth through the back of his neck.

(Laughter)

He cut me off in traffic, and I ripped his head off his neck.

(Laughter)

I’m Lamech, and you are the wives of Lamech.

(Laughter)

“‘Not only that, a young man for injuring me.’” One of those high school football kids. Thought he was tough – old man Lamech killed him. This guy has got a little arrogance about him. This is Lamech’s way of dealing with the sin problem. Just kill everybody who makes you mad. Just be this chauvinistic, bully, jerk, thug. Any of you tried that, gentlemen? This was who I was before Christ. I fought all the time.

Some of you – “Are you looking at me?” Then you punch them in the mouth. Why? I have no idea, ‘cause that’s just the descendants of the idiot Lamech. Just get violent and thuggish. “I could kill you.” Why? “Because I can.”

(Laughter)

Lamech is a guy who’s just violent, thuggish, bloodthirsty. What he says is this, “‘If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.” Now, who’s avenging Cain? God. What’s Lamech saying? “You think God’s tough? I’m Lamech.” How many guys today think that Jesus is a wuss and they’re tougher than he was? How many guys aren’t even scared of God? “I’m not scared of God. I’m tough. I’m strong. I’m thuggish. I’m a man. I can fight. I can hold my own. If God’ll protect him seven times – I tell you what’s better than God, Lamech.”

(Laughter)

Really? Jesus mocks Lamech in Matthew 18:12. They come to Jesus and they say, “If somebody sins against you, how many times should you forgive them?” What does Jesus say? “Seventy times seven.” That’s Jesus’ way of – right in Lamech’s eye.

(Laughter)

Lamech thinks he’s so tough, and he’ll just go out and slaughter 490 men. Why don’t you go forgive 490 men to show that you understand grace because you’ve been forgiven by God. Lamech can’t deal with the sin problem. You see what we’re finding so far? How are we gonna deal with the sin problem? Well, let’s be rural and live in a garden. Didn’t work. Let’s be urban, live in a city. No, didn’t work. Let’s be feminists like Eve. No, didn’t work. Let’s be chauvinists like Lamech. Nah, didn’t work.

Let’s get married, that’ll civilize us, and have some kids. No, that didn’t work. Let’s have advancements and technology so that we can improve the human condition. No, that didn’t work. Let’s increase the entertainment industry and sexual perversion so that we can distract ourselves from sinning. No, that didn’t work.

Here’s what does work. “Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, ‘God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.’” Eve learns her lesson. She’s not boasting any more, is she? She’s not saying, “The Lord has made a man and I have made a man.” What she’s saying is, “God gave me a son. I’m not gonna boast. I’m not gonna fix the sin problem. I’m not gonna redeem the earth. I’m not gonna straighten out everything I’ve made crooked. God has allowed me to be a mother, and I’m gonna raise this boy.”

Eve gets humble. Eve honors the Lord. Eve learns her lesson. Cain seems to have learned his lesson. Eve learns her lesson. They both repent. They both change their attitude. They both stop trying to control God, and they trust him by faith.

“Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.” And, “At that time” – what happened, friends? One of the great lines in Genesis. What happened? “Men” – this is humanity, men and women – “began to call on the name of the Lord.”

“At that time” – what time? The time when bloodthirsty, arrogant, self-righteous men like Lamech were out slaughtering people unjustly. At the time when perversion and promiscuity was running rampant. At a time when the land of Nod was the big city, and everybody was moving there, ‘cause there was new technology and new urbanization and new development and prosperity to be made. And because sex could be had, and the bands were great, and the club scene was great, and the music industry was going nuts.

Does this sound like anywhere you’ve been? Friends, we live in the land of Nod, filled with chauvinists and feminists and perverts and musicians and technological advancement in the arts. Technological advancements in computers, in industry. We live in the land of Nod. Definitely east of Eden.

In that day, in that time, in that place, those people, those sick, disgusting, degraded, defiled, sinful, wicked people began to do something that no one would have ever expected. They began calling out to God. And a huge revival broke out. These people realized, “We can’t save ourselves. We can’t fix ourselves. Technology, entertainment, sexuality, marriage, children, urbanization, development will not take away our sin. We need God.”

And I believe they look at the life of Cain, and they realize, “Here is the first man born. He’s the father of us all. We all descend from him. He murdered his brother. He covered it up. He denied it. He rebelled against God, and God loved him. And God forgave him. And God embraced him. And God changed his heart. And God blessed him.”

