Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP220016S
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00:01 Jill: Hello, I'm Jill Morikone and I just want to welcome you
00:02 to Lesson Number 3 of our study of the book of Genesis. 00:06 This lesson is titled: Cain and His Legacy. 00:09 We'll be looking at Genesis chapter 4. 00:12 If you don't have your own copy of the Adult Bible Study Guide, 00:15 you can go to: 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 00:18 and download a copy to follow along with us. 00:21 That web address one more time is: 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 00:26 or we always encourage you to visit your local 00:28 Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:29 and they'd be delighted to have you join their study. 00:33 Join us now as we study the Word of God. 00:36 Music... 01:06 Jill: We just love this time together 01:08 where we get to open up the Word of God this Quarter 01:11 in the book of Genesis... the first book in the Bible 01:14 and study with you at home. 01:15 Thank you for being part of our family... 01:17 thank you for studying along with us 01:19 and I have some of my family here with me. 01:22 To my left... Shelley Quinn... 01:23 always a joy to have you here. 01:25 Shelley: Always a joy to break bread 01:26 and open up the Word of God together. 01:28 We're glad you're here. 01:30 Jill: Amen... to your left, Pastor James Rafferty 01:32 with a nice sweater today, we like this. 01:34 James: Yeah, thank you... reminds me of my school days 01:36 where we used to wear sweaters and Gaps. 01:39 Shelley: Very British. James: Very British. 01:41 Jill: To your left, Pastor Johnny Dinzey 01:43 so glad you're here, Pastor. 01:45 Dinzey: It's a blessing to be here once again. 01:46 Jill: Amen... last but not least 01:48 the Singer in Israel... Pastor Ryan Day 01:51 so glad you're here. 01:52 Ryan: Amen always a blessing to be a part of this 01:53 wonderful Panel. 01:55 Jill: Amen and Ryan, would you pray for us? 01:56 Ryan: Sure, absolutely. 01:57 Ryan: "Our Father in heaven, 01:59 Lord, we dare not go any further 02:01 into the study of Your Word 02:03 without the leadership and guidance of Your Holy Spirit 02:06 and so, Father, we ask now just pour it out upon us 02:09 that all the words that are expressed and spoken... 02:12 the thoughts that are expressed here today, Lord, 02:14 are Your thoughts... Your ideas 02:16 straight from Your Word. 02:17 May we bring glory to You 02:19 and may so many be blessed 02:20 because of this lesson this week. 02:22 Draw us closer to You Jesus, 02:23 we ask in Jesus' holy name, amen. " 02:25 Panel: Amen. 02:27 Jill: If you've been following week to week, 02:29 you know that last week we studied: The Fall. 02:32 We looked at the serpent 02:33 and the temptation that came to Eve and then to Adam. 02:37 We look at the entrance of sin 02:39 and the consequences of that sin... 02:41 the judgment that came from God 02:44 but then, the redemption and salvation that was offered 02:49 in that first Messianic promise in Genesis 3 verse 15. 02:53 This week, we'll look at Cain and his legacy. 02:55 Genesis chapter 4... 02:57 so, as we start out, I want to do a quick comparison 02:59 between Genesis 3 and Genesis 4. 03:02 You see several similarities between the two. 03:05 We see a description of sin in Genesis 3. 03:08 Eve coveted the fruit... did she not? 03:11 and she took of the fruit in direct violation 03:14 of God's command. 03:15 Adam and Eve experienced fear and guilt 03:18 as Pastor Johnny brought out so clearly last week in our lesson. 03:22 If we look at the description of sin in Genesis chapter 4, 03:26 we see that Cain becomes angry with God and then his brother 03:30 and enough to murder his brother, Abel. 03:34 We'll study that this week. 03:35 We see, also, God questioning those who have sinned. 03:40 In Genesis 3, He says to Adam, "Where are you? 03:43 Why did you hide yourself?" 03:45 In Genesis 4, God asks Cain, "Why are you angry?" 03:50 We also see the curse as a result of sin. 03:54 In Genesis 3, we saw that the serpent was cursed 03:57 and the ground was cursed. 03:59 In Genesis 4, we discover that Cain himself is cursed. 04:04 We see the expulsion in Genesis 3... 04:06 Shelley talked about it last week... 04:09 Adam and Eve being driven out from the Garden of Eden 04:12 so that they would never again have access to the Tree of Life 04:16 which would perpetuate life. 04:19 In Genesis 4, the same Hebrew word: Garash is used 04:23 in reference to Cain being driven out... 04:26 being disconnected from the ground. 04:29 We see the progression of sin. 04:31 In Genesis 3... there's perfection 04:33 and then sin enters 04:35 and we see them partaking of the fruit. 04:38 By the time we get to Genesis 4, 04:40 it's not just eating fruit, is it? 04:42 It's killing people 04:43 and then, we get down to Lamech and we see that he even... 04:47 you could say, "Spits in God's face. " 04:50 He laughs in God's face. 04:52 So, you see this downward spiral from Genesis 3 to Genesis 4... 04:56 this progression of sin. 04:59 We see though in Genesis 3 and Genesis 4, 05:02 the promise of redemption... 05:04 the promise of hope that God does not leave this world 05:07 in the sinful mess that they created for themselves... 05:10 they chose to step into sin 05:12 but God doesn't leave them there. 05:13 We see Genesis 3:15 with that Messianic prophecy 05:17 and in Genesis 4, we see the birth of Cain 05:20 and we're going to discover that Eve thought... 05:23 maybe this would be the promised looked-for Messiah 05:25 and then she discovered it wasn't 05:27 but then we see the birth of Seth 05:29 and the righteous seed coming from him 05:33 and we see that there is still hope because God is at work 05:37 in people's hearts and lives. 05:38 Yes, there's free choice... 05:40 yes, we have a choice... do we want to follow Him or not 05:43 but for those who choose to follow Him... 05:46 for those who walk in repentance toward Him 05:48 that God is at work redemptively. 05:51 Let's look at our memory text... 05:53 we're in Genesis 4 verse 7 is our memory text. 05:56 "If you do well, will you not be accepted? 05:59 And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. 06:03 And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it. " 06:08 On Sunday's lesson, we look at Cain and Abel 06:10 and I have two verses 06:12 that's it... and I won't hopefully step on Shelley 06:14 because she has one of the verses I have too. 06:17 But all I have is Genesis 4 verses 1 and 2 06:19 and let's read those verses 06:21 and then we'll unpack it with only four takeaways today. 06:25 Genesis 4:1 and 2, 06:27 "Now Adam knew his wife, 06:29 and Adam knew Eve his wife, 06:32 and she conceived and bore Cain, 06:34 and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord. " 06:38 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. 06:42 Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, 06:44 but Cain... he was a tiller of the ground. " 06:49 The first event after the expulsion from Eden 06:53 was a birth. 06:54 If you read Genesis chapter 3 the very last verse... 06:57 Adam and Eve are cast out of the garden 06:59 and then we get to Genesis chapter 4 and we see a birth. 07:03 That's the first event that is mentioned here. 07:07 So, Takeaway Number 1 07:08 is that God always brings hope after judgment. 07:11 They could have thought... Adam and Eve... 07:15 that they were in despondency 07:17 and they were driven from the place they loved. 07:19 I can't even imagine being in their shoes. 07:22 Can you imagine never having seen a flower die? 07:25 Never watching leaves fall from the tree in the fall? 07:29 Never experiencing death of an animal or a person... 