Timothy
Keller Genesis 4:3-15 Cain and Abel
What’s wrong with us?
What’s wrong with the human race?
What leads people to do such horrible things? A problem of underestimation. You see that in scary movies, we continually
underestimate the power of the predator.
We underestimate the power of sin. Genesis 4:7 God says “sin is crouching at your door.” The problem isn’t just sin, it’s that we
don’t see the sin we have within us. Sin
hides itself, it is powerful, we must master it. There is hope that we can master it.
Sin by its nature hides itself “sin is crouching at your door” a
cat crouching (makes itself smaller) toward a mouse. Our own sin looks smaller than it is.
Offering, there are a number words for offering in the Hebrew
language, this was a dedication offering, you give it to God that everything
you have belongs to Him. Like when a man
gives a woman a wedding ring. It’s a
symbol of dedication. Not roses when
you’ve done something wrong. Or a man
who gives a woman a wedding ring but the woman knows he’s been unfaithful. You have to back up your offering with your
life or its bribery, it means nothing.
Keller says there was nothing wrong with Cain’s offering, God knew
his heart was not in it like Abel’s was.
1 John 3 says "Please do not act like Cain, who was of the evil one. He
brutally murdered his own brother." Why would he do something so despicable?
Because his life was devoted to evil and selfishness, and his brother chose to
do what is right. Cain wants to be able
to make the rules
From Cornelius Plantinga's book-- God is a means to get to your happiness. God is an accessory; you only want your
way. And if you don’t get it you get
angry, you’re not living for God. Cain
felt that way.
We want to believe that ordinary people cannot do monstrous
things. If they’re capable then we’re
capable. God says in the heart of the
ordinary there is a monster, we’re capable of it. We have to be tame it as God tells Cain.
The worst sins in your life look much smaller to you than they do
to anyone else. If you ask close friends
who will tell you the truth about your life, they will tell you clearly the
things that are wrong about your life.
Sin comes to you and says I’ll just be over here in the corner, but
every negative thought, every grudge is murder in a little ball, every lust is
adultery in a little ball, every envy is robbery, self pity is idolatry. We need people around us that know us that
can help us see what we can’t see for ourselves. Our sin crouches so that we cannot see it on
the inside. Do not give sin any spot in
our lives. We see it in the corner of
our lives and we ignore it, but really its crouching, getting ready to pounce.
It will not stay in that corner. Do not
tolerate it.
Sin’s desire is to have us.
If we do not do right, when we sin we create something that haunts you
and stays with you and will devour you.
After you’ve done a sin, the sin does you. They do not just go away, they take on a
being and a life of their own. Two sides
to the power of sin, when you tell a lie you’re not done with lying, you
usually end up having to lie again. You
will also find that you will be lied to as well.
All addictions are not a sin, but all sins are addictive. The more you lie the easier it becomes to
keep lying. It’s easier to pick up bad
habits than good ones. When you misuse
someone out of hate, you have to keep hating them to justify what you’ve done
to them.
Law of great returns- there is something about the universe that
when you sin you’re not just going against God it goes against yourself. If you’re a liar you’ll find that you’re lied
to, if you’re a hater you’ll find that you’re hated, if you’re a gossiper
you’ll find that you’re gossiped about.
It all comes back to you. Sin
eats away at you, they will devour you.
When you sin you can’t say I sinned once it’s all over, it keeps coming.
There is hope for sin- God comes to Cain, and says why are you
angry and why are you downcast. Cain do
you not see that your real enemy isn’t Abel, it’s not God, its sin. It’s what’s within you, not God, and not what
is done to you. You are miserable
because of your response to what has happen to you. Pride, hurt feelings,
etc. Repent because it’s the only
hopeful response. You can do something
about the sin in your heart, you cannot do anything about outward things that
happen to you. God gives Cain one last
chance to change his heart and Cain does not.
When our sin ruins other people, God cannot NOT hear those who cry
out to him because of our sins. He is
for peace. All human blood cries out to
God. Hebrews 12:24
When God went to Cain after he killed Abel, God said that Cain’s
blood cried out from the ground, God took Cain to his brother’s pool of blood
and cursed him. When Christ died his
blood cried out to God “save them” instead of curse them.
Anyone who says I’m religious but not fanatical about it, watch
out Cain.
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