Why must it be only through the Blood that we can be saved?
Genesis 4:1-12
We are told today that mankind is naturally good at heart. What we need to fix is the environment; through our social policies, our education, and our laws.
The Bible clearly tells us this is not the case.
Mankind is “Desperately wicked” as Jeremiah puts it.
Paul says that all of mankind that “THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE." "THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING," "THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS"; "WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS"; "THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN." "THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES."
The Bible tells us that God, in the beginning, created everything good. Including giving his creation a choice. A choice to obey. A choice to love.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they ran from God. God has been chasing us with His mercy and grace ever since. Unfortunately, people have been trying to fix things on their own ever since, ignoring Gods pleadings to the contrary.
The sin of Adam and Eve plunged the world into an avalanche. The relationships bxn man and woman were broken… The relationships bxn God and man were broken. The relationship bxn man and creation were broken. A war broke out in the garden of Eden. A religious war. In chapter three, we saw God showing Adam and Eve, the only way to cover sin is through death. By the shedding of blood. Adam and Eve had only to trust God that the shedding of blood of an innocent substitute would satisfy Him.
God’s heart is always after his people. God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son…
People don’t like to hear about the blood of Jesus Christ. People don’t like to hear about a bloody religion… many have assumed the teachings of evolutionary based anthropology must somehow fit into the Bible. The bloody practices of the ancient Incas, Babylonians, etc., were a perversion of God’s intention. The ancient Hebrews did not get their sacrificial system from the surrounding nations. The surrounding nations had perverted God’s original intention from the beginning. Stop allowing the assumption of evolution to work it’s way into the only history book that has never been shown to be wrong. Every time an archeologist puts a spade into the ground, he discovers that the Bible has been right all along. Anyway, enough philosophy of History… you know me by now…
God always comes to man first. Man was simply to trust God by faith, come to an appointed place of worship, and believe that God would forgive their sins by the shedding of blood of a spotless, innocent substitute – which always pointed to Jesus Christ shedding His blood for us – and we would be saved.
The book of Hebrews shows us this… “But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens. Jesus Christ is that High Priest. The sacrifices were intended to be a picture of the coming Messiah. From the beginning, the promised seed was to be a sacrificial substitute. The Messiah was to be a Lamb before He was to be a Lion.
Here, in the beginning, we see the importance of paying attention to the context, and the gradual unfolding of God’s Word. If the Israelite’s from Moses’ time had paid attention to what we will learn today, maybe they would have understood the grace and mercy of God… and that forgiveness of sins was more important to God than their living conditions.
Here, in the beginning, we see a contrast. Two clear choices between God’s way, and mans way. One represents true worship, the other, false. The Bible tells us that there is a right way to worship God, and a wrong way.
This passage of scripture has great application for us today, because there are still many people who are sincere in their religion, but are sincerely wrong. And as Cain found out the hard way, unless a person repents, sin will crouch at your door, bitterness and hatred will build up in your hearts, and death will result.
Today’s message is a warning to everybody, There is only one way to approach God. Through the blood. That’s it. And anything else is false worship. Today’s message is a warning of the results of this false worship. First, we will see the basis of false worship, then the consequences of false worship, and then the final outcome of false worship…
Basis of false worship.
Cain and Abel were clearly taught how to approach God. They were already on their own as adults and working for a living just as God intended. They had the example of their parents. And they saw the Cherubim outside the garden. It wasn’t until after this incident that Cain left “from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.” (v.16)
They KNEW God could not be approached thoughtlessly. Apparently they already knew that God expected an offering. They MUST have already done this regularly for quite some time. In verse three, "in the course of time" literally means, “at the end of days.” This is a Hebraism for the end of the week. The Sabbath. The holy day of rest.
Why was God pleased with one and not the other?
For the simple reason, that one came by faith – believing the Word of God, and the other came in unbelief… "Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins."
You can’t get blood out of a turnip!
This passage plainly shows us there are only two religions in the world today. We break up the religions of the world into many groups. But in God’s eyes’, there is Salvation by works, or salvation by grace. Based on human effort, or based on blood. The way of Cain, or the way of the cross.
There are people who work their way to God, putting God in a box of their own understanding… and there are those who come to God by faith. “I’m looking for a religion that I am comfortable with,” people will say. We better have a religion that God is comfortable with.
Are you bringing the fruit of Your labor to God? If we can work our way to heaven, then Calvary was the biggest mistake of history.
Now, what made God prefer Abel’s offering over that of Cain’s? Was this an attitude problem? Lets look at what most of you have been taught incorrectly in Sunday School before:
Origin argument. Since the ground was cursed, God rejected the offering. But Romans 8 teaches that all of creation has been tainted by sin.
Quality argument. Abel brought his best, and Cain didn’t. Supposedly, the emphasis of the passage is on firstlings (the best). For some reason, this teaching has even found it’s way into conservative theology. But this is the foundational teaching in the Bible of the necessity of an innocent substitue. If you miss this, you open yourself up to all sorts of error.
