WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.259 We hope that you enjoy this teaching from Christchurch. 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:15.419 This material is copyrighted and no unauthorized duplication, redistribution, or any other use of any part is permitted without prior consent from Christchurch. 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:22.640 Please consider donating to this work in the San Francisco Bay Area online at Christchurcheastbay.org. 00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:27.019 Good morning. Happy Sunday. 00:00:27.019 --> 00:00:35.060 I'm Tonya and I'm part of the Ocos in the Oaks Friday Women's Group and Women Reading Women Monthly Book Club. 00:00:35.799 --> 00:00:43.060 Today's scripture reading is from the book of Genesis chapters 4 verses 1 through 26 as printed in your liturgy. 00:00:43.600 --> 00:00:45.620 A reading from the book of Genesis. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:51.719 Adam made love to his wife Eve and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. 00:00:52.200 --> 00:00:55.159 She said, with the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man. 00:00:55.159 --> 00:00:58.159 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. 00:00:58.579 --> 00:01:02.199 Now Abel kept flocks and Cain worked the soil. 00:01:02.819 --> 00:01:07.519 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 00:01:07.959 --> 00:01:09.840 And Abel also brought an offering. 00:01:10.280 --> 00:01:13.079 Fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:16.599 The Lord looked with favor on Abel in his offering. 00:01:16.759 --> 00:01:19.500 But on Cain in his offering he did not look with favor. 00:01:20.140 --> 00:01:23.159 So Cain was very angry and his face was downcast. 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:26.579 Then the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry? 00:01:26.979 --> 00:01:28.159 Why is your face downcast? 00:01:28.959 --> 00:01:31.459 If you do what is right will you not be accepted? 00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:35.420 But if you do not do what is right sin is crouching at your door. 00:01:35.579 --> 00:01:38.560 It desires to have you but you must rule over it. 00:01:39.140 --> 00:01:42.799 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, let's go out to the field. 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:48.159 While they were in the field Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. 00:01:48.159 --> 00:01:51.280 Then the Lord said to Cain, where is your brother Abel? 00:01:51.579 --> 00:01:54.640 I don't know he replied, am I my brother's keeper? 00:01:55.179 --> 00:01:57.000 The Lord said, what have you done? 00:01:57.319 --> 00:02:00.759 Listen, your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. 00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:07.640 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 00:02:08.060 --> 00:02:11.460 When you work the ground it will no longer yield its crops for you. 00:02:11.659 --> 00:02:14.259 You will be a restless wanderer on the earth. 00:02:14.259 --> 00:02:18.399 Cain said to the Lord, my punishment is more than I can bear. 00:02:18.859 --> 00:02:22.659 Today you are driving me from the land and I will be hidden from your presence. 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:27.879 I will be a restless wanderer on the earth and whoever finds me will kill me. 00:02:28.359 --> 00:02:30.899 But the Lord said to him, not so. 00:02:31.259 --> 00:02:37.840 Anyone who kills Abel, sorry, anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over. 00:02:38.060 --> 00:02:42.639 Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him could kill him. 00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:48.019 So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 00:02:48.719 --> 00:02:52.659 Cain made love to his wife and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. 00:02:53.299 --> 00:02:56.899 Cain was then building a city and he named it after his son Enoch. 00:02:57.359 --> 00:03:04.379 To Enoch was born Ired and Ired was the father of Mahu-hel and Mahu-hel was the father of Methusel 00:03:04.379 --> 00:03:07.279 and Methusel was the father of Lamech. 00:03:07.679 --> 00:03:11.479 So Lamech married two women, one named Ada and the other Zillah. 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:13.799 So Ada gave birth to Jebal. 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:17.719 He was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 00:03:18.239 --> 00:03:19.799 His brother's name was Jubal. 00:03:19.979 --> 00:03:23.159 He was the father of all who played string instruments and pipes. 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:29.979 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. 00:03:30.599 --> 00:03:32.579 Tubal-Cain's sister was Nema. 00:03:33.219 --> 00:03:37.839 Lamech said to his wives, Ada and Zillah, listen to me, wives of Lamech. 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:38.780 Hear my words. 00:03:38.920 --> 00:03:42.860 I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 00:03:43.259 --> 00:03:47.740 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech 77 times. 00:03:48.300 --> 00:03:52.759 Ada made love to his wife again and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:58.379 saying God has granted me another child in place of Abel since Cain killed him. 00:03:58.900 --> 00:04:01.659 Seth also had a son and he named him Enoch. 00:04:01.659 --> 00:04:04.840 At that time, people began to call on the name of the Lord. 00:04:05.340 --> 00:04:10.639 The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever. 00:04:10.639 --> 00:04:13.439 Let's pray as we receive this word from God. 00:04:16.279 --> 00:04:23.199 Lord, we ask that you would help us to distinguish between the way of Cain and the way of Christ, 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:25.779 that you would make the way of Christ beautiful to us, 00:04:25.860 --> 00:04:29.919 so beautiful that we live in that way as a blessing to this world. 00:04:30.779 --> 00:04:34.180 For our own good and for your glory, we pray in Jesus' name. 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:35.120 Amen. 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:40.780 You know, I've really been looking forward to preaching this particular passage today, 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:45.259 and it's not because we have a jealous murderer problem here in this church, 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:49.300 or even that we're terrible at being our brothers' and sisters' keepers. 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:55.860 No, the reason I find this text so convicting and relevant for us, and really for me, 00:04:56.500 --> 00:04:59.500 is because beyond the jealousy, the murder, and the malice, 00:04:59.579 --> 00:05:04.519 there is a more basic evil here that led to the kind of competitive jealousy, 00:05:04.519 --> 00:05:10.379 the kind of image of God denying selfish, murderous godlessness that we see in this story, 00:05:11.039 --> 00:05:16.479 and also that we've witnessed, right, in these past few weeks in our headlines nationally and internationally. 00:05:17.479 --> 00:05:22.919 There's a deeper, more basic evil on display in this text in Cain's heart and life, 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:25.959 and it's an evil that we bear witness to every single day, 00:05:26.039 --> 00:05:30.659 and not just out there in the world, but in me and in you. 00:05:30.660 --> 00:05:35.500 So, this morning, I want to make the argument that there are two ways to live, 00:05:36.060 --> 00:05:38.600 the way of Cain or the way of Christ. 00:05:38.700 --> 00:05:43.680 And I want to argue that while the selfish, striving way of Cain has reigned for most of history, 00:05:44.280 --> 00:05:50.160 it is and it will be the selfless, surrendered way of Christ that's going to change the world. 00:05:51.180 --> 00:05:54.820 You know, like many of you, my family, we just got back into the school rhythm, 00:05:54.819 --> 00:05:56.800 and it's an exciting year for us. 00:05:56.939 --> 00:05:58.920 Our oldest, Cammie, she's starting first grade, 00:05:58.980 --> 00:06:01.759 and our youngest, Leah, she's starting kindergarten. 00:06:01.860 --> 00:06:02.860 She just started kindergarten. 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:07.639 But as exciting and as cute as that first day of school was, 00:06:07.719 --> 00:06:11.300 you know, I was getting them ready for school, getting their stuff together, 00:06:11.860 --> 00:06:14.180 Chelsea's yelling at me as she gets the girls on the porch, 00:06:14.279 --> 00:06:16.100 get your phone, Andrew, get your phone! 00:06:16.579 --> 00:06:18.360 Got to take that first day of school picture, right? 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:24.280 As all that was happening, as I felt excitement and love and gratitude, 00:06:25.180 --> 00:06:29.819 do you know what I also felt as I prepared my little girls for their first day of school? 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:33.759 It's the same thing I felt last year when Cammie started kindergarten. 00:06:34.500 --> 00:06:39.780 I felt dread, trepidation, anxiety on my girls' behalf. 00:06:39.860 --> 00:06:44.220 Because in my mind, not only was I sending them off to get an education and to grow up 00:06:44.220 --> 00:06:47.840 and to develop skills and competencies that will help them go in the name of Jesus 00:06:47.840 --> 00:06:48.960 to love and serve this world, 00:06:49.260 --> 00:06:53.060 but in my mind, what tugged at my heart was the sense that I was also sending them off 00:06:53.060 --> 00:06:56.260 out of our carefree home into the rat race, 00:06:56.860 --> 00:06:59.360 into the realm of brutal competition, 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:01.600 where there are winners and losers, 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:05.000 and where the stakes will only get higher for them with each passing year. 00:07:05.440 --> 00:07:07.840 And where, yes, I do want them to crush it, 00:07:07.840 --> 00:07:08.760 but at what cost? 00:07:09.000 --> 00:07:09.840 By what means? 00:07:09.960 --> 00:07:10.800 For whose glory? 00:07:11.340 --> 00:07:13.120 And according to whose standards? 