Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. Our installment on resentment. Every time I think I'm done, I'm not done.
And like I've said, I hope you don't resent that, but We're going to keep going. Preaching out in California, and I had um A couple different people, actually. Especially one, she came and just said she was crying. She just said, I just want to thank you. Thank you for that too.
She said, I just want to thank you for your series on resentment. And she was crying. And she's in California. And I was like, you've been watching the, she says, we watch every service. And she says, but this series on resentment, she says, first few times I didn't.
Really kept telling myself I don't need this. And she says, but thank you for that. And just about the time I'm done, I just feel God has some more to say. Genesis chapter 4, and we changed up the order of service.
So instead of Brother Frank reading this, I feel for context, we need to go ahead and read this passage. We're gonna jump right into it tonight. Not a lot of points or anything. What we're gonna do is just kind of. Go through what happened here, and then I'm going to just give you five principles there at the end.
Uh for us to take to heart uh with this subject of resentment. I must say, and I'm embarrassed to say, I didn't necessarily consider at first, it never had been on my radar to. Um preach about Cain. And yet Cain was the first person in history. to deal with resentment.
And You know, it's the law of first mentions in the Bible. You go back and you look and it has some valuable, valuable principles. We want to talk tonight about the unbearable burden of resentment. Resentment can end up being that. Um Genesis chapter 4, and let's begin reading in verse 1.
I feel like we just need to read the whole thing. And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said. I have gotten a man from the Lord. Boy, I had some funny things I was going to say about that. And that's what my wife said when we got married.
You know, I've gotten a man from I I thought of all kinds of things, and they were all kind of lame, so I just didn't even mention it. All right, so number two, verse two. 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 no respect. And Cain was very wroth.
And his countenance fell. Yeah. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? And why Is thou countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?
And if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door, and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt. 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 unto 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 unto the LORD, My punishment. is greater than I can bear.
Let's pray. Lord, I love you. Thank you for all that you've done. And Lord, resentment's not a fun subject to preach on. But Lord, I believe it's needed, and I pray that you'd help all of us to open up our hearts and minds today, even.
those who may not think they need it. Lord, I pray you would help us tenderize our hearts. Open our ears. Open our minds. But most importantly, open our hearts for your word tonight.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. The book of Genesis is a book of beginnings. Genesis records the beginning of the universe. The world The sun, the moon.
The stars Animal life. plant life, human life, and a lot of other things. In the first 11 chapters of Genesis, there are many first things that appear. And I want to just to mention a couple. We find in the first 11 chapters.
A record of the first man. The first woman. The first command from God, the first marriage. The first home. The first sin.
The first death. The first sacrifice. The first worship, the first murder. The first curse. And on it goes.
And in this passage, God gives us a glimpse inside the world's first. Family. Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. And let me just say this. The chapter begins with hope, and I'll tell you why.
Adam and Eve had sinned. They had been cast out of the Garden of Eden. God put an angel with a flaming sword at the entrance of the Garden of Eden to make sure they didn't get back in, that they could not eat. of the tree of life. any longer.
So, everything that Adam and Eve knew, they had had it made, they had perfection, they had the Garden of Eden, they had. A life that you and I will never know. But they knew it, and now everything was going to be very, very different now. Things changed. You know, you think about this whole meeting with God in the cool of the evening, that was gone.
The whole thing of walking in perfection and beauty and. Literally just living life, no working with the sweat of the brow, and no travail in childbearing and all that. That's all gone now. And so, in chapter 4, in the middle of this exile, if you would, and the middle of the regret and what sin had done to Adam and Eve, and now it had removed them from all this. This perfection that they had enjoyed.
In the middle of all this, she becomes pregnant. And how many of you know that any, even in bad situations, sometimes? that the birth of a child, the pregnancy of a child, can bring hope. And so there was finally some hope again. And what we find here is that Eve gave birth to the first baby that was ever born.
into this world. Eve was the first woman to experience the pain of childbirth. Look at verse 1. We're going to have these verses on the screen because I'm going to let you look at the verse and we're going to explain some things out of each of these verses. And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
The name Cain means I have gotten. And it's because she said, I have gotten a man. From the Lord. She saw this birth. Notice what she said.
I've gotten a man from the Lord. She saw the birth of Cain as a blessing. in her life. A blessing that they had ruined and perfection that they had ruined. But yet, what they saw was that God, in His mercy, allowed the birth of this child, and they had a new hope, a new beginning.
