(Church of Cain) the Church of Cain - Part 1 — Ralph Sexton

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not, what? Wait, God's words aren't going to go away. But of that day, now what day is he talking about? The day of his return. And if you have a red letter edition of the word of God, these words are in red.

Jesus' Warning About the Unknown Day of His Return

They're coming out of the mouth of Jesus. But of that day an hour knoweth no man. No, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. If someone tells you they know the day Jesus is coming back, they know the hour, then they're misguided.

They don't understand the scriptures. Because this book says no one knows the day. Verse 37, but as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as it were, for as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away.

Now here's the key part. So shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Now, according to Jesus, out of the mouth of our Lord and Savior, do we believe this morning that Jesus is the Son of God? Do we believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the salvation of all mankind?

Do we believe that he's Lord and Savior of all? Do we believe that his word is truth, let God be truth and every man a liar? Do we just not read that his words will never pass away? All right, what did he say?

He said, Ralph, I tell you, I cannot give you the day and hour of my return. The Father has tucked that away. Because no man knows the day or the hour that I'm coming back, you always watch and be ready.

Why? For in such an hour as you think not, the Son of Man coming. So he said for all of us to be watching and waiting, but I'm not going to tell you the day or the hour. But if you would like to know how close we are to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, I tell you what I will do.

I'll tell you how you can know that we're close. Well how can I know Jesus? Then you study the days of Noah. And when you look at the days preceding the flood, then if you'll look at those events, you'll know that we're close.

The Days of Noah as a Pattern for the End Times

Now while your finger here is in Matthew 24, let's back up into the Old Testament, go to the very first book of the Bible, Genesis. We're going to look at chapter 4, chapter 5, and chapter 6. If I own a Bible, and I can read Genesis 4, Genesis 5, and Genesis 6, and Hector, and I don't read those verses and I don't see what's happening, then God's saying, then Ralph you won't have an excuse because I'm going to tell you how close we are to the coming of the Lord.

And how close are we? He said when you see the days of Noah appearing in your society. Now what are the elements? There's eight different elements here, and I'll try to bring these two in a later study.

But here's the things. We're going to look at the economic kingdom of Noah's days. We'll look at the religious kingdom of Noah's days. And we'll look at the social development of Noah's days. What was their culture, their society saying of that day?

If we look at all those things, then we can see parallels in our day. Now what are our headlines screaming across America and around the world? I believe the headlines of the news are screaming to the fact that Noah days are the days and hours that we're living in.

I submit to you, church, that we should pay attention to the day and hour that we're living in because Jesus, not some theologian, not some minister, not some Sunday school teacher, but Jesus said when you see the things that are going on in Noah's day, when you read Genesis 4, 5, and 6, and then you see it happening in your day and hour, then you should pay attention because my coming draweth nigh.

Violence, Psychological Distress, and the Church of Cain

The headlines scream of our sin-sick society. I submit to you today as a minister of the gospel, when I hear the stories of Sarah Michelle Lundy, a little 13-year-old that was kidnapped from her own home and murdered in the same pattern of Jessica and other teenage children and preteen children, and this epidemic of terror.

When I read about the events a few years ago of Columbine High School and then just last month about Red Lake High School and Jeff Weiss, a 16-year-old boy who took and killed a teacher and a security guard and three other students and then shot himself, he's all caught up in gothic culture, gothic dress.

He's all dressed in black. He's listening to dark music. He combs his hair into a hairstyle where it appears that he has horns coming out of the top of his head, and he's going down a dark road and down a dark path, and all we've got to offer Jeff Weiss is to take him into a church that has a form of godliness, has the Church of Cain in operation.

There's no life-changing, life-giving power there. I think about U .S. News World Report in their April 4 article. They talked about that 20 percent of all of the children and teens of the United States are suffering from psychological disorders, 20 percent, 20 percent of our children.

They estimate that 13 percent of all teens and young adults are suffering from serious emotional disorders. Well, Ken, if our kids are being hammered and crippled, what can we do? Well, I submit to you, mom and dad, the reason that our kids are such casualties in today's society is that we fell in love with the gods of materialism and the pagan gods of this world, and we got our kids into the Church of Cain rather than into the Church of Abel, and we're suffering the consequences by paying with the damaged emotional lives of our own children.

I want to know where the church is in today's world. Where is the body of Christ? Are we walking in a form of godliness? Has the church that we're in today and the churches of America, are we starting to watch the mutation?

Are we witnessing the transformation? Are we seeing the change? You remember, the children had a toy a few years ago. It was called a transformer, and it looked like a car. It looked like a truck. But you just move a few pieces and wheels and turn.

The next thing you know, the car would stand up. The truck would stand up. It became a being. It became a monster. It was transformed. I am concerned today that organized religion in America is now in that mutating stage.

