Loving The Brethren (Genesis Chapter Four - Part 2)

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Let's dig a little deeper into this account. Look at verse 1. Now Adam knew

Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain. And she said,

I have acquired a man from the Lord. That's an interesting statement. She had given birth.

Yes, she says, I have acquired a man from who? From the Lord. Not from Adam, but from the

Lord. So Adam knew his wife. So the term to know here is a euphemism for you know what?

So Eve conceives and this is presumably, the way you read it, it gives you the idea that this is the first child ever born.

Remember Adam was created directly by God. Eve was created from Adam's rib. So this would have been, from what we can tell, the first human ever born.

So Cain is born. And then she says, well,

I received a man from the Lord. She acknowledges that God is the giver of life. Verse 2, then she bore again, this time his brother

Abel. So Abel, you get the idea that Abel was born right after Cain.

Some people think they were twins. We don't, we don't really know. Verse 2, though, says she bore again, and this time his brother

Abel. And Abel was a keeper of the sheep. But Cain was a tiller of the ground.

So the name Cain means possession. The name Abel means breath or vapor.

We might put it this way. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a shepherd.

Keep in mind, both are living post -fall. So both men, Cain and Abel, they have the sin nature.

And to deal with that sin and the sin nature, God set a precedent back in the last chapter of that animal sacrifice.

The animal died, blood was shed, and Adam and Eve were clothed.

So that's the precedent. So these two men now come and they offer up sacrifices to God.

Now, what precedent was the first sacrifice? What should they offer based on that sacrifice in chapter 3?

Some corn and some broccoli and some grain? No, it had to be a blood sacrifice, right?

So I think that's the issue here. Whose offering gets rejected?

Abel or Cain? Abel brings the lamb or the blood sacrifice.

Cain brings the produce. Whose offering gets rejected? Cain's. You know, some people say, well, it's an issue of his heart or, you know, his motivations weren't right.

Or he just he didn't bring the best of the fruit, the best of the vegetables. I mean, that may all very well be true.

But I think the main issue is he did not bring a blood sacrifice. Look at verses three and four.

And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground of the

Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the

Lord respected Abel in his offering, but he did not respect Cain in his offering.

And Cain was very angry and his countenance fell. So whatever the reason or reasons that God did not accept

Cain's offering, now the bigger issue is his response. OK, it was one issue here.

And now things are just getting worse. Cain is what? He's he's angry. So God goes on to tell him, hey, you have another chance.

You can make this right. But no, Cain is angry. But who is Cain angry at?

Abel? Yeah, I think that's the common response. And you would read this. Yeah, Cain is angry at his brother,

Abel. After all, who did he rise up and kill? He killed his brother, Abel. And that's true.

But I submit to you that while it may appear that Cain is just angry at his brother, which is true,

Cain's anger, I believe, primarily is directed at God. This is another thing that's similar to chapter three.

When Adam sinned and God called him to account, yes, he blamed his wife Eve. But who else did he blame?

He said to God, the woman that you gave me, she gave me the fruit and I ate.

So it's God's fault, right? It's God's fault. God's the one who rejected the offering. That's what made

Cain angry. It's God's fault. Adam blamed God. God does not respect

Cain's offering. Cain kills Abel for what? What did Abel do wrong?

Yeah, Abel is completely innocent. Abel did nothing wrong. So this leads me to believe that Cain's real issue is with God.

But here's the thing. Cain can't do anything about God. Cain can't touch God. What are you going to do to God?

So the next best thing, you take it out on the one who is the servant of God. You know,

Jesus taught his disciples this in John 15, 18. He taught them this lesson.

He said, if the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you.

Let's turn to First John chapter three, if you would. So Abel was a righteous man,

Abel was a man of God, so Cain can't touch God. He goes after the man of God.

Many of you, I'm sure, have encountered this, that people, they know you're a

Christian and based on what you believe, people dislike you, not because you really did anything to them, they don't like you sometimes because they know you believe the

Bible, they know you confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. Can I get a witness? Has that happened to any of you?

