Now let us turn to Genesis chapter four. Genesis chapter four. Four chapter of Genesis. And verse one, 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 sheater, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. One was a shepherd, and the other was a farmer. You'd think they had some relation. 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 factor of the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. But under Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wrought and his countenance fell. The Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou off? 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. But unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. And Cain talked with Abel his brother, It came to pass when they were in the field that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him. Verse sixteen. And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. With all the reading from this morning, we've been taking up a series of studies on the precious blood of Christ. started out in first John chapter one and if I remember correctly we took up three sermons on the subject of the blood from that section last Sunday we were speaking on the blood of Christ as the basis for clothing there's absolutely no clothing no attire no robe apart from the precious blood of Christ that is an attire that fits you for heaven A lot of people are seeking to make their own robe for glory, but it will come short because it's the works of their own hands. And with human fingers and needles they're trying to weave and trying to make some kind of a garment that will make them presentable to God, acceptable to Him, only in that coming day to find that their figly aprons will wither in the presence of Almighty God. You remember the Lord Jesus Christ when he had on earth nineteen hundred years ago. He came upon a fig tree and he looked for its fruit but he found it is hidden and you have to lift the leaves to see it. And the Lord Jesus, he looked for fruit. He found none and it says there were leaves only. and he cursed it, and it with it up. Last we were speaking of Adam and Eve having their coats or aprons of fig leaves. They have sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves or clothe themselves and try to hide their sin and make themselves resentable, acceptable to God. We also pointed out that that did not suffice. They ran and hid behind the trees of the garden, and God had to kill animals. Blood had to be shed in order for them to be ruled righteously and to have a standing in His presence. You know, it's strange today that people who are still busy making big leaf aprons, but there's no fruit. What does that hidden fruit suggest? The hidden fruit of the pig tree speaks of the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit, Christ was simply teaching this lesson. There were the scribes and the Pharisees, the religious rulers of the day, who went about it with their long faces and said long prayers, had their lovely garments, their robes, the phalactories on the hens, a little compartment or box that had the Old Testament scriptures, and also a ribbon of blue around their garment to indicate they were supposed to be heavenly men, heavenly-minded with a heavenly walk. The Lord Jesus Christ said it's not all external, it's all outward, it's just an empty shell. There's no reality. I see absolutely no fruit at all. The Spirit of God Relation without reality. Religion without the Redeemer and the fig tree withered up. And friend, that's what's going to happen to every person who's trying to get to heaven without the precious blood of Christ and being born of the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profit of nothing. Only a person with the indwelling Holy Spirit can produce fruit to God. Only one born again is in God's family. And oh, the all-seeing eye of our Blessed Lord can see through those big leaf aprons, and there's no fruit. The leaves may be nice and green. They may look healthy. The tree may look to be very healthy. Having great potential. But ah, he says, there's not one thing on the whole thing. Kaya! said that in the thirteenth of Luke and the other case it withered away. And, friends, there are men and women today that are trying their best to make themselves suitable for heaven with the works of their own hands, self-righteousness and all the rest, and there's not one fig of fruit in their entire life. They've never been born again. They are in the flesh. Cannot please God, the Bibles. Give God to be born of the Spirit of God. That's the thing we're constantly emphasizing, and we'll constantly emphasize. Many women need to be born again. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he has none of him. Why, when I speak of the Holy Spirit, I'm not referring to anything such a lot that is carried on today under the supposed filling of the Holy Spirit. My Bible says let everything be done decently and in order, and if a meeting is marked by disorder, rolling on the floor on a lot of things of this nature, handling snakes, I cannot reconcile that with the Bible. God speaks of His gatherings as orderly, decent, respectable. people can be born again with the Spirit of God and still maintain dignity, dignity, sobriety and piety, the truth of the Holy Spirit of God. The Lord Jesus Christ gave orders to cock their laundry down and the other withered up because it just had to leave. Outwardly you may appear unto men to be a Christian. Oh yes, you have a good bearing. A nice personality like that lovely fig tree. The leaves are nice and green and shiny. Surely that man's a Christian. Surely that woman's a Christian. They