07:34 never seeing any of that. 07:35 I can't even imagine seeing perfection 07:38 and then seeing that perfection marred 07:41 and yet, after the judgment that was pronounced upon them, 07:45 the consequences of their own sin... 07:47 their own choice or free will. 07:49 God brings hope. 07:50 You see, we're never left in our sins 07:52 unless of course you or I choose to sit there. 07:55 We're never left in a place of judgment. 07:59 Psalm 30:5... I love it, 08:00 "For His anger is but for a moment... 08:02 weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. " 08:08 God brings hope after judgment. 08:11 Now, let's look at Eve's response... 08:12 it's very significant in Genesis 4 verse 1, 08:15 Eve's response after burying Cain. 08:18 What did she say? 08:20 "I have acquired a man from the LORD." 08:23 The literal translation... 08:25 the lesson brought this out very clearly. 08:27 The literal translation would be: 08:28 I have acquired a man... indeed the Lord Himself. 08:33 The word for "man" used there is linked with the word 08:37 for a Lord or Yahweh... Y H W H... Yahweh. 08:41 So, literally Eve thought 08:45 that this could be the promised Messiah. 08:47 She knew God had instructed Adam and Eve... Genesis 3:15, 08:52 they knew that Messianic promise... 08:54 they knew that the Messiah would come eventually 08:57 and so she has Cain and she thinks, 08:59 "Could he be the one... is he the one?" 09:01 Is he going to be the Messiah? 09:04 And Desire of Ages page 31 confirms this. 09:07 It says, "The Saviour's coming was foretold in Eden. 09:10 When Adam and Eve first heard the promise, 09:12 they looked for its speedy fulfillment. " 09:15 They thought it was going to happen right away. 09:17 "They joyfully welcomed their first-born son, 09:20 hoping that he might be the Deliverer. " 09:23 This leads us to Takeaway Number 2. 09:25 False hope and expectations leads to disappointment. 09:30 It leads to disillusionment. 09:32 It leads to discouragement. 09:34 I don't know if you are a parent 09:36 but if you are a parent and your child has walked away from God, 09:39 is that painful? 09:41 What about a parent... and your child's become a murderer? 09:45 With that be even more painful? 09:47 What about... if you are a parent 09:50 and you expected that child to be the Deliverer... 09:52 the coming One... the Messiah? 09:54 Maybe the Savior who would help you 09:57 and then, that child turns out to be a murderer? 10:00 Job 30:26, 10:02 "When I looked for good, evil came to me; 10:05 when I waited for light, then came darkness. " 10:08 I can't even imagine the disappointment that they felt 10:12 as we walk through the story 10:14 and discover that their son 10:15 that they thought maybe could be the promised One 10:18 became a murderer. 10:19 It's also interesting... 10:21 in this passage we see Eve's comparison with Cain and Abel. 10:26 So, she mentions Cain... 10:28 his name in the Hebrew means: to acquire. 10:32 It denotes the acquisition... 10:33 the possession of something precious and powerful 10:36 and we already established that she thought 10:38 this might have been the Messiah. 10:40 Abel's name by contrast means: vapour or breath. 10:44 It denotes elusiveness... emptiness... 10:48 lack of substance. 10:50 It's the same word used in Ecclesiastes for vanity. 10:53 All is vanity. 10:55 So, to me this is just Jill's mind working here. 10:58 Does that mean that Adam and Eve favored Cain over Abel? 11:01 We don't know that... 11:03 the Bible doesn't say whether they did or not. 11:06 It does say... it doesn't even mention... 11:08 it just says, "She bore again this time his brother Abel. " 11:10 There was nothing significant mentioned in the text. 11:13 We know Abraham and Sarah 11:15 clearly favored Isaac over Ishmael. 11:17 We know Rebecca clearly favored Jacob 11:20 and Esau... Isaac clearly favored Esau. 11:23 We know that Jacob favored Joseph and later Benjamin. 11:26 Could they have favored Cain 11:28 and if they did, would that lead them to regret? 11:31 These are just questions I ask in my own mind. 11:34 Takeaway Number 3: 11:35 Live today... so you don't have regrets tomorrow. 11:39 Shelley: Amen. 11:40 Jill: Finally, Takeaway number 4: 11:42 Make choices for God. 11:45 What are we supposed to choose? 11:46 I went through the Word of God 11:48 and just found some of the things 11:50 that we are offered choices in. 11:52 So, we're going to go very quickly 11:54 through quite a few different verses 11:55 and just look at the choices that God offers to us today. 11:59 Hebrews 3:15, "Today if you hear His voice, 12:02 do not harden your hearts. " 12:04 We are offered the choice to accept Jesus Christ today. 12:07 We're offered the choice to choose the armor of God, 12:11 Ephesians 6. 12:12 We can choose to set our mind on things above, Colossians 3. 12:16 We can choose to put on kindness... Ephesians 4. 12:19 We can choose to put on humility 12:21 and patience and forgiveness, Colossians 3. 12:24 We can choose to put on the fruit of the Spirit, 12:26 Galatians 5. 12:28 We can choose to be dead to sin and alive to God, Romans 6. 12:31 We can choose to walk in the Spirit... that's Romans 8. 12:35 We can choose to become a new creation in Christ Jesus, 12:38 2nd Corinthians 5. 12:40 We can choose to show Christ to the world... 1st Peter 2. 12:44 We can choose to shine our light... that's Matthew 5. 12:46 We can choose to let His glory arise over us... 12:50 that's Isaiah 60. 12:52 We can choose not to walk in fear... 1st John chapter 4. 12:56 We can choose to have the mind of Christ... 12:58 that's Philippians chapter 2. 13:00 We can choose to be blameless and harmless... 13:03 the sons and daughters of God... 13:05 that's also Philippians chapter 2. 13:07 We can choose to pray always... 1st Thessalonians 7. 13:10 We can choose to rejoice in everything... 13:13 that's also 1st Thessalonians chapter 5. 13:16 We can choose to practice contentment... Philippians 4. 13:20 We can choose to focus on Him and walk in peace... Isaiah 26. 13:24 We can choose to practice courtesy toward others... 13:27 that's Titus chapter 3. 13:28 We can choose to trust God with our decisions... Proverbs 3. 13:33 We can choose the road that leads to life... 13:35 Matthew chapter 7. 13:37 We can choose to deny ourselves... 13:38 take up our cross and follow Jesus... that's Matthew 16. 13:42 We can choose God's approval not man's... that's Galatians 1. 13:47 We can choose to look unto Jesus... Hebrews chapter 12 13:50 to press toward the goal... to press... 13:53 to present our bodies as a living sacrifice 13:55 to allow God to transform us by the renewing of our mind 13:58 to be holy... to walk worthy of the Lord... 14:00 to accept God's way of escape when dealing with temptation... 14:04 to walk in the works He's prepared for us 14:07 and to accept His gift of salvation by faith. 14:10 So, choose today to follow Jesus. 14:13 Panel: Amen... amen. 14:14 Shelley: Amen, praise the Lord. 14:16 You can get so much into ten minutes, Jill, it's amazing. 14:20 My name is Shelley Quinn... I have Monday's: 14:23 The Two Offerings 14:25 and I hope that we're going to put to rest 14:28 some of the... how can I say this? 14:32 there are arguments about this particular chapter 14:36 and... and they... people are... 14:39 what's the word that I'm looking for? 14:41 They cast a... misconceptions 14:43 but they are casting a shadow on the character of God. 14:46 So, we'll look at this. 14:47 What happens in Genesis 4? 14:49 This details the tragic results of the consequences of the fall. 14:54 Sin is not just growing... 14:57 it's metastasized like a cancer 15:00 and each descendant... I'm speaking to you today... 15:04 "Choose you this day whom you will serve. " 15:06 Each descendant of Adam and Eve must choose for themself 15:12 whether we are going to listen to God 15:14 or rebel against Him. 15:16 So, here we have these two sons in Genesis 4. 15:20 One acts in obedience and we're going to prove that 15:25 while the other acts in disdain and rebellion. 