Yeah, of course it has. I think it happens to pastors, maybe a little more so, or Christians who are vocal about their faith, you know, pastors or every week we're speaking openly and publicly, and there are many

Christians who speak openly and publicly, and that's kind of where the most heat is placed, but this can happen to any of us.

People will dislike Christians. Why? Because we represent Christ. They hate Christ.

They can't touch Christ. So they take it out on us. Look at First John chapter three, verse 10.

And ultimately, their attitude towards us or when a person hates another human being, that represents their attitude towards God.

We see that here. First John chapter three, starting in verse 10. In this, the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest.

Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother, or nor is he who does not love his brother.

For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should do what? Yeah, we should love one another.

Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one, and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him?

Because his works were evil and his brothers righteous. Do not marvel, my brethren.

If the world hates you, we know that we have passed from death to life.

If the world hates you, hey, that's good news. That's a good thing, because it means you're saved. Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.

We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren. So we need to love the brethren, love one another.

Now, if you're listening, say amen. He who does not love his brother abides in death.

Whoever hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Skip over to chapter four, verse 20. John writes in chapter four, verse 20.

If someone says, I love God and hates his brother, he's what?

He's a liar. For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen. How can he love

God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from him that he who loves

God must also love his brother. So hatred of your brother is like hating

God to murder your brother. It's as if you wanted to murder God.

But of course, they can't. So according to Jesus, the defining mark of a

Christian, and that's brought out by John here, is that we love the brethren. How do people know that you're a

Christian? You love your fellow Christians. That's that's the mark. In John 13, 34 and 35,

Jesus said, a new commandment I give to you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another by this.

All will know that you are my disciples if you have loved one for another. So let me repeat this.

The defining mark of a Christian is that we love our fellow Christians. Does anyone anyone want to argue or debate that with me?

I don't I don't think so. It's pretty clear here. And yet who are these people out there?

I love God, but I have no use for the church. I love God, but I can't stand church people.

Have you heard stuff like this? What they need to read this passage. If you don't love your fellow.

And I mean, sometimes we can get on each other's nerves. I understand that. Sometimes we say and do the wrong things that bother people.

That's going to happen. But we love one another, don't we? If somebody doesn't love their fellow believers, they can say they love

God, but the Bible says something different. So while we might not like a person, what they say or do,

Christians are to love others just as we love Christ.

Remember in Matthew 25, what Jesus said? He said in as much as you did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me.

So what you do to others, it's the same as if you're doing it to Christ. So when

Cain did this to Abel, it's as if he did it. To Christ, so if you do something hateful against another

Christian, you're doing it against Christ. All right, let's go back to Genesis chapter four.

A lot of implications from these Old Testament stories.

Again, people think, oh, Cain and Abel. I heard that when I was six years old in Sunday school. Other people haven't heard a sermon on it.

Probably some people wouldn't preach a sermon on it, but there's always lessons to learn, and I think the first 10, 12 chapters of Genesis are just so vitally important that we preach them.

But what's the title of the message? Yeah, Cain and Abel. Cain was the first murderer.

He killed his own brother. So we should love one another as brethren.

When we dislike someone, dislike leads to anger. Anger leads to hatred.

Hatred leads to murder or death. I don't want to sound like Yoda and Star Wars, but that's, you know, that's true.

OK. Jesus said in Matthew five in the

Sermon on the Mount, you have heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.

But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

You see how Cain's anger, he did something wrong. He became angry and that anger led to hatred and murder.

That's the way that that's where that road goes. Genesis chapter four. Look at verse six.

So the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?

If you do well, will you not be accepted? So so do the right thing and and I will accept you.

But if you do not do well, sin lies at the door and its desire is for you.

But you should rule over it. And that's what we need to know today. Yes, sin is like a lion crouching, just waiting there to devour us in any moment.

We should rule over it. Amen. So so Cain clearly has a choice.

Every person has a choice. Cain chose to give in to his anger.

In Matthew twenty three thirty five, Jesus depicts Abel as the first martyr.

Basically, Abel is the first person to die for doing that which was right.

He was the first person to die simply for obeying God. Thanks for listening.

I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morse Corner Church. I'd like to listen to the complete message. We'd like more information about the ministry.

Visit our website, Morse Corner Church dot com. And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett.