Cain was the first human to ever be born on earth. His parents, Adam and Eve, both had special creation births. Many parents will read this story of Cain and remember what it was like to wait for the birth of their first child. So many hopes and dreams are wrapped up in that little baby who is your firstborn. I am sure Adam and Eve had big dreams for Cain. No doubt they hoped he would make his mark on the world. He certainly made a mark, but as is often the case, things did not work out as they intended. Instead of fulfilling their dreams, the first baby, the first son, the firstborn after the Fall, broke their hearts and left a trail of blood and tears in his wake.
It wasn’t long before Adam and Eve had a second son, Abel. Let’s learn about two brothers, Cain and Abel, and their worship experience and what we can learn about worshipping the Lord God from them. Please turn to Genesis 4.
Three principles of worship we learn from Cain and Abel:
I. What you bring to God in worship does matter
Cain and Abel shared the same parents, the same spiritual background, the same home life, and no doubt both heard the same stories from Adam and Eve about life in paradise and about their expulsion because of sin. Yet as often happens in families today, one boy went in one direction and one boy went in another. One followed God; one followed his own desires. And one man murdered his brother.
Verses 3 and 4 gives us information on their worship experience. Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by the Lord God and Cain’s was not.
• NIV – the Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering
• KJV – the Lord had respect on Abel and his offering
• ESV, NAS and Holman – the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering
We wish we knew how God revealed that acceptance and rejection. However, God did it, they knew the result. Our point is that what you bring to God in worship does matter. How was Abel’s offering different or better than Cain’s?
A. Blood sacrifice
Verse 2 Cain made an offering from his work - fruit of the field. Abel made an offering of one of his lambs.
Although nothing is stated in the text, scholars believe God had informed them a sin offering requires a blood sacrifice to be accepted. Abel offered God a lamb as his sacrifice. I can almost hear someone argue - Cain gave God what he had - fruits and vegetables – he was a farmer and not a shepherd. He did not have lambs. Although he didn’t raise and tend sheep, Cain was expected by God to get one for his sacrifice. Now the picture is becoming clearer on Cain’s problem, he didn’t make the effort to give God what God required in a sacrifice. Cain gave what he wanted to give. What Cain did may have been frugal and practical, but it wasn’t what God demanded.
Application: we are to offer God a blood sacrifice as well for our sins. How we do that is get saved through the blood of Jesus.
B. Give God your best
The second way Abel’s offering was better than Cain’s --- notice in verse 3 the wording of Cain’s offering “some of the fruit of the land”, where Abel offered “the firstlings of his flock”. Firstlings indicates his best. Abel gave to God the best lamb he had where Cain gave to God his second best.
Application: you and I ought to give to God our best in worship and service too. It is so easy to make do, cut corners, or be half-hearted in our public or private worship and our service. Think of one thing you could begin doing to give God your best in. Don’t think of 5 things – it will overwhelm you – choose one and begin doing it tomorrow.
Three principles of worship we learn from Cain and Abel: the first one was “what you bring to God matters”
II. How you bring your offering is known by God
Our emphasis on how you bring your worship offering to God is your attitude, faith and intent of your heart.
A. The writer of Hebrews offers a third idea as to what was wrong with Cain’s sacrifice. Hebrews 11:4 it was not offered in faith. Faith in God motivates a person to do things right. Cain knew what to do, but definitely refused to do it.
B. In the book of Jude 1:11 he offers the fourth insight on what was wrong with Cain’s offering to God, Jude says “some had gone the way of Cain”. What do we believe he meant by this? He was religious but lost. They went through the forms of religious activity, but failed to have true faith and heart felt worship. Even in our culture, the concept has lingered, if you are intentionally looking for trouble or to be wild, we call it “raising Cain”.
Application: God knows all things – He knows why you came to church today. King David declared in the Psalms “I was glad when they said to me let us go to the house of the Lord”. Are you glad too?
He knows how you felt when you wrote the check for your tithe – whether it was an act of worship or begrudgingly.
Three principles of worship we learn from Cain and Abel: the first one was “what you bring to God matters”. The second principle is “how you bring your offering is known by God”
III. Our worship of the Lord God ought to impact our daily lives
Because you have attended this worship service this morning, you ought to have benefits that people who don’t attend. It should inspire your faith, steer you in God’s direction for your life and help you deal positively with your emotions and problems. Since Cain didn’t have a positive worship experience, he didn’t get any of this help dealing with life.
A. Why are you angry?
In verse 6 the Lord God asks Cain why he was angry.
• NIV – very angry and face downcast
• KJV – Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell
• Holman – Cain was furious and looked despondent
God was not asking the question because He needed information. God is all knowing and He knew why Cain was angry. The question was to confront Cain and make him face the reason. Cain took his anger out on his brother, when the reason his sacrifice was not accepted was his own doing.
