THE WAY OUT OF THE MESS #2/7

#1 · February 18, 2008, 7:59 am

Quote from Forum Archives on February 18, 2008, 7:59 am
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>
SERIES: THE WAY OUT OF THE MESS #2/7

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY

February 17, 2008

Text: Genesis 4:1-16

It was one of those days when two stories printed side by side on the same front page of the same paper starkly illustrated once again the sad, bipolar differences that exist in our human condition. One story was about a thirteen year old boy whose biggest worry was how to spell some tough words. He had just won a regional spelling bee and was headed for the national championship. The other story was about a thirteen year old boy who had to worry about tough lawyers and criminal indictments. He had just been arrested for murder and was headed for prison. Two boys. Two vastly different stories. Nearly every time we wonder why. (J. David Branon, Tale of Two Boys, Our Daily Bread, March 11, 1993)

Had there been a newspaper in the days of Adam and Eve, the front page would have had a story about two boys who were not just from the same city, but from the same family. One son turned out great; the other turned out to be a murderer. Same parents; same opportunity; opposite results. We may wonder why, but all too often we do not investigate further. Some investigation leads us to a powerful conclusion and an even more powerful solution.

There is a saying that goes, The apple doesnt fall far from the tree. In Genesis 3, we are told that the parents of humanity, Adam and Eve, made their choice to disobey God. Instead of remaining in that original relationship founded by and in the compassion of God, they thought that they had a better way. Yes, they were deceived by satan, but they had the same opportunity to resist temptation as everyone else. In fact, they had a better opportunity to resist temptation, since they could have called upon God from the basis of the unique relationship they had with Him. But they did not do that; they fell for the deception; and they fell from the state of grace into which they had been created. Thus, as we are well aware, is the beginning of the sinful condition of humanity.

As tragic as the Biblical testimony of Cain and Abel is, then, it should come as no surprise. They were no less afflicted with the sin nature that their parents bestowed upon them. And one of them was no less capable of resisting a temptation than his parents. Make no mistake about this: the parents were not responsible for Cains choice of action. The choice of behavior, and subsequent responsibility, was Cains. Unfortunately, though, Adam and Eve left their children, and all subsequent children, with the opportunity to willfully violate Gods will in each and every decision we make. And, as Cain demonstrated, humanity takes that route all too often with terrifying results.

The account of Cain and Abel often raises a lot of questions concerning this early time of creation. Where did the other people come from? Who did they marry? Why were animal offerings accepted fruits of the soil rejected?

Even though we are driven by our curiosity over such matters, dwelling on them obscures the pointed message that this episode in our faith history teaches. We learn that the sin of disobeying God committed by Adam and Eve has left its mark upon the entire human race at the very moment it happened. Look at when and to whom this first murder took place. It happened shortly after being banished from the Garden of Eden, and it happened in their own family. It was not something that was separated from Adam and Eve by time or distance. This tells me that no one can explain this sin of murder as some random act of violence perpetrated by someone not closely related to the starting point of sin. The curse of the original sin of Adam and Eve has been imprinted upon every child born in every generation since they ate the fruit they were instructed to avoid. It runs in the family.

All too often, especially throughout my childhood, I understood this account to teach that the animal offering was acceptable and the plant offering was unacceptable. Thus, on the basis of the offering, Abel was being obedient and Cain was being disobedient. But understanding the account on this basis fails to turn up the more basic and more important meaning that we are supposed to learn here. Besides, thanks to Bible scholars, we also learn that such an understanding is wrong.

There is no indication at this time in the history of our faith that God commanded any particular type of offering. It is usually inaccurate for us to take a later historic event or cultural attitude and import it back to a previous historical period. Such is the case here. We cannot import back into the times of Adam and Eve the instructions that Moses was later given concerning the sacrifice. This is significant, because we cannot use it to conclude that Cains offering was unacceptable because he used fruits and vegetables instead of an animal. If this is not the case, then, why did the Lord look with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor?

