THE TRAGEDY OF UNREPENTANCE-II—Genesis 4:1-24
Repentance is vital to a true Christian. Repentance is necessary to anyone really seeking God.
Need:
Why don’t I have the relationship to God that others seem to have? Does God hear me?
Unrepentance always ends badly, in a loss. it is always tragic.
Isa. 59:1-2—“Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.”
Cain’s lack of repentance & subsequent grudge, ended in his brother’s murder.
Willful unrepentance opens the door to tragedy.
What is the tragedy of unrepentance?
8 losses experienced thru the tragedy of unrepentance.
Previously we discovered that ,
4 tragedies of unrepentance are a Lost...
1. AUTHORITY/Importance/Position(:1)
2. LIVELIHOOD(:2(:11-12))
3. WORSHIP(:3, 5)
4. RESPECT(:4-5)
5—A tragedy of unrepentance is a...
Lost COUNSEL(:6-7a)
Explanation: (:6-7a)
:6—So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?”
Rather than Cain approaching God, YaHoVeH approaches Cain.
God speaks directly to Cain—audibly?! Access to God’s wisdom is still present! He has not left man to himself & his own desires!
God is concerned with Cain’s attitude as revealed thru his anger. As in the garden( “Where are you?” 3:9) God asks a question of the one captured by or party to sin.
God being the wonderful counselor that He is, pointedly asks us the reason(“Why?”) for the shift in our attitude.
We must reckon with the reason why a particular sin is indulged. He wants the sinner to focus his/her attentions upon those things which are hurtful to us....Cain’s obvious sin is manifested in two things deserving of two questions. Cain must face the reason for his being “angry.” As he must also face the reason for his sudden(?) change in demeanor.
:7—“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.””
“If” is a charge put forth to Cain to make him see that he has reached a point of personal decision. Everyone must do this in regard to known sin. They must either continue to nurture (“not do well”) the sin or repent of it (“do well”).
The outcome of one’s choice to reject(“do well”) or harbor/nourish(“not do well”) sin is determinative of one’s relationship with God. God will lift up/elevate/exalt(“accepted”) that person who seeks to please Him. This extends to faithfulness in every aspect of life. Exaltation belongs to every Christian who, at every instance, admits & repents of sin. Every Christian is honored in God’s eyes who seeks to honor God in his life.
However, that which opposes God’s desire—the “sin”— is waiting as an animal waits for an opportune time with its prey, crouched “at the door.”
“This language implies that previous instructions had been given as to the mode of worship; Abel offered through faith”—JFB
“Sin” is pictured as a cunning, desperate & viable entity, which has a “desire”/craving for the sin-ner. It wants to have dominion over the sinner. In order to prevent sin’s control, the sinner must take personal charge of controlling(“rule over”) the sin.
“Do well”—bjy yaw-tab’—1) To be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad. Strong—a primitive root; To be (causative) make well, literally (Sound, beautiful) or figuratively (Happy, successful, right):-- Be accepted, amend, use aright, benefit, be (make) better, seem best, make cheerful, be comely, + be content, diligent(-ly), dress, earnestly, find favour, give, be glad, do (be, make) good([-ness]), be (make) merry, please (+ well), shew more [kindness], skilfully, X very small, surely, make sweet, thoroughly, tire, trim, very, be (can, deal, entreat, go, have) well [said, seen].
“Accepted”—tas seh-ayth’—1) Elevation, exaltation, dignity, swelling, uprising. Strong—An elevation or leprous scab; figuratively, Elation or cheerfulness; exaltation in rank or character:-- Be accepted, dignity, excellency, highness, raise up self, rising.
*“A better rendering is, "Shalt thou not have the excellency"? which is the true sense of the words referring to the high privileges & authority belonging to the first-born in patriarchal times.”—JFB
Argumentation:
Job 42:1-6—“Then Job answered the LORD & said: “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, & let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, & you shall answer Me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust & ashes.””