15:31 I think the human race can be divided into two groups. 15:37 There is the Godly who choose to obey God 15:40 and walk in obedience 15:42 and the ungodly who choose to reject Him 15:45 and foolishly do their own will. 15:50 What Cain... we're going to see how Cain rejects God 15:58 and his rejection starts a wicked generation 16:04 that lays these people's hearts toward evil all the time 16:09 and this lays the foundation for the destruction of the world 16:15 in the universal flood... so, let's go... 16:17 Genesis 4 verse 1, "Now Adam knew Eve his wife... " 16:22 this is... means that as a married couple, 16:26 they had sexual relations. 16:27 "She conceived and bore Cain, 16:29 'I have acquired a man from the LORD Himself. '" 16:33 As Jill said, she thought this Cain was the promised Seed... 16:38 the Deliverer... 16:40 "Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. 16:43 Abel was a keeper of the sheep, 16:46 but Cain was a tiller of the ground. " 16:49 Now, both were respectable occupations. 16:53 But now, notice verse 3, 16:55 "And in the process of time... " 16:58 I've just got to pause here... 17:00 remember what we've learned... 17:04 the first 11 chapters of Genesis 17:08 are a very condensed distillation 17:11 of the first 2,000 years of history. 17:14 Can you imagine somebody saying, 17:17 "Hey, I want you to write this history on the 2,000 years 17:20 of... of the earth 17:22 and you try to put it down into eleven chapters. " 17:26 So... so, in the process of time, 17:30 this is moving the narrative a long time after 17:36 the initial events in these first few verses. 17:40 Adam and Eve lived many generations, 17:44 they had multiple children. 17:47 He lived to be 930 years old. 17:49 So, the additional children in the process of time 17:55 that Adam and Eve had 17:57 account for the wife that Cain takes 18:01 and why he was afraid that he might be murdered 18:04 following the death of his brother. 18:07 So, the verse says, 18:08 verse 3... Genesis 4 verse 3, 18:11 "In the process of time it came to pass 18:15 that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground 18:18 to the LORD. 18:19 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock 18:22 and of their fat. 18:23 And the LORD respected Abel... " 18:27 He respected this animal sacrifice 18:31 but He did not respect Cain bringing Him 18:36 the fruit of the ground... 18:37 "and Cain was angry his countenance fell. " 18:41 So, let's look at the contrast between the two. 18:45 Cain was a tiller of the ground... 18:48 this required hard physical work 18:50 because the ground had been cursed. 18:54 Cain worked to acquire what he produced 18:57 and he just thought to himself, 19:00 "I'm going to bring an offering to the Lord 19:02 of what I've acquired. " 19:05 This is... you could say, "Salvation by works... " 19:08 Jill: Yeah. 19:09 Shelley: So, God didn't respect this offering. 19:12 Abel is a keeper of the sheep. 19:15 Now, wouldn't you think "keeper of the sheep" 19:18 you think somebody that's a little more compassionate 19:21 maybe sensitive... 19:22 he was careful to keep 19:26 that which he had received 19:30 but he brings the best of his flock to the Lord 19:33 and God respects it. 19:35 So, the question is: 19:37 "Why did God accept Abel's offering 19:41 and reject Cain's offering?" 19:43 I've heard all kinds of theories on this 19:46 but please listen to what I'm about to say. 19:50 The abbreviated narrative of Genesis... 19:53 the only way to understand Genesis 1 through 11 19:57 is by comparing it to passages of the rest of the Bible. 20:02 Even, I mean, Genesis 12 through 50 20:06 because... and let me give you an example. 20:08 In Genesis 22:2... here's... here's a perfect example 20:13 of what I'm about to tell you. 20:14 It has nothing to do with Cain and Abel 20:17 but it has... it's a parallel 20:19 of how we've got to understand the Bible. 20:21 In Genesis 22:2 God says to Abraham, 20:26 "Take your son, your only son Isaac... " 20:30 and... and that "only son" means he was the son of the promise, 20:34 son of the covenant 20:35 because, of course, he had another son 20:37 but that's a covenant term. 20:39 "Take your only son Isaac, whom you love... 20:42 go to the land of Moriah, 20:43 offer him there as a burnt offering... " 20:45 well, you know first time I read that 20:48 I'm like, "What? 20:50 God told them not to burn their children as sacrifices... 20:53 and I was just thinking about Abraham's wife Sarah. 20:58 If he came to her and said, "Hey... " 21:00 If... if JD came to me and said, "God said I need to sacrifice, 21:05 you know, one of our kids... " or something, 21:07 I'd be going, "You'd better be listening... " 21:09 thinking... is that your thought 21:10 or is that God's thought? 21:12 But look at Hebrews 11:17 through 19, 21:16 because it sounds so ridiculous 21:18 but here Abraham just gets up 21:20 and he takes the boy up the mountain 21:22 and tells the servants, "We're going up here... 21:23 we will return. " 21:25 But Hebrews 11:17 through 19, 21:27 "By faith Abraham, when he was tested, 21:29 offered up Isaac, 21:31 he had received the promises 21:32 offered up his only begotten son, 21:34 of whom it was said, 21:35 'In Isaac your seed shall be called... '" 21:39 Isaac was the key to the covenant blessings. 21:42 but look at what verse 19 says, 21:44 "Abraham concluded that God was able to raise him up, 21:51 even from the dead, 21:52 from which he also did receive him in a figurative sense. " 21:56 What do you mean? 21:57 There had never been a resurrection of the dead 22:00 before Abraham's time. 22:01 But see, John 8:56... Jesus tells the Pharisees, 22:06 "Your father Abraham saw my day: 22:10 he rejoiced in my day... 22:12 he saw... and he was glad. " 22:15 So, in this extremely condensed narrative of 50 chapters 22:22 in Genesis covering 2300 years, 22:25 there are some things that we... 22:28 they're not pointed out in the narrative 22:31 but we find it on down the road 22:33 so, I believe it was Genesis 15 22:36 when God was cutting the covenant with Abraham... 22:39 when he was ratifying the covenant... 22:42 I believe when he put Abraham into a deep sleep, 22:45 that's when Abraham saw Christ's day... 22:48 he knew God was going to come down... become a man... 22:51 die on the cross... be resurrected... 22:53 and... and so, there we go. 22:56 Now, let's take that same principle and apply it to Abel. 23:00 In Hebrews 11:4... talking about Cain and Abel, 23:05 it says, "By faith... by faith 23:08 Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain. " 23:13 now, first of all... some people say, 23:15 "Oh, it wasn't sacrificial offering... " 23:16 yes it was... 23:18 "through which he obtained witness that he was righteous. " 23:22 What does that mean? 23:24 He was in right standing with God... 23:25 he was following God's way that was prescribed 23:29 and it says, "God testifying of it... of his gifts: 23:34 and through it he being dead still speaks. " 23:38 See, Abel acted in faith... 23:41 his sacrifice was offered according to... 23:45 we don't see in the narrative 23:47 where God explained the whole sacrificial system 23:51 to Adam and Eve 23:52 but like you said... the heartbreak... 23:54 they had to see an animal die to provide coverings for them. 23:58 Obviously, they did understand the sacrificial system. 24:02 Obviously, if we look at the rest of the Scripture, 24:06 they taught Cain and Abel what God had commanded 24:10 and... and this is something that, you know, 24:14 Jesus referred to Abel as a righteous man 24:17 who did what was right in the sight of the Lord. 24:21 So, we see that Hebrews actually supports the righteousness 24:27 of Abel but look at 1st John 3:11 and 12, 24:30 because we've got to see what the New Testament 24:32 is saying about Cain. 24:34 1st John 3:11... "Cain was one of the wicked one 24:39 and he murdered his brother. 