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:16.079 So as I stood on that porch, 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:18.600 taking Leah's first day of school picture, 00:07:18.699 --> 00:07:19.759 I couldn't help but think, 00:07:20.340 --> 00:07:23.519 what way of life is little Leah about to enter into? 00:07:24.100 --> 00:07:25.139 What will she live for? 00:07:25.220 --> 00:07:26.360 What will she be known for? 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:29.019 And as her dad, what do I want her legacy to be? 00:07:29.180 --> 00:07:31.180 What do I want our family's legacy to be? 00:07:31.240 --> 00:07:32.439 What will define little Leah? 00:07:32.980 --> 00:07:34.819 What will define the Ong family? 00:07:35.579 --> 00:07:36.959 Our hard work and hustle? 00:07:37.379 --> 00:07:39.319 Our achievements and accolades? 00:07:39.579 --> 00:07:41.120 What we've built and begotten? 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:45.240 Or might our defining distinctive be something deeper, 00:07:45.959 --> 00:07:47.540 purer, holier, 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:50.420 something far more sacred and lasting? 00:07:51.500 --> 00:07:53.620 As we open up Genesis chapter 4 this morning, 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:55.300 I want to remind you of the hopes and dreams 00:07:55.300 --> 00:07:57.220 that Adam and Eve had for their own offspring, 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:00.240 the legacy on their minds as they ventured east of Eden 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:01.780 and gave birth to their first child. 00:08:01.819 --> 00:08:02.959 Remember, they were longing for what? 00:08:02.980 --> 00:08:04.000 They were longing for salvation, 00:08:04.680 --> 00:08:06.160 someone to reverse the curse, 00:08:06.280 --> 00:08:07.300 defeat the serpent. 00:08:07.980 --> 00:08:10.300 And you can even hear it in Eve's voice here in verse 1. 00:08:10.300 --> 00:08:11.819 Adam made love to his wife Eve, 00:08:11.840 --> 00:08:13.379 and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. 00:08:13.460 --> 00:08:14.040 She said, 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:15.420 with the help of the Lord, 00:08:15.900 --> 00:08:18.340 I have brought forth a man. 00:08:19.220 --> 00:08:20.720 She's thinking, or at least hoping, 00:08:20.980 --> 00:08:21.639 here he is. 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:22.520 Here he is. 00:08:22.580 --> 00:08:24.180 I did it, and labor was painful, 00:08:24.620 --> 00:08:25.680 but I have brought forth, 00:08:25.699 --> 00:08:26.879 you could translate this as, 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:28.519 I have procured a man. 00:08:28.900 --> 00:08:29.939 And she names him after that. 00:08:30.040 --> 00:08:32.600 Cain means gotten, procured, acquired. 00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:35.840 And as we shall see from the moment of Cain's birth, 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:38.700 he and his descendants will live up to that name, 00:08:38.700 --> 00:08:40.980 that everything that I want in life, 00:08:41.160 --> 00:08:42.080 I have to get, 00:08:42.280 --> 00:08:43.180 I have to procure, 00:08:43.379 --> 00:08:45.160 I have to acquire myself. 00:08:46.759 --> 00:08:47.660 Then verse 2. 00:08:47.920 --> 00:08:49.720 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel, 00:08:49.800 --> 00:08:51.040 and Abel just means emptiness, 00:08:51.340 --> 00:08:52.340 vapor, even vanity, 00:08:52.540 --> 00:08:53.200 meaninglessness. 00:08:53.620 --> 00:08:55.600 It's the same word as in Ecclesiastes. 00:08:55.759 --> 00:08:57.620 It's almost like Abel is an afterthought 00:08:57.620 --> 00:08:59.259 to their firstborn son, 00:08:59.920 --> 00:09:01.980 because Cain is the one upon whom 00:09:01.980 --> 00:09:03.940 all the family's hopes and dreams rest, right? 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:04.700 He's the firstborn. 00:09:04.920 --> 00:09:05.840 He's gonna be the one. 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:07.320 Verse 2. 00:09:07.920 --> 00:09:08.960 Now Abel kept flocks, 00:09:09.019 --> 00:09:09.920 and Cain worked the soil. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:11.820 So Cain is the one going into the family business. 00:09:11.940 --> 00:09:13.960 He's working the cursed ground with his dad. 00:09:14.040 --> 00:09:15.440 He's sharing in the sweat and toil. 00:09:15.560 --> 00:09:17.720 He's battling the thorns and thistles, 00:09:17.820 --> 00:09:19.840 helping the family produce their own daily bread 00:09:19.840 --> 00:09:20.759 to survive. 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:22.639 Then verse 3. 00:09:23.300 --> 00:09:24.180 In the course of time, 00:09:24.300 --> 00:09:25.860 Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil 00:09:25.860 --> 00:09:27.259 as an offering to the Lord, 00:09:27.820 --> 00:09:29.399 and Abel also brought an offering, 00:09:29.580 --> 00:09:32.100 fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. 00:09:32.180 --> 00:09:34.940 The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 00:09:34.940 --> 00:09:36.660 but on Cain and his offering, 00:09:37.000 --> 00:09:38.440 he did not look with favor. 00:09:39.000 --> 00:09:40.220 So Cain was very angry, 00:09:40.680 --> 00:09:42.540 and his face was downcast. 00:09:43.160 --> 00:09:44.880 So Adam and Eve are trying to raise 00:09:44.880 --> 00:09:46.120 these God-fearing young men 00:09:46.120 --> 00:09:48.400 who offer worship unto God with these offerings. 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:51.740 But only one offering is accepted by the Lord, 00:09:51.860 --> 00:09:52.980 only Abel's. 00:09:53.260 --> 00:09:53.460 Why? 00:09:54.380 --> 00:09:57.960 Well, see, Abel's gift was the fattiest firstborn, right? 00:09:58.180 --> 00:09:59.980 Not his leftovers after seeing 00:09:59.980 --> 00:10:01.480 how well his flock did that year, 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:02.800 but his firstborn, 00:10:02.899 --> 00:10:04.060 not knowing how many more sheep 00:10:04.060 --> 00:10:05.480 he would even have that year. 00:10:05.779 --> 00:10:08.060 He gave the best of his firstborn sheep. 00:10:08.899 --> 00:10:09.659 And the writer of Hebrews 00:10:09.659 --> 00:10:11.500 interprets this fatty firstborn offering 00:10:11.500 --> 00:10:12.440 as an act of faith, 00:10:12.500 --> 00:10:13.060 as Abel saying, 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:14.220 I'm gonna worship you, Lord, 00:10:14.279 --> 00:10:15.600 because you deserve it all. 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:17.680 And I'm gonna trust you with all that I have 00:10:17.680 --> 00:10:19.159 and give you the first and best 00:10:19.159 --> 00:10:20.100 of what you've given me. 00:10:20.680 --> 00:10:21.920 Abel lived by the principle 00:10:21.920 --> 00:10:23.920 that God has given to me, 00:10:24.019 --> 00:10:25.180 and I'm gonna live out of that. 00:10:25.820 --> 00:10:26.600 But for Cain, 00:10:26.680 --> 00:10:27.759 he lived by a different principle. 00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:29.279 The principle of, 00:10:29.819 --> 00:10:30.879 I gotta get mine. 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:33.620 And that's why he was so angry with God. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:35.139 He thought God owed him 00:10:35.139 --> 00:10:37.279 a good response to his offering. 00:10:38.539 --> 00:10:41.379 Abel offered authentic faith and worship, 00:10:41.539 --> 00:10:43.240 but Cain offered performative, 00:10:43.600 --> 00:10:45.279 tokenistic religiosity. 00:10:45.860 --> 00:10:46.740 Cain just did his duty. 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:47.700 He gave his offering, 00:10:48.000 --> 00:10:49.319 and so God should have been obligated 00:10:49.319 --> 00:10:50.319 to accept his offering 00:10:50.319 --> 00:10:51.299 and be happy with him. 00:10:51.840 --> 00:10:52.539 But for Cain, 00:10:52.580 --> 00:10:53.720 it was all transactional. 00:10:54.139 --> 00:10:55.639 I give, then I get. 00:10:55.639 --> 00:10:58.000 And the moment Cain's transactional way of life 00:10:58.000 --> 00:10:59.080 stopped working for him, 00:10:59.319 --> 00:11:00.220 it says his face fell. 00:11:00.319 --> 00:11:01.019 He wasn't just angry. 00:11:01.100 --> 00:11:02.539 He was depressed and despairing, 00:11:02.759 --> 00:11:05.220 all because he had a flawed understanding 00:11:05.220 --> 00:11:06.899 of who God is 00:11:06.899 --> 00:11:08.240 and of who he was 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:09.639 and of what he owed God. 00:11:09.699 --> 00:11:11.559 He didn't get that God is not a God 00:11:11.559 --> 00:11:12.759 who's so interested in having 00:11:12.759 --> 00:11:14.799 a transactional relationship with his people 00:11:14.799 --> 00:11:16.939 as if we could get God into our debt. 00:11:17.819 --> 00:11:18.899 Like the elder brother, 00:11:19.600 --> 00:11:20.980 Cain wanted a transaction 00:11:20.980 --> 00:11:22.340 and not a father. 00:11:22.340 --> 00:11:25.160 But just as the prodigal son's father 00:11:25.160 --> 00:11:26.000 humbled himself 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:27.259 to go and pursue 00:11:27.259 --> 00:11:28.420 not just his prodigal son, 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:29.759 but his petulant older son, 00:11:30.060 --> 00:11:32.160 so does God approach Cain. 00:11:32.680 --> 00:11:34.460 Not with immediate condemnation, 00:11:34.620 --> 00:11:36.000 but with intentional questionings, 00:11:36.060 --> 00:11:36.840 almost like a counselor. 00:11:36.980 --> 00:11:37.740 Look at verse six. 00:11:38.620 --> 00:11:39.420 Why are you so angry? 00:11:39.940 --> 00:11:41.259 Why is your face downcast? 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:42.720 If you do what is right, 00:11:42.780 --> 00:11:43.879 will you not be accepted? 00:11:44.560 --> 00:11:46.340 But if you do not do what is right, 00:11:46.500 --> 00:11:48.040 sin is crouching at your door. 00:11:48.440 --> 00:11:49.680 It desires to have you, 00:11:49.679 --> 00:11:51.759 but you must rule over it, 00:11:52.039 --> 00:11:53.039 my son, he says. 00:11:53.899 --> 00:11:54.879 God comes to Cain 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:55.839 trying to help him understand 00:11:55.839 --> 00:11:56.620 his own heart, 00:11:57.039 --> 00:11:58.179 his own lack of faith 00:11:58.179 --> 00:11:59.859 and worship and love. 00:11:59.959 --> 00:12:01.239 God is trying to help him understand 00:12:01.239 --> 00:12:03.519 and get out of his transactional way of life. 00:12:03.599 --> 00:12:04.199 He's trying to help him 00:12:04.199 --> 00:12:05.299 into something far better. 