Hear The Cry

Hear the Cry

Gen. 4:8-9

Gen. 4:8-9 “Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’”

Am I my brother’s keeper? A question we have to ask ourselves this morning.

Ezekiel 3:16-19 "At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, `You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood. But if you do warn the wicked man and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his evil ways, he will die for his sin; but you will have saved yourself."

I believe this verse is for the Christian! - We have a message to deliver!

• Do you know any wicked men? Any destined for a Christless eternity?

Well, you need to know that: You are your brother’s keeper - Biblically.

Some examples from nature:

• A blue jay had a broken bill, but he was fed by a companion bird.

• A gorilla in a zoo with a splinter in finger, removed by his mate.

• A wounded elephant was supported by two others as they led her to safety.

• And the good Samaritan saw a need, and he met it.

We are our brothers keeper! - 911

ILLUS: "I was burned, and tired, He had an agenda and He led me. As long as he was willing to lead me I was willing to follow. If he would have stopped leading I would have just say down under the quay and who knows if I would have survived." - survivor of Twin Towers disaster.

• Because someone responded to the pressure of responsibility to "do the right thing!"

• He ministered to his wounded brother!

We too must be involved in ministry.

• We have a job to do! - The wounded and dying are all around us!

• They are under the sentence of death - You and I have the message of freedom!!

• Get your eyes and expectation off yourself! - Focus on the task!

• Ask God to help you!

Four things that God wants you to hear this morning!

1. Hear the Cry From Without .

• Confusion and turmoil of the world.

• We start here because were all acquainted with it.

• Until one day we heard a voice of peace and we were drawn to it.

A. It’s a garbled sound. Chaotic and undiscernibly!

ISA 57:20 But the wicked are like the tossing sea, which cannot rest, whose waves cast up mire and mud. 21 "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

People pictured as the tossing (troubled) sea - chaotic, restless, foaming, etc.

We can read the newspapers or watch the news any day and hear of troubles,

tragedy and heartaches. The Lord says "there is no peace for the ungodly."

JER 49:23 "Concerning Damascus: "Hamath and Arpad are dismayed, for they have heard bad news. They are disheartened, troubled like the restless sea."

Life is filled with bad news. People are hurting.

Is. 1:5 "…Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. 6 From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness-only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil."

The needs of people around us are unspeakable. And our world is on a collision course with eternity - an eternity without Christ!

B. It Is A Cry of Hopelessness .

ECC 5:15 "Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. 16 This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind? 17 All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger."

• Without Christ only hopelessness - Nothing to look forward to -

• Spend your whole life for what purpose - and at the end nothing?

JER 8:20 "The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved."

• So hopeless - We need a savior, we need help.