Isa. 9:6—“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Obviously a reference to Jesus as a wonderful Counselor.
Isa. 28:29—“....the LORD of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel & excellent in guidance.”
Ps. 33:4—“For the word of the LORD is right, And all His work is done in truth.”
Ps 119:9-16—“How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You! Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes! With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches. I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways. I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.”
Jn. 16:7-15—““Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, & of righteousness, & of judgment: “of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father & you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; & He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine & declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine & declare it to you.”
Illustration:
Dr. Oz—Dr. Phil—Suzy Orman—Dave Ramsey—Dr. James Dobson/Jim Daly(Focus on the Family)—/?What do all these have in common?/A legitimate desire to steer people down the right path(secular & spiritual)/Physically-Mentally-Morally-Financially/COUNSEL
Prayer/The most magnificent ability thru the Holy Spirit’s presence!/Available—Any Time for Any Thing at Any Place/COUNSEL
Bible Reading/It is God’s Word!/For man’s well-being & direction/Details God’s will for all(general) & me(specific)/COUNSEL
Application:
?Your God-intended COUNSEL lost to Unrepentance?
?Your see your Unrepentant life as the Tragedy it is?
6—A tragedy of unrepentance is a...
Lost ACCEPTANCE(:7a)
Explanation: (:7a)
:7—“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.””
“If” is a charge put forth to Cain to make him see that he has reached a point of personal decision.
Everyone must do this in regard to known sin. They must either continue to nurture (“not do well”) the sin or repent of it (“do well”).
The opposite of the “acceptance” attained from “doing well” is to have “sin” waiting at the very door of all we endeavor to accomplish! Thus true life in Christ grants us a super-natural ability to “rule over” “sin.”
The outcome of one’s choice to reject sin(“do well”) or harbor/nourish sin(“not do well”) is determinative of one’s relationship with God.
God will lift up/elevate/exalt(“accepted”) that person who seeks to please Him. This extends to faithfulness in every aspect of life, which is the result of true love for God in Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Exaltation belongs to every Christian who, at every instance, admits & repents of sin.
Every Christian is honored in God’s eyes who seeks to honor God in his life.
However, that which opposes God’s desire—the “sin”— is waiting as an animal waits for an opportune time with its prey, crouched(“lies”) “at the door.”
“Do well”—bjy yaw-tab’—1) To be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad. Strong—a primitive root; To be (causative) make well, literally (Sound, beautiful) or figuratively (Happy, successful, right):-- Be accepted, amend, use aright, benefit, be (make) better, seem best, make cheerful, be comely, + be content, diligent(-ly), dress, earnestly, find favour, give, be glad, do (be, make) good([-ness]), be (make) merry, please (+ well), shew more [kindness], skilfully, X very small, surely, make sweet, thoroughly, tire, trim, very, be (can, deal, entreat, go, have) well [said, seen].
“Accepted”—tas seh-ayth’—1) Elevation, exaltation, dignity, swelling, uprising. Strong—An elevation or leprous scab; figuratively, Elation or cheerfulness; exaltation in rank or character:-- Be accepted, dignity, excellency, highness, raise up self, rising.
*“A better rendering is, "Shalt thou not have the excellency"? which is the true sense of the words referring to the high privileges & authority belonging to the first-born in patriarchal times.”—JFB
Argumentation:
Job 42:7-8—“And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you & your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls & seven rams, go to My servant Job, & offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; & My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.””
Eccl. 8:12-13—“Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, & his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.”
Isa. 3:10-11—““Say to the righteous that it shall be well with them, For they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him.”
Ezek 3:16-21—“Now it came to pass at the end of seven days that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, & give them warning from Me: “When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ & you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. Yet, if you warn the wicked, & he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness & commits iniquity, & I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, & his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, & he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.””
Rev. 20:11-12—“Then I saw a great white throne & Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth & the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small & great, standing before God, & books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.”
How can we be Accepted?
Acts 10:34-35—“Then Peter opened his mouth & said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him & works righteousness is accepted by Him.”