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:09.639 But even after hearing directly from God, 00:12:10.439 --> 00:12:13.159 Cain goes on living up to his name, 00:12:13.679 --> 00:12:15.039 procuring, acquiring, 00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:17.219 even if it means taking from others. 00:12:17.339 --> 00:12:18.639 See, because you have to understand, 00:12:18.639 --> 00:12:19.639 for his whole life, 00:12:20.419 --> 00:12:21.460 Cain had been living 00:12:21.460 --> 00:12:23.059 by the Ricky Bobby Creed, all right? 00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:25.759 If you ain't first, you're last, all right? 00:12:26.199 --> 00:12:27.259 But now he finds 00:12:27.259 --> 00:12:29.179 that his supposedly meaningless brother 00:12:29.179 --> 00:12:31.819 has come into first place with God, 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:34.179 and so in his self-centered jealousy, 00:12:34.779 --> 00:12:36.860 Cain would rather dismantle his own brother 00:12:36.860 --> 00:12:38.919 than dismantle his own 00:12:38.919 --> 00:12:41.580 me first, gotta get mine way of life. 00:12:42.580 --> 00:12:43.159 Verse eight says, 00:12:43.220 --> 00:12:44.700 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, 00:12:44.779 --> 00:12:45.779 let's go out to the field. 00:12:46.279 --> 00:12:47.639 While they were in the field, 00:12:47.639 --> 00:12:49.120 Cain attacked his brother Abel 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:50.299 and killed him. 00:12:51.100 --> 00:12:52.759 Only the second generation 00:12:52.759 --> 00:12:54.120 after Adam and Eve, 00:12:54.199 --> 00:12:55.819 and humanity has fallen so far, 00:12:56.120 --> 00:12:56.919 so fast, 00:12:57.019 --> 00:12:59.039 from foolish disobedience in the garden 00:12:59.039 --> 00:13:01.600 to family murder in the field. 00:13:02.699 --> 00:13:03.500 Verse nine, 00:13:04.199 --> 00:13:05.220 Then the Lord said to Cain, 00:13:05.419 --> 00:13:06.860 Where is Abel, your brother? 00:13:07.019 --> 00:13:08.039 And listen, it's not because God 00:13:08.039 --> 00:13:09.419 doesn't know where he is, right? 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:11.240 No, he's pursuing Cain 00:13:11.240 --> 00:13:12.519 as a gentle father. 00:13:12.519 --> 00:13:14.879 But here Cain has the gall 00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:16.179 to lie to God 00:13:16.179 --> 00:13:17.860 and to renounce his responsibility 00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:19.559 and to do it with sass. 00:13:19.639 --> 00:13:20.460 He said, I don't know. 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:22.039 Am I my brother's keeper? 00:13:23.500 --> 00:13:25.759 And this is the more basic evil, 00:13:26.439 --> 00:13:27.579 the me first denial 00:13:27.579 --> 00:13:28.980 of our human responsibility 00:13:28.980 --> 00:13:30.399 to love one another. 00:13:31.500 --> 00:13:33.220 So God makes it clear to Cain, 00:13:33.299 --> 00:13:34.500 you are supposed to be 00:13:34.500 --> 00:13:35.360 your brother's keeper, 00:13:35.579 --> 00:13:37.360 and so much more actually, Cain. 00:13:38.199 --> 00:13:38.679 Verse 10, 00:13:38.679 --> 00:13:39.279 The Lord said, 00:13:39.359 --> 00:13:40.019 What have you done? 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:41.879 Listen, your brother's blood 00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:43.120 cries out to me from the ground. 00:13:43.219 --> 00:13:43.759 Don't you know? 00:13:43.859 --> 00:13:45.879 No injustice goes unnoticed before me. 00:13:46.739 --> 00:13:47.199 And God says, 00:13:47.439 --> 00:13:48.559 Now you are under a curse 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:49.859 and driven from the ground 00:13:49.859 --> 00:13:50.959 which opened its mouth 00:13:50.959 --> 00:13:52.799 to receive your brother's blood 00:13:52.799 --> 00:13:53.739 from your hand. 00:13:54.199 --> 00:13:55.979 You further curse the ground, Cain. 00:13:56.259 --> 00:13:57.179 This ground that was supposed 00:13:57.179 --> 00:13:58.019 to deliver life 00:13:58.019 --> 00:13:59.579 is now drinking in death. 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:02.339 This ground that I gave to you 00:14:02.339 --> 00:14:03.339 from which you were supposed 00:14:03.339 --> 00:14:04.500 to receive your daily bread, 00:14:04.579 --> 00:14:05.659 you have force-fed it 00:14:05.659 --> 00:14:07.120 your brother's blood. 00:14:08.679 --> 00:14:09.620 So now verse 12, 00:14:09.939 --> 00:14:10.179 So, 00:14:11.099 --> 00:14:12.759 when you work the ground now, Cain, 00:14:13.099 --> 00:14:14.359 it will no longer yield 00:14:14.359 --> 00:14:15.299 its crops for you. 00:14:15.839 --> 00:14:17.379 You will be a restless wanderer 00:14:17.379 --> 00:14:18.079 on the earth. 00:14:18.579 --> 00:14:19.359 You will be anxious, 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:20.219 fearful, 00:14:20.779 --> 00:14:21.059 homeless, 00:14:21.359 --> 00:14:21.919 and insecure 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:23.779 for the rest of your life. 00:14:24.819 --> 00:14:25.659 But still, 00:14:26.419 --> 00:14:27.779 Cain isn't even remorseful, 00:14:27.939 --> 00:14:28.500 repentant, 00:14:28.599 --> 00:14:29.559 or even ashamed. 00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:30.859 All he can think about 00:14:30.859 --> 00:14:31.559 is himself. 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:32.299 Verse 13, 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:34.039 Cain said to the Lord, 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:35.799 My punishment is more 00:14:35.799 --> 00:14:36.979 than I can bear. 00:14:37.459 --> 00:14:38.599 Today you are driving me 00:14:38.600 --> 00:14:39.180 from the land, 00:14:39.259 --> 00:14:40.240 and I will be hidden 00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:40.980 from your presence. 00:14:41.259 --> 00:14:42.920 I will be a restless wanderer 00:14:42.920 --> 00:14:43.440 on the earth, 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:44.519 and whoever finds me 00:14:44.519 --> 00:14:46.200 will kill me. 00:14:47.139 --> 00:14:48.440 All he can think about 00:14:48.440 --> 00:14:49.580 is himself. 00:14:50.560 --> 00:14:51.460 But for some reason, 00:14:51.560 --> 00:14:52.800 God delays justice here. 00:14:53.159 --> 00:14:54.320 He's apparently got some plans 00:14:54.320 --> 00:14:56.360 to temporarily preserve Cain, 00:14:56.460 --> 00:14:57.320 even use Cain, 00:14:57.379 --> 00:14:58.840 for his purposes in history. 00:14:58.940 --> 00:15:00.279 So he says in verse 15, 00:15:00.279 --> 00:15:01.139 Not so. 00:15:01.980 --> 00:15:03.120 Anyone who kills Cain 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:04.000 will suffer vengeance 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:05.139 seven times over. 00:15:05.440 --> 00:15:06.320 Full justice. 00:15:07.040 --> 00:15:07.800 Full vengeance. 00:15:08.640 --> 00:15:09.520 Then the Lord put a mark 00:15:09.520 --> 00:15:10.040 on Cain, 00:15:10.540 --> 00:15:11.140 so that no one 00:15:11.140 --> 00:15:11.879 who found him 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:12.680 would kill him. 00:15:13.280 --> 00:15:14.040 And this is the beginning 00:15:14.040 --> 00:15:15.020 of a long motif 00:15:15.020 --> 00:15:15.920 throughout the Bible 00:15:15.920 --> 00:15:17.200 of the innocent suffering, 00:15:17.800 --> 00:15:18.780 and of them crying out 00:15:18.780 --> 00:15:20.260 to God for justice, 00:15:20.620 --> 00:15:22.020 as Abel's did to God. 00:15:22.379 --> 00:15:22.700 Crying out, 00:15:22.820 --> 00:15:23.600 How long, O Lord? 00:15:23.660 --> 00:15:24.660 How long will the unjust? 00:15:24.980 --> 00:15:25.879 How long will the strong? 00:15:26.080 --> 00:15:27.060 How long will the arrogant 00:15:27.060 --> 00:15:28.379 oppressors continue to, 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:29.840 continually seem 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:30.560 to just rack up 00:15:30.560 --> 00:15:31.680 all these wins, right? 00:15:32.479 --> 00:15:33.819 And while this is a sad 00:15:33.819 --> 00:15:35.000 and confusing motif 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:36.159 throughout the Scriptures, 00:15:36.839 --> 00:15:39.059 it's also the very wisdom of God, 00:15:39.159 --> 00:15:40.479 the thing that God 00:15:40.479 --> 00:15:41.679 will eventually use 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:43.179 to save the world, right? 00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:45.359 The suffering of the innocent one. 00:15:45.939 --> 00:15:47.139 But in the meantime, 00:15:47.779 --> 00:15:49.620 as the strong men, 00:15:50.059 --> 00:15:51.059 as the wicked ones 00:15:51.059 --> 00:15:52.019 continue to win, 00:15:52.620 --> 00:15:54.039 this story now presents us 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:55.679 with a rather challenging choice. 00:15:56.219 --> 00:15:57.699 A choice to live Cain's way 00:15:57.699 --> 00:15:58.859 or God's way. 00:15:58.919 --> 00:16:00.080 And it's a challenging choice 00:16:00.080 --> 00:16:00.860 because though Cain 00:16:00.860 --> 00:16:02.779 doesn't exactly have it easy, 00:16:03.259 --> 00:16:04.039 what we're going to find 00:16:04.039 --> 00:16:05.080 in the rest of this passage, 00:16:05.220 --> 00:16:06.139 like from this point on, 00:16:06.159 --> 00:16:06.700 is that he's actually 00:16:06.700 --> 00:16:07.460 quite successful. 00:16:08.779 --> 00:16:09.580 Even when he chooses 00:16:09.580 --> 00:16:10.680 not to be his brother's keeper 00:16:10.680 --> 00:16:11.960 or anyone else's, 00:16:12.320 --> 00:16:13.539 even as he commits himself 00:16:13.539 --> 00:16:14.879 to looking out for number one, 00:16:15.580 --> 00:16:17.399 it works out pretty well for Cain. 00:16:18.200 --> 00:16:19.200 Verse 16 says, 00:16:19.300 --> 00:16:20.120 So Cain went out 00:16:20.120 --> 00:16:21.120 from the Lord's presence 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:22.480 and lived in the land of Nod, 00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:23.360 east of Eden. 00:16:23.460 --> 00:16:24.720 So the worst possible thing 00:16:24.720 --> 00:16:25.740 has happened to him. 00:16:26.200 --> 00:16:27.240 He is expelled 00:16:27.240 --> 00:16:29.259 from the presence of God, 00:16:29.940 --> 00:16:31.340 but you can still see him 00:16:31.340 --> 00:16:32.639 fighting to survive, 00:16:33.159 --> 00:16:34.039 fighting to preserve 00:16:34.039 --> 00:16:35.399 the worldview of his name. 00:16:35.700 --> 00:16:36.899 He refuses to wander. 