Sermon Central
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If You Do Well, Will You Not Be Accepted?
Contributed by Joe Robbins on Nov 14, 2020 (message contributor)
Summary: The real reason God rejected Cain’s Sacrifice
If You Do Well, Will You Not Be Accepted
Cain Murders Abel
(Luke 11:51; Heb. 11:4; 12:24)
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the LORD.” Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 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? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING :
So what’s the real reason why God rejected Cain’s sacrifice? I believe the answer can be found in the teaching of first fruits as explained in the Book of Deuteronomy.
“Take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the landthe LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket.”-Deuteronomy 26:2
Keeping this idea in mind, let’s compare the nature of Abel’s sacrifice with Cain’s sacrifice.
ABEL: “…Abel too brought from the firstborn of his sheep, including their fat.”-Genesis 4:4
CAIN: “In the course of time Cain brought an offering to Adonai from the produce of the soil.”-Genesis 4:3
So Abel brought the first fruits of what he had and that was acceptable to the Lord.
However, in contrast, the Scripture tells us that “in the course of time” Cain brought his offering to the Lord.
Actually, if you look at the original Hebrew, literally it says “in the end of days“!
It doesn’t mean the end of one day but means after the end of many days later Cain finally brought an offering to the Lord.
THIS WAS A BIG NO-NO!
When we give to the Lord, we are supposed to give our first and our best and we’re supposed to give it immediately because delayed obedience is disobedience.
What Cain did was that he looked at what he had in his crops, and then AFTER determining that he had enough finally gave an offering to the Lord.
Such an attitude betrays a lack of faith.
So the reason for the Lord’s disfavor had nothing to do with the fact that Abel gave an animal sacrifice and Cain didn’t.
It wasn’t what Cain gave.
It was how he gave what he gave.
He disobeyed by not giving the first fruits of his crop offering.
This was disobedience plain and simple and reflected a lack of faith in his heart.
And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the LORD swore to your fathers,
Observe and obey all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.
Do not be afraid when one becomes rich,
When the glory of his house is increased;
For when he dies he shall carry nothing away;
His glory shall not descend after him.
Though while he lives he blesses himself
(For men will praise you when you do well for yourself),
But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS:
So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