New things to look for. In verse 2, if you'll notice, it says, And she again bare his brother Abel.
Now, And our kids are out, but obviously we'll keep it appropriate. But if you'll notice that in verse 1, it talks about the conception and then the birth of Cain. But in verse 2, it never talks about conception again. It says that, and again bare his brother Abel. Many believe that Cain and Abel were twins.
Many believe that because it just mentions the one conception and then both bursts, that they might have been twins. I don't know that. I can't verify that, but I'm just saying some believe that. And it really doesn't matter for our sake tonight. In verse 2, it says this: that Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
When it came to choose a job, and by the way, we know from Bible times that you need to choose a job. You need to work. Playing video games is not a job.
Now it might be for some and they might make hundreds of thousands of dollars but it's probably not in your future.
Okay. I used to love playing Atari. 2600. It never became my job, okay? Cain followed his father's footsteps.
He became a farmer. Abel became a shepherd. And at some point, they reached What we would call young adulthood, and these young men came before the Lord to worship.
Now, where did they get that from? They got that from mom and dad. You see, mom and dad knew what it was to walk with God, and they knew what it was when they broke that relationship. And so I'm sure that Adam and Eve were very careful to teach Cain and Abel. Here's Abel, who was tending sheep and animals, obviously, and Cain is obviously tilling the ground as a farmer.
And so now they know that we need to bring a sacrifice to God. If you're going to approach God, you need to have a sacrifice. And Adam and Eve have trained Cain and Abel very well. And I'm sure that not only that they had been trained, but they had been trained by people who knew what it was to walk with God and knew what it was to lose that fellowship, to know what it was, how important that fellowship is, and they wanted to make sure that their sons. had that.
So look at verse 3. And in the process of time, We don't know exactly how long. It came to pass that Cain, now, notice closely the wording of these verses. It came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought the firstlings.
of his flock And of the fat thereof, and the Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering. But unto Cain and to his offering he had No respect. And the Bible said that Cain was very wroth in his countenance. Fail.
Now, the word respect here means to look upon something with approval. Quite simply, God approved of Abel's sacrifice, and he did not approve of Cain's Now, can I be honest with you? There's a lot of things in the Bible I believe, and I believe God's ways are above our ways. Can I have an amen? But there's some things, humanly speaking, from my mind I look at and I don't quite agree with.
How many of you have learned it doesn't matter whether you agree with it or not? God's always right. But part of me thinks this: you know, if Cain tried and Abel tried, God, couldn't you just.
Well, thank you, Kane. You have to be a stickler now. They're young men. This is the first time they've come to worship you. And God just says, Abel, I take your offering, I respect it, I approve it.
Cain, I don't yours.
Now, I've heard a lot of things over the years why God did not approve. Of Cain's offering. And I don't disagree with that, but I think it's much further. And I think that you'll agree with me once we really look into this. There's been all kinds of theories.
And one of the main theories that you've always heard is that God did not accept Abel's offering over Cain's offering simply because Abel's offering was a blood sacrifice.
Now, I'm going to, I'll try to walk you through the process in just a little bit, but. Obviously, when Adam and Eve sinned, the Bible says then they became aware that they were unclothed, that they were naked. And the Bible says that God killed an innocent animal and used their skin to cover. The nakedness of Adam and Eve. The principle there is this: that somebody innocent had to shed his blood, an animal had to shed its blood.
for their sin to be covered. Everybody got it?
So God created the principle there that a sacrifice acceptable unto God. would need to be sacrificial blood. But In Deuteronomy and Leviticus. God told Israel to offer grain and food offerings to thank Him for the blessings and to acknowledge Him as the source of their provision.
So we find in the Bible that the fruit of the field. was an offering that was accepted by God on many different occasions.
So, while that is probably part of what happened, that Cain really taken it seriously and Cain really listened closely. He should know that if you're going to bring a sacrifice to God, that there should be a blood sacrifice. But I don't think that necessarily that's the entire reasoning. That's the only reason why God didn't accept Cain's sacrifice as opposed to Abel's.
Now I want you to look at verse 4. On the screen, if you're looking on your Bible. Abel, he also, now listen, look at look closely. Abel also brought of the first lings. of his flock.
and of the fat thereof. Firstlings suggest the best. The fat thereof suggests careful Preparation.
So, Abel, in bringing his sacrifice to God, made sure it was the first. Bling. That he took the best and gave it to God. And he took great care and preparation to prepare for it, to pray for it, to sacrifice for it, to do all that. He took the time to prepare for the sacrifice.