00:16:37.180 --> 00:16:38.019 He settles somewhere. 00:16:38.139 --> 00:16:38.940 Verse 17 says, 00:16:38.980 --> 00:16:39.740 he starts a family. 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:41.039 And if you're wondering 00:16:41.039 --> 00:16:42.200 how he started a family, 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:42.980 how that works, 00:16:43.019 --> 00:16:43.720 who is threatening him 00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:44.419 outside the garden, 00:16:44.740 --> 00:16:45.960 talk to Jonathan about that, 00:16:46.060 --> 00:16:46.379 all right? 00:16:46.680 --> 00:16:47.519 I know we're happy 00:16:47.519 --> 00:16:48.240 to chat about that, 00:16:48.299 --> 00:16:49.019 but we want to focus 00:16:49.019 --> 00:16:49.620 on what the text 00:16:49.620 --> 00:16:50.560 is focusing on here, 00:16:50.659 --> 00:16:50.980 all right? 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:52.279 So continue with me 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:53.060 in verse 17. 00:16:54.299 --> 00:16:55.659 Cain was then building a city, 00:16:55.659 --> 00:16:56.879 and he named it 00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:57.980 after his son Enoch. 00:16:59.039 --> 00:16:59.679 So Cain, 00:16:59.759 --> 00:17:00.959 he manages to survive 00:17:00.959 --> 00:17:02.600 and to procreate, 00:17:02.659 --> 00:17:03.319 and not only that, 00:17:03.379 --> 00:17:04.359 but he even builds a city 00:17:04.359 --> 00:17:05.359 and he names it 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:06.460 after his son Enoch. 00:17:06.559 --> 00:17:07.339 And Enoch means 00:17:07.339 --> 00:17:08.099 inaugurated, 00:17:08.259 --> 00:17:08.659 initiated, 00:17:09.099 --> 00:17:09.399 dedicated. 00:17:09.680 --> 00:17:10.159 Basically, 00:17:10.879 --> 00:17:12.220 Cain is glorying 00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:12.980 in his accomplishments. 00:17:13.619 --> 00:17:14.059 He's naming 00:17:14.059 --> 00:17:15.259 his self-made city 00:17:15.259 --> 00:17:17.220 after his self-made son. 00:17:17.539 --> 00:17:18.759 He's celebrating himself 00:17:18.759 --> 00:17:20.339 as a self-made man. 00:17:20.440 --> 00:17:20.859 Like, sure, 00:17:21.159 --> 00:17:22.079 God exiled me, 00:17:22.159 --> 00:17:23.039 but look at me now. 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:23.859 I built a city, 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:25.000 and I'm dedicating 00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:26.539 this inaugural city 00:17:26.539 --> 00:17:27.940 to myself and my offspring. 00:17:28.159 --> 00:17:29.119 I don't need God. 00:17:29.379 --> 00:17:30.319 I will initiate. 00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:31.339 I will get, 00:17:31.639 --> 00:17:32.039 acquire, 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:33.519 procure what I want. 00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:34.940 I will survive on my own 00:17:34.940 --> 00:17:36.399 outside of the presence 00:17:36.399 --> 00:17:37.099 of God. 00:17:38.099 --> 00:17:38.559 And thus, 00:17:38.700 --> 00:17:39.139 in Cain, 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:40.079 who's actually turned out 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:41.539 to be the very first offspring 00:17:41.539 --> 00:17:42.339 of the serpent, 00:17:43.619 --> 00:17:44.659 in Cain's own heart 00:17:44.659 --> 00:17:45.559 and life, 00:17:46.099 --> 00:17:47.159 the serpent's lie, 00:17:47.460 --> 00:17:48.099 it lingers. 00:17:49.159 --> 00:17:49.519 See? 00:17:49.519 --> 00:17:53.119 You will not surely die. 00:17:54.460 --> 00:17:55.740 Life without God works. 00:17:56.599 --> 00:17:57.000 You're fine. 00:17:57.079 --> 00:17:57.779 You're better than fine. 00:17:57.900 --> 00:17:58.460 After being banished 00:17:58.460 --> 00:17:59.079 from his presence, 00:17:59.180 --> 00:17:59.980 you aren't just surviving, 00:18:00.099 --> 00:18:00.559 you're thriving. 00:18:01.359 --> 00:18:02.039 Cutting corners 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:02.940 pays off. 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:04.099 See it for yourself. 00:18:04.539 --> 00:18:06.180 God's way is whack. 00:18:07.859 --> 00:18:08.859 Verse 18 tells us 00:18:08.859 --> 00:18:09.879 that Cain's line 00:18:09.879 --> 00:18:10.740 continues on 00:18:10.740 --> 00:18:12.680 and then especially thrives 00:18:12.680 --> 00:18:13.619 under Lamech 00:18:13.619 --> 00:18:14.460 in verse 19, 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:15.639 who takes not just 00:18:15.639 --> 00:18:16.220 one wife, 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:16.639 but two, 00:18:16.720 --> 00:18:17.200 because to him, 00:18:17.259 --> 00:18:18.079 it's all about the gains, 00:18:18.160 --> 00:18:18.279 right? 00:18:18.339 --> 00:18:19.240 It's all about the wins. 00:18:19.240 --> 00:18:20.039 It's all about 00:18:20.039 --> 00:18:21.120 maximization 00:18:21.120 --> 00:18:22.000 and productivity. 00:18:22.420 --> 00:18:23.740 While God told Adam and Eve 00:18:23.740 --> 00:18:24.799 that husband and wife, 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:26.299 the two shall be one, 00:18:26.680 --> 00:18:27.440 and then bless them 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:28.220 as a couple 00:18:28.220 --> 00:18:29.180 to be fruitful 00:18:29.180 --> 00:18:29.900 and to multiply, 00:18:30.259 --> 00:18:30.759 Lamech says, 00:18:30.980 --> 00:18:31.660 forget that. 00:18:32.099 --> 00:18:32.900 I can multiply 00:18:32.900 --> 00:18:34.019 twice as fast 00:18:34.019 --> 00:18:34.900 with two wives. 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:35.839 And this is the beginning 00:18:35.839 --> 00:18:36.519 of polygamy. 00:18:36.700 --> 00:18:37.140 It's the beginning 00:18:37.140 --> 00:18:38.120 of the objectification 00:18:38.120 --> 00:18:39.079 of women, 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:40.039 using them 00:18:40.039 --> 00:18:40.579 to continue 00:18:40.579 --> 00:18:41.299 the way of Cain, 00:18:41.400 --> 00:18:42.059 to acquire 00:18:42.059 --> 00:18:43.799 and to self-produce 00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:45.019 more and more 00:18:45.019 --> 00:18:45.660 and more. 00:18:46.559 --> 00:18:47.279 But look what happens. 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:48.720 Lamech actually is 00:18:48.720 --> 00:18:50.019 quite productive. 00:18:51.259 --> 00:18:52.180 Civilization is built 00:18:52.180 --> 00:18:52.900 from his offspring, 00:18:53.220 --> 00:18:54.120 from both his wives. 00:18:54.240 --> 00:18:55.420 Verses 20 and 21 00:18:55.420 --> 00:18:56.000 tell us that 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:56.700 from one wife 00:18:56.700 --> 00:18:57.839 he gets two sons. 00:18:57.960 --> 00:18:58.559 One is the father 00:18:58.559 --> 00:18:59.500 of tent dwelling, 00:18:59.600 --> 00:19:00.400 the father of wilderness 00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:00.940 survival 00:19:00.940 --> 00:19:02.000 and livestock rearing. 00:19:02.360 --> 00:19:03.380 The other is the father 00:19:03.380 --> 00:19:04.019 of music 00:19:04.019 --> 00:19:05.200 and instruments, 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:05.620 right? 00:19:06.180 --> 00:19:06.920 And then Lamech's 00:19:06.920 --> 00:19:07.579 other son 00:19:07.579 --> 00:19:08.460 from his other wife, 00:19:08.559 --> 00:19:09.200 Tubal Cain, 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:09.980 he's the forger 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:11.180 of metal instruments. 00:19:11.779 --> 00:19:13.039 And not just plowshares, 00:19:13.120 --> 00:19:14.220 but probably also 00:19:14.220 --> 00:19:15.100 swords. 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:16.200 Swords. 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:18.259 So while the only sword 00:19:18.259 --> 00:19:19.279 humanity had ever known 00:19:19.279 --> 00:19:19.960 up to this point 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:21.059 was the flaming sword, 00:19:21.440 --> 00:19:22.160 prohibiting them 00:19:22.160 --> 00:19:23.299 from the tree of life, 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:25.440 here humanity is saying, 00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:27.120 fine, fine. 00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:28.120 If we can't partake 00:19:28.120 --> 00:19:29.080 of the tree of life 00:19:29.080 --> 00:19:29.900 and live forever, 00:19:30.039 --> 00:19:30.900 we will now live 00:19:30.900 --> 00:19:31.880 by the sword. 00:19:32.620 --> 00:19:33.640 We will exercise 00:19:33.640 --> 00:19:35.080 dominion by swords 00:19:35.080 --> 00:19:36.039 that we forge 00:19:36.039 --> 00:19:37.360 for ourselves. 00:19:38.539 --> 00:19:39.279 And so from the line 00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:39.759 of Cain, 00:19:40.299 --> 00:19:41.220 particularly through 00:19:41.220 --> 00:19:42.380 his descendant Lamech, 00:19:42.740 --> 00:19:43.740 cities and kingdoms 00:19:43.740 --> 00:19:44.480 are forged. 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:45.480 Farm raising, 00:19:45.660 --> 00:19:45.960 music, 00:19:46.279 --> 00:19:46.720 craftsmanship, 00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:47.319 technology, 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:48.359 and military power, 00:19:48.680 --> 00:19:49.059 culture, 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:49.660 kingdom, 00:19:49.859 --> 00:19:50.359 and empire 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:51.279 are being developed 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:52.180 almost, 00:19:52.660 --> 00:19:53.799 almost like God 00:19:53.799 --> 00:19:54.640 intended when he 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:56.299 told us to be fruitful 00:19:56.299 --> 00:19:57.240 and to multiply. 00:19:57.700 --> 00:19:58.200 And yet, 00:19:58.819 --> 00:20:00.079 there's still something 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:00.779 very off 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:01.940 about this picture, 00:20:02.380 --> 00:20:02.940 isn't there? 