The focus of this account is on the man. Literally, the Hebrew of verses 4 and 5 says, And Abel, he brought, indeed, even he, some of the firstlings of his flock and some of the fat portions belonging to him. And the Lord regarded with favor Abel and [then] his offering. But unto Cain and [then] unto his offering, he did not have regard. (Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Peter H. Davids, F. F. Bruce and Manfred T. Brauch, Hard Sayings of the Bible, 1996, Electronic Edition STEP Files, 2003, QuickVerse, a division of Findex.com, Inc.) The distinction between the two offerings is not produce and livestock; the distinction is in the manner in which the offerings were brought to the Lord. Consider carefully what we are told in verses 3 and 4: In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Abel brought what cost him the most the firstborn. Abel could have rationalized that he could bring an offering after the firstborn matured and had other offspring. If he waited in that manner, he could even bring a bigger offering to the Lord. But our offering to the Lord is a matter of faith, not a matter of success.

The ultimate account of sacrificial offering found in the Old Testament is that of Abraham and his son, Isaac. Abraham was directed to take Isaac as a sacrificial offering to the Lord (Genesis 22). In faith, Abraham obeyed to the very point of taking his knife to slay his son. As we know, God provided a ram as the offering in place of Isaac. It is still evident even today that when Abraham sacrificed the ram, his mind and heart were right with God.

As important as offerings are to the Lord, they are secondary to the state of the worshipers mind and heart. Hosea 6:6 is a vivid reminder of this truth: For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Whether from the Old Covenant system of offerings or the New Covenant promise of grace, nothing we do is pleasing to God if we fail to do it with a proper attitude. From the description in Genesis 4:3, Cain merely brought some of his crops. Cain worshiped in form; Abel worshiped in truth.

This, therefore, is the reason for God to distinguish between the two offerings. He distinguished between the two spiritual attitudes that brought the offerings. It is at this point that Cain faced the same choice that his parents faced: obey God or disobey God. The solution to Cains distress was simple; God made it so. Then the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. (Genesis 4:6-7)

As has always been the case, denying a sin leads to another sin. Covering one sin with another sin makes the situation worse. It increases the suffering multiple times. From the vantage of objective truth, Gods solution to Cains problem is simple: humble your heart, yield your life to Me, and do what is right. Instead of following Gods path out of the mess he was in, Cain hardened his heart against God. The anger that burned within him toward God spilled over to his brother. Abel became the target of his wrath. Now Cain said to his brother Abel, Lets go out to the field. And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Even though he is not physically present here as he was in the Garden with Adam and Eve, satan is clearly in the picture. Evil hates righteousness and cannot abide its presence. Since satan cannot attack and overrun God, he turns his hatred toward those who obediently follow God. Those who cannot master sin invite satan into their lives and, consequently, turn their hatred of God onto those who obediently follow God. This is the pattern found over and over in the history of the human race. It runs in the family.

Notice how the sin that Adam and Eve hid in their hearts and acted out in their lives became rooted in their son Cains life. Notice how their sin compounded in their son to the point that the result of Cains sin was more devastating than their own. Again, this is the pattern of the human family. In our frailty and weakness, we rely on God with full trust and faith. God blesses us and even our offspring. Ironically, and unfortunately, we trust ourselves more and God less. We even arrive at the point where we convince ourselves that God stands in the way of human purpose and progress and prosperity and happiness. So we believe that God is less than we are. Some even go so far as to attempt to remove God entirely from public life, meaning that anyone still obediently following God has to also be removed. This is the recorded pattern of Israel, and it is our pattern even today. As my current preaching series this season of Lent reminds us, we are in a mess. We are in a mess because it runs in the family.

Just as I shared last week, God provides the way out of this mess. He provided the way out for Cain, and He provides the way out for us. For us, it is as easy as A, B, C. Admit to God that you are a sinner and repent, meaning turn away from sin. Believe that Jesus is Gods Son and accept Gods gift of forgiveness and removal of sin. Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We are in a mess, but the Lord has lifted us out. This is our choice. Do we, like Cain, reject it? Or do we, like many others before us, accept the redeeming love of our Father?