He brought it to the Lord. The Bible says he offered it by faith. It appears that Abel went out of his way. To make an offering that was pleasing to the Lord, not an offering that was pleasing to him. But an offering that was pleasing to the Lord.
Now, let me explain biblically. You say, what is this whole blood sacrifice thing?
Well, let me just. I try to walk you through every process so you can learn something when you're here. Genesis chapter 3, verse 21, the verse will be on the screen for you. And unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothed them.
So that's the principle there where God had to kill an innocent animal, use his.
Now, Genesis chapter 3, verse 15. This is a prophetic thing here. Notice what God says: I will put enmity between thee, talking to Satan. This is Satan in the Garden of Eden. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed.
It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
So, what is God saying here? God is saying that. Literally a sacrifice is coming for our sin. He's telling Satan, literally here, that there is a Messiah coming, and you're going to bruise his heel, but Jesus is going to wipe out your head.
Okay, everybody got it.
So, literally, and then a little bit of these verses later, he has to take the coat, the skin of an animal, blood had to be shed.
So, the whole principle through this whole thing is that we are sinners and our sin has to be covered. And it takes the literally the blood, the sacrificial blood of a spotless lamb. It has to be a blood sacrifice to cover our sin. It's all part of the principle, but I believe that it goes a little bit further than that. And let me show you what Hebrews says: Hebrews 11:4.
Look at this verse on the screen. By faith. Abel offered. You know what the Bible says without faith it's what? Without faith, it's what?
impossible to please God.
So, the problem with the sacrifice might not have been that it didn't involve blood. The problem with the sacrifice might have been it didn't involve faith. Because without faith, You can please God.
Now, I'm going to go even further. Look at the verse. By faith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. By which he obtained witness that he, he, was righteous.
So when Cain brings his offering to the Lord, And Abel brings his offering to the Lord. Abel does it by faith. Abel is right with the Lord. The Bible says he was righteous.
So he had a righteous relationship with the Lord. He exercised faith in the sacrifice. Notice this. God testifying of his gifts. And by it, he being dead yet speaketh.
So Abel's sacrifice says, Lord, I believe you. I believe Messiah is coming. The sacrifice revealed the condition of his heart. He loved God. He honored God's word.
word. He believed in God's promise to send a savior. And according to verse 5, God both accepted not just Abel's offering, but God accepted Abel. Yeah. According to Hebrews 11, God didn't just accept Abel's sacrifice, He accepted Abel.
And may I say, God says in his word to obey is better than sacrifice. It's not what you bring to God, what you give to God, what you do for God. It's who you are. In your relationship with God. That's important.
Now you say, well preacher, what are you getting at? Yeah. Look at Genesis chapter 4, verse 3. Look at this verse. And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
What is missing? Abel brought the first lings. of his flock. It does not say Cain brought the first fruits. You see, Cain's Here's what's interesting.
There is no evidence of faith in Cain's sacrifice. There is no evidence of preparation in Cain's sacrifice. There is no evidence of following God's word in Cain's sacrifice. In fact, there is no evidence at all that Cain was even right with God when he made the sacrifice. It might not have had as much to do about the fact that it was fruit instead of an animal, that literally it was from the ground instead of blood from an animal.
It probably had more to do that it had no faith, there was no relationship, and Abel brought the best, the first fruits, and Cain just brought fruit of the ground. It wasn't necessarily the first, and it wasn't necessarily the best. But he just got together a sacrifice. To take unto God. And this tells us volumes.
Cain's offering was this: God, I know what you said, but here is what I want to give you. Take it or leave it. Cain's offering was an act of false worship that said, My way will work just as well as your way.
Now, there is a warning here that you and I need to heed, and we're going to go on to other things, but God will not accept your religion. He will not accept your works. He will not accept anything that we can attempt to do. ourselves. The only thing God will accept is what He has already provided.
He will accept nothing but faith. in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Now look at verse 5. But unto Cain and to his offering he had no respect. And Cain was very wroth. And his countenance fell. And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth, and why is thy countenance fallen?
If thou doest well, should thou not be Accept it.
Soon as Cain realized that his offering had been rejected by God, the Bible says his countenance fell, his whole demeanor changed. changed. and Kirwan Baptist Church look at me resentment. showed up. He could not understand why God would accept Abel's offering and reject his.
