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Slamming the Door in the Devil's Face
Scripture Reference: Genesis 4:1-8
Preached at Mount Zion Baptist Church on June 1, 2019
Delivered by Rev. John Daniel Johnson
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In the garden, at Creation, the Bible tell us that God dwelt in the presence of man. We find that our LORD God spoke directly with His creation. He walked in the garden with mankind. But something severed that relationship. It was not God who caused the relationship to fail, but man. Adam and Eve violated God’s command; therefore, sinning against God. The devil tempted Eve to eat of the fruit, Eve then tempted Adam. Then because both of sinned against God they were both condemned to die.
Scripture tells us that when God confronted Adam and Eve about their sin, they immediately passed the blame. Eve said, “The serpent made me do it.” Adam went further and said, “The woman that You gave me made me do it.” In realty, Adam was not only blaming Eve for his sin, but also blaming God.
Ever since that first sin, the fellowship between God and mankind has been severed. God wanted fellowship with His children, but since God is Holy, He cannot be around sin. But, thanks be to God, He made a way to restore that relationship. Throughout the Old Testament, God used ‘shadows’ or ‘types’ of thing that are revealed in the New Testament.
In the day of Moses, God directed Moses to build a Tabernacle.This portable tent housing would be a temporary place that God could come down and again dwell with His creation. That Tabernacle was designed with only one door leading into the room where He dwelt. There was but one way man could come into the presence of the Almighty.
In the days of Solomon, God allowed the construction of the Temple to be built in Jerusalem. Again, there was only one entrance for mankind to have contact with the Holy God.
Then God sends His Son, Jesus Christ who said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” - John 1:9
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” - John 14:6
The New Testament makes it perfectly clear that God never intended on dwelling with mankind in some tent or Temple made by human hands. God desires to live in us. Scripture tells us that we are the Temple of God.
Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? - 1 Corinthians 3:16
Just like in the Old Testament, there is but one way of entering the presence of God. One way to heaven. Only one way. Jesus is the only way. Our favorite passage, John 3:16, declares that.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” - John 3:16
“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” - Acts 4:12
Now, the ground-work has been laid. There’s one way to the Father and that is through Jesus Christ. Once we trust in Him for salvation, our body becomes the Temple of God because His presence now dwells inside of us. Through that one door, that one entrance, we have access to God.
Jesus stands at our heart’s door and is asking us to let Him enter.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” - Revelation 3:20
Transitional Sentence:
Jesus Christ is at the door of our heart ready to enter and give us the heavenly blessings, but also at the door is sin. Just like Christ, sin won’t enter unless it’s invited. This morning we are going to examine a few steps we can make to slam the door in the face of the devil, while opening it wide for Christ. So, how can we slam the door shut in the face of the enemy?
In today’s text, we read of the terrible sin that Cain committed on his own. He can’t do like his parents did. He just can’t pass the blame. God warned Cain that sin was crouching at the door, but it was Cain, himself, who opened the doorway for sin to enter.
“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” - James 1:14-15
Cain and Abel bring offerings to God. The word for “offering” here also means “tribute” so there is a deliberate implication that they both recognized the necessity to pay homage to their King. Abel’s offering is accepted. Cain’s is not. The text says nothing more. It does not tell us why God did not accept Cain’s tribute. But it does tell us that because Cain’s offering was not accepted, he was depressed and upset.
God wants Cain to truly understand the power that sin has over him, so the comparison that is being made is of a predator crouching in wait at the threshold of his home—ready to strike—and that it has a desire for Cain.
Notice this statement in the Scripture: “Sin is lying at the door.” Notice some very important things about this statement. First, sin is still outside. It is right there, ready to come in if invited. It cannot begin to work until you open the door. Secondly, notice how sin is. The Hebrew word for “lies or lying” is the word RABAT (Raw-Bat). That word literally means “to stretch out and get comfortable.” Sin has gotten comfortable at the door of Cain. When we get comfortable with sin in our life, we are opening up avenues for spiritual attacks.
The Dream:
This past Wednesday we started a quick study on Angels and how they minister to us while on this earth. I had been reading a lot of Bible passages on angel and my mind was filled with a new appreciation for them. Well, a couple of nights ago, I had a dream about angels. Actually in my dream, the angels and I were eating. That’s my kind of dream…Eating! But then I realized what we were eating, we were eating this white, almost cotton candy textured substance. When I asked what I was eating, I was told it was angel food.
In Exodus 16 we are told that after Israel left Egypt, God rained down bread from Heaven called manna. The Israelites took this manna, and made bread cakes out of it. In Psalm 78:25, Scripture says that mankind ate the bread of angels or angel’s food.
The next day I was reading the Creation Account and the verses leading up to today’s passage, and the words jumped off the page at me. After Adam and Eve sinned, not only did God curse the ground, but God cursed the serpent. Remember what the Scriptures says?
"On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life"; - Genesis 3:14
Now notice, angels eat manna, but the devil will eat dust. Now let’s think spiritually for a minute. What are you and I created from? The dust of the ground, right? So our flesh, is what the devil feeds off of. That’s why we must be born again, not of flesh, but of spirit! When we are living for the fleshly desires of this world, we are actually feeding evil.
Steps to Slam the Door
Here's the Scripture to do it: “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” - James 4:7-8
We often just quote the second part of that verse: “resist the devil and he’ll flee,” but you can’t resist without doing Step 1.
Step 1: Submit therefore to God.
A disobedient or unsubmissive believer will not see victory. You can’t resist sin if you first haven’t submitted to God. The biblical concept of submission is to place oneself under the authority of another. When we submit to God, we give our lives to His authority and control. God does not require us to submit because He is a tyrant, but because He is a loving Father and He knows what is best for us. We submit by obeying Him. Keeping His commands.
Step 2: Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
To resist means to withstand, strive against, or oppose in some manner. Resistance can be a defensive maneuver on our part, such as resisting or withstanding the temptation to sin.
Step 3: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
Study His Word, sing His praises, Worship Him, fellowship with other believers, spend time with Him in prayer, transform your thinking, confession & repentance.