00:20:03.700 --> 00:20:05.019 A familiar arrogance, 00:20:05.900 --> 00:20:06.539 a godless, 00:20:06.700 --> 00:20:08.299 self-sufficient spirit, 00:20:08.440 --> 00:20:09.299 the worship of power, 00:20:09.460 --> 00:20:10.460 a familiar propensity 00:20:10.460 --> 00:20:11.319 for violence 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:12.339 and oppression. 00:20:12.339 --> 00:20:14.419 And even the celebration 00:20:14.419 --> 00:20:15.659 here of all this wickedness, 00:20:15.740 --> 00:20:15.839 look, 00:20:15.939 --> 00:20:17.599 Lamech is so pleased. 00:20:17.899 --> 00:20:19.059 He is so proud here 00:20:19.059 --> 00:20:20.699 of all his accomplishments, 00:20:20.879 --> 00:20:21.639 all his children's 00:20:21.639 --> 00:20:22.079 accomplishments. 00:20:22.379 --> 00:20:22.899 This is the birth 00:20:22.899 --> 00:20:23.699 of mansplaining 00:20:23.699 --> 00:20:24.799 and peacocking here 00:20:24.799 --> 00:20:26.019 in verse 23. 00:20:26.539 --> 00:20:27.799 Lamech said to his wives, 00:20:27.899 --> 00:20:28.539 Adon, Zillah, 00:20:28.659 --> 00:20:29.379 hear my voice, 00:20:29.659 --> 00:20:30.599 you wives of Lamech. 00:20:30.619 --> 00:20:31.439 That's who they are to him. 00:20:31.919 --> 00:20:32.740 Not human beings 00:20:32.740 --> 00:20:33.299 with personal, 00:20:33.459 --> 00:20:34.179 individual integrity. 00:20:34.359 --> 00:20:35.179 They are his wives, 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:36.359 the wives of Lamech. 00:20:36.859 --> 00:20:37.679 Listen to what I say. 00:20:37.679 --> 00:20:38.720 He's commanding them. 00:20:39.659 --> 00:20:40.879 And this is what he sings 00:20:40.879 --> 00:20:41.720 and celebrates. 00:20:42.959 --> 00:20:44.159 I have killed a man 00:20:44.159 --> 00:20:44.899 for wounding me. 00:20:44.980 --> 00:20:45.819 That's what he celebrates. 00:20:45.959 --> 00:20:46.879 Lamech celebrates 00:20:46.879 --> 00:20:48.720 improportional violence. 00:20:49.519 --> 00:20:50.599 He sings of power 00:20:50.599 --> 00:20:51.459 and dominance. 00:20:51.679 --> 00:20:52.559 His song goes like this, 00:20:52.619 --> 00:20:53.399 A young lad 00:20:53.399 --> 00:20:54.539 struck and wounded me 00:20:54.539 --> 00:20:55.339 and I, 00:20:55.500 --> 00:20:56.559 a strong grown man, 00:20:56.859 --> 00:20:57.819 I killed him for it. 00:20:58.899 --> 00:21:00.000 Then Lamech even makes 00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:01.259 a godlike declaration 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:02.619 about his own future 00:21:02.619 --> 00:21:03.459 and security 00:21:03.459 --> 00:21:04.259 even greater than 00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:05.059 what God spoke 00:21:05.059 --> 00:21:05.819 over Cain. 00:21:05.919 --> 00:21:06.299 Lamech says, 00:21:06.299 --> 00:21:07.339 If Cain is avenged 00:21:07.339 --> 00:21:08.119 seven times, 00:21:08.459 --> 00:21:09.839 then Lamech 77. 00:21:09.839 --> 00:21:11.959 Lamech here 00:21:11.959 --> 00:21:13.379 is an ancient 00:21:13.379 --> 00:21:15.119 proto-Machiavellian here, 00:21:15.199 --> 00:21:15.439 all right? 00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:16.720 It's all about 00:21:16.720 --> 00:21:17.619 ruthless power 00:21:17.619 --> 00:21:18.419 and preservation 00:21:18.419 --> 00:21:19.579 for himself. 00:21:19.919 --> 00:21:20.599 And this, 00:21:21.379 --> 00:21:22.319 this is the way of Cain. 00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:24.139 This is the way of Cain. 00:21:24.539 --> 00:21:25.599 See, the way of Cain says, 00:21:25.839 --> 00:21:26.859 I go and I get 00:21:26.859 --> 00:21:27.779 what I want. 00:21:28.179 --> 00:21:29.079 I take what I can, 00:21:29.139 --> 00:21:30.099 I make my own fortune, 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:31.359 I win by being on top 00:21:31.359 --> 00:21:32.419 and staying on top, 00:21:32.519 --> 00:21:33.879 and if anyone crosses me 00:21:33.879 --> 00:21:34.879 or threatens me, 00:21:34.959 --> 00:21:35.779 I outdo them 00:21:35.779 --> 00:21:36.939 or I take them down. 00:21:37.640 --> 00:21:39.059 I will build my own city, 00:21:39.440 --> 00:21:41.140 I will fix my own security, 00:21:41.340 --> 00:21:42.100 and I am able 00:21:42.100 --> 00:21:43.080 to do it on my own 00:21:43.080 --> 00:21:43.620 and therefore, 00:21:43.779 --> 00:21:44.660 all glory to me, 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:46.279 all glory to my city, 00:21:46.640 --> 00:21:47.480 and that is how 00:21:47.480 --> 00:21:48.299 I will be remembered 00:21:48.299 --> 00:21:49.220 in history, 00:21:49.799 --> 00:21:50.720 by my achievements, 00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:51.539 by my hustle, 00:21:51.860 --> 00:21:52.860 by what I produce, 00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:54.799 by my self-made life. 00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:56.600 The way of Cain 00:21:56.600 --> 00:21:57.019 is the way 00:21:57.019 --> 00:21:58.240 of impersonal transaction, 00:21:58.740 --> 00:21:59.820 performative posturing, 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:00.980 brutal competition, 00:22:01.519 --> 00:22:02.660 godless self-sufficiency, 00:22:03.080 --> 00:22:04.279 arrogant empire building, 00:22:04.420 --> 00:22:05.920 and self-interested survival 00:22:05.920 --> 00:22:07.680 at all costs. 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:09.220 And so see, 00:22:09.340 --> 00:22:10.340 the point of Genesis 4 00:22:10.340 --> 00:22:10.960 isn't merely 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:12.200 thou shalt not kill. 00:22:12.900 --> 00:22:13.440 It's not just 00:22:13.440 --> 00:22:14.400 thou shalt not covet, 00:22:14.600 --> 00:22:15.440 thou shalt not be jealous 00:22:15.440 --> 00:22:15.960 like Cain. 00:22:16.019 --> 00:22:16.720 It's not even simply 00:22:16.720 --> 00:22:17.940 thou shalt love your neighbor 00:22:17.940 --> 00:22:18.580 as yourself, 00:22:18.700 --> 00:22:19.720 or thou shalt be 00:22:19.720 --> 00:22:20.460 your brother's keeper. 00:22:21.259 --> 00:22:22.380 The point of Genesis 4 00:22:22.380 --> 00:22:23.400 is that the way of Cain 00:22:23.400 --> 00:22:25.200 is still so very much 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:26.220 the way of our world, 00:22:26.620 --> 00:22:27.600 the way we've all been 00:22:27.600 --> 00:22:28.720 programmed and conditioned 00:22:28.720 --> 00:22:29.380 to live, 00:22:29.460 --> 00:22:30.100 because why? 00:22:30.700 --> 00:22:31.120 Because why? 00:22:31.180 --> 00:22:32.039 Because what if we don't 00:22:32.039 --> 00:22:32.860 live the way of Cain? 00:22:34.100 --> 00:22:35.259 We've seen it so many times, 00:22:35.320 --> 00:22:35.519 right? 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:36.640 If we don't live 00:22:36.640 --> 00:22:37.400 the way of Cain, 00:22:38.080 --> 00:22:38.660 we're going to get 00:22:38.660 --> 00:22:40.000 slaughtered like Abel. 00:22:40.680 --> 00:22:41.160 Haven't we all 00:22:41.160 --> 00:22:42.039 internalized that? 00:22:42.539 --> 00:22:43.560 That it's the strong man 00:22:43.560 --> 00:22:44.460 who always wins. 00:22:44.700 --> 00:22:45.840 Everybody knows that Cain 00:22:45.840 --> 00:22:46.519 and his descendants, 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:47.240 they're the winners. 00:22:47.800 --> 00:22:48.759 They're the military 00:22:48.759 --> 00:22:49.420 superpowers, 00:22:49.560 --> 00:22:50.519 the political majorities, 00:22:50.620 --> 00:22:51.460 the tech geniuses, 00:22:51.539 --> 00:22:52.279 the CEOs, 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:53.259 the influencers, 00:22:53.539 --> 00:22:53.900 the wealthy, 00:22:54.039 --> 00:22:54.340 comfortable, 00:22:54.500 --> 00:22:55.400 and least vulnerable. 00:22:55.580 --> 00:22:56.039 They're the ones 00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:56.660 who are written about 00:22:56.660 --> 00:22:57.460 in Time magazine 00:22:57.460 --> 00:22:58.860 and in our history books. 00:22:59.560 --> 00:23:00.560 In our experience 00:23:00.560 --> 00:23:01.440 of this hard, 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:02.620 cruel world, 00:23:02.619 --> 00:23:04.179 it's pretty hard 00:23:04.179 --> 00:23:04.739 to deny 00:23:04.739 --> 00:23:06.039 that the first 00:23:06.039 --> 00:23:06.459 are first 00:23:06.459 --> 00:23:07.059 and the last 00:23:07.059 --> 00:23:07.939 are last. 00:23:08.879 --> 00:23:09.579 The thorns 00:23:09.579 --> 00:23:10.119 and thistles 00:23:10.119 --> 00:23:11.199 that infest our fields 00:23:11.199 --> 00:23:11.679 of labor 00:23:11.679 --> 00:23:12.639 are real. 00:23:13.339 --> 00:23:14.339 And we constantly 00:23:14.339 --> 00:23:15.039 find ourselves 00:23:15.039 --> 00:23:15.659 bumping up 00:23:15.659 --> 00:23:16.419 against scarcity 00:23:16.419 --> 00:23:17.579 after scarcity. 00:23:18.399 --> 00:23:18.979 Weaker dollar, 00:23:19.539 --> 00:23:20.839 slower job market, 00:23:21.219 --> 00:23:22.099 companies going lean, 00:23:22.239 --> 00:23:23.659 conflicting national interests. 00:23:24.339 --> 00:23:25.079 So what do we do? 00:23:25.139 --> 00:23:25.579 We sweat 00:23:25.579 --> 00:23:26.079 and we toil, 00:23:26.179 --> 00:23:27.000 we neglect our families 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:27.639 and our relationships 00:23:27.639 --> 00:23:28.199 with God 00:23:28.200 --> 00:23:28.880 and the church. 00:23:28.980 --> 00:23:29.700 We neglect our health 00:23:29.700 --> 00:23:31.259 and our mental well-being 00:23:31.259 --> 00:23:32.080 and for sure 00:23:32.080 --> 00:23:32.779 we don't have time 00:23:32.779 --> 00:23:33.460 to love our neighbors 00:23:33.460 --> 00:23:34.620 or to consider ourselves 00:23:34.620 --> 00:23:36.220 as our brother's keepers. 00:23:36.880 --> 00:23:37.880 No, instead we grind. 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:39.440 We grind and we grind 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:40.319 ever toward these 00:23:40.319 --> 00:23:42.299 self-made ideal versions 00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:42.900 of ourselves, 00:23:43.039 --> 00:23:44.539 always trying to level up 00:23:44.539 --> 00:23:45.819 closer and closer 00:23:45.819 --> 00:23:46.779 to first place, 00:23:46.980 --> 00:23:48.519 always trying to acquire more 00:23:48.519 --> 00:23:49.180 positions, 00:23:49.480 --> 00:23:49.860 promotions, 00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:50.480 profit, 00:23:50.880 --> 00:23:52.120 or maybe some of us 00:23:52.120 --> 00:23:53.380 are just trying to keep 00:23:53.380 --> 00:23:54.279 our heads above the water 00:23:54.279 --> 00:23:56.360 and not get left behind, 00:23:56.539 --> 00:23:56.779 right? 