WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.419 whole Bible is how Jesus read the Bible. He understood that the Old Testament represents 00:00:08.419 --> 00:00:16.100 God's promise, and Jesus' coming represents fulfillment. We sometimes talk about the 00:00:16.100 --> 00:00:21.679 Emmaus Road principle. Jesus, after His resurrection, explained from all Scripture 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:29.620 that Jesus had to suffer and had to die for the sake of God's promise of salvation. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:37.520 So we understand as we read our Bibles that every theme we encounter, every figure we meet, 00:00:37.659 --> 00:00:43.759 every image that is presented, every story of life through death, of victory through weakness, 00:00:44.019 --> 00:00:52.799 in some way or another, is a signpost to Jesus. And so that's what we're going to be looking for 00:00:52.799 --> 00:00:58.280 and looking at, and I hope that we'll learn together to see Jesus in all Scripture, that it'll help us 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:03.620 as we read the Bible for ourselves, it'll help us as we come to worship. And we're going to begin 00:01:03.620 --> 00:01:10.340 with one of those human origin stories. There is a great fondness these days for origin stories. 00:01:10.340 --> 00:01:18.680 Well, here we have the origin story of humanity, because we're taken back to the very first 00:01:18.680 --> 00:01:27.079 family, and especially we're going to think about the first children born to Adam and to Eve. And as 00:01:27.079 --> 00:01:34.000 we do so, as we remember that Genesis is all about beginnings, we need to recognize that this 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:42.620 represents the beginnings, the genetic code for all of humanity. As we together trace our family tree back 00:01:42.620 --> 00:01:54.599 here, it will explain much about who are we, why is the world the way it is? But it'll also help us 00:01:54.599 --> 00:02:02.000 to answer the question, is there hope to be found? So we're going to think about this story as it 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:08.639 centers on some key themes. And the first thing we need to recognize is the seriousness of sin. 00:02:09.879 --> 00:02:15.979 Now, we're going to see its nature and effects played out in this family story. We're also going 00:02:15.979 --> 00:02:22.620 to think about the sweetness of God in the way that He deals with sinners, in the way He's ready to 00:02:22.620 --> 00:02:29.560 extend mercy. And we're going to think about the significance of sacrifice, pointers to God's 00:02:29.560 --> 00:02:34.560 grace and salvation. And as we do so, we'll see that all of these themes connect us to the person 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:41.939 and work of the Lord Jesus. But we begin with the seriousness of sin, and that word picture, 00:02:42.300 --> 00:02:49.240 that vivid picture, that in some ways terrifying picture that we find in verse 7. As God comes to 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:57.300 speak to Cain, He says, if you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is 00:02:57.300 --> 00:03:08.700 right, sin is crouching at your door. It desires to have you. And the picture that God gives is of sin 00:03:08.700 --> 00:03:19.140 as a predator, like a wildcat. Think of a leopard or a lion. So our very basic point is that sin is a 00:03:19.139 --> 00:03:29.559 savage, destructive force. It is not harmless. It is not a minor issue. It is not something we should 00:03:29.559 --> 00:03:38.219 freely disregard. And in verse 7, we discover two things about sin. There's two aspects to this 00:03:38.219 --> 00:03:47.219 picture. First, the tendency of sin to hide. You know, it crouches down. You know, maybe you've either, 00:03:47.219 --> 00:03:52.139 if you've got a cat, maybe you've watched a cat stalk a bird, or otherwise, think of David Attenborough 00:03:52.139 --> 00:03:59.879 nature documentaries. Think of the leopard stalking the gazelle. The first thing that happens is it gets 00:03:59.879 --> 00:04:06.800 out of sight, and it hides in the tall grass until it is poised to strike. So we need to think about the 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:12.919 fact that sin hides, but we also need to think about the fact that sin is powerful. It desires to 00:04:12.919 --> 00:04:21.579 have you. It desires to make a victim of us. But let's begin thinking about the hiddenness of sin, 00:04:22.379 --> 00:04:28.800 and think about the story that we have just heard. It's a story of two brothers, Cain and Abel, 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:35.379 working two different jobs. One is a farmer, one is a shepherd, and the time comes when they bring two 00:04:35.379 --> 00:04:45.360 offerings to God. Cain brings fruit. Abel brings fat portions from the firstborn of his flock. 