Here's what's interesting. I look at this and I say, well, God couldn't you have just accepted what he gave. But there's something that I want you to know tonight: I can't see into Cain's heart. And you can't see into Cain's heart. But that's exactly where God looks.
The word wrath in verse five and six means to burn. with hot anger. or jealousy.
Now here's what's interesting. I had never seen this before. Doesn't mean it's not been there. It just means I've never seen it. Maybe you've not seen it.
But God literally gives an illustration of an animal here. that I had never seen.
Now look at verse 7. As Cain gets mad, God looks at Cain and He says, Why are you mad? If you do well, I'll accept it. But if you don't do well, I don't accept it. Look what he says in verse 7.
If thou doest well, should thou not be accepted? If you did this right, Cain... If you had done what you know needed to be done, It would have been accepted. Notice this. And if thou doest not well, now look at what this phrase says: sin lieth at the door.
Now that's interesting there. And unto thee shall be his desire. Who's his? Who is this? Being now And thou shalt rule over him.
Look at me. God tells Cain, Cain, listen. You get messed up about this. He said, sin lieth at the door. He said, The way your anger is right now, it's like an animal that is sitting at the door getting ready to pounce on you.
And if you handle this right, you will rule over him. But if you handle this wrong, he will rule over you. And there's resentment. If you do not get a hold of resentment in your life, And give God the victory over that resentment. That resentment, in turn, will rule you.
He said, sin is like an animal lying at the door. And he said, if you do well, he said, if you do well, should you not be accepted? If you handle this right, if you do what's right, if you fix your heart. Then literally his desire shall be in you. And you will rule over it.
But we all know what Cain chose. He did not choose to repent. He did not choose to get right. And that animal of resentment. began to rule him.
Interesting. bigger per se. And Cain talked with Abel his brother. What did he say? I don't know.
I'm interested. I would love to know the conversation. I don't know if that little phrase means that he said, Hey, Abel, I'd like to talk to you, and that's how he got him away, off in private. I'll be honest with you. I don't know when he asked Abel to come talk with him.
I don't know at that point if Cain had decided he was going to kill Abel. Cain might have been mad, but can I ask you something, folks? Who should he have been mad at? Listen, it wasn't Abel's fault that God took Abel's offering. Abel just did right.
So, Cain, his resentment towards Abel, who did he end up murdering? He murdered Abel. Why? Because he couldn't kill God. How can you kill God?
You can't.
So his resentment started with God. Not able. Notice what it says here. He talked with Abel, his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field. That Cain rose up against Abel his brother.
I don't know if that was a plan. I don't know if they started talking, if he just got madder and madder, and resentment took over, and resentment and jealousy, and all these things began to take over. I don't know, but. The Bible says that Cain rose up against Abel his brother. and slew him.
Now, I don't know how much time went by. I don't know if he tried to bury the body. I don't know what kind of story he told mom and dad. I don't know. I don't know if it was immediate that God came to him.
I don't know if he had tried to cover it up for a while. We just don't know. There's just things we don't know. And if God wanted us to know, we would know. But verse 8, verse 9: And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother?
Now, isn't that interesting? Doesn't that sound like what happened to his mom and dad? When Adam and Eve sinned, what did Adam do? He went and hid in the garden. And what did God say?
He came up and said, Adam. The greatest news that anyone can receive is the news of the free gift of salvation found in Jesus Christ. It is our desire for you to know him personally. Would you take a moment to hear this to-day? Every man is born with a sin nature.
Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No matter how hard we try, We're not good enough to obtain God's glory. or to get to heaven. Because of that sin carries the penalty of death. Romans 6.23 says, For the wages of sin is death.
But the gift of God is eternal life for the through Jesus Christ our Lord. The wages of our sin, or the payment of our sin, only equals death and separation from God. But it's only through God's gift salvation through Jesus Christ that we can accept Him as our Savior. Jesus Christ paid for your sin debt. The Bible says in Romans 5:8, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
All you have to do is receive Christ. by faith as your Saviour. Romans 10.9 says That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Verse 13 continues, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's as simple as admitting that you're a sinner believing that Jesus is the only way.
and calling upon his name. Bible says whosoever that's anyone can call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior? There is no greater day than today to take care of this. Would you accept Christ as your Saviour?
If you have any questions, please give us a call at 336-993-5192 or visit our website at Crowin Baptist Church. Dot com. or visits that person at one of our three service times. We hope you have a great rest of your day. God bless you.
Mm-hmm.
