You May Deserve My Worship, but I Will Give It to You Under My Own Terms

“Spirit of Cain”

“You may deserve my worship, but I will give it to you under my own terms.”

Genesis 4: 1-12 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the Lord." 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 So the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." 8 Now 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 killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" 10 And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth." NKJV

Hebrews 11: 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. NKJV

I John 3: 10-12 In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, 12 not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother's righteous. NKJV

1. Type of Offering  Adam was called to care for the animals and work the ground. Here his calling is split between the two kids.  Cain brought fruit of the ground. We do not know whether it was his best or whether it was some left over. We do know that Abel brought his best because speaks of the quality of Abel’s offering. We also know that God had already dealt with Adam & Eve that FIG LEAVES was not an acceptable covering for sin. Only the blood of an animal could cover sin.  Abel brings the FIRST fruits of his flocks. He brings little animals that are fat.  Bring your first fruits. If the first is holy, all of it is holy.  Bring the tenth. The tithe is a replacement for the firstborn sacrifice.  Bring the first and bring the fat (best).  Psalm 51: 16-17 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise. NKJV  Psalms – sing, dance, shout, clap your hands, play a musical instrument!  Do something new.  David said, “I will not offer the Lord something that costs me nothing”!  In the area of your sin, you will stop producing. What works for others will not work for you.

2. Attitude of the heart  Matthew 5: 23-24 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. NKJV  When God did not accept Cain’s gift, his attitude was exposed.  Whenever someone is corrected, their true nature and the attitude of their heart comes out.  Cain was doing what was necessary, Abel was doing what was right!  V. 5 Cain burned HOT and his countenance changed.  V.7 If you do well, you will be accepted.  V.7 If you don’t do well, sin is crouching at your door, and it desires to have you.  If all you offer God is a token,  Matthew 6: 1-5 "Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 3 But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. 5 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. NKJV

3. Purity of the Person  Cain murdered his brother because: 1. His works were evil and 2. His brother’s works were righteous. (I John 3: 12).  God had no respect to Cain himself, and therefore no respect to his offering, as the manner of the expression intimates. But Abel was a righteous man; he is called righteous Abel ( Mt. 23:35).  Matthew Henry says, “He should have been angry at himself for his own infidelity and hypocrisy, by which he had forfeited God’s acceptance; and his countenance should have fallen in repentance and holy shame, as the publican’s, who would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven, Lu. 18:13.”

4. Our relationship with others  If you do not love God; you will not love your brother! Your intimacy with God can be measured by your unity with the brethren!  Practice righteousness towards God and love towards your brother.