God had already revealed the need for a blood atonement (Adam and Eve), and you should expect that the firstlings would be brought because throughout the rest of the Old Testament, you were always expected to bring the best of your flock.
Besides, Cain probably did bring his best. To say that he didn’t is an argument from silence. It just wasn’t the right type. It was his idea. He thought it was good enough. Knowing that Cain had already been taught how and why (more on that in a second)... what does that say to you?
People, this point is vital in understanding why Jesus Christ had to die. This was a SIN OFFERING. It shows a repentent heart. It demonstrates faith. It shows that you understand there is nothing you can do of your own work that will be acceptable to God as a payment for sin.
The wages of sin is death, is it not?
Listen CAREFULLY!!!
If you say that Able’s offering was accepted simply because of his attitude, or because he brought his best, then:
...we can eliminate the need for a blood sacrifice.
...we can take out the need for forgiveness of sin through death and the shedding of blood. Even further, we can say that sin may not even be an issue!!! Why bring an offering to God? Why did He need it in the first place? The blood points to sacrifice... What do you think sacrifice means anyway?
...we can reason that if death is not necessary for forgiveness, then we can earn our salvation.
...we can reason that God was unjust in his treatment of people all throughout the Old Testament.
...we can reason that nobody’s going to hell.
...we can reason that Jesus died as a good example.
...we can reason that we are not really sinners in need of a savior.
...we can reason that there is more than one way to God.
...we can reason that all people are OK, that sincerity is good enough.
God had already revealed that the only way to a right relationship with Him is by grace through faith. God had already revealed that He was going to accept the blood of an innocent substitute.
Now let’s see why we can know that Cain knew that he needed a blood sacrifice, and that for the forgiveness of sins:
Gen 3:21 – God gives them the first example of a blood substitute. If physical nakedness is the only reason to wear clothes, then the blood sacrifice THAT GOD PERFORMED was needless. The fig leaves would have been good enough.
Acts 10:39-43 – All of the prophets. Believe on the coming Messiah! What does that have to do with Cain and Abel?
Luke 11:47-51 – Abel is considered to be a prophet by Jesus Christ Himself. The purpose of a prophet was to proclaim God’s plan of redemption through the shed blood of an innocent substitute. That was the whole (and sole) purpose of the tabernacle, and the Temple.
Hebrews 11:4 – Where did he get that faith? Nobody gets true faith until God speaks.
God had revealed to Abel the truth. God made Abel the first prophet.
There is only one way. The way of the cross. But most today want the way of Cain.
Today, we are still to look to the blood. How many ways to people today still go the way of Cain?
I can find God fishing. I can find God on Television. I’m a good person. I’m sincere. So was Hitler.
It’s only by God’s effort that you can be saved. It’s only through the blood of Jesus Christ…
Consequences of false worship.
False religion is deadly.
False religion is hateful. (v.5)
Have you noticed that, the people today who want to tell you that we must all be tolerant of others, are not only tolerant of the world’s most hateful religions (Muslims), but are absolutely intolerant of Jesus Christ?
John 16:2 "They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God.”
More Christians have died in the last fifty years than in the previous 1900 years of the church.
False religion is deceptive. (v.9)
He lies to himself – not believing in God’s way.
He lies to God.
He lies to others – he never settles the issue. We see in the later half of Genesis four that Cain takes all his descendants with him to hell. The entire line of Cain was destroyed in the flood.
Matt 7: 13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
False religion is destructive.
You cannot break God’s laws. God’s law’s will break you.
v.11 – Sin will always lead a person down a spiraling path. You cannot get away with sin. Be sure, your sin will find you out. In due time, your foot will slip. Sin will take you farther than you intend to go, and will keep you for longer than you intend to stay.
Outcome of false worship.
I John 3:12. Cain never repented. He is now in hell.
Could he have been forgiven? Of course. But he refused to believe God. Instead, he chose to shut up the mouth of the prophet by killing him.
Three applications.
The blood atonement is not something we should be ashamed of. Jesus is “The Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” Peter tells us that His blood is precious.
Right behavior results in right emotions. (v.7)
God designed us. He knows how our bodies work. He knows how our spirits work. You don’t have to fill up your engine with oil... but unless you like walking...
The only way to approach God, is to seek Him for forgiveness of sins. That can only be done by believing on Jesus Christ who died in your place.
If Abel’s sacrifice was simply offering God his best, then Jesus Christ died for nothing except a good example. Then we must agree with the world in saying that there are many sincere ways to God. To believe that results in anarchy. Who are we to say that the ancient Aztecs, or Communism, or Hitler were wrong. They were all sincere. They all thought they were right.
There are some of you here who have never been saved. Up until now, you’ve been bring to God your herbs, your plants, your silver, your gold. You’ve been doing everything your way. You – at this very moment are going the way of Cain.