00:04:46.019 --> 00:04:51.219 And at that point, as we begin to see a difference there, we see a distinct difference, don't we, 00:04:51.219 --> 00:05:02.219 in God's different responses. Towards Abel, God shows favor. Hebrews 11 tells us that's because Abel 00:05:02.220 --> 00:05:12.060 came with faith. Towards Cain, there is no favor. And as the story proceeds, we understand that's 00:05:12.060 --> 00:05:18.360 because his heart is wrong. It may also be, and we'll think about this, that his sacrifice is wrong. 00:05:20.840 --> 00:05:32.080 And we see the truth that sin hides in Cain's life, and God wants to expose it. We recognize 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:41.379 don't we, the jealousy in his heart, because God has accepted his brother's sacrifice and not his. 00:05:42.139 --> 00:05:52.919 We see the anger that hides in his heart, the pride that is there. God should have accepted my offering 00:05:52.920 --> 00:06:04.020 also. But sin serves to hide. It gets low so that Cain doesn't recognize its destructive power. 00:06:05.920 --> 00:06:11.280 Perhaps we can identify with that. Tending to minimize sin, it's no big deal. 00:06:12.860 --> 00:06:19.660 I can control sin. But what do we see in Cain? We see all the while he's being consumed by it. It's 00:06:19.660 --> 00:06:27.820 eating him up from the inside. The jaws of sin are locked around him, and it will lead him to murder 00:06:27.820 --> 00:06:40.600 his own brother. There's a question that we need to ask ourselves. How does sin hide in my life? 00:06:40.600 --> 00:06:48.520 Can I identify the sins that lurk outside my door, ready to pounce and destroy? 00:06:51.180 --> 00:06:53.320 Sin will always hide. 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:58.680 Like Cain, you know, deep down we're jealous of someone. 00:07:00.480 --> 00:07:03.400 But we tell ourselves, don't worry, it's under control. 00:07:03.399 --> 00:07:12.659 We can be bitter about the success others have. And we fail to see the impact that that is having 00:07:12.659 --> 00:07:20.359 on how we treat other people. We can be angry, just flat out angry about the way that our life 00:07:20.359 --> 00:07:30.620 is turning out, but we can justify those feelings. And all the while, sin hide like a predator ready 00:07:30.620 --> 00:07:36.379 to pounce. I've mentioned it before that when we were in South Africa a number of years ago, 00:07:36.660 --> 00:07:44.079 we had the opportunity to go into a cage and to play with baby lions. When a lion is six weeks old, 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:49.959 that's just good fun. But none of us, I don't think, would dream of going into that cage when the lion is 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:59.079 full grown. Our sin is not a play thing. It's a predator. And it hides, but it also 00:07:59.079 --> 00:08:04.680 is powerful. How does the story of Cain show to us the power of sin? 00:08:06.300 --> 00:08:10.759 This origin story is really revealing. It can help to detect patterns of sin. First of all, 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:17.620 even with his own mother, we can understand that sin will always tend to devalue God. 00:08:17.620 --> 00:08:22.060 If you listen to the way Eve speaks in verse 1, 00:08:22.060 --> 00:08:30.660 with the help of the Lord, I have brought forth a man. The most significant party in Eve's mind is 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:38.059 Eve herself. We know that because the language is very different in verse 25, where when she has 00:08:38.059 --> 00:08:46.419 another son, she says, God has granted me. Cindy values God. That's part of the power of sin, 00:08:46.419 --> 00:08:55.779 to strive towards independence of God. That pull to be our own God, to decide our own values. And it's 00:08:55.779 --> 00:09:02.099 what we see with Cain also, as he ignores and devalues God's word of warning. So sin devalues 00:09:02.099 --> 00:09:10.839 God. Sin also just flat out disobeys God. I think that's what we see with the sacrifice. You know, 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:15.780 the fat portions versus the fruit, and we get the different reactions. So Abel has favor. 