live good lives. They're members of the church and so on. They're credit to our community. But our Lord sees beyond men. And there's no fruit at all. The Spirit of God is not there. And he was exposing those scribes and Pharisees. Later on he became more firm and strident. He says, woe unto you, scribe, Pharisee, hypocrites. You're not only deceiving yourself, you're deceiving other people. You're blind leaders of the blind. Plenty of leads, but no fruit at all. That's true today. Pleasure of religion, but no redeemer has the foundation. So we were speaking on that last week, how Adam and Eve were clothed by coats of skin after God slew the animals. There had to be bloodshed before there could be forgiveness of sins and acceptable to God. Now this morning we come to a second incident. I think three or four years ago we were taking up Genesis. We made reference to these two young men, but I want to speak on them again because Abel's acceptance with God was on the basis of blood. Once again you have the story. All these two lines running throughout the Bible and running throughout human history You have Christianity, you have religion. You have practices of God and practices of men. Let me tell you something. Christianity began in eternity. Religion began in time. How do you explain that? The Bible says that Christ was the lamb slain before the foundation of the world. God in his foreknowledge had the death of his Son in mind, and Christ in the reckoning of God, he saw his Son as the Lamb slain for sinners, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. There you have bloodshed, and forever Christ will wear the scars that will speak fluently. ever, forever, forever of the sacrifice he made when he shed his blood. And the theme of our song forever will be unto him who loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood. And so you have Christianity beginning in eternity past, continuing in eternity to come. Man's religion began with man on earth. It will end in judgment. You have that suggested in these two men. You might look upon these two young fellows like two rivers, and here's where it started. Here's one river, and it's the river that Tade got started. The river of human effort, human merit, the river of work, doing the best you can. That's it. It started. And it broadened. And it has many tributaries. As that river has been flowing down through the generations and through the centuries, today that river of man's religion, with it to hundreds and hundreds of tributaries, pouring their various ideas and doctrines into that stream, Now it's become like the Mississippi River, the strong and powerful going on to the sea of God's wrath, and no man can stop. That is man's religion. But God's Christianity is that crimson stream. It began there really in the garden, but it was really perpetuated. with Abel. You see, in the garden, Adam and Eve's faith was more or less silent faith. They didn't get the animals. God got the animals and slew the animals and clothed them. Their faith was placid faith. But in this case, Abel went and got his land. He did something. He offered it. And there are always two sides to God's salvation. What God did on what you've got to do. What did God do? He gave His Son. He laid all our sins on Jesus Christ. He punished him for our sins at Calvary. That was what God did. Nineteen hundred years ago. But what have we got to do? We've got to accept that fact. And trust that. holy if we ever expect to be in heaven. I live a life consistent with it. Your life does not add to your salvation. You're saved through the blood of Christ alone. And so you find that mighty river of religion, but thank God just like the Gulf Stream that flows through the Atlantic. Isn't that a miracle? Here's that Gulf Stream flowing right through the Atlantic with its warm waters. The waters of the Atlantic may be ice cold, but always a warm river flowing. And I like to think of that warm stream as true Christianity based upon the blood of Jesus Christ, for the waters of this river are red. Speaking of sacrifice. And in the midst of this wide river of the religion of men, with all its converging tributaries. There is that which is of God, and this is it. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. This is Christianity. It's all based on sacrifice. And that's the river, friend, that all who are saved are sailing on. the glory. How wonderful in the midst of all the confusion, the chaos, the Babylon of tongues, men's religion, there is God's wonderful salvation. That stately old ship, the church, is sailing in crimson waters, thrusting in the precious blood of Christ to take her to heaven, all on board. Are you trusting in the blood of Christ this morning? Well, Abel did, figuratively. Cain was just a religious man. You know there's no middle path here. No such thing as an intermediate position. You're either one or the other. You're either saved or lost. You're either just a religious person or you're redeemed by the blood of Christ. It's just one or the other. These two young fellows had thoughts of their standing before God. That's evident because both of them brought an offering. That simply implies this, that Cain had thoughts of God. He believed in the Supreme Being. Well, he must have had some consciousness of the fact that he had sinned and that this God had to be satisfied. He had to be appeased and therefore... He brings an offering. But I want to mention one thing, and if this sinks in, I've mentioned it many times in my life's ministry, that the first day I think God gave it to me from His Word, the offering and the offerer stand or fall together. If what you