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

170 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

www.bhfirstbaptist.com
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org   

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

SERIES: THE WAY OUT OF THE MESS #2/7

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY

February 17, 2008

Text: Genesis 4:1-16

It was one of those days when two stories printed side by side on the same front page of the same paper starkly illustrated once again the sad, bipolar differences that exist in our human condition. One story was about a thirteen year old boy whose biggest worry was how to spell some tough words. He had just won a regional spelling bee and was headed for the national championship. The other story was about a thirteen year old boy who had to worry about tough lawyers and criminal indictments. He had just been arrested for murder and was headed for prison. Two boys. Two vastly different stories. Nearly every time we wonder why. (J. David Branon, Tale of Two Boys, Our Daily Bread, March 11, 1993)

Had there been a newspaper in the days of Adam and Eve, the front page would have had a story about two boys who were not just from the same city, but from the same family. One son turned out great; the other turned out to be a murderer. Same parents; same opportunity; opposite results. We may wonder why, but all too often we do not investigate further. Some investigation leads us to a powerful conclusion and an even more powerful solution.

There is a saying that goes, The apple doesnt fall far from the tree. In Genesis 3, we are told that the parents of humanity, Adam and Eve, made their choice to disobey God. Instead of remaining in that original relationship founded by and in the compassion of God, they thought that they had a better way. Yes, they were deceived by satan, but they had the same opportunity to resist temptation as everyone else. In fact, they had a better opportunity to resist temptation, since they could have called upon God from the basis of the unique relationship they had with Him. But they did not do that; they fell for the deception; and they fell from the state of grace into which they had been created. Thus, as we are well aware, is the beginning of the sinful condition of humanity.

As tragic as the Biblical testimony of Cain and Abel is, then, it should come as no surprise. They were no less afflicted with the sin nature that their parents bestowed upon them. And one of them was no less capable of resisting a temptation than his parents. Make no mistake about this: the parents were not responsible for Cains choice of action. The choice of behavior, and subsequent responsibility, was Cains. Unfortunately, though, Adam and Eve left their children, and all subsequent children, with the opportunity to willfully violate Gods will in each and every decision we make. And, as Cain demonstrated, humanity takes that route all too often with terrifying results.

The account of Cain and Abel often raises a lot of questions concerning this early time of creation. Where did the other people come from? Who did they marry? Why were animal offerings accepted fruits of the soil rejected?

Even though we are driven by our curiosity over such matters, dwelling on them obscures the pointed message that this episode in our faith history teaches. We learn that the sin of disobeying God committed by Adam and Eve has left its mark upon the entire human race at the very moment it happened. Look at when and to whom this first murder took place. It happened shortly after being banished from the Garden of Eden, and it happened in their own family. It was not something that was separated from Adam and Eve by time or distance. This tells me that no one can explain this sin of murder as some random act of violence perpetrated by someone not closely related to the starting point of sin. The curse of the original sin of Adam and Eve has been imprinted upon every child born in every generation since they ate the fruit they were instructed to avoid. It runs in the family.

All too often, especially throughout my childhood, I understood this account to teach that the animal offering was acceptable and the plant offering was unacceptable. Thus, on the basis of the offering, Abel was being obedient and Cain was being disobedient. But understanding the account on this basis fails to turn up the more basic and more important meaning that we are supposed to learn here. Besides, thanks to Bible scholars, we also learn that such an understanding is wrong.

There is no indication at this time in the history of our faith that God commanded any particular type of offering. It is usually inaccurate for us to take a later historic event or cultural attitude and import it back to a previous historical period. Such is the case here. We cannot import back into the times of Adam and Eve the instructions that Moses was later given concerning the sacrifice. This is significant, because we cannot use it to conclude that Cains offering was unacceptable because he used fruits and vegetables instead of an animal. If this is not the case, then, why did the Lord look with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor?