00:09:18.700 --> 00:09:27.800 If we were to go back to Genesis chapter 3 and to verse 21, we would see something that God does 00:09:27.800 --> 00:09:31.899 for Adam and Eve. After they fall into sin and they feel a sense of shame, 00:09:31.899 --> 00:09:44.559 God has them clothed with animal skins. So there is sacrifice that covers over sin and shame. And it 00:09:44.559 --> 00:09:52.539 seems likely that from that point, God has now established a principle for sacrifice. When we sin, 00:09:53.039 --> 00:10:00.980 we need blood to cover over for mercy to be found. So either that's what's happened, or it becomes clear 00:10:00.980 --> 00:10:05.700 to Cain when he brings his offering of fruit that God in effect says, it's not fruit I want, it's a lamb. 00:10:06.180 --> 00:10:13.259 So he knows what he should do, but sin's power pulls him to disobedience. 00:10:14.060 --> 00:10:21.240 Something of the power of sin to pull us into forbidden territory. We know what God teaches, 00:10:21.899 --> 00:10:30.800 but we enter into those no-go zones. Sin pulls us to break God's law, causes us to disobey. 00:10:30.980 --> 00:10:40.480 We also see the power of sin in that sin destroys. Verse 8, as Cain said to his brother Abel, 00:10:40.560 --> 00:10:47.000 let's go out to the field. And there in cold blood attacks his brother and kills his brother. God's 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:55.779 warning is ignored, and what happens to Cain? Cain himself becomes the predator, and righteous Abel is 00:10:55.779 --> 00:11:03.199 struck down in cold blood. We have the first murder. But we have already seen in the story of this family 00:11:03.199 --> 00:11:10.500 sin's power to cause destruction, to cause breakdown. In chapter 3, when Adam and Eve fell into sin, 00:11:10.759 --> 00:11:17.899 we saw the breakdown of the relationship between people and creation. Instead of the garden producing 00:11:17.899 --> 00:11:21.559 fruit, they don't get to live in the garden and the ground will produce thorns and thistles. 00:11:21.559 --> 00:11:27.500 There is breakdown in the first marriage relationship as they blame one another and they start fighting. 00:11:27.839 --> 00:11:32.699 And there is a breakdown in the relationship with God because of sin. When God, as it were, 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:43.179 comes to talk with them, they run and hide. And here we see further breakdown. This is what sin does. 00:11:43.179 --> 00:11:55.779 Sin's power also lies in the fact that it deceives. Verse 9, the Lord said to Cain, 00:11:55.879 --> 00:12:01.179 where is your brother Abel? I don't know, he replied, am I my brother's keeper? 00:12:02.719 --> 00:12:08.019 When God comes and asks the question, where is your brother? It is not from a lack of information. 00:12:08.019 --> 00:12:14.299 God knows everything. God knows exactly what's happened. God is giving Cain an opportunity to 00:12:14.299 --> 00:12:22.960 confess sin. But just like his mother and his father, he tried to cover up. He lies to cover up. 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:31.840 He refuses to accept responsibility. And so, in just a few short verses, we see the awful effects of sin 00:12:31.840 --> 00:12:42.519 being revealed. We have one brother Abel lying dead in the dust, and we have one brother Cain lying to God's 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:53.720 face in open rebellion. Sin is a predator. Cain and Abel's story is part of our origin story. 00:12:53.720 --> 00:13:00.920 It helps us to explore both the origin of sin, but also to see its deadly effect on our lives. 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:08.279 Knowing this is true, what is it that you and I need? If you go back to verse 7, 00:13:09.279 --> 00:13:18.000 as God comes and warns Cain about this predator sin, he says at the end, but you must rule over it. 