And we’re here as part of his legacy, that we are part of the blessing that came to Cain. We are his offspring and his descendants. And just like he repented and cried out to God, so we, too, will repent and cry out to his God. And I believe it’s the same thing that happens in Genesis 50:20, where Joseph’s brothers sell him into slavery.

And Joseph looks at them, and he says, “What you meant for evil, God used for good and the saving of many lives.” I believe that Cain meant evil, and that God used it for good. And he used the story of that merciful grace that he showered upon Cain for the saving of many lives, and many began calling out to God.

Friends, it’s so important to me that you understand this text. There is a propensity for the moralizing of the Old Testament to say, “Cain is a bad guy. Abel’s a good guy. You’re all Abel. Everybody who doesn’t like you is Cain. And that everybody out there is Cain.”

You know who kills us, hurts us, harms us, wounds us? Those who are brothers and sisters or brothers and sisters in Christ. Friends, our biggest problem is not terrorists and world war, though it is a real and imminent threat. The biggest threat is us. Our blood relatives, our spiritual relatives, those people that we are supposed to eat dinner with and love – we hurt each other. We kill each other. We wound each other. We harm one another. We destroy one another.

And there’s a propensity, because we’ve all been wounded and hurt, we’ve all been betrayed. We’ve all been taken advantage of. We’ve all been made to despair – to think, “You know what? I’m the righteous Abel, not the unrighteous Cain.” It is so important that we all see ourselves as Cain. That we all see ourselves as Lamech. That we all see ourselves as the unrepentant Eve before she learned her lesson.

To embrace that this is who we truly are – jealous, angry, petty, self-righteous, violent, mean, perverted, and proud. That we come to worship empty handed, and even if our hands are full, oftentimes our hearts are wicked. And much of our sin is not innocence, it is premeditation, as much as Cain’s murder of his own brother.

And if you would, just give me a few minutes. What I’d like to do is I’d like to tie the story of Cain and Abel to Jesus. Because, friends, if we are Cain, Jesus is Abel. You see that? The Bible is not about good guys and bad guys. It’s about bad guys and Jesus. That’s what it’s about.

And we will be loath if we regrettably overlook the fact that we are not the hero of the story, that the story continues, and that ultimately, Jesus is Abel and we are Cain. Here’s my point. Was Cain the firstborn in all creation? Yes. Is Jesus Christ the firstborn over all creation, and thereby greater than Cain? Yes. Colossians 1:15 says, that “He” – that’s Jesus – “is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”

See, the hope was in a son, because God had promised a son. Well, the problem was that Cain was born as firstborn in creation. Jesus is firstborn, which is preeminence, best, and highest over all creation.

Second thing, God told Cain in Genesis 4:7, “Sin wants to rule you. You need to conquer it.” Did sin beat Cain, or did Cain beat sin? Sin beat Cain. Jesus comes. Did he beat sin, or did sin beat him? He beat sin. Hebrews 4:15, “He was tempted in every way, as we are.” He was tempted just like Cain.

You don’t think that after loving Judas Iscariot for three years, feeding him, clothing him, loving him, embracing him, when he found out that Judas was going to do to him what Cain did to Abel, that he didn’t want to preemptively strike and murder that man? You don’t think that there was anger on the cross when he was being tortured and tormented, and people were crying out for his death? You don’t think that he was tempted to kill? You don’t think he was tempted to harm others? To see his own immediate justice, which would have been right? And he didn’t.

He was tempted to sin, as we are tempted to sin. He was as tempted to be a pervert as Lamech. He was tempted to be as proud and arrogant as Lamech. He was tempted to be as self-righteous as Eve. He was tempted to be as jealous and mean-spirited and petty as Cain. But he never was. He resisted every temptation. And where sin conquered Cain, Jesus conquered sin.

Thirdly, Cain and Abel were both sons of whom? Adam. The point is that a human being can’t save us. Jesus Christ was the son of God. So, he can save us. In John 10:36, Jesus simply said, “I am God’s son.” Our hope can’t be in our children, in the next generation to save us. Hope must be not in our sons, but in the Son of God.

Fifthly, Cain killed the innocent Abel. Was Abel innocent? Yes. Jesus says in Matthew that he was a righteous man. Cain killed Abel. We killed Jesus. Did you kill Jesus. Some of you didn’t know this. You murdered Jesus just as certainly as Cain murdered Abel.