are offering God, God accepts, and that's our subject this morning, acceptance through the blood, last week It was covering through the blood, clothed through the blood. Today it's acceptance through the blood. God willing, two weeks from this morning it will be sheltered through the blood. But acceptance. That's it. You read in Hebrews chapter eleven, by faith Abel offered unto God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain. Abel's offering was acceptable. Chains' offering was rejected. It was unacceptable. And a person's offering in the Old Testament, in type and figure, and also in the New, a person's offering depends upon whether he'll be accepted or not. If God accepts what you're offering to him, he'll accept you on the strength of your offering. If God rejects what you're offering to him, he'll reject you. the offering and the offerer stand or fall together. Now these two boys, there was no difference in their birth. They were born from Mother Eve. Their births were similar. They were bouncing boys. No difference there, no difference in their nature. Both of them were sin. They were born. No difference in their birth. No difference in their nature. They both had a fallen nature. No difference in their circumstances. They were brought up in the same home, on the same farm, in the same area, just outside Eden's garden. Well, what did they differ in their office? Now, think of Cain. There are five downward steps in Cain. The final one was he went out from the presence of the Lord, and that's the final step for all who follow in the way of Cain. The first one was Cain's set will. Where in do you see a set will? Well, he must have known how God put away the sin of his parents or covered over their sin. You can understand Adam and Eve sitting down with their two boys, Cain and Abel. and going over the story. The boys, like all boys in Christophe would say, Mother, Father, why are you covered with coats of skin? And why is it that every now and again you make an offering unto the Lord? And the parents would just tell the boys, Why, boys? We were in a beautiful garden. We didn't have any cover. except that covering of white, that pure white covering that God gave both of us. We knew no shame because we knew no sin. We used to walk and talk with God every evening if you came down to the garden in the cool of the day. It was the most beautiful garden you ever saw. And the beast dropped and played together. There was no fighting among the beasts. They were in perfect harmony. The lion and the lamb could run together. The birds were in perfect harmony. The flowers were beautiful. There was no blight upon anything. But why don't we live there now, Mommy, Daddy? Well, that's the sad story. The devil beguiled me, Eve says. God will tell one thing from us. It was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He told us we could help ourselves to all the other trees, but not that one. And the devil came along and instead of telling us all the good things God had given to us, he drew our attention to one thing God withheld. But to say God really doesn't love you, he's not giving you everything, he's holding something back. And I listened to him, says Mother Eve. I knew God says the day the wheat is thereof, thou shalt surely die, but the devil said, Thou shalt not surely die. Don't swallow that, don't buy that. God is too loving, he wouldn't punish him. And Eve swallowed that. And she disobeyed God. And they go on and explain to the boys how an awful darkness and deadness settle down upon their minds and hearts. When once God seemed so close, now he seems a million miles away. Now we knew him, once we knew him as a friend, but now we look upon him as a foe. We became fearful and afraid. We went and hid ourselves behind the trees of the garden. And furthermore, your father and I became ashamed of each other. A sense of shame and guilt gripped both of us. For the first time we were there, the fact we were naked. And we tried to cover it up with fig leaf aprons. But God came down. He sought us out. He was gracious to do so. And he made it plain to us that the works of our hands would not suffice. And God killed coats of skin. killed animals and clothed us with coats of skin. That's the only way he could cover us. Blood had to be shed because we had sinned and God said the soul of sin of it shall die. Either we had to die for our sin nor something someone must die in our stead and so God killed innocent animals. To clothe us, kill the sinners. And that's the only way you can approach God. Boys, that's the only way. There's no one. The two boys listen, but I can see something of an independent liberal mind in Cain. Cain thinks of some, well, that's not the only way. I think God would accept my offering. I don't see the need of killing animals. That's cruel. Why should an animal, even an animal, die for me? I'm going to present to God an offering without any bloodshed attached to it. And he builds his altar. And he puts on it the very best of vegetables. Evidently, he went in for vegetables and fruits, and he wasn't a shepherd like Abel. So Cain went in for this line of things, and he brought the very best. He didn't put anything secondary on that altar. It was his very best. Polish up all the fruit. Wash all the vegetables. It was a beautiful display of the product of the soil, of the work of his own hands. Cain was proud of it. And after he's finished putting everything in order and every leaf in its place, he says, Oh God, I know I've sinned, and I'm going to present this as my offering. He sees only a plow on the face of God. God said, I won't accept it, and in your office I reject you. You chose a path of self-will. You didn't follow the instruction of your parents, and I taught them the way to approach me. You departed from that way. You chose your own way. exercised your self-will. That's where it all begins. The Bible says, Oh, we like sheep have gone astray, we've turned every one to his own way. That's true of sinners today. They've turned to their own way. You read twice from the Proverbs, there is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is a way of death. Oh, the people today and their wayseemeth right. But it's not the scriptural way. It seemeth right. God says the end that off is dead. That's tragic. The next thing was that Cain sinned against light. God sought to give him light. He says, Cain, you've made a mistake. I'm going to give you a chance. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? If you turn around now and demolish that thing and offer me a sacrifice where the shedding of blood, I'll accept you. That's the only way I will. But King refused that. He refused God's provision. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? If thou doest not well, a sin offering lieth at thy door. The words sin and sin offering are identical in the Hebrew language, one word. And that makes it very interesting. God says, Cain, you've been a self-will boy, and I've given you light that I won't accept that type of sacrifice or offering. And there's a lamb lying at your door. I cause that little lamb to leave the flock, which is against nature, to come over and crouch at your door, your tent door. And God says, Unto thee is his desire, and thou shalt rule over that lamb. You can either take that lamb or drive it from your tent door. If thou doest not, where the sin offering lies at thy door, that's the force of it. And the reason that lamb has come there because he has a desire towards you, a good interest in you, Cain. But I'll tell you one thing, Cain, it lies in your hands whether you accept it or whether you don't. Thou shalt rule over me. You have the responsibility to accept that lamb or reject it. What did he do? He rejected it. For he went out and found Abel his brother and killed him. That man who was so religious, so defiant, that he wouldn't kill an animal, oh, I think it's a shame to shed innocent blood. My religion is too lofty, it's too defined for that. I'm on a higher flame. I couldn't kill an animal. No, King, you couldn't, but you could kill your own brother. Yes, religious prejudice. and the most bitter kind of prejudice in the world is religious prejudice. There are all kinds of people today who know they speak about their religion. How refined it is, how elevated it, how it exalts man. We don't believe in the blood of Christ. I can't see how a holy God, a God of love, could take pleasure in the blood of his son, the blood of a sacrifice. That's gory. That's awful. I think my God is too refined for anything like that to demand death as punishment for sin. Yes, your religion is too refined to accept the blood of Christ as the sinner's only hope, but your religion isn't so refined that if people oppose you, you're not ready to stone them. You'll shed human blood. You'll become coarse all of a sudden when people don't agree with you and oppose your religion. That's true of the religions today. There are lots of other countries in the world that have a certain religion. Mohammedanism, for instance. Buddhism. They just about kill you and put you to death if you oppose their religion. yet they speak about how refined their religion is. That's exactly what you have with Cain. So Cain went out and he killed his brother and he was branded as a murderer. And I want you to notice one text in your Bible. The New Testament tells us why he killed him. Wherefore slew he him, says the New Testament, because his own works for evil and his brother's righteousness. Cain couldn't take it, to think that his good life, his good works, were not making him acceptable to God, and that his brother just came with a little lamb. He didn't work for his offering. All the little lamb did was drop around in the grass, live off its mother. I worked hard for this. I plowed the soil. I had talents on my hands. I labored for my offering. I worked from the mighty of the Son to the setting of the same. And I took great pains. I was sincere in producing my offering. And it excelled Abel's. Yet God rejected me. And he was so mad and angry he would have killed Abel. That's man, isn't it? It was his works. That's why God rejected it. There wasn't a drop of blood in all that fruit, in all those vegetables. Not a drop of blood. God says, I don't want. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. The soul that shall die. God says the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it upon the altar to make an atonement for your soul. The blood of Jesus Christ, my son cleanseth us from all sin. Cain, you're of that wicked one. That's what the New Testament says. You got that idea from the devil, and you're the dupe of the devil. Abel simply followed what his parents had taught him because God had taught his parents. It says, by faith, Abel offered. in Hebrews eleven. And faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So it means that Abel had the word of God for what he did when he offered his land. He went and got that little land and he built his little altar and he put that little woolly creature on the altar and he took the knife. And what does he say? Oh God, I have sinned. My sin deserves death. If I got what I deserved, I'd be on that altar. And you'd be standing over me with your flaming sword to kill me because I've sinned against