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:26.259 You must rule over sin. How can we in our lives seek to rule over sin? The first thing, it begins 00:13:26.259 --> 00:13:35.740 with a posture. It begins with an alertness that we need to be on guard to take seriously the danger 00:13:35.740 --> 00:13:41.240 of sin, to understand that the truth that it will always seek to hide and make itself seem small. 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:49.139 We need to be aware personally of both the external forms of temptation and the internal forms of 00:13:49.139 --> 00:13:56.200 temptation that are unique to you and to me. So, we must be on guard, and we must also listen to God's 00:13:56.200 --> 00:14:03.639 Word. This was Cain's failure. He heard God's Word, and he ignored it. But as we are exposed to God's Word, 00:14:03.639 --> 00:14:10.379 it's as if God's Word would shine a light on the danger that is there before us. 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:19.659 And so, we need to expose our hearts and our wills to the truth of God's Word, to know how He wants us 00:14:19.659 --> 00:14:25.699 to live. And in part, that means coming to church so we hear. It means reading the Bible. It means 00:14:25.699 --> 00:14:30.799 listening to our brothers and sisters in Christ as we would seek to share God's Word with one another. 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:39.419 And we need to pray. Jesus taught us to pray, lead us not into temptation. And Jesus taught us to pray, 00:14:39.539 --> 00:14:49.759 to confess our sin and find forgiveness. Well, if that's the seriousness of sin, the next thing that 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:58.299 we need to consider is the remarkable sweetness of God in this story. It's a remarkable pattern in the 00:14:58.299 --> 00:15:03.819 first family story. Genesis 3 and Genesis 4 in some ways represent mirror images of one another. 00:15:04.379 --> 00:15:11.059 And in both of these stories, God comes to rebels, people who have said no to Him and His Word, 00:15:11.240 --> 00:15:19.059 and He brings judgment. But it's a judgment mixed with mercy. Genesis 3, Adam and Eve, 00:15:19.059 --> 00:15:26.019 they reject God's rule. They reject God's rule. They disobey God's Word. They mistrust God's motive. 00:15:26.159 --> 00:15:36.419 They question His generosity. And when they sin, they don't cry in confession. They don't seem to plead. 00:15:37.759 --> 00:15:47.079 But God comes calling. In Genesis 3, 15, God gives that wonderful gospel promise that one of their seed, 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:54.920 one of their family would come and go into the battle against evil and would win a decisive victory, 00:15:55.240 --> 00:16:01.180 that he would be bruised, but he would win that crushing victory. And as we said, 00:16:01.680 --> 00:16:11.320 God graciously provided those animal skins to cover their shame. That's how Adam and Eve experienced 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:18.120 something of the sweetness of God's justice mixed with mercy. Now in God's dealing with Cain, notice two 00:16:18.120 --> 00:16:31.420 things. First, notice that God comes as a counselor. Verses 6 and 7, He intervenes early. As soon as He 00:16:31.420 --> 00:16:38.320 recognizes this anger that begins to boil up in Cain as He sees His face downcast, a sense of 00:16:38.320 --> 00:16:48.300 spiritual depression. God is not rubbing His hands waiting for Cain to fail. Rather, He comes early, 00:16:49.840 --> 00:16:57.760 bringing warning because He loves him. And He speaks gently. Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 00:16:57.780 --> 00:17:02.840 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? Cain, this doesn't have to be your future. Cain, 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:09.380 you know the path that you're on. This doesn't have to be the way. There is the loving warning. 00:17:11.100 --> 00:17:20.220 He doesn't leave Cain in the dark. Sin is a predator seeking to have you. He wants to shine 00:17:20.220 --> 00:17:30.000 the spotlight on the sin hiding in the tall grass. And He shows Cain what positive change would look like. 