24:41 Why did he murder him? 24:42 Because his works were evil... " 24:45 they were disobedient and his brother's were righteous. 24:48 Let me tell you something, 24:50 Cain disdained God's divine instruction. 24:54 He decided for himself how he was going to worship 24:58 and what would be admissible 24:59 and when God found... 25:02 you know, let me tell you something, 25:04 God will never ask us to do something 25:07 that hasn't been explained to us 25:09 so, we know that when God found him in error, 25:14 God even said, "If you do right, won't you be found? 25:17 You know, why are you sulking? 25:19 Why are you in self-pity? 25:20 Our point is: Let's worship God 25:24 the way He prescribes. 25:26 Jill: Amen, that's beautiful Shelley, I love that. 25:28 We're going to take a short break, 25:30 we'll be right back. 25:32 Music... 25:37 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again 25:40 or share it on Facebook... 25:42 Instagram... or Twitter... 25:44 Well, you can by visiting 3ABNSabbathSchoolPanel. com 25:48 A clean design makes it easy 25:51 to find the Program you are looking for. 25:53 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 25:57 so you can follow along. 25:58 Sharing is easy... just click "share" 26:01 and choose your favorite Social Media. 26:03 Share a Link... Save a Life for Eternity. 26:06 Jill: Welcome back to our study of Genesis Lesson Number 3 26:11 as we study Cain and his legacy, 26:13 we're going to kick it over to Pastor James and Tuesday. 26:15 James: Thank you Jill... thank you Shelley... 26:17 I am on Tuesday's lesson 26:19 and the title of Tuesday's lesson is: The Crime... 26:23 The Crime and it's based on Genesis chapter 4 again, 26:26 this time we have verses 3 through 8 26:30 so, we've touched on a little bit of this 26:31 but we'll build on it a little bit more. 26:33 The question that is asked here as we read Genesis 4:3-8, 26:37 what is the process that led Cain to kill his brother... 26:40 what is the process that led Cain to kill his brother? 26:43 And a supportive verse is given in first John verse 3:12, 26:47 which you touched on there 26:48 so it's already... we've already kind of moved into this, 26:51 but we're just going to outline this process 26:54 as we read about it here in Genesis chapter 4. 26:55 Let's just read the verses to begin with... 26:57 Genesis 4:3 through 8, 26:59 It says, "In the process of time it came to pass, 27:02 that Cain brought the fruit of the ground 27:05 an offering unto the Lord. " 27:06 Verse 4... 27:08 "And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of the flock 27:11 and of the fat thereof. 27:12 And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering. " 27:15 Verse 5... "But unto Cain and to his offering 27:18 He had not respect. 27:20 And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. 27:23 And the Lord said unto Cain, 'Why art thou wroth? 27:27 and why is thy countenance fallen?'" 27:33 Verse 7... "If thou doest well, 27:35 shalt thou not be accepted? 27:37 and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. 27:40 And unto thee shall be his desire, 27:42 and thou shalt rule over him. " 27:44 And Verse 8... "And Cain talked with Abel his brother: 27:48 and it came to pass, when they were in the field, 27:51 that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. " 27:54 So, like you said, Shelley, and I really appreciated this, 27:58 you know, the details aren't always in the verses, 28:00 you know, you kind of have to go out of the verses 28:02 to the New Testament... maybe to the rest of Genesis 28:04 and kind of build a little bit of the story 28:07 put it... a little bit of the story in there 28:10 so, what is the process the Quarterly asks 28:13 that led Cain to kill his brother? 28:14 We know the first step in the process was: Disobedience. 28:18 That was the first step in the process 28:19 and that's taking us all the way back 28:21 to Adam and Eve in the garden. 28:23 You know, disobedience... that's what Satan is all about. 28:26 He's all about us getting to disobey God's Word... 28:29 to turn away from God's Word. 28:30 Cain brought fruit of the ground and as you said, Shelley, 28:34 and I... and I see that so... so clearly... 28:37 the fruit of the ground was self-righteousness. 28:40 He brought himself... his works to God 28:43 and the works of his hands were to replace 28:46 the sacrifice of the lamb. 28:49 The sacrifice of the lamb is what God had established 28:51 with Adam and Eve right from the beginning 28:53 when he made, you know, them skins for clothing... 28:56 it pointed to the sacrifice of the lamb 28:59 and, of course, Revelation chapter 13 verse 8, 29:02 Jesus Christ is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world 29:05 love that God put that right in Revelation 13 29:07 because it points us to the cross. 29:09 So, Cain is not looking to the cross... 29:13 he's not looking to the lamb... 29:14 he's not looking to Jesus... 29:15 he's not looking to the sacrifice of Christ, 29:17 he's looking to the sacrifice from himself. 29:19 That ground was cursed... it was hard work 29:20 and Cain brought the best that he could bring... 29:23 his hard work... 29:25 his hard-earned works or fruits to God. 29:28 Oh, he was not happy... 29:30 he was rejected... that's the 2nd step... rejection. 29:32 This is the second step in the process... 29:35 Cain's offering was not accepted by God 29:38 and he did not appreciate that 29:40 and it's a lot of times the problem is not just our works 29:45 but the fact that our works aren't accepted with God 29:47 that causes us to have a little bit of agitation... 29:50 a little bit of problem 29:51 especially when we look around, we see, you know, 29:53 other people's works are accepted of the Lord... 29:55 they are being blessed... 29:56 they... God is, you know, communicating to them 29:59 with a positive attitude... 30:01 a positive spirit and not with us. 30:03 That's the time when we need to search our hearts... 30:06 that's the time when we need to ask ourselves, 30:08 "Have we done things the way God wanted us to do them?" 30:11 You know, that's why David was a man after God's own heart 30:14 because when they brought forth the Ark, you know, 30:17 and they had it on a cart 30:18 and Uzzah, you know, went to steady that cart 30:21 and boom! he was dead in a flash. 30:24 David went back and searched his heart 30:26 and he figured out, you know... 30:28 "I didn't do things the way I was supposed to do them... 30:29 I didn't do things according to God's Word... 30:32 we need to do this differently. " 30:34 It was okay for the heathen... 30:35 the Philistines to put the ark on a cart 30:37 but it wasn't okay for God's people 30:39 because God's people knew better. 30:41 God's people had been told 30:42 how they were to transport this ark 30:44 and it wasn't putting it on a cart. 30:46 The Levites were supposed to carry it. 30:49 And then we have the next step is: anger. 30:52 Anger is something... it might be surprise to you... 30:57 anger is something that is expressed in the Bible 31:02 by God more than by any other person. 31:04 Anger is not necessarily a bad thing. 31:07 God is often angry in the Bible... 31:10 we need to recognize that it's not anger so much 31:14 as why we're angry 31:15 and what we do with the anger that's the problem. 31:18 So, God has... what we call a... 31:20 a righteous indignation. 31:21 But our anger James says 31:23 does not work the righteousness of God 31:25 and definitely Cain's anger was not working 31:28 the righteousness of God. 31:29 He was very angry and that word actually means, 31:32 he was jealous 31:34 and that was a... a selfish jealousy. 31:35 You know, the Bible talks about "Godly jealousy" 31:38 2nd Corinthians chapter 11 verse 2... 