Are you an angry person? Most of us would deny it. Could there be any truth to it? Thursday I finally came to the realization I am angry. I am angry that covid 19 has disrupted our world and lifestyles. I am angry that protesters can wreak havoc in many of our cities and the mayors won’t do anything about it.
Maybe you would use another word for angry such as frustrated or resentful. You and I need to deal with this emotion before it hurts your relationships with people and with God. Cain didn’t get his anger under control and he killed his brother.
His defective offering came from a defective heart. His brother was not the problem. The angry man was his own worst enemy.
B. Sin Crouching at the door
Our focal verse is 7.
1. If you do well, will you not be accepted?
“If you do well” Some people want to take this verse and make it teach works for salvation because of the words “do well”. That is not the case. Our actions are part of our worship, but God also knows our heart.
I believe God is saying to Cain, if you do well in offering God the right kind of sin offering and with the right heart of worship, then you will be accepted. We all want to be accepted in our worship. You have come this morning with a desire to worship the Lord God how are you and me to do well?
2. If you do not do well, sin crouches at the door
I hear in this phrase a sober warning. I hear God saying to Cain “if you don’t change your self-righteous worship and selfish heart, sin will dominate you”.
The phrase “sin crouching at the door” the KJV has “lies at the door” depicts a wild animal such as a lion, ready to pounce on you. I assume all of us have watched nature shows where a lion will sneak up on an antelope or wildebeest, crouching in the grass until the right moment to attack. This is the word picture about the attack of sin.
As to the door, this is my 8th message using the door theme. This word picture is not a literal door, but portrays Cain’s heart as a door.
3. You should rule over it
This third phrase in verse 7 speaks of what sin would do to Cain once it enters his heart.
• NLT - Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
Instead of devouring him, eating him up and killing him, it would dominate or control him. I bet every one of us can think of someone who is dominated by sin. It is a terrible way to live.
Cain essentially told God I don’t want forgiveness, I don’t want to do right, I want to sin. I enjoy sin. Cain opened the door and let sin crouching at the door into his life. It so dominated him that he killed his brother.
People have asked the question “since knowing Jesus is so wonderful, why don’t everyone get saved? The answer comes from Cain. They love their sins. They are not willing to repent of them because they don’t want to turn from them.
God’s advice to Cain was “you must rule over or master your sin”. Notice the progress of sin. In Genesis 3 the serpent has to talk Eve into sin; in Genesis 4 God can’t talk Cain out of sin.
How to fight sinful desires
A. Admit to God you need His help.
Admission you have a problem is the first step in dealing with it. Too many people live in denial or don’t want to face the reality of their sinfulness. Telling God, you are sorry for your sins can only be words unless you follow up with actions. Repent of your sin and get the help of the Lord in dealing with it.
B. Pray and ask God to take away the sinful desires. Be specific about the sins you are struggling with and need help on. I remember hearing the testimony of Frank Wigginton in McComb, Mississippi. He shared he had been a bartender and someone witnessed to him and he got saved. Everyone thought he would have a hard time giving up his alcohol, but he said “God took away the desire for it”.
C. Radically remove the sin.
When cancer is concentrated into a mass, surgeons can remove it. This is the way to treat some of the sins we fight with. A college friend of mine shared with me in his 40’s he became addicted to online porn. With advice from a friend to break the habit, he totally gave up getting on the internet for several months. He also got a software that blocks someone from going to certain sites.
D. Immerse yourself in God’s word. Read it! Memorize it! Study it with others like a SS class,
How does the story of Cain end? Because he refused to repent, God punished him. Verse 10-12.
11Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
Sin has consequences. Cain was punished by God to wander as a nomad for the rest of his life.
Small sins left unrepented of turn into big sins. If Cain had repented of bringing to God the wrong offering and with a lack of faith, the rest of story would be completely different. Yet, he didn’t repent and he became angry at Abel and at God and his anger opened the door for the crouching lion to come in and control him.
Large sins are never as sudden as they seem. Cain’s large sin of murdering his brother was not some spontaneous act, but was premediated. He invited Abel to meet him in a field and then murdered him. You may rationalize your sins thinking I get caught up in the moment and lose control. Don’t put yourself in that context anymore.
It is the people I hang around who push me to sin – then get some new friends!
Even the worse of sinners can be forgiven. In verse 7 God warned Cain before he murdered his brother – it was an opportunity to repent and change. Cain refused it.
Appeal
For some, your repenting of sin would bring you to a first-time salvation experience. For others, it is part of your ongoing growth as a Christian and sanctification as a believer.
Prayer
