Genesis 4:1-16 – Cameron Jungels - Sun PM, Feb. 9, 2014

“Great Sinners but a Greater Savior” - Genesis 4:1-16 – Cameron Jungels - Sun PM, Feb. 9, 2014

(Eastside Baptist, Sun PM, Feb. 9, 2014)

Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man."  ² Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.  ³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.  ⁴ And Abel also brought an offering-- fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,  ⁵ but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.  (Gen. 4:1–5 NIV)

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. (Ps. 51:16–17 NIV)

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Mic. 6:7–8 NIV)

 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. (Heb. 11:4 NIV)

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God's child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. (1 Jn. 3:10–12 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." (Gen. 3:15 NIV)

Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. (1 Jn. 3:13 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."  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.  ⁹ Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"  ¹⁰ The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.  ¹¹ Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.  ¹² When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."  ¹³ Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear.  ¹⁴ Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."  ¹⁵ But the LORD said to him, "Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.  ¹⁶ So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. (Gen. 4:6–16 NIV)

¹⁴ We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.  ¹⁵ Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.  ¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?  ¹⁸ Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 Jn. 3:14-18 NIV)

Main Idea: It is only the grace of God in Jesus Christ that can release us from the bondage of our own depravity.

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

Main Idea: It is only the grace of God in Jesus Christ that can release us from the bondage of our own depravity.