31:40 in fact... the Ten-Commandment chapter... Exodus 20 tells us 31:43 that God is a jealous God. 31:45 And then there's a "selfish jealousy" 31:47 and that's what we see with Cain. 31:48 He was angry and jealous because of him. 31:51 He was selfish... he was thinking about, 31:53 "I got rejected and my works... 31:54 my... my fruit didn't get accepted and his did and... " 31:57 and whereas God's jealousy is always looking out 31:59 for the other person. Panel: Yeah, hmmm... hmmm. 32:01 God's jealousy is directed toward others. 32:02 He's concerned for us 32:04 and wants to protect us from harm 32:06 and the consequences of our wrong actions. 32:09 So, he was rejected of God... 32:12 he was disobedient to God... 32:14 he became angry in that rejection 32:16 and then he went into depression. 32:18 We might say... this was the first account of depression 32:21 in the Bible... I don't know, it seems like it was... 32:23 his countenance was fallen, you know. 32:25 You know, when you get depressed 32:26 you're just like... hmmmm... 32:27 just sulking, you know, I mean. 32:29 Jill: Pity party... 32:30 James: Yeah... pity party... it's all about you 32:33 and that, of course, is the fourth step that we see here. 32:36 Cain's countenance is fallen... 32:37 and... and he... because of the consequence of his rejection, 32:42 his disobedience... his anger... 32:44 he becomes depressed 32:46 and in that context, we go into this fifth step, 32:48 now, in this fifth step, God actually steps in 32:51 and God speaks to Cain and I love this because 32:54 God is always seeking to intercede on our behalf. 32:56 He is always seeking to save us primarily from ourselves... 33:00 from our own selfishness... 33:02 from our own anger... 33:03 from our own negativity and depression 33:06 and so He steps in and God speaks to Cain 33:09 and He exhorts him. 33:11 You know, He tells him that you can do what's right... 33:13 that you don't have to do what's wrong 33:15 and you don't have to let disobedience rule over you. 33:18 You don't have to let sin rule over you and I love that... 33:20 that's the message of the gospel. 33:21 Jesus didn't come just to die for our sins... 33:24 Jesus came to set us free from our sins. 33:25 Shelley: Amen. 33:27 James: It's a miserable experience 33:28 to be sinning and repenting... 33:29 sinning and repenting than to be free from the sins. 33:32 God has the power to free us from those sins. 33:35 And so, God steps in... God rebukes Cain... 33:37 God exhorts Cain... that's Step Number 5... 33:40 Step Number 6: Coercion. 33:42 This is the next step... 33:43 so, when Cain refuses or resists God's rebuke, 33:47 he goes to talk to his brother 33:49 and, you know, it doesn't again fill it in there 33:51 but you can tell that in the conversation, 33:54 there's a little bit of coercion... 33:56 there's a little bit of force that Cain is the older brother, 33:59 the... the potential Messiah 34:02 is bringing against his younger brother 34:04 who was just like lighter than vanity 34:06 in the eyes of the parents, right? 34:08 You got some favoritism that comes into this 34:10 and in this sense Cain speaks to Abel 34:13 and expects Abel to listen to him and to obey him 34:15 and, of course, that's the way we come across too. 34:18 We follow these progressive steps 34:19 and we come across to others in exactly the same way. 34:22 That's where this "coercion religion" comes from. 34:24 "You're going to do things my way... " 34:26 in fact, look at the story of Cain and Abel 34:28 and we can parallel it to Revelation chapter 13 34:30 in more ways than one. 34:32 Panel: Hmmm... that's good... yeah... 34:33 James: We can see the big picture there 34:34 that's taking place 34:36 and then, finally, Cain cancels Abel. 34:39 You know, we're living in a cancel culture. 34:41 We're living in a culture 34:42 where we just want to cancel people out 34:44 who annoy us... who don't agree with us... 34:46 who go against us... who are not in harmony with us, 34:49 it's very opposite of... 34:52 this is very opposite to the principles 34:54 upon this country was founded, you know, 34:56 principles of this freedom 34:58 where we allow other people to have opinions 35:00 that are different than ours, right? 35:02 We have that freedom of conscience... 35:03 really it's... it's the principle of Christianity 35:06 it's okay but cancels out Abel, he ends Abel's life 35:09 and he thinks things are going to be better 35:11 but they're not going to be better 35:12 because wherever you go... there you are. 35:16 Panel: Amen. 35:17 James: As long as self is alive, 35:18 we're going to be struggling with the same principles 35:20 so, these are the basic steps that Cain goes through 35:23 and I just pray and hope for those of us who are listening... 35:25 for each one of us 35:26 that we won't follow these steps... 35:28 that we'll start with obeying God... 35:29 we'll start with accepting what He says to us... 35:31 letting Him have our anger... processing through that 35:34 all of that... 35:35 giving it to God 35:36 and then, letting Him lift us from depression... 35:39 listening to his rebuke... 35:41 not falling into coercion 35:43 and definitely not canceling others. 35:45 Panel: Amen... amen... amen... amen. 35:47 Dinzey: Praise the Lord, 35:48 now we are on Wednesday's part of the lesson, 35:51 my name is John Dinzey 35:52 and I encourage you to follow along 35:55 as we continue this... 35:57 Genesis chapter 4 beginning in verse 9, 35:59 "Then the Lord said to Cain, 36:03 'Where is Abel your brother?' 36:06 He said, 'I do not know, Am I my brother's keeper'?" 36:12 And, you know, I love that you brought out that, James, that 36:15 the Lord approached Cain 36:18 before he made this horrible act of killing his brother. 36:21 See, it shows that God is concerned about us... 36:23 concerned about our feelings... 36:25 concerned about the things that we are facing... 36:27 the challenges we're facing, 36:28 so, I encourage you to believe that God is concerned about you 36:32 and He was concerned about Cain 36:34 because God knows what we're thinking 36:37 and so, He was trying to help Cain 36:39 so that he doesn't do what Cain was already 36:43 working in his mind apparently. 36:45 But the question to Cain was, "Where is Abel your brother?" 36:49 The Lord did not ask, "Where is Abel?" 36:51 The Lord asked him, "Where is Abel your brother?" 36:55 And that has more significance 36:58 understanding that He's part of you... 37:00 he's a part of your family 37:01 and we have now the answer of Cain, 37:05 "I do not know. " 37:07 So, what do we have here but a lie... 37:10 the first recorded lie by a human being 37:13 is made by Cain. 37:14 Cain becomes the first murderer and the first liar 37:18 upon the face of the earth. 37:20 So, what is he doing? 37:22 He's identifying with the devil 37:24 who is a liar and a murderer. 37:26 So, he's not identifying with God, 37:29 he's beginning to choose his own thing... 37:30 wants to worship according to what the way he wants. 37:33 He is identifying with Satan's kingdom 37:36 instead of God's kingdom. 37:37 So, this is... it was just a dangerous road to go on. 37:42 Let's go to Genesis chapter 4 verse 10, 37:44 "And He said... " that is God... 37:47 "What have you done?" 37:49 Notice... "The voice of your brother's blood 37:53 cries out to Me from the ground. " 37:55 You see, God is connected to each one of His children. 37:59 He knows your heartbeat... 38:01 He knows the sound you make... 38:03 He knows how you smell... 38:04 He knows the very hairs upon your head 38:06 and any little amount of suffering, 38:09 God feels it... God knows about it 38:12 and here He personifies the blood by saying, 38:15 "Your brother's voice cries out to Me from the ground. " 38:18 And how many... how many times a day 38:21 does God have to face this type of thing 38:24 because we're living in the culture like you said, 38:26 of canceling people... killing people 38:28 for whatever reason 38:29 and this is a dangerous time we're living in 38:33 and so, we have here... 38:35 "The voice of your brother's blood 38:37 cries out to Me from the ground. " 38:39 And you know, the Lord says, "Vengeance is mine. " 38:42 Everyone will have to answer for the things they have done. 38:47 Let's go to Genesis chapter 4 verse 11, 38:49 because we're talking about Cain's punishment. 