By reverential fear of Him thereby choosing to honor God rightly.
How Accepted?—By grace thru faith.
Rom. 5:1-2—“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Rom. 5:8-11—“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
Rom. 3:21-26—“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law & the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all & on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just & the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Col. 3:15—“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body....”
*Lk. 16:10—““He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.”
Illustration:
Sam’s Spring Break beach trip/Did not call us to let us know he had arrived safely!/We were hurt badly!/If that attitude had remained(unrepentant) we would not trust him/Lost ACCEPTANCE
“Know Jesus, Know Peace—No Jesus, No Peace”
Application:
?Your God-intended ACCEPTANCE lost to Unrepentance?
?Your see your Unrepentant life as the Tragedy it is?
7—A tragedy of unrepentance is a...
Lost CONTROL(:7b-c)
Explanation: (:7b-c)
:7—“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.””
“If” is a charge put forth to Cain to make him see that he has reached a point of personal decision. Everyone must do this in regard to known sin. They must either continue to nurture (“not do well”) the sin or repent of it (“do well”).
However, that which opposes God’s desire—the “sin”— is waiting as an animal waits for an opportune time with its prey, crouched “at the door.” Sin is personified as being an opportunist, having intention & patience but seeking to destroy!
“Sin” is pictured as a cunning, desperate & viable entity, which has a “desire”/craving for the sin-ner. It wants to have dominion over the sinner. In order to prevent sin’s control, the sinner must take personal charge of controlling(“rule over”) the sin.
“Do well”—bjy yaw-tab’—1) To be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad. Strong—a primitive root; To be (causative) make well, literally (Sound, beautiful) or figuratively (Happy, successful, right):-- Be accepted, amend, use aright, benefit, be (make) better, seem best, make cheerful, be comely, + be content, diligent(-ly), dress, earnestly, find favour, give, be glad, do (be, make) good([-ness]), be (make) merry, please (+ well), shew more [kindness], skilfully, X very small, surely, make sweet, thoroughly, tire, trim, very, be (can, deal, entreat, go, have) well [said, seen].
“Sin”—tajx khat-tawth’—1) Sin, sinful; 2) Sin, sin offering—2a) Sin, 2b) Condition of sin, guilt of sin, 2c) Punishment for sin, 2d) Sin-offering, 2e) Purification from sins of ceremonial uncleanness. Strong–An offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), & its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) An offender:-- Punishment (of sin), purifying(-fication for sin), sin(-ner, offering).
“Lies”—Ubr raw-bats’—1) To stretch oneself out, lie down, lie stretched out. Strong—To crouch (on all four legs folded, like a recumbent animal); by implication, To recline, repose, brood, lurk, imbed:-- Crouch (down), fall down, make a fold, lay, (cause to, make to) lie (down), make to rest, sit.
“Door”—xtp peh’-thakh—1) Opening, doorway, entrance.
“Desire”—hqwvt tesh-oo-kaw’—1) Desire, longing, craving. From—qwv shuwq—in the original sense of stretching out after; A longing:-- Desire. Used 3X.
See Gen. 3:16 for same phrasing—“Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
“Rule over”—lvm maw-shal’—1) To rule, have dominion, reign. Strong—a primitive root; To rule:-- (Have, make to have) Dominion, governor, X indeed, reign, (bear, cause to, have) rule(-ing, -r), have power. See Gen. 3:16 for same phrasing regarding marital relationships.
Argumentation:
Acts 10:34-35—“Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.”
Rom. 2:5-13—“But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. bFor as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;”
Rom. 7:8-11, 14-25—“But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.”.....“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
Js. 1:14-15—“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”
Gal. 5:22-23—“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.”
2Pet. 1:5-11—“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
1Cor. 9:24-25—“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown.”