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:38.400 You must rule over it. Cain, don't let sin control you. Don't just give in to sin and let it destroy 00:17:38.400 --> 00:17:45.900 you. Instead, get in control of sin, in part, by receiving grace promised and offering a right 00:17:45.900 --> 00:17:53.019 sacrifice. Cain was disobeying when it came to sacrifice, but those sacrifices offered in faith, 00:17:53.400 --> 00:17:59.460 they promise forgiveness. They promise mercy. God comes as a counselor. I wonder what's our view of 00:17:59.460 --> 00:18:09.759 God today. Sometimes it can be all too easy to think of Him as a cold, cruel judge, distant and 00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:19.120 uncaring. The story of Cain reveals the true face of God. He cares about people made in His image. 00:18:20.279 --> 00:18:26.180 He invites people to turn to Him, to trust Him, to find safety in Him. The Bible says what delights 00:18:26.180 --> 00:18:35.560 God's heart is not judgment. What delights God's heart is when people come in repentance and in faith, 00:18:37.299 --> 00:18:38.900 not when people reject and ignore. 00:18:41.539 --> 00:18:49.000 The second thing to notice about the sweetness of God is the mark of mercy that is placed on Cain. 00:18:49.000 --> 00:18:55.740 It's there in verse 15. The Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. Now, 00:18:55.779 --> 00:19:02.700 before that, verse 10, we discover that God cares about justice as He announces to Cain that his brother's 00:19:02.700 --> 00:19:06.579 blood cries out to him from the ground. The blood cries out for justice. 00:19:06.579 --> 00:19:17.039 The fact that God cares about justice gives us hope in a world marked by injustice. 00:19:18.179 --> 00:19:22.839 Whenever we hear from our brothers and sisters in Christ who experience intense opposition and 00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:30.119 persecution, you can almost certainly guarantee that they will place their hope in God's justice, 00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:37.539 that in the end the judge of all the earth will do what is right, that every wrong will be put right 00:19:37.539 --> 00:19:45.719 in the end. And so the sentence comes from the just judge, verse 11, now you are under a curse and 00:19:45.719 --> 00:19:52.219 driven from the ground. We're beginning to see further the impact, the effect of sin. Verse 12, 00:19:53.539 --> 00:19:58.419 we hear it in the sense of fruitless toil. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops 00:19:58.420 --> 00:20:04.320 for you. Adam and Eve have already been told the fight for survival is going to be tough. Now it just 00:20:04.320 --> 00:20:12.440 gets tougher. First planted in the Garden of Eden, enjoying the life of plenty and life with God. But now, 00:20:13.300 --> 00:20:24.259 so far from the fruitfulness they were made for. We're also told in verse 10 that Cain would be a 00:20:24.259 --> 00:20:36.279 restless wanderer on the earth. Genesis 1 and 2 again use the image of the Garden of Eden as a home and a place 00:20:36.279 --> 00:20:46.920 of rest, to be at home with God. But now, as Cain turns his back on God and walks into sin, he is both 00:20:46.920 --> 00:21:00.019 rootless and restless. And Cain feels the crushing weight of the sentence. Verse 13, my punishment is 00:21:00.019 --> 00:21:07.180 more than I can bear. And notice two things that he identifies that make it a particularly difficult 00:21:07.180 --> 00:21:16.299 thing. Verse 14, today you're driving me from the land and I will be hidden from your presence. 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:23.200 Here again is part of the reality of sin. We have a God who is perfectly holy, who can have nothing to 00:21:23.200 --> 00:21:29.779 do with sin. That's why our own efforts at salvation will never make it because we are always tainted by 00:21:29.779 --> 00:21:37.000 sin in some way. So sin separates. God cannot be where sin is. And so we see in the end, Cain sent 00:21:37.000 --> 00:21:44.319 east of Eden, hidden from your presence. And he says in verse 14, whoever finds me will kill me. 00:21:44.940 --> 00:21:50.099 Now he feels a target for attack. There was safety and security for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 00:21:51.039 --> 00:21:54.980 But now there's that loss of security and protection. And you get that sense that Cain is 00:21:54.980 --> 00:22:02.839 going to live all his life looking over his shoulder in fear. Now, how does God respond? 