Gtcotr/ss112722
Genesis 4 NKJV
1 ¶ Now Adam knew Eve his
wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from
the LORD.”
· After your last worst mistake and even after your greatest sin, life goes on, and you can too.
2 Then she bore again, this
time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of
the ground.
· Coming of age to make your own decisions and to be what you choose to be.
3 ¶ And in the process of
time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground
to the LORD.
4a Abel also brought of the
firstborn of his flock and of their fat.
·
These
boys had evidently been taught and shown the importance of offerings.
· Each year they must have watched their parents bring and dedicate offerings to the LORD.
In the process of time – (Hebrew) at the end of days: denoting the end of a day, week, season, or year. Specifically referring here to the season of the year in which crops have been harvested, also the time in which lambs are about 6 months old and weaned. At the end of a natural time.
Typically the autumn time of the year, the natural time of counting your blessings and giving of thanks, and presenting your offerings to the Lord for His goodness.
This
time of the year coincides with the New Year for God. A time in which the
Jewish Rabbis teach, and we believe is the anniversary of:
·
The
creation of Adam and Eve
·
The
dedication of the Temple
·
The
coming of Messiah
· It is a time to count our blessings and make our offerings to God.
It is not only the end of days, but immediately following is the new beginning of a next season to come.
Genesis 8:22 “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
4b And the LORD respected
Abel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect Cain
and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
·
Abel
brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.
o No doubt just as his
father had taught him.
§ The first and the best
belong to God … even the fat.
·
Cain
just brought some of the harvest … nothing special.
o It wasn’t just Cain’s
offering that God would not respect, it was his heart. In all that we know
about Cain, he seems a grumpy sort of person who is a bit self-centered and
complaintive.
· The Bible says God loves a cheerful giver … someone who gives because they want to give, with a heart of thanksgiving.
2 Corinthians 9:7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
·
Cain
may have felt compelled to give. It is evident he was not really happy about
it, and neither was God.
·
Maybe
because Cain didn’t see God there working beside him in the fields, he didn’t
think God had anything to do with his harvest.
o But tell me … where
did Cain get the dirt, the seed, the rain, or the strength to work the fields?
· Cain should have opened his eyes a little wider and he could have seen God working all around him … so can we!
6 ¶ So the LORD said to Cain,
“Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?"
·
Cain
was angry in much the same way as the men were angry in the parable Jesus told
in Matthew 21 about the workers who felt they didn’t owe the owner of the
vineyard anything from their harvest.
· Sin makes a sad person. It’s hard to be happy when you’re not pleasing God.
7 “If you do well, will you
not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its
desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
· Sin wants to rule you … but you should rule over it …
Here
are three things I believe this passage teaches us today:
1.
There comes a time when every person is responsible to God for their
actions.
2.
Doing well is a personal decision completely within our reach.
3. Sin knows no boundaries … it will take as much ground as you give it.
Genesis 4:8 Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
We are in the season of counting our blessings.
Be thankful from your heart and make sure you don’t forget to be a cheerful giver.
How
can you please the Lord this year?
· First by giving your heart to Him.
Romans 10:13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
· And then by honoring the LORD with your substance and with the first fruits of all your increase.
Proverbs 3
9 Honor the LORD with your
substance, And with the first fruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.
The
time is ripe for you to make a decision … count your blessings and begin your
new life right now!
