Descendants of Cain
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작성자 카마리오한인연합감리교회 작성일23-04-28 15:05 조회5,627회 댓글0건관련링크
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Date: 4/23/23
Sermon Title: Descendants of Cain
Context: Genesis 4:1-12
(Genesis 4:1) Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man."
(Genesis 4:2) Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
(Genesis 4:3) In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.
(Genesis 4:4) But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
(Genesis 4:5) but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
(Genesis 4:6) Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
(Genesis 4:7) If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
(Genesis 4:8) Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
(Genesis 4:9) Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
(Genesis 4:10) The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.
(Genesis 4:11) Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
(Genesis 4:12) When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
Preaching Note
1. In Charge of Life
Adam sleeps with his wife, Eve (v. 1). Eve becomes pregnant and gives birth to Cain. Eve confesses. “With the help of the Lord, I conceived a male child” (v. 1). Eve confesses her faith that God is in charge of life and initiative (v. 1).
Eve gives birth to Cain's younger brother, Abel (v. 2). Abel becomes a shepherd, and older brother, Cain, becomes a farmer in the fields (v. 2). Cain offers his grain from the ground as a sacrifice to the Lord (v. 3). Abel offers the fat of his firstborn among the flock (v. 4). God welcomes Abel and his sacrifice (v. 5). However, Cain and his offerings are not welcome. So Cain is very angry, and his face changes (v. 5).
God speaks to Cain. “Why are you angry? What causes the color of your face to change?” (v. 6). “If you have done the right thing, why does your face change? Because you have done what is not right, sin sits at your door, trying to rule you. You must deal well with that sin” (v. 7). Telling Cain that doing wrong is ‘sin’, God says him he must control sin well. A believer is a person who lives between the tension of ‘Does sin rule me or do I control sin?’.
Q.1 When are you most angry?
2. The First Kill of Humankind
Cain said to his younger brother Abel. “Let us go out into the fields” (v. 8). Cain strikes down his brother Abel in the field (v. 8). God asks Cain. “Where is your brother Abel?” (v. 9). Cain answers. "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?” (v. 9). In the Old Testament, brothers were to help and take care of each other when problems arose. Cain refutes that it is not him who must protect Abel, but God. God speaks to Cain. “What have you done? Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground” (v. 10).
3. Guilty
God continues to speak to Cain. “Now you will be cursed from the ground. The earth has opened its mouth and has drunk your brother's blood from your hand” (v. 11). “Even if you plow the field, the ground will no longer do you any good. You will wander about without rest on the earth” (v. 12). Cain's killing of Abel was a sin of invading the boundaries of God and others. Therefore, for sins that cause bloodshed, God's rebuke must follow. “Anyone who kills another must be put to death” (Lev. 24:17). Sin does not escape God's punishment. As God's punishment, Cain is cursed from the ground. He can no longer farm. And God's censure leads to a series of judgments. Cain's murder does not end with the murder of one person, but the land and water where Abel's blood was spilled are cursed.
So, as descendants of Cain, we kill each other and spill our blood on the ground, and in exchange for that blood, this land has been tainted by exploitation and pollution. The cause of this horrible tragedy is, in a word, greed. It is a desire that has invaded the boundary between God and others. I sincerely pray that you will be filled with beautiful and wonderful spirituality and intelligence to share your blood for others, not those who shed the blood of others.
Q.2 Do you have experience caring for others?