The focus of this account is on the man. Literally, the Hebrew of verses 4 and 5 says, And Abel, he brought, indeed, even he, some of the firstlings of his flock and some of the fat portions belonging to him. And the Lord regarded with favor Abel and [then] his offering. But unto Cain and [then] unto his offering, he did not have regard. (Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Peter H. Davids, F. F. Bruce and Manfred T. Brauch, Hard Sayings of the Bible, 1996, Electronic Edition STEP Files, 2003, QuickVerse, a division of Findex.com, Inc.) The distinction between the two offerings is not produce and livestock; the distinction is in the manner in which the offerings were brought to the Lord. Consider carefully what we are told in verses 3 and 4: In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Abel brought what cost him the most the firstborn. Abel could have rationalized that he could bring an offering after the firstborn matured and had other offspring. If he waited in that manner, he could even bring a bigger offering to the Lord. But our offering to the Lord is a matter of faith, not a matter of success.

The ultimate account of sacrificial offering found in the Old Testament is that of Abraham and his son, Isaac. Abraham was directed to take Isaac as a sacrificial offering to the Lord (Genesis 22). In faith, Abraham obeyed to the very point of taking his knife to slay his son. As we know, God provided a ram as the offering in place of Isaac. It is still evident even today that when Abraham sacrificed the ram, his mind and heart were right with God.

As important as offerings are to the Lord, they are secondary to the state of the worshipers mind and heart. Hosea 6:6 is a vivid reminder of this truth: For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. Whether from the Old Covenant system of offerings or the New Covenant promise of grace, nothing we do is pleasing to God if we fail to do it with a proper attitude. From the description in Genesis 4:3, Cain merely brought some of his crops. Cain worshiped in form; Abel worshiped in truth.

This, therefore, is the reason for God to distinguish between the two offerings. He distinguished between the two spiritual attitudes that brought the offerings. It is at this point that Cain faced the same choice that his parents faced: obey God or disobey God. The solution to Cains distress was simple; God made it so. Then the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. (Genesis 4:6-7)

As has always been the case, denying a sin leads to another sin. Covering one sin with another sin makes the situation worse. It increases the suffering multiple times. From the vantage of objective truth, Gods solution to Cains problem is simple: humble your heart, yield your life to Me, and do what is right. Instead of following Gods path out of the mess he was in, Cain hardened his heart against God. The anger that burned within him toward God spilled over to his brother. Abel became the target of his wrath. Now Cain said to his brother Abel, Lets go out to the field. And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Even though he is not physically present here as he was in the Garden with Adam and Eve, satan is clearly in the picture. Evil hates righteousness and cannot abide its presence. Since satan cannot attack and overrun God, he turns his hatred toward those who obediently follow God. Those who cannot master sin invite satan into their lives and, consequently, turn their hatred of God onto those who obediently follow God. This is the pattern found over and over in the history of the human race. It runs in the family.

Notice how the sin that Adam and Eve hid in their hearts and acted out in their lives became rooted in their son Cains life. Notice how their sin compounded in their son to the point that the result of Cains sin was more devastating than their own. Again, this is the pattern of the human family. In our frailty and weakness, we rely on God with full trust and faith. God blesses us and even our offspring. Ironically, and unfortunately, we trust ourselves more and God less. We even arrive at the point where we convince ourselves that God stands in the way of human purpose and progress and prosperity and happiness. So we believe that God is less than we are. Some even go so far as to attempt to remove God entirely from public life, meaning that anyone still obediently following God has to also be removed. This is the recorded pattern of Israel, and it is our pattern even today. As my current preaching series this season of Lent reminds us, we are in a mess. We are in a mess because it runs in the family.

Just as I shared last week, God provides the way out of this mess. He provided the way out for Cain, and He provides the way out for us. For us, it is as easy as A, B, C. Admit to God that you are a sinner and repent, meaning turn away from sin. Believe that Jesus is Gods Son and accept Gods gift of forgiveness and removal of sin. Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We are in a mess, but the Lord has lifted us out. This is our choice. Do we, like Cain, reject it? Or do we, like many others before us, accept the redeeming love of our Father?

Rev. Charles A. Layne

First Baptist Church

PO Box 515

170 W. Broadway

Bunker Hill, IN 46914

765-689-7987

bhfbc@bhfirstbaptist.com

http://www.bhfirstbaptist.com

-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: abesermons-unsubscribe@welovegod.org