Long Story Short 2 – Cain and Able and Blood

Redemption Church Plano Tx

We are Redemption Church of Plano Texas. We exist for 4 reasons – Love, Grow, Serve, Go.
My name is Chris Fluitt and I am glad to share the Word of God with you.

Long Story Short

In week 1 we talked about…

• Creation – The creation story is about WHO instead of HOW.
• God is our personal provider.
• God creates what we need before we need it.
• Sin is looking for provision outside of God.
• Adam & Eve sinned but God remained their provider.
• Jesus is that same God in Genesis, providing for us today.

 

There is a common thread that runs throughout your Bible. Do you know it?

John 5:39 (NIV) You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me,

#LONGSTORYSHORT #ALLaboutJESUS

Adam and Eve sinned in Genesis 3.

Genesis 3:6-7 (NIV) 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Sin changed Adam and Eve. It changed how they saw each other, and how they saw themselves.

They tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. It did not work.

And before God banishes Adam and Eve from the garden, God does this…

Genesis 3:21 (NIV) The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Sin requires a covering.
Only God can provide the covering.
The covering required a death. (Whatever animal died is the first physical death) (Hebrews 9:22)

God forces Adam & Eve to leave the Garden of Eden, but they leave with a promise.

Genesis 3:15 (NIV) And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Last week we talked about this FIRST PROPHESY ABOUT JESUS.

We know that Jesus fulfills this promise on the cross, BUT Adam and Eve did not know HOW this promise would be fulfilled.

God gives promises that we don’t understand.

You don’t have to figure the promise out.

You don’t have to make the promise happen.

Just believe the promise of God.

 

At the beginning of Genesis 4, Adam and Eve have 2 sons.

Cain & Abel

Adam and Eve surely thought that one of these sons was the answer to the Genesis 3:15 promise. One of these 2 sons would crush the head of the enemy.

Cain was a gardener.
Able was a shepherd.

The 2 brothers each brought an offering to the Lord.

• Cain – The works of his hands… the best produce from his garden and offered it to the Lord.
• Able – Brought the firstborn of his flock and offered it to the Lord.
• God approved of Abel’s sacrifice. God did not favor the sacrifice of Cain.

Why is that? What is this supposed to teach us?

Both brothers brought an offering, but not all offerings are equal in God’s eyes.

• Cain brought human effort.
• Able brought obedience. Remember God slew an animal to cover the sins of Adam & Eve… Abel’s offering followed that pattern. We call this obedience.
• Obedience is better than our best human effort.

God honored Abel’s sacrifice.

Cain became angry. He gave his best, but his best effort was not good enough.

Genesis 4:6-7(NIV) 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 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 rule over it.”

 

“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted.”

Cain needed to admit that he did not do right.  REPENTANCE.
Confession/Repentance = acceptance.

“But if you do not do what is right… sin is crouching at your door.”

Last week- Genesis 1 & 2 personified God giving Him natural attributes.

Lion stalking prey video

Here we see sin personified as crouching at Cain’s door and desiring to have him.  What does that remind us of?

Sin is like a dangerous lion stalking its prey.
 

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV) Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Sin is dangerous.

We need to do what is right. We need to repent.

DO NOT play around with sin.

What does Cain do?  Does Cain repent?

Genesis 4:8 (NIV) 8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Cain did not repent.
Cain continued in sin.
Sin effected Cain… Cain’s continued sin effected his brother.
Cain killed Able. (The first murder)

 

Imagine how Adam & Eve felt.

This is not how it was supposed to turn out.

Cain or Able was supposed to be the promised child that crushes the head of the enemy… Neither was.
 

God gives promises that we don’t understand.

You don’t have to figure the promise out.

You don’t have to make the promise happen.

Just believe the promise. The promise of God is true.

 

We often ask “Why God?”  The simple answer is usually SIN.

This shows how destructive sin is.

Adam & Eve’s sin led them to this heartache.

Cain’s sin and lack of repentance led to this heartache.

 

Sin leads to death. Sin never leads to life.

 

God confronts Cain.

Genesis 4:9 (NIV) Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Genesis 4:10 (NIV) The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.

Blood

This is the first place blood is mentioned in scripture.  It says BLOOD CRIES OUT.

Scripture personifies blood… why?

Blood is more than the red stuff that flows in your body.  Blood has a spiritual unseen attribute.

Blood cries out

God hears blood.

• Murder
• Suicide
• Violence
• Injustice

The blood of every victim cries out to the Lord…. Continually.

The heart of God is moved by the pain and suffering in our world.

What do you think the blood is crying? What might the blood be saying?

The blood of Abel was crying out for the Judgment of God. The blood of Abel was crying out against his murderer, Cain.

Genesis 18:20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous…

Those who were killed in these wicked cities, they are the ones crying out for God to perform his judgment and make things right.

 

Why is this important?

The mention of blood crying…

One brother killing the other…

Is this just a story, or does it have importance to our life? How is it important?

This is where a picture of Jesus clearly shows up in our story.

Jesus

Jesus is a lot like Abel. Think about it…

Jesus is called our brother in Hebrews 2:11.

Jesus is like that good brother who was obedient to God.

Jesus is called our great shepherd, a lot like Abel was a shepherd.

Abel was murdered because he was righteous…. And Jesus was murdered because He was righteous.

Jesus was murdered by his jealous brothers, just as Abel was murdered by his jealous brother.

 

The story of Cain & Able is a story of Jesus.  This story testifies of Jesus.

BUT THERE IS 1 MAJOR DIFFERENCE between Jesus and Abel.

Blood cries out

 

Remember that the blood of Abel cries out for judgment.

Hebrews 12:24 (NIV) Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

The blood of Jesus speaks a better word than the blood of Abel…

*Luke 23:34 (NIV) Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing…”

The blood of Abel cries out for judgment… The blood of all victims cries out for judgment.

ONLY THE BLOOD OF JESUS CRIES OUT FOR FORGIVENESS.

Ephesians 1:7 (NIV) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.

 

Sin requires a covering.  The blood of Jesus is our covering.

Adam & Eve were not able to cover themselves…

Cain’s good works were not abel to cover him…

Only the blood of Jesus can cover our sin.

Your Bible has been trying to teach you this from the beginning.

Genesis 4:9 (NIV) Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

 

Cain was not his brother’s keeper.

Jesus is his brother’s keeper.  He keeps us all and cares for us.  Jesus sacrifices Himself for the very ones who torture and kill Him.

Are you your brother’s keeper? Are you your sister’s keeper?

Lion stalking prey video

Are you jealous like Cain?
Are you angry like Cain?
Is sin stalking you?

• Jealousy
• Greed
• Hatred
• Pride
• Lying
• Stealing

What should you do?
What should Cain have done?

 

REPENT