00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:17.259 We see justice, yes. But we see justice mixed with mercy. And again, this is striking. We never hear 00:22:17.259 --> 00:22:26.659 Cain appeal for mercy. We don't hear Cain repenting of sin. We don't hear Cain saying sorry. In fact, 00:22:26.660 --> 00:22:34.640 he seems to accuse God of being harsh. So while God can't bring him near, while he remains in sin, 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:43.160 he cannot be, God will still show Cain that he cares for him. He is an image bader and he cares. 00:22:43.400 --> 00:22:51.120 And he gives him this mark. Verse 15, as he fears for his life, the Lord said, not so. Anyone who kills 00:22:51.119 --> 00:22:55.439 Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over. He's given, we don't know what it is, but it's some 00:22:55.439 --> 00:23:03.419 kind of mark of protection. So that anyone who comes across Cain, they will know clearly. And again, 00:23:03.439 --> 00:23:09.479 we don't know how, but they will know God is looking after Cain. So I'm going to leave him well alone. 00:23:10.419 --> 00:23:18.519 It's a mark of mercy. The classic book by Nathaniel Hawthorne, called The Scarlet Letter, 00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:29.519 features a young woman called Hester Prynne, who because of her sin must bear a mark. She has to wear 00:23:29.519 --> 00:23:39.799 a badge. And it is intended by the religious community to be a badge of shame, to mark her out and to cut 00:23:39.799 --> 00:23:50.599 her off. But that's not what God's mark is about. Even towards a terrible sinner like Cain, 00:23:51.659 --> 00:23:59.759 there is a mark of God's mercy and care and kindness. Doesn't that tell us something wonderful 00:23:59.759 --> 00:24:07.079 about our God? I think on the one hand, it tells us that as a community of faith, we need to follow 00:24:07.079 --> 00:24:15.359 God's example in showing mercy and care in our relationships. Even when we are wronged, even 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:23.299 when somebody is in sin, they are still an image bearer. We have that tension, we are to hate the 00:24:23.299 --> 00:24:31.259 sin but to love the sinner. But doesn't it tell us too that if God would love Cain, and he did, 00:24:31.259 --> 00:24:45.160 then he loves us too. There is mercy from God for us too. There is hope in the way even how God treats 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:58.400 Cain. And that takes us to consider our third point, which is the significance of sacrifice. 00:24:58.400 --> 00:25:09.060 So really help us to see the mercy that God offers. Genesis paints, when it comes to people falling into 00:25:09.060 --> 00:25:17.240 sin, a really ugly picture. We see the impact of sin as it kind of becomes part of our DNA, 00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:24.780 our genetic code. We see the ripple effect from Adam and Eve to Cain. And then down through the 00:25:24.779 --> 00:25:32.399 generations, sin and its effects spread to every generation since, including our own. 00:25:36.000 --> 00:25:41.119 I think one way, going back to the idea of sin that hides, one way I think that sin can hide, 00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:47.480 and it can hide as a society, is the idea that some people have that sin is something that's so 00:25:47.480 --> 00:25:52.420 outdated and so primitive, something that we are beyond and past because we're enlightened people, 00:25:52.420 --> 00:25:56.019 that we've broken through those barriers that we don't even need to consider it. 00:25:58.300 --> 00:26:10.240 Is the power of sin still with us? Is the evidence of sin's effect still visible? Do we have a sin problem? 00:26:12.700 --> 00:26:16.779 Consider the last time you switched on the news or you checked out the media. 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:22.720 Consider the situations even within your own circles. 