00:23:56.779 --> 00:23:58.180 Like Cain, 00:23:58.259 --> 00:23:59.059 we feel the echo 00:23:59.059 --> 00:24:00.039 of God's word 00:24:00.039 --> 00:24:01.059 that to dust 00:24:01.059 --> 00:24:01.960 we shall return 00:24:01.960 --> 00:24:03.259 and so also like Cain, 00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:04.559 we fight violently 00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:07.399 to delay that dusty end. 00:24:08.279 --> 00:24:09.099 To many of us, 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:09.759 the way of Cain 00:24:09.759 --> 00:24:11.639 is really the only way 00:24:11.639 --> 00:24:13.720 and we hope to sing 00:24:13.720 --> 00:24:14.740 our own versions 00:24:14.740 --> 00:24:16.200 of Lamech's song, 00:24:16.579 --> 00:24:16.759 right? 00:24:17.660 --> 00:24:18.700 Started from the bottom, 00:24:18.799 --> 00:24:19.339 now we're here, 00:24:19.740 --> 00:24:20.000 right? 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:21.799 It's the same song 00:24:21.799 --> 00:24:23.399 but really, 00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:24.559 what is the actual fruit 00:24:24.559 --> 00:24:25.740 of living to sing 00:24:25.740 --> 00:24:26.519 Lamech's song 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:27.539 in the way of Cain? 00:24:27.700 --> 00:24:28.319 That's what I want us 00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:28.779 to consider. 00:24:29.200 --> 00:24:29.859 What is the fruit 00:24:29.859 --> 00:24:30.700 of living in the way 00:24:30.700 --> 00:24:31.059 of Cain? 00:24:31.359 --> 00:24:32.379 If your whole understanding 00:24:32.379 --> 00:24:32.940 of what it means 00:24:32.940 --> 00:24:33.579 to be human 00:24:33.579 --> 00:24:35.400 and how to be human 00:24:35.400 --> 00:24:37.279 is to get what's yours 00:24:37.279 --> 00:24:38.339 and to do whatever 00:24:38.339 --> 00:24:39.539 it takes to survive, 00:24:39.619 --> 00:24:40.579 survival to fit us, 00:24:41.559 --> 00:24:42.900 does that truly lead 00:24:42.900 --> 00:24:44.180 to human flourishing 00:24:44.180 --> 00:24:46.160 or human floundering, 00:24:46.299 --> 00:24:46.900 to arrogance, 00:24:47.180 --> 00:24:47.759 selfishness, 00:24:47.879 --> 00:24:48.240 division, 00:24:48.579 --> 00:24:49.339 dehumanization, 00:24:49.779 --> 00:24:50.119 oppression, 00:24:50.259 --> 00:24:50.740 and violence? 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:53.180 These are the true fruit 00:24:53.180 --> 00:24:54.019 of Lamech. 00:24:54.019 --> 00:24:56.019 In his book, 00:24:56.139 --> 00:24:56.920 The Tyranny of Merit, 00:24:56.980 --> 00:24:58.379 the political philosopher 00:24:58.379 --> 00:24:59.599 and Harvard Law Professor 00:24:59.599 --> 00:25:00.460 Michael Sandel, 00:25:00.859 --> 00:25:01.119 he says, 00:25:01.160 --> 00:25:01.279 you know, 00:25:01.319 --> 00:25:02.500 a lot of us think 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:03.379 we like the idea 00:25:03.379 --> 00:25:05.379 of a very pure meritocracy, 00:25:05.879 --> 00:25:07.740 the story of the self-made man. 00:25:08.299 --> 00:25:09.379 But then he invites us 00:25:09.379 --> 00:25:10.740 into that thought experiment 00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:12.660 to imagine a purely 00:25:12.660 --> 00:25:14.839 meritocratic society. 00:25:15.039 --> 00:25:15.139 He says, 00:25:15.240 --> 00:25:15.319 like, 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:15.859 think about it, 00:25:15.940 --> 00:25:16.099 okay? 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:19.519 A purely meritocratic society. 00:25:20.200 --> 00:25:20.460 He says, 00:25:20.460 --> 00:25:21.259 it can actually be 00:25:21.259 --> 00:25:23.279 a devastating double-edged sword 00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:24.559 that not only commends 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:25.039 the winners, 00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:26.559 but also condemns 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:27.360 the losers, right? 00:25:27.819 --> 00:25:29.380 A system that justifies 00:25:29.380 --> 00:25:30.259 hubris for winners 00:25:30.259 --> 00:25:32.340 and humiliation for losers. 00:25:33.220 --> 00:25:34.460 And the more we think 00:25:34.460 --> 00:25:35.799 of ourselves as self-made 00:25:35.799 --> 00:25:36.860 and self-sufficient, 00:25:37.299 --> 00:25:38.299 the harder it is 00:25:38.299 --> 00:25:39.160 to learn gratitude 00:25:39.160 --> 00:25:40.340 and humility. 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:42.559 And so he challenges us 00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:43.019 to consider, 00:25:43.200 --> 00:25:43.920 is this way 00:25:43.920 --> 00:25:44.860 in the world of Cain 00:25:44.860 --> 00:25:45.720 really the world 00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:46.500 of our dreams, 00:25:46.940 --> 00:25:47.660 where our worth 00:25:47.660 --> 00:25:48.740 can be based on 00:25:48.740 --> 00:25:49.720 what we produce 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:50.380 and build 00:25:50.380 --> 00:25:51.019 and whether or not 00:25:51.019 --> 00:25:51.620 we crush it 00:25:51.620 --> 00:25:52.660 and successfully build 00:25:52.660 --> 00:25:54.320 our cities and empires? 00:25:54.980 --> 00:25:56.400 Or is this actually 00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:57.920 everyone's worst nightmare? 00:25:59.320 --> 00:25:59.600 You know, 00:25:59.640 --> 00:26:00.019 in his book, 00:26:00.080 --> 00:26:00.519 The Prince, 00:26:00.759 --> 00:26:01.440 Machiavelli, right, 00:26:01.440 --> 00:26:02.660 he's advising new rulers 00:26:02.660 --> 00:26:03.519 on how to maintain 00:26:03.519 --> 00:26:04.960 and expand their power. 00:26:05.820 --> 00:26:06.440 And he writes, 00:26:06.980 --> 00:26:08.640 the lion cannot protect himself 00:26:08.640 --> 00:26:09.480 from traps, 00:26:10.019 --> 00:26:12.120 and the fox cannot defend himself 00:26:12.120 --> 00:26:12.900 from wolves. 00:26:13.640 --> 00:26:14.660 One must therefore 00:26:14.660 --> 00:26:15.700 be a fox 00:26:15.700 --> 00:26:17.000 to recognize traps 00:26:17.000 --> 00:26:18.500 and a lion 00:26:18.500 --> 00:26:20.120 to frighten wolves. 00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:22.340 But the thing is, 00:26:22.840 --> 00:26:25.080 what if we can't just become 00:26:25.080 --> 00:26:27.480 these mythical lion-fox creatures? 00:26:28.620 --> 00:26:29.160 What then? 00:26:30.220 --> 00:26:32.100 Is this world only made 00:26:32.100 --> 00:26:33.319 for those who can somehow 00:26:33.319 --> 00:26:35.019 morph into this weird, 00:26:35.180 --> 00:26:36.340 strange lion-fox thing? 00:26:36.400 --> 00:26:37.340 Does that even exist? 00:26:38.240 --> 00:26:39.360 Is there no place 00:26:39.360 --> 00:26:41.460 for a faithful turtle 00:26:41.460 --> 00:26:42.460 in this world? 00:26:42.940 --> 00:26:43.140 Right? 00:26:43.160 --> 00:26:43.880 A gentle rabbit, 00:26:43.980 --> 00:26:44.740 a limping lamb. 00:26:44.740 --> 00:26:46.259 Is it really not possible 00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:47.460 for the lion and the lamb 00:26:47.460 --> 00:26:48.480 to coexist? 00:26:50.480 --> 00:26:50.839 And listen, 00:26:50.980 --> 00:26:53.180 I'm not anti-hard work 00:26:53.180 --> 00:26:53.700 and diligence. 00:26:53.900 --> 00:26:55.160 I'm not anti-innovation, 00:26:55.319 --> 00:26:56.039 institution building, 00:26:56.120 --> 00:26:57.039 or culture influencing. 00:26:57.220 --> 00:26:57.420 No. 00:26:58.039 --> 00:26:58.720 Cain's descendants 00:26:58.720 --> 00:26:59.799 accomplished what they did 00:26:59.799 --> 00:27:00.940 because even their sin 00:27:00.940 --> 00:27:02.299 couldn't extinguish 00:27:02.299 --> 00:27:04.620 the profound culture-making image 00:27:04.620 --> 00:27:06.200 of God that was within them. 00:27:07.079 --> 00:27:08.180 God wants us 00:27:08.180 --> 00:27:09.079 to pursue excellence 00:27:09.079 --> 00:27:09.940 in our fields, 00:27:10.079 --> 00:27:10.680 at our work. 00:27:10.740 --> 00:27:11.759 He wants us to cultivate 00:27:11.759 --> 00:27:12.799 His creation. 00:27:12.799 --> 00:27:13.839 We were made to work. 00:27:14.740 --> 00:27:15.480 But see, 00:27:15.539 --> 00:27:16.500 the more important question 00:27:16.500 --> 00:27:17.759 is not whether to build, 00:27:17.940 --> 00:27:19.799 it's not whether to build 00:27:19.799 --> 00:27:20.759 and pursue excellence, 00:27:21.059 --> 00:27:22.420 but for whom. 00:27:23.500 --> 00:27:24.400 Who is worthy 00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:25.279 of all our excellence 00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:25.799 and effort? 00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:27.079 And who is worthy 00:27:27.079 --> 00:27:28.079 to rightly order 00:27:28.079 --> 00:27:29.099 and prioritize 00:27:29.099 --> 00:27:30.039 our ambitions, 00:27:30.299 --> 00:27:30.900 our direction, 00:27:31.259 --> 00:27:32.019 and the pace 00:27:32.019 --> 00:27:32.920 of our lives? 00:27:33.920 --> 00:27:35.140 In the final two verses 00:27:35.140 --> 00:27:35.920 of Genesis 4, 00:27:35.980 --> 00:27:36.660 after we've read 00:27:36.660 --> 00:27:37.559 so much about 00:27:37.559 --> 00:27:38.259 the way of Cain 00:27:38.259 --> 00:27:39.660 and all his triumphs 00:27:39.660 --> 00:27:40.539 and accomplishments, 00:27:41.120 --> 00:27:41.839 or as David Brooks 00:27:41.839 --> 00:27:42.400 likes to call them, 00:27:42.400 --> 00:27:43.640 all Cain and his descendants' 00:27:44.180 --> 00:27:45.400 resume virtues, right? 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:46.940 After all of that, 00:27:47.340 --> 00:27:48.400 we find in these final, 00:27:48.540 --> 00:27:49.259 just two verses, 00:27:50.220 --> 00:27:51.259 an alternative legacy, 00:27:52.140 --> 00:27:53.259 an alternative way 00:27:53.259 --> 00:27:54.340 to live that emerges. 00:27:55.600 --> 00:27:56.160 Verse 25, 00:27:56.160 --> 00:27:57.840 Adam made love 00:27:57.840 --> 00:27:58.660 to his wife again, 00:27:59.180 --> 00:27:59.920 and she gave birth 00:27:59.920 --> 00:28:00.480 to a son 00:28:00.480 --> 00:28:01.840 and named him Seth, 00:28:01.940 --> 00:28:02.160 saying, 00:28:02.360 --> 00:28:03.680 God has granted me 00:28:03.680 --> 00:28:04.680 another child 00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:05.600 in place of Abel 00:28:05.600 --> 00:28:06.500 since Cain killed him. 00:28:06.540 --> 00:28:06.880 And notice, 00:28:06.960 --> 00:28:07.480 Eve's tune 00:28:07.480 --> 00:28:08.580 is different. 