Illustration:
Chainsaw safety/Never use the tip—It will dangerously kick out throwing it out of control//Lost CONTROL
A Polar bear will wait for days on end at a hole for a seal to appear....or for the researcher to appear from his hut/The seal & researcher are Trapped—Limited—Hemmed in by the bear/Lost CONTROL
Application:
?Your God-intended CONTROL lost to Unrepentance?
?Your see your Unrepentant life as the Tragedy it is?
8—A tragedy of unrepentance is a...
Lost LIFE/PURPOSE(:8)
Explanation: (:8)
:8—“Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; & it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother & killed him.”
Cain “spoke/talked with” his brother Abel but we are not told what is said. Some versions borrow from the LXX putting on Cain’s lips, “Let us go out to the field.” Regardless, Abel is persuaded to enter a particular field(of Cain’s livelihood?) & as they are there together, Cain then slays his own brother.
No doubt Cain thinks he can hide the atrocity where he is most familiar & comfortable. He believes he is in control, but ironically, he has lost control to such an extent that his very life’s path has been hijacked/chosen/directed by sin.
Rather than repenting, Cain has nursed & planned his brother’s death out of jealousy & contempt for God’s respect of Abel’s sacrifice.
Rather than choose the high road of repentance, Cain has chosen the base human avenue of vengeance for his brother’s act of obedience to God.
Abel is not responsible for Cain’s attitude & should not have been the recipient of its wrath. Likewise, Christians are needlessly martyred.
This murder is a pitiable & supremely needless act, entered into purely because of one’s heart attitude set toward self-seeking & blatant rejection of righteous direction. No doubt, Cain’s ‘feelings were hurt.‘ God sought to redirect Cain’s heart but he would not have it.
As long as we are afraid of hurting someone’s feelings, we will never share God’s truth with them. Everyone loses if we do not share the truth....The person in need of the Gospel goes to hell & their blood is on our hands.
Mat. 23:31-35—““Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, & scribes: some of them you will kill & crucify, & some of them you will scourge in your synagogues & persecute from city to city, “that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple & the altar.”
“Talked”—rma aw-mar’—1) To say, speak, utter. Strong–To say (used with great latitude):-- answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, + (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, X desire, determine, X expressly, X indeed, X intend, name, X plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), X still, X suppose, talk, tell, term, X that is, X think, use [speech], utter, X verily, X yet.
“Rose up against”—Mwq quwm—1) To rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
“Against”—la ’el—a primitive particle; properly, Denoting motion towards, but occasionally used of a quiescent position, i.e. Near, with or among; often in general, To:-- About, according to ,after, against, among, as for, at, because(-fore, -side), both...&, by, concerning, for, from, X hath, in(-to), near,(out) of, over, through, to(-ward), under, unto, upon, whether, with(-in).
“Killed”—grh haw-rag’—1) To kill, slay, murder, destroy, murderer, slayer, out of hand. Strong—a primitive root; To smite with deadly intent:-- Destroy, out of hand, kill, murder(-er), put to [death], make [slaughter], slay(-er), X surely.
Argumentation:
Col. 3:1-4—“If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, & your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Gal. 2:20—““I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; & the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me & gave Himself for me.”
Jn. 3:16—““For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Jn. 10:10—““The thief does not come except to steal, & to kill, & to destroy. I have come that they may have life, & that they may have it more abundantly.”
Illustration:
Prostitute/unrepentant/Convinced it is the only way she can make a living/Loses her Life to sin/Heart health, mental health & disease/Lost LIFE
Missionary martyrs/
Application:
?Your God-intended LIFE/Purpose lost to Unrepentance?
?Your see your Unrepentant life as the Tragedy it is?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
A tragedy of unrepentance is a Lost...
5. COUNSEL(:6-7a)
6. ACCEPTANCE(:7a)
7. CONTROL(:7b-c)
8. LIFE/Purpose(:8)
1. AUTHORITY/Importance/Position(:1)
2. LIVELIHOOD(:2(:11-12))
3. WORSHIP(:3, 5)
4. RESPECT(:4-5)
Presented 05/01/2011am to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