38:52 The punishment of Cain is the title of Wednesday's lesson. 38:55 Genesis 4:11 says, 38:57 "So now you are cursed from the earth, 39:01 which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood 39:05 from your hand. " 39:07 God is putting the responsibility 39:10 directly upon Cain. 39:12 "You have done this act... you are denying it 39:15 and notice, he... Cain did not only lie... 39:18 it's one thing to lie to people 39:20 which you think you can deceive 39:21 but he lied to God that knows everything. 39:25 He apparently was beginning to lose his reverence for God 39:30 and thinking... 39:31 "I can treat Him just like anyone else. " 39:32 He lied to God that knows all things 39:35 and we cannot lie to God... 39:38 God knows... even before you even express it, 39:41 God already knows. 39:42 So, here we have Cain on very dangerous ground. 39:47 "The earth has opened up its mouth 39:49 to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 39:51 When you till the ground, 39:53 it shall no longer yield its strength to you. 39:57 A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth. " 40:01 We don't use that word often here, 40:03 "You vagabond... " 40:04 you know, it's... what is a vagabond? 40:06 And it's... the whole... 40:08 the whole expression talks about... 40:10 the person is... is just roaming about the earth, 40:14 having no stability 40:15 and a fugitive... 40:17 because Cain had killed a member of his own family 40:21 and so, here we have that Cain's crime 40:26 made him the first murderer upon the earth. 40:28 What was the reaction? 40:30 Cain's murder was known... 40:32 we already heard earlier that Eve says, 40:35 that I have gotten a man from the Lord 40:38 and she says that the Lord gave Seth to replace Abel 40:44 whom Cain had killed. 40:46 So, we have this innocent blood... 40:50 notice... Cain shed innocent blood. 40:54 We shed 40:56 the innocent blood of Jesus. 40:58 Panel: Hmmm... Dinzey: So, you see.. 41:00 we ourselves, in a sense, are murderers... 41:05 we have participated in the murder of Jesus Christ. 41:09 Jesus Christ became a sacrifice to save us 41:12 but it's our sins that created the situation 41:16 for Jesus to die for us. 41:18 We already read Hebrews chapter 11 verse 4, 41:19 I'll read it again, 41:21 "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice 41:25 than Cain, by which he obtained witness 41:27 that he was righteous... " 41:28 he was innocent. 41:30 "God testifying of his gifts; 41:31 and by it he being dead yet speaketh. " 41:35 Cain continues to speak... 41:36 Cain continues to be a... a... an example of what we should do. 41:41 In Genesis chapter 4 verse 13, 41:44 by the way, Cain became the first martyr 41:47 and there after Cain had been many martyrs. 41:50 What is a martyr? 41:51 It's a person that dies not deserving of death... 41:56 a person that has done the right thing 41:59 and then he suffers... 42:02 Panel: corrects him... Abel... 42:03 Dinzey: Abel... thank you very much... 42:04 Abel... thank you very much. 42:06 And so, Genesis chapter 4 verse 13 brings out 42:11 something that Cain said. 42:12 I'd like to read that to you, 42:14 "And Cain said to the LORD, 42:15 'My punishment is greater than I can bear!'" 42:21 What is Cain saying to the Lord now? 42:23 He is saying, "This seems to be unfair... 42:26 my punishment is great... 42:28 I deserve to be punished less... " 42:30 is implied here. 42:31 But Cain apparently is not understanding 42:35 the enormity of what he has done. 42:37 Because he is looking at what he has lost 42:40 and... because notice... 42:43 Cain was a tiller of the ground. 42:45 He loved to work with the ground... 42:47 he loved to plant the seeds... 42:49 he loved to see things growing, 42:51 he loved to take care of these things 42:53 and to see the harvest coming in 42:55 and the harvest is really a blessing from the Lord. 42:58 He has lost that opportunity. 43:00 The Lord took that from him... 43:02 that joy that he would have working with the ground 43:04 is now gone because the ground, said the Lord, 43:08 would not yield its strength to him. 43:10 Now, he feels... they've taken away from me 43:13 all the things that I love 43:15 and so, Cain thinks that his punishment is great... 43:20 he is complaining. 43:21 So, it is evident that Cain does not even deny 43:24 that he should be punished because he says, 43:27 "My punishment... " 43:28 he's not saying, "I don't deserve to be punished... " 43:30 he begins to understand, "I deserve to be punished... " 43:33 and so, we have here that Cain understands 43:38 and we have something that is very interesting, 43:40 I want to read about it in a moment 43:42 because the Lord was merciful to Cain... 43:45 He allowed him opportunity... 43:48 He allowed him to continue to live 43:50 because, you know, we have an eye for an eye, 43:53 a tooth for a tooth, 43:54 a life for a life. 43:56 Cain deserved to die 43:57 but God allowed him to live giving him the opportunity 44:01 to reform his way... to walk in the ways of the Lord 44:04 and to change his way 44:07 because he was going in a dangerous direction 44:10 and so, there was no remorse, 44:13 there was no... he only felt anguish and... and... 44:18 "Oh, I have to face this now. " 44:20 Genesis chapter 4 verse 14, notice what Cain says, 44:24 "Surely You have driven me out this day 44:27 from the face of the ground... " 44:29 and notice what Cain says, 44:31 "I shall be hidden from Your face; 44:34 I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, 44:37 and it will happen... " 44:38 now he presents his fear... 44:39 "that anyone who finds me will kill me. " 44:43 Cain is now afraid. 44:45 Cain is now thinking, 44:47 "Whoever finds me is going to kill me. " 44:48 And the Bible reveals that verse 15... 44:51 Genesis 4:15, "And the Lord said to him, 44:54 'Therefore, whoever kills Cain, 44:56 vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. ' 44:58 And the Lord set a mark on Cain, 45:01 lest anyone finding him should kill him. " 45:05 So, what that "mark" was we are not told, 45:08 we would enter into speculation to say what that "mark" was. 45:11 But I want to read something to you 45:14 that, to me, was impacting... 45:17 oh, I guess I would have to leave this 45:20 in case we have time later. 45:21 I want to say this because this impacts every one of us. 45:24 Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, 45:26 "For God shall bring every work into judgment, 45:29 with every secret thing, 45:31 whether it be good or whether it be evil. " 45:33 Do not think you're going to get away 45:35 with doing any type of sin. 45:38 Every one of us will have to answer 45:40 for everything we have said and done 45:43 and God will bring every work into judgment. 45:46 The only way you can get out of this is 45:48 by confessing your sins to the Lord... 45:50 giving your life to Jesus Christ 45:51 because He has already paid for our sins. 45:54 Panel: Amen. 45:55 Ryan: Hmmm... amen, thank you so much Pastor, 45:57 appreciate that. 45:58 I am Ryan Day and I have Thursday's lesson 46:01 which is entitled: The Wickedness of Men 46:04 and I'm excited because I get those verses 46:06 that most people just skip right over 46:09 reading through Genesis. 46:10 It's interesting because I've committed... many times 46:12 in my early years starting Genesis 46:14 and read the whole Bible, right... 