00:28:09.320 --> 00:28:10.040 It is no longer 00:28:10.040 --> 00:28:11.279 I have brought forth, 00:28:11.660 --> 00:28:12.100 but what? 00:28:12.779 --> 00:28:14.120 God has granted. 00:28:14.820 --> 00:28:15.840 That's what Seth means, 00:28:15.940 --> 00:28:16.300 granted, 00:28:16.700 --> 00:28:17.120 appointed, 00:28:17.259 --> 00:28:18.279 not taken by force 00:28:18.279 --> 00:28:19.540 or achieved by hustle, 00:28:19.640 --> 00:28:21.120 but given by grace. 00:28:22.320 --> 00:28:23.080 Cain's name 00:28:23.080 --> 00:28:24.440 meant I got. 00:28:24.440 --> 00:28:26.460 Seth's name means 00:28:26.460 --> 00:28:27.500 God gave. 00:28:28.680 --> 00:28:29.680 Cain's name points 00:28:29.680 --> 00:28:29.960 and says, 00:28:30.140 --> 00:28:31.059 look what I achieved. 00:28:32.019 --> 00:28:33.019 Seth's name points 00:28:33.019 --> 00:28:33.320 and says, 00:28:33.580 --> 00:28:34.960 look what God granted. 00:28:36.340 --> 00:28:37.299 And verse 26 says, 00:28:37.539 --> 00:28:38.440 Seth also had a son 00:28:38.440 --> 00:28:39.559 and he named him Enosh, 00:28:39.620 --> 00:28:40.900 and Enosh actually means 00:28:40.900 --> 00:28:42.240 weak and frail, 00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:43.140 mortal man, 00:28:43.240 --> 00:28:43.820 very different from 00:28:43.820 --> 00:28:44.720 the high-achieving names 00:28:44.720 --> 00:28:46.080 of Cain and his descendants. 00:28:46.259 --> 00:28:46.720 And yet, 00:28:47.440 --> 00:28:48.500 as unremarkable 00:28:48.500 --> 00:28:49.700 as Enosh may have been, 00:28:50.620 --> 00:28:51.700 verse 26 tells us 00:28:51.700 --> 00:28:52.900 that when Enosh was born, 00:28:53.840 --> 00:28:55.080 it was at that time 00:28:55.080 --> 00:28:56.500 people began 00:28:56.500 --> 00:28:57.799 to call upon 00:28:57.799 --> 00:28:59.039 the name of the Lord. 00:29:00.220 --> 00:29:00.519 And see, 00:29:00.620 --> 00:29:01.360 this is the beginning 00:29:01.360 --> 00:29:02.759 of another way, 00:29:03.240 --> 00:29:04.279 a different way, 00:29:04.360 --> 00:29:04.799 not the way 00:29:04.799 --> 00:29:05.460 of acquiring, 00:29:05.920 --> 00:29:06.279 building, 00:29:06.680 --> 00:29:07.200 dominating, 00:29:07.720 --> 00:29:08.880 but the way 00:29:08.880 --> 00:29:09.480 of receiving, 00:29:10.380 --> 00:29:10.819 depending, 00:29:11.600 --> 00:29:12.220 and calling, 00:29:13.259 --> 00:29:14.059 the way 00:29:14.059 --> 00:29:15.180 that will eventually lead 00:29:15.180 --> 00:29:15.960 not to Babel, 00:29:16.620 --> 00:29:17.600 but to Bethlehem. 00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:20.079 No city is mentioned here, 00:29:20.159 --> 00:29:20.699 no empire, 00:29:20.879 --> 00:29:22.059 no long resume 00:29:22.059 --> 00:29:23.219 padded with innovative 00:29:23.219 --> 00:29:24.059 achievements. 00:29:24.679 --> 00:29:24.839 Sure, 00:29:24.919 --> 00:29:26.079 Cain built a proud city 00:29:26.079 --> 00:29:26.939 he could call upon 00:29:26.939 --> 00:29:28.259 and name after himself. 00:29:28.980 --> 00:29:29.500 But here, 00:29:29.619 --> 00:29:30.439 all we're told about 00:29:30.439 --> 00:29:31.219 Seth's people 00:29:31.219 --> 00:29:32.619 is that they called upon 00:29:32.619 --> 00:29:33.399 the name of the Lord. 00:29:34.279 --> 00:29:34.779 That's it. 00:29:36.039 --> 00:29:36.399 And yet, 00:29:36.480 --> 00:29:37.539 this is the very people 00:29:37.539 --> 00:29:39.059 that God would use 00:29:39.059 --> 00:29:40.219 to save the world. 00:29:40.759 --> 00:29:41.579 The line from which 00:29:41.579 --> 00:29:43.199 another Lamech would come, 00:29:43.439 --> 00:29:44.299 the father of Noah, 00:29:44.419 --> 00:29:45.259 the father of Shem, 00:29:45.339 --> 00:29:46.339 from whom Jesus, 00:29:46.339 --> 00:29:47.240 the Messiah, 00:29:47.539 --> 00:29:47.879 would come. 00:29:47.939 --> 00:29:49.119 And not just any Messiah, 00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:49.919 but the way, 00:29:50.199 --> 00:29:50.639 the truth, 00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:51.319 and the life, 00:29:51.379 --> 00:29:52.099 and what a uniquely 00:29:52.099 --> 00:29:52.899 beautiful way 00:29:52.899 --> 00:29:53.879 he has shown us. 00:29:54.639 --> 00:29:54.779 See, 00:29:54.859 --> 00:29:55.799 while Cain's descendants 00:29:55.799 --> 00:29:56.679 toiled to build 00:29:56.679 --> 00:29:57.799 themselves cities 00:29:57.799 --> 00:29:59.740 to secure their own survival, 00:29:59.959 --> 00:30:00.539 and these cities 00:30:00.539 --> 00:30:01.619 lasted maybe a generation 00:30:01.619 --> 00:30:02.199 or so, 00:30:02.459 --> 00:30:03.159 always eventually 00:30:03.159 --> 00:30:04.000 finding themselves 00:30:04.000 --> 00:30:05.079 either being threatened 00:30:05.079 --> 00:30:06.519 or threatening others, 00:30:07.419 --> 00:30:08.199 Jesus says, 00:30:08.559 --> 00:30:10.220 I go to prepare 00:30:10.220 --> 00:30:11.939 a place for you. 00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:13.859 A new heaven 00:30:13.859 --> 00:30:15.379 and a new earth, 00:30:15.380 --> 00:30:16.800 an imperishable 00:30:16.800 --> 00:30:17.200 inheritance 00:30:17.200 --> 00:30:18.380 with renewed access 00:30:18.380 --> 00:30:19.160 to the tree of life 00:30:19.160 --> 00:30:19.880 where there is healing 00:30:19.880 --> 00:30:21.040 for all the nations 00:30:21.040 --> 00:30:22.200 and no more tears 00:30:22.200 --> 00:30:22.740 forever. 00:30:23.980 --> 00:30:25.100 In the kingdoms of Cain, 00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:25.860 there are pledges 00:30:25.860 --> 00:30:27.840 of 77-fold vengeance 00:30:27.840 --> 00:30:29.240 upon their enemies. 00:30:30.240 --> 00:30:31.000 But Jesus says, 00:30:31.380 --> 00:30:32.100 not in my kingdom. 00:30:32.740 --> 00:30:33.380 In my kingdom, 00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:34.220 you shall forgive 00:30:34.220 --> 00:30:34.840 your enemies 00:30:34.840 --> 00:30:36.500 77 times. 00:30:37.300 --> 00:30:38.080 For while the blood 00:30:38.080 --> 00:30:38.720 of Abel 00:30:38.720 --> 00:30:40.100 cried out to God 00:30:40.100 --> 00:30:41.240 a word of accusation, 00:30:41.320 --> 00:30:42.020 the blood of Jesus 00:30:42.020 --> 00:30:43.080 speaks a better word 00:30:43.080 --> 00:30:44.060 of atonement. 00:30:44.059 --> 00:30:45.639 And while the way 00:30:45.639 --> 00:30:46.519 of Cain might sing, 00:30:46.639 --> 00:30:47.279 I'm a lion 00:30:47.279 --> 00:30:48.899 and I've slain a lamb, 00:30:49.819 --> 00:30:50.759 in the way of Christ 00:30:50.759 --> 00:30:51.619 we sing of a lion 00:30:51.619 --> 00:30:52.539 who is the lamb, 00:30:53.299 --> 00:30:54.440 slain in our place 00:30:54.440 --> 00:30:55.799 and yet raised, 00:30:56.179 --> 00:30:56.559 exalted, 00:30:56.740 --> 00:30:57.200 and worthy 00:30:57.200 --> 00:30:58.240 of our worship. 00:30:58.839 --> 00:30:59.859 And this is the gospel. 00:31:00.599 --> 00:31:01.700 This is the good news. 00:31:02.019 --> 00:31:02.659 This is the core 00:31:02.659 --> 00:31:03.460 of the Christian faith. 00:31:03.559 --> 00:31:04.519 This is the only way 00:31:04.519 --> 00:31:05.839 we will ever be 00:31:05.839 --> 00:31:07.240 our brother's keepers. 00:31:07.980 --> 00:31:08.740 This is the only way 00:31:08.740 --> 00:31:09.519 we will ever experience 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:10.200 the security 00:31:10.200 --> 00:31:10.700 that Cain 00:31:10.700 --> 00:31:11.879 and his descendants 00:31:11.879 --> 00:31:12.679 thought that they were 00:31:12.680 --> 00:31:14.240 achieving for themselves 00:31:14.240 --> 00:31:15.560 by building their cities. 00:31:17.400 --> 00:31:18.700 Not by the way of Cain. 00:31:19.740 --> 00:31:20.920 Not by the way of Cain, 00:31:21.060 --> 00:31:21.940 but by calling upon 00:31:21.940 --> 00:31:22.580 the name of the Lord. 00:31:22.680 --> 00:31:23.140 This is the way 00:31:23.140 --> 00:31:23.940 he wants for us. 00:31:24.180 --> 00:31:25.100 For everyone who calls 00:31:25.100 --> 00:31:25.820 on the name of the Lord 00:31:25.820 --> 00:31:26.320 shall what? 00:31:26.799 --> 00:31:28.539 Shall be saved. 00:31:29.240 --> 00:31:30.160 That's the legacy 00:31:30.160 --> 00:31:31.560 of Seth's line. 00:31:32.240 --> 00:31:32.980 Nothing flashy, 00:31:33.460 --> 00:31:34.060 nothing impressive 00:31:34.060 --> 00:31:34.779 by the standards 00:31:34.779 --> 00:31:35.360 of this world, 00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:36.320 but most importantly, 00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:37.560 it's a return 00:31:37.560 --> 00:31:38.600 to a relationship 00:31:38.600 --> 00:31:39.480 with God. 00:31:40.100 --> 00:31:41.480 A life unremarkable 00:31:41.480 --> 00:31:42.519 by most standards, 00:31:42.940 --> 00:31:44.039 but unmistakably 00:31:44.039 --> 00:31:44.620 set apart 00:31:44.620 --> 00:31:45.440 by its commitment 00:31:45.440 --> 00:31:47.299 to calling upon 00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:48.279 the name of the Lord. 00:31:49.319 --> 00:31:50.380 So the question for us 00:31:50.380 --> 00:31:51.099 is what do we want 00:31:51.099 --> 00:31:52.039 our legacy to be? 00:31:52.559 --> 00:31:53.839 The legacy of our children. 00:31:54.039 --> 00:31:54.960 What way will we walk 00:31:54.960 --> 00:31:55.460 to get there? 00:31:55.519 --> 00:31:56.519 The legacy of Cain 00:31:56.519 --> 00:31:57.759 or the legacy of Seth? 00:31:57.880 --> 00:31:58.620 The way of Cain 00:31:58.620 --> 00:31:59.460 or the way of Christ? 00:31:59.539 --> 00:32:00.259 The way of striving 00:32:00.259 --> 00:32:01.240 or the way of calling 00:32:01.240 --> 00:32:02.720 upon the name of the Lord? 00:32:03.799 --> 00:32:04.000 Christchurch, 00:32:04.099 --> 00:32:05.180 you know we joke here 00:32:05.180 --> 00:32:06.200 at Christchurch a lot, 00:32:06.259 --> 00:32:07.440 maybe even humble brag, 00:32:07.839 --> 00:32:08.779 about how educated 00:32:08.779 --> 00:32:10.339 and how high achieving 00:32:10.339 --> 00:32:11.399 everyone in this church 00:32:11.399 --> 00:32:11.980 is, right? 