Genesis 4 - "HOW CAN I KNOW THAT I AM ACCEPTED?"
They had behaved badly in class but they were equally disruptive in the detention room, swearing, acting tough and defying anything I said with a smart comment. Unacceptable behaviour. I have never really had a problem with anger, but the closest I came was in that classroom. Teaching in a highschool can be stressful at times, and I was being hooked into their GAME.
It was a game that is commonly played in a classroom and if you could give it a name it would be "Make me!" or "I don't care and there's nothing you can do about it!"
If these guys had been in the garden of Eden and told not to eat the fruit they would have said to God "You can't make me do anything! I'll do what I like and I don't care what you think!"
In Genesis 4 Cain reminds me of those guys, because he is playing a REBELLIOUS GAME with God, only things get way out of hand and he ends up killing his brother Abel. It hasn't taken very long for the first murder to be committed, only one generation away from Adam and Eve. Cold blooded, reckless, callous, uncaring and unacceptable.
It's interesting that Cain and Abel BOTH bring an offering to the Lord. Why? God didn't tell them to do it. There's no law that says they MUST do it. They just did. Abel's offering was ACCEPTED and Cain's offering was not.
Why is Cain's offering UNACCEPTABLE? Does he bring rotten fruit and veges in defiant rebellion against God rather than bringing the best of the crop? Or is this a sin offering where he needs animals for SACRIFICE? We are not told, but we are told that God considers that Cain has not done the right thing and his attitude is also out of line.
Why does he come in the first place? It beats me! Why do some people come to Church when it is clear that their lives are up the creek and they don't really have any relationship with God, nor desire one? I don't know! To gain points with God? Maybe.
Whatever reason Cain has, it doesn't go down well with God. Nobody can expect to come to God with their own agenda, their own works, efforts, fruits, ways, religion, or ritual. It doesn't work that way. You have to come to God on His terms, not by trying to impress Him with our imperfect thoughts and ways.
A woman I visited yesterday in hospital asked me "How do I know that I am ACCEPTED BY GOD?" It seems that God establishes something with Cain and Abel that's important. He will never accept you apart from the SHEDDING OF BLOOD of substitutionary innocent sacrifice. The BLOOD OF CHRIST Himself is shed so that you can be accepted by God, and He is the perfect and only substitutionary sacrifice necessary.
You want to bring something to God? Try to bring the fruit of your own good works and it won't cut muster with God. First go to the Cross and accept the sacrifice that was made for you. Then instead of trying to impress God with your good works you will serve God because you see yourself for who you really are, a sinner saved by grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT) says, "God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."
The "POSB Commentary" says "The clearest explanation as to why Abel offered an animal sacrifice and was approved by God is that God did institute salvation by animal sacrifice with Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve were bound to have taught their sons to approach God through animal sacrifice. But only Abel approached God properly. Cain, as so many down through history, rebelled and did not."
God bless you Church as you realize you can know for certain that you can be ACCEPTED by God! My acceptance is based on what Christ has done for me, not on my own good works.
Pastor Ross