you. But, O God, you have made a provision whereby I may not die, and that this little creature will die in my stead. And I'd go to Offord up, and Kay and Abel's knife came down. and plunged into the heart of that little lamb and its wool was made crimson with its own blood. Abel says, Lord, will you accept this lamb in my place? Will its blood put away my sin? Yes, says God, it will. I either had to punish you for your sin or punish a substitute. And I'm willing to punish the substitute if you offer it. God accepted Abel because of his offering. How long did God accept Abel's offering? How long did he accept our offering? Forever. I stand as a poor sinner. Maybe someone here this morning you want to be saved. You know you're not a Christian. Yours is a hope-so religion like Cain. Cain's religion was a hope-so. I hope I'm saved. It was based on pride, self-will, self-righteous. You say, I'd like to know I'm saved, not just hope. All right. Are you willing this morning to stay, take your stand at Calvary, and on the cross is the Lord Jesus bearing your sin. God took all your sins and laid them on him nineteen hundred years ago. Why was he there as the bearer of sin if on Jesus my guilt was not laid? Why upon his side flew back sin cleansing blood if his dying my death have not paid? All our sins were laid upon him. Jesus bore them on the tree God who knew them laid them on him, and believing I am free. Though God is a guilty sinner who has sinned, I offer Jesus Christ as my substitute, the one who paid my debt, who suffered in my stead, who met thee with all my sins upon him, who absorbed all thy righteous wrath against my sin. Lord, I present Jesus Christ as my offering. Will God accept Jesus Christ as your offering substitute? He already has, for he raised him from the dead and took him up to heaven. Abel had to wait to see if God would accept his. We don't have to wait. The very moment we come as guilty sinners and offer Jesus Christ as our substitute, our Lamb, our Savior, God accepts us in him. He accepts us into the same place. And where is Jesus Christ now at God's right hand? And the New Testament says we are accepted in Christ. Last week closed through the blood. This week accepted through the blood. Accepted through Christ. And in Christ. God will only accept us in His Son. Accepted in Christ. The New Testament says. accepted into the same place. That means into God's eternal love and favor. For how long? Just as long as Jesus Christ is accepted. Will God ever expel His Son from His presence? Never. Will God ever expel from His presence? One who has trusted that blood? Never. We are there as long as our substitute and Savior is there. Reach my great Savior first. Take him from God's esteem. Through Jesus' barriers one spot of sin, then tell me I am unpleased. Nay, for he purged my gift. His precious blood was shed. His life was for my ransom spilled. He died. that I might live. And I am accepted in Christ, and that's why the New Testament says, He that hath the Son hath light. I give unto my sheep eternal life they shall never perish. We are accepted in Christ. Into the very place are offerings accepted for the same length of time which is forever. What a wonderful Savior. our Lord Jesus is accepted in Christ. What are you offering God this morning? Oh, you say, my good life, by good deeds, and I put my little tithe on there too. You can make it just as pretty as you like. Friends, God will reject the whole business. Your only hope of acceptance with Almighty God is Jesus Christ. You offer him to God as your substitute this morning, you shall be saved. O soul here unsaved, is there not a very real ache in your heart? God is calling, is he not? If there are hollow sound to all of earth's music, then listen to the sweet melody of the gospel. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. God's wonderful love in Christ, believe it thou, receive him now. By bowing your head and heart in his presence, say, Lord Jesus, I'll accept you as my Savior. You die that I might live. You paid the price for my salvation. You canceled my debt with precious blood. Open your heart right now. Woe be unto them who have gone in the way of Cain, the Bible says. Blessed are they who come in the way of Abel. Will you come, as Abel did, trusting the precious blood of Jesus Christ. God's Son was cleansed from all sin. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, in the name of the Lord Jesus, thy Son, we come before thee. We thank thee for this privilege of presenting thy word. We trust that some hungry heart has partaken of the bread from heaven. We trust some thirsty soul has partaken of the living waters. Some guilty soul has been made free. O Father, bless thy word and the salvation of precious souls this day, and we ask it for Christ's sake. Amen. Let us sing two hundred and forty-three. Socely and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me. See on the portals he's waiting and watching, watching for you and for me. If you have trusted Christ recently and you haven't suddenly confessed him, this will bring added joy to his heart and added assurance to you. Will you come and tell us? Or if you haven't trusted him yet, maybe you trusted him this morning. You'd like to tell us. Or you'd like to be saved. You'd like us to help you further after this meeting is dismissed. whatever your wish is. Will you come as we stand and sing? Shall we stand? Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling for you to See, of the four houses waving and watching, watching for you and for me. Come home. who are weary, come home. And he can pray that Jesus is coming, calling Moses, come home.