46:16 you get, you know, four chapters in... 46:18 you read about the murder of... of Abel 46:19 you know, the whole story of Cain and Abel 46:21 and then you get to all these so and so begot so and so, 46:23 so and so begot so and so 46:24 and you get into all those begots, begots, begots 46:26 and so you tend to... 46:27 a lot of us tend to skip the latter verses of Genesis 4 46:30 and we tend to entirely skip the whole fifth chapter of Genesis 46:33 but my Friends, these are huge... 46:35 there's a reason why God put these genealogies in there. 46:38 I'm going to start first... 46:39 let's read... let's just read the Scripture, 46:41 let's go to Genesis chapter 4 and read verses 16 to 24 46:44 because, again, we're talking about the wickedness of man, 46:47 this is a huge thing 46:48 because if you don't comprehend what's happening 46:50 in the latter portions of chapter 4 46:53 and, of course, what's happening also in chapter 5, 46:55 with this genealogy... 46:57 by the time you get to the beginning verses of chapter 6, 46:59 there can be some confusion there 47:01 if you don't fully understand that. 47:02 So, we're going to start in verse 16 of Genesis chapter 4 47:05 notice what the Bible says, 47:07 it says, "Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord 47:09 and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 47:12 And Cain knew his wife, 47:14 and she conceived and bore Enoch. 47:16 And he built a city, 47:17 and called the name of the city 47:19 after the name of his son... Enoch. 47:21 To Enoch he bore Irad; 47:23 and Irad begot Mehujael, 47:25 and Mehujael begot Methushael, 47:27 and Methushael begot Lamech. " 47:29 Okay, we're already getting into these "begots. " 47:31 Notice now we get down to the great, great, great-grandson 47:34 of Cain which is Lamech. 47:36 Verse 19, "Then Lamech took for himself two wives: 47:39 the name of one was Adah, 47:41 and the name of the second was Zillah. 47:43 And Adah bore Jabal. 47:45 And he was the father of those who dwell in tents 47:48 and have livestock. 47:49 His brother's name was Jubal. 47:51 And he was the father of 47:52 all those who play the harp and flute. 47:54 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain... " 47:58 which, of course, 48:00 "an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. 48:02 And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. " 48:05 And then notice this... this very arrogant message... 48:08 it's coming from the heart of Lamech here, 48:10 it says, "Then Lamech said to his wives, 48:12 'Adah and Zillah, here my voice; 48:14 wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! 48:16 For I have killed a man for wounding me, 48:19 even a young man for hurting me. 48:21 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, 48:24 then Lamech seventy-sevenfold. '" 48:26 Okay, you can just... 48:27 you can already see there's a great transition 48:30 starting to take place three generations after Cain. 48:33 Of course, we know it started with Cain. 48:35 Cain opened the door to something... 48:37 well, really we know Adam and Eve did 48:39 but Cain, of course, launched it even further 48:41 into this generational degradation 48:43 of more and more and more amplification of sin 48:46 and that's what basically Thursday's lesson is... 48:48 is highlighting. 48:49 In fact, it starts off by making an interesting connection 48:52 or comparison between Cain and Lamech. 48:55 We know that Cain was a sinner, 48:56 we know what he done 48:57 as we've been studying is horrible... 48:59 but by the time you get to Lamech, 49:00 now, it's time to make the very clear comparisons 49:03 as to who Lamech is really, 49:04 what kind of person he is 49:06 and how sin has completely basically just eroded away 49:10 at his family and his lineage. 49:12 So, notice here, the lesson brings out that Cain 49:14 keeps relatively silent about his crime. 49:16 We know he committed the crime 49:17 but there's not much talk about how he responds to that. 49:20 Then, by the time you get to Lamech, 49:22 Lamech seems to be boasting about it 49:23 in his words there at the end. 49:25 He's boasting about, "I killed this man... 49:26 I killed a young man... " 49:28 you can just see the heart of this... of this man. 49:29 Cain asks for mercy... 49:31 Lamech doesn't seem to be interested in mercy 49:34 because there's no record there of him calling out for mercy. 49:36 Cain is avenged seven times by God 49:38 but, of course, the lesson brings out 49:40 that Lamech knows... obviously knows he's guilty 49:43 but, of course, in his arrogance... 49:44 his arrogance leads him to declare that he's going to be 49:47 presumptuously, of course, avenged 77 times, right? 49:50 and then, of course, it also brings out that Cain 49:52 was monogamous and... you know, I've never... 49:55 I've read through this so many times 49:56 I never really looked back to find the origin of polygamy 50:00 but we see it right here with Lamech. 50:02 Lamech introduces us to polygamy 50:04 and we see that there in Genesis chapter 4:19 50:07 where he took two wives. 50:08 Now, take all of that into consideration 50:12 because immediately after this it starts to go into... 50:14 the latter couple of verses of chapter 4 where it talks about 50:17 Adam and Eve bore a new son. 50:19 Now, let's just set... set the groundwork here 50:21 before we get into this... this last section 50:24 and then into the beginning verses of Genesis 6. 50:26 It's important to understand 50:28 that all that's happening in chapter 4 and chapter 5, 50:31 is a result of what had already happened in Genesis 3. 50:35 Now, what I mean by this is 50:37 really, I've said this in many, many different lessons before 50:40 even many sermons that I preached, 50:41 one of the foundational... 50:42 if not the most foundational text in all the Bible 50:45 is Genesis 3:15. 50:47 So, let's be reminded of what Genesis 3:15 says, 50:49 it says... and this is Jesus speaking, 50:51 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, 50:53 and between your seed and her Seed... " 50:55 this is great controversy... 50:57 "He... " that's Jesus... speaking of the Seed... 51:00 "He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. " 51:03 So, this is talking about the serpent... 51:05 the Seed of the serpent... 51:06 the Seed of the woman which we know is Jesus Christ. 51:08 There's this great controversy battle. 51:10 Jesus has declared... 51:12 "From this point on there's going to be war... 51:13 there's going to be strife... 51:15 there's going to be a struggle, 51:16 these two seeds are going to butt heads 51:17 but that Jesus has been... make no mistake, 51:19 the Seed of the woman which we know is Christ... 51:21 He will crush your head in the end. 51:24 Now, coming out of the garden in Genesis 3, 51:27 what do you think is on the mind of the devil? 51:28 He's... he's... my Friends, let me make it clear for you, 51:31 for the rest of the Old Testament, 51:33 all the way into the New Testament 51:34 until Jesus shows up, 51:36 what do you think all of the record of the Old Testament 51:37 is about? 51:39 It's all about trying to destroy this Seed. 51:40 What do you think all the wars are about? 51:42 All of the strife... 51:43 all of the issues with... between Israel and God... 51:45 Israel and God... 51:46 it's all about trying to snuff out and get rid of that Seed. 51:49 So now, when you go into Genesis 4, 51:51 and you have Cain and Abel... 51:53 wonder where you think Cain got the idea to murder Abel? 51:56 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 51:58 Ryan: Because the devil said he might know which one of the a... 52:00 you know, what Cain looks a little bit... 52:02 "He seems to be a little bit more like me... 52:03 Abel's more like... you know, Him. " 52:05 He decided he's going to try to get rid of Abel 52:07 because he thought, "I'm going to get rid of the Seed. " 52:09 Now, that's why you get to the latter verses of... 52:11 of Genesis 4 and you see that God... He... He... 52:13 He brings about the plan of bringing in Seth. 52:15 Seth was the righteous seed in which God would bring 52:19 you know, the lineage of Christ through 52:20 and so, now when you get into Genesis chapter 5, 52:23 there's the lineage of Adam through the line of Seth 52:26 under which, of course, we know 52:28 brings about the righteous Seed of Jesus. 