“Will You Not Be Accepted?”
Genesis 4:1-16

November 7, 2004
by C.W. Powell

This afternoon, I want to begin a series of sermons on the great invitations of the Bible. The Bible is literally filled with the gracious invitations of God to come and be refreshed with the presence of God. My test is verse 7, “If you do well, will you not be accepted?” The answer to that rhetoric question is “Of Course.” I want to consider God’s dealing with Cain today. Cain was the firstborn of Adam and Eve and there is a great deal to be learned from these events. I have three things today:

I. Cain and Abel and the worship of God.
II. The gracious invitation to Cain from God.
III. Cain’s rejection and its awful aftermath.

I. Cain and Abel and the Worship of God. Vs. 1-5.

a. The birth of Cain and his great promise. “I have gotten a man.” Eve and Adam rejoiced in God’s favor to them They had been commanded to be fruitful and multiply. It is very possible that Cain and Abel were twins and sin did not nullify the natural blessings that God had given Adam. The immediate sentence of death that could have rightly been imposed immediately is in a sense postponed because of the covenant of promise given to Adam and Eve. God would continue the human race in order that there might be a great multitude of men redeemed by the blood of Christ. It may be that Eve thought that Cain would be the promised redeemed, but she certainly considered it a great blessing that God showed favor to Adam and Eve and gave them children. Children are a blessing from the Lord and are to be loved, cared for, and nurtured in the faith. Malachi says that one of the great purposes for marriage is to have a godly offspring, and godly and faithful mothers and fathers are one of the great reasons for the prosperity of the church, and the church is greatly weakened when families and marriages are corrupted. Satan knows this and one of his chief targets has always been marriage and the home.

b. Abel means “vanity,” as though the reality of the curse reinforces itself in the consciousness of Eve, remembering her sin and their expulsion from the Garden of Eden. How much different it would have been to rear her sons in the Garden than in the world she now dwelt.

c. But the boys grew up, and chose occupations, and prospered, Cain as a tiller of the soil, and Abel as keeper of sheep.

d. Their sacrifice “at the end of days,” a reference to the Sabbath days, I believe, because the sequence of six days of work and one day of rest begins at Creation, not with Moses.

i. How did they know to bring sacrifices? How did Abel know to bring the first of the flock?
ii. The key is in Hebrews 11: 4 "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh."
iii. Faith is not imaginative thinking, but laying hold on the promises of God. It is not wishful thinking, but taking God at his word. God has always dealt with people on the basis of promise or covenant and sacramental sign. The offering of the first of the flock and the fat was a sacramental sign. It would not have been conceivable that God instructed the people that He created to offer sacrifices if He had not instructed them in what sort of sacrifice to offer.
iv. Abel, then was the first of the offspring of Adam and Eve to take God’s word seriously, carefully by faith in the promise of God to bring the offering that God had required: a more excellent sacrifice than that of Cain. It is true that Abel’s heart was filled with love and the fear of God, but that was because of faith. His offering was accepted because of faith, not because of love.
v. Cain was the first liberal. He refused to be bound by the old ways, the way taught him by Adam and Eve. He wanted to invent new ways of religion. It is true that his heart was filled with pride and rebellion, but this was because of unbelief. It was impossible for Cain to bring a contrary offering and be blessed in his soul with love, joy, and peace. There is no peace to the wicked. So it is said in Jude 10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
vi. If Adam and Eve had taught Cain and Abel God’s word concerning the proper order of sacrifice, recounting the fall and the curse of God, and if Cain and Abel and Adam and Eve had been sacrificing the first of the flock and the fat thereof since the beginning, it would have been a terrible act of rebellion and contumacy for Cain to have changed the sacrifice. What arrogance and unbelief such an act would have implied!

e. Because Abel’s sacrifice was by faith it was accepted; Cain’s was rejected because it was not of faith. How this was manifested by God we do not know. Did fire fall from heaven? I don’t know, but I doubt it, for I doubt that God had been sending fire from heaven on every sacrifice from the years since the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. I suspect that God blessed Abel in his work, and blessed him with increasing wealth ; and correspondingly Cain’s work was not blessed and he began to suffer trouble and distress. Or maybe an angel or a dream or vision conveyed the message to Cain and Abel. I do not know, and it doesn’t matter. We have the word of the Holy Spirit speaking in Moses and somehow the truth was conveyed to Abel that his sacrifices was accepted and to Cain that his sacrifice was refused. Note: God had regard to Abel and his offering; He had no regard for Cain and his offering. The man is accepted before his offering is accepted; The man is rejected before his offering is rejected. Does God take notice of animals? Israel later would offer the right sacrifices, but they killed an ox as though they cut of a pig’s head, and God was sick of their sacrifices. The right sacrifice is useless if the heart is bad; but a good heart will always desire to bring the right sacrifice to God.

f. Cain was terribly offended and his countenance fell—he began to sulk and chaff against God. There is nothing more offensive to any man than to have his religion rejected.