00:26:24.879 --> 00:26:34.680 Examine your own heart. How else do we explain the brokenness, the hate, the misery that we see 00:26:34.680 --> 00:26:43.399 all around? As we recognize, and even non-Christian people recognize that sin and guilt remains with us, 00:26:43.400 --> 00:26:49.040 we need the storyline of the Bible. Because the storyline of the Bible is very honest. It deals 00:26:49.040 --> 00:26:57.740 with the reality of sin, and it takes it way more seriously than any other view of life. But also, 00:26:58.460 --> 00:27:03.920 the message of the Bible promises salvation, offers hope, offers redemption through the Lord Jesus. 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:10.040 And so, we need to hear the story, and we need to learn about the significance of sacrifice. 00:27:10.039 --> 00:27:16.359 So, we need to think about Abel and how Jesus points us, how He points to Jesus, the greater 00:27:16.359 --> 00:27:24.420 Abel. So, think about Abel as he comes to offer his sacrifice, as he comes to offer the very best. 00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:34.480 He already knows of God's gracious promise that one day one is coming who will defeat the devil, 00:27:34.599 --> 00:27:38.879 who will defeat sin, who will defeat the power of death, who will bring forgiveness, 00:27:38.880 --> 00:27:47.720 who will bring a return to God, and by faith he offers a sacrifice, trusting in that coming one. 00:27:49.580 --> 00:27:56.940 Abel knew of the sacrifice that God had made so that there was animal skins to cover his sinful 00:27:56.940 --> 00:28:04.480 parents. He would have heard their story, and he comes to offer a sacrifice based on faith, 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:14.099 faith that blood, sacrifice is God's merciful way for sin to be covered over. 00:28:15.579 --> 00:28:24.640 And in Abel's story of faith-filled sacrifice, we see the shadow of Jesus. 00:28:24.640 --> 00:28:31.780 When the author of the book of Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 4, said to us, Abel still speaks, 00:28:33.300 --> 00:28:42.700 he speaks gospel. He speaks of Jesus, the coming Savior. Just like Abel, Jesus was righteous. 00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:49.100 And just like Abel, Jesus was killed by wicked Cain. 00:28:49.099 --> 00:28:55.859 Cain was somebody who would offer sacrifice one day and kill his brother the next day. 00:28:56.559 --> 00:29:00.519 The religious leaders of Jesus' day would go to the temple and offer sacrifice, 00:29:00.939 --> 00:29:04.439 and they would have hearts full of pride and hate and murder. 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:14.219 Just like Abel, as Jesus dies on the cross, his blood speaks. 00:29:14.220 --> 00:29:20.860 But wonderfully, Hebrews 12, 24 told us, the blood of Jesus speaks a better word. 00:29:22.940 --> 00:29:33.360 Abel's blood cries out for justice against Cain. Jesus' blood cries out justice for sinners 00:29:33.360 --> 00:29:39.539 who put their faith in him. Jesus' blood declares to his Father in heaven, 00:29:39.539 --> 00:29:46.799 I have paid the debt in full. Sin has been covered for my people. It would be unjust to punish them 00:29:46.799 --> 00:29:53.480 too, since I have taken all the punishment. And so the blood of Jesus speaks the promise 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:57.599 of forgiveness, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 00:29:59.420 --> 00:30:07.599 Abel's blood spoke of justice. Jesus' blood speaks of justice and mercy. Jesus takes on himself 00:30:07.599 --> 00:30:16.159 the just judgment of God, takes the punishment, experiences the wrath, and gives us mercy, 00:30:17.039 --> 00:30:20.839 grants us forgiveness, grants us life and peace with God. 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:29.579 So while Genesis 4 explains so much about who we are and why the world is the way it is, 00:30:30.419 --> 00:30:33.719 it also points forward to hope. It speaks of God's great solution, 00:30:33.720 --> 00:30:39.460 because it speaks to us ultimately of Jesus, the one who saves by way of sacrifice. 00:30:40.600 --> 00:30:45.519 Jesus, the righteous one, the one that we are called to put our faith in, 00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:55.660 that our sin would be covered, that we would find our way home to our God. Let me pray briefly for us. 00:30:55.660 --> 00:31:25.200 Jesus best came shout out to you because our grace