52:29 But nonetheless, it's interesting here, 52:31 taking in consideration the immediate previous context 52:34 from Genesis six's perspective... 52:36 Genesis 3... Genesis 4... Genesis 5 52:38 and all that's happening there... 52:40 now, it begins to make a little bit more sense 52:43 when you come to John... 52:45 excuse me... when you come to Genesis chapter 6 52:47 verses 1, 2 and 5. 52:48 Notice what the Bible says here in Genesis chapter 6 52:50 verses 1, 2 and 5, this is the aftermath... 52:53 this is the results... the effect of the lineage of Cain 52:56 and after Lamech and how... you know, really 52:58 if you want to consider it's about... 53:00 almost about 1500 years has passed 53:01 since God created Adam and Eve. 53:03 So, this is 1500 years and notice what we're reading here, 53:06 it says, "Now it came to pass, 53:07 when men began to multiply of the face of the earth, 53:09 and daughters were born to them, 53:11 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, 53:16 that they were beautiful; 53:17 that they took wives for themselves 53:19 all whom they chose. 53:20 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man 53:22 was great on the earth, 53:24 and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart 53:26 was only evil continually. " 53:29 Okay, so notice how... Shelley brought this out earlier 53:31 there's two groups of people all throughout the Bible... 53:33 there's the righteous 53:35 there's the unrighteous... 53:36 and, of course, you have the... the Seed of the woman... 53:39 you have the seed obviously of the serpent. 53:40 We see this even all the way through the book of Genesis 53:43 more than probably any other book there is. 53:45 We obviously see the Seed of the woman... 53:47 the seed of the serpent there in Genesis 3:15. 53:48 We see Cain and Abel... 53:50 there's the two opposing seeds right? 53:52 You see, right here in Genesis 6, 53:53 the sons of God and the daughters of men. 53:56 You know, when we get to Genesis 11, 53:57 we'll get there, how the builders of the Tower of Babel 54:00 and you have Abraham and his descendants. 54:02 Then you have Isaac and Ishmael 54:05 and you have Jacob and Esau 54:08 and you have Joseph and his brothers 54:10 and this continues on 54:11 all throughout the... the Old Testament 54:13 but the point we're trying to make here is that 54:14 by the time you get to Genesis 6, 54:16 the sons of God and the daughters of men... 54:17 there's so much that could be said about this. 54:19 I wish I had more time pray for that clock. 54:21 Panel: Laughter. 54:22 Ryan: Who are these sons of God? 54:23 Let's just make it clear, 54:25 they're not... they're not fallen angels, okay. 54:28 I've had a lot of people who've tried to say, 54:30 "All these are fallen angels that come 54:31 and they have... you know, 54:33 marital relations with, you know, 54:34 human women on the earth 54:36 and then they create these giants... 54:37 they call it the Nephilim 54:39 and there's this big Nephilim false theory 54:40 that's not based on anything. 54:42 My Friends, in the Bible the sons of God are mentioned 54:44 a total about 11 times 54:45 and eight of those 11 times is in direct reference to 54:49 them being sons of God 54:50 in reference of God's holy righteous people. 54:53 Only three times does it reference to angels... 54:55 it's all in the book of Job. 54:56 But in this case, we know that the context... 54:58 this is speaking of the sons of God... God's people 55:00 in the immediate context 55:02 based on what we just read in Genesis 3:4 and 5, 55:05 we see the... the lineage of Seth 55:07 and we see the lineage of Cain... 55:09 the sons of God being the righteous through Seth 55:12 and, of course, the daughters of men 55:13 which is again... we're not talking about a female aspect 55:16 but rather, they're just talking about the seed 55:18 of the wicked king. 55:19 You'll also go back and see in Genesis 4 there, 55:21 there are three women mentioned in the lineage of Cain. 55:25 Each one of those women's names mean something. 55:28 Names mean something in the Bible 55:29 when you look up their names, 55:31 it's interesting what it means because it means, you know, 55:33 Adah... decked with jewels... ornamentation... 55:36 Zillah... a shadow... a tingle, a quiver... sensual dancing, 55:39 Naamah... her name means to be sweet... 55:41 to be lovely... to be beautiful, to be pleasant... 55:43 speaking of the external beauty 55:45 so, by the time you show up to Genesis 6, 55:47 things are just falling apart... 55:49 1500 years into this... the church... 55:52 God's righteous people are marrying themselves... 55:55 intermarrying themselves... amalgamating themselves 55:57 to the unrighteous and God says, 55:59 "Look, we can't do this anymore. " 56:01 And so my Friends, this is going to... 56:03 we've run out of time but this is going to set us up 56:05 to next week's lesson when we get into the flood 56:07 when really this all comes to fruition 56:09 and God has to do something about it. 56:12 Jill: Amen, thank you so much, 56:13 I'm just sitting here thinking: 56:15 I've read and studied this a 100 times 56:18 and I'm learning new stuff today. 56:20 Praise the Lord for that. 56:21 Thank you for each one of you. 56:23 Give you each a moment 56:24 to share something about your day, Shelley. 56:25 Shelley: Well, I just want to repeat Genesis chapter 4 56:29 verse 7 because these words of God 56:31 echo through... down through the years of history. 56:36 He says, "If you do well, will you not be accepted? 56:40 And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. 56:44 And its desire is for you, 56:46 but you should rule over it. " 56:47 We should rule over by the power of the Holy Spirit, 56:50 by the grace of God. 56:52 Panel: Amen... amen. 56:53 James: So, with the crime, God tells us there's a process, 56:56 you know, we don't disobey God and then... boom... it's over... 56:59 there's a process we go through 57:00 and God wants to arrest us in that process... 57:02 He wants to stop us in that process 57:03 so, listen to the voice of God 57:05 when you're making these steps toward past disobedience 57:08 and toward the ultimate crime that God wants to keep you from. 57:12 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... amen. 57:13 Dinzey: I am reading to you from Patriarchs and Prophets page 78, 57:16 "In sparing the life of the first murderer, 57:19 God presented before the whole universe 57:20 a lesson bearing upon the great controversy. 57:23 The dark history of Cain and his descendants 57:25 was an illustration of what would have been the result 57:28 of permitting the sinner to live on forever, 57:30 to carry out his rebellion against God. " 57:33 Panel: Hmmm... 57:34 Ryan: Real quick... Romans chapter 8 verse 14, 57:36 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, 57:39 these are the sons of God. " 57:40 We know that fallen angels weren't the sons of God 57:43 because they are not led by the Spirit of God. 57:45 Jill: Amen, thank you Pastor Ryan... 57:47 Pastor Johnny... Pastor James and Shelley... 57:49 thank you for study of the Word... 57:50 and we thank you for joining us. 57:52 Thank you for being part of the 3ABN Family 57:55 and what I love most about the study of the Word 57:57 is that there is always redemption... 57:59 there is always hope. 58:00 We find that next week when there is a flood, yes, 58:04 but God brings deliverance. 58:06 Panel: Amen. |
Revised 2022-04-06