You’re a murderer. It says in Romans 4:25, “He was delivered over to death for our sins.” When Jesus died, he died as a substitute for my sin. I murdered Jesus. Had I not sinned, Jesus would not have needed to die. I’m a murderer, with hands as bloody as Cain’s.

Cain murdered his brother, Abel. Is Jesus your brother? Is Jesus my brother? He is. Romans 8, “For those he foreknew, he predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, so that we might be the firstborn among many brothers.” Jesus is my brother. Jesus is my sinless, perfect brother, the Son of God, who became a man. And I murdered my brother.

I can’t look at Cain and shake my finger. I need to stand with Cain, condemned – just as wicked and vile and evil as he. When Abel worshipped God, did he give his first fruits, his first and best? He did. When God gave Jesus, did he give his first fruits, his first and best? He did.

The reason we worship God is not because he’s demanding his first fruits, but because he’s already given his first fruits. I Corinthians 15:23 says that Jesus Christ is the first fruits of God. He is first and best. Friends, God has given you his only begotten Son, your brother, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has given you his best to redeem you. Not just the son of Adam, but the Son of God, and we have murdered him.

Abel’s death was the first human death. Jesus’ resurrection was the first resurrection in conquest of death. And lastly, did Abel’s blood cry out from the ground? It did, didn’t it? Does Jesus’ blood cry out from the ground today? It does. Hebrews 12:24 says that Jesus’ blood cries out a better word than Abel’s blood. Did you know that?

Jesus’ blood cries out to you today. See, Abel’s blood cried out in defeat. Jesus’ blood cries out in victory. Abel’s blood cried out in death. Jesus’ blood cries out in resurrection. Abel’s blood cried out for justice. Jesus’ blood shows that justice was met at the cross, when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our brother, allowed us to murder him, and in so doing, he cried out, “Father, forgive them,” and we were forgiven.

And Jesus’ blood cries out a better word than Abel. It’s not just the word of injustice or death or sin. It’s the word of forgiveness and life and love and peace and joy and hope. That our hope is not to be found in sons or daughters, in sexuality or technology. It’s not to be found in generations of progress, in urbanization or ruralization. It’s not to be found in anything less than the Son of God. And his blood cries out a better word than the word of Abel.

Guys, it’s so important to me that you don’t just come here every week and just hear, but you listen. Our only hope is Jesus. Your only hope is Jesus. We live in the land of Nod. We’re the sons of Cain and Lamech. We’re the daughters of Eve.

When God grabbed Cain and made him his own possession, what did he do to demarcate that Cain belonged to him? He marked him, didn’t he? If you repent of your sin and come to faith in the Lord Jesus – don’t come to worship like Cain initially did in unbelief, but come in belief, come in faith, come in trust of the Lord Jesus. Listen to God and confess your sin, and take responsibility for the things that you have done and failed to do.

When you do that, will God mark you as his possession? What does it say in Ephesians 1, dear friends? What does it say? “You were also included in Christ,” – the Son of God – “when you heard the word of truth” – you listened to God, finally – “the Gospel of your salvation” – the story about Jesus. “Having believed, you were” – what? – “marked in him” – that’s Jesus – “with” – what? – “the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit.

The mark of a believer is the Spirit of God taking up residence in that person, giving us new life. Teaching us. Leading us. Guiding us. Convicting us. Empowering us for service. Enabling us to live good lives. To fall in love. To have children. To work jobs. To sing songs. To create. To build a culture that glorifies God right here in the land of Nod.

My point in this, friends, is that Genesis is not just about what happened. It’s about what always happens. We live in the land of Nod, and this is a day when very few are calling on the name of the Lord. And many of those who do come to worship, come with empty hands or hardened hearts.

I love you very much. I break over this stuff all week. I love our city. I’m just broken and devastated over the condition of our land of Nod. I’m broken that people are like Lamech, just violent, bloodthirsty, arrogant, and proud, perverted. Just throwing themselves into technological advancement. Throwing themselves into entertainment for diversion rather than worship. That those who come to worship come with nothing in their hands, with premeditation in their hearts, jealousy, and anger, and bitterness, wondering why their life is not the way that they intended. Because who is God? Not doing what he has told, not obeying the orders that he’s been giving.

And God is a good God, who comes to us today. “Listen! What have you done? Where are you going? Why would you resist me? Why would you fight? Don’t you see what I’ve done in the life of Cain? Don’t you see what I’ve done in the life of Eve? Don’t you see what I did in the land of Nod? Don’t you see what I’d like to do for you? Don’t you see what I would like to do for your city?”

All it takes is a few people who call out to God, “Forgive me. Save me. Change me. I’ll stop fighting you.” Guys, are we gonna call on the name of the Lord together? Are we gonna sing to Jesus today? Are we gonna go in the legacy of Jubal and throw a party? Are we gonna give to God today? Are we gonna – you know what you give him first? Your sin. First things first, give him your sin. That’s repentance.

Get some time in your seat, your head in your hands, just looking at it, going, “God, if you took my worst days and my worst sins and put ‘em in a book and told the story, it would be worse than what I read today. Forgive me. Save me from myself.”

Some of you will become a Christian today. You’re gonna stop running, stop hiding, stop fighting. You’re gonna realize that God is a good God, and that you are a bad person. And it’s really not more complicated than that. And you will realize that there’s no hope in civilization or humanity, apart from Jesus, the Son of God, who comes without sin to conquer sin and death.

Give him your sin. Some of you who are fake and phony Christians, that play games with God and worry about cleaning the outside of your cup, while the inward self is just decay. I want you to be broken. I want you to be humble. I want you to be repentant. I want you to feel the weight of your sin. I want you to sit there like Cain and say, “God, if you took away your blessing, I would have nothing. Everything I have is yours, and everything you’ve given, I’ve used wrongly.”

And I want you to come to the end of yourself, and I want you, instead of boasting in yourself, I want you to start crying out to God, “Love me. Save me. Heal me. Mark me. Own me. Forgive me. Take me back. Don’t cast me away from your presence.”

When you’ve done that, when you’re ready, you can come and give your tithes and offerings. You can partake of communion, remembering the Lord Jesus. You can pray, you can sing, you can cry. And don’t worry about what other people think of you. If you need to shed your tears, shed your tears. If you need to raise your hands, raise your hands.

We come here to meet with an audience of one. And if we don’t, we will leave here and go sin, because we haven’t dealt with what is already in our hearts before we departed, and that’s not why we gather. I’ll pray for you.

Lord Jesus, here we sit. God, I’m worse than Cain, and I’m worse than Lamech, and I’m worse than Eve. And God, we all are. God, we even come to the Bible and we want to see good guys and bad guys, and we want to wear the white hat. We want to think that everybody’s against us, but we’re just like you. And the truth is, God, there’s a world filled with people who would declare otherwise, because we have hurt them greatly, and they see us as Cain, not Abel.

And God, even if what is in our hands looks good, you know what’s in our hearts. God, we pray for our city, this great land of Nod. We pray, God, that many would call out, cry out to you. That they would come to the ends of themselves, and that there they would find you.

My God, we pray it would begin with us. Not rising up to condemn others, but in humble repentance to bow our head, to bend our knee, to receive your merciful grace as an example that you are a God who puts up with us all. That you are a God who seeks and loves and pursues us all. You are a God who patiently cries out for us to listen. You are a God who repeatedly seeks to compel us to repentance.

That God, if there is any hero in the story, it is you and you alone. And God, we stand here on the other side of the line as the children of Cain, as the sons of Lamech, and the daughters of Eve. God, I pray that the ladies would learn their lesson as Eve did, and that the men would learn their lesson as Cain did.

And that, God, when it comes to dealing with men like Lamech, we would take Jesus’ words, and we would forgive 70 times 7, showing that grace is more powerful than violence, and that forgiveness is the most powerful force on the earth, because nothing can overcome love.

God, we cry out to you tonight. Would you save us from ourselves? For those who are not Christians, would you please, Lord God, mark them with your Holy Spirit? God, for those who are Christians, but their lives are wicked, would you bring them to the place of repentance, where you could do a good work and bless them as you blessed Cain? Not in their sin, but after they’ve repented of it, so they could begin anew.

Lord Jesus, you are a good God. We thank you for being the Son of God. We thank you for conquering sin. We thank you for being our brother and identifying with us as a man. We thank you for allowing us to murder you. We thank you for rising in triumphant victory over sin and death. We thank you for forgiving our sins. We thank you for buying us back. We thank you for putting a song in our heart. We thank you for marking us with the Holy Spirit. And we thank you that we are your possession. Amen.