[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on the 26th of October, 2014.]
Many people think of the Old Testament as providing merely a history lesson. It simply tells of the lives and times of some folks who lived long ago. But I see it as far more than that. The Old Testament serves as more than just a backdrop to the New Testament. Everything in it, in some way, points to Jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of all the OT prophecy. And it contains valuable lessons, straight from the words of God, for us today. We’re going to look at one of those lessons this morning, as we go back to the beginning.
Follow along as I read the account of the second great dark blot on man’s record, as contained in chapter 4 of Genesis, from the second half of verse 2 through verse 17…
Follow along as I read the account of the second great dark blot on man’s record, as contained in chapter 4 of Genesis, from the second half of verse 2 through verse 17…
2b Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
13 And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; I shall be hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15 And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son — Enoch.
--Genesis 4:2b-17 (NKJV)
Let us pray... O God our Father, we come together to worship You, and we pray our worship is pleasing to You. Lord, use me to speak the words You wish Your people to hear. Use Your Holy Spirit within us to deliver the message You know we need to receive. May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of each of our hearts, be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer. In the beautiful name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
The Butterball Company set up a Thanksgiving hotline one year to answer questions about cooking turkeys. One woman called and asked if she could use a turkey that had been in the bottom of her freezer for 23 years. The Butterball expert (which is in itself an interesting job title and description) told her it would probably be safe if the freezer had been below zero the entire time. But the expert warned her that even if the turkey was still safe to eat, the flavor would likely have deteriorated and wouldn’t be worth eating. The woman said, “That’s what I thought. I’ll just give the turkey to our church.”
While this is an amusing little story, it may hit just a bit too close to home for some Christians in our society today. Too often, sin first begins to show itself in what we give to God. And giving to God serves as the focal point in today’s scripture reading, doesn’t it? Brothers Cain and Abel both made an offering to God. But what one gave pleased God more than what the other gave. Did Cain offer the harvest equivalent of a 23 year old frozen turkey?
This really is a sordid little tale that Moses tells. It records the very first murder – the first instance of one man purposely taking the life of another. And sadly, it tells of a man killing his own brother in a fit of rage.
But the 4th chapter of Genesis doesn’t start or end this way. In verses 3 and 4 we see these two brothers worshiping God by bringing Him an offering. And then in the ending of verse 26, Moses tells us that…
The Butterball Company set up a Thanksgiving hotline one year to answer questions about cooking turkeys. One woman called and asked if she could use a turkey that had been in the bottom of her freezer for 23 years. The Butterball expert (which is in itself an interesting job title and description) told her it would probably be safe if the freezer had been below zero the entire time. But the expert warned her that even if the turkey was still safe to eat, the flavor would likely have deteriorated and wouldn’t be worth eating. The woman said, “That’s what I thought. I’ll just give the turkey to our church.”
While this is an amusing little story, it may hit just a bit too close to home for some Christians in our society today. Too often, sin first begins to show itself in what we give to God. And giving to God serves as the focal point in today’s scripture reading, doesn’t it? Brothers Cain and Abel both made an offering to God. But what one gave pleased God more than what the other gave. Did Cain offer the harvest equivalent of a 23 year old frozen turkey?
This really is a sordid little tale that Moses tells. It records the very first murder – the first instance of one man purposely taking the life of another. And sadly, it tells of a man killing his own brother in a fit of rage.
But the 4th chapter of Genesis doesn’t start or end this way. In verses 3 and 4 we see these two brothers worshiping God by bringing Him an offering. And then in the ending of verse 26, Moses tells us that…
26 … Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.--Genesis 4:26c (NKJV)
That is a form or worshiping God too, calling on His name. And I find it interesting that long before God revealed Himself fully to Moses and His chosen people of Israel as the Great I Am, there is a small but growing group of people who grasp the real identity of the One True God. So while Genesis 4 begins and ends with worshiping God, sandwiched in between is a murder and some serious recriminations.
But why did Cain kill his brother, Abel? How could this happen? Let’s look at what caused the anger to answer the question of why.
Cain was a farmer. Abel was a shepherd. Both brought an offering to God. Cain, the farmer, brought an offering of his harvest, of “the fruit of the ground”. Abel, the shepherd, brought his offering from the firstborn of his flock. God was pleased with Abel’s gift, but not with Cain’s. Again, why?
Farmer and shepherd: both of these vocations are honorable and even noble. One is not better or more highly thought of than the other. And both brothers bring an offering to the Lord that is in keeping with their vocation. Yet God “respected” Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. Why?
Some insist that God did not find favor with Cain’s offering because he did not make a blood sacrifice as Abel did. We can find instance after instance in the Bible – mainly in the Old Testament but with one very prominent example in the New Testament – where the atonement of sin can only be accomplished by a blood sacrifice.
But is a blood sacrifice always necessary? If we move a little further into Israel’s history, we see grain and harvest offerings as legitimate forms of worship to God that He not only accepts but also commands in specific circumstances, such as found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
So perhaps it isn’t so much what was offered as how it was offered. Motives matter to God. Why we do what we do is important. Our Lord isn’t so much impressed if we do the right thing for the wrong reasons.
The scripture says that the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but did not respect Cain and his offering. In each case, the man is listed first and his offering second. Our good teacher tells us in Proverbs chapter 21 verses 2 and 3 that…
Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Our Lord finds righteousness and faith to be pleasing in His sight.
Look at verses 3 and 4 of our message text again. Cain simply brought the fruit of the ground, probably grain and other crops of the harvest. But Abel brought a firstborn sheep of his flock, including the choice portions. Cain did enough to get by, in his own mind. Abel went above and beyond. Cain just gave from part of his harvest. Abel gave the very best from his flock.
We don’t really know all that much about these two brothers from the little bit of scripture telling their story, but don’t you think that Abel had a better relationship with God than Cain did? We can almost say that Cain suffered a disconnect from God - a separation from Him. This shows that a good relationship with our Lord is an essential element of acceptable worship.
So a righteous heart, faith, and a good relationship with our Lord are required for our worship to be pleasing to God. Another way to look at this is in part of my prayer earlier, which comes from Psalm 19 verse 14…
We really do need to watch what we say, as well as what we feel in our hearts and think in our minds, because God hears everything and if we want to please Him, we need to be mindful of the words we choose.
The Apostle Paul has a little more to add regarding what might be acceptable and pleasing to God. For instance, from the 2nd chapter of his 1st letter to his young friend Timothy, verses 1 through 4, Paul says…
Pray for others. Anytime we’re talking to God and asking Him for His blessings or to intercede in our lives or when we give Him thanks, we should also pray on behalf of others. Fact is, if we take to heart what Jesus said and the example He set, we should put the needs of others ahead of ourselves when we pray. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, to pattern our own lives and behavior after His beloved Son.
And another instruction from Paul, from the 12th chapter of his letter to the Romans, verses 1 and 2…
We should present our very bodies to God as a living sacrifice. Notice the word “living” there. God doesn’t want us to sacrifice our lives for Him, but to live our lives for Him. Not to live for the world and its earthly pleasures, but to serve God through serving Jesus. He wants us to live a life that is holy, to be right with Him, to have faith in Him, to give ourselves to Him.
God gave Cain every chance to repent of his sinful act and to live a better life. He wanted to save Cain, not condemn him. And He does the same for us – He gives us every chance to repent, He wants to save us.
So what is acceptable? I believe Jesus summed it up best when He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
If we do that, everything else will fall into place.
Amen.
Let us pray… Lord God, we do love You and have faith in You and we want our worship to be acceptable to You. But Father, we know that sometimes we don’t necessarily do the right things for the right reasons. Sometimes we might do what the world sees as right just so that the world will see us doing right. And while our deed may very well be one You would also see as right, You want us to do it not to be seen and thought highly of by others but to do it just because we love You and want to do something good to serve You. Help us, please Lord, to always remember that righteousness is more important to You than any sacrifice or offering that the world might take note of.
Hear us now, Father, as we pause and speak to You in the silence from our hearts, seeking Your forgiveness for our unrighteousness, repenting of our offerings given for the wrong reasons, praying that our worship might be acceptable and pleasing to You…
Gracious and loving Father, Creator of all there is, we want to please You. We desire to serve You. We can never thank You enough for all Your mercies and blessings but we long so much to show You our love by only doing what is acceptable to You. Help us, O Lord, that our offerings of worship will find favor in Your sight. In the glorious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
But why did Cain kill his brother, Abel? How could this happen? Let’s look at what caused the anger to answer the question of why.
Cain was a farmer. Abel was a shepherd. Both brought an offering to God. Cain, the farmer, brought an offering of his harvest, of “the fruit of the ground”. Abel, the shepherd, brought his offering from the firstborn of his flock. God was pleased with Abel’s gift, but not with Cain’s. Again, why?
Farmer and shepherd: both of these vocations are honorable and even noble. One is not better or more highly thought of than the other. And both brothers bring an offering to the Lord that is in keeping with their vocation. Yet God “respected” Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. Why?
Some insist that God did not find favor with Cain’s offering because he did not make a blood sacrifice as Abel did. We can find instance after instance in the Bible – mainly in the Old Testament but with one very prominent example in the New Testament – where the atonement of sin can only be accomplished by a blood sacrifice.
But is a blood sacrifice always necessary? If we move a little further into Israel’s history, we see grain and harvest offerings as legitimate forms of worship to God that He not only accepts but also commands in specific circumstances, such as found in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
So perhaps it isn’t so much what was offered as how it was offered. Motives matter to God. Why we do what we do is important. Our Lord isn’t so much impressed if we do the right thing for the wrong reasons.