We've been polluted by the gods of this world. Our spiritual DNA has been altered, and now we're seeing the transformation. We're meeting on Sunday. We're in our buildings, but we just have a form of God.

We don't have the power that goes with the things that belong to the living Lord God Almighty. I wonder if we are now seeing the birth of the Church of Cain in our society. We see a much energy and push about the church should be contemporary, that we should have a contemporary worship or service.

Contemporary Worship and the Loss of Spiritual Power

Let me help you with something. I have pastor friends that have a church service they label as contemporary, and I love them. They are my friends. But in consciousness before God, I believe that my friends, take it a wrong step, I am no man's judge.

Could I look at anyone and say, I'm right and you're wrong. I'm not even worthy to wash their feet, let alone stand to proclaim the word of God. But I can tell you my spirit is green. My heart is broken as I see us all excited to try to mutate the church, to look like the world, to see the church mutated, to sound like the world.

Why do we want God's house to be another club? Why do we want the church to be another place that looks and sounds like the mall? There ought to be something special about the holy health of God. Ought to be special.

We're going to church on Sunday. I got my Sunday shirt, got your Sunday blouse, and I got my Sunday shoes. I'm not trying to put on my garden grubbies and my teeny pumps. I'm going to God's house and I'm going to go into the temple of God and I'm going to worship him.

You say you're an antiquated piece of religious past. Well, I may be. But I love your babies. And your children and your teenagers more than I love my own life. And I fear for their spiritual future. When I read Genesis chapter four and verse one, the word of God says, and Adam knew Eve, his wife.

Cain and Abel: Two Approaches to Worship

She conceived and bear Cain and said, I've gotten a man from the Lord. And she again, bear his brother Abel, Abel was a keeper of sheep, Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain bought of the fruit of the ground and offered unto the Lord.

And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel to his offering. But unto Cain to his offering, he had no respect. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell.

The Lord said unto Cain, why art thou wroth? Why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, what, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire and thou shalt rule over him.

Verse number eight reads, 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 what, flew him. I believe that if I study the story of Cain and Abel, I have a comparison of what services are today in our society.

I believe that if I study the life of Cain here, that I have an example of a modernist or a contemporarist who's going to alter the worship that God ordained. Here again, please be patient with the thought process as I use some terms.

I believe Abel represents someone practicing the fundamentals of the faith or a fundamentalist in his interpretation of what God had instructed. I believe that Cain represents religious but lost. I believe Abel represents religious and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise into the day of redemption.

I believe that Cain represents humanism at its worst. And I believe Abel represents sovereignty at its best. I believe that Cain represents, it's all about me. It's my effort. It's my praise production.

But Abel represents my lost condition, my depraved heart and God's holy provision. Instead of man's hands, it's God's providing hands. Someone that looks at this passage of scripture might interpret these two twin sons as the church of Cain and the church of Abel.

I ask the question to you that are listening today, what is our religious production in our heart? Are we producing the children of Cain? Are we producing the children of Abel? You've got to remember this right here now.

Cain was not an atheist, Jackie. He was not an atheist. He believed in a God. He believed in God. Verse 3 proves that of chapter 4. He believed in God. It's his idea to take the offerings and bring them to God.

It's not Abel's idea. It's Cain's idea. And Cain believes in a God. But if you go over to the church of Abel, Abel believes God. He doesn't believe in a God. He believes God. And what Cain's doing, he's doing the same thing that the serpent did when he came and beguiled Eve.

And he's saying, hath not God said? He believes in a God. Satan believes in a God. Devil believes in a God. False prophet believes in a God. Antichrist believes in a God. Demons believe in God. Demons believe in Jesus.

They believe that, but they don't believe what God says. Do you understand that connection? And Abel's saying, I believe God. Cain believed in a God, but he did not believe Him. Now, both of these boys were taught by their mom and dad what real worship is.

The Blood Sacrifice and God's Provision for Sin

Adam and Eve, at family devotions, they taught their children what real worship is. And they said, children, one day we were walking with God and we were in full fellowship. The next day we sinned against God and we disobeyed and we ate of the tree of knowledge.

And he told us not to do that. And when we did that, we sinned. And now we're hiding in the bushes because the righteousness that we had has been removed. And now we're revealed we do not have clothes on.

And God stepped in to our disaster. God invaded our darkness. God walked in to where we were helpless and hiding in the bushes. And God stepped into the garden and He killed an animal. He shed blood and He put clothes on us so we could look at Him again.

He could look on us again. He made an intercession for us and provided our salvation through a blood sacrifice. And so we understand it's His salvation and His sacrifice for the atonement of our sins.

And boys, if you ever serve God, it'll be by His salvation and His sacrifice. And so they taught Adam and Eve, taught Cain and Abel that this was the way to worship. Now what happened was that Cain was actually more religious than Abel.