II. God’s gracious invitation to Cain. Verses 6,7.

a. God seeks out Cain. This is the way it always is. Man does not seek God; man is angry and fretful against God, and does not seek His ways.

b. God shows Cain the unreasonableness of his anger and fretfulness. “Why has your countenance fallen?” What are you down in the mouth about. Why are you moping around? Why the long face? Why the grumpiness? People put on a long face when they want people to realize that they have been badly treated. It is rebellion gone underground. Quit moping around and feeling sorry for yourself and change your behavior. You haven’t had nearly the trouble and woe you deserve. If you did, you would be in hell. The fact that you are not in hell gives you a great deal to be thankful for. Why do you fret against God. What will you accomplish with that? Are you trying to recruit others to your rebellion?

c. If you do well, will you not be accepted? If you believe the promise and come in faith you will be accepted. How gracious God was to Cain! It was nothing strange or difficult or new that God required of Cain. When I read this I think of God’s gracious invitation to Israel, which I may or may not preach about: Jer 6:16 “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where [is] the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk [therein].” Cain would not walk in the old paths.

d. How tender the rebuke: “Sin lies at the door.” Terrible sin is fastened upon you and your conscience, Cain. You are in great peril if you continue your rebellion and do not soften your heart. Terrible, terrible wrath is upon you.

Men sometimes do no discern the awful peril they are in and sleep in the house, while sin is at the door. They sleep in great danger, hardening their hearts, stiffening their necks against God. But God graciously warns them, and calls them to repentence.

e. Unto thee shall be his desire. This does not refer to sin, as though Cain would have power over sin. This refers to Abel. This shows something of the tension in Cain’s heart. He is angry with Abel his younger brother. Does he fear that Abel will have rule over Cain, the elder brother. Was Cain jealous for his right as the firstborn? This word seems to indicate that, and God is reassuring him that he will lose nothing by submission to faith. Faith will not reverse the natural order. Men never lose anything by walking in faith, for all things come from God. Cain should have been an example to his younger brother in godliness and obedience.

f. We see here the heart of God. He tenderly pleads with Cain to repent and seek the way of faith and obedience, but Cain hardens his heart and refuses to hear.

III. Cain’s rejection and its awful aftermath.

a. Maybe at Cain’s invitation, they went out to the field to talk, away from Adam and Eve and family. Perhaps Cain hid his resentment and anger, for this is common with hatred. It hides in the bosom and is nurtured until it breaks out in terror.

b. The murder of Abel. Here the true nature of Cain is revealed. 1Jo 3:12 “Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” No murderer has eternal life abiding in him, for love for God and murder cannot abide together. Here we see the source of Cain hatred of Abel: Abel was hated for his good works. He was hated because he was good. All sorts of evil will be imagined against a good man, and do not be surprised if the wicked hate the righteous, for that has always been since the days of Cain.

c. Cain's whine: “Am I my brother’s keeper.” How much evil and meddling has taken place in the world because of this whine of a murderer. This verse has been used to justify an incessant meddling in other people’s affairs. Cain was trying to make God look bad, as if God were requiring some unreasonable thing of him. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is “Of course not, Cain. Abel does not need a keeper. Abel is a free man under God and he is doing fine. You are his older brother, but that does not imply that you have to “keep” him. He can do very well by himself, Cain, and God is not requiring you to despise him and keep him as you would keep and tend an animal."

“Am I supposed to follow him around and make sure nothing happens to him?” No! of course not, Cain. Abel is fully able to take care of himself; but you are not supposed to kill him. Most people will do very well, if they are given freedom, seek the Lord, and worship Him in spirit and in truth. They don’t need keepers. How much evil has been done in the world by people who think they are their brother’s keeper? Don’t get your theology from the whine of a murderer. 2Th 3:12 "Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread." 2Th 3:11 "For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies."

The innocent blood of Abel, the first martyr for the faith of Jesus Christ, cried out to God, who heard and brought judgment. Cain was worthy of death, but the death sentence upon murderes was not formally instituted by God until after the flood. God banished Cain from His presence and the place of worship, and most if not all of Cain’s seed went down in the flood of Noah’s day.

Conclusion. We see here the mercy and grace of God revealed in the kind and gentle way that God called Cain to repent. The way was open to Cain, and he had only himself to blame for his utter ruin and misery. The way had been provided from the beginning. It was the way of grace and promise through Jesus Christ. If Cain had believed, he would have found mercy and grace. It also shows the utter helplessness of the man who does not believe. Sin possesses and rules him. His heart is filled with unrest and hatred. The end of that man is death.

May God bless you.