The scripture says that the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but did not respect Cain and his offering. In each case, the man is listed first and his offering second. Our good teacher tells us in Proverbs chapter 21 verses 2 and 3 that…
2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
But the Lord weighs the hearts.
3 To do righteousness and justice
Is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.--Proverbs 21:2-3 (NKJV)
The Lord weighs our hearts. To Him, doing what is right in His eyes and upholding justice are more important than any sacrifice. Since a sacrifice is exactly what Abel offered, we can only surmise that Cain’s heart wasn’t in the right place. If it had been, if he was righteous and a champion of justice, then God would have seen his offering as acceptable even without a sacrifice. In Leviticus, chapter 22 verse 20, Moses cautions…
20 Whatever has a defect, you shall not offer, for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf.
--Leviticus 22:20 (NKJV)
I believe it safe to say that what Cain had to offer from his heart was defective, or else God would have found favor with him. If God weighs our hearts ahead of our giving, then we need to make sure our heart doesn’t have a defect which would, like Cain’s, make us unacceptable to the Lord.
I keep talking about offerings and sacrifices, but what we’re really looking at here is worship - how we worship God. Remember I said earlier that chapter 4 of Genesis begins and ends with worship of the Lord. We worship Him with our offerings just as we do when we sing praises to Him, when we call on His name, when we pray to Him, when we give thanks.
So our story of Cain and Abel comes down to whose worship was acceptable to God and whose wasn’t, and why. Obviously, Abel’s worship was acceptable but Cain’s was not. And the “why” is because Cain’s heart was not in the right place – his heart just wasn’t in it.
The author of the book of Hebrews has this to say about our brothers in chapter 11 verses 4 and 6…
I keep talking about offerings and sacrifices, but what we’re really looking at here is worship - how we worship God. Remember I said earlier that chapter 4 of Genesis begins and ends with worship of the Lord. We worship Him with our offerings just as we do when we sing praises to Him, when we call on His name, when we pray to Him, when we give thanks.
So our story of Cain and Abel comes down to whose worship was acceptable to God and whose wasn’t, and why. Obviously, Abel’s worship was acceptable but Cain’s was not. And the “why” is because Cain’s heart was not in the right place – his heart just wasn’t in it.
The author of the book of Hebrews has this to say about our brothers in chapter 11 verses 4 and 6…
4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
--Hebrews 11:4, 6 (NKJV)
Look at verses 3 and 4 of our message text again. Cain simply brought the fruit of the ground, probably grain and other crops of the harvest. But Abel brought a firstborn sheep of his flock, including the choice portions. Cain did enough to get by, in his own mind. Abel went above and beyond. Cain just gave from part of his harvest. Abel gave the very best from his flock.
We don’t really know all that much about these two brothers from the little bit of scripture telling their story, but don’t you think that Abel had a better relationship with God than Cain did? We can almost say that Cain suffered a disconnect from God - a separation from Him. This shows that a good relationship with our Lord is an essential element of acceptable worship.
So a righteous heart, faith, and a good relationship with our Lord are required for our worship to be pleasing to God. Another way to look at this is in part of my prayer earlier, which comes from Psalm 19 verse 14…
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.
--Psalm 19:14 (NKJV)
The Apostle Paul has a little more to add regarding what might be acceptable and pleasing to God. For instance, from the 2nd chapter of his 1st letter to his young friend Timothy, verses 1 through 4, Paul says…
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
--1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NKJV)
And another instruction from Paul, from the 12th chapter of his letter to the Romans, verses 1 and 2…
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
--Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)
God gave Cain every chance to repent of his sinful act and to live a better life. He wanted to save Cain, not condemn him. And He does the same for us – He gives us every chance to repent, He wants to save us.
So what is acceptable? I believe Jesus summed it up best when He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
If we do that, everything else will fall into place.
Amen.
Let us pray… Lord God, we do love You and have faith in You and we want our worship to be acceptable to You. But Father, we know that sometimes we don’t necessarily do the right things for the right reasons. Sometimes we might do what the world sees as right just so that the world will see us doing right. And while our deed may very well be one You would also see as right, You want us to do it not to be seen and thought highly of by others but to do it just because we love You and want to do something good to serve You. Help us, please Lord, to always remember that righteousness is more important to You than any sacrifice or offering that the world might take note of.
Hear us now, Father, as we pause and speak to You in the silence from our hearts, seeking Your forgiveness for our unrighteousness, repenting of our offerings given for the wrong reasons, praying that our worship might be acceptable and pleasing to You…
Gracious and loving Father, Creator of all there is, we want to please You. We desire to serve You. We can never thank You enough for all Your mercies and blessings but we long so much to show You our love by only doing what is acceptable to You. Help us, O Lord, that our offerings of worship will find favor in Your sight. In the glorious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
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