00:32:13.039 --> 00:32:13.799 But what if God 00:32:13.799 --> 00:32:14.439 is calling us, 00:32:14.500 --> 00:32:15.659 regardless of how nice 00:32:15.659 --> 00:32:16.679 our resumes look, 00:32:17.059 --> 00:32:18.359 what if God is calling us 00:32:18.359 --> 00:32:19.659 to a different distinctive, 00:32:19.839 --> 00:32:20.899 not as a wealthy church, 00:32:20.980 --> 00:32:21.579 not as a smart 00:32:21.579 --> 00:32:22.500 and thoughtful church, 00:32:22.720 --> 00:32:23.379 not as a church 00:32:23.379 --> 00:32:24.500 with good preaching 00:32:24.500 --> 00:32:25.259 or whatever, 00:32:25.419 --> 00:32:26.959 but as a praying church, 00:32:27.819 --> 00:32:28.899 as a church that's known 00:32:28.899 --> 00:32:30.039 for calling upon 00:32:30.039 --> 00:32:30.959 the name of the Lord? 00:32:32.199 --> 00:32:33.240 Are our households 00:32:33.240 --> 00:32:34.220 places of prayer? 00:32:34.980 --> 00:32:36.220 Are our community groups? 00:32:37.179 --> 00:32:38.039 In the coming weeks, 00:32:38.079 --> 00:32:38.439 you're going to hear 00:32:38.439 --> 00:32:39.539 from Truba and Josh 00:32:39.539 --> 00:32:40.180 about how we hope 00:32:40.180 --> 00:32:42.119 to expand our prayer ministries here 00:32:42.119 --> 00:32:43.720 beyond our pre-service 00:32:43.720 --> 00:32:44.599 boiler room prayer 00:32:44.599 --> 00:32:45.440 on Sunday mornings 00:32:45.440 --> 00:32:46.379 and beyond our 00:32:46.379 --> 00:32:47.139 second Wednesday 00:32:47.139 --> 00:32:48.440 prayer meetings every month. 00:32:48.599 --> 00:32:49.299 You're going to hear more 00:32:49.299 --> 00:32:50.059 about how we hope 00:32:50.059 --> 00:32:51.220 to be a praying church. 00:32:51.539 --> 00:32:52.339 But that's the question, 00:32:52.460 --> 00:32:53.259 do we hope to be? 00:32:54.119 --> 00:32:54.879 Do we want to be 00:32:54.879 --> 00:32:55.339 a praying church? 00:32:55.420 --> 00:32:56.240 Do we want our legacy 00:32:56.240 --> 00:32:57.920 to be that we called 00:32:57.920 --> 00:32:59.019 upon the name of the Lord? 00:33:00.579 --> 00:33:00.839 You know, 00:33:00.879 --> 00:33:01.659 near the end of his life, 00:33:01.740 --> 00:33:03.159 my all-time favorite preacher 00:33:03.159 --> 00:33:03.799 and thinker, 00:33:03.879 --> 00:33:04.279 Tim Keller, 00:33:04.700 --> 00:33:05.819 he was asked in an interview, 00:33:05.819 --> 00:33:07.740 looking back on 50 years 00:33:07.740 --> 00:33:08.399 of your ministry, 00:33:08.819 --> 00:33:09.679 what do you regret? 00:33:10.079 --> 00:33:10.779 What do you wish 00:33:10.779 --> 00:33:11.619 you had done differently? 00:33:12.279 --> 00:33:13.500 And without hesitation, 00:33:13.679 --> 00:33:13.960 he said, 00:33:14.019 --> 00:33:14.759 oh, that's easy. 00:33:15.579 --> 00:33:16.799 I wish I prayed more. 00:33:18.240 --> 00:33:19.740 And that's changing my life. 00:33:20.460 --> 00:33:21.679 That's changing how I'm planning 00:33:21.679 --> 00:33:22.879 to pastor you. 00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:24.700 of all the things 00:33:24.700 --> 00:33:25.580 that he could have said 00:33:25.580 --> 00:33:27.380 after leading a more fruitful, 00:33:27.800 --> 00:33:29.080 more impactful ministry 00:33:29.080 --> 00:33:30.200 than I would ever dream 00:33:30.200 --> 00:33:30.960 of having. 00:33:32.100 --> 00:33:33.460 Keller's one regret 00:33:33.460 --> 00:33:35.200 was not preaching more, 00:33:35.340 --> 00:33:35.820 writing more, 00:33:35.920 --> 00:33:36.500 building more, 00:33:37.420 --> 00:33:38.880 but not praying more. 00:33:40.040 --> 00:33:41.060 And if we're honest, 00:33:41.160 --> 00:33:42.540 that probably sounds so strange 00:33:42.540 --> 00:33:43.300 because doesn't prayer 00:33:43.300 --> 00:33:45.040 just feel so inefficient 00:33:45.040 --> 00:33:47.220 and ineffective, right? 00:33:47.720 --> 00:33:48.820 Especially here in the Bay Area 00:33:48.820 --> 00:33:49.660 where we're constantly 00:33:49.660 --> 00:33:50.760 being told that the hope 00:33:50.760 --> 00:33:52.080 of the world is artificial, 00:33:52.079 --> 00:33:52.919 artificial innovation 00:33:52.919 --> 00:33:53.740 and technology 00:33:53.740 --> 00:33:54.480 and production, 00:33:54.779 --> 00:33:55.899 if we can just move faster, 00:33:56.059 --> 00:33:56.599 scale bigger, 00:33:56.720 --> 00:33:57.319 produce more, 00:33:57.500 --> 00:33:58.179 we'll be safe, 00:33:58.419 --> 00:33:59.480 secure, and successful. 00:34:00.460 --> 00:34:01.439 But will we? 00:34:02.679 --> 00:34:03.419 Do you know what else 00:34:03.419 --> 00:34:04.599 relentlessly scales 00:34:04.599 --> 00:34:05.199 and advances 00:34:05.199 --> 00:34:06.279 to achieve dominion? 00:34:07.379 --> 00:34:07.899 Cancer. 00:34:09.079 --> 00:34:10.259 And that's the way of Cain. 00:34:10.900 --> 00:34:11.539 Sure, growth. 00:34:11.719 --> 00:34:12.460 Sure, expansion. 00:34:12.599 --> 00:34:13.400 But always restless, 00:34:13.840 --> 00:34:14.239 consuming, 00:34:14.500 --> 00:34:15.139 and devouring. 00:34:16.400 --> 00:34:17.420 So what if God 00:34:17.420 --> 00:34:18.460 is calling us away 00:34:18.460 --> 00:34:19.900 from cancerous production 00:34:19.900 --> 00:34:21.599 and into the slower, 00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:22.260 steadier, 00:34:22.380 --> 00:34:23.440 more life-giving way 00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:24.619 of the tree? 00:34:25.880 --> 00:34:26.240 Rooted, 00:34:27.139 --> 00:34:27.579 stable, 00:34:28.360 --> 00:34:28.680 enduring, 00:34:29.220 --> 00:34:30.380 like that old redwood 00:34:30.380 --> 00:34:30.760 in Oakland, 00:34:30.840 --> 00:34:31.420 old survivor, 00:34:31.539 --> 00:34:32.579 not impressive enough 00:34:32.579 --> 00:34:33.740 to have been chosen 00:34:33.740 --> 00:34:34.579 and cut down 00:34:34.579 --> 00:34:35.460 during the gold rush, 00:34:35.680 --> 00:34:36.500 but the only one 00:34:36.500 --> 00:34:37.099 left standing 00:34:37.099 --> 00:34:38.440 500 years later. 00:34:38.680 --> 00:34:40.240 Not because it produced more, 00:34:40.920 --> 00:34:42.019 but because it stayed rooted. 00:34:42.980 --> 00:34:44.400 Because it committed itself 00:34:44.400 --> 00:34:45.079 to a practice 00:34:45.079 --> 00:34:46.039 that no one would see, 00:34:46.599 --> 00:34:46.880 measure, 00:34:46.880 --> 00:34:47.820 or celebrate. 00:34:48.119 --> 00:34:48.980 Simply centuries 00:34:48.980 --> 00:34:50.280 of seeking its roots 00:34:50.280 --> 00:34:51.640 deeper and deeper 00:34:51.640 --> 00:34:52.640 underneath the ground, 00:34:53.000 --> 00:34:54.220 abiding in its source 00:34:54.220 --> 00:34:55.000 of life. 00:34:56.140 --> 00:34:57.960 See, that's what prayer is. 00:34:58.599 --> 00:34:59.440 That's what it means 00:34:59.440 --> 00:35:00.920 to call upon the name 00:35:00.920 --> 00:35:01.579 of the Lord. 00:35:01.640 --> 00:35:02.140 It's the shift 00:35:02.140 --> 00:35:02.900 from technique 00:35:02.900 --> 00:35:03.700 to trust, 00:35:04.180 --> 00:35:04.780 from skill 00:35:04.780 --> 00:35:05.680 to supplication, 00:35:05.780 --> 00:35:06.340 from striving 00:35:06.340 --> 00:35:07.220 to surrender. 00:35:08.579 --> 00:35:09.320 So contrary 00:35:09.320 --> 00:35:10.019 to what Cain 00:35:10.019 --> 00:35:10.860 and all his descendants 00:35:10.860 --> 00:35:11.380 after him 00:35:11.380 --> 00:35:12.240 would preach to us 00:35:12.240 --> 00:35:13.420 about what it takes 00:35:13.420 --> 00:35:14.380 and what it looks like 00:35:14.380 --> 00:35:14.860 to flourish 00:35:14.860 --> 00:35:15.820 as human beings, 00:35:15.820 --> 00:35:17.160 contrary to what 00:35:17.160 --> 00:35:18.120 I often want to preach 00:35:18.120 --> 00:35:18.640 to my girls 00:35:18.640 --> 00:35:20.039 about how they better hustle, 00:35:20.380 --> 00:35:20.960 you better grind, 00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:21.480 you better fight 00:35:21.480 --> 00:35:22.180 to get to the top 00:35:22.180 --> 00:35:23.100 by any means possible 00:35:23.100 --> 00:35:23.900 or else, right? 00:35:24.080 --> 00:35:24.800 Or else no one 00:35:24.800 --> 00:35:25.700 will ever call upon 00:35:25.700 --> 00:35:26.500 their names 00:35:26.500 --> 00:35:27.160 with respect 00:35:27.160 --> 00:35:27.920 and recognition 00:35:27.920 --> 00:35:29.039 for all their achievements. 00:35:30.320 --> 00:35:31.380 The Holy Spirit 00:35:31.380 --> 00:35:32.220 speaking to us 00:35:32.220 --> 00:35:33.220 from Genesis chapter 4 00:35:33.220 --> 00:35:33.760 this morning 00:35:33.760 --> 00:35:34.920 has a better word 00:35:34.920 --> 00:35:35.500 for us 00:35:35.500 --> 00:35:37.080 and for our children. 00:35:38.180 --> 00:35:39.400 That the kind of people 00:35:39.400 --> 00:35:40.200 God's eye 00:35:40.200 --> 00:35:41.320 and favor are upon, 00:35:42.200 --> 00:35:43.240 the kind of people 00:35:43.239 --> 00:35:44.199 among whom 00:35:44.199 --> 00:35:45.299 he has chosen 00:35:45.299 --> 00:35:45.819 to dwell, 00:35:46.399 --> 00:35:47.339 the kind of people 00:35:47.339 --> 00:35:47.939 whom God 00:35:47.939 --> 00:35:48.859 will use 00:35:48.859 --> 00:35:50.139 to change the world, 00:35:51.219 --> 00:35:51.899 are those 00:35:51.899 --> 00:35:52.659 who call 00:35:52.659 --> 00:35:53.659 upon the name 00:35:53.659 --> 00:35:54.539 of the Lord. 00:35:55.539 --> 00:35:56.259 Let's pray. 00:36:02.259 --> 00:36:03.379 That's our simple prayer, 00:36:03.519 --> 00:36:03.959 Lord God, 00:36:04.819 --> 00:36:05.659 that we'd be 00:36:05.659 --> 00:36:06.579 a people of prayer, 00:36:07.559 --> 00:36:08.719 prayer over production, 00:36:08.719 --> 00:36:11.699 that you would 00:36:11.699 --> 00:36:12.359 bring us 00:36:12.359 --> 00:36:13.059 to our knees 00:36:13.059 --> 00:36:14.799 in dependence 00:36:14.799 --> 00:36:15.459 upon you, 00:36:16.679 --> 00:36:17.519 that you would 00:36:17.519 --> 00:36:17.980 wipe away 00:36:17.980 --> 00:36:19.439 all our preoccupations 00:36:19.439 --> 00:36:20.819 with our resume 00:36:20.819 --> 00:36:21.299 virtues, 00:36:22.099 --> 00:36:23.619 and that you would 00:36:23.619 --> 00:36:24.199 make it beautiful 00:36:24.199 --> 00:36:24.699 to us 00:36:24.699 --> 00:36:25.219 to pursue 00:36:25.219 --> 00:36:25.819 a legacy 00:36:25.819 --> 00:36:27.279 in which 00:36:27.279 --> 00:36:28.099 all we are known 00:36:28.099 --> 00:36:28.500 for 00:36:28.500 --> 00:36:30.139 is calling upon 00:36:30.139 --> 00:36:30.480 the name 00:36:30.480 --> 00:36:30.980 of the Lord 00:36:30.980 --> 00:36:33.139 and therefore 00:36:33.139 --> 00:36:33.879 being the people 00:36:33.879 --> 00:36:35.139 who you will use 00:36:35.139 --> 00:36:36.839 to transform 00:36:36.839 --> 00:36:37.419 this world. 00:36:37.420 --> 00:36:39.200 We pray this 00:36:39.200 --> 00:36:39.500 in the name 00:36:39.500 --> 00:36:39.920 of Jesus. 00:36:40.639 --> 00:36:40.940 Amen.