Cain was earnest. And do you not know people that you work with and family and friends that are in religions and cults and false doctrines? And they're earnest. They're sincere. They're dedicated. They're determined.

They're very religious. But it was actually Cain that suggested bringing the sacrifice to God. Genesis 4, 3, he brings that sacrifice. And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.

And in the Hebrew, that process of time phrase, it means when they became responsible for acting in personal faith. In the coming seed of the woman who was to bruise the serpent's head and restore man's dominion.

We've got to go back to Genesis 3, 15 to connect that. When they understood, it's sort of like an age of accountability. I can't go to heaven because my daddy's Adam and I can't go to heaven because my mother's Eve.

I've got to do business with God. I've got to have my own sins covered by the blood. So that process of time is sort of like an age of accountability. And it says when they got to that awareness time, they knew they had to do business with God.

Cain suggested, let's bring an offering to God. Let's bring this offering to God. And so he prepared his offering, a beautiful offering. It cost him much toil, much sweat, much labor to produce fruit.

Remember, the ground's been cursed, so it took more work and more effort. Now what do we end up with? We end up with two forms of worship, two styles of worship. We have the Church of Cain and the Church of Abel.

Works-Based Religion Versus Grace-Filled Worship

You say, well, pastor, how do you decide or determine that? Well, here's what I came up with. You see, if you follow the thought process with me. The Church of Cain is built on unbelief. He believes in a God, but he's not obedient enough to believe God.

Cain on the other, Abel on the other hand, he said, I'm your twin brother, but I just believe God. God said, this is the way to do it. It's not me doing it, it's God doing it. So we had a church of unbelief and a church of belief.

Under the Church of Cain, we've got a form of godliness. Under the Church of Abel, we've got godliness in its entirety. Under the Church of Cain, we've got a profession of faith. Under the Church of Abel, we've got the possession of that faith.

Under the Church of Cain, we've got spiritual entertainment and activities. Under the Church of Abel, we've got spiritual holiness and godly living. Under the Church of Cain, we've got concession. We're going to make comfortable the house of God for the sinner.

At the Church of Abel, we've got compassion for the lost man and the lost woman. Not that they'd be comfortable in the house of God, but that they would know that God loves the sinner and hates the sin.

The Church of Cain is built on the sands of man, sands of emotion, sands of feeling. The Church of Abel is built upon the rock of ages, the inerrant infallible Word of God. The Church of Cain is built on works.

The Church of Abel is built on grace. The Church of Cain talks about, it's all about us. And the Church of Abel says, it's all about Him. Oh, Genesis 4 -3, Cain says, it's a beautiful offering. It's the fruit of the ground.

Look how hard I've worked. Look at the toil. Look at the sweat. Look at the labor. Look at what I've brought. Look at the different kinds of fruit. Look at the flowers around the fruit. Look at this, God.

Here's my offering. And Abel walks up from his church, and he's leading a little lamb, and he's crying. And he said, my God, I haven't done a thing. You gave me the sheep. You gave me the pasture. You gave me the water for the sheep to drink.

You gave me the grass for them to eat on. You gave me a female lamb, and now she's had a baby. God, I haven't done one thing. I don't deserve this. But here's all I've got. Here's what You gave me. Here's the lamb, and he tucks the throat on that little lamb, lays it on the altar, and he said, it's all about You, God.

You gave me the sheep. You gave me the lamb. Here's the blood, and I'll worship You for who You are and what You are. The church of Abel was broken with thanksgiving and praise. They worshipped him, the firstling of the flock, because Abel knew he had done nothing.

The church of Cain was attractive and appealing. The church of Abel was unattractive and unappealing. Cain's offering was beautiful in presentation. Abel's offering was bloody and offensive. Cain's offering was of man's production, man's plans, and man's labor.

And Abel's offering was of the hand of a holy God. And he walked up and he said, God, here's all I've got. Everything I have, I bring it to You. I lay it at Your feet. I meet Your demands in Genesis 3, verse 21.

Faith in God's Promised Sacrifice

He looked at these days, and he realized that only the blood could feel the sacrifice. How did he do all this? What does Hebrews 11 verse 4 say? It's all by faith. Abel did it by faith. God, I don't know how this works.

God, look, he's got ten times more than I've got. Look how he's presented it. Look at his flowers. Look at all the different kinds of fruits. Look how it's stacked up. Look at the sheaves of corn. God, look at all he's got.

God, all I've got is a lamb. I don't have anything, God. But this is what You said to do, just to bring this lamb. And in obedience to Your Word, I bring my lamb, because it's not about me. It's all about You.

God's lamb that takes away the sins of the world. I submit to you today, church family, that we need to ask God to search our hearts. And we need to decide what kind of worship is going on on the inside.

Is it my orchestration, or is it orchestrated by the Holy Spirit? Is it my plans and my productions? Is it all about me, or is it all about Him?