Gillespie, J Stewart: Genesis Chp 4 - Good Folk And Bad Folk

The book of Genesis, and we'll take time to read this interesting chapter. Genesis and chapter number four, reading from verse one, please. And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she again bare his brother Abel, and Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering, but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth or angry, and his countenance, his face fell. And the Lord said to Cain, why art thou wroth? Why are you angry? And why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not well, sin lies at the door, and unto thee shall be his desire, but thou should rule over him. And 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 slew him. And the Lord said to Cain, where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not. Am I my brother's keeper? And he said, what hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground, and now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength. A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said to the Lord, my punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from thy face shall I be hid, and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it shall come to pass that everyone that finds me shall slay me. And the Lord said to him, therefore, whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bare Enoch, and he builded a city and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. And unto Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begat Mehu- Mehugal, and Mehugal be- begat Methusiel, and Methusiel begat Lamech. And Lamech took unto him two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. And Adah bare Jabal, and he was the father of such as dwell in tents and of such as have cattle. And his brother name was Jubal, and he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ. And Zillah, she also bare Tubal Cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron. And the sister of Tubal Cain was Naamah. And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech, for I have slain a man to my wounding and a young man to my heart. If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold. And Adam knew his wife again, and she bare a son and called his name Seth, for God said she she she hath appointed, God said she hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son, and he called his name Enos. Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord. Let's just ask God for his help again. Our Father, we do just come into thy presence. We thank thee for thy word. Uh, we think, our Father, of some things that are written here, some of them, our Father, very clear, others perhaps not so clear. And we pray, Father, for help tonight. We know, our Father, that we're going way back in time here, and yet we can see so much of our own condition in these verses. So we really pray, Father, for help to see, uh, where we are before thee and to see, our Father, the great plan of salvation. And we pray, Father, that tonight that thou would draw us to thyself by the only means that there is to come near to, to, to, to thee. We pray, Father, that thou would draw us to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. So we offer thanks then, our Father, praying for thy help and thy presence. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. So Genesis, um, even if you hadn't read the book of Genesis before, um, and we've been looking at it the last few Sundays that we've opened up the scriptures on a Sunday night, um, I'm sure you, you would have worked out by now that the book of Genesis is a book of beginnings, because we've already found that, haven't we, in the opening few chapters. Uh, we've already found that it's the book that presents the beginning of the world in Genesis chapter one. and we've seen already that it's the beginning of life that we have read about in Genesis one as well, when God ga- made man and he made woman. And in Genesis chapter number two. Two and chapter three, we saw the beginning of other things as well, the beginning of sin and the beginning of separation from God. Well, Genesis chapter number four is a book of great beginnings and the a a a chapter of great firsts, and some many things in chapter number four that you'll find it's the very first time that we ever read about them in the Bible. Now, some of these things are good things, but a lot of the things that we read about in Genesis chapter number four for the first time are bad things, because Genesis four is on the other side of Eden. It's on the other side of the time that Adam and Eve were cast out of Eden. Sin has come into the world, and in Genesis chapter number four, you'll read a lot of first things, but not all of them are good first things. And so, for example, in Genesis chapter number four, you'll read about the first children that were ever born in verse number one, and you'll read about the first brothers, and you'll read about the first fights, and you'll read about the first murder, and the first death, and the first blood that was ever shed. And then in Genesis chapter number four, you'll also read about the first shepherd, and that's very interesting, because the very first shepherd that God ever writes about, uh, this man Abel, he's killed. And that is very interesting because you'll find that at the end of the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Malachi, the very last shepherd that, that, that you'll read about in the Old Testament. And he's really a, a, a picture, or he's really a prophecy of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you'll find that just as the Bible begins with a shepherd who's slain, who's put to death, you'll find that the final shepherd in the Old Testament, in the book of Malachi, uh, sorry, the book of Zechariah in chapter number thirteen, is a shepherd who's slain, and he's put to death. And they will look upon him whom they have pierced, it says, and they'll mourn for him as one mourns for his only son. And in that book of Zechariah, they'll smite the shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the sheep will be scattered. And so there's a beauty in this book, and there's a power in this book, and the hand of God is in this book. And Genesis begins with a shepherd in chapter number four, a shepherd that's slain, and it's the first time that we have a shepherd in Genesis four. It's also in Genesis four the first time that you've got a lamb and a sheep. It's the first time that a person will bring a sacrifice to God. And in Genesis chapter number four, the very first sacrifice that God ever accepts is the sacrifice of a little lamb. And that's very interesting too, because if you were to go to the end of your Bible, you would find that not only does the Bible begin with a lamb and a sacrifice that God accepts, but you would find that by the end of your Bible, that the very final sacrifice that God will ever accept is a lamb. And the book of Genesis ends with, with a picture of heaven, a- a- and, and really a painting of heaven, and everything in that place in the book of Revelation in chapter number twenty two all centers around the Lamb. So Genesis four is a very interesting chapter, and and and it's the chapter of many beginnings. I think you'll find as well that in Genesis chapter number four, that it's the beginning of man's many problems. But in Genesis four, and I'm looking down there at verse number eleven and verse number twelve, you find the first murder, and you find the first murderer. You'll find in verse twelve the first convict or fugitive, if you like, and the first tramp or vagabond. And a little later on in that chapter, you'll find the first city. And here's something just a little bit sad. By the end of the chapter, you'll find the first music and maybe the first party. There's something in chapter number four that is just not quite right. That as man gets deeper and deeper and deeper into sin, and as man gets further and further and further away, it seems that man cares less and less and less. And we've almost, by the end of chapter number four managed to organize God out of our lives. And God has put us out, and he's separated from us from his presence. And in verse number fourteen, you've really got the first lost soul in the Bible. Verse fourteen, here's what it says about Cain. Behold, he says to God, you've driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from thy face shall I be hid. This is a man, the very first man, that would know what it is to live a life where the the heavens are silent and God's cut off, and his heart is empty, and he speaks and God doesn't hear him, and God doesn't answer him, and he doesn't have a Bible, and he's got no ways of communicating to God, but listen, it doesn't matter. We'll have a party, is the message at the end of chapter four. We'll organize God out of our life. We can cope without God. And so they build their cities, and and they've got their music, verse twenty one, and they've got all of their art in verse twenty two, and the whole thing's an absolute disaster, an absolute disaster. The first murder and the first murderer, the first cities, the first lost soul, but verse number twenty six of Genesis four, the first ever revival, the first ever revival. And so saith to him also there was born a son, and he called his name Enos. Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord. The very first revival. Men begin to call on the name of the Lord. Things had got really bad, and within that chapter, you've got all of those first things, bloodshed, murder, um, another murder by the- two murders in the f- in in that chapter. You've got all of these things going wrong, and eventually so many things go wrong in the lives of men and women that eventually somebody, somebody comes up with the idea, somebody eventually gets to, to this great point of calling upon the name of the Lord, and, and, and, and, and the Spirit of God just touches individual souls and individual people. You'll read about them in chapter number five of the book of Genesis, and God begins to touch individual hearts and souls, and they call upon him. That's a great thing to do, you know, we'll come to it before the end. But that verse that you find for the first time in Genesis four and verse twenty six, then began men to call upon the name of the Lord. You'll find it repeated in the book of Joel, you'll find it repeated in the book of Acts, you'll find it repeated in the, in the book of Romans, chapter number ten. It's the very key to getting saved, to call on the name of the Lord. And in Gen- in Romans chapter number ten, the Apostle Paul takes that little verse, and he tells us who that little verse is really speaking about. That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. And then says Paul, here's the promise that I'm finding it all upon. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It can take us a while to get there. And meanwhile, we see the world going to wreck and ruin, and we see Cain getting away with murder. You see, what, what, what was God doing when all of this was going to pieces? When Cain was getting away with murder, and Lamech by the end as well of Genesis four, he was getting away with murder, and folks were just doing what they w- w- what they liked, and they turned their back and go, what was God doing? Might surprise you what God was doing. Verse fifteen says this, and the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. What was God doing? When the world was going to pieces, you say, God was protecting a murderer. Where was he? Where's God when we need him? Wh- wh- wh- what is he doing? Genesis four is a world gone to seed, gone to pot. And sometimes we look around and we wonder what it is that God is doing. There is a little verse that we'll read later on in the Bible, and it speaks about God's strange ways of working in this world. And it assures us of this, that our God is able to preserve the godly, and he is able to set apart the wicked till the day of judgment. And in Genesis chapter number four, as this world is going mad, as men are getting worse and worse, as God is allowing these things to happen in Genesis chapter number four, you will find this, that whilst Genesis four is the chapter of many beginnings, Genesis five and Genesis six is a chapter of finishing. And in Genesis five at the end, and in Genesis chapter six at the beginning, that world that we've just read about tonight is washed away. It is completely and utterly destroyed. There are, there is no one in the world left that ever had Cain as an ancestor. There is no one in the world left tonight that had Lamech as a great-grandfather. For God waited so long, and he took a step back for so long. And as folks perhaps complain, what is it that God is doing? Is there really a God in heaven that all of this has gone wrong? God took a step back, and he allowed it to go so far. And then in came judgment, and he swept it all away, and he brought a total end to everything that man was doing. And so Genesis four, a chapter of many beginnings, but it's a very sobering chapter because none of the people that we've read about there tonight, none of them, apart from Adam and Eve, none of them were allowed to continue, and God moved in judgment against them. Genesis four then, what is it all about? Well, I wanted just to lift out three little, eh, thoughts from you, eh, eh, from the chapter for, for you tonight. I wanted just to see, uh, how it is that God really, uh, begins his work in men and women's lives that have really gone and, and, and, and turned their back on them and left them behind. Now, now three little thoughts. I wanted to think a little bit about sin that we've got there at the beginning of Genesis chapter number four. and, and you'll notice, of course, that that chapter really begins, uh, to speak about sin and and to speak about Cain's sin, and maybe we'll think a little bit about that, eh eh in a moment or two. And then, of course, you you can't go too far in the chapter, but you hit verses three and four, and you'll find in those those verses the great truth of sacrifice. And so we we want to think a little bit about sin and a little bit about sacrifice in Genesis four. and then maybe by the end we want to just think a little bit about what is happening there in verse number twenty six, as a- a- a- as sin seems to get worse and worse, and a- a- as everything is going, um, uh, pear-shaped, as everything is getting out of control, there are those that are really moved, and they begin to call upon the name of the Lord in verse number twenty six. and and and something very special happens when we do that, for that's the very key that o- unlo- un- unlocks and and opens up this great door of salvation. So three eh eh little thoughts I wanted to share with you. I want you to think about sin at the beginning of Genesis four, and then the sacrifice that God speaks about, uh, and then salvation that people find at the end of the chapter. What about sin? Well, Genesis four is an interesting chapter. We're not far into the Bible, and I think that, you know, even just by the fourth chapter of the book of Genesis, God has revealed to us something very surprising. He's at the very beginning of Genesis four, he's he's turned on its head man's usual ideas about God and about how to get to heaven. What do you mean, Stuart? What I mean by this is, how is it that you and I understand the world? How how do you un- and I understand men and women and God? How do we understand about getting to heaven? A lot of people will tell you that in this world, that there's two groups of people, that there's good folks and there's bad folks, all right? And, and the good folks, well, they go to heaven, and the bad folks, they, they go to hell. And you don't particularly like to think about hell very much, but if you really have to be pushed on it, then there are really some really bad folks in this world, people that have done some really bad things, and and maybe for them that that would be right that they would go to hell, and and maybe you you read about them in the newspapers, and there've been a few, uh, people like that in the in the papers this week. You can think maybe of the the chap that murdered the school teacher, didn't you, and and then he got out of prison and he was robbing somebody else, and then there was folks I noticed in Fife, and they were up in, eh, court for abusing children down in Jersey, and and you see there's some real rotten eggs in this world. And so maybe you've got good folks like me and you, all right? And then you've got some real rotten folk like them. And it usually goes like that. Whoever you ask, it's always like the good folks like us and the bad folk like them. And and those are the two paths, aren't they? We're only in the fourth chapter of the Bible, and God's going to knock that idea on its head. Because in Genesis chapter number four, you've got a good guy, Abel, and you've got a bad guy, Cain. But did you notice that they both needed a sacrifice? Now that's interesting, isn't it? I don't think that you will find in the Bible anyone much better than Abel, apart from the Lord Jesus. In fact, if you were to go into the New Testament and and chapter number eleven of the book of Hebrews, hundreds of years later, as somebody else is coming to write their part, eh eh, inspired by the Spirit of God to the Bible, here's what they say about this man Abel. He's not forgotten about. Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, just a couple of verses really there in Genesis four, but here's what it says. Gen- Hebrews eleven verse four: by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet spake. He was a character, an important person, but he was marked by this great need, just the same need that every good person and every bad person, as far as we might look at it, the need is the same. Every person needs to sacrifice. And we're only in Genesis four. You say, well, it took, it took four chapters to get to that, didn't it? But sin only came in in Genesis three, and as soon as the fact that sin comes into this world, we're faced with the reality that there's not one of us can just push aside the need for sacrifice. There's not one of us that dare come to God with an empty hand and with a heart full of sin and say, I'm good enough for you, Lord, because we're not. And, and of course, there's a verse that we often quote from the, the New Testament of the Bibles, Ro- Romans three twenty three: uh for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and whether it be the good person, so-called, like Abel, or the bad one, like Cain, they both need a sacrifice. They're both sinners. They've both got a sin. They've both got sin in their life. Sin, and there's no exception. And so it says there, in verse number three, and in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord, and Abel he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof, and the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering, but unto Cain and to his offering he had no respect, and Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. So there's sin, and there's no exception. Both of the boys needed the sacrifice. I need a sacrifice. Secondly, there are, there are sacrifices here, and, and did you notice in, in Genesis four that when God looks for a sacrifice, he won't accept an excuse in its place. Sin and no exception. Sacrifice and no excuses. Here's two boys, two religious people. This is important. Two religious people, and they come with two sacrifices, and they're going to offer their two sacrifices to the same God, and God is going to accept one, and he won't accept the other. Why? Well, Hebrews eleven tells us why. Genesis four tells us why as well. Did you notice there was something different about these boys? There's Abel. He looks after some sheep. He's going to give the Lord something from his, his flock. What does he do? Takes the wee bit he can spare, does he? The wee runt that had running about and no good for next year. And Abel, it says, he also brought the firstlings. The first things that he got from that wee flock, took it, and he put it on the altar, and he sacrificed it to God. You might not get any more, Abel. Eh? If that's the first, how do you know that the rest are going to come? It doesn't matter. He takes the very first, and he gives it to the Lord, and he sacrifices it on the altar. Not only that, says Genesis four, but he takes of the fat. Verse four, and Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat. So he takes the fattest and the best, and he takes the first, and he comes, and he's got a heart of devotion to to to his God, and he takes the very best of what he's got, and he gives it to the Lord. And there's another man, Cain, he's different. And when God rejects Cain's sacrifice, how does Cain feel? You see, is he upset? Does he find that there's an emptiness in his life because God isn't speaking? Is he really sorry about the mistake he's made, whatever that mistake might be? So here's, here's the answer, here's the response of Cain, verse number five: And Cain was very angry. How could God treat me like this? How, how could God, how could God deal with me like this? Does God know who he's dealing with here? And he's absolutely fuming. He's full of anger and hatred towards God, and it's poured out against his brother. Now, lesson number one in Genesis four: sin affects us all. Lesson number two in Genesis number four: God is looking for a sacrifice, and there are no excuses, and there is something about the person that is very important as they draw close to God. Because I can do the same thing that you do, I can go the same places that you do, I can say the same things that you do, but God might accept one of us and not the other. What's the difference between us? And in Genesis four, the difference between men is this, the heart, our attitude to God, our relationship to the Lord. There is Abel, and he's got a heart for God. He's got a desire for God. He's got a desire that pours out into his life, and he's willing to take the very best and give it to God. And then there's Cain, and he's just wanting to do the sacrifice thing, and if God doesn't like it, then he's really hurt. Now, the Bible has a special word for that attitude to God. It's the word faith. Faith. Faith. Coming to God with an open heart. Coming to God in trust. Coming to God with a love for him, and coming to God desiring just to accept whatever God gives to me. Faith. Coming to God with an open hand and an open heart. Not coming to God because I think I'm something or someone special because look what I've done, but coming to God with an open heart and coming in meekness. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that in due season he might lift you up. Verse number six, and the Lord said to Cain, why art thou angry, and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? There's no excuses, Cain. And if thou doest not well, sin lies at the door. This is a serious business. We've got to get this matter right between me and God, between my relationship, between me and the Lord, because sin is there, it's lying, it's crouching at the door, it's ready to destroy me just like a lion. Take this matter seriously, Cain. It's not just about you and your pride, uh, and unto thee shall be his desire. Sin is after you, it's chasing you, it's going to eat you alive, but you have to have victory over it. Sin. Problem that affects us all. Sacrifice. God has provided a sacrifice, and Genesis four is the beginning of what God does in the Bible. It's the beginning of what God reveals to us about his plan of salvation, and from Genesis chapter number four, right the way through to the end of the Bible, you will find that God is setting out his perfect sacrifice. A sacrifice that we begin to get a little taste of in Genesis four, as that little lamb is taken and it's put upon the altar, and Abel comes, and he comes with that right heart, that right attitude of, of, of, of, of heart, uh, before a God that looks not on the outward appearance, but he looks deep into my heart, and he comes with a little lamb, and he lays it upon the altar, and there's the sacrifice, and he comes in simple, trusting faith, and he's accepted before God. And right the way through the book of Genesis, and right the way through the Bible, that is God's way of approach. It's that it's how, it's how I come to God, it's how I get to know God, it's how that relationship is made right with God through a sacrifice, a sacrifice far better than anything Abel could do, a sacrifice far better than anything that you read about of any animal being brought, but it says of the Lord Jesus Christ that he is a lamb without spot and without blemish. It says of the Lord Jesus Christ that he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, as a sheep before a shearer is dumb, he opened not his mouth, and God gave him as my sacrifice. I need to accept him. I need to come with the right heart. Everything has been done, you see, for me. The only thing that is different between people now is our heart, our attitude, our response. The only thing that is really different between people that go to heaven and people that go to hell is our attitude to the sacrifice, attitude to God. Of that man Abel in Hebrews chapter number eleven, of that man Abel, God says, by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. Abel had a special relationship with God. It was a relationship of faith. He came in faith. If you and I are to be right with God, we come in faith. By grace are you saved through faith. Not that of yourself, it's the gift of God, not of good works, lest anyone should boast. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in him. Sacrifice is finished. Sacrifice is complete. God has put his son upon the altar. The Lord Jesus Christ has died there. What I need to decide is what is my attitude of heart to that, to him, to the Lord Jesus. Sin and no exception. Sacrifice and no excuses and salvation. Verse number twenty six. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son, and he called his name Enos. Then began ma- men to call upon the name of the Lord. Salvation. Nothing added. Nothing extra. No alternative to this, but to call upon the name of the Lord. You know, there's something different about the Bible's message of salvation. It's a message that says the Lord Jesus Christ has done the work. It's a message that says that we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and we'll be saved. And the roots of it are right here in Genesis four twenty six, because here are men, and they know that God's at a distance from them, they're at a distance from God. They know that there is sin in their life. They know that they've got a big problem. How are they going to deal with it? Going to call on the name of the Lord. They're going to cry upon the Lord. They're going to, they're going to come before him, a- a- a- and they're not, they're not coming with, with what they've done. They've, they've, they've not done something that's going to deserve God's favor. They've not done something that's going to deserve salvation. They're just going to come, and they're coming with broken hearts, maybe, and they're coming with open hands, and they're going to call upon the name of the Lord. And when we do that, when we see what God has done for us in the Lord Jesus, when we see that Christ has died on the cross for our sins, and when we see the sin that is in our own heart, and we say, what is it that we can do? I can't do anything. How can I get out of this mess that I'm in? And then I've been brought to where I need to be, to call upon the name of the Lord and to call upon him for his salvation, for salvation's his work, and it's what he's done for me, and I need to come and accept it and receive it by faith, a sacrifice that is finished in Christ. Let's pray. Our Father, we just come before thee, our Father, tonight. We thank thee, our Father, for thy word. We think, our Father, of this, um, part of the Bible that is just so telling, our Father. Men, our Father, uh, going ever so far from thee, and yet we thank thee, our Father, that right in the middle of it all there's a sacrifice and an altar and a lamb. And there, our Father, are are men crying in the name of the Lord, and we thank thee, our Father, that every single one of us tonight, uh, needs a sacrifice, but we give thanks, our Father, that a sacrifice has been given in the Lord Jesus. We pray, Father, that they would help us to accept him and receive him and trust him and believe him. Uh, we thank thee, our Father, eh, for what he has done on the cross for us, and we remember, our Father, that that is a mighty finished work. Um, a work, our Father, where he has given himself for us, died for our sins, and we pray, Father, that thou would really bless, uh, these, uh, scriptures that we've read to us, uh, tonight. We offer thanks, our Father, for Christ